MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[wooscotsfan]

Final:  Wooster 85  Walsh 68

Wooster notched a solid road win tonight over Walsh University in Canton.  

Wooster was led by North Canton native Tim Vandervaart with a career high 32 points.  James Cooper added 14 points, Devin Fulk had 13 points and Tom Port chipped in 8 points.

Wooster is now 3-0.  Next up is NAIA Georgetown on 11/28.

GO SCOTS!

[David Collinge]

I have the sad duty to report on the first day of the OAC/NCAC Challenge. 

In the first game, Capital understank Kenyon by a 62-52 score.  It's really a shame that anyone had to win this game.  It's impossible to believe that these two teams gave Wittenberg and Eastern Kentucky all they could handle earlier this week, because they were just dreadful this afternoon.  Midway through the second half, Kenyon broke open a close game with a 7-0 run featuring three-pointers by Bryan Yelvington and Jim Arce.  Capital immediately responded with a 15-0 run that effectively put the game on ice (where it belonged.)  Capital was led by 6'5" post Steve Kyser, whose 22 points  and 10 rebounds (4 offensive) were primarily the result of having his way down low with Yelvington and anyone else assigned to him.  Kenyon's leading scorer was 6'5" freshman Dave Knapke (14) and 6'3" sophomore Korey Haddox (10), the only players for the Lords that provided any kind of scoring threat.  Coming off his NCAC POTW performance, Yelvington (7 pts. on 2-9 shooting) was an almost complete non-factor on offense, and WooBoo's favorite Allen Bediako had a dreadful game on both ends.  Box score; Recap.

The second game, which wasn't much better, was won by Muskingum, 79-71 over Denison.  Denison's best player, Dan Hodgkinson, didn't start the game, ostensibly because of the flu.  However, he didn't look ill to me, and he did play 29 minutes, albeit without a lot of spunk most of the time.  Taking Hodgkinson's place in the starting lineup, if not on the floor, was 6'1" sophomore John Ward, who is listed as a guard/wing and contributed nothing but two insignificant points on 1-8 shooting, including 0-5 from the arc.  Hodgkinson did come alive enough late in the 2nd half to record 18 points.  The star of the game for Denison was Shea McMahon, who had 22 including shooting 4 of 7 from deep.  Denison actually shot the ball well, hitting 55.6% (rising to 64.9% without Ward's contribution), but they turned the ball over 17 times and allowed the Muskies to get off 17 more field goal opportunities.  Add to that the woeful free throw shooting (17 of 27) and you get defeat for the Big Red.  On the other end, Muskingum has the only players that really impressed me on the afternoon.  Their point guard, 5'7" junior Brandon Todd, had a James Cooper-esque game, scoring 27 including 5 treys to go with 4 steals, 4 assists, and just 3 turnovers from the point.  Trevor Scott added 21 very quiet points, and freshman Pat Byrne added 13 points, many in very impressive fashion while Todd was on the bench with foul trouble.  In fact, it was Musky foul trouble that kept Denison in the game and allowed Hodgkinson to score almost at will in the paint in the last 5 or 6 minutes, but it was not enough for the Big Red.  Box score; Recap.

Tomorrow the Challenge resumes at Muskingum, where Denison should have a decent chance to take down Capital before Muskingum blasts Kenyon.  Unless, of course, the Marx-reading Lords from the other night show up. 

[woosterbooster]

Notes from North Canton:

Walsh tried everybody but the trainer on the Wooster center, but Tim Vandervaart'ed them all.  Spinning, unspinning, corkscrewing, well, it's hard to explain.  Try to imagine the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes manning the post.  More moves than McHale had, none of them at all like those of the former Celtic, but every bit as effective, even against seven-foot Brazilians.  He was ridiculously effective, really.

It did look a little dicey early, as Walsh scored four or five easy baskets underneath.  Enter Evan Will, whose contribution might elude those who only peruse the boxscore but was there for all in attendance to see.  Evan muscled the Walsh posts, keeping them at bay during his tours, and boxed out so the little twos and threes could scoop up the defensive rebounds.  Congrats, Evan, nice performance.

