MBB: MAC Freedom League

[saratoga]

CJ: You are indeed correct regarding Gerard. I believe his office is on Green Ridge St. next to the library. Many of Bess's former players went into the medical professions & I think a number now play a role in keeping him as active as he is. A new hip courtesy of Dr. Banas was huge.

[ljk]

Old Ends:  In the past, Coach JR was known to have quick hook,  but I haven't seen it much this year.  The reason might be that his bench is not that deep, basically using a lean 7 man rotation.  You were kidding about Coach Bessoir, right?  Cold Case:  Your comment about thug tactics reminded me of Jungle Jim Loscutoff, the Celtics henchman from years ago.  Col.:  You're right about huge conference game for the Colonels tonight.  DeSales comes into the Marts Center riding a 7 game winning streak and will be a tough match up for Wilkes.  We'll see which Colonels team shows up in their up and down season , the one who beat Kings away, or the one who lost to Keystone at home, and has lost its last 3 in a row in their house.

[naismith]

Old ends,  that is Fred Bilentnikoff Lance Alworth, Johnny Orr,

Unbeknownst to most of the recent Royal Invaders into Freedom League territorial waters, there was a Bessoir in the Wilkes alumni directory. and JP didn't date HIM...lol.

Seems in his yearbook that he cites his Wilkes greatest moment as schooling Colonel John in the low post. Seems Bess torched CJ for 28 in a ZZZ division intramural game!!

What say you CJ -------how about me and Bess onto Papa Phil and Dr. CJ-----dinner at la Tosca hangs in the balance.

Anyway...OE....Coach Bessoir won a couple of national titles while coaching at Da U (Scranton).....one with his son Billy who was a DI transfer if I remember correctly.
Lots of opinions on his coaching style and ability but the record speaks for itself imho.
539-252 over 28 years. Two titles --1976 and 1983. runnerup 1988 and 3rd in 1977.

Scranton was a power in D3 during his reign. Wilkes played a sub-500 version of the game until Coach JR arrived 16 seasons ago and started notching some of his 296 wins to date and counting.....(Coach JR averages abou 19 wins per/season and I don't believe has ever had a losing season).

Naismith

Scrantonthrorth

I am not from your area and only became interested in MAC because of my nephew. He also has only lived in the area a few years so that name was unknown to him.

Your nephew lived in this area? On purpose?
Perhaps Naismith can educate you on Bess.

[naismith]

LJK and CJ...

Have only seen DeSales on TV (cable) this year. They manhandled a prety good Moravian team (Mor is 10-4 with key wins over Lebanon Valley, Kean and Da U).

Team wise, deSales is shooting 50% from the floor and 35% from beyond the arc.
Stricker and Lapinski both around 65%!!! ....with Lapinski .435 from the 3pt line.  Very very formidable considering how poorly the Colonels fared against the baptist Bible and LVC bigs. Consider (despite high shooting % they still outrebound opponents on both off and def boards-------140-124 off and 344-287 def.
Kline, DeFeo, Gabriel and Kresge are going to have to step things up a notch tonight.

Braswell leads in minutes and averages 14 pts. Stricker averages 15pts and  Lapinski 12.6 pts.


Ohlson handles the ball well and has 113 assists to 46 turnovers.
As a team 243-199 a/to
opponents 141/194 a/to
Matt G will have to stay composed as Eddie O. is a tough matchup.

Based on minutes played, Desales go 7 to 9 deep.....

If Colonels can challenge boards, control tempo (DeSales likes to play a bit up tempo and often looks for the quick release to Ohlson with 1 or 2 players breaking down the sidelines---Braswell is very effective in that role), shoot better (see kings and delete BB, LVC) and, perhaps, get the DeSales bigs in some foul trouble.... then..... they have a shot.

Still, DeSales is the pick with a veteran team (Ohlson, McCloskey and Stricker Srs. & Lapinski a Jr.)-

Line DeSales (-11).

Naismith

Old Ends:  In the past, Coach JR was known to have quick hook,  but I haven't seen it much this year.  The reason might be that his bench is not that deep, basically using a lean 7 man rotation.  You were kidding about Coach Bessoir, right?  Cold Case:  Your comment about thug tactics reminded me of Jungle Jim Loscutoff, the Celtics henchman from years ago.  Col.:  You're right about huge conference game for the Colonels tonight.  DeSales comes into the Marts Center riding a 7 game winning streak and will be a tough match up for Wilkes.  We'll see which Colonels team shows up in their up and down season , the one who beat Kings away, or the one who lost to Keystone at home, and has lost its last 3 in a row in their house.

[Warren Thompson]

I'll see that and raise you my memory of the '99 MAC Championship between the #1-F Colonels and #1-C Dutchmen.  Leb Val had no guards able to keep up with Dave Jannuzzi.  What'd they do?  Send 6'9" All-American Andy Panko out in a box-and-1.  Loved it.

CJ4L:

Unfortunately -- and to my sorrow -- I remember that game .... 

[naismith]

CJ,

One last thing.

