MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[bchoops]

Local Coach...

I think you're right, Meadowcroft cannot do it alone inside.  However, with Hinrichs and even the little productivity of Cook in his limited action, it would seem that Meadowcroft doesn't have to do it alone.  Hinrichs has played really well, it seems, and so I'm still confused as to why Meadowcroft's production has not been more positive. 

[Drake Palmer]

...As you said Local Coach, i am very supprised to see Andy Cook only playing the little mins he has been playing so far this year.  Playing with him a bunch this summer and then just before the season started.  He has gotten so much better.  His first 3 games went like this, Gmae 1) 11 mins/2pts/2 rbs/1 blck,  Game 2) 9 mins/8pts 4-6 shooting/ 4rebs/1 blck, Game 3) 11mins/9pts 4-6 shooting/ 2 rebs/1 blck.   I just don't get it, he is 6-10 and obviously has some post moves now that are affective, but yet he is still seeing only 10 min's a game.  I just think with his 6-10, 250lbs frame, he brings so much to the defensive side, but pluss now he can score and be an actual threat on both sides of the ball.  In my mind there is no way he shouldn't be playing 20 mins a game.  

Watching Bethel play the past few years,  I just never got the sense the coaching staff was committed to developing an inside game.  They've always struck me as a guard oriented team & with the shooters you've had, it's a little hard to doubt that strategy.   But when you've got a decent 6-10er you use him & conversely, if all you have are guards - run.  In Bethel's case, play both the "Run & Gun," & "Post up & Kick."

IMO, it's the coaches' job to make sure the team execute the game plan. Sometimes it seems the Bethel bench would get overly excited about a 3rd or 4th stringer sinking a 3 in a blowout, rather than continuing to develop both guards & post players.


Local - I know all about family obligations. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, safe & happy travels!

[bchoops]

Drake...

There might be some validity to what you are saying, but then again, you have to look at last year as more the exception (in terms of a very perimeter oriented team) rather than the rule.  Jacobs was a force in the conference, and much the reason the team before last year's achieved much of what they did.  Further, the run to the conference championship game in 2002 was led by Eric Robertson on the inside.  So, while we do shoot a lot of threes, we have also anchored many of our more recently successful teams around a strong post player, which is much the reason why some of us are confused that Cook has not seen more action this year.

[bethelguy]

I agree with the thoughts of bchoop's previous post on previous posts in the BU offense. 

I think getting lost in this discussion is the fact that Hinrichs has posted back to back double doubles.

[Drake Palmer]

I agree with the thoughts of bchoop's previous post on previous posts in the BU offense. 

I think getting lost in this discussion is the fact that Hinrichs has posted back to back double doubles.

Against Viterbo & UM-Morris.    Let's see him or anyone of your posts put up those numbers against MAC, GAC, UST or CARL.  Then we wouldn't even bother having this discussion.    Nice to know you're still around.

Carleton should have a very interesting match tonight against Aurora in Illinois.   This club was ranked 22nd in the D3 Preseason poll & returns 3 starters from their team that went 23-5 in the 04-05 season, & advanced to the 2nd round of the NCAA.

[gusties]

Willy-
I asked that question because Bethel34 mentioned that MAC was the hardest place in the conference to play in, and I was just curious about what he thought of playing at GAC.

[titan2000]

Lawrence (unranked and unloved) 82, UW-Oshkosh (#2) 75.

I'm sure the Gusties remember the Vikings. 

[funbballer]

Aurora 72  Carleton 65

Carleton was led by Dan Forkrud's 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Tommy Drake added 17 points and five rebounds while Brian Sharkey had 13 points on five of six shooting.

[crazy_carl]

Tough loss for the Knights.  Good first game effort on the road against a nationally ranked opponent with three games already under its belt.  A few box score observations:

1.  If 1 TO is too many for the Eagles, 20 is too many for the Knights.  Tough to win when giving the ball up that many times. 

2.  At least for one game, there were significant minutes played by the bench, with four players coming off for 10+.  This will definitely shorten as the season goes on, but good to see there may be some options there.  However . . .

3.  Not much production from the bench.  Whether this is a facet of coming in for just a couple minutes at a time and not getting in the rhythm, I don't know, but will be interesting to monitor. 

4. For as versatile as the starting lineup was (6'2, 6'2, 6'5, 6'5, 6'5), no one over 6'3 came off the bench.  Perhaps Tucker Schieck can start getting some minutes to help the Knights out esp. on the glass, where they were outrebounded by 11, and gave up 17 offensive boards.  Drake and Johnson (both 6'5), combine for only 6 defensive boards in 62 minutes.
 
5. Four frosh see action.  Hopefully by playing these tough non-conference games, they will have an idea of the competitiveness and demands of D3 prior to the start of the conference season.


Happy Thanksgiving all.

