MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Drake Palmer]

So the poles are out and i was wondering what everyone thought about how Augsburg was going to do this year. They look strong with only losing three seniors and still have Femi and that Jon Cassens kid, who in my opinion could one of the best point guards in the league and is going to be one of the best 3 point shooters agian this year. Also i was wondering if anybody has heard of this Scott kid who is going to play for the tommies, he is a transfer and i think he went to De La Salle high School; i saw him play this summer and he is pretty amazing. any thoughts?

We got an AUGGIE BACKER!!! Welcome aboard localmnplayer.

Watch - I'm not necessarily sure that he's just an Auggie backer.  Localmnplayer was also touting the skills of Joe Scott over at UST.

In any event, since I seem to be easily amused by various naming conventions, if he sticks around, I've already come up with his new board name abbreviation.  Localmnplayer = "SOL"- Son of LocalCoach.   I wonder if I can make his nickname stick? 

Also, am I the only starting to develop a smoldering resentment toward Bethel, Hamline & St. Johns's?!?  Give it up coaches/SIDs -- we need the roster info!  Us posters have gotta do our preseason picks, MVPs, All-MIAC teams, All FY team etc.   

[localmnplayer]

i would like to know how you think that i am a son of a local mn coach, and i would
say i am an auggie backer, i think they are turning things around, the coach is a good one!

[Drake Palmer]

i would like to know how you think that i am a son of a local mn coach, ...

It's a play on words.  You're a newcomer to the board so you might not have realized there's another poster who goes by the moniker – LocalCoach.

I'm beginning to get a little dissapointed with the SID's in the MIAC.  ...

Since your names are so similar, was the reason for my abbreviation of your chosen screen name from Localmnplayer to SOL – Son of Local.  A joke that's all  - SOL.   

So knowing you're an Auggie backer, what did ever happen to Zach Krumwiede?
***************
Hot rumor - an integral (ahem) centerpiece, or cog in a team from the Near North of the twin cities may have taken a serious hit.  I might have to revise my pre-season predictions & I'm sure not going to Vegas with my picks!    As the football Johnnies like to say - developing...

[sumander]

Hot rumor - an integral (ahem) centerpiece, or cog in a team from the Near North of the twin cities may have taken a serious hit.  I might have to revise my pre-season predictions & I'm sure not going to Vegas with my picks!    As the football Johnnies like to say - developing...

Calling VOJ....Where are you? We need the inside scoop.

[miacfan55]

1. Bethel (10)
2. Gustavus (1)
3. St. Thomas
4. (tie) Carleton
5. (tie) Saint John's
6. Augsburg
7. Concordia
8. (tie) Macalester
9. (tie) St. Olaf
10. Saint Mary's
11. Hamline

This ranking is rather puzzling as St. Olaf is ranked low after advancing to the MIAC semifinals last year and I think Macalester will surprise some people this year. I'll give you my rankings based upon my gut feeling for this upcoming year...
1. Bethel
2. Gustavus
3. Carleton
4. St. Johns
5. St. Olaf
6. Macalester
7. St. Thomas
8. Concordia
9. Augsburg
10. St. Marys
11. Hamline

Should be an aweome year can't wait to get things rolling...but first things  first we got the MIAC football championship up for grabs this weekend.

[WXYZ]

Any Scrimmage news?

[sumander]

Not scrimmage news but news none the less, Story in this mornings Daily Planet about a key injury for the Johnnies .

Drake, This must be the hot rumor you were talking about!

[miacwatchmen]

Not scrimmage news but news none the less, Story in this mornings Daily Planet about a key injury for the Johnnies .

Drake, This must be the hot rumor you were talking about!

That will be touh for Smith and the J's to fight back from. 8 weeks put's Fogt's return sometime in January at this point. Should be an interesting year in collegeville now.

[VOJ]

All I know about it is what everyone read in Frank's column...it is a tough blow to the inside game for the J's because Fogt was going to be in great shape and I thought he could be a double-double guy or close to that this year.

What this means is that other guys will have a chance to step up to fill in, there are a number of good young guys to pick from.  I am sure the coaching staff is confident in the guys who will fill in. 

Isn't the college game more guard orriented anyway?  The J's have some good guards returning...I think the inside game will take care of itself.

