MBB: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[LogShow]

Also good luck to Oxy, I am still holding out hope for a Pool C for them.  They have had a great season.

[scandihoovian]

Post-conference tourney was a smashing success.  Funny, how 1 weekend of the conference tournament flipped everything on its head.  PP historically opposed the conference tournament, undoubtedly because PP has had more than its share of conference titles and feared losing the bid to the 4th seed upstart.   Oxy, on the other hand, always supported it. 

What happened at PP on Saturday night is exactly why this conference tournament was something we needed a decade ago.  Congrats to our 4th seed Sagehens for taking the 1st SCIAC post-season tournament.  It would be great to see Oxy or even CLU get a bid and show that the tremendous body of work they did during the season was noticed. 

But even if they don't, I have no doubt that we are sending the team to the post-season that has the best chance of winning games.  Kats, for all of his post-season blunders, needed this tournament more than anything.  His boys are better prepared now having gone through this weekend than even his better teams from the past.   

Ghetto-

I agree with you 100% about the tourney.  I don't like this year's results but that's just due to school loyalty.  I was excited for the CLU women's soccer team when they played their way in from the fourth seed to the NCAA tourney, and so I understand why PP is so excited to get the autobid. (nice picture hyphen - I always wondered what the Rains center looked like with people in it  )

Friday night was tough to stomach, but PP played the game they needed in order to beat the Kingsmen, and in the words of Coach Rider "We picked a bad night to have a bad night."  I saw almost 80 minutes of CLU-PP basketball this year, and the Hens only looked good for about 23 of those minutes.  That they were the most important 23 minutes is another story

I disagree, however, that our conference's best tournament hopes rest with the Hens.  We all know that they struggle in the  national tourney. I think their strength, year in and year out, is gearing up to beat conference opponents.  I think that both Oxy and CLU this year demonstrated an ability to beat quality teams they had not previously played, which to me seems like the most important quality in a tourney rep.  That's now a moot point because both teams, obviously, missed out on their chance to lock up a bid.  I hope the committee lets one of them in, but in any case I'll be cheering for the Hens to turn their tourney fortunes around.

[LogShow]

But even if they don't, I have no doubt that we are sending the team to the post-season that has the best chance of winning games.  Kats, for all of his post-season blunders, needed this tournament more than anything.  His boys are better prepared now having gone through this weekend than even his better teams from the past.   

Kat is a really good coach, but I think we should hold off recommending to Rome that the Pope break the rule requiring the five-year wait after death to begin the process of sainthood, or nominating Kat for a Nobel Prize. Pomona was 13-12, 8-6 in the SCIAC, and 1-3 against Oxy and CLU. The Sagehens caught CLU on a bad night and survived CMS even while blowing a 12-point lead with 6 minutes to go. Pomona won the SCIAC tournament, so they earned the AQ because that's how it works. But the SCIAC's best team? Uh, sorry, but not even Coach Kat thinks that:

"They had such a wonderful season," Katsiaficas said of the Kingsmen. "Co-champions; they and Oxy were a cut above in the double-round robin."

OxyBob

well said! on any given night...

[Ralph Turner]

I think that Claremont having to travel all the way to Pomona adversely affected their performance...

Claremont also played a couple of inexperienced freshman, was in foul trouble, suffered from bad officiating, and had the sun in their eyes.

Article in Time magazine about Caltech basketball:

Postcard: Pasadena

Will Caltech ever shine on the court? [Head coach Roy] Dow is a committed coach. He just wishes the administration would show more support for sports. "The school strives for excellence in so many endeavors," he says. "Why should this other experience be so poor?" At other Division III schools, coaches and admissions officers often work together to identify potential players and set aside spots for a few who may not qualify academically for the school. Dow says he has a "nonexistent" relationship with the Caltech admissions office. "People here aren't comfortable with any guarantees," says Caltech admissions director Rick Bischoff.

Contrast Dow's plight with what's going on at one of the supposed bastions of education, Harvard, as reported in the New York Times:

In a New Era at Harvard, New Questions of Standards

Yet the group of six recruits expected to join the team next season is rated among the nation's 25 best. This is partly because Harvard Coach Tommy Amaker, who starred at Duke and coached in the Big East and Big Ten conferences, has set his sights on top-flight recruits. It is also because Harvard is willing to consider players with a lower academic standing than previous staff members said they were allowed to. Harvard has also adopted aggressive recruiting tactics that skirt or, in some cases, may even violate National Collegiate Athletic Association rules.

OxyBob

Wasn't it the abuses of intercollegiate athletics at places like Harvard that prompted the creation of the NCAA by old Teddy back in '06?   

[fosheezie]

But even if they don't, I have no doubt that we are sending the team to the post-season that has the best chance of winning games.  Kats, for all of his post-season blunders, needed this tournament more than anything.  His boys are better prepared now having gone through this weekend than even his better teams from the past.   

