MBB: MAC Freedom League

[ColonelJohn4Life]

In the ratings Pat gave us, Scranton's 32nd, King's (PA) is 90th, DeSales is 99th, "FDU Madison" is 125th... and for nostalgia, as NEPAFan put it, Wilkes is 257th.

Note: 256th belongs to 3-15 Concordia-Moorhead

[ljk]

Wilkes,  how about a win for nostalgic sake?

[saratoga]

I agree with Mr.Naismith's assesment of tonights Scranton/Kings game. The only teams that have given the Royals a tough time thus far are teams with a pretty good inside presence...Kings has just that. Although Tom Bicknell has been playing terrific, when you rotate 2 to 3 bigs on him you essentially have 10 to 15 fouls to work him over to his 5. Chances are Kings will try to pound it down early so Scranton's perimiter D has to disrupt the passing lanes & not allow easy looks inside & then be ready to contest the kick outs to their shooters. The Royals really need help from their bench to spell Tom & give them valuable minutes while he's on the bench. Should be a great one, hope the zebra's are as prepaired as the kids will be.

[NEPAFAN]

I agree with Mr.Naismith's assesment of tonights Scranton/Kings game. The only teams that have given the Royals a tough time thus far are teams with a pretty good inside presence...Kings has just that. Although Tom Bicknell has been playing terrific, when you rotate 2 to 3 bigs on him you essentially have 10 to 15 fouls to work him over to his 5. Chances are Kings will try to pound it down early so Scranton's perimiter D has to disrupt the passing lanes & not allow easy looks inside & then be ready to contest the kick outs to their shooters. The Royals really need help from their bench to spell Tom & give them valuable minutes while he's on the bench. Should be a great one, hope the zebra's are as prepaired as the kids will be.

Agreed. Problem is the Royals don't have a backup Center. Should be a good one..

[naismith]

Well,

I have a lot to say tonight so I may break this post up a bit.

First,  CJ.......you mean Wilkes is below Susquehanna whom we beat.

Some poll!!

Invited CJ Sr. for a hike up I-81 and a Royal/ Monarch doubleheader but he spurned my offer:

He drives and I buy the tix, dogs, grapes, melons and chips.....

He missed two exciting games.

[naismith]

CC,

Was looking for you at the Long Center.

I figure you must have lost my phone and/or e-mail.

If you still have them let me know and if not I will get them to you.
The boys of the Fourth Estate said that they hadn't seen you this year.

Hope all is well on the employment front (mean that sincerely)......

get in touch...

Naismith

[saratoga]

Scranton vs. Kings...if the Royals only played half as bad as they did in the first half...they win by 6. Instead, a horrible job protecting the perimiter & give them credit, the Kings kids nailed their shots(approx.65%) in the 1st. half. The Royals seemed so concerned to provide help for Tom down low that just about everyone was a step too late getting to their coverage on the kick-outs & it hurt. That said, even though the Kings lead would hit at least 15 midway through the 2nd. half, the Royals had their run & actually took the lead on a picture-perfect ally-oop which culminated in a slam & a foul. Right there the momentum had a chance to go further in the Royals favor but, two missed free-throws & another 3 by Kings & it slipped away. Some missed free-throws at the end by Kings gave the Royals one more chance & their last 3 by Randy Arnold fell short...although it really looked like he was hit on the release...no foul called. However, the Royals certainly did not lose the game on that no call, they lost it in the 1st. half when they could not stop Kings defensivly & they struggled to find a rhythem offensivly. Down the stretch when the Royals were pressing, the shooters from Kings would just go to their spots & off the drive to the basket they'd get the kick out & score. The Royals have no time to feel sorry for themselves as FDU is lying in wait with the best team they've had since Roger Kindall challenged Bess for the title in 1988. Great game to watch...after the horror of the first 20 minutes is erased...the order of the top 4 teams is far from determined, still many land-mines out there.

[naismith]

Leo the Lion.