[Gregory Sager]

Looks like Carleton lost this game on the boards. They actually outshot Aurora by a considerable margin, but because of the 11-rebound disparity (plus a 6-turnover disparity that also favored Aurora) the Spartans were able to put up a lot more attempts. This is not surprising; Aurora has a 6'6" preseason in All-American Larry Welton and a pretty good complement to him in 6'5" forward Jeremy Cartwright. Welton still isn't playing all that well -- his 21 points came on 18 shots from the field -- but his six rebounds and Cartwright's double-double of 15 and 12 show that Aurora dominated the game in the paint.

Carleton should get another tough road test when they face Chicago (3-0) on Saturday, but their Sunday opponent, Lake Forest, is off to a slow 0-2 start.

[Gregory Sager]

Carleton at Aurora tonight at 730...anybody want to rollerskate to chicago and check out the game??

Aurora is over 40 miles west of Chicago, CM. You would've rollerskated all that way for nothing. 

[BETHEL34]

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!! 

About Meadowcroft, for one, he doesn't play in the post this year.  The only reason he played in the post last year was because Hinrichs was hurt for almost the whole season.  So, he has been playing the four spot, where in Bethel's offense, you will never get any oppertunities to score, unless you make them for yourself.  Travis Jones his whole career at the 4 position either had an actual play set up for him or most of the time had to create for himself.   But, all the coaches wanted you to do as the four man is to set picks and rebound.  And my brother Andy, and Travis, gave the 4 position a new meaning.  They made that four position what they wanted it to be, one of the best ways of scoring is setting a pick for someone else and then popping for the ball or cutting to the hoop.  Those two were always looking for ways to score, where as Meadowcroft moreles just follows the system of setting picks, reversing the ball, and rebounding.  He doesn't have the mentality of a scorer as Travis and Andy did.  Where as last year, he had those great couple of games at the 5 position, because that is what you are supposed to do is score.  And those oppertunities are always given to you.  So, that is why you won't see him be a dominant scorer this year.  And for a totally different reason, he doesn't work that much on his game in the off season.  He would show up for open gyms in the summer and that is it.  If he had a work ethic and practiced everyday on his game and lifting weights.  No doubt in my mind that he wouldn't be one of the top two or three players in the miac and lead Bethel in scoring.  The kid plays on raw talent and athleticism, he just never has had a work ethic to go with it.  So, for now he will just be a so so player in the miac and every once in awhile have a big game.

About Bethel always schedualing a week non-confrence.  I totally agree, I hated reading about GAC and UST playing all of these top teams around other confrences, and then us playing these teams that all had losing records from the year before (well most of them).  I can understand for a yound team or a not as good team, for the coaches not to just set them up to get smoked and discouraged at the begining of the year.  But give us some top competition to get us prepared for our tough confrence games.  Our first real test was GAC at home last year.  I just feel that playing better competition early on, even if you suffer a loss, will benefit you in the long run.  It helps give you confidence for those big games in the regular season, because you have already been there and done that.  So yes, I have always agreed when you guys bashed our preseason schedule.

And to answer the last question for Willy.
Mac is the toughest place to play because the gym sucks so bad.  The back ground behind the Glass Backboard and the rock hard stiff rims, and the tiny place all together was just a crappy shooting and playing environment.  I always loved playing at GAC.  The fans were awesome, they got you more hyped and excited for the games becuase they were such good fans, taunting you and crap like that during warmups, that stuff motivated you.  And plus it wasn't a bad place to shoot either.  Gac just always plays such darn good defense that it was tough to play there.  So, it is more because they were always so good, not neccesarily because of the gym environment. 

Enjoy the leftovers!!!

[BETHEL34]

Quick question!

Now that there are 20+ more teams allowed in the tourny this year.  Could there be more than two teams coming out of one conference?  Just wondering if you could have 3 or even 4 come out of one conference if it is that dominant?

[Drake Palmer]

Hey great post Bethel34!  I mean that in all seriousness.  It's refreshing to see a former player, now fan who obviously has strong, emotional attachments to his school, yet can  post objectively about his team, warts & all.

I couldn't agree with you more about your comments about Meadowcroft.   I remember watching him play last year at the 1st Bethel v. Augsburg game along with an experienced observer of MIAC hoops.  Meadowcroft was just coming off a recent game against Mac (I think) where he went off for like a bazillion points on some incredible shooting %.  The other observer & I both agreed that it appears Meadowcroft has ability coming out of his ears.  For the Royals sake & his own, it would be nice if he would start fulfilling his potential.  On the other hand, at least for what I can tell, you couldn't ask for a kid to work harder than Isaac Hinrichs.  The times I've seen him play it's obvious he's out there having fun & absolutely busting his butt.

If our semi-resident guest hoops expert, Greg Sager happens to stop by from the CCIW board , he can fill you in on the details.  But to answer your question without looking it up, I don't think you'll see conferences placing 3-4 teams in the tourney on a regular basis.    By the time you get done selecting all the AQs, I think 1-2 teams might be the norm from the stronger conferences, but 3-4 teams would be the exception.

[Pat Coleman]

I think some conferences will definitely get three teams in: the champ and two at-large. Depends on how things break down. Four? I would be very surprised. It would have to be a unique situation involving conference tourney upsets.