MBB: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Hoops_lover]

stag 44, great assessment of the CMS/Chapman match-up.  You're right something had to give and it was Chapman allowing many back door lay ups.  There 60%+ FG % was mostly on lay ups or close up shots.  lot of credit goes to the team running their man tightly off the picks.  What impressed me the most was the CMS players were using an arm, leg or torso to make contact on a Panther player every time up and down the court.  After dozen times of that, it wears on you and I could see it affecting most of the Panther players.  Scalmanini, his staff and the team did a great job on not allowing Hamasaki to get to the rim.  Stags usually had three guys retreat to protect the bucket and once set, their defensive rotations were spot on.  On the other hand, Chapman defensive rotations were either late or non-existent and that has been an issue lately.  Joyce, Justin Young and Nick Dragovich need to work on protecting the rim better or coaching staff needs to make an adjustment.  Panthers play at PP tomorrow and hopefully they'll come out with a win.

[OxyBob]

Tonight's schedule, all games 7:30 p.m.

Conference:

Oxy (6-5, 2-1 SCIAC) @ Whittier (6-5, 0-2)
Claremont (7-4, 2-0) @ La Verne (5-6, 2-1)
Caltech (3-9, 0-3) @ Redlands (5-7, 1-2)

Nonconference:

Chapman (8-5) @ Pomona (7-5)

Cal Lutheran has the night off.

OxyBob

[dahlby]

In SCIAC action tonight it was a 90-85-double overtime win for Pomona over Chapman.
Stats at:
www.chapmanathletics

[Hoya86]

At 57.4 ppg CMS is #3 in scoring defense in D3 (as of 1/5/14).  They held LaVerne to 30 points below their scoring average last night.

http://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-men/d3

Really enjoyed the end of the Chapman-PP game last night.  Very entertaining!

[WoostAr]

Caltech is displaying a disturbing trend this season of digging themselves a huge hole early in games...again last night, they went down by 19 at the half before coming back to get within six in the second half. 

Over the course of this season they've trailed by more than ten points at the half in 11 of their 13 games.  They occasionally get back into the games (they actually beat UC Santa Cruz after being down 10+ at half, and made the Oxy, La Verne and Redlands games interesting).

Definitely not a winning formula to spot the opposing team ten or more points.  Still a young team...the fact that they don't fold and fight back is promising...waiting for the game where they come out and their offense clicks right off the opening tip.

[West Coast Bias]

The biggest probelm for Cal Tech is that they aren't very good. They are MUCH better than they were a few years ago, which is a testament to Coach O and but more importantly to the administration's commitment to not being an embarassment (as evidence by their improvement in athletics across the board, not just men's hoops). The hoop team is just your garden variety bad basketball team now, which is really a Catch-22. When they were REALLY bad they could sneak up on teams that underestimated them. Now that they are a respectable team, their opponents don't overlook them quite as much, coaches prepare more, players don't expect to win by 50. So even though they are better, there are on the receiving end of a better game from their opponents more often than they were a few years ago. And that is way too much time spent talking about a team that has won 1 SCIAC game in the past 25+ years...

Enough talking about  losing...

An overdue congratulations to Coach Kat at Pomona-Pitzer for winning his 400th game over the holiday break against Trinity in San Antonio. Coach Kat is a class act whose teams always play hard.  I believe Coach Kat (402 and counting) is the 2nd all time winningest coach in SCIAC history behind only Gary Smith of Redlands(450). Also to be mentioned is Rich Rider at Cal Lu whose career win total for divions 2 and 3 is 444.

Great for CMS to be #3 in the nation in scoring defense. We should also congratulate them on being #393 (out of 409) in scoring offense. Good to see that Scali and the Stags are up to their old tricks of trying to make the game as ugly as possible.

The league appears to be a muddle of mediocraty. CMS looks like the team to beat. They have the most balance and depth.  Be sure to check out their live broadcast of their games, especially if you have insomnia. It will put you right to sleep.

PP looks like every other PP team. I imagine their recruiting letter reads like a personal ad. Seeking smart male, between 6'2 and 6'6, can shoot the 3, but pleae no one over 190 pounds...Good enough to make the SCIAC tournament, but about as tough as tissue paper.

