MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Coach R]

Wishing my best to all the MIAC faithful as the season begins.

Looking forward to some great games and some MIAC Maniacs!!

Let's Go!! 

http://www.saintmaryssports.com/roster.aspx?path=mbball&;

[Drake Palmer]

Wishing my best to all the MIAC faithful as the season begins.

Looking forward to some great games and some MIAC Maniacs!!

Let's Go!! 

http://www.saintmaryssports.com/roster.aspx?path=mbball&

Hey Coach R, thanks for posting your roster.  Looks like you've got a nice blend of size, and guards in your freshman class to complement your upperclassmen.  Best of luck this season.

In other news, Macalester posted their roster.  It seems Dylan Kilgour took a medical redshirt after he suffered an ankle sprain last year, and is back for his 5th year.  He and SO Michael Gutierrez should form a pretty nice backcourt to go along forwards Wyatt Ferm & Kareem Ismail.

http://athletics.macalester.edu/roster.aspx?roster=394&path=mbball

Bethel has an early version of their roster posted, but most of the FY players don't have jersey numbers or heights listed yet. At first glance, they've easily got several players who are early contenders for the Palmer FY All- MIAC Name Team.  Wow! 

http://athletics.bethel.edu/roster.aspx?roster=388&path=mbball

[Drake Palmer]

For you D3 hoops fans, here's an interesting article that D3Hoops own Gordon Mann wrote rating the various hoops conferences.  Good read and stats!

http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2016/11/2016-conference-ranking-part-1

[gordonmann]

Thanks, Drake.

Is it November 15th yet?

[Drake Palmer]

Thanks, Drake.

Is it November 15th yet?

We're starting to chomp at the bit over here too. 

A couple more schools have posted their rosters, the Oles and Cobbs.  Based on the heavy graduation losses, I'm guessing these teams will struggle a bit this season.  But Hope Springs/Falls Eternal. Otherwise known as "Stand Up and Cheer" or "Um, Ya, Ya." 

http://athletics.stolaf.edu/roster.aspx?path=mbball

http://concordiamn.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2016-17/roster

[Drake Palmer]

Looks like I signed out too quick.  The Preseason Top 25 poll is out, and UST is ranked #10.  WHAT?!?  Plus, they picked up one first place vote? Hunh?

They have two starters back from last year and the second starter, Ryan Boll, was a nice defender but a non-factor on the offensive end.
Wow! And heck, they don't even have their roster posted, what are they basing this ranking on? 

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Looks like I signed out too quick.  The Preseason Top 25 poll is out, and UST is ranked #10.  WHAT?!?  Plus, they picked up one first place vote? Hunh?

They have two starters back from last year and the second starter, Ryan Boll, was a nice defender but a non-factor on the offensive end.
Wow! And heck, they don't even have their roster posted, what are they basing this ranking on? 

I'd say there's one voter who always gives preseason #1 to the defending champ, a bunch of voters who believe UST is always good, no matter what - and a few who see Grant Shaeffer as Minnesota Jesus.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Looks like I signed out too quick.  The Preseason Top 25 poll is out, and UST is ranked #10.  WHAT?!?  Plus, they picked up one first place vote? Hunh?

They have two starters back from last year and the second starter, Ryan Boll, was a nice defender but a non-factor on the offensive end.
Wow! And heck, they don't even have their roster posted, what are they basing this ranking on? 

I'd say there's one voter who always gives preseason #1 to the defending champ, a bunch of voters who believe UST is always good, no matter what - and a few who see Grant Shaeffer as Minnesota Jesus.

I actually know a few voters who swear by the "they are the champs and number one when the season ended, I'm not changing that until they lose" mentality. Clearly one of them still sticks to that whether I agree with it or not.

I am one who at UST rather high. As a I said to someone close to the program today: they (UST) are 11th because I have learned something very valuable in the last 11 years... they might lose a lot, but they will still probably win the conference (11 straight so far) and just because we don't think there is someone behind the starters who can't star doesn't mean there isn't someone on the bench who can be a star... and because Coach Tauer did some reverse mind-trick on me and I couldn't resist then at 11. LOL

Obviously, the last part is in jest, but most of the rest is serious. You just can't count out the Tommies. I did that once or more in the last decade and regretted it. Now, I will say some have told me this might be the end of their conference championship run. If that is the case, so be it. By that point, I will have probably removed them from my ballot. But until I actually see it happen, I'm not going to just dump them based on what I have learned over the years.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Just for the record, I voted them #14 - and I do resemble that third part.  He's D3 Tim Tebow.  I was just super impressed by Shaeffer in Salem last year - I think a floor leader like that who can also lead on the stat sheet is pretty darn valuable, especially for a program that routinely reloads.  I'm excited to see what he can do as unquestioned leader this season.

[Smitty Oom]

In other news, Macalester posted their roster.  It seems Dylan Kilgour took a medical redshirt after he suffered an ankle sprain last year, and is back for his 5th year.  He and SO Michael Gutierrez should form a pretty nice backcourt to go along forwards Wyatt Ferm & Kareem Ismail.

http://athletics.macalester.edu/roster.aspx?roster=394&path=mbball

Just to be clear here, Kilgour suffered a broken wrist and missed most of the year with that injury, not an ankle sprain. He has chosen to come back to MAC for a fifth year. This MAC team is the most talented roster in recent memory and think they have a legit chance at sneaking out a playoff spot this year. It will be interesting to see how Ferm and Gutierrez improve this year. If both were to become more consistent that would really help this squad.

