MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[Gregory Sager]

I just can't figure out the love affair with Amherst though.  According to the article on the front page, they lost 3 key contributors from last year's team, yet they are still #3.

The article is misleading, ScotsFan. One of those "three key contributors" that was mentioned by name, Ray Corrigan, only played in 25 of Amherst's 32 games, and he averaged only 8.3 minutes per game. He barely made a dent in the scorebook, recording a whopping 1.4 ppg and 0.7 rpg. Yeah, perhaps he was a locker-room leader or an inspirational team motivator, but I doubt that they'll miss a player like that in terms of actual on-the-floor production.

The Lord Jeffs return three of last year's starters, three of last year's top five scorers, and three of last year's top five rebounders. Considering the fact that they, like Wooster, have been consistently ranked in the Top 25 throughout this decade, plus the fact that the folks over in the NESCAC room are giving Amherst a lot of preseason props, it's safe to say that this wasn't that big of a reach for the pollsters. Could they be this year's UW-Oshkosh? Sure, but so could your Scots, for that matter. That's the thing about preseason polls -- they're educated guesses. There are no guarantees, no matter how loaded a team looks on paper.

[ScotsFan]

The article is misleading, ScotsFan. One of those "three key contributors" that was mentioned by name, Ray Corrigan, only played in 25 of Amherst's 32 games, and he averaged only 8.3 minutes per game. He barely made a dent in the scorebook, recording a whopping 1.4 ppg and 0.7 rpg.

I was just going by the article.  I figured when they mention 3 key contributors, I didn't figure one of them barely scratched out a point a game.  I didn't really look into them any further than that. 

FYI, Georgetown KY, whom Wooster hosts on Nov. 28th, nearly knocked of Louisville last night in an exhibition at Freedom Hall.  The final score was 94-92.  The write-up I read about the game mentioned that Georgetown has 7 DI transfers on their roster. 

[woosterbooster]

Ha!  They can't even beat Louisville?  Another easy Wooster win coming up.

Crap, that's the one game I'm probably going to miss due to being out of town.

[seinfeld]

Blue Russian,

I'm guessing based on your username that you are familiar with Russia, Ohio and Russia high school. What do you know about a big kid that is going to be a freshman this year at OWU? Sounds like he could be pretty good.

I really think this is going to be the year that OWU puts itself into the Top-25. They have a lot of talent across the board. If they can avoid the couple of clunker losses they seem to take early in the year, I can see them finishing the regular season with just 4 or 5 losses.

[David Collinge]

Wooster has now posted its 2006-07 roster.  It's not terribly enlightening, as it includes 20 players (including 12 frosh), all with uniform numbers.  I certainly can't tell who's varsity and who's JV. 

The 8 upperclassmen are the 8 who saw significant PT last year;  the end of last year's bench has gone missing (Yoder, Stevens, Drake, Clapacs, Chisnell.)  I think Jamie Yoder transferred; Jeff Clapacs is a student assistant this season, as he was last year.  Of the 12 frosh, half are backcourt players (5 guards and a G/F) and half are frontcourters (3 forwards, two F/C's, and 6'2" Jason Ronyak, curiously listed as a "G/C.")  I should also note that both Fulk and Van Horn are ambiguously listed as "G/F" (that's guard/forward, not girlfriend, I presume. )

All together there's seven guards (all 6'2" and under), three guard/forwards, six forwards (6'4" to 6'6"), three forward/centers (Vandervaart along with frosh Battista and Melick, both 6'8"), and one 6'2" "guard/center."  Melick has a 35 pound advantage on Battista; 6'8"/240 sounds like a return to the old Gorman/Ellenwood type of post player.  Can any of you scrimmage attenders report on Melick's game?

I also note with interest that Nate Gaubatz is listed as an assistant coach this season (so is Erich Riebe, but we already knew that.)  Welcome home, Nate!  Patrick Rufener is gone from the coaching roster, as is Rodney Mitchell; does anyone know where these gents have gone? 

[Mr. Ypsi]

I'm guessing that the 6'2" G/C is someone's typo - but maybe not!

Back in the 60s, Bradley was a d1 top 25 team with a 6'4" center (Joe Allen).  More amazingly, since Joe had a club-foot(!), opposing centers were guarded by a 6'2" jumping jack named Willie Betts.  One year Bradley played Louisville, Houston, and UCLA.  My memory says that Willie held Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar EACH to their lowest scoring totals of their college careers!  Common sense tells me that my memory is probably exaggerating somewhat, but that guy was an ASTOUNDING defender!

[woosterbooster]

The typo'd guy was probably 6'2" freshman Jason Ronyak, now listed as a G/F.  Poor kid probably panicked when he saw the roster online and quickly, deciding he wasn't up for that inside pounding, called someone to have the correction made.

I don't remember which guy Melick was.  There was one big guy that had a Blake Mealer-like build and could shoot from the outside, but I don't know if that was him.

Joe Allen was a sophomore in my freshman year at Bradley.  Betts, I think, was also a sophomore.  That season Betts came off the bench, behind senior forwards Ernie Thompson and Eddie Jackson.  He was a leaper, though, a terrific athlete.  Allen himself was a bull underneath, although Wesley Unsled (as we called him) was bigger and stronger, if not necessarily tougher.  A fun team to watch, especially since pregame dunking was allowed back then in layup lines.  The Braves had a TON of spectacular dunkers, the best of which was Walt Slater, another backup forward.  He was doing stuff (granted, it was usually just in warmups) that wasn't seen again in college for years due to the ban on dunking.

