MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[wally_wabash]

Some more finals:

Hiram gets all over Denison 74-46.  This was a close game at half, and then the Big Red forgot how to score.  Hiram outscores Denison 45-22 in the second half. 

Kenyon cruises to a win over Allegheny 74-51. The Lords got a huge game from JT Knight who dropped 30.  Yelvington added 18 points and 15 rebounds and Knapke also had a double double with 12 and 10. 

[wally_wabash]

One more afternoon final:

OWU 84
Earlham 70

[woosterbooster]

Another Wooster game, another cheap, dirty shot.  With the game over, Wittenberg punk David Nowicki charges full steam into Marty Bidwell from behind as he's dunking.  In sixteen years of watching Wooster play, I can't recall a single incident of a Wooster player taking a cheap, dangerous shot at an opponent.  I see Wooster's opponents do this a couple of times a year.  To me, it says a lot about the coaching, and the types of players that these schools recruit.

[fantastic50]

Wooster 68, Wittenberg 59

Led by some timely 3's from Ian Franks (22 pts) and Justin Hallowell (14), the Scots win at home.  Up 11 at the half despite some sloppy play on offense, the Scots led by 14 with 6 minutes left, but Witt fought back.  The Tigers got as close as 5, but Wooster made some free throws in the last minute to secure the win.

There were some tense moments at the end of the game.  Up seven in the closing seconds, Wooster had a three-on-zero break, and one of the Scots set up to go for a dunk.  A hustling Tiger player ran back down the court, and committed a hard foul (which was not called flagrant by the officials) to prevent the dunk.  A few words were exchanged, but there was no pushing and shoving as a result.

The two head coaches had an intense discussion during the post-game handshakes, apparently over the incident, as Bill Brown immediately pointed to that basket.  Presumably, Brown found the dunk attempt to be lacking class, and Steve Moore didn't appreciate the hard foul.  Another fan told me that Brown also said something to the player in the handshake line, but I missed that, if it happened.

This was my first Woo-Witt game, and I was a bit underwhelmed by the atmosphere.  Timken was not full, and (aside from the student section), the Scot fans mostly sat on their hands.  Maybe it was the weather, combined with both teams being out of the top tier of D-III this year, but I was expecting more.

[seinfeld]

Wooster Booster,

John Daly is the same guy as TheDoggies, who I guess decided he wanted to change his name. Of course this is also the same guy who as a player for Hiram in 2006 was running his mouth on the post up board after the game where Tom Port was fouled hard an injured up there. He then talked about how they were going to show their toughness at Wooster, when they proceeded to lose 129-67. Of course we never heard from said player again until this year (he is graduated), when suddenly he is talking tough now that Hiram is good. It is silly to try and go after a team that you have never beaten in conference play. Reminds me a little bit of the Scot football team, who runs their mouth at basketball games when Wittenberg is there even though the Tigers have more or less owned Wooster over the years -- minus this year. Of course, there were no Wittenberg students at the game tonight, yet our students (mostly football players, I'm guessing) make fools of themselves with the stupid chant with the four-letter "S" word that is directed at mostly parents.

[David Collinge]

Wooster 68, Wittenberg 59

Led by some timely 3's from Ian Franks (22 pts) and Justin Hallowell (14), the Scots win at home.  Up 11 at the half despite some sloppy play on offense, the Scots led by 14 with 6 minutes left, but Witt fought back.  The Tigers got as close as 5, but Wooster made some free throws in the last minute to secure the win.

There were some tense moments at the end of the game.  Up seven in the closing seconds, Wooster had a three-on-zero break, and one of the Scots set up to go for a dunk.  A hustling Tiger player ran back down the court, and committed a hard foul (which was not called flagrant by the officials) to prevent the dunk.  A few words were exchanged, but there was no pushing and shoving as a result.

The two head coaches had an intense discussion during the post-game handshakes, apparently over the incident, as Bill Brown immediately pointed to that basket.  Presumably, Brown found the dunk attempt to be lacking class, and Steve Moore didn't appreciate the hard foul.  Another fan told me that Brown also said something to the player in the handshake line, but I missed that, if it happened.

