MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[columbianmaffia]

megalo-
i understood what u were sayin the first time i was just messin with ya...UST is my second favorite team in the miac behind carleton of course

i think its time for a balogne sandwich

[localcoach]

I got together with a long time friend and former MIAC player last night.  We discussed the upcoming season, and a number of questions arose from our conversation.  I thought I would post some of these questions in an attempt to get some honest feedback from other posters.

-What will happen with the point guard responsibilities at Macalester?  Can L. Johnson be converted into a point guard?  How much will they really miss Mr. Jackson?

-Who will be the go to guy more often than not at Carleton?  Forkrud or Drake?

-Can Eckhoff put the Cobbers on his back and lead them into the playoffs again?

-If Gustavus does move P. Sowden to the "4" position, how does that affect their defensive scheme?  Can TeBrake be the go-to-guy in crunch time?  Will he make those around him better like Espo did?

-What kind of style will Augsburg play?  Up-tempo like Hamline, or half court like everyone else in the MIAC?

-Can Hamline have success if they are forced to or choose to play one or more freshmen a lot of minutes?

-Just how good will M. Keating be at St. Thomas?

[funbballer]

-What will happen with the point guard responsibilities at Macalester?  Can L. Johnson be converted into a point guard?  How much will they really miss Mr. Jackson?  I think it's hard to "convert" a point guard; takes a special mindset...to be a good one, that is.

-Who will be the go to guy more often than not at Carleton?  Forkrud or Drake? I would think it will be both: Mr. Inside & Mr. Outside; Drake is very versatile.

-Can Eckhoff put the Cobbers on his back and lead them into the playoffs again? He might, but I doubt it. They'll miss S. Nelson a bunch.

-If Gustavus does move P. Sowden to the "4" position, how does that affect their defensive scheme?  Can TeBrake be the go-to-guy in crunch time?  Will he make those around him better like Espo did? TeBrake can score, but whether he "wants" to make others better is the question. He likes his stats

-What kind of style will Augsburg play?  Up-tempo like Hamline, or half court like everyone else in the MIAC? Good question. Hopefully for the Auggies sake, they'll have guys that will play together better and not dismantle 5 minutes into a game when things don't go right.

-Can Hamline have success if they are forced to or choose to play one or more freshmen a lot of minutes? Depends on two factors: 1) is the freshmen physically tough, and 2) is he mentally tough enough. It's a long season of physical play which is sometimes difficult for freshmen to adjust to.

-Just how good will M. Keating be at St. Thomas? Mr. Keating will be POY

[Pipes]

Mac's success will not bank on Conboy, it will bank on their ability to make outside shots freeing Conboy up from constant double teams.

Mac will miss Jackson more than they missed BVT this last year, simply based on replacements.  BVT for Conboy vs. Jackson for Lars/Assel.  Both Assel and Lars are good players, but are not true point guards and Mac will struggle bringing the ball up the court and defending a quick point guard.

I don't think moving Sowden to the 4 will affect their defensive scheme much as they like to switch a lot of screens as it is and I don't see that changing.

Forkrud will probably get more shots and score more, but Drake is the better all around player.

Hopefully St Johns will play an upbeat style of play as their games have been painful to watch in the recent past.

Mig - Just one of the names I have heard over the years and I would love to see Sweeney coming down the lane looking for a dunk.

[pacific rim]

Funbballer, are we serious? By "we" i of course mean "you."  Are you serious in thinking that it is unlikely for the cobbers to even make the playoffs?  In a conference of 11 teams they are 7th or lower?

Secondly, your backhanded comments concerning adam tebrake are unfounded.  People at times portray this kid as some antithesis to the gustavus style of basketball.  Espo was unselfish and committed, adam tebrake is a point hungry narcissist.  As much as i merrily loathe gustavus along with anyone else outside of st. peter, i understand adam tebrake to be deserving of more respect thanhe is frequently dealt.

Finally, someone was saying that there is the hope that augsburg will play a more up-tempo style in contrast to the rest of the miac's plodding half-court grooves.  Concordia is in deep and abiding love with the fast break.  I believe Willy Wonka already alluded to this and its probable effect on Eckhoff's numbers.  Remember that concordia's official nickname is not the vulgar 'cobbers' but rather, the more graceful "Running Cobbers."

Karma me.

