FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[lumbercat]

NewtoNESCAC
Enjoy your posts and perspective but I have to disagree.

The current Wesleyan and Trinity recruiting arsenals make the rest of the league look like cub scouts. The commitment of resources and admissions flexibility at Wes and Trin simply does not exist at other NESCAC schools. it's like an arms race down there in Ct..... Transfers in and out especially at Wes and 5th year grad school guys to boot.....this differs from the rest of the league.

The Big 2, Amherst and Williams can hang with them based on national prominence and academic reputation but most of the rest of the league struggles to compete in the long run.

Not as easy to compete as you depict if your school has an admissions conscience.

[NewtoNescac]

I will take your word on Wes & Trinity. My point was that in watching games, many times they've come down to a few critical plays. I watched Hamilton play Amherst two years ago, and while the score didn't reflect it, the game came down to a few plays made by Amherst. So, in my opinion, if Wells is given reasoable admissions support he can go 4-4 right away and compete for the top spot within 2-3 years. I truly believe that. And, Kelton can turn Willisms around with a couple of studs on defense, and a stud QB and RB. Some have said they're ok at QB, but they need a stud to take the jump to get back to the top tier.

[lumbercat]

NewtoNescac-

Agree that Wells could easily go 4-4 at Bowdoin but competing for the NESCAC title is a far more remote goal as long as the likes of Trinity and Wesleyan maintain the current level of their programs.

Trinity is no longer the lone wolf in the area academic flexibility. Wesleyan has grown tired of losing and has joined the race. Their renewed approach has served them well athletically while their admirable academic reputation seems to have remained in tact.

Perhaps Wes should be commended for standing up to mighty Trinity! There remains a perception in some venues that athletic success means that academic values have been compromised. From my  perspective that's a false perception and I see no evidence of that at Wesleyan.

At the end of the day the other NESCAC programs have a tall order competing for a NESCAC title - it's not impossible but Trin and Wes are presently at another level in terms of admissions creativity and financial commitment........That's why I root for the NESCAC underdogs.

[quicksilver]

. . .
(Of course an in person visit to Whittier Field and Bowdoin's weight room would no doubt dissuade that DI kid, but hypothetically speaking, could it happen?)

I thought that the almost new Buck Center was state of the art in terms of weight and other equipment  . . .

I don't think it would take much to update Whittier Field -- the grand stand is cool and just needs some cleaning up. And probably the natural grass has to go in favor of a "turf" field -- that should have happened a few years ago when the town prohibited fertilizer because of concerns about chemicals leeching into the aquifer . .

[lumbercat]

Quicksilver-
My thoughts exactly . I was of the impression that their weight room and locker room facility were first class but I'm not a Bowdoin guy so I have no first hand knowledge.

[polbear73]

The Buck Center is a state of the art facility and is absolutely beautiful. It is open to the entire student body, faculty and staff and not for the exclusive use of varsity aewthletes. I don't know how that differs from the rest of the conference.

The discussions concerning the renovation of Whittier Field are in conjunction with the overall athletic facility management plan.Ryan Field remains the only turf field and they are running out of the room at the Pickard field complex. Field turf,lights and locker room facilities will enable the college to move lacrosse and intramural sports to Whittier as well as upgrading the football program so that it can be used more than 4 times per year. The track also is renovated and stays. Stay tuned

[nescac1]

Mike Bajakian, Williams '96, named Tampa Bay QB coach: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/12211353/offensive-coordinator-mike-bajakian-leaving-tennessee-volunteers

Pretty high-profile and high-pressure opportunity for Bajakian -- the Bucs have two returning 1000 yard receivers, who are both enormous targets.  They have one of the worst returning QB units in the league, but will almost certainly draft a QB, either Mariotta or Winston, with the first pick in the draft.  So Bajakian will be expected to develop a rookie QB into a star.  If he does, his own star will rise; that's a lot of pressure. 

[MENESCACFAN]

Tough job indeed Nescac1.  Great to see the conference represented in the NFL.  Still enjoy seeing the Seahawks kicker and Midd alum Haubschka do so well.  Former Bates QB Matt Bazirgin is in the Jets front office, blip he kept his job even when Ryan and staff moved on.

[quicksilver]

A little more from the Portland Press Herald on the approach of JB Wells, the new Bowdoin fball coach, to coaching and recruiting.

[polbear73]

Coach Wells is certainly saying the right things and, based on his record with a start-up program at Endicott, he could be a great coach.  But four winning seasons in the last thirty???  Hopefully Coach Wells receives the necessary institutional support that was obviously lacking for Coaches Vandersea and Caputi, a formerly successful head coach and coordinator, respectively.  We're hearing the right things, time will tell. 

[PolarCat]

Bowdoin has just announced that Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Rose has been elected the next President of the college.  (Weird that both my kids now have College Presidents named Clayton).

[polbear73]

Here is his background:  http://www.bowdoin.edu/presidential-search/

[quicksilver]

FWIW, Bowdoin's pick of Clayton Rose as its new president is drawing some criticism in the twitterverse because he has no Bowdoin connections and is neither a woman nor a person of color. I suspect that he was chosen in part because of the nice and unusual blend of an academic background and a successful career in the world of high finance. The current president, Barry Mills, was a Wall Street lawyer with deep background in the world of high finance. Under his tenure, Bowdoin's endowment has soared to well north of $1B and the college has generally enjoyed excellent health. Not the sole reason for judging the success of a college presidency, I realize, but it does go a long way in terms of securing the institution's health, etc. Mills also had the added virtue of being a Bowdoin grad, which Rose does not have . .

[nescac1]

College President, increasingly, is synomyous with Fundraiser-in-Chief, so no huge surprise there. 

[Trin9-0]

Some more commitments being announced by CT high school football players. Looks like Trinity went heavy after Cheshire Academy. I wonder if they really wanted all these kids or if there was one or two they really liked and recruited them all as a package deal.  Also interesting to see four Darien kids committing to NESCAC programs thus far. For those who don't know, the Blue Wave produces a ton of talent and is a very affluent community.

Sam Bowtel, OL, Darien – Trinity
Rob Parra, WR, Hall — Trinity
Ryan Brown, WR, Fairfield Warde – Trinity
Chandler Colberg, RB, Cheshire Academy – Trinity
Eric Saches, K, Cheshire Academy — Trinity
Sean Smerczynski, LB, Cheshire Academy — Trinity
Bradley Whitman, QB, Cheshire Academy — Trinity

Other NESCAC commits from CT:
Mark Piccirillo, QB, Shelton – Wesleyan
Tim Jambor, LB, Notre Dame-West Haven – Wesleyan
Jack Whiting, CB/WR, Fairfield Warde — Bowdoin
Griffin Ross, WR, Darien – Bowdoin
Jack Tyrell, OL, Darien — Amherst
Jack Griffiths, OL, Darien – Amherst
Chris Taylor, OL, St. Joseph – Middlebury