Kat is a really good coach, but I think we should hold off recommending to Rome that the Pope break the rule requiring the five-year wait after death to begin the process of sainthood, or nominating Kat for a Nobel Prize. Pomona was 13-12, 8-6 in the SCIAC, and 1-3 against Oxy and CLU. The Sagehens caught CLU on a bad night and survived CMS even while blowing a 12-point lead with 6 minutes to go. Pomona won the SCIAC tournament, so they earned the AQ because that's how it works. But the SCIAC's best team? Uh, sorry, but not even Coach Kat thinks that:

'They had such a wonderful season," Katsiaficas said of the Kingsmen. "Co-champions; they and Oxy were a cut above in the double-round robin."

OxyBob, do me a favor and stop hatin' on Coach Kat.  I was at both games and saw a team that played hard.  They were not very talented at all, but they got the job done, unlike your beloved Oxy Tigers.  TThere was no bad officiating either.  It was an ugly game, but they won it. The fact that he can drive those less-talented players into winning two huge games just adds to his resume.  So give the guy some credit, he has won 11 SCIAC titles. In the day and age of coaches losing their touch as time goes on, he still finds ways to get stronger and amaze even more.  He is a great motivator, competitor, and has a huge b-ball IQ, so that is why he is good.  And he can say one thing, the rest of the coaches, even Newhall cannot say at this moment, "See you at practice on Monday!"

YOU LIKE APPLES, HOW YOU LIKE 'DEM APPLES!!!

[Gray Fox]

Wasn't it the abuses of intercollegiate athletics at places like Harvard that prompted the creation of the NCAA by old Teddy back in '06?   

That, and the deaths caused by the flying wedge.

[sciacguru]

ALL SCIAC posted:

The 2007-2008 All-SCIAC Men's Basketball Honors have been named.  The Conference Co-Champions and recipients of the Dave Jacobs Trophy were the Occidental College Tigers and California Lutheran University Kingsmen.  Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens were crowned the SCIAC Tournament Champions.   

David Wells Player of the Year:  Connor Whitman, Senior, Occidental College, 6'1"
Ted Ducey Award Recipients: Jabarri Reynolds, Senior, Pomona-Pitzer, 6'4"
                                                 Matt Loretz, Senior, University of Redlands, 6'5"

First Team                    
Justin Sexton    SO    Pomona-Pitzer     6'8"    Watertown, MA
Jabarri Reynolds SR     Pomona-Pitzer     6'4"     Chicago, IL
Dave Thomas    SR    University of Redlands     6'3"     Santa Cruz, CA
Dan Winterbottom     SR     Claremont-Mudd-Scripps     6'3"     Tempe, AZ
Andy Meier     SO     California Lutheran University     6'7"     Parker, CO
Michael Archuletta        JR        Whittier College     6'6"     Manhattan Beach, CA
                    
Second Team                    
Bryan Hires    SR     California Institute of Technology     6'6"     Columbus, IN
Deshion Inniss     SR     California Lutheran University     5'10"     Oxnard, CA
Juan Canas     SR     University of La Verne     6'1"     Commerce, CA
Huston Conti     JR     Occidental College     6'2"     Seattle, WA
Jeff McLean     JR     Whittier College     6'6"    Hingham, MA
Mychal Owens     SO     California Lutheran University     6'5"     Oregon City, OR

Let the debates begin.....I have a few

[LogShow]

As an outsider I am not familiar with the Ted Ducey Award.  What traits/characteristics goes into chooseing recipients for this award?

[Gregory Sager]

Pat and the boys are projecting that the SCIAC will get not one but two Pool C bids: Oxy and Cal Lu. Interesting.

[April]

Well that was an awesome month worth of post catching up on....

Basically, I flipped about the CalTech winning score and recovered 5 seconds later, and I am bummed I missed OxyBob color commentating. I loled hard about the Airball / Cal Tech joke, and I am totally carrying the d3hoops.com Top 25 poll the next time I go hiking.

I am sorry I missed essentially all the season guys, it's harder to make games now that I have a life. I do agree with David that this is the best board on Posting Up though!  8)

I do hope SCIAC gets to host, it would be nice to have some games out here. I will be crossing my fingers and toes in my sleep tonight.

[scandihoovian]

Here's what Mr. Sager is referring to : Our projected Field of 59

I am not sure that I am ready for a brave new world that allows three SCIAC teams into the postseason  .

I hesitate to post about the all-SCIAC teams as I did not see everyone play this year.  I know that much of CLU's success came through the leadership of their senior guards, so I'm a little surprised that Inniss is not a first teamer.

[OXY Oswald]

Good luck to the Sagehens in the great white north against our friends at Whitworth.

And congratulations to Oxy on the first round bye.  Let's take that week, shake off the conference tournament and get ready for the madness!

Looks like Chapman and CLU left their dancing shoes at home...

[scandihoovian]

Good luck to the Hens and the Tigers.  Here's the Bracket  Thanks to Pat and D3 Hoops for the coverage, and the nod.  Too bad it didn't work out that way.

[buf]

Now they are saying Oxy plays PP on Thursday, with the winner going to Whitworth

[Browneagle64]

Wooo Nellie........

Looks like the selection committee  really learned from their past mistakes. 

Wait Just a second, i'm also with Buf on being confused about the bracket. Does that mean that Rush gym is one of the sites that will host a game from the tourney? Or Oxy host the Hens???