[funbballer]

Admittingly, TeBrake is a fine player and will lead the Gusties in scoring and will even perhaps be in the top 3 for scoring in the league. I have no disrespect for him and am merely questioning that he can lead like Espo did. "Leading" is more than scoring and I don't know whether he can lead them or not. He'll probably be one of the top vote-getters for POY, but my sources tell me that even a number of his own teammates don't have the respect for him like they did for Espo. Espo had that mental toughness that wouldn't allow his team to lose. TeBrake doesn't have that type of of mindset. Again, nice player, but not the leader the Gusties need.

Maybe I'm underestimating the Cobbers...don't think so, but maybe I am. I think the league will be extremely balanced this year and it will be a dog fight for 2-6 in the standings. It's going to mean teams will have to win most  their games at home and then steal a few on the road....nothing new about that formula is it??!!! 

Most likely it will come down to who has the most depth and stays injury-free. Do the "Running Cobbers" have enough depth should Eckhoff go down? Hey, he's a wonderful player and they do have a nice team. Let's see what happens.

[TommieHoops4Life]

I have to agree with megalomaniac and Mig on the Tommies. From being around them when I was there, they are simply too unselfish to let statistics and playing time get in the way of winning a MIAC title. Peterson, although some of his numbers may not indicate it, has had a solid three years with UST and should have another good year. Shimek has always been an unselfish player, and I think he makes a beautiful combo on the inside with Rosefelt, especially if Ike has gotten bigger. My only concern would be if Sweeney has matured since transferring, and it sounds like he has. My guess would be that a majority of the scoring will be from Sweeney and Keating, but this team probably won't have a standout player just because they have a lot of really good players and not one star that they rely on, much the same concept that GAC has used for their success. I'll have to use work as an excuse to get out and watch them play some games, especially when they're down here for Olaf and Carleton.

[columbianmaffia]

i strongly believe assel is a year or two away from making a serious contribution to MAC especially only playing in 6 games in his sr. year of high school needing back surgury for a damaged vertibray

[sju4life]

I will gurentee you that the tommies will not be 18-2 this year as a few people have mentioned.  I pick them to win the conference, they are a good team with a great amount of talent but....it sure seems as if a couple other teams have put some things together and could easily have an "Upset" here or there.  WIth teams like SMU probably being twice as good this year that makes the bus ride down there even more critical cuz once you get off, you are going to have to play a good team now isntead of a dogs*it team.  Teams like hamline and SJU are no longer easy victories for top teams anymore.  I feel like teams who will be pre-ranked 3-8 in the conference will have a much better shot at playing with the tommies or gusties or whoever this year.  I say/predict the tommies win confernece with around 4 losses which i think is still impressive with the number of good teams this year.  It does sound as if the SJU team is going to play a faster pace game this year as well, which could be an intersting mix since they probably will have the deepest bench of any miac team this year!

[crazy_carl]

It does sound as if the SJU team is going to play a faster pace game this year as well, which could be an intersting mix since they probably will have the deepest bench of any miac team this year!

You mean the deepest bench won't be Carleton, like usual?

(kidding, of course)

[bethelguy]

Those are very good questions LC, here are my thoughts...

-What will happen with the point guard responsibilities at Macalester?  - I agree with Pipes that Mac will miss Jackson more than they missed BVT.  Conboy is good but they lost a mentally tough leader on their team who would hit the clutch shot when needed.   He will be missed a ton.

-Who will be the go to guy more often than not at Carleton?  Forkrud or Drake? - Forkrud, but the issue with Carleton will be their lack of backcourt players not their frontcourt.  The good teams in the MIAC will be able to match up and defend Forkrud/Drake, but Carleton will not be able to stop the backcourts of GAC, UST, Eckhoff.

-Can Eckhoff put the Cobbers on his back and lead them into the playoffs again? - YES, and they will not miss Soren much at all.  Sophs Linz and EJ Adams both saw significant playing time in the frontcourt and will replacce Nelson's production.  Soph, Meichsner also got significant time at a guard (started 19 games) and should be an improved help to Eckhoff.  Don't forget Templeton and Miller return as well, the Cobbers will be a solid 3rd place team and make a run at UST/GAC.

-If Gustavus does move P. Sowden to the "4" position, how does that affect their defensive scheme?  Can TeBrake be the go-to-guy in crunch time?  Will he make those around him better like Espo did? - interesting moving who I think is the best pure post in the league to the '4' but who am I to question Hanson's decisions.  Espo will be missed but TeBrake can replace some of his production, someone else will become the leader of this team but I have no doubts that GAC will be very good.  Nobody is talking about Wittwer, if he takes a step forward expect him to be a big cog in the Gustie game plan.

