MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[David Collinge]

I guess this publicity stunt was more memorable than I thought:

In an effort to demonstrate a commitment to making the complex safer, Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne moved into a fourth-floor apartment in 1981. Backed by police and bodyguards, she stayed for only three weeks. This incident, too, contributed to public perception of Cabrini-Green as the worst of the worst of public housing.

source = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabrini-Green

Good to meet you, too, Wooster Booster.  I agree with you about the interior defense, although I attribute it to the facts that 1) Randy Reid is very good and 2) Tom Port hasn't been asked to play interior defense on a big body in years, maybe not since high school (I could be wrong about that; I only saw two games last year.)   I wonder how Tim Vandervaart would have coped with that assignment.  The defense, in general, I thought was pretty good.  They only gave up 30 in the first half on 44% shooting, and took a surprising (to me) number of fouls as a result of more aggressive defense.  And they forced 26 turnovers, which is a good night's work.

Steve Moore didn't mention Andy's nose in his post-game interview, and there was nothing in the Daily Record about it either.  I take that as a good sign.

I know it sounds pompous, but anything less than Salem is always disappointing for this team in recent years.  We might as well enjoy it while it lasts, because it can't last forever.  In fact, this year's team may be the "last best chance" for a deep tournament run for the next few years at least.

[wally_wabash]

I know it sounds pompous, but anything less than Salem is always disappointing for this team in recent years.  We might as well enjoy it while it lasts, because it can't last forever.  In fact, this year's team may be the "last best chance" for a deep tournament run for the next few years at least.

It's not pompous, David, it's blunt honesty.  The Scots are loaded.  Cooper, Port, Fulk, Vandervaart (seems like he's been playing at CoW for about 9 years now, doesn't it?)...the Scots are by far and away the cream of this year's NCAC crop.   

[Li'l Giant]

I know it sounds pompous, but anything less than Salem is always disappointing for this team in recent years.

Wally and I were talking last night about Wabash's dismal record against Woo, especially at Chadwick. While I would love to finally get a win against you guys this year, that's not happening. But losing to the eventual national champ isn't too bad.

[David Collinge]

Happy birthday to Smedindy, Wabash stalwart moonlighting this season as a Carthage rookie hoopster.   

[wooscotsfan]

Final:  Wooster 85  Mt. Union 60

Wooster made 13 three pointers tonight as they cruised to the championship of the Al Van Wie Tournament.

Scots were led tonight by Tim Vandervaart with 22 points, James Cooper with 20 points and Tom Port with 12 points.

Wooster is now 2-0.  Next up they play at Walsh on 11/25

GO SCOTS!!

[David Collinge]

I'm not sure "cruised" is the word I'd have employed.  Coughed, sputtered, hesitated, maybe.  Nevertheless, the outcome was never in doubt (so "cruised" is accurate in that sense), and I'll take a 25-point win over any OAC team, any time, anywhere.  That's a quality win, even if MUC ends up fulfilling their 9th-place prophecy. 

With the notable exception of Tim Vandervaart, the Scots played a lackluster, sloppy, and almost disinterested style of basketball tonight.  They turned the ball over 14 times, had two players foul out (some blame for this rests with the referees, but still...), and were the beneficiaries of some poor free throw shooting by the Grapes (20-29).  They held MUC to 40% shooting, but some of that was just poor shooting.  Mt. Union blocked six Scot shots, and at least several of these were out on the perimeter, blocks of low-trajectory lazy-looking shots. 

Wooster Booster pointed out a potential problem with interior defense last night.  It showed up again tonight, although MUC wasn't really able to take advantage of it.  Too often the Grape bigs were able to get superior positioning, but Wooster did well to deny the entry pass, and a good number of the rebounds caromed long.  Wooster won the battle of the boards, 38-31, with the hustle-rebounding of Van Horn, Fulk, Johnson, and Cooper contributing 14 of those caroms.  Raider Stu Anglum was able to record a double-double (13 pts., 10 boards) before fouling out. 

The MVP of this game, and of the tournament, was Tim Vandervaart, by a mile.  He carried Wooster in the first half, spinning and twisting for points, boxing out for caroms, and outhustling everyone on the court by a wide margin.  He's making a run at the top of my all-time favorite Scots list, although I can't see anyone displacing Matt Schlingman on this list anytime soon.   

It says something about Wooster when they can have one player play very well, two or three others play at a mediocre level, and still beat an OAC team by 25.  The Scots have so many weapons and so many ways to beat you that they're going to be very hard to stop.

Here's the boxscore.

[woosterbooster]

First of all, there's something that needs to be pointed out.  David Collinge's research of DIII basketball, and COW basketball in particular, is first rate.  If he's talking stats, polls, history, etc., you can generally count on it being so.

However, there is this.  Dave sits well up in the seventh or eighth level of bleachers to watch Wooster basketball games.  Clearly, he's on call in case of a sprinkler system malfunction or possibly to mend holes in the roof due to inadvertent meteor showers.

My point is simply this: When he's passing along his actual observations of the games, take them with a full shaker of salt.  He speaks of low-trajectory shots.  Heck, any shot would appear to have no trajectory when your peer down upon it from 500 feet.  Unless he's disecting the Scots from long range with a telescope, any comments such as his believing the Scots interior defense to be suspect are, well, suspect.  They don't even charge admission up there, but they do rent the requisite oxygen equipment.

And I don't think they should be called Grape bigs.  I prefer big Grapes. 