[sumander]

Isn't the college game more guard orriented anyway?  The J's have some good guards returning...I think the inside game will take care of itself.

Agree to a point VOJ, However, you need to be able to defend on the inside the likes of Moberg, Conboy et.al. . Having seen some of the guys listed as possible replacements for Fogt play, I seriosuly doubt their ability to do this. If the J's defense has to collapse to help the 5, that leaves the perimeter at risk.

My .02

[Nites]

Isn't the college game more guard orriented anyway?  The J's have some good guards returning...I think the inside game will take care of itself.

Agree to a point VOJ, However, you need to be able to defend on the inside the likes of Moberg, Conboy et.al. . Having seen some of the guys listed as possible replacements for Fogt play, I seriosuly doubt their ability to do this. If the J's defense has to collapse to help the 5, that leaves the perimeter at risk.

My .02

Hey, replace him with Redfield and you only give up 3 inches and 95 pounds . . . . 

[d3bballfollower]

well put Sum...the college game is becoming a lot more guard oriented, but if you look at almost every good team, they have at least some inside presence...for example, last years championship game participants in Division 1, 2 and 3...

Division 1- Florida over Ohio State...UF had Noah and Horford...OSU had Oden

Division 2- Barton over Winona State...Barton had David King...Winona had John Smith

Division 3- Amherst over Virginia Wesleyan...Amherst had Kevin Hopkins and Dan Wheeler...VA Wesleyan had Brandon Adair

I agree that teams like Mac and Hamline could give the J's some trouble this year without Fogt

[Drake Palmer]

Sum – yup, that was the rumor I was referring to.    And I see you beat me to the punch regarding VOJ's comments about guards.

VOJ –I can appreciate your Johnnie loyalties, but the loss of Fogt will be huge to the SJU's chances of having a decent to outstanding year.  Before his injury, I personally thought the Js had enough firepower with Fogt, Brady Brink & Ryan Lieser to take a top 3 spot in the league race.  Now I'm not so sure.  As to your comment that college ball is more guard oriented I would say it all depends on the league & the year.   The last time I checked Isaac Rosefelt was a 6-9 "jump out of the gym" forward, Mike Moberg a 6-9, 6-10 mountain of a man.  

I would suggest the MIAC is more of a forward's league.  With the exception of Rosefelt & Moberg, we don't really get a number of top quality big men because they usually go D2 or higher.  The same holds true with the guards; every now & then we get an exceptional one – like an Erik Jackson, Mark Buri, Bryan Schnettler, & Sean Sweeney types, typically followed by some solid guards year after year.    What we do tend to see a lot of in the MIAC are high quality forward/wings types – Doug Espenson, Ben Van Thorre, Soren Nelson, Adam TeBrake, Andy Gilbert, Travis Jones, Tim Brown, etc.

As far as this year is concerned, I see the league shaping up into 3 distinct camps, or styles of play this year:

Half courters (more forwards than guards)

Carleton
Gustavus
Concordia
St. Olaf

Up Tempo ("scooters" & others)

Hamline
St. Marys'
Augsburg
Macalester

Hmm (the not sure camp)

Bethel (traditionally a running team, but without an adequate backup for Moberg, I don't know)

UST (in the words of the late, great James Brown – "Papa Fritz has got a brand new bag"  )

SJU (see SJU comments above)

[miacwatchmen]

All I know about it is what everyone read in Frank's column...it is a tough blow to the inside game for the J's because Fogt was going to be in great shape and I thought he could be a double-double guy or close to that this year.

What this means is that other guys will have a chance to step up to fill in, there are a number of good young guys to pick from.  I am sure the coaching staff is confident in the guys who will fill in. 

Isn't the college game more guard orriented anyway?  The J's have some good guards returning...I think the inside game will take care of itself.

I think this will be Smith's motto the rest of the year! Leiser and Brink would need to shoot the ball 50 times a night combine for them to win with no inside game!
I'm not saying the J's are done for but things are going to be alot tougher for them without Fogt's massive body in the middle.

[sumander]

Aaah, nothing like a little breaking news to freshen up the board a bit!

Now that we have everyone's attention how about some stabs at the preseason All MIAC team?