-What kind of style will Augsburg play?  Up-tempo like Hamline, or half court like everyone else in the MIAC? - who knows but I hope they play up-tempo, they have an opportunity to recruit kids that most MIAC schools can't (or don't or whatever) and if they can play a disciplined up-tempo game they could be dangerous.

-Can Hamline have success if they are forced to or choose to play one or more freshmen a lot of minutes? - I agree with the post below, if your team is going to be succcessful in the MIAC with a couple freshman starting it takes a mentally tough and physically gifted freshman.  Those are hard to come by but they could be good enough to sneak into the playoffs and be good in a year or 2.

-Just how good will M. Keating be at St. Thomas?  - I know nothing about Keating, UST will be good without him in their lineup so if he plays he'll only help.

[Cardinalboy]

Come on guys, the bus ride to Cardinal Country can't be that bad? It has to be better than driving to meet the cobbers... As sju4 has mentioned, it probably will be a death trap for a few teams who would normally write a W in the win column anyway.  I'm really anxious to get the season underway, so we can see who predictions come true and who's won't. By the way, when does the official pre-season ranking comes out?

Here are mine

1. GAC- Champs until someone proves otherwise
2. UST- Tons of talent, has to all come together
3. CAR- Nice one-two punch
4. SMU- Will shock the world (Root for the home team, wat u expect)
5. SJU- Transfers make an impact
6. Cobbers- Sneaks in by one game
7. Hamline- Last second shot crushes play-off hopes
8. Bethel- Sleeper team, just don't know a lot about...could be scary.
9. MAC- Too much balance in conference for one guy to carry team
10. Aug- Needs two years to get his own boys on campus
11. STO- Well......nuff said

Karma me please  8)

[localcoach]

Thanks to those who offered responses to my questions.  I enjoyed the feedback. 

I am in agreement that St. Mary's will not be the pushover or easy "w" that some have viewed them as in the past when teams travel down to Winona.  However cardinalboy I can't see them finishing in the top four of the MIAC.  I could see them sneaking into the playoffs as a sixth seed, but if they manage to get much higher then that, Coach Trewick should be named coach of the year.  That would be a heck of a turnaround.

That leads me to my next question.  Many of us seem to be in agreement that St. Olaf will finish in the bottom half of the MIAC again this season.  Why is that?  The Oles return two excellent players in Bain and Butala and they have good young players like Tucker Weisman who can shoot the basketball.  Does anyone have a theory?

I also wanted to second bethelguy's statement that P. Sowden of Gustavus is the best pure post in the MIAC.  Some say he is undersized, but it's been proven that he gets the job done on the boards and at the defensive end.  That young man is willing to sacrifice his body on every play and I commend him for that.

[Drake Palmer]

Hey BG, good to see you back on the board.  By the length & quality of your post I'd say you're already in mid-season posting form.  You must have been honing those Mavis Beacon keyboarding skills during the off-season!  

By the way, are you game for coordinating another season of Pickems? (Say yes, please)  And how them Royals looking?

Crazy Carl - did you ever make any of those road trips over to Hawaii when Carleton played Chaminade?  You might be able to shed some light  on the style of play that new Auggie coach Griess used with his former team, the Chaminade Silver Swordfish (?).

With regard to the Cobbs, if they haven't lost any of their FY players, & had a decent recruiting class, I think they'll be alright (read competitive) this season.  I haven't talked to anyone from Moorhead yet this season, but a player that could burst on the scene this year is Brock Citterman for the Cobbs.  He has the potential to be the next Eckhoff.  He's a lanky, 6-3 wing with hops, a pretty decent J and a nice, little mean streak.

Luke Linz will get huge minutes & IMO Jason Miller is a slightly, smaller version of UST's Joey Shimek.  My favorite post players in the league are – Miller & Shimek, Sowden of GAC, Big Fork, & I love Goode of Hamline's lil jump hook.  That's a sweet shot!

Ditto everyone else's' comments on Carleton & Mac.  That is unless OAS can confirm the identity of Son of Splash.

[bethelguy]

I am declining the pick'em this year.  Too much work for me, but I can pass on my methods and spreasheet to whoever wants to pick the ball up and run with it.