DeSales opponents combined records:  61-84 (missing Briarcliffe College )
Wilkes----94-70.

So, maybe there is some hope...this post moved the line 7pts. to DeSales (-4)..lol

c

ljk:

It's not like the "old days" of Dutchmen v. Colonels, when Adam Burdett and Jags were students at Wilkes, and Panko and Grybowski were going at each other on the court ....

I'll see that and raise you my memory of the '99 MAC Championship between the #1-F Colonels and #1-C Dutchmen.  Leb Val had no guards able to keep up with Dave Jannuzzi.  What'd they do?  Send 6'9" All-American Andy Panko out in a box-and-1.  Loved it.

'Toga - what's with Scranton alumni and dentistry?  Isn't former PG Gerard Genco a dentist up in Green Ridge?

So, is tonight DeSales's first real test in conference?  2-0 in the MAC-F, 12-1 overall.  Big game for the Colonels.

[cold_case]

Old ends,  that is Fred Bilentnikoff Lance Alworth, Johnny Orr,

Nais, it's Jimmy Orr, former Colts great WR who should be in the Hall of Fame.

[old ends]

Hey guys now that you educated me I can see that Coach Bessior had a great tenure at Scranton.

Growing up in Brooklyn and living in Vermont and Maryland, did not know that much about NEPA rich sports history.

My nephew just loves that fact that Kings and Wilkes are just blocks apart and can get to a lot of backetball games with his boy's.

Again thanks for the information.

[ColonelJohn4Life]

CJ,

One last thing.

DeSales opponents combined records:  61-84 (missing Briarcliffe College )
Wilkes----94-70.

So, maybe there is some hope...this post moved the line 7pts. to DeSales (-4)..lol

Naismith,

You should start taking some bets with these lines.  You could make a living of the 5% juice on D3 action.

Using the Live Stats feature through the good people at D3hoops.com, I see it's 29-24 at the half.  Colonels making some noise... trying to win it outright!

[ColonelJohn4Life]

Seeing the final score, looks like Nais's original line was closer:  DeSales 68, Wilkes 58.

I see John Leighton was a ref, DeSales took 25 free throws, and Wilkes only took 11.  All a coincidence, I imagine?

A 3 point play, the old-fashioned way, from Chris DeRojas tied the game back up at 50 before DeSales pulled ahead for good.  Big win for the Bulldogs, but, ehh, they seem to win a lot of regular season games.

I leave the actual analysis to those who were there.

[naismith]

You are correct once again CC-
Takes a Johnny U disciple to notice...lol

Johnny Orr was a coach and an arsonist:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Orr

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Leonard_Orr

Old ends,  that is Fred Bilentnikoff Lance Alworth, Johnny Orr,

Nais, it's Jimmy Orr, former Colts great WR who should be in the Hall of Fame.

[naismith]

You are right CJ....the 11 pt. line was on the mark and a late Gulla layup covered the spread.

It was a tale of 2 halves.
Wilkes came out with great energy and tight defense. They led early by 9 or so.
Wilkes controlled the tempo, got the ball inside, hit a few timely jumpers and seemed in control.
They led by 9 with 2 min in 1st half but the Bulldogs reeled off the last 4 pts.
29-24 at the half.

A Kresge layup started the 2nd half for Wilkes but DeSales then chipped away.
With about 15 mins. to go, DeSales took their first lead and the teams jockeyed back and forth.
At 14 mins., Steve Kline must have thought he was playing golf and got Teed UP.

To the bench with 4 fouls and DeSales started to have their way inside. From 10 min down to game's end, DeSales scored only off layups or ft's. with the exception of 1 Ohlson 3.
Princiootto for a layup, Malatesta for a layup, Lapinski layup, Malatesta gain, then Braswell layup, then an Ohlson layup, Ohlson 3, Ohlson layup.

Meanwhile, Wilkes was content to launch 3's:

Last 7 minutes: missed 3 DeRojas, missed jumper Kresge, missed 3 Gould, 2 Kline layups around 3 min mark followed by missed Gabe FT, missed layup Gabriel, missed 3 DeRojas, missed 3 DeRojas.....................

Bottom line, DeSales was able to get the easier shots and connected...Wilkes fell behind and could not connect.

Statwise, Wilkes outshot DeSales 51-46.
Somehow I don't think Coach JR had a 3-17 effort from the arc in the gameplan.
DeSales was 4-7. from 3.


DeSales shot 60% 2nd half and 54% for game.
Wilkes shot 47% for game.

Assist to turnovers -
Wilkes 17-10 versus DeSales 12-10

DeSales won the glass 33-25

DeSales 14-25 ft's versus Wilkes 7-11.
Personal fouls 22 Wilkes versus 14 DeSales.

