MBB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[wooscotsfan]

Oooh...ONU is headed down for that tournament also.  Wabash might even get a regional game out of the deal!

Wally - for your info, that tournament has prescheduled matchups so Wabash and ONU will not meet.

December 29th:  Trinity vs. Wabash...and...Southwestern vs. Ohio Northern

December 30th:  Trinity vs Ohio Northern...and...Southwestern vs. Wabash

In fact, they use this format every year so perhaps it should be renamed the "North vs South Classic"

[smedindy]

Next year, the LGs need to schedule a Minnesota swing for me - how about playing Augsburg and Hamline???

[wooscotsfan]

Wooster has posted their 2007-2008 schedule on their website.   Highlights are:

Opening Al Van Wie Tourney includes Farmingdale State (NY), Otterbein & St. Thomas (MN)

Next 4 games are on the Road versus Lake Erie, Cedarville, Oberlin and Ohio Wesleyan

In 7th game of the season, Walsh University visits Timken on December 15th

Next, Wooster plays in the Bahamas Sunshine Shootout on December 18-19 competing
against St. Mary's College (MD) and Benedictine University (IL)

For the Mose Hole Tournament, Scots will host Mt. Union, Notre Dame College (OH) and Wesley College (DE)

Remainder of the schedule is the NCAC matchups in January/February

For the full schedule, here is the link: http://athletics.wooster.edu/mb/schedule.php

GO SCOTS!

[ScotsFan]

WSF, thanks for the schedule update!

For the Mose Hole Tournament, Scots will host Mt. Union, Notre Dame College (OH) and Wesley College (DE)

The Mose Hole doesn't appear like it's going to be such the marquee event that it was last season with all 4 teams in the tournament ranked in the d3hoops preseason poll and 3 of the 4 teams ranked at the time of the tournament.

It looks as though the Al Van Wie will be the better tournament this year at least in terms of recognizable teams in Ott and St. Thomas.  Although both lost some pretty good players to graduation so it will be interesting to see how well they did in re-building or re-loading.

I'm also surprised that Wooster isn't making a trip to Georgetown (KY).  I figured that was going to be a home and home series.

[ScotsFan]

So I take it that nobody wants to talk about assistant coaches?

While I'm here, I'll bite David.  I was going to post something when you originally brought this up, but I never got around to it.  Anyways, just how valuable is Doug Cline to the Wooster program?  I really can't think of too many assistants who stick around as long as Doug has at Wooster and especially not at the DIII level.  Ususally being an assistant is just a stepping stone to taking a HC gig somewhere as we're seeing with Artie at Witt and VanderWal at OWU. 

I can't imagine that Doug hasn't had offers to leave his staple position as Coach Moore's right hand man.  Do you suppose that he doesn't want to be a HC?  Or is it more of a matter that he can't see himself anywhere but at Wooster and, in all likelihood, he will be the one to be handed the reigns once Moore decides to retire?  Personally, I think it has more to do with the latter than anything.

[David Collinge]

Next year, the LGs need to schedule a Minnesota swing for me - how about playing Augsburg and Hamline???

Minnesota?

[David Collinge]

I'm also surprised that Wooster isn't making a trip to Georgetown (KY).  I figured that was going to be a home and home series.

No, this was a single-game contract to the best of my knowledge.  I recall being told that Georgetown's coach tried to persuade several of the Wooster players in the postgame handshake line to tell Coach Moore to schedule a return match in Kentucky. 

Wooster's non-conference schedule doesn't look especially tough to me.  The marquee name teams, Otterbein and UST, lose key players, as ScotsFan notes; the same is true for Lake Erie.  Notre Dame of Ohio is a disappointing choice for the Mose Hole, making me wonder if someone pulled out.  NDC was 19-14 last season, finishing 7th in the sixteen-team American Mideast Conference (NAIA-2; Cedarville and Walsh were 4th and 5th, respectively, and Artie Taylor's new team Ohio Dominican was 10th).  The Scots have a maximum of three in-region games in the pre-conference: Lake Erie, as well as Otterbein and Mt. Union, should they meet in the tournaments.  That leads me to expect that Ott and MUC will be the Scots' first-round opponents in the Van Wie and Mose Hole, respectively. 

I must say, the Bahamas trip is a nice perq.

The conference schedule starts out with five road trips in the first six games, including the trips to OWU (Dec. 8,) Wabash (Jan. 12,) and Wittenberg (Jan. 19).  The payback comes at the end of the schedule, with five of the last seven games (including OWU, Wabash and Witt on successive February Saturdays) at home, and the only road games being at likely non-contenders Denison and Earlham.