Congrats on the very emotional and hard fought win tonite . Hope u were there.

Kings executed well from the get go and opened up a 12-0 lead as Scranton morphed into Wilkes.
Scranton missed some makeable shots early but looked dysfunctional. Their passing was not crisp.  They left shooters open on defense (don't they know that Welch cannot be left alone???) etc etc. It was Royal Uglyball.

The difference maker early was Sobocinski. The Kings Senior was hitting on all cylinders and making plays.

Overall,  Kings dominated the 1st half and led by a deserved dozen at halftime.

Somewhere in the 1st half, however, a one sensed a bit of resurgence coming from the Royals.  At one point, they had the lead down to 6. Bicknell was asserting himself on the glass and Scranton seemed to be getting decent looks.

The first 3 minutes of the 2nd half was pretty much the 1st half script. Not sure of the largest lead but it may have been 14-18.  Then, Scranton got hot. There defense clamped down a bit and the transition game yielded some easier shots highlighted by a spectacular backdoor allyoop slam by Biagioli. Fouled on the play, he converted the free throw and the 'game was on'.
Scranton took a slight lead and had opportunities to extend but they seemed to rush their shots and the game went back and forth for the last 6 minutes or so.
Kofi made a big 3 off a perimeter pick and roll from Cousart. Cousart scored 2 almost unmolested layups. Soboleski rebounded a missed free throw ......and Kings regained a 5-6 point edge. Kings allowed Scranton a last gasp by missing a bunch of free throws. When Hawk hit a 3 with less than a minute it was a 3 pt. lead.
For some inexplicable reason, an unidentfied Kings player shot the ball with 7 seconds to go and a 3 pt. lead. (I am sure that guy is not on the deans list...lol). Scranton's Hawk snared the board but was mauled and separated from the ball with no call ......Arnold came up with the ball and heaved a desperation 3 to no avail.

Terrific game.
With no ax to grind, the officials stunk the joint up (and I do not say that often). They absolutely missed some hack jobs on both sides while calling a number of 'touch' fouls. Their was no consistency at all. Scalzo got calls and free throws with his usual assortment of post moves but Scranton couldn't get a call inside unless is was near decapitation.

The no call at the end was ridiculous (happened right in front of me).
The 'old' guy has got to go.....

Enough on that.

Kings now in the driver seat ...I think.....but the Del Val  loss has got to make one wonder?

But for now, Leo, you reign supreme.

[ColonelJohn4Life]

Lycoming 78
Wilkes 52

Kill me.  Kill me now.

[saratoga]

 I don't think Coach Rickroad has ever had to deal with such a prolonged agony since he arrived. It happens. I'm sure even though he'd love to play spoiler...he'd take a win anywhere anyhow right now.

[naismith]

Saratoga,

See your assessment of the game is quite similiar to mine.

For you Royal enthusiasts, here is my REAL OPINION -----

Coach Danzig had a horrible game plan going in, found the formula and then absolutley choked down the stretch.

I elaborate:

First, anyone who has seen Kings play the past 3 years with this crew must have an idea of their strengths and weaknesses.
I presume COY candidate Danzing understands that Kings has size and decent perimeter shooting.
The outstanding shooter is Jim Welch. Cousart, Kofi, Nensteil and Scalzo can also shoot.
COY candidate Danzig must also be aware that Kings is not that quick or fleet of foot. They thrive in the half court offense and play an inside out game most of the time.

So, what does COY candidate Danzig do?

He plays a half court game doubling down low and leaving the wing shooters wide open. Kofi for 3, Welch for 3...Welch again....ditto ditto ditto.

Now the 2nd half heats up.  Arnold, Powell and crew are attacking the ball. They are pressing and playing pressure defense. They are rushing up the floor and the shots are now open and falling....Hawk for 3....ditto ditto. Fitzpatrick hits one....Bicknell on a putback......Biagioli dunks...the long Center is rocking......