[WooMix]

Wooster wins the Al Van Wie Rotary Classic for the 5th-straight year.
Tournament MVP Tim Vandervaart (Woo); Defensive MVP Brandon Johnson (Woo);
All-Tournament Team: James Cooper (Woo); Stu Anglum (MUC); Chris Crawford (MUC
Antonio Leary (E&H); and Randy Reid (Cabrini).

How/Why is it that the Tournament MVP Tim Vandervaart fails to make it into the All-Tournament Team?  Doesn't the MVP award makes it automatic for the recipient to be included in the team?

[goscots]

I think it is safe to assume the MVP's are part of the all tournament team. The tournament program lists alll the previous teams with the MVP's.

Personally I would have not included Chris Crawford on that team and instead placed Tom Port. Despite the obvious assignment to Stu Anglum to stick to Port like glue he still managed to be a significant contributor with 12 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds. Crawford made 0 baskets in the championship game on 0-1 shooting, 1 rebound and 0 assists. I see from the program that in 2002 Wooster had 4 players on the all tournment team - should have happened again.

[woosterbooster]

I think it is safe to assume the MVP's are part of the all tournament team. The tournament program lists alll the previous teams with the MVP's.

Personally I would have not included Chris Crawford on that team and instead placed Tom Port. Despite the obvious assignment to Stu Anglum to stick to Port like glue he still managed to be a significant contributor with 12 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds. Crawford made 0 baskets in the championship game on 0-1 shooting, 1 rebound and 0 assists. I see from the program that in 2002 Wooster had 4 players on the all tournment team - should have happened again.

Until I read your last sentence, I was going to point out that the usual format is one player chosen from each of the semifinal losers, two from the team that lost in the final, and the rest, including the MVP, from the winner.  But if they didn't do that in 2002, then I agree with you, the team should have included Port.

[David Collinge]

All my observations should be taken with a pitcher full of salt, of course.  I think most of the regulars know that I know about as much about basketball as your average pep band member, which I was.  My varsity basketball experience includes about 1 minute on the 5th grade team, plus being on the same freshman hall with a number of the '78-'79 Scots (including Gib Tecca, who was the only one who amounted to anything.)  As they beat me up regularly, I know a little about physical play. 

But let's not go overboard; we're talking about Timken Gymnasium, not the Louisiana Superdome.  Six rows from the top is still low enough to read the manufacturer's imprint on Tom Port's mouthguard.  From the nosebleed seats I can see plays developing, whereas for me sitting in Row 2 reduces the game to a confused blur of colorful bodies.  Plus, up at the top I don't have to worry about which player's mother is sitting behind me when I'm kvetching.   

[David Collinge]

Weekend results:
Allegheny: 2-0, defeating Grove City 78-75 (OT) and Washington & Jefferson 81-75.
Denison: 1-1, losing to Washington & Lee 82-71, defeating Oneonta St. 77-62.
Earlham: 0-1, losing to DePauw 85-80.  Playing the Coast Guard today.
Hiram: 0-0, opening against CWRU on Wednesday.
Kenyon: 2-0, defeating LaRoche 67-48 and Myers 83-67.
Oberlin: 0-2, losing to Brockport St. 78-66 and St. Lawrence 68-60.
Ohio Wesleyan: 2-0, defeating D'Youville 96-31 and Penn St.-Behrend 84-64.
Wabash: 1-1, losing to Rose-Hulman 57-50 and defeating IU-South Bend 56-44.
Wittenberg: 2-0, defeating Swarthmore 57-46 and Haverford 68-53.
Wooster: 2-0, defeating Cabrini 128-71 and Mt. Union 85-60.

Composite conference record: 12-5, pending the Earlham game this afternoon, and none of the losses by more than twelve points.  A good start!

[ScotsFan]

So DC, are you back in the area for good or just visiting?

I wasn't able to catch any of the action this weekend and I'm pretty much just now recovering from all of the excitement and, sigh, disappointment of yet another Michigan loss to Troy Smith and Ohio State.  This is one Michigan fan that will be very happy to see anyone under center for Ohio State as long as it's not #10!

I did catch the replays of both games on the local cable access channel.  I couldn't believe the clinic Wooster put on with Cabrini.  It sure was nice of Coach Moore and the boys to give those youngsters from Cabrini a free clinic on how to play the game of basketball!

And last night against MUC, it was evident from the tip that the Grapes weren't going to give Wooster any open looks from the outside and they did a fine job of denying the perimeter.  Problem is, Wooster took advantage by feeding the ball inside to Darth Vandervaart as he exposed MUC's plan and had a big game inside.  I like how DC put it.  Wooster did look lethargic and uninterested and it's a scary notion that this team can put forth such a mediocre effort and still beat an OAC foe by 25 points! 

The competion is going to get a little stiffer the next couple of games with NAIA foes Walsh and Georgetown coming up for Wooster.  This should give us a little better gauge as to where the Scots are against equal or possibly better talent. 

[woosterbooster]

I would suggest to anyone planning on attending the Wooster-Walsh game that they get there early.  I've spent a fair amount of time in that gym and by any college standards it's tiny.  There are only 7 rows of seats on one side and 8 on the other.  By my estimate, in counting seats one day, I'd say it only holds about 1,000 fans.  I don't know how well Walsh draws, but I'd suspect that there might be a fair amount of Wooster fans making the trip and I'd hate to see any of them shut out.

[David Collinge]

So DC, are you back in the area for good or just visiting?

I plan to hang around Holmes Co. at least until pitchers and catchers report; after that, to paraphrase Pete Rose, all bets are off. 

Earlham slips to 0-2, falling to the Coast Guard 70-57 at the University of Chicago.  Box score.  Jewett and Henry combined for 38 points and 13 boards, but they got little help and couldn't overcome double-doubles from two USCGA players.