MBB: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[OxyBob]

St. Thomas is at Pomona tonight.

Pomona blew a 5-point lead in the last 1:16 of regulation and lost to St. Thomas in double overtime, 82-79.

OxyBob

[(509)Rat]

Where are all the Chapman folk?

Whitworth will be playing Cal Lu and Chapman up in Concord at Diablo Valley. Whitworth recruits DVC pretty hard, so smart move if it was Logie's or Hayford's call. I'm glad current Pirate Zach Payne gets a couple games in front of friends and family.

I'm assuming Whitworth will roll Cal Lu but Chapman is a bit of a mystery to me. Lost some big time players but they seem to be at the point where they are able to reload...I could be wrong about that though?

[dahlby]

Rat:

Chapman posters are here. CU is 3-0 not counting an exhibition loss to UCSB. We edged LaVerne at home and just got by at Redlands. You are right, CU  did lose some very good players, and it will take some time for the team to jell with all the new player rotations.

I see that your Pirates are off to their dominating ways...good luck!

BTW, I was impressed with your football team this year, understanding that you had some new players. Chapman was fortunate to get the win. Your QB situation will be the envy of the west coast next year if they continue to improve over the off season.

I will be up in Spokane next year for the return match...maybe we can meet up.

[stag44]

Eyewitness Report from Texas:

CMS 66 - Southwestern 51
The Stags came out of the gate with a fury, going up 19-2, and held Southwestern without a field goal for the first 7 minutes of the game. They were suffocating on defense and were impressive in transition and their half court offense looked precise as they were getting layups or wide-open 3s. They continued to put the pressure on and ended the half up 42-17.

The second half was an entirely different story. The Stags were extremely flat and looked unmotivated and sloppy. While they maintained a 15-25pt lead for most of the half, they looked lackadasical and careless. Scali was clearly unhappy with their effort, especially on the defensive end and let the know about it. It was frustrating to watch after the first half showed how impressive and engaged they could be.

Individually, I was blown away with how good Blees and Mani looked live. They worked well as a tandem, torching teams with their scoring and passing. Blees was able to get to the rim at will, and Mani was pure as usual from midrange. Gaffney was saddled with foul trouble the whole game and had trouble getting into a rythm, but still looked solid at the 2. Pinson looked great and really got the team out and going and looked good shooting the rock. As usual, Anderson was flying around the court wreaking havoc defensively and on the boards. Off the bench, Mivshek, Sullivan, Donnelly, Cain provided solid minutes, and freshman Mkpado and Grodahl looked good while they were out there.

Overall, the Stags took care of business in the 1st half, but let off the gas and showed a lack of effort in the 2nd half.

Box Score: http://www.scacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/box_scores/20111118_qgu7.xml

CMS 70 - Trinity (TX) 41
In an early 2pm start, against a good Trinity team, I was half expecting the Stags to labor through the game. We usually do not travel well, and especially not during the early games. I was happily surprised as they came out with another burst and were up 27-10 with 5 minutes to go in the first half. The Stags really put on a defensive clinic and handled Trinity's high-post flex offense really well. They moved as a unit on the defesnive end and really provided help to each other while recovering. This led to run-outs, transition, and easy baskets for the Stags. Offensively, the Stags showed their versatility as they went 10-24 from 3, and 19-31 from 2.

Individually, Blees was impressive and left me laughing at the degree of difficulty on some of his finishes. He was denied a perfect 9-9 by an athletic block from a Trinity big. Also showed some range by hitting a 3 in the 1st half. Maciera was deadly from the high post and some finishes around the rim that reminded me of his 06-07 year. Off the bench, Mivshek was awesome getting to the rack and was feeling it from deep.

They put together 40 minutes of sustained intensity and beat a very good Trinity team. If they are able to play this way through the season, I really believe the team is in the top 15 nationally. The scariest part of it all is that they have lots of areas to still improve on, and I know that when Scali and the staff looks at the film, they'll see many areas to really get detailed and excel. In talking with all the guys after the game, they really are starting to believe in the system and in each other. I'm excited to see how they develop through the course of the year and hope they continue improving and take care of business in the Wells Classic.

Box Score: http://www.trinitytigers.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/stats/mbkb03.htm

[oldchap]

Chapman is here and very proud to be part of the SCIAC family (although this year, we aren't eligible for the Conference championship).

This year, the Chapman team has lost 2 key players to graduation, Ramme and Riley, plus a slew of other very important role players. One of our seniors dropped out for personal reasons before the new season started. There are only 4 returning players. Nearly all others are freshmen. So if the team is a mystery to an outside observer, it is as much of a mystery even for those who have been following them for a few years. However, you can count on Coach Bokosky to make the best of what he has. He is one of the best D3 coaches on the West Coast (if not the best) and he will make a difference in close games.

It is a little soon to tell, but looking at the first four games they played (two SCIAC teams, and two exhibition games, one of which was against highly rated D1 UC Santa Barbara), this team makes up for their lack of experience with a lot of scrappiness, intelligence and will power. Actually even the coach is a bit stunned at their resilience and competitiveness. But of course, they could very well crumble later in the season. Or explode. Only future will tell...

Although Withworth is generally a cut above the rest in the West, this year's Panthers will do everything in their power to give them a run for their money. We are all looking forward to a re-match of the double loss the Pirates inflicted Chapman in the round of 32 of the playoffs two years in a row. And this time, it will be on neutral ground, which will be a little less forgiving to the last winner.

[Hugenerd]

Caltech picked up their first won of the season to move to 1-1 (both games against non-D3).

[OxyBob]

Caltech picked up their first won of the season to move to 1-1 (both games against non-D3).

