MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[seinfeld]

drt,

I'm not looking to pick a fight, but I just told you the root problems to this issue. What more do you want me to say? Do I need to give you internal documents and budget reports? Just because basketball is good at Wooster and people care about it doesn't mean they are investing money in things like advanced multimedia. You are under the assumption that everyone thinks it is important except the SID and the media people. I'm guessing you've never worked at a college before. You, writing the president, have more influence over getting this problem fixed than they do.

[David Collinge]

All-tournament team:

Ian Franks, Wooster (MOP)
Bryan Wickliffe, Wooster
Clayton Black, Wittenberg
Chris Sullivan, Wittenberg
Nick Curosh, Wabash
Tim Brady, OWU

One or two curious selections there, if you ask me.  Of course, I didn't see the games.

[drt]

Well, I worked at a college a long time ago, and before that I was intimately involved in D3 athletics at a very high level.
Thanks, I don't care to review internal documents or budget reports.
If things are as bad as you say in regards to lack of institutional support for basketball, then I say kudos to coach Moore for everything he has done there, apparently against all odds.

[seinfeld]

Maybe where the confusion is coming from, in part, is that the sports information operation isn't part of the athletic department. So they operate under a completely different budget and supervisory structure. The athletic department could want video in HD, and it won't make a difference. One of the people I referenced in my first post on this actually wanted to suspend Live Stats a few years back. This is after Wooster had been one of the first schools to use it. Think about that and you'll get an idea of what I was talking about.

[drt]

OK, I think I get it now, but WTF.
So sad for such a fine program.

[kiltedbryan]

Final:  Wooster 82  Wittenberg 68

Wooster won this game tonight by outshooting Witt and hitting 13 three pointers!  Ian Franks was unstoppable - great game!

Wooster's Top Scorers:  Ian Franks 25, Justin Hallowell 19, Nathan Balch 13

Wittenberg's Top Scorers:  Clayton Black 19, Alex Brandt 14, Chris Sullivan 9, Josh McKee 9, Seth Hill 9

Congratulations to Wooster's key seniors (Franks, Wickliffe, Balch) on winning both the NCAC regular season and tournament titles!

Wooster is now 26-2  ...and should get a very nice seed in the NCAA tourney!  16 NCAA bids in 17 years!

GO SCOTS!

Post game show:  Coach Moore complimented the seniors and especially the defense that Balch & Warnes played vs. Sullivan

Congratulations to the Scots on a fine performance tonight where the team came out and simply won a basketball game. So many of the recent efforts from the Scots had seemed lacking, and tonight they were more or less in command throughout.

Since I couldn't see it, I don't know what to attribute the vastly improved 3 point shooting to. Perhaps the Scots just had better looks, perhaps tonight they were just collectively more focused and thus the shots were falling. Either way, I welcome the return of the 3-point shot to Wooster's arsenal. It'd be nice if I still felt that making free throws was also part of that arsenal, of course...

Kudos to Justin Warnes—the first-hand report that I received indicated that he simply pestered Sullivan everywhere Sullivan went for the second half. After a 9-11 night, Sullivan was 2-11 (I believe) tonight. For the season against Wooster he was something like 7-35 according to Breckinridge in the post-game show.

[woosterbooster]

Teams either have a man that can guard Sullivan, or they don't.  Wabash didn't.  Wooster did.  Two of them.  Nathan Balch began the job and was excellent, as he was in the last outing against Wittenberg.  When Justin Warnes entered the game, he took over.  Since he, too, was doing spectacular work, it was his chore most of the rest of the way, even when both he and Balch were on the court together.  My guess is that Steve Moore chose to handle it in that manner so as to save some of Balch's energy for offense.

Sullivan worked incredibly hard to get open.  He doesn't stand around; he's in constant motion off picks and screens, both high and low.  But if you have quick athletes who are willing to put out the effort, he's guardable, because he's a one-dimensional player.  He's a three-point shooter, and that's it.  So, if you can catch him, you can stay in his face out to 24-25 feet without the threat of him trying to go by you.

One more thing about Justin Warnes.  I don't think I've ever seen a player improve so much during the course of a single season.  I bashed him and trashed him earlier in the year, and I still think his play deserved it.  I didn't think he should have been on the court getting meaningful minutes.  But Steve Moore and the coaching staff were right, they had a budding defensive stopper on their hands.  Warnes has proved his worth these last few weeks, and especially so tonight.

[wally_wabash]

But how about that air ball put up by number 21?  Who the heck is that guy?  Such a weak shot...must have had the flu. 

There ya go...run a kid down because he missed a shot.  Nice.

Teams either have a man that can guard Sullivan, or they don't.  Wabash didn't.  Wooster did. 

This simply isn't true.  Wabash defended the heck out of Sullivan in the two previous games.  He got his attempts, but he wasn't making anything.  The reports from last night would indicate that Sullivan made a lot of shots while being guarded well...but sometimes a good shooter just makes his shots.  It happens.  Why not give him credit for having a good game? 

