MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[woolax]

Any news on what Wooster's Frosh are like? http://www.woosterathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2013-14/roster

[imderekpoe]

Any news on what Wooster's Frosh are like? http://www.woosterathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2013-14/roster

I haven't seen too much on any of the recruits.  However, I did notice a few things on that roster:

1) Ryan Snyder is back after not playing last year
2) Kenny DeBoer is listed as a Senior (was listed as a Soph last year)
3) Ian Franks is an assistant coach.

[woosterbooster]

I'm really hoping that DeBoer thing is a typo.  I mean, he was listed as a freshman two years ago and a sophomore last season.  Snyder may have a tough time returning, given that the Scots have eleven guards listed, along with three guard/forwards.  Who's Ian Franks?  Is he someone we should know?

[wooscotsfan]

The freshmen are all now listed on Wooster's roster.  Here is info on some of them:

Dan Fanelly 6'6" Green High School
Fanelly is the star recruit in this class as he was All-Ohio Division I First Team this past season.  Fanelly was also selected as the Inland District Division I Player of the Year.  This past season for Green, Fanelly averaged 19.6 points/game, 9.2 rebounds/game, 2.5 blocks and 2.8 steals.  He will get significant playing time and may even crack the starting lineup.

Milt Davis 6'1" Cincinnati Colerain
This past March, Colerain guard Milton Davis helped secure a close win with his effort for the West squad in the Division I District 16 Boys' East/West All Star Game by a score of 115-112. Davis scored a game-high 25 points for the West squad.  This past season, Milt averaged 17.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg while shooting 42% on field goals and 35% on three pointers.  Davis was an All District Special Mention selection.

Nick Nossaman  Olentangy Liberty
Senior guard Nick Nossaman averaged 9.6 points and five assists and made 55 of 131 (42 percent) 3-pointers and 32 of 38 free throws (84.2 percent). He was honorable mention All District and second-team all-league.  Nick Nossaman appears to be the son of Greg Nossaman who is the coach of Olentangy Liberty.  Nathan Balch is a graduate of Olentangy Liberty.

Hunter Debo 6'1" Anthony Wayne
Hunter's JV Coach was Blake Mealer and he appears to be a good shooter.  Hunter had a hip injury his senior year but did average 9.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg and shot 49% on three pointers.

[fantastic50]

I'm really hoping that DeBoer thing is a typo.  I mean, he was listed as a freshman two years ago and a sophomore last season.

Kenny has begun his Senior Independent Study thesis, in business economics.  This likely means that he is expecting to graduate next spring, so perhaps he is being treated as a senior for athletic purposes, even if he still has another year of eligibility remaining.

[woosterbooster]

I'm really hoping that DeBoer thing is a typo.  I mean, he was listed as a freshman two years ago and a sophomore last season.

Kenny has begun his Senior Independent Study thesis, in business economics.  This likely means that he is expecting to graduate next spring, so perhaps he is being treated as a senior for athletic purposes, even if he still has another year of eligibility remaining.

Clearly this student needs to take a course in the art of procrastination while also learning the value of old-fashioned partying. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

I'm really hoping that DeBoer thing is a typo.  I mean, he was listed as a freshman two years ago and a sophomore last season.

Kenny has begun his Senior Independent Study thesis, in business economics.  This likely means that he is expecting to graduate next spring, so perhaps he is being treated as a senior for athletic purposes, even if he still has another year of eligibility remaining.

Clearly this student needs to take a course in the art of procrastination while also learning the value of old-fashioned partying. 

Kenny PM'ed me: if you're willing to pay for his fourth year, he's agreeable to procrastinating and partying!

[woosterbooster]

I'm really hoping that DeBoer thing is a typo.  I mean, he was listed as a freshman two years ago and a sophomore last season.

Kenny has begun his Senior Independent Study thesis, in business economics.  This likely means that he is expecting to graduate next spring, so perhaps he is being treated as a senior for athletic purposes, even if he still has another year of eligibility remaining.

Clearly this student needs to take a course in the art of procrastination while also learning the value of old-fashioned partying. 

Kenny PM'ed me: if you're willing to pay for his fourth year, he's agreeable to procrastinating and partying!

No problem, I have no problem procrastinating on paying tuition bills.

[Urban For Prez]

Long, long time reader, first time poster. The lack of Wittenberg representation on this board has caused me to emerge from the anonymity and preview the upcoming season for the Tigers. I understand everyone's eyes are justifiably focused on the football game this weekend, but with Western Carolina looming on Thursday, I thought the time was appropriate for this post.

Overview: The Tigers should be an NCAA tournament team this year. They certainly are not as deep as the 2012 Elite Eight team, but their starting 5 is equally talented (indeed, I believe Leahy and Newell were starters, at times, for that team). The Tigers, who return all five starters, will need some increased offensive creativity and consistency in order to make a push for their first outright NCAC regular season title in years, but this group appears to have the talent.

Starters:

PG: Steven Newell 5'10" 170 SR- Newell is a major question mark for this team.  He's been a mainstay in Bill Brown's rotation since his freshman year, but you have to wonder whether he has really become the player the coaches hoped he would be by his senior year.  Newell is a quick guard who shot 39% from 3 last year.  But he only averaged 2.3 APG and 6.6 PPG.  I find it hard to believe those numbers represent his ceiling because he appears to have all the tools necessary to be a quality DIII point guard, but I think it's fair to say he's underperformed so far. Those numbers also likely don't represent the complete impact he has on the game, but the Tigers will need more consistent play from Newell this year. At the least, the Tigers will need Newell to be a credible threat from behind
the arc again this year.

