FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

westcoastDad · November 14, 2016, 11:08:46 AM

JEFFFAN good points. Defense definitely kept us in the games.

EJ and the O.C. will have to decide whether to build around Nick Morales, a good thrower of the ball or revert back to Reece Foy, a dual threat who may not be as good a thrower but adds value with his ability to run.

The musical chairs of the QB position at the end of the season had to make it super tough for the offense.

nescac1 · November 14, 2016, 03:31:46 PM

Can't believe how bad things got, and how quickly, at Williams under Kelton. Too bad the school didn't move on after the first three year contract, when it was still salvageable. I'll be curious to hear about how the first wave of recruits under the new regime looks -- I've heard nothing, but hopefully they bring in a few monsters on both sides of the ball who can make major impacts right away. Now that they've hit rock bottom, perhaps there will be pressure on admissions to give a few wink-and-a-nods for just a year or so. The Ephs also had a ton of underclassmen play this year and hopefully a few can turn into real assets with a big offseason of work. If Williams can aim for 2-3 wins next year before a bigger turnaround the following year, that would be good progress.

I would not sleep on Amherst rebounding next year. The QB situation was a major handicap and there is still some good talent and great coaching on hand. But it does seem like Wesleyan, Trinity and Tufts are going to be the big three going forward -- they have recruiting advantages that Williams and Amherst just can't match, and top-notch coaching staffs and institutional support. D1 schools (especially Ivies) would be smart to try to pick up Civetti. I imagine that dude may not be long for D3, what a job he did.

nescac1 · November 14, 2016, 04:32:37 PM

Following up on my last post, this sounds like a potentially interesting Williams recruit -- QB Bobby Maimaron (elsewhere it says he is headed to Assumption, so I'm not sure what the deal is). Hopefully he is indeed Williams bound, as he is the all-time Massachusetts leader in passing TDs:

http://patch.com/massachusetts/plymouth/awesome-threesome-maimaron-demeritt-regan-back-together-again-record-setting

PolarCat · November 14, 2016, 04:39:06 PM

His father Dave is his coach at Duxbury HS. If he says Bobby is headed to Williams, you can take it to the bank that's his first choice.. Quality kid, great football family, he is a fantastic recruit for the Ephs.

HOWEVER: Williams ED1 acceptances aren't sent out till December 15th, and as we all know, nothing's binding till "the letter" arrives. Hopefully the proud papa and the local paper didn't just jinx it for the kid.

Bobby is also a captain on the Duxbury Lacrosse team, probably the best public HS program East of the Hudson. I wouldn't be surprised if he is also playing LAX for the Ephs.

nescac1 · November 14, 2016, 04:43:01 PM

Thanks PolarCat, that's good to hear. Generally speaking (from what I've seen), folks won't say they are committed to Williams unless they are pretty well assured by a coaching staff that admissions has cleared them, but of course, nothing is guaranteed until it's in writing! Certainly sounds like a great recruit at a critical position ...

PolarCat · November 14, 2016, 04:53:07 PM

If you want to watch him play, Duxbury plays in the MA semi-finals this Saturday in Lowell, and if they win the will be in the Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium on December 3rd. Eph fans pining for a 9th game, and/or hoping for a return to a winning tradition may want to make the trip.

DadintheStands · November 14, 2016, 06:08:28 PM

My son committed to Williams and is now anxiously awaiting the arrival of his ED letter. Still a month away which is killing him.

If the Williams staff put as much effort and tenacity into going after the rest of their recruits as they did with my son AND they are right about who they are targeting, it should be a good start back to respectability for the Ephs. My son had recruiting dialogue with all of the nescac football programs except two over the last 6-9months. Three discussions got serious and he opted for Williams in the end. The three finalists he talked to did a first class and very honest job of selling the merits of their school and program to him but the Williams staff put in the extra recruiting effort that really got our attention once the process got more serious in August.

nescac1 · November 14, 2016, 06:43:37 PM

Thanks Dadinthestands! And congrats. If you don't mind sharing what sold your son on the Ephs? In all events great to hear about Williams winning recruiting battles, just like in the good old days!