And, of course, there was the blitz.  Walsh was surely told about the danger of allowing Wooster's three-point shooters to get some daylight, but they didn't have the first-hand experience that Mt. Union had last weekend, to be able to actually see them in action.  A picture is worth - well, you know.  Walsh guarded the perimeter early, then got lax after going up 14-8.  Nineteen lightning-fast points later, they again guarded the perimeter, but by then the game had a new context and a new leader.

James Cooper took his turn in the spotlight, as he usually does.  Coop just could not pass up the challenge of shooting over the big South American, first with a trey and later with a stutter-step short jumper.  Both went in, as usual.

I'd like to say it was a yeomanlike effort from everyone, but seriously, Oberlin cannot play at this level.  The Scots were excellent, on the road, against a team that is probably better than Wooster allowed them to look.

Georgetown on Tuesday will be a tougher test.  Will the Scots have a shot?  As Grouch Marx, who did not attend Kenyon, used to say, "You bet your life!"

[David Collinge]

More moves than McHale had[...]

Tries to picture Ernest Borgnine putting a spin move on Joe Flynn... 

[Li'l Giant]

More moves than McHale had[...]

Tries to picture Ernest Borgnine putting a spin move on Joe Flynn... 

I think you have the wrong McHale. 

[goscots]

It's always dangerous to guage a team by it's best moments, but that 19-0 run was possible the best defense I have seen by a Wooster team. I don't think Walsh knew what hit them. If you go to the box score at the Wooster website Walsh committed 4 turnovers, 3 fouls, and settled for 0-4 from beyond the arc (plus one attempted put back) in the 5 minute span between their buckets. This all happened when Woosters subs (Will, Fulk, and Bidwell) entered the game and gave the defense an energy Walsh couldn't match.

Its an old phrase that offense wins games but defense win championships. Wittenberg was a prime example of this last year and hopefully Wooster is getting there.

[imderekpoe]

As mentioned by everyone earlier - a great job by the Scots tonight!  For those who thought that the Scots might have trouble with the taller Walsh squad, that obviously was not an issue.  Not only did Vandervaart dominate the paint on offense, the Scots also won the battle of the boards.  Some of that was due to the fact that Araujo - Walsh's 7-footer - seemed reluctant to go inside, but instead preferred to shoot from long range.  I'm assuming that's their normal game plan, but its hard to figure why they wouldn't try to use their height to their advantage inside.

Also - a great turnout (as always) by the Wooster faithful!  Attendance was listed at 953, and about half of that were Scots fans! 

Should be another good game on Tuesday against Georgetown.  Does anyone know anything about their team?  They have a roster posted, but no heights or stats for this year...

Go Scots!!

[woosterbooster]

In the preseason NAIA D1 poll, which is the only one out so far, Georgetown is ranked 8th nationally.  They were 26-8 last season and won their conference.  This season they've played two exhibition games against NCAA D1 opponents.  The results include a surprisingly close loss to Louisville, 94-92, and a blowout loss to the University of Dayton, 101-68.  In official ballgames, their record is currently 7-1.

Their top returning players, with last years stats, (and heights ) are:

Brian Silverhorn (6-6, 222, Sr., G, 17.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
Mark Surgalski (6-8, 237, Sr., F/C, 14.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg)
Craig Schoen (5'11, 180, Sr., G, 9.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg)

Go here to find 2006-07 team and individual stats, a schedule with box scores, and a roster with heights:

http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Conference/Conference.aspx?association=10&sg=MBB&sea=NAIMBB_2006&conference=NAIMBB1_MSC

They are big, listing 3 players as 6-9, two as 6-8, and two others as 6-6.

[ScotsFan]

Just to add my thoughts on last night's game, it was my first taste of Scots Basketball this season and I came away very impressed.  Walsh came out quick and I thought it was, at the very least, going to be a battle and then came the 19-0 run in which the Scots bench came in and lit the fire on both ends of the court to pretty much end all doubt.  Yes, Walsh did make a small run at the end of the 1st half and managed to cut the deficit to 5 early in the 2nd half, but Wooster quickly pushed the lead back to 13-15 points and Walsh never got back within 9 the rest of the way.  I too was puzzled about how Walsh used their 7 footer.  His first basket they lobbed it inside to him for an easy 2, and that seemed to be the last time they went to him on the inside as most of his points came from beyond the arc???  Not good coaching strategy if you ask me.