How informative.

OxyBob

[dahlby]

OxyBob:

If your comment was regarding lack of further info the Cal Tech victory, I suggest you check out the Cal Tech web site.

If your comment was sarcastic, there are many, many posters that post a brief statement like that....why don't you do that more often with those posters.

If your comment was because you still have a funny feeling in your stomach from last year's Oxy loss to Cal Tech and  that you now expect them to win a few games....well, I can buy that.

IMHO, I can't figure out why you would toss a "zinger" at  Hugenerd.  Cheer up, the holidays are here.

Happy Holidays to ALL posters.

[etule]

LOL  Happy Thanksgiving

[goldsoundz]

Solid win for Caltech considering they had two starters, including their best player, out for this game.  Pacifica is a decent guard-heavy team, better than their record indicates.  Only play 7 guys big minutes, so they get worn down late in games.  But they played CMS tough on the road and led at halftime, so they have some talent.

This is the deepest Caltech team in recent history.  It looks like the rotation is about 10 deep this year, with 2 freshman.  6 of the guys are juniors who saw heavy minutes the last two years.  The freshman PG Joel is solid - he started the last game and is averaging 12.5 pts/4.5 ast on nice percentages the first two games.  Lots of TO but that's expected for a freshman PG.

[Gray Fox]

Solid win for Caltech considering they had two starters, including their best player, out for this game.  Pacifica is a decent guard-heavy team, better than their record indicates.  Only play 7 guys big minutes, so they get worn down late in games.  But they played CMS tough on the road and led at halftime, so they have some talent.

This is the deepest Caltech team in recent history.  It looks like the rotation is about 10 deep this year, with 2 freshman.  6 of the guys are juniors who saw heavy minutes the last two years.  The freshman PG Joel is solid - he started the last game and is averaging 12.5 pts/4.5 ast on nice percentages the first two games.  Lots of TO but that's expected for a freshman PG.

That is more like it. But I would expect that from a Stanford guy.  +k and +k for your first post.  It only allows one per day, however. 

[OxyBob]

Solid win for Caltech considering they had two starters, including their best player, out for this game.  Pacifica is a decent guard-heavy team, better than their record indicates.
...

This is the deepest Caltech team in recent history.  It looks like the rotation is about 10 deep this year, with 2 freshman.  6 of the guys are juniors who saw heavy minutes the last two years.

goldsoundz, welcome to the board.

Oxy didn't fair as well against Pacifica, losing 67-66. (I am not sure what Pacifica College is, though I believe that it's somehow loosely affiliated with the NAIA, and is not to be confused with Pacifica Graduate Institute or the University of the Pacific, but I digress.) Oxy led 11-0 to start the game, but only led by two at halftime. In the second half the Tigers fell behind by 9, tied it with 1:25 left, but couldn't get over. Deshun McCoy scored 27 and Conrad Liebowitz had 14. Glaring stat: 17 turnovers.

From what I saw of Oxy against St. Thomas, the Tigers are not deep.

Next for Oxy (1-2) is UDallas (1-3) this Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at Caltech, while CIT (1-1) plays Stevens (3-1) at 4:00 p.m. for further details...

I suggest you check out the Cal Tech web site.

Then on Sunday it's over to Oxy for Caltech vs. UDallas at 2:00 p.m. and Oxy vs. Stevens at 4:00 p.m.

dahlby, heartiest congratulations on your recent appointment as the SCIAC message board hall monitor!

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1891631385

P.S. It's Caltech, not Cal Tech.

OxyBob

[Gray Fox]

OxyBob,
The comparative scores with Pacifica do not bode well for an Oxy revenge win with Caltech during SCIAC play.  At least I won't be awakened this season with the NPR cute joke at the half hour telling me that Caltech has broken its SCIAC losing streak.

[Gosox]

Looking forward to reading some more qoutes and quips this year from this board. It is always interesting to see others insites into the SCIAC Basketball Season.   Should be an interesting year for all teams...My best wishes to a healthy year for all players on all teams!

[stag44]

Wells Classic Preview:

Friday Night
CMS vs St. Olaf 5PM
Dominican vs Pomona-Pitzer 7PM
All games at Pomona's Raines Center

I am really looking forward to hearing about the CMS St Olaf game. From what I hear St Olaf is going to be a decent team in the always difficult MIAC and this will be a good litmus test to see if the Stags are for real. If memory serves me right, 2 years ago, the Stags were mopped up pretty good by Alfred Jaryan to the tune of 30pts 8rebs and 3assts on an extremely efficient night (http://www.cmsathletics.org/sports/mbkb/2009-10/stats/STO-CMS.HTM).  I'm pretty sure that Blees remembers that game, and he and Joey are probably the only 2 guys who are returning from that team. It should be a fun start to the classic and I'm excited to hear how the Stags respond. They had a successful trip to Texas and can hopefully build on that momentum this weekend.


From what I've read and heard, Pomona is back this year. They played Pepperdine competitive and then took St Thomas down to 2OTs before falling. I'll be excited to hear see how they play this weekend.

Saturday Night
St Olaf vs P-P
Dominican vs CMS
All Games at CMS Ducey Gym

Don't know much about Dominican, but its always a fun game to play at home in the Wells Classic. This tournament means alot to both the men's and women's program as Coach David wells is has his stamp all over the Stags. I know these game mean the most to Scali as Coach Wells was a huge mentor to him and always tells his guys in the shootaround that it's important to play hard always, but especially in this Classic. I'm excited to see the guys get after in and get out of the weekend 2 - 0.

Predictions:

CMS and PP sweep the Classic.