DadintheStands · November 14, 2016, 08:56:04 PM

The coaching staff reeled him in but it was the school that sold him. He felt most comfortable there among the choices he had. We had him attend a general campus info session and tour to get him away from the football side of Williams and it was a home run for him. He also had him chat with former alum friends of ours to get their perspective.

Back to football, the difference we saw with Williams was it was a group effort among the coaches. It wasn't just Blumenauer or Raymond contacting him, it was his position coach, the OC and others on the staff. Noticeably more touch points than the other schools. His other choices did a good job but kept it to recruiting coordinator and a periodic check in from the head coach - certainly not a negative comment about their efforts - but Williams went the extra mile and that mattered to my son. He also kept a running dialogue with his player host from his overnight and commented to us how 'together' the team seemed despite the challenging season. He didn't have that same feeling with all of his overnights.

He will certainly face his challenges with Ephs football. He knows going in that it's a long rebuild and wins aren't guaranteed but he seems motivated by the prospect of helping them improve rather than joining a success story already underway. He even texted me on Saturday to say he was watching the Amherst/Williams game online. That takes enthusiasm!

My wife and I are glad he is comfortable with his decision. December 15th can't come soon enough.

JEFFFAN · November 14, 2016, 09:01:31 PM

Quote from: DadintheStands on November 14, 2016, 08:56:04 PM
The coaching staff reeled him in but it was the school that sold him. He felt most comfortable there among the choices he had. We had him attend a general campus info session and tour to get him away from the football side of Williams and it was a home run for him. He also had him chat with former alum friends of ours to get their perspective.

Back to football, the difference we saw with Williams was it was a group effort among the coaches. It wasn't just Blumenauer or Raymond contacting him, it was his position coach, the OC and others on the staff. Noticeably more touch points than the other schools. His other choices did a good job but kept it to recruiting coordinator and a periodic check in from the head coach - certainly not a negative comment about their efforts - but Williams went the extra mile and that mattered to my son. He also kept a running dialogue with his player host from his overnight and commented to us how 'together' the team seemed despite the challenging season. He didn't have that same feeling with all of his overnights.

He will certainly face his challenges with Ephs football. He knows going in that it's a long rebuild and wins aren't guaranteed but he seems motivated by the prospect of helping them improve rather than joining a success story already underway. He even texted me on Saturday to say he was watching the Amherst/Williams game online. That takes enthusiasm!

My wife and I are glad he is comfortable with his decision. December 15th can't come soon enough.

Congrats DadInTheStands! While it is discomforting to watch such a good player head to our archrival, I love the decision making process that your family went through and he is obviously going to a great place. Good luck to him and to your family over the next four plus years.

frank uible · November 15, 2016, 03:16:20 AM

Granted Maimaron has good stats. He may even do better on the eye test. But let us not put too much pressure on him before he has taken even one college snap.

nescac1 · November 15, 2016, 10:40:55 AM

Dadinthestands, thanks for sharing all of those details. And that is really great to hear, that the new staff is so on top of the entire process. I think your son will have a tremendous experience at Williams -- the alumni and students are going to be really excited to watch the team change its fortunes over the next few years, and I think it will be fun to be a part of rebuilding a storied tradition. I hope all works out as anticipated in December and look forward to your perspective here in future years.

ITH radio · November 15, 2016, 01:36:35 PM

Coach Ray did the same in turning around SLU and making them competitive again. It won't be long until Williams is back on track with him at the helm.

frank uible · November 16, 2016, 05:52:54 AM

How long is "won't be long"? My SWAG is 5 years, give or take, if Raymond is THE guy.

nescac1 · November 16, 2016, 07:42:51 AM

Kind of depends what "back on track" means right? If it means a competitive middle-of-the-road NESCAC squad but one that isn't in the top 2-3, two or three years seems reasonable. If it means in the hunt for a NESCAC tile, then four or five (if everything goes right). As we've seen from past total rebuilds (Wesleyan, Tufts, Amherst) a stellar new staff can turn a horrible team into a mediocre team with two strong recruiting / off-season development years, and into an elite one with four.