Vandervaart was the man last night.  As WB said, Walsh had no answer for the wryly spin moves in the paint.  He has improved sooo much over his 4 years at Wooster.  Just a great example of the value that Coach Cline brings to this basketball team!

As for G'town on Tuesday, I heard the postgame interview with Coach Moore and he said that they might be the most talented opponent to ever step foot into Timken!   Of Course, I said notice he said opponent, because the team he's got right now might be the most talented team period to play in Timken! 8)

[wooscotsfan]

Here is the Wooster - Walsh game story from the Canton Repository:  

Vandervaart keys Wooster past Walsh
By ANDY CALL REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

NORTH CANTON - College of Wooster men's basketball Coach Steve Moore knew two things could happen when Tim Vandervaart returned to North Canton — and only one of them was good.

"I figured he would either be nervous and have a rough game or be really fired up and play well," Moore said of the 6-foot-6 senior forward from Hoover High. "Fortunately, it was the latter."

Vandervaart scored a career-high 32 points despite playing with a sprained thumb Saturday night as the Scots rolled to a surprisingly lopsided 85-68 victory over Walsh University in a showdown of area small-college powerhouses.

Wooster (3-0) was ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division III in one poll, No. 2 in another. Walsh (3-2) was ranked No. 7 nationally in the NAIA preseason poll.

"I didn't want to come here and play awful," said Vandervaart, whose home is three streets away from the Walsh campus. "A lot of people came here specifically to watch me play. I didn't want to disappoint them."

Vandervaart had prepared for his homecoming by jamming his right thumb Friday when he collided with a teammate during practice.

"When you have that much adrenaline going, you don't feel the pain," Vandervaart said. "I got used to it. But at least I have something to blame for missing a dunk in the second half."

Vandervaart was 12-for-15 from the field and 8-for-9 from the line, and also led his team with seven rebounds. His big output was somewhat surprising because Wooster's offensive reputation is built on perimeter shooting. The Scots poured in 38 3-point field goals during their first two games.

"Walsh had scouted us, and they did some things to limit our shooters," Moore said. "We knew we'd probably have to go inside a bit more, and Tim really rose to the occasion."

So did Wooster guards Brandon Johnson and Devin Fulk, whose primary job description was to harass Walsh guard Corey Jones, the Cavaliers' leading scorer (19.3). Jones was able to get off just six shots in 33 minutes and finished with 14 points.

"We didn't want Jones to have too many open looks," Moore said. "His range and quick release is as good as any guard we'll see this year."

The Scots found their shooting range during a four-minute stretch of the first half in which they went on a 19-0 run to take a 27-14 lead. Fulk hit all three of his 3-point shots during that span, Tom Port converted twice from long range, and Vandervaart posted up for two buckets.

Wooster led by 14 points twice in the first half, but the Cavs rallied within 50-45 early in the second half. Vandervaart then posted up twice during a 10-2 run that widened the gap to 60-47 and sealed the outcome. Walsh was never closer than 9 points the rest of the way, and the Scots finished the game with an 11-3 run.

Eder Araujo, who missed Friday's game with a sprained ankle, led Walsh with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Brandon Weems contributed 11 points and Derek Chappell 10. James Cooper scored 14 points and Fulk 13 for Wooster.

"There is always talk about whether Division III players can hang with scholarship players, and we've always believed we could," Vandervaart said. "We do go to school. We are student-athletes. But we also play the game with a lot of heart and a lot of passion."

Reach Repository sports writer Andy Call at (330) 580-8346 or e-mail: andy.call@cantonrep.com

[woosterbooster]

From Wooster Booster's Online Dictionary:

Vandervaart.  verb.  pronunciation: Van-der-vart 

Vandervaarted, Vandervaarting, to Vandervaart. 

1. to score at will from point-blank range against a helpless opponent using a variety of quick spinning moves while barely leaving the ground and occasionally exceeding the three-second limit.

[Titan Q]

Georgetown is one of the top small college programs in the country -- this should be a great test for Wooster. 

