MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[David Collinge]

Denison isn't coming to Wooster until next season (or at least this year's NCAC tourney), IIRC.  They and Oberlin are in the once-a-year pocket for Wooster. 

DenisonFan, everything you say about Coach Ghiloni and/or the DU players may be spot on for all I know.  But it seems like you refuse to consider Smeds' POV because "he wasn't there."  This is a message board with participants from all over the US.  (I for example am in the San Fernando Valley.)  If we limit commentary on game results, strategy, and management, we effectively kill the discussion.  You may not agree with what he has to say, but I wish it were for a different reason.

[woosterbooster]

Huh. With all of the guys that Denison plays, you'd think at least some of them could come to Wooster for a split-squad game... 

How'd I pick up a karma point, anyway, and what can I do to get rid of it? ;-)

Jack

[smedindy]

Wooster Booster -

I've seen it all - 6 man rotations and 13 man rotations. And I've seen coaches alter their rotations to fit the sub pattern of the other team, on the fly.

Wabash did a five in, five out for a while when they had a lot of younger players and it worked because it gave energy and the second five was a different team than the first five. And, Coach Petty also subbed in a couple more guys along the way during that time.

In conference season, I think rotations do tighten, especially later on as the jockeying for positions starts. But in non-conference I've always noticed some interesting rotation patterns for a lot of teams.

You never know who can play, really, unless you play 'em in a game during some meaningful time on the court. A practice dandy could turn into a dud toot sweet.

[smedindy]

Oh, and there's nothing more annoying when you're working at the scorers table than a coach who subs in reaction to the other teams subs at the very last second. You have the subs entered, you're ready to go, and....HONK! Then five seconds later....HONK! 

[woosterbooster]

Time out for a story.

Ten years ago, I was coaching one of my first volleyball teams, a bunch of 8th graders at Smithville high school.  My starters weren't exactly putting on an exemplorary performance. Balls were falling all over their half of the court, so many that we were behind about 9-0 and had yet to get the ball back over the net.  I decided it was time to make a statement.

I gathered six other girls from the bench (we had a million, they wouldn't let me cut) and asked them if they could do better.  They assured me that they could, surely knowing that, mathematically, they couldn't do any worse.  I called time out, then led the six subs to the scorer's table, absolutely certain that this would create havoc as the girl doing the book was also an eighth grader.

The referree, up on the ladder on the far side of the court, was just shaking his head, sure that his day was about to be made more difficult.  Nobody ever subs more than two girls at a time in volleyball.  The scorekeeping girl just raised an eyebrow, adjusted her glasses, and said, "Just give me the player numbers one at a time and tell me where you want them on the court, coach." I blinked, did as she said, and she had all six subs in the book, correctly, in about fifteen seconds.  If I'd owned a Fortune 500 company, I'd have hired her on the spot to run it.

Jack

[David Collinge]

The bad news:
Ashland 77, Hiram 57
Actually not so bad, if you stop and think how hopelessly Hiram is outclassed against a -- any -- D2 team.

The good news:
Wittenberg 60, Otterbein 43
It sound like Witt was in solid control throughout.  The box score isn't up yet, but I know that Borchers led the Tigers with 18 points, 8 rebounds.  Ott was held to just 16 first-half points in what sounds like another dominating performance by the Witt 'D'.

Ryan Maurer's press release

[David Collinge]

Here's an early preview of next week's Mose Hole Classic:

Mose Hole Classic preview, by Hugh Howard, Wooster SID

The teams playing are #2 Wooster (9-0), #17 Baldwin-Wallace (8-1), Lycoming (6-4), and Thiel (2-7).

[smedindy]

Oh, Thiel, what have you gotten yourself into?? 

[witt4ever]

For Witt and OWU fans:

Wittenberg and OWU legend Frank Shannon, age 88, passed away in his sleep Tuesday morning in Delaware, Ohio.

Shannon coached at Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan.

He was born Nov. 25, 1917 in Parkersburg, WV

He is in the Wittenberg Hall of Honor and was the Tigers' leading scorer for 2 years and won All-Conference honors.

Shannon served as a Major in General Douglas MacArthur's G2 staff in South Pacific.

After the service, he returned to Springfield to coach basketball at Olive Branch High School, now known as Tecumseh High School. Here he coached  NBA Hall of Famer Wayne Embry and Dave Zeller, who also had a fine NBA career.

Shannon also coached at Urbana High School before finishing his career at Ohio Wesleyan. He was at OWU for 30 years as the basketball coach, retiring in 1979. He retired with 214 wins, which ranked  first at OWU and sixth in the OAC.

Shannon also is in the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.

[DenisonFan]

I understand that people leave the program for various reasons.

But it was the rumor in the stands that these guys left because of all the negativity that not only Ghiloni but the entire staff see to dish out.

Again, that was what I heard.  Right or wrong I think it is sad that anyone should leave.  But this is DIII ball.  It is not like they lose their scholarship should they leave the program.  Heck, IM ball can be fun.

I am sorry that I have been riding Ghiloni so hard. I just hope he has some plan B.  Because plan A doesn't seem to be working.

So I am done with my bashing.  I am glad to have this forum to vent. 

We will see what the new year has in store.  Earlhamalum, do I think Denison could lose the rest of their games.  Certainly not.  I just hope they can get their heads turned in the right direction and just do it on their own if Ghiloni insists on playing eleven guys.   

When you see us play.  I will be VERY interested in hearing what you think.   

Merry Christmas everyone!!

[CentralOH]

I've been reading the Denison related posts with great interest as I have seen the Big Red play a handful of times this year.  I think it is obvious that the rotation has grown because the upperclassmen haven't done what is necessary to achieve any real measure of success.

The NCAC is one of the better conferences in the country, with a number of players that have enough talent to contribute to mid-major D1 programs.  What sets the better NCAC programs apart from the rest of the conference is tradition, leadership, and EFFORT.  Denison can't do anything about their tradition, but the current group can certainly take steps to improve the other two areas.  I'm not going to name names, but I've seen very little leadership from the upperclassmen on the Denison roster.  It's no surprise that when times have gotten tough, some choose to walk away.

Effort is another matter altogether.  I'm not talking about how hard someone plays during the season.  I'm talking about the kind of effort that it takes to get in the weightroom when no one is demanding it.  I'm talking about working as hard on the defensive end as the offensive end (although even that effort is questionable - just an aside, but standing underneath the basket with your hands in the air doesn't mean you're open).  I'm talking about committing to do whatever is necessary to make your team better.

Asided from a shortage of talent relative to the conference elite, Denison's greatest weakness is the selfishness and lack of understanding from those players who have been around for three or four years.  They just don't get what it means to sacrifice.  Wooster is the perfect example (and I'll grant that they are extremely talented) - the Scots are a joy to watch because they don't care about anything other than winning.  They make the extra pass, they cover for one another, etc.

Be careful about making judgements based on "rumor in the stands."  The reality is that winners learn, improve, and overcome while losers complain to their parents and friends, criticize others, and never think to examine themselves to determine if they are doing everything necessary to be successful.

[David Collinge]

 

Beware of flying gauntlets!  Looks like it may be a Big Red Christmas in here. 

[woosterbooster]

CentralOH -

That was a pretty fair first post.  Now don't go resting on your laurels, keep them coming!

Jack

[smedindy]

Hey, now can we get some Kenyon and Hiram fans in here to throw around some dope? What happened to our OWU contingent? Barry??? Barry???

[CentralOH]

Thanks Jack.  I'll try to keep up with the big boys.  As for Kenyon and Hiram, I wasn't aware that they had any fans...