MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[David Collinge]

One last thing I wanted to say about the COW/E&H game--how's this for a stat line?

                                  TOT-FG  3-PT               REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
20 Kyle Witucky........ *  1-3        0-1       0-0    1   3    4    2    2   4  3    0   0  26

That may not line up quite right; here's a link to the boxscore.

Wooster takes 90 field goal attempts; Witucky takes just three of them.  Only Cody Drake and Brad Chisnell took fewer shots, and they played just 3 minutes apiece. 

Does this guy understand his role or what?  Can you imagine how tempted he was to get in on the fun by launching some bombs?  But that was not part of the gameplan, so he didn't do it (well, once.)   Instead, he kept the team running and let them take the spotlight.  Kyle would (or will) be a great coach if he chooses to go that way.

And I'm told he's at or near the top of his class academically.   

[David Collinge]

Calvin's coach Kevin Vande Streek just mentioned on Hoopsville that he's bringing the Knights to the Mose Hole Classic next season.  Mark your calendars! 

[Mr. Ypsi]

DC,

Forgive my flippancy, but what WAS Kyle Witucky's intended role in that game?

He had just 4 of their 36 assists, 4 of their 73 rebounds, 0 of their 8 steals, yet 3 of their 25 turnovers (plus, of course, 2 of their 150 points)!  Sounds to me like he just had a HORRIBLE game, not that he played his role!

[David Collinge]

He's the point guard.  I would have thought that was obvious.  The point guard on a team playing against a "System" team doesn't figure to get many assists; the guy he passes it to gets the assist.  The TOs are because he's the guy getting the pressure in the backcourt; 3 is a pretty low number against a system team.

[wooscotsfan]

Mr. Ypsi

Witucky also played the E&H game with a painful knee bruise that he got the night before in the win against Methodist.

Kyle Witucky has been the starting point guard ALL 4 years of his career at Wooster.  During that span, Wooster's 3+ year record is 87-10 including three NCAA tourney appearances with a 3rd place national finish, Elite Eight showing and a Sweet Sixteen showing. 

As someone noted on the Wooster website, Witucky is the "heart and soul" of this year's Wooster squad.  As DC noted, Kyle is the consummate team player and during his entire career he has never cared whether he scored 20 points or 0 points in a game as long as Wooster got the "W". 

GO SCOTS!!

[smedindy]

I'm even going to back the Wooster posters - those numbers against a system team mean nothing. If this was hockey, and you gave second assists, I'm sure Witucky would have had a ton.

(Ok, I backed you guys - help a brotha out and just beat Witt...thanks!)

[Mr. Ypsi]

wooscotfan, I didn't know about the injury, but to both you and David, give me a LITTLE credit!  I'm fully aware that Kyle is one of the best PGs in the country!

Obviously I didn't see the game, but from the box score he appeared to have an (uncharacteristically) awful game.  I know that sometimes box scores 'lie' - leaving out important contributions.  But from the numbers alone (including only 23 minutes, unless that was due to either the injury or the blow-out), it just doesn't look like a 'Witucky-type' game!

Certainly no disrespect intended towards quite possibly the 2nd best PG in the country (come on - your think I'm gonna put him above Adam Dauksas? ).

[David Collinge]

But that's just it, Chuck:  it was NOT a typical Witucky-like game.  It wasn't a typical game in any respect.  Evan Will scores 21; his previous career high was 8.  Tom Port drops in 33.  Tim Vandervaart goes for 20 AND 17 boards.  Typically, you'd see Kyle throw up 6-to-8 treys, dish out a half-dozen assists, etc.  But E&H says to Wooster: we're going to keep you trapped in the backcourt.  If you can get it over the half court line, you can have a layup.  So Kyle takes the inbounds pass, works against the double team trap, gets the ball over the midcourt line (with only 3 turnovers in 26 minutes), then lets the other 4 guys have the fun, and get all the stats, while he stays back on defense. 

Kyle has a very good shot at making an all-America team (besides academic all-America), and stats mean everything to those teams.  In a game when he could have easily scored 25 and had 10+ assists, he instead has a stat line that looks like he didn't contribute at all in 26 minutes.  On a bruised knee.  And Wooster won by 49 points.  He executed the gameplan, pretty near perfectly, and to the detriment of his own stat line.

Think about it: is it possible for the point guard to have an "awful game" in 26 minutes and still have his team score 150 and win by 49?  Wooster has a team offensive goal of 1.1 points per possession; on Sunday, they scored just over 1.3 points per possession.  With Witucky running the point most of the game.

And BTW, Kyle's 26 minutes were bested only by Tom Port's 27, and nobody on the Wasps played as many minutes.  It's because of the system, which requires fresh legs for both teams.  I don't think the bruised knee was much of a factor, even though the bruise occurred only about 18 hours before the start of the game.

[ScotsFan]

David and wooscotsfan,

I couldn't have said it any better myself...

(Ok, I backed you guys - help a brotha out and just beat Witt...thanks!)

Thanks smeds for having our backs.  I hope that we can oblige on your request as well!  You don't know how much we want to oblige on that one!!!  I've heard about enough of Witt fan chanting "this is our house" at Timken recently! 

[Mr. Ypsi]

OK, I yield!

This was obviously one of those games where the box score DOES lie!

[earlhamalum]

                                      FG's   3'ts    Ft's    OR     Dr    TOT        PF    A     TO    BLK   S   MIN
Tyler Stewart 24....... g  2-4    1-2    0-1      0    1    1     5       5        3    1        0       0     33
 
Best number 24 Guard in the Conference...  I mean whomever just POSTED about a POINT GUARD stats..that looked like WHITUCKY's makes me laugh... i mean the the team scored 150 points and some of you say he is the best PG in the country.. THAT AMAZES me...   
I'd hope it looked  9-14   4-6   4-4   1 3     4    3     5   2  0   3   32   is tbest in the country in a score that was 150-101

I heard he is one of the best at HALLO for XboX... one of the best.

[Gregory Sager]

Have you not been following this conversation, Earlhamalum? Wooster faced a team that presented them with a gimmick defense that completely skews a team's normal offensive approach. So Kyle Witucky did exactly what a point guard is supposed to do to combat said gimmick defense.

His team won by 49 points. He had nothing to show for it statistically as an individual. But, I repeat, his team won by 49 points, in large part because he did exactly what he was supposed to do. You're still aware that basketball is a team sport, right?

I'd say that you're having trouble seeing the forest for the trees.

[ScotsFan]

Allow me to further clarify things for you earlhamalum.  One of the main aspects of a "System" team is to force the other team into making turnovers in the backcourt and turning them into points.  Against Thomas More, E&H forced 41 turnovers.  The result.  They won 150-110.  Against Wooster, E&H was only able to force 25 turnovers!  The result.  They lost 150-101!  And just who is the main person responsible for handling the inbounds pass and and breaking the press in the backcourt?  That would be Kyle Witucky, and judging from the record 150 points dropped in by the Scots, I would say that he did a pretty successful job!

[gobash]

[I heard he is one of the best at HALLO for XboX... one of the best. [/color]

Is that anything like HALO, or are you referring to the fun German greeting game?

[ScotsFan]

Congrats to Tim Vandervaart on being named NCAC Player Of The Week!