SG: Zack Leahy 6'0" 190 SR- Like Newell, an argument can be made that Leahy has failed to fully live up to whatever proverbial "hype" preceded his arrival on campus.  The Toledo transfer is a crafty guard who can score in a variety of ways (12.0 PPG), but Leahy seems to struggle with quicker guards and often relies on generous referees to create FT opportunities when his shot isn't falling. Leahy can build on his Honorable Mention season with some improved shooting (only 37% from the field).  He's going to play big minutes this year and the Tigers are going to need him to have some dominate senior performances. He's more than capable, but he's got to be more than slasher. Don't be surprised if the Tigers' offense features more sets highlighting Leahy's skills.

SF: Sam Collins 6'4" 185 JR- There were games last year where Collins was the best player on the floor.  Unfortunately, there were also games where Collins was arguably one of the most detrimental players on the floor.  Collins is long, athletic, and fast and can be a serious match-up problem for smaller or slower teams.  Collins started last year on fire, but when the second round of NCAC games rolled around, teams had Collins figured out. He can't go left, he resorts to the spin move in times of trouble, and he can't shoot from 17+ feet. However, his energy and completive nature allows him to mask many of these decencies.  Collins can affect the game in so many ways (10 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.6 APG) that it's hard to fault what he does wrong.  If he can develop a second (or third) move, he has the potential to be an all-conference type of player. If not, the Tigers may struggle to score again this year.

PF: Alex Fultz 6'5" 200 SO- An argument can be made that Cole Bond, a senior, may end up as the starting 4 this year, but I believe Futlz will end the year as the starter. Both Bond and Fultz are stretch 4s with the ability to spread defenses with their 3 point shooting abilities. But Fultz (41% from 3) shot it a little better than Bond last year and Bill Brown is often infatuated with young talent. I like what Fultz brings to the team because so many of Wittenberg's players are slashers and penetrators that need a consistent shooter to keep defenses honest and keep driving lanes open. However, Fultz does need to be more aggressive on the glass (3.3 RPG) as a sophomore.  Futlz ended the year with some strong games, and the Tigers will need similar performances to hang with some of their tougher non-conferance opponents.

C: Scott Masin 6'5" 240 SR- Masin has transformed himself into one of the premiere big men in the league. He's simply too big to guard with one player. He finally developed a countermove to pair with his drop step which helped him become a First Team All-NCAC selection last season.  Masin creates second and third chances for the offense, and runs the floor impressively for player of his size. His defense occasionally leaves something to be desired, and he has a tendency to over-dribble, but he is the best player on this team. Bill Brown tends to run his offense through  the post, so don't bee surprised to see the offense focus on Masin this year.

I believe that the team will go as Leahy and Masin go, with Collins as an X-factor. You essentially know what you are getting out of Newell and Fultz, but if Leahy and Masin can carry this team and Collins can come up with some 20 point 10 rebound performances, this team will be tough. There are certainly question marks (the offense was atrocious at points last year and the team lost offensive-minded coach Matt Croce to Capital, and there is very little quality depth at numerous positions), but I think the team, and its fans, will be disappointed if this team does not make the NCAA tournament this year.

[smedindy]

Thanks for posting, UFP, and welcome aboard! As soon as football is over, a few Wabash posters will make themselves known here.

[fantastic50]

Wooster's first exhibition game is tonight at 6:30, against Athletes in Action, a team of former college players sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ.  Here is the blog of the AIA team, which appears to be formidable: http://teamblogs.athletesinaction.org/2013-teams/2013/basketball---fall-tour

[kenyonfan]

1. Wooster (8).............................................. 98
2. Wittenberg (2).......................................... 88
3. Ohio Wesleyan  ........................................ 74
4. Kenyon.................................................... 71
5. Wabash................................................... 58
6. DePauw................................................... 55
7. Hiram...................................................... 34
8. Denison................................................... 33
9. Allegheny................................................. 23
10. Oberlin................................................... 16

http://www2.northcoast.org/basketball/preseasonpoll/2013-14

[woosterbooster]

I was only able to watch the first half of the Athletes In Action vs Wooster scrimmage.  AIA was very big, but I was impressed with the Scots' ability to rebound with them.  Wooster was off and on offensively, but seemed to shoot the ball well, and they played very hard for the twenty minutes.  Lots of people saw the court.  Does anyone know how this scrimmage turned out?

[imderekpoe]

I was only able to watch the first half of the Athletes In Action vs Wooster scrimmage.  AIA was very big, but I was impressed with the Scots' ability to rebound with them.  Wooster was off and on offensively, but seemed to shoot the ball well, and they played very hard for the twenty minutes.  Lots of people saw the court.  Does anyone know how this scrimmage turned out?

The Scots ended up winning the scrimmage on a last second 3 by Thorpe.  I thought that AIA played much better defense in the 2nd half and the Scots had some trouble getting their offense going.  And AIA did a better job of keeping the Scots off of the boards as well. But I agree that the Scots looked pretty good overall. I do think that they could be vulnerable to a team with a strong interior game, but outside the paint they've got to be as good as anybody, especially if Wingard shoots like he has in the first couple of scrimmages.

[smedindy]

Don't mind me..just cruising in quickly in preparation for THE game tomorrow. Wabash lost to Franklin in OT 96-91 to kick off their hoops season.

Senior Pete Nicksic led Wabash with 20 points and eight boards. Freshman Kyle Aiton had 18, and fellow frosh Ryan Gross added 17. Freshman Gary Ulrich had five assists and five steals.

As you can see, the LGs are a bit fuzzy cheeked...and will be until Houston Hodges and Andy Walsh come back from football.