MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Drake Palmer]

I'm normally not overly critical of players or posters, but when a poster bails out on his team like you did in your last post Freebird, I don't know.  For a few days you were posting with nice insights & comments but this??  Criticism has it place, but I think your post was excessively harsh.

Rough night in Arden Hills for the Royals.  I can't complain in the least, the Oles out played us and have the W to show for it.

Someone asked earlier about Laugen and to put it harshly he is the main reason we lost.  ...

I was at the game & I'm 100% certain Bethel lost as a team.  How about when Meadowcroft was caught looking in at the in-bounds passer & lost sight of his man, Jon Bain who scored the winning basket?  Or how about the point blank shot (s) Mike Moberg (who played like a warrior by the way) missed which would have given them a 2 possession lead late in OT? Or the countless times, a frustrated Tim Madson couldn't shake the heroic mindset & defensive play of John Butala & kept forcing one tough, shot up after another?  And, the Bethel coaches' decision to not attack the Oles' Mark Bergstrom once he picked up his 3rd foul early in the 2nd half?  Bergstrom was never whistled for another foul & he ended up destroying the Royals - 22 pts, 8 Rs, & 5 Assists. Could the Royals ever run some set plays & run some screens to free up their scorers? 

Bethel admittedly did not have a great night, but they hustled & scratched their way back into the game & forced OT.  In the latter stages of OT they had several huge defensive stops & couldn't convert contested, but definitely makeable shots on the other end of the floor to get that elusive 2 possession lead.  And, I'm fairly certain the last offensive play was designed for Laugen to spread the floor & try to beat Banick from Olaf off the dribble.  Tough night for the Bethel faithful, but they'll be back.  A bittersweet ending for the seniors -- Blazejak, Meadowcroft, Strom et al.  I've enjoyed watching them play & they were competitors.

On the other hand, that was the best I'd seen the Oles play all season.  They played a complete game on both ends of the court.  The Killer Bs all finally lived up to their nickname & played lights out.  In addition to Bergstrom, that was absolutely the best I've seen Butala shoot since high school days. And, good ol' Jon Bain looked like he got a shot of cortisone & was galloping around like a spring colt.    A very nice win against all the naysayers & you can count me in that latter group.  I, along with others have felt the Oles had a nice assortment of talent, but for various reasons, they never seemed to be able to close the gap & move into the upper division of teams in the league.

Entrance stage right - Funbballer?? 

[onearmedscot]

Drake,

Your thoughts on the kid from Olaf who missed the dunk after traveling.  I forget his name but he seemed to play with a pretty lackidasical attitude and I thought he was going to kill the oles chances at one point.  Seemed very weak for a big man.

Killer B's.  i like it.

oAs.

PS  Did you guys hear what NASA stands for these days?  Nifty Adult Sanitary Apparatus.

[sumander]

Can some one reset the final play of the OT for me? I had just turned on the webcast and heard it, but the announcers gave no indication where the ball was being inbounded. How did Bain get so wide open?

[kel_varnsen]

and now for my 3rd consecutive post in a row...

the group of GAC students sitting at mid court kept chanting nerd when he got the ball but i didnt understand way because 1. he was lighting the place up and 2. the group of students chanting it were some of the nerdiest looking people in the building

I give Phillips a tremendous amount of credit for balancing a physics major with basketball. If the Carleton Physics department is anything like the GAC Physics program, that's next to impossible.  That said, he's still a nerd, regardless of how well he may play or how hypocritical the chant may be.

[abominable_snowman]

it's good to be back.  had a great saturday, miserable sunday carrying over to yesterday. Regardless, I love playoff basketball!!!!!

TH4L, will you be following the Ole's back to the old stomping grounds?  I am greatly looking forward to Koz pt2 at the Shoe.  He was blowing gaskets last time. Now, with playoffs on the line, if he starts to feel things are going unfairly, I'm expecting a fury that will cause severe weather warnings on the local news.

[columbianmaffia]

Does this mean we have seen the last of C-MOB? Saying it aint so man!!

IT AINT SO MAN!!
haha...im not going to far...this board is pretty entertaining plus MIAC hoops is pretty entertaining...my posts about games might become less frequent but i can tell you this much...i will still be around posting all the crazy thoughts that go through my brain

and now for my 3rd consecutive post in a row...

the group of GAC students sitting at mid court kept chanting nerd when he got the ball but i didnt understand way because 1. he was lighting the place up and 2. the group of students chanting it were some of the nerdiest looking people in the building

I give Phillips a tremendous amount of credit for balancing a physics major with basketball. If the Carleton Physics department is anything like the GAC Physics program, that's next to impossible.  That said, he's still a nerd, regardless of how well he may play or how hypocritical the chant may be.

you got me

[AO]

Can some one reset the final play of the OT for me? I had just turned on the webcast and heard it, but the announcers gave no indication where the ball was being inbounded. How did Bain get so wide open?