This was my first Woo-Witt game, and I was a bit underwhelmed by the atmosphere.  Timken was not full, and (aside from the student section), the Scot fans mostly sat on their hands.  Maybe it was the weather, combined with both teams being out of the top tier of D-III this year, but I was expecting more.

I must say, I agree with every word of this post.  +k.

Of course, there were no Wittenberg students at the game tonight, yet our students (mostly football players, I'm guessing) make fools of themselves with the stupid chant with the four-letter "S" word that is directed at mostly parents.

I wish just one time some Wooster official, preferably the AD, Keith Beckett, would go over to the student section and tell them to knock it off.  It's embarrassing to me as an alum that this is permitted to go on year after year.

[seinfeld]

Fantastic 50,

You are right that the atmosphere wasn't what it usually is. The two main reasons, I think, are that the teams aren't as good this year, and Wittenberg had no students there. Where a lot of the energy comes from is the banter back and forth between the two student sections. Also, while Wooster never pulled away, the outcome didn't really ever feel in doubt in the second half. That may have led to the energy level being down somewhat.

Here is my reaction to the foul and the end of the game and the post game handshake. You can probably go either way as to whether Bidwell should have pulled up or gone in for the slam at the end of the game. My guess is that a majority of players would have gone in for the score in that situation. Given the intensity of the rivalry, and considering the game was still in doubt one possession before this, I don't think it was over the top for Bidwell to try to score. I also think Nowicki's foul wasn't out of line either. He actually got a lot of the ball, but certainly got a lot of body as well. I think that given Bidwell was trying to dunk when the game was over, it was fair for Nowicki to commit the hard foul. The key to this sequence is that Nowicki didn't come from behind or throw him down or anything that would have caused an injury (which was different about the foul on Port three years ago). And while there was a little bit of talking after the play, it wasn't anything that if it happened at the Div. I level, you would even think twice about.

What I'm puzzled about is the reaction of Bill Brown. While I was on the opposite side of the floor (so obviously I couldn't hear anything), I watched the entire thing unfold. Moments after Steve Moore gets his 500th career win at Wooster, he has Bill Brown lecturing him at midcourt, holding up the line. I didn't see Steve say anything, it was all Brown. I don't think it was necessary for Brown to lecture Steve about that play, but that may be up for argument. But where Brown crossed the line in my opinion is that he stopped and was apparently trying to lecture Bidwell. There is no reason for Brown to talk to a Wooster player like that. The only circumstance I could see this being appropriate is if Bidwell had somehow committed a cheap foul that injured one of his players. That obviously didn't happen. On top of that, Brown continued to follow Bidwell through the line after Bidwell either said something or just continued to move on.

Brown is not the Dean Smith of Div. III basketball. His players have been known for their questionable antics over the years (BJ Harris comes to mind). His teams have jumped around Wooster's seal at midcourt after wins at Timken many times. They act like they win the national championship when they win a regular season game at Timken. While he may not have any control over the student section, Wittenberg students have left beer bottles on the floor after games, stolen chairs and rugs, so I mean, c'mon. There is nothing more hypocritical, to me, than someone thinking they are in a position to lecture someone else, especially someone that is not a part of your team/organization, when either your conduct or your team's conduct isn't perfect.

If Bill Brown doesn't like what happened, then use it to motivate his team. Don't patronize Steve Moore or Bidwell, a team captain, on their own floor.

[seinfeld]

Back to the game itself real quick, it is amazing that Ian Franks went from seemingly being lost on the floor to looking like one of the best players in the conference in just a couple of games. When he creates his own offense, he is a completely different player. His body control when he drives the lane is the best I've seen of any recent Wooster player. He is quick enough that the defense can't slide over to take a charge or someone doesn't come in and swipe the ball, but he is under control enough to adjust himself at the last second if necessary.

I'm impressed with Wittenberg's two young big men. They are both going to be good (I wish one of them was wearing a Scot uniform). I just wish Wooster would make it a little more difficult for them to get the ball. If Wooster isn't going to double, they have to make it harder for them to get the ball. The guards have to deny better, and the post players need to try and front the post player more often.

Mike Cooper looked a little frustrated on offense. My guess is he hasn't had anyone as tall as Hallowell cover him all year.