I put Whittier, Redlands, Cal Lu and Chapman in a battle for the 3 and 4 spots. Cal Lu will be dangerous as the season goes along as the players continue to learn each others names. Redlands has a chance if they can get Rudd and Peetz into a basic math class (My point< My man's points = UR Loss). Maybe Chapman can do a cross enrollment for that class with Hamasaki and Zarvsnick...who knew Coach Bo had it in him to play games in the 80s??? And Whittier, well I stopped trying to figure out Whittier a long time ago.

Oxy will always have a punchers chance as long as Montoya is there. La Verne has some good talent, if only the refs would stop screwing over Rich Reed.

And then there is the Mighty Techsters...Keep on trucking....or engineering...or whatever...I would still rather watch one one of your games over a CMS snoozefest any day.

[OxyBob]

The league appears to be a muddle of mediocraty. CMS looks like the team to beat. They have the most balance and depth.  Be sure to check out their live broadcast of their games, especially if you have insomnia. It will put you right to sleep.

And then there is the Mighty Techsters...Keep on trucking....or engineering...or whatever...I would still rather watch one one of your games over a CMS snoozefest any day.

First, it's Techers, not Techsters.

Second, I must strongly disagree with WCB's opinion about Claremont.

This one was not close. Claremont dominated from start to finish. Classic CMS defense. Cal Lutheran could not get the ball into the block, they could not drive the baseline, they could not get decent shots from the wing, and they could not drive from the top of the key. The Kingsmen mostly passed the ball around the arc, finally flung something up at the basket, missed, and the rebound was gathered in by one of the five CMS players standing under the basket, with no CLU players in sight. A basketball thing of beauty to watch.

When you're on defense against Claremont keep your eyes on your man and don't turn your head. Ooops, you turned your head. Another backdoor layup.

OxyBob

[Evolution]

Yes.  Caltech has a ways to go, and with time, might do just that.

Currently 70% of playing time at Caltech is going to freshmen class.  Three starters just turned 18. 

With less than a few minutes remaining at Redlands, Caltech had five freshman  on the court and were down by only four. (The published report of six was wrong).  With better focus they should be able to convert on more than 4 for 14 from the line. Especially costly we're the eight missed front ends. 

Truth is Caltech gets everyone's best game because no school wants to have to live with the legacy that Occidental does.

[dahlby]

Evolution:
I agree and welcome aboard!

By the way, a coach at Caltech told me last year they are aware of the opponents desire not to lose to them.
He was smiling when he said it.

[Gray Fox]

Welcome Evolution.

You've come on with a big bang.

I hope all of your future postings are designed as intelligently as the first

[Gromek]

OFFENSE WINS GAMES,  DEFENSE WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS.  I wonder who said that first?  Probably not west coast bias.

[WoostAr]

The biggest probelm for Cal Tech is that they aren't very good. They are MUCH better than they were a few years ago, which is a testament to Coach O and but more importantly to the administration's commitment to not being an embarassment (as evidence by their improvement in athletics across the board, not just men's hoops). The hoop team is just your garden variety bad basketball team now

I agree with this portion of West Coast Bias' assessment as it pertains to the present.  Caltech has improved drastically and Coach Eslinger deserves all the credit for that, but they have not improved enough to be a serious contender in the SCIAC and I would not classify them as a good basketball team right now.  HOWEVER, the reason there is so much chatter about this team is that they have a lot of talent with a lot of time to gel.  It's all about potential right now and everyone (except West Coast Bias) likes an underdog story. 

After their come back attempt the other night at Redlands, Caltech lost in a blowout at home to Cal Lu tonight...guess we will have to wait at least one more game for that potential to be realized.  Luke Lango lead Caltech with 16, Arik Smith lead Cal Lu with 16 in 20 minutes....that kid can PLAY!

Not sure how anyone can classify PP as "tough as tissue paper" though...I don't think any team by that description beats St. Thomas.

[OxyBob]

the reason there is so much chatter about this team is that they have a lot of talent with a lot of time to gel. 

The only reason there is so much chatter about Caltech is because you keep chattering on and on and on about them.

Saturday's SCIAC scores:

Claremont 68, Oxy 50 -- Tyler Gaffaney scored 25 for CMS.
Redlands 65, La Verne 52 -- 15-0 run by UR too much for ULV to overcome.
Cal Lutheran 77, Caltech 53 -- CLU up 26-7 and game over.
Pomona 83, Whittier 74 -- Consecutive 3-balls by Michael Cohen at start of 2nd half gave Pomona comfortable lead.