[WooMix]

Ahhh ... Another year, another season, and yet more, another series of posts.  I'm glad to be back and hopefully we will have a fun filled season.

I also note with interest that Nate Gaubatz is listed as an assistant coach this season (so is Erich Riebe, but we already knew that.)  Welcome home, Nate!  Patrick Rufener is gone from the coaching roster, as is Rodney Mitchell; does anyone know where these gents have gone? 

My understanding is that Rodney is now attending graduate school at Ashland University.  I am not too sure about the other gentleman.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Woo Boo,

Small world!  I didn't realize you were a Bradley grad!  I grew up in Peoria, then went to IWU in 66, and Michigan in 70 - been here ever since.  (My mom was a lecturer in speech at BU, but not until the 70s.)

I'm guessing we must be reliving a season of roughly 64 (63? 65?)?  I KNOW that Betts held Unseld, Hayes, and Jabbar well under their averages - any recollection as to whether my memory is actually correct, or only somewhat inflated?!

I've checked everywhere I can think of to check, but no confirmation.

[Pat Coleman]

I just can't figure out the love affair with Amherst though.  According to the article on the front page, they lost 3 key contributors from last year's team, yet they are still #3.

The article is misleading, ScotsFan. One of those "three key contributors" that was mentioned by name, Ray Corrigan, only played in 25 of Amherst's 32 games, and he averaged only 8.3 minutes per game. He barely made a dent in the scorebook, recording a whopping 1.4 ppg and 0.7 rpg.

I was going by what Amherst reported to us under the "Names of departing starters or key contributors" category.

[Pat Coleman]

If only people knew how to use e-mail instead of posting notes on message boards. I don't read every board every six hours.

[woosterbooster]

Woo Boo,

Small world!  I didn't realize you were a Bradley grad!  I grew up in Peoria, then went to IWU in 66, and Michigan in 70 - been here ever since.  (My mom was a lecturer in speech at BU, but not until the 70s.)

I'm guessing we must be reliving a season of roughly 64 (63? 65?)?  I KNOW that Betts held Unseld, Hayes, and Jabbar well under their averages - any recollection as to whether my memory is actually correct, or only somewhat inflated?!

I've checked everywhere I can think of to check, but no confirmation.

I'd thought we'd talked about this a bit last season, but maybe not.

I'm not a Bradley alum; only attended for a year and a half.  I was there for the 1965-66 season and half of the 1966-67 season.  My freshman year Bradley had a terrific freshman team that included forwards L.C. Bowen and Calvin Criddle and guard Al Smith (Peoria Manual High) who went on to play in the A.B.A.  That season, the varsity was invited to the N.I.T. but the school's board of whatever turned it down, inciting a large campus protest.  I was at the front of the march and got my picture on the front page of the Peoria Journal-Star.  I wish I had a copy of that issue.

My sophomore year, which ended after the fall semester due to spending too much time shooting pool (school champ, and was scheduled to play an exhibition match against Willie Mosconi but I was gone before he came to town), the basketball was again very good.  They beat a very good USC team (who had beaten Alcindor and UCLA 40-35) but lost to Louisville when Unseld and Butch Beard (52 points, probably still the Robertson Fieldhouse record) dominated.  That season, I'm guessing that Betts was a junior, but not at all sure.

That 52 point effort by Beard (later of the New York Knicks and others) was probably the best shooting performance I've ever seen.  He was a guard, and connected for 25 field goals and only two free throws.  He missed VERY few shots, and remember this was before anyone except the progressive A.B.A. had the three-point line.

[Blue Russian]

Blue Russian,

I'm guessing based on your username that you are familiar with Russia, Ohio and Russia high school. What do you know about a big kid that is going to be a freshman this year at OWU? Sounds like he could be pretty good.

I really think this is going to be the year that OWU puts itself into the Top-25. They have a lot of talent across the board. If they can avoid the couple of clunker losses they seem to take early in the year, I can see them finishing the regular season with just 4 or 5 losses.

Wow, I'm impressed with your knowledge of all the teams and incoming freshman. Yes, OWU picked up a 6'8 freshman, Brent Plieman who will definitely help them this year. A solid big frame athlete, great hands,  and a soft touch, who used his body well. OWU only had 4 conference losses last year after splitting with Wooster, they possibly could have even less this year.

[fighting_scots]

Was at Otter last night for the scrimmage--business as usual for the Scots.  The Bein held tough for the first 20, hitting a bunch of 3's and tough shots to stay within 10.  The Scots pushed the lead to 20 in the 2nd and cruised to a victory--102-83 I think, leading wire to wire.   

A bit sloppy at times, but a solid performance by Wooster.    The only frosh that saw action was Craig Elam, a 6'6", 245 lb. forward from Dayton Carroll.   He really flowed with the offense, played decent D and can board.  I was most impressed by his natural instincts--his floor "sense" or presence.  He's got enormous potential IMO.  He's wearing #44 as well--and from Dayton--comparisons will start immediately.

The Scots look loaded and ready--

GO SCOTS!

[woosterbooster]

Is Otterbein supposed to be any good?  Is Craig Elam the grandson of Jack Elam?  Is so, he oughta be tough enough.