In my opinion, a "Final Four-caliber" Division III team should be favored on its homecourt - especially one like Timken where there is a great homecourt advantage - against an NAIA I team ranked about 5 or lower.  From what I have learned over the years in following small college basketball, it seems like the top 3 or 4 NAIA I teams are a notch above the best NCAA Division III teams.  They are much more like very good NCAA Division II teams.  For example, Robert Morris (Chicago) - the #1-rated team in the NAIA I preseason poll - is just head and shoulders above anyone in our division talent-wise.  RMC's third leading scorer, John Winchester, started for Tennessee last year.  Their best player, Reggie George, came from Iowa State.  Last year RMC had a McDonald's All-American (not just a nominee) on their roster (Jerome Harper) and he was only "Honorable Mention" All-CCAC behind their 3 1st Team selections.

http://www.robertmorris.edu/athletics/mensbasketball/chicago/

This, by the way, is not to suggest that our best teams cannot play with teams like Robert Morris.  Last year Olivet Nazarene (a team that looks and plays like a top D3 team) won the league Robert Morris is in, the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.  Illinois Wesleyan beat Olivet Nazarene 87-68 on November 22.  The Stevens Points and Virginia Wesleyans of years past surely could have played with the NAIA John Browns and Mountain States, but they'd have to do it with good old fashioned D3 fundamental basketball -- the D3's would be giving up a lot in the athleticism and size departments.

Last year Illinois Wesleyan played highly-ranked NAIA I St. Xavier, also of the CCAC, fresh off SXU's victory over Division I Illinois-Chicago.  IWU defeated the Cougars 81-61 at home on November 28.

I have also watched over the years as Illinois Wesleyan has owned Olivet Nazarene.  IWU has played ONU in each of the last 11 seasons.  IWU is 10-1 vs the Tigers, with the one loss being in overtime at ONU during IWU's last transition coaching season (2001-02).  In almost every one of these seasons, Olivet Nazarene has been ranked in the 10-15 range of NAIA I (this year ONU is #18 in the preseason poll).  They've won the CCAC 5 times in these years and made the NAIA I tourney 6 times.  This includes a Final Four appearance in 2000, a year IWU defeated ONU 90-74.

I am glad Wooster is playing Georgetown.  Over the years as a D3hoops.com Top 25 voter I've had trouble gauging the Scots.  It seems like they only get 1 or 2 real tests in the non-conference against good D3 teams, but usually at home and usually vs "lower ranked" teams.  They win the games as they should.  Then, of course, COW gets into the NCAC where it's really difficult to evaluate game results, except when they face Wittenberg and maybe an Ohio Wesleyan or Wabash.  So I think this Georgetown game will be very helpful, and also very good for Wooster win or lose.

I recommend not approaching the game as one vs some "higher division" team, but almost like, say, D3 #1 Virginia Wesleyan, coming into Timken.  It is a game vs a great team, but one you should feel like you're a favorite in at home. We all know Wooster will represent Division III very well.


http://naia.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/110106aab.html

[wooscotsfan]

Titan Q - thanks for the good points about D3 vs. NAIA matchups.

Georgetown College is a very tall team as Wooster Booster noted.  I found the Tigers starting lineup in a recent boxscore:

C 6'9"  Donnovan Brown  8.4 ppg, played at Univ. of Houston
F 6'9"  Chris Lee  10.9 ppg, played at South Carolina State
F 6'6"  Brian Silverhorn  16.4 ppg, top scorer, senior leader of team
G 6'3"  Justin Taylor  9.0 ppg, played at Tenn. Tech University
G 5'11" Craig Schoen  6.9 ppg

Their top scorer off the bench is 6'5" Kevin Reinhardt 9.9 ppg and he was the leading scorer for Northern Kentucky University last year before he transferred to Georgetown.  They also have 3-4 other strong guys off the bench including a couple of 6'8" big men.

Georgetown should be a real challenge for Wooster.  The Scots will need to box out well so they stay close in the rebounding battle.

GO SCOTS!

[TigerFan_1973]

The Wittenberg Tigers are on the air!

Witt 28 Transylvania 19 at the half.

[TigerFan_1973]

Tigers Take It and move to 4-0.

Witt 66 Transylvania 59

I still think they should be the Transylvania Draculas and their mascot should be Grandpa Munster.

The Tigers play next at Denison on Saturday to open the NCAC season.