MBB: MAC Freedom League

[mid-range j]

Great game the other night b/w Mville and Kings.  It was a fun enviroment and a great game to watch.  Being an Mville fan, it was sad to see the Mville seniors careers and season end on a downward note, but for anyone who watched the game, you could see that those kids poured their heart and soul out and left it all on the court.  King's just made more plays down the stretch.  I hope at least now that Mville has gained a little respect in the conference.  I'm looking forward to some rivalries down the road.  King/DeSales should be a great matchup and I'm curious to see who comes out on top. 

I have one question though and I might sound bitter because of the loss, but I am convinced that nobody deserved the conference MVP award more than Cody Moffett.  He tore up the the stat sheets every game (despite getting double and tripled teamed almost every game) and still put up AMAZING numbers throughout the WHOLE season.  He was nationally recognized by d3hoops, prestosports, and the conference, and put up big numbers against a rigid non-conference and conference schedule.  Stricker is a great player, no doubt about it, and he deserves to be up there in the voting, but over Moffett's season?  I don't know...

[naismith]

Leo:

Picks were about what I would have expected.
DeSales dominated early and are the #1 seed so they get the votes.
Coval--ok
As to MVP (the only real surprise in my eyes)---

Looking at the Freedom only schedule, John Soboleski certainly dominated late season. I think the 1st half hurt him. If one asked who is playing the best right now---it is John.

Stricker---a 4 year warrior no doubt and everyone loves his game. This year, however, wasn't his best. He was prone to foul problems and DeSales was pretty well balanced.  Wasn't in my top 3.

Moffet----The new kid on the block was consistent all year. Has more spin moves than a Duncan Yo Yo.
Like the old Army grid legends, Glenn Davis and Felix 'Doc'  Blanchard,
Moffet could hurt you "Inside" and "Outside".
Other players may have an edge in specific skill areas, but I think CM was the best player in the conference.
And he performed all season long!

CM---you are still my pick!

Leo, best of luck on Sat.


Naismith

[ljk]

I agree with the picks for first team Freedom Conference team for the most part, but I would have picked King's John Soboleski as POY.  I'm with Leo on this one.  I concur with Naismith, who points out that Sobo is playing the best ball right now, even though Nais is still sticking with Moffett.  Big John really carried his team, when it mattered the most,  as they reeled off 8 wins in a row, down the stretch.  I'm with you Nais on  Arcadia's Elliot and Mulholland being mentioned, nice players,  but I dont agree with Scalzo on 2nd team.  I thought he had a down senior year compared to last year.  I think DeRojas deserved the ROY, as he stepped in and gave Wilkes some much needed fire power.   Should be a great matchup on Saturday.  Any predictions?

[DSU Backer]

Nais,

I agree with most of what you said, however, there is one item that I would like to correct.  This year, Phil Stricker has really reduced his fouls.  I can only think of 1 or 2 games that I would consider him to have been in foul trouble.  I don't consider picking up your 4th foul late in a game as being in foul trouble, I think of picking up your 2nd 10 minutes into the game and have to sit for an extended period of time as being in foul trouble.  He did not foul out of any games.

As far as the POY pick, I would have no problems with any of the three mentioned.  A strong case can be made for any of them, they all have very good years.  I think the thing that probably pushed it Stricker's way is the fact that he is a 3 time 1st team all conference selection.  There are probably some other names that could be thrown in there as well, Eddie Ohlson for one.  He isn't a big time scorer, but DeSales goes the way Ohlson leads them.  Ohlson is #10 all time in division III assists, that's impressive!  Below is an excerpt from DeSales website on the conference awards:

       Ohlson earns All-Conference honors for the first time in his career. He is averaging 7.5 points per game and ranks fourth in the country in assists per game at 7.3 assists per game. Ohlson owns every major assist record at DeSales including most helpers in a game (15), most in a season (227 in 2006-07) and most in a career (687). His 687 career assists currently rank 10th all-time among all NCAA Division III players. In addition, Ohlson has 180 career steals which ranks sixth at DSU.

[ljk]

DSU:  I think it comes down to that age old argument between POY and MVP.  Is POY the best player in the conference,  and MVP the most valuable to his team?  Eddie Ohlson is certainly the glue to his team, as Jamie Cousart is to his.    I think the player with the most talent would probably be Moffett.  Where would King's be with out Soboleski?  I guess it depends on who you like and the definition of POY.  Good luck to your team tomorrow.

[DSU Backer]

ljk,

Thanks.  I would love to see these seniors get one.  Kings already has two, they should share.

[ronk]

   Word has it that the NCAA selection committee has already written in the Reunion regional of Scranton, Kings, Desales, and Lycoming for next weekend.

[kate]

Reunion Regional - i like that one - chuckle, chuckle

[saratoga]

Ronk: Great idea for the NCAA to consider. I think both Desales & Lyco would have a difficult time meeting the "host" requirements of the NCAA regarding seating capacity. However, first things first. Lyco must defeat Widener which will be no easy task & should Kings lose at Desales...they are not a lock for a Pool C bid as each & every upset of a higher regionally ranked team makes their chances more difficult. And, as we know...the Royals need a win tonight over Juniata to make it really hard for the selection committee not to include them in the dance. From a fan perspective it would be great to see these schools in the mix another time...I just think the stars will really need to be aligned for it to happen. But, who knows...stranger things have certainly happened. It would be neat in a way to see these schools back at tournament time playing in the Long Center once again!

[ronk]

   Yes, the only way for it to happen is Desales losing to Kings. Desales is the only pool C possibility.

[cold_case]

'toga, ronk. Did you know this is the Freedom Board??

[saratoga]

Of course we do...however, besides Wilkes, an occasional Kings poster & the SID @ Desales...who else posts here anymore?

[wb1313]

Congrats to Kings!  Here's to hoping Desales gets a Pool C invitation that they deserve.  The numbers seem to be working in their favor so let's cross our fingers!

[DSU Backer]

Congrats to Kings for a well played game.  They certainly earned the victory and the automatic NCAA bid that goes with it.  Good luck and represent the MAC-Freedom well.  Hopefully DeSales will get an at-large bid.

[Leo The Lion]

Saratoga has returned to celebrate in the King's Dynasty!

Anyway, first off a tip of the cap to DeSales.  A talented team that just came up a little shor three times.  The Buffalo Bills of the MAC Freedom League.  As a King's fan, DeSales is probably the opponent you respect the most.  Unlike Scranton/Wilkes there's no blinding hatred fueled by a local rivalry.  King's and DeSales have just battled over the past four years, and luckily for the Monarchs, they came out on top more often than not. 

I remember having a conversation with someone at King's who had no tie to the basketball program in the fall of 2004.  This person told me that King's opportunity had passed, that their best chance of winning a conference title went out the door the previous season, when King's lost six seniors and three starters to graduation.  The person told me that Horgan would not be able to carry the team and the freshmen were too much of a question mark.  Well, I think it's safe to say he was wrong now.  Another big win for this senior class, and I think today's Citizen's Voice article sums it up pretty well.

Congratulations King's, good luck in the tournament.