I think it's basically what Drake said, Meadowcraft was caught looking and forgot to stay home on a good jon bain cut to the basket.  Bain seemed to have all day with it as he caught outside the three point line and made a beeline straight for the bucket.

Drake,

Your thoughts on the kid from Olaf who missed the dunk after traveling.  I forget his name but he seemed to play with a pretty lackidasical attitude and I thought he was going to kill the oles chances at one point.  Seemed very weak for a big man.

Killer B's.  i like it.

oAs.

PS  Did you guys hear what NASA stands for these days?  Nifty Adult Sanitary Apparatus.

I was actually impressed with Haugen's play as I've seen him play before, and he definitely stepped it up relative to his regular output.  He was 1-4 and 1-6 in the two prior games against bethel and 4-7 last night with a couple of steals thrown in.

He looked incredibly tired when going up for the dunk, so it wasn't a huge surprise when he missed it.  Didn't seem he was being very arrogant on the way to the hoop anyhow, and he did create the turnover in the first place.  Not to mention that he got another steal and a bucket less than a minute after the miss.

[TommieHoops4Life]

ASnow,

I will definitely be there Wednesday night to cover the Oles. I can get the mileage approved by the company since it's playoffs, plus there's a lady up near there I'm trying to get in touch with. How about we all give some credit where it's due for St. Olaf. There are a lot of Koz haters out there, and I'll admit I've doubted him myself, but they've now won three of their last four games. Other than UST, the two hardest places to win in the MIAC in my opinion are at Gustavus and Bethel, and the Oles have done both in the past week, plus St. Olaf avenged a nine point loss at Bethel a few weeks ago. It's also their first playoff win in a while, cuz I think they lost their opening game when they made it in 2003.

With that said, the Tommies can play pretty mediocre on Wednesday and probably still get an easy victory, but they won't take the Oles lightly. St. Olaf will have to play virtually perfect and get some help from UST to have it be interesting, but it is the playoffs and anything can happen. I'm not liking their chances at Schoenecker, but hopefully it's at least a good game.

OAS,

I looked at the Stiftungsfest RSVP, and I think I somehow got automatically put on the attending list, but I know I haven't signed up. I can't confirm anything yet. I've got three individuals at the state gymnastics meet on Saturday night, and as sad as it sounds, I may have to be there working instead of at the MIAC title game. I gotta talk to my photographer, should know by Wednesday-ish.

[Freebird]

I'm normally not overly critical of players or posters, but when a poster bails out on his team like you did in your last post Freebird, I don't know.  For a few days you were posting with nice insights & comments but this??  Crticism has it place, but I think your post was excessively harsh.

Rough night in Arden Hills for the Royals.  I can't complain in the least, the Oles out played us and have the W to show for it.

Someone asked earlier about Laugen and to put it harshly he is the main reason we lost.  ...

I was at the game & I'm 100% certain Bethel lost as a team.  How about when Meadowcroft was caught looking in at the in-bounds passer & lost sight of his man, Jon Bain who scored the winning basket?  Or how about the point blank shot (s) Mike Moberg (who played like a warrior by the way) missed which would have given them a 2 possession lead late in OT? Or the countless times, a frustrated Tim Madson couldn't shake the heroic mindset & defensive play of John Butala & kept forcing one tough, shot up after another?  And, the Bethel coaches' decision to not attack the Oles' Mark Bergstrom once he picked up his 3rd foul early in the 2nd half?  Bergstrom was never whistled for another foul & he ended up destroying the Royals - 22 pts, 8 Rs, & 5 Assists. Could the Royals ever run some set plays & run some screens to free up their scorers? 

Bethel admittedly did not have a great night, but they hustled & scratched their way back into the game & forced OT.  In the latter stages of OT they had several huge defensive stops & couldn't convert contested, but definitely makeable shots on the other end of the floor to get that elusive 2 possession lead.  And, I'm fairly certain the last offensive play was designed for Laugen to spread the floor & try to beat Banick from Olaf off the dribble.  Tough night for the Bethel faithful, but they'll be back.  A bittersweet ending for the seniors -- Blazejak, Meadowcroft, Strom et al.  I've enjoyed watching them play & they were competitors.

On the other hand, that was the best I'd seen the Oles play all season.  They played a complete game on both ends of the court.  The Killer Bs all finally lived up to their nickname & played lights out.  In addition to Bergstrom, that was absolutely the best I've seen Butala shoot since high school days. And, good ol' Jon Bain looked like he got a shot of cortisone & was galloping around like a spring colt.    A very nice win against all the naysayers & you can count me in that latter group.  I, along with others have felt the Oles had a nice assortment of talent, but for various reasons, they never seemed to be able to close the gap & move into the upper division of teams in the league.

Entrance stage right - Funbballer?? 