Wooster was again able to win despite not much of a post game. This was only evident as a problem late in the second half when their half court offense stalled. It would have been nice to just dump the ball inside in those situations. We'll see if this is a problem at any point this year.

[fantastic50]

Of course, there were no Wittenberg students at the game tonight, yet our students (mostly football players, I'm guessing) make fools of themselves with the stupid chant with the four-letter "S" word that is directed at mostly parents.

I wish just one time some Wooster official, preferably the AD, Keith Beckett, would go over to the student section and tell them to knock it off.  It's embarrassing to me as an alum that this is permitted to go on year after year.

Not being as familiar with the history (and being across from the students), I thought that the chant was, "SIT on Witt."  However, given the smirks on the faces of some of the front-row students leading it, I can believe that it was vulgar instead.  As a member of the CoW community, I am disappointed and embarrassed.  That sort of thing has no place in athletics, and particularly not in scholastic/collegiate athletics.

[wooscotsfan]

Back from Timken where it was great to see Wooster get an important NCAC win even if the crowd wasn't at a fever pitch.  I thought the attendance was pretty good given the snowy, cold weather though the Witt turnout was lower than normal.

Congratulations to Coach Moore on his 500th win!   I am sure that this win is even sweeter for Coach Moore because it came against Wooster's biggest rival in a key conference game.

Kudos to both Ian Franks (22 points) and Justin Hallowell (14 pts, 4 three pointers) who both played very well tonight.  The defensive job that Marty Bidwell did on Witt's #1 scorer, Kevin Murray, was outstanding as he only scored 6 points (2 of 15 from the floor) and those 6 points came near the end of the game when Wooster was in control.

Wooster is now 10-5, 5-1 NCAC    Next week they play at Denison and Earlham.

[David Collinge]

Down at the KAC this afternoon, the Lords wiped out an uninspired Allegheny team, 74-51.  After five Kenyon possessions to start the game, the Lords had a 15-5 lead, with JT Knight contributing four of the five triples.  That seemed to take the wind out of the Gator sails, and they were never really in the game.  Coach Rob Clune did everything he could to fire up his team, calling his final timeout with still more than 10 minutes remaining, but it was to no avail.  Pretty much everyone on the Kenyon squad was on his game, with Knight pouring in 6 of 10 treys for a career-high 30 points, and big men Bryan Yelvington (18/15) and Dave Knapke (12/10) each notching double-doubles.  The Lords recorded 20 assists on their 25 baskets; Dave Jolson had more assists (7) than shots (5).  Yelvington, who had 5 assists as well as 3 steals, shut down and (evidently) demoralized Ryan Hollihan, who was just 1 for 8 from the floor before leaving the game in a chair-kicking huff with about 4 minutes left.  George Raftis was a bigger handful for Knapke, tossing in 17 points, but nobody else was able to get anything going for the visitors.  The Kenyon student section was out in force, and their heckling, considerably less vulgar than their Wooster counterparts, seemed to get under the Gators' skins, making their bad day that much worse.

[wooscotsfan]

All the 1/17 NCAC Final Scores in one place:

Ohio Wesleyan 84  Earlham 70
Wabash 69  Oberlin 51
Kenyon 74  Allegheny 51
Wooster 68  Wittenberg 59
Hiram 74  Denison 46

[David Collinge]

Congratulations to Coach Moore on his 500th win!

Just to clarify, this was Coach Moore's 500th win as Wooster's head coach.  It's his 587th overall.

[wooscotsfan]

Current NCAC Standings thru 1/17 games:

1. Wooster 5-1, 10-5
1. Hiram 5-1, 10-5
3. Kenyon 4-2, 10-5
3. Ohio Wesleyan 4-2, 8-6
3. Wittenberg 4-2, 7-7
6. Wabash 3-3, 8-6
6. Allegheny 3-3, 7-8
8. Oberlin 1-5, 4-10
9. Earlham 1-5, 1-14
10. Denison 0-6, 3-12

[wooscotsfan]

Congratulations to Coach Moore on his 500th win!

Just to clarify, this was Coach Moore's 500th win as Wooster's head coach.  It's his 587th overall.

Yes, and the other 87 wins were at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania.