MBB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[Jackets Backer]

Agree with Buzz, the HCAC is on the rise. The league nearly won two NCAA Tournament games this year against top 10 teams. Anderson's win was very impressive and DC should've beat Whitewater. There's just so many really good programs now that I think it's going to be hard for the bottom third of the programs to catch up with the top four or five programs.

I don't know that the league has had this many great programs all at one time. Anderson, Defiance, Franklin, Hanover and Transy I think will just duke it out each winter for seasons to come in the HCAC championship race if their coaches stick around. Manchester had a really good year this season, but I think they need to play at that level another couple years to be thrown into the upper echelon of programs in the HCAC. 

I'd say those five teams have been the cream of the crop in the league over the past five or six seasons.

Defiance has been a stepping stone for coaches over the years. If Defiance can keep coach Brumett around for many years, the Jackets are going to be in the HCAC championship mix year after year. We've all seen what Miller has done in two short years at Hanover. He's a brilliant basketball mind and had a great season with a lot of young guys. The Panthers will be a contender every season as long as Miller is there. You can say the same for Brian Lane and Kerry Prather, both incredible coaches and championship pedigrees. They both had down years in regards to the high standards at those schools. I don't think they'll be down long. Anderson's season has to help them in recruiting ... were ranked in top 10 at one time and its NCAA win was impressive. So I think Anderson has arrived.

Bluffton, Rose and the Mount have a ways to go to join those other five teams in the upper tier of the HCAC and Earlham. I wouldn't be surprised to see Anderson, Defiance, Franklin, Hanover or Transy win the league over the next few years ... Bluffton, Rose, Mount and Earlham would really surprise me if they rose to that level.

What do others think that follow the league?

 

[cave2bens]

Is there a possibility that the "misfortunes" of the Bluffton program go deeper than coach and/or facilities?  I have several, athletic friends who graduated from there in the early 1970s (one, a father of one of the victims of the Atlanta debacle) and most of their comments focused on the isolated location and that they passed on a natural, local rival up the road in Ada.  The HCAC is a mixed bag of institutions, when one looks at missions, academic offerings and reputations, locale, levels of financial support, facilities, and yes, administrative support for competition.  As an observer, I don't see as much diversity among the MIAA or NCAC institutions (though Hiram is in a similar role as Bluffton).  

When one looks at Earlham as a new HCAC member, I have to wonder what the net effect on the conference might be?  Yes, there is the possibility of a few more wins for their opponents, but an administration with less respect for sport and athletic facilities (a big Div IV advocate) than academic rigor and financial stability.  

Prospective students have numerous priorities when considering selection of school.  Coaches and athletic facilities are important, but when one chooses to go D III, is it for the possibility of continuity of "glory days" or a step toward a life-fulfilling career?

To tag onto JB's latest musing, it is seldom that a coach stays in one place as was evident in the past.  GN is sort of an exception in the HCAC, and like the aforementioned students, many look for "bigger and better as well" unless they fall into a comfort zone like Moore at Wooster, Petty at Wabash, or even Hohenberger during my time at Defiance.  Longevity is not that common, and there is such a thing as overstaying one's welcome. 

[BUBeaverFan]

Coach Neal certainly has a strong personality that can rub some people the wrong way, but I have no doubt that Coach Neal wants to win.  He has a very strong sense of how he wants the game to be played and you had better buy into the concept or get ready to hit the pine.  This approach also rubs some people the wrong way.  As a Bluffton alum and supporter for nearly 30 years I think that Bluffton would love nothing more than to win or at least be competitive but as an institution cannot bring themselves to invest in or make a priority of the things that can make that happen.  Bluffton should have the same recruiting base that Defiance, ONU, Heidelberg, and other local schools have and those teams have had more success in basketball than Bluffton (Heidelberg seems to have turned the corner after some tough years) At the DIII level, aid packages, tradition and to some degree facilities can often be critical when convincing a potential DIII student-athlete to make a choice of one school over another.  Bluffton falls short in all of these categories.  Since they do not have tradition they have to really step up to the plate and be competitive in the other two.  Until that happens they will continue to fall in the lower half of their league and near the bottom or at the bottom of all-sports type rankings.

[mike.hawke82]

BU Beaver makes some very valid points regarding the Bluffton Athletic program as a whole, which I agree with.
My problem in particular is with the men's basketball program. Having played 4 years and over 100 collegiate games and involved as a HS Coach I think GN's basketball knowledge is at best at a low high school level. His practice organization, drill progression is very elementary (to a fault). His in game adjustments, time-out adjustments, half time adjustments are awful. No feel for the game. His motivation techniques are one dimensional. Motivate by fear, yelling & screaming. (I guess that would be 3 dimensional). His relationship with players is non-existant. From a purely basketball coaching standpoint he is not good in my opinion. Bluffton deserves so much better and could do so much better. Obviously, this is my opinion and maybe other players have different opinions. That what this forum is for...to express our opinions. Hoping for some changes and a brighter future for BU Hoops.

[BUBeaverFan]

Mike.hawk82,
I think Bluffton U fans everywhere join you in hoping for brighter days ahead for the men's basketball program and in my case all of the sports in Beavertown.  I am sure with your 100+ games at Bluffton that Darryl Nester and I got to see you play many of those.  As you are aware Bluffton has been pretty loyal to its' coaches over the years and with the men's basketball program having had winning seasons in four of the last five and six of the last ten seasons, Coach Neal has probably not reached a point where Phil or the administration are ready to make a transition, unless there are other factors at play or Coach Neal makes a decision on his own.  I can certainly appreciate and understand your frustrations.

[dc_has_been]

I want to review what you are upset about Mike.  Is it this season alone or the that Bluffton doesn't have and HCAC championships?  Seeing that Bluffton posted four season with an above .500 record I would be surprised if a DIII program would fire their coach after a losing season.  Especially a team that is young and lost 10 games by 5 or less and are losing only 3 players and bring back their top 4 scores (3sophmores 1 freshman).  Plus, this is DIII basketball in a middle of the road conferenc not the ACC or Big East where huge contacts are thrown around to win bball games.  As someone mentioned earlier, it is about academics first and sports second. 

[BUBeaverFan]

If I read the numbers correctly, Coach Neal is now 234-306 after 21 years at the helm at Bluffton University.  That is roughly 11 wins and 14/15 losses per year. This not the sort of record that many schools would be pleased with, but Bluffton, as I stated above, is pretty loyal to its' coaches and Coach Neal truly wants to win.

Here is a quote from Coach Neal's profile on the BU Athletic Website:(Linked below for proper attribution)

"When Neal arrived at Bluffton University in the fall of 1989, he took over a program that had collected just four winning records in the school's previous 24 seasons. Neal equaled that number is his first nine seasons and has directed seven of Bluffton's top 11 teams in the 89 seasons of basketball in school history."

http://bluffton.edu/sports/mensbasketball/2010/coaches.html

Recruiting improvement (a clear need) will only happen if and when a commitment to a winning athletics program via financial aid packages and capital improvements to facilities become a priority.  If  a quality student-athlete can attend a competing institution with a higher sticker price but with a real discounted rate that is less than Bluffton U's real discounted rate, coupled with a stronger athletic tradition and better facilities, why attend Bluffton U? (Obviously there would be family or faith issues that would be key drivers for some student-athletes in choosing to attend Bluffton U)  All coaches at Bluffton U have one hand tied behind their backs to some degree when they are out on the recruiting trails.

I think this is where Bluffton U finds itself and the remedies are neither quick nor inexpensive.

[Buzz]

Props to DC's Nick Sales for being named to D3hoops All-Midwest District Team. Also a tip of the cap to AU's Coach Slyder for netting the District Coach of the Year honors. Gettin it done in the HCAC.

[Buzz]

And now DC's Sales named First-Team All-Midwest District by the NABC. Good to see him getting his props for a great season. Which again brings up the question that has been beated to death already in DC hoops water cooler discussions...Sales took over for Pettaway, but who steps in to replace Sales???

[dc_has_been]

Buzz, IMO that's a position that they will be lacking next season for sure unless they get a transfer or a stud freshman. Both Sales and Pettaway were great players that could control the paint and I don't see anyone who is coming back that can fill that void.

[dc_has_been]

Very quite around here! 

[ItsWhatever]

interesting thoughts...can't wait for the season to start.  any off season news?

[zander]

Should be fun for Hanover fans to open up at Butler this year--Go Panthers

[zander]

Coaches polls put Anderson #1, Manchester #2, Hanover #3 and Trans #4 any predictions out there?

[dc_has_been]

A little disappointed that DC was picked sixth in the poll.  I guess that's what happens when you lose two of you top players. 
DC still brings back a lot of good players and did a great job in recruiting IMO.  They will finish in the top of the HCAC this year.