Overall, a very hard fought battle.
DeSales brought what was expected. Solid PG play from Ohlson with Stricker (7-9) a step quicker than the Wilkes bigs assigned to him. Thought Braswell showed some glimpses but overall a very average perfromance from him.
For Wilkes, Tom Kresge (8-13 and 20 pts) is a genuine Freedom Force.
Kline was effective scoring inside. Both he and Kresge were able to execute some nice plays inside.
Matt G and Chris G played some tenacious defense. Neither got too involved offensively 
DeFeo was crippled with fouls early.
DeRojas made some plays and is fearless. Shooting touch off a bit tonight but he has a nose for the basket. (like the high screen and roll but Kresge should set the screen ---Colonels used DeFeo tonight in that role --- Tom can roll or step back for the 3 on the return pass. Unfortunately for Wilkes, opposing teams do not guard DeFeo and double DeRojas often trapping him).
Gabriel had a moment or two of good play but still needs to tighten up his defense, improve his handle and decisionmaking.
He strikes me as a player that could score at will inside if he would put his mind to it and add some discipline to his game.
Instead, he took some ill advised 3's and missed a dunk!!!  Gabe makes some great plays but also some mindless ones each and every game. 

At the end of the day, DeSales remains the team to beat.
With some more experience and consistency, the Colonels could be formidable late season.

Naismith



I see John Leighton was a ref, DeSales took 25 free throws, and Wilkes only took 11.  All a coincidence, I imagine?

A 3 point play, the old-fashioned way, from Chris DeRojas tied the game back up at 50 before DeSales pulled ahead for good.  Big win for the Bulldogs, but, ehh, they seem to win a lot of regular season games.

I leave the actual analysis to those who were there.
[/quote]

[gordonmann]

No lines but we will have Saturday's broadcast of DeSales versus Elizabethtown at 3 pm EST on D3hoopsNet.

http://www.d3hoops.com/audio/

[ljk]

The good team bad team showed up for the Colonels last night against DeSales.  The good team came out ready to go,  racing out to a 11-1 lead,  getting the ball inside, and leading at the half by 5.  Wilkes got some quick fouls on their big guys and it changed their game plan as it hurt their ability to feed the post.  DeSales clawed its way back into it and the game was tied at 50 with about 8 mins to go .  The Bulldogs then went on a 10-0 run to seal the deal. The experienced duo of Stricker and Ohlson  really got their act together.  Stricker is a load inside and Steady Eddie does not make too many mistakes running the point.  Braswell came out fired up in the 2nd half after an ineffective 1st half.  DeSales had 4 guys in double figures and a much deeper bench.  Wilkes suffered its fourth loss in a row at home and are now 6-7.  Desales is 13-1, 3-0 conf, and 8 wins in a row.    Naismith:  I agree with your comments on DeFeo and Gabriel.   Opposing teams not guarding DeFeo really puts the Colonels offense in a bind and hurts the overall flow.  He has to take the wide open shot, even if it looks like a knuckle curve, to make the defense honest.  Gabriel has a lot of upside, but seems to lack concentration.  In a few short minutes toward the end of the game , he committed 2 fouls, had a turnover and missed a dunk.  I don't agree with your assessment of Wilkes as a formidable team.  Early on in the season, I thought they looked like a .500 team and despite flashes of good play, I still think that.  They are just way too inconsistent, even on their home court, as tonight's tale of two halves demonstrated.  With FDU and Del Val to come, they should get some wins there.  However, Arcadia and Manhattanville could be tough.  In addition, keeping the team playing together during some adversity is not a easy thing to do.  Trying to predict wins and losses from the upcoming schedule usually doesnt work out anyway, so we'll have to wait and see which way the Colonels go.

[naismith]

Nice synposis LJK.

Did you see what caused the ref to T -up Kline.
I could not tell.

As far as my "formidable" remark,
Wilkes has 3 established players in my eyes:

Kresge---playing at an all star type level -good at all facets of the game
Kline------can score inside, has improved his interior passing recently...can defend and rebound.....has to smile more 8) ....and grin at the zebras
Gould----1st team all defense no doubt...shooting better....just stay under control...and be cool 8)

The rest need improvement ---some just a little and some others alot...
DeRojas---an impressive freshman no doubt----"Little Big Man"---he makes Dustin Hoffman proud
Gulla-------must have split his Halloween candy as a kid----shares the ball too much at times imho....Certainly plays Sundance to Matt G's Butch Cassidy on defense. Tenacious on the boards and great instincts on the floor.
Ruby----need to see more to evaluate...he can shoot and has been solid on fundamentals.
DeFeo---all around hustler.....no glaring weaknesses other than scoring ability down low and mid-range jumper---needs 300 shots per/day---
Gabe----needs to concentrate and play team ball. Needs work on his handle.
could score a bundle down low if he puts his mind to it.




I think JR continues to coach, teach and tweak the lineup ....maybe we get some improvement from the freshman and sophs (JR is a tireless worker and very very competitive-----if I know 1 thing ----JR will not quit----remember how hard they played against Kings last year to avoid a losing season) ----

Of the conference teams, I think Wilkes has the most room to improve.

If they do, I think Kings, DeSales and Mville (although I have yet to see them play) will have their hands full.................

Naismith