MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Pipes]

I assume you're referring to Mig, Willy, and if that is the case, he needs to learn his role on this board and keep his thoughts to himself, although his assessment of TJones is fairly accurate.

Word out of Mac is that there will be the same 4 starters as last year with the spot taken by Jackson up for grabs.  Who that will be is undetermined.  Lars Johnson will likely start off at point.  Look for plenty of teams to try pressing Mac this year, and for Mac to continually pound it inside to Conboy, Bosman and Stein.  This strategy will work only if the team can make enough outside shots to keep the posts from being double and triple teamed.

[pacific rim]

I would like to thank Big Shocker for not allowing his perspectives to be limited geographically.  Perhaps if more of us took a page from his big book we'd be able to cast our eyes northwest along I-94 and see a provocative group of young men known as the cobbers.

as for his interest in Forkrud... it is certainly not unwarranted.  i simply think the miac has one legitimate bid at an all-american nod at this point, and it won't be Forkrud.  over the course of the season a mike keating or even an ike rosefelt could play his way into all-america status but it would take some unlikely turns of events.  remember that all-americans are not necessarily the very best basketball players, but the ones who gain the most acclaim and attention.

pipes are for smoking.

[pacific rim]

what happened to my karma? 

heads will roll.

let them eat cake.

[localcoach]

We definetely have some colorful posters offering their thoughts this year.   

Over the weekend I picked up a few tidbits.  Nothing earth shatering, just some scuttlebut from various coaches and university employees around the MIAC.  Feel free to correct me if you feel I'm not offering an accurate portrayal.  I only know what I'm told.

-UST has had some physical practices early on.  Keating looks great and Sweeney is even stronger physically then last year.

-St. Mary's has a couple of junior college transfers who will make names for themselves this season.  The coaching staff feels like they are one to two years away from contending for the championship.

-David Johnson, a freshman at Hamline from New London Spicer has apparently looked great to this point.  He likes contact and he can finish in traffic.  Also from the Piper camp, point guard Sam Wiener has improved his offensive game significantly.

I ask again, did anyone attend the SJU scrimmage on Saturday?

[Willy Wonka]

Pipes - My use of plurality (is that even a word?) was misplaced. We have dual role player sightings I agree with your assessment of Mig otherwise, though I question your quoting of The Rock (Know your role and shut your mouth)

I think Eckhoff has a legitimate shot at national honors of some sort. The Cobbs like to run and gun - which helps bump his numbers up - and he converts at a high percentage from everywhere on the floor. Assuming what everyone says is true, he's also a very good defender. The Tommies will all battle for numbers (and you thought Shimek was frustrated with touches last season...), but the wins should come.

Heard some chatter of the Gusties moving Sowden to the "4" and starting either Whip or Stein at center. This would obviously mean they don't start a true point guard, but it would make for a big lineup that could matchup with the size of UST. Developing...

[tjones33]

MSF...That was a great post.  I think it will hold true for the most part in upcoming years.  You should do the same thing just for the MIAC matchups.  I would be curious to see what those stats are. 

[crazy_carl]

remember that all-americans are not necessarily the very best basketball players, but the ones who gain the most acclaim and attention.

Assuming agreement with the aforementioned statement, how likely do we think it is for a current MIAC player to achieve All-American status, and if he does, to not achieve MIAC POY/MVP honors simultaneously?

[miacwatchmen]

Pacific rim-
   I really enjoyed the Marie Antonette quote. French Revolution good stuff

[sju4life]

its preseason so i would assume every coach is going to say they look good this year and all that other blah but if whats all been being posted is correct it sure sounds like night in and night out this year any team can beat anyone.  Obviously the tommies are the team to beat but if every team has improved as much as it sounds i find it hard to believe the tommies will have less than 4 losses.  I am starting to think that sports 3-8 this year are going to be real close in their record and could make the playoff  push down the stretch extremely interesting.
     as for the sju scrimmage.  it went well, smith mixed up the lineups alot trying all sorts of looks so its tough to say much about it.  The Johnnies are much improved from last year with the help of transfers and just having everyone back with another year of experience. so in the next couple weeks a lot of things will be sorted out with roles being determined a little more and some scrimmages being held.