[David Collinge]

Ohio Wesleyan's schedule is also out, and it looks like they're going for the title of America's Favorite Party Guest.  They start the season at successive UAA-based invitationals:  at the University of Chicago, along with Lake Forest and Trinity (presumably the San Antonio Trinity, as opposed to Hartford or, for that matter, Dublin), and at the University of Rochester, alongside Baldwin-Wallace and Cortland State.  There's some pretty good programs at each of these tournaments, and it should be an excellent way for Mike DeWitt to get an early read on his team.  The Bishops return to Ohio to face Defiance, Capital, Wooster, and Lake Erie (the middle two at home), and then cross town to participate in another tournament with four excellent programs: Otterbein's "O" Club Tournament, also featuring Albion and Hanover.

That's got to be one of the toughest Nov/Dec schedules in D3 hoops.

In the conference, OWU has one tough-looking stretch, facing Wooster, Wabash, and Wittenberg in an 11-day stretch starting Feb. 2, with the Woo and Witt games being road tests.  (They host Hiram between the Wabash and Witt tilts.)  OWU only meets Kenyon once (Jan. 9 in Gambier), which may be beneficial if Kenyon improves as I anticipate they will.

I'm quite sure that Coach DeWitt expects his team to be serious contenders for the NCAC title this year.  I think this is a schedule that should prepare them well for the conference season.  Furthermore, if they survive the rugged pre-conference schedule, they could be in excellent shape for a Pool C bid.

By the way, the OWU website still does not list an assistant men's basketball coach.  I would guess that the post would be mighty attractive to Travis Schwab, and vice versa as he now has three years as an assistant on his resume (two at Heidelberg, one at Kenyon).  However, the Kenyon website still lists him, and even includes a biographical blurb which begins "Travis Schwab enters his second season as an assistant at Kenyon".  I'd guess that, if he hasn't moved by now (recalling that the OWU position has been open since April), it's too late for this season.

[smedindy]

Yep, I'm moving there soon. You need to keep up, DC, and follow the football board too! 

[David Collinge]

Yep, I'm moving there soon. You need to keep up, DC, and follow the football board too! 

If visiting the football board is the price of keeping up, I choose to remain blissfully ignorant.   

Nevertheless, good luck with the move, smedminny! 

I can't imagine that Doug hasn't had offers to leave his staple position as Coach Moore's right hand man.  Do you suppose that he doesn't want to be a HC?  Or is it more of a matter that he can't see himself anywhere but at Wooster and, in all likelihood, he will be the one to be handed the reigns once Moore decides to retire?  Personally, I think it has more to do with the latter than anything.

I have no inside information, and have never asked Doug either directly or indirectly about this in our few conversations.  So it would be pure speculation on my part.  But yes, I imagine he'd be a strong candidate for a head coaching position, and I'd be shocked, shocked to learn that he hasn't been asked to apply for some over the years.  My guess would be that he's happy with his current situation, and hopes/plans to be the next head coach at Wooster--but that's purely a guess.

[Nonbiased Observer]

I'm also surprised that Wooster isn't making a trip to Georgetown (KY).  I figured that was going to be a home and home series.

Steve Moore said immediately after that game that there'd be no return trip.

Surprised no one's talking about Wooster's Bahamas trip.

[roadtrip]

He could become smedapolis....

[David Collinge]

In the words of Samwise Gamgee, "well, I'm back."  I left home on March 16 to attend the Final Four in Salem, and, after 20 weeks and 20,455 driving miles, I got back home yesterday.  It's good to be home.

Shortly after I arrived, I was presented with a copy of the July 31 Daily Record which my family had saved, knowing I would want to see it.  In that edition, our friend Nonbiased Observer has an excellent article reporting on the future of D3, and an accompanying editorial, and both are well worth the time of everyone in here to read.

NCAA examines future of Div. III sports (reportage)
Trying to reclaim original ideals (column)

Very nice work, NBO! 

Regarding the Bahamas trip, I guess all I'd have to say is I wish I could go.   Great venue, assuredly good weather, and good but not overwhelming competition.  I'm impressed with the schedule-maker.  California in 2006, Bahamas in 2007. let's see...there are D3 holiday tournaments in Hawai'i, so that could be 2008, but after that I'm stumped.  I'm not sure if a Smedminny Swing through Minnesota would be appropriate after these trips.

[smedindy]

Chicken!

[Nonbiased Observer]

Thanks David. I put a lot of work into that. You wouldn't believe the file of research I have.