In ten minutes, Scranton erases a 15 point deficit and takes the lead......And they have the ball .....Arnold races up the court and is greeted by COY candidate Danzig saying ........SLOW IT DOWN .

So they do.....the offense becomes stagnant and  dysfunctional again and Kings regains control in the half court game.

One other thing,
In the last 5-7 minutes:

Bicknell (top big man in conference) doesn't get down on a missed shot allowing Sobo an unmolested layup. Then, he missed short jumper and gets a 'frustration' reach in call on a rebound at which he had no chance. Then he lets Cousart go to the basket unmolested on a pick by Sobo. All three plays spelled fatigue.....you could see it on his face.....

How about a timeout COY candidate Danzig???

Kings was defeated by Wilkes in the conference playoffs last year. Wilkes pressured the ball the entire game. Cousart and Co. do not like pressure. They do not handle it well and become careless and turnover prone. It is hard for me to beleive that COY candidate Danzig did not grasp this simple concept. Wtih a much more agile and quicker squad anchored by an all conference pg and center, how could you not take the game to Kings???


In summation, this was a game that Scranton lost because they were ill prepared and had a poor game plan. When they found a winning  formula , they abandoned it at crunch time. There was  no Coach of the Year on the Royal bench....just a Choke of the Year.....lol.

Naismith making himself 100% clear.

[ColonelJohn4Life]

First,  CJ.......you mean Wilkes is below Susquehanna whom we beat.

Some poll!!

Invited CJ Sr. for a hike up I-81 and a Royal/ Monarch doubleheader but he spurned my offer:

He drives and I buy the tix, dogs, grapes, melons and chips.....

He missed two exciting games.

Dr. James,
Surprised Pops didn't take ya up on that offer.  Last I checked, he had all intentions of going to see the Scranton - King's women's matchup, and then, because it's there, catch the guys game.  Kinda like you'll eat a salad only because it comes with the steak.

And polls aren't perfect.  One need only cite college football.  Or D-1 women's hoops that has unbeaten UNC at something other than #1.

[Leo The Lion]

Wow, wow, wow, where do I start.

First off, I was criticized by a Scranton fan for being too "calm" during the game, I made up for it in the last three minutes.  

Naismith,

Thanks for the appreciation.  In all honesty I don't know what to think about this King's team.  I don't know what to think about this Conference in general.  Hopefully the DelVal loss is just like Scranton's loss to Drew last year.  

As for the officiating, I was told to watch out for the old guy... that prediction proved to be true.  As a King's fan, I thought we got no love in the second half and the charge called on The Cous was terrible.  As for the no call at the end, you will have to refresh my memory.  The last twelve seconds of that game were a haze.  I remember alot of missed walks, fouls, and even a Technical Foul that should have but weren't called by the refs in the final twelve seconds.

As for the Coach of the Year, Pete Marion from FDU has that wrapped up provided they make the playoffs.  


All in all, a thriller.  Too bad that all this rivalry may have left is this year's MAC playoffs.



PS:  Tough luck for the Lady Monarchs, came so close. 

[NEPAFAN]

Where to begin? Listened on 99.5 over the net. I need CC or Saratoga to give me some positives. My hope was progress for Scranton his year after a first round loss in the NCAAs. However, it appears they need to get by Kings before we even think about the NCAA tourny. Is as Naismith so subtly put it , the royals getting out coached? Or are their Fowards getting pushed around by the beefier bigs of Kings? Does Scranton need a few more role players on this team? I really wish they wouldn't come all the way back just to lose...   I think Dean Corwin was ready for a heart attack...


re: Danzig....Scranton's game is  in the half court set...i thought Kings was the team that like to run and gun? Nevertheless, Danzig and his staff need to come up with a better game plan and the players need to execute because I am sure that Round 3 will take place in the playoffs.


Scranton needs to win out....and get a little help....you listening Desales (who I see lost to Drew!!) ?

[cold_case]

Nais,
You got mail.