[megalomaniac]

Looks like the MIG is my wingman, a fellow UST backer. Now, at least I can be sure that someone on here will agree with me (due to knowledge of the situation) in saying that the Tommies will NOT have as big of issues in terms of sharing the basketball and playing time that every other poster believes will happen this year. Yes, I concede, that some players will grumble a little throughout the season, maybe even a little bit more at UST - but what schools dont deal with that to some degree? Winning a championship is paramount, especially after the dissapointment of falling short in that endeavor last season. Any issues over PT and whose scoring the points will NOT stop them from winning the championship. If the Tommies fall short, it will be because some other team plays above their talent level, not because in-fighting sabotaged the UST season.
I hear people saying Shimek will have problems with not getting enough touches, and that Peterson will be unhappy coming off the bench, etc etc. UST wants to win a title, anyone who has been around the guys since the end of last season knows that. You can see that egos have been put aside from the outset. Contrary to whats been said, the goal of a MIAC Championship and NCAA appearence is much more salient to the players (yes, even the ones who are mentioned as potential 'problems') than PPG.

[Russian Mig AK47]

UST will be fine.  There will be no problems with people worried about touches, shots, points, etc.  Fritz doesn't allow for that type of attitude, not to mention everyone gets along extremely well.  However, given Fritz's tight rotation there could be a little frustration on playing time but it won't adversely affect the team.

[columbianmaffia]

megalo-
so if the tommies go 13-7 and dont win the conf. its because they dont have any problems but because there are teams playing out of their minds??

i think shimek will be fine because i think he will be the leader that holds them together and to win the conf. he was the only post player for the tommies with any physical toughness and he will bring it again this year

im gonna go eat some cheese

[funbballer]

....Tommies will have, MAYBE, two losses...they will clean house in the MIAC.  (and no, I'm not a UST alum)

....WW said GAC might start Whippler....wow! And, when the going gets tough, Hanson doesn't have Espo to deliver him out of trouble this year. This guy was all-world as far as the MIAC goes.

....Johnnies, Pipers, and yes, SMU will be much improved.

....nobody's saying too much about Bethel; the Madson kid will have to really bring it for them to be a top tier team.

....Carleton will be very good, if Forkrud & Drake stay healthy. Can Phillips play the PG position well enough to make them click?

....can Eckhoff carry the Cobbers? How good is their guard play? How much has the freshmen (from Morris?) really improved?

....MAC? Good coach, but their success will bank on Conboy, who could average 20+ a game.

....Augsburg? Who knows what they really have? New coach has pretty good coaching experience...but does he have the talent to make a run at anything this year?

....St. Olaf - they've still got Koz, so you take it from there.


All right, boys, there you go. Nothing really enlightening, I know, but take your shot!  8)

[Russian Mig AK47]

Pipes- Is that an ironic name? Because you certainly didn't go to Hamline, and I don't think any of your extremities could be classified as pipes.

Good point on the physical maturation of the Tommies returners.  I witnessed Sweeney throw down a 2 feet- 2 hand dunk this summer, so watch out for him hammering in traffic  Ike is a lot bigger, Darryl Peterson is a lot bigger, matter of fact everyone is a lot bigger (might want to investigate and look for any BALCO ties).  Final point, Shimek is not a baby and he knows what needs to be done.  He will not be concerned with his touches, although I would imagine they will be numerous.

[megalomaniac]

CM-
UST wont go 13-7, that I will bet on. In my opinion, the Tommies will be 18-2 in conference. I was merely saying that if someone, and in my opinion that is really only GAC (slight possibility of CON if Eckhoff plays at an All American clip all season long), were to be better than UST this season, it would not be due to infighting amongst the Tommies. It just gets tiresome hearing a bunch of posters commenting about 'chemistry' issues when they have no idea about the personalities of the players in question. If people pick against UST, do it because you dont think they have the guns, not because you think they will implode. Thats all I was trying to imply.