[cave2bens]

Belated congratulations to Wooster and Coach Moore - a good, solid win and heck of a streak.

A "clever" remark regarding #21 is predictable, Wally.  Unfamiliar with medical records of any current players, but  lost most of a semester, many years ago, to "mono" and recurrent bouts of flu - glad some find jocularity in these situations between "Ralph and Buick" sound effects.

Sullivan really went off on Friday - it was reminiscent of a bygone era of spot shooters prior to Earvin Johnson's, Lynryd Skynyrd ("Gimme Three Steps") routine.  Schellhase, Mount, Komives, West, Goodrich, Bradley, Carr, Mullins...  Some nights, a player with back to the basket from mid court can loft anything up and it'll fall - short of a ball and chain or straight jacket, the defender(s) are toast.  It was a career-type, dream night for the Witt guard and came at the perfect time for the Tigers - no excuses.  The rivalry status with Wittenberg is approaching "Dannydom" in intensity.  Every game, lately, comes down to final minute. 

It is ironic that a "bad loss" to Denison, in the same academic year as the St. Louis debacle, may relegate Wabash to post-season, spectator status again. **it happens.  Which life lesson is that? 

[ohiofan1954]

just waking up after a long day of basketball in northrtn ohio. First a opener with lake erie losing a exciting game to ashland on a three pointer, then the wittenberg-wooster game. Always love going to wooster. Noboby supports the team better then wooster fans and it was certainly rocking last night. Good game , that shot right before half was a killer for wittenberg after fighting back into it. Good to see the tigers not give up and close to 4 at one point in the second half. Every time it looked like Wittenberg had it going though Wooster would hit another big three. Only one complaint on the day. Mansfield needs to do a much better job plowing their streets.

david

[cave2bens]

Only one complaint on the day. Mansfield needs to do a much better job plowing their streets.

david

So, Snow Trails has expanded?   

Understand it's been a brutal winter with regard to snow/ice this year and wish y'all an early spring.  93 in "Bots," currently. 

[old scot]

Seinfeld,
You must have something to do with the SID Dept. at Woo since you "went off"on my post.
It doesn't matter if I'm a Wooster fan or not, people expect to see a vidio feed. I'm sure the fans from Witt, Bash, and OWU  shared my disappointment. Maybe they should write a letter to Woo's president also. I could care less about inter-campus politics. After hosting the NCAC Championship for the last 6-7 years ? (I hope my time frame is correct) you would think they should have the program down by now.

Congrats to the Scots on another championship and good luck in the NCAA's.

[seinfeld]

I don't even work at Wooster, Old Scot. I went off because it is hit and run posts like yours that are immensely inaccurate (and riddled with spelling errors) that drag down this board lower than it already is. And your obsession with an insignificant media guide is also quite bizarre.

I never said people shouldn't be upset. I would be upset, and the way KiltedBryan expressed his disappointment without making you know what up as the cause of it was the mature way to approach it.

If you read any of my follow up posts, which apparently you didn't, you'd know the underlying reasons why this happened, and what you might be able to do to help. If this is as big of a deal as it must have been for you to make your post, then you'll do something. If not, then it obviously wasn't important enough to warrant your response in the first place.

[ScotsFan]

Seinfeld,
You must have something to do with the SID Dept. at Woo since you "went off"on my post.
It doesn't matter if I'm a Wooster fan or not, people expect to see a vidio feed. I'm sure the fans from Witt, Bash, and OWU  shared my disappointment. Maybe they should write a letter to Woo's president also. I could care less about inter-campus politics. After hosting the NCAC Championship for the last 6-7 years ? (I hope my time frame is correct) you would think they should have the program down by now.

Congrats to the Scots on another championship and good luck in the NCAA's.

oldscot, it doesn't matter how many years in a row Wooster has hosted this tournament.  If the athletic department doesn't have the proper support from the actual places you need support from within the operations of the college, nothing will change.

Also, at least Wooster offers video.  They may have had the misfortune of experiencing technical difficulties on the biggest weekend of basketball all season, but at least they offer it when things are running smoothly.  At least they aren't Hope who spent millions of dollars on building a fancy new basketball arena, but apparently don't have the money to invest in any sort of online video whatsoever.   Be thankful with what you've got.

[seinfeld]

All-tournament team:

Ian Franks, Wooster (MOP)
Bryan Wickliffe, Wooster
Clayton Black, Wittenberg
Chris Sullivan, Wittenberg
Nick Curosh, Wabash
Tim Brady, OWU

One or two curious selections there, if you ask me.  Of course, I didn't see the games.

I'm not sure which of the two picks puzzled you, but I'm guessing that Wickliffe may have been one. They take into account the first round games, and if it wasn't for Wickliffe's effort late in that game, we'd be talking about the biggest upset in NCAC history instead of who Wooster might host in the first round. The Gators have a bright future. I believe their entire starting lineup returns next season.