[Smitty Oom]

Just for the record, I voted them #14 - and I do resemble that third part.  He's D3 Tim Tebow.  I was just super impressed by Shaeffer in Salem last year - I think a floor leader like that who can also lead on the stat sheet is pretty darn valuable, especially for a program that routinely reloads.  I'm excited to see what he can do as unquestioned leader this season.

I agree with Dave and Ryan here. Even though I think that Bethel has a very good shot at taking the MIAC champ crown from the Tommies this year, never count the Tommies out. A lot of their bench players would start for various different MIAC teams and I have no doubt they will be able reload and be a consistent force this year. Plus, having Shaeffer and Tauer lead this team is a huge added bonus that no other team in the MIAC has, no not even Wojta and Novak of the Royals can compare. With that being said I am interested to see what the MIAC coaches think on the topic as they vote for the preseason poll.

[Drake Palmer]

In other news, Macalester posted their roster.  It seems Dylan Kilgour took a medical redshirt after he suffered an ankle sprain last year, and is back for his 5th year.  He and SO Michael Gutierrez should form a pretty nice backcourt to go along forwards Wyatt Ferm & Kareem Ismail.

http://athletics.macalester.edu/roster.aspx?roster=394&path=mbball

Just to be clear here, Kilgour suffered a broken wrist and missed most of the year with that injury, not an ankle sprain. He has chosen to come back to MAC for a fifth year. This MAC team is the most talented roster in recent memory and think they have a legit chance at sneaking out a playoff spot this year. It will be interesting to see how Ferm and Gutierrez improve this year. If both were to become more consistent that would really help this squad.

My bad, I had forgotten it was his wrist, not his ankle. In any event, yes I agree, that Mac could make some noise this year. Enough noise to make the playoffs?  Time will tell. It would be great to see them make a run like they did back in the early, mid 2000s.

[Drake Palmer]

Just for the record, I voted them #14 - and I do resemble that third part.  He's D3 Tim Tebow.  I was just super impressed by Shaeffer in Salem last year - I think a floor leader like that who can also lead on the stat sheet is pretty darn valuable, especially for a program that routinely reloads.  I'm excited to see what he can do as unquestioned leader this season.

In addition to great coaching by Steve Fritz and now John Tauer, for the past 8-9 years, the Tommies have received more than their share of talented, hoopers and dual sport athletes that could have played at a higher level in football, basketball, or basketball:  Cortez Tillman, Taylor Montero, Joe Scott, Tyler Nicolai, Mike Keating, John Nance, Lonnie Robinson, & the big man, Isaac Rosefelt.  Although the 2016-2017 UST roster still hasn't been released, I just don't know if that type of strong DIII + talent is on the roster this year.

Off the top of my head, UST has a FY post player coming from the 2016 state champion Hopkins HS who is going to be very nice, and a tough, rangy wing in Sam Gubbrud from St. Paul Central who might get some minutes this year. 

While Grant Shaeffer is an excellent PG, he's going to need some help.  JR guard Michael Hannon, younger brother of Tommy Hannon who saw very few minutes last year, could be a 3-ball threat to complement Shaeffer. But there doesn't appear to be a lot of depth at the guard positions.  SO Jacob Hansen and JR John Veil, & Hannon all got limited mop up duties at the guard spot last season. They do appear to have a nice surplus of 6-4, 6-5 forwards.  If I was ranking the Tommies, I would probably slot them somewhere in the low 20s or so.

On paper, Bethel will be the team to beat this year in the MIAC. Brycen Wojta and Collin Olmscheid from Augsburg could both vie for POY honors this year.

[GoldandBlueBU]

Just for the record, I voted them #14 - and I do resemble that third part.  He's D3 Tim Tebow.  I was just super impressed by Shaeffer in Salem last year - I think a floor leader like that who can also lead on the stat sheet is pretty darn valuable, especially for a program that routinely reloads.  I'm excited to see what he can do as unquestioned leader this season.

I agree with Dave and Ryan here. Even though I think that Bethel has a very good shot at taking the MIAC champ crown from the Tommies this year, never count the Tommies out. A lot of their bench players would start for various different MIAC teams and I have no doubt they will be able reload and be a consistent force this year. Plus, having Shaeffer and Tauer lead this team is a huge added bonus that no other team in the MIAC has, no not even Wojta and Novak of the Royals can compare. With that being said I am interested to see what the MIAC coaches think on the topic as they vote for the preseason poll.

I hesitate to think that BU will win the MIAC, based on their history of never having done so...they were widely favored in 2009 with Madson / Moberg / Laugen, and that didn't work out.

Would love to see it, but I don't know that they have the depth...it has felt like the past couple of years that their top 5 or 6 could play with UST, but UST went about 10 deep that were as good as BU's starters, so it would feel like the Tommies will reload?  completely qualitative - I know nothing about UST other than the fact that I agree that Schaefer is the kind of player that you would love to have running the show on your team.

[GoldandBlueBU]

Brycen Wojta and Collin Olmscheid from Augsburg could both vie for POY honors this year.

I'll take BU's Derek Magnusson as a dark horse...he looked very good as a first year player last year, and if he can keep that up and improve as a sophomore, he will do a lot of damage for Bethel.