No surprise: Claremont (9-4, 4-0 SCIAC) and Pomona (9-5, 5-1) have separated themselves from the rest of the pack.

OxyBob

[Gosox]

"There is no substitute for experience!"....PERIOD....if someone has more of it, it will show....

[stag44]

Early Conference Observations and Predictions

Front Runners:
CMS -
If you had told me at the beginning of this year that the CMS defense would be a nationally ranked defense that held multiple NAIA schools below their average and had ULV at 32 points with under 2 minutes left in the game on the road, I would have laughed. But after thinking about it more, they had alot of different things working for them. No offense to Sullivan, Mivshek or Cain who graduated, but the players filling those minutes (Harrington, Gaffaney) are significantly better defensively. This along with having a team with 90% of minutes being played by returners in Scali's system also makes them even nastier on defense. As teams become more experienced with Scali, he really is able to teach intricate details and nuances of defense that allow his teams to really make things difficult for the opposition. I remember in we used to run extremely complex schemes that were drastically different from game to game (guarding CLU bigs, vs ULV run and gun, vs Oxy's balanced attack) I really though this team would be an offensive juggernaut that would fill it up and make teams outscore them. But as is the case with teams that can sometimes be reliant on shooting, there have been games where the Stags have gone cold. But they have been able to rely on their defense as they have yet to give up over 67 points all season and are holding SCIAC teams to just over 50ppg while average 63ppg. While they still have a hefty road schedule left (@PP, @Redlands, @Chapman, @CLU, @CIT, @Whittier) I think they are in a very good position to compete for another SCIAC title. If we see Grodahl and Harrington hit their offensive stride like they did last year, the Stags will be really dangerous and competitive. Their 5s have been a great surprise and really impressive on the defensive end. Let's see how things change once everyone has gotten another look at the Stags. I think that everyone that has watched a CMS game can agree that Gaffaney is head and shoulders the best player on the team, in the conference, and potentially on the West Coast in D3 hoops.

Pomona-Pitzer
First congrats to Kats for getting his 400th win. He's kept PP relevant and near the top of the SCIAC through his entire stay and it doesn't look to be going anywhere. I think its pretty interesting to note that the two schools with arguably the most rigorous admissions standards and academics once enrolled (yes, Caltech wins here) still have the best 2 programs in the conference. It's a really big nod to Katz and Scali for the last 9 years only having 2 years combined between the 2 of them out of the top 3 in conference. This year his team is as explosive as ever. McAndrews has taken a mega-step forward this year and is probably the only person in conversation with Gaffaney for POY thus far. He's been lighting up the scoreboard and making PP dangerous to go for 80+ in any game. Along with 6th year senior Moss, Cohen, and Klewer they are experienced and have played in alot of big games. The surprise has been production from Nordale and Farone Collins - two underclassmen who are playing big minutes for Kats and giving him players who don't need the ball to be effective. Everytime I watch I'm always impressed with Klewer - he's a double-double machine who plays hard and never has a play run for him. He's the emotional leader of the team and while McAndrews gets the headlines for his scoring, swag and demeanor - when PP is at its best is when Klewer is active and making all the plays that dont show up on the scoreboard. They get a chance at redemption vs CMS later this year at Raines in a game that should have serious SCIAC implications.

The crazy race for 3/4 seeds:

There are 6 teams that could find their way in the 3/4 seed right now as they all have 2-3 losses and have been competitive

Chapman
They are tough to read. On paper they should be a top team in the conference with their pieces (James, Hamasaki, Zaversnick, Joyce, etc) and are playing well, but have come up short against the top tier in CMS and PP. They are very skilled and score more than most prior Chapman teams. I think they will beat some teams at home and will create some problems for CMS and PP @ Chapman, similar to last year handing Redlands their only SCIAC lost at Hutton. They are always well coached and get better as the year moves on. I wouldn't want to go to Hutton the last week of conference with a playoff bid on the line. I think they have to find ways to improve/mask their defensive issues and keep letting Hamasaki go off scoring.