Drake,

I agree that might been a bit much but I still maintain Laugen had no business taking so many shots especially the final one in OT.  He averages about 8 shots a game and last night he took 16 while only making 4.  It was the first time where I have really seen him attempt to take over a game and it cost us dearly.  While other players had their faults, the main player who sticks out in my mind is Laugen, who playing out of character and tried to do way to much.  I hate to put down my own team especially after the last game I will be a student at, but it is the way I saw it.

[bethelguy]

I feel compelled to throw my thoughts out there regarding the BU/STO game...

First of all my hat goes off to the STO seniors.  Saying they wanted it more isn't probably entirely accurate or fair to the Royals cause I don't question their desire to win but you could read the faces of Bain, Batula, Bergstrom and Banic (particularly Bain) that they were not going to lose this game.  They all contributed mightily and earned a nice road playoff victory. 

Bain - was a monster on the boards and obviously hit the game winning shot
Banic - 10 assists
Bergstrom - 22 and 8
Batula - 23 points and great D on Madson. 

When Batula aired the 3 in OT I thought that fatigue had finally caught him and BU was going to pull it out.  But Bain came through in the clutch.

Freebird - I'm not going to get into a time of criticizing individuals at this point as I'm sure they are all feeling pretty bad and wondering what they could have done to change the outcome.  Laugen did miss a lot of shots but in the OT situation at hand I would have done the same thing.  Corey made a great move and got by Banic, but ball just got caught on his hip.  When you want to be sure you are taking the last shot you want a guard to go 1-on-1 like that.  If you work the offense and get a shot for your post you risk taking a good shot but leaving several seconds on the clock.  This obviously didn't work out in BU's favor but 9 times out of 10 you are going to take the final shot and either win or go to double OT.  The way Batula was guarding Madson, you couldn't have Tim take the shot. 

[Freebird]

Bethelguy,

You make a good point and I do see the need for a guard to take the shot.  It just seems to me given how the game had played out Corey wasn't the right guy to do it.  You are right that Madson was being intensely guarded.  The play must have been designed by Westie with him thinking worst case Corey misses it and we go to a second OT.  Unfortunately that wasn't the worst case.  I think I would have liked it in the hands of Chuck with him driving to the basket.

[Drake Palmer]

Finally, a rational voice of reason from the Bethel backers.  Good upps BG! Good season, tough loss. (BTW- Banick is still a junior.  Nice player)

Umm, Bird – who's the coach of the Bethel team? If you think the coaches had a problem with Laugen's shots or shot selection, don't you think they might have benched him?  As it was he played 35 out of 45 possible minutes.  But, if you want to dump where you live, go right ahead.  It's your house.

*********************

Oas - as you now know, the player in question on the ill-fated dunk was Mitch Haugen. I nearly fell off the bleacher I was laughing so hard!  Fortunately, I knew the Bethel trainers were close by in the event I needed the oxygen tank!  In the dark ages of TV, before ESPN, didn't they used to have a show called "Football Follies"?  We need to have a new highlight show called "Basketball Bloopers."

AO - the kid may have been gassed, but if your legs are feeling that heavy, go for the layup instead of the dunk.  (He looked like a Clydesdale horse trying to compete in the steeplechase) I could have sworn I saw somebody pull out a rusty, trusty sundial to time him as Haugen s-l-o-w-l-y lumbered up the court.  By the time he made his move for the dunk, half of the residents of Arden Hills were waiting underneath the basket to thwart his attempt.  Just the thought of it still causes me to chuckle & brings a tear to my eye. 

In certain parts of town, he would not have been able to finish the game because of the ridicule he would have received.  That ill-timed dunk will go down as one of my most memorable moments of this season. 

[Freebird]

Drake,

I'm not trying to be "that guy" who tears down his own team.  I'm just very disappointed in how things played out and am questioning the play of Laugen.  Personally I don't think he deserved to take the last shot but then again I'm just a fan in the crowd.

[columbianmaffia]

does anyone know of any quality summer rec hoops leagues in the cities?

i know the augsburg league doesnt run through the summer

[Willy Wonka]

Drake - Who died and made you God of the Bethel posters' thoughts?

If a Gustie player who normally doesn't shoot suddenly goes 4-16 in the season ending game, while also making a turnover that gives the opposing team the chance at the winning basket, I can guarentee you I'd be asking questions and assigning blame on here in a much more blatant way then FreeBird did.

I expect everyone involved in an OT game played hard and did his best...but that's not the point. You can pick nits for other singular plays (re: Meadowcroft's lack of defense), but Laugen seems to have more than his fair share of bad play. Defend if you like, but don't call out BU backers for alledgedly throwing a player under the bus. Sometimes it's warranted.

cmob - Nope. If you hear of anything, let me know though. My GAC class with a few younger guys has been looking for better competition for a few years now...I think we/they have lost once in the last three years.