CLU
This is a reloaded team with transfers and newcomers galore that started off the seasons hot and was undefeated in non-conference play. They seem to be like Jekyll and Hyde though as they have won @ Chapman and lost hosting ULV. I think Rider has always had really really good talent in his time at CLU (Knudsen, Meier, Grimm, Innis, etc) and certain years he has harnessed them and gotten the team to play together, but recently it seems like the teams can be fractured, disinterested and also don't have the cohesion of many 4 year contributing players on the team. This year is no different, but along the same lines the talent is WAY higher. With the addition of Powdrill and Smith, they bring in top tier SCIAC talent right away. This along with the maturation of Lynott and Quintana makes them dangerous. I think they will battle for the 4th position and probably get it with their talent, but alot depends how they gel as a team.

Redlands
After a historic 15-win SCIAC campaign and a near win in Spokane (up 10 midway through the 2nd half), the Bulldogs were going to revert a bit, especially with the graduation of Brensdal, Kirk, Kuklok and Calhoun being abroad in the fall. They still brought back 2 of the best shooters in the SCIAC in Rudd and Peetz along with newcomers Bjekovic and the Milligan brothers. With Ducey up to his usual tricks, this team should be competitive especially as Calhoun gets back into game shape. Offense will not be an issue for this group as they are loaded with shooters and talent. Bjekovic seems to be taking on a larger roll as well as he is filling up the stat sheet averaging a near double double, and forcing the issue on offense by getting to the free throw line alot. I think they will continue to get better as they integrate their team and are able to find the right rotation of players.

ULV
This is a team I don't quite understand. They play hard and seem to enjoy playing for each other based on their bench reactions and came out of the gates roaring - they were the only SCIAC team to beat Pacific who beat CMS, PP, Oxy, and Caltech. The same team also has lost 8 of their last 10 games after starting 3-0. They have some talent but have 13 players averaging over 8 minutes - I think in theory this strategy of keeping players fresh and "next one up" mentality can be good and lift team morale, it becomes very difficult to get into a rhythm and develop specific roles for players. Once you get past 9-10 players then there are not defined rotations and roles for each player playing and sometime it can turn into a situation where players are playing for more minutes and to showcase their talent for more time. In any case the team plays so hard and they are led by a passionate coach who is very intense and demonstrative on the court. I think they will upset 1 or 2 teams at the  top of the league who take them lightly but I'm not sure they will get into that 4 seed this year.

Whittier
Every year this team has unreal talent and always gets great transfer kickbacks which is both a blessing and disguise. Rock has talent but often doesn't have alot of time to piece together the team and get them to play together. They bottled some of that in the 2011-12 team, but were in a STACKED league that year. This year it looks like they are having some growing pains out of the gate but are rounding into form especially with Landrum coming back from injury. They are always the most athletic team in conference, and recently will find a mismatch on offense and look to abuse it until the other coach makes a change. They keep things simple on both sides of the court and let their players play. If you can be patient on offense and handle their pressure you will score at a high rate. Defensively the challenge is always keeping their guard penetration contained and stopping transition. If you keep them in the half court they are far less effective, though with Landrum they do have a post to play through. Landrum, Demusis, and Barnes-Williams give them a very strong core to be competitive this year. Depending on how they mesh they could sneak into a 4 seed, but regardless will make things difficult for CMS and PP at the top as they always do with their athleticism and offensive firepower.

Oxy
This team has taken a turn for the worst since the new year, going 0-3, all being big double digit losses. While they started out hot and were scoring it seems that once SCIAC teams could scout them they have been somewhat neutralized. I'm not sure what offense Newhall has gone with, but if he is continuing with the dribble drive that he implemented last year then I can see how this is getting stalled. They don't have the "break-you-down" guards that make the dribble drive effective with other teams but let's see if they are able to find some ways to adjust this. Montoya continues to score like crazy but is struggling with efficiency (shooting under 40%), but the Tigers have received strong contributions from Rice, Johnson and Levy (though looks like he has been hurt the last 2 games). I think it will be another tough year for Oxy and they will struggle through the year, but if they catch fire in any game they have the talent to upset any team in conference. 

Caltech
I'll keep it brief with the most talked about winless SCIAC team. They are young but they play extremely hard. They are still 2 high level players away from being competitive on a nightly basis to win. Seems like they are in this year where now no team is sleeping on them after their near wins last year (CMS in OT, etc) and so they are coming out strong and then lighten up in the 2nd half where CIT is good enough to make games interesting at the end. They may get one this year, but teams are not taking them lightly.

I tried to keep this unbiased, but it obviously has some slants to it. I think the SCIAC is as strong as ever and has an opportunity this year to take down an NWC teams as they are a little down this year. Here's to a great rest of the year!