MBB: Coast 2 Coast Athletic Conference

[CNU85]

Looking forward to the new season, new conference, and new boards. See ya soon!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

St. Mary's and Salisbury will be taking part in the 2nd Annual Hoopsville National Invitational Classic: http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2013/06/hoopsville-classic-features-three-elite-eight-teams

[Swish3]

The rest of the CAC got an early Christmas present....CNU's big man, Nik Biberaj, is transferring to ODU.

[gordonmann]

Bummer. He put up nice numbers in key games last year.

[CNU85]

The rest of the CAC got an early Christmas present....CNU's big man, Nik Biberaj, is transferring to ODU.

yup...heard that last week....bummers. I wish him well... I believe he has to sit this year. Time to hit the weights and bulk up for the big boys. 6'7" in USA South is totally diff than 6'7" in Conf USA.

[purpleheart22]

Any preseason predictions this fall??? I saw St. Mary's is ranked preseason #2 in a magazine.  Returning four starters from an elite 8 run last year.  Hope the rest of the league brought in some quality transfers or recruits.  St. Mary's starting to run the table much like Catholic did back in the early 2000's.  Christopher Newport is usually a very tough team and with that long commute could have some serious home court advantage. Could also be tough for them on the road.  Wesley brings in athletes that cant get into any other college so I think they will be tough.  Salisbury being a public school in Maryland should compete considering MD is one of the better states in the country to land D3 guys.  2nd yr head coach at York should have brought in some of his guys and starting his own era there. Mary Washington is always going to be in the playoff mix.   Marymount, and Frostburg seem to never get anything done as of late.  Not sure about Penn State Harrisburg.

What about POY candidates?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Any preseason predictions this fall??? I saw St. Mary's is ranked preseason #2 in a magazine.  Returning four starters from an elite 8 run last year.  Hope the rest of the league brought in some quality transfers or recruits.  St. Mary's starting to run the table much like Catholic did back in the early 2000's.  Christopher Newport is usually a very tough team and with that long commute could have some serious home court advantage. Could also be tough for them on the road.  Wesley brings in athletes that cant get into any other college so I think they will be tough.  Salisbury being a public school in Maryland should compete considering MD is one of the better states in the country to land D3 guys.  2nd yr head coach at York should have brought in some of his guys and starting his own era there. Mary Washington is always going to be in the playoff mix.   Marymount, and Frostburg seem to never get anything done as of late.  Not sure about Penn State Harrisburg.

What about POY candidates?

Couple of quick thoughts:
- I saw SMC's ranking and even talked to an alum of the program and we both agreed this may be too high. This is also from a publication that really doesn't cover Division III. Let's find out in about six weeks or so what the D3hoops.com voters think. They do bring back a lot of talent... and they have been on top of this conference probably longer than Catholic was in some extent.
- CNU changes the dynamic of this conference, especially at the top. No longer is it SMC and than maybe Wesley or someone else. Now it is at least a three-horse race (depending on Wesley) with the hopes others step-up. The commute for most CAC schools to CNU will not be that challenging... and for CNU, the trips are actually shorter than their last conference. Look for CNU to make a big impact in the CAC.
- The assumption Wesley is bringing in athletes who can't get into other colleges is a reach. Sure, they may not have the same admission standards as some high-level liberal arts colleges... but I wouldn't say they are getting athletes Salisbury or others can't get. In fact, they are getting students from a different circle of recruiting usually.
- No disrespect for Salisbury, but they have had the state school "advantage" for a very long time. Being in Maryland and being a cheaper tuition option has helped in a lot of sports at Salisbury including both lacrosse teams and football... but it has not been a factor in basketball in a very long time - mid to late 90's was the last time they were competing consistently for a conference title.  I think they are improving under a coach that is determined to improve the program... but they have a lot of hurdles including perception to solve first.
- York will improve... but don't expect them at the top or really in the mix for a few more years. Their coach basically started from scratch last season (not many recruits to work with), so it will take a few years to finally get moving in the right direction.
- Mary Washington has been a disappointment over the last few years. I don't think Coach Wood is as good at in-game adjustments as either he was or his team made him look in the past. They may pull off an occasional upset in the conference tournament in the last few years, but they have not been a serious contender in awhile (they have played in four conference title games this century - two in the last nine years - and won just one of those four games).
- I agree Marymount never seems to get things done, but Frostburg is at least a challenge each year. However, they both need improvement from being at the bottom of the conference year in and year out. Harrisburg will be near the bottom until they get their feet under them in the conference.

And finally... POY candidates in September? They still have to lace it up for practice still five weeks out... and then play 25 games!

[CNU85]

The move to the CAC by CNU will make things a lot tougher in every sport, save baseball and golf. I am looking forward to the new conference games and keeping tabs on everyone else as the season progresses. Will be nice to see some new teams in the Freeman Center (although many of the teams have been there before). I wish we had Nik Biberaj to help under the rim. But we have to play the hand dealt. I can't wait!

[purpleheart22]

Anybody who know brought in what in terms of freshmen and transfers this year?

[ronk]

 Check the d3bballrecruits.com site for most if not all CAC teams' incoming frosh.

[Reserved Seat]

Check the d3bballrecruits.com site for most if not all CAC teams' incoming frosh.

Not sure how accurate that site is.  F&M's lists players not enrolled and misses players enrolled.

[CNU85]

Any preseason predictions this fall??? I saw St. Mary's is ranked preseason #2 in a magazine.  Returning four starters from an elite 8 run last year.  Hope the rest of the league brought in some quality transfers or recruits.  St. Mary's starting to run the table much like Catholic did back in the early 2000's.  Christopher Newport is usually a very tough team and with that long commute could have some serious home court advantage. Could also be tough for them on the road.  Wesley brings in athletes that cant get into any other college so I think they will be tough.  Salisbury being a public school in Maryland should compete considering MD is one of the better states in the country to land D3 guys.  2nd yr head coach at York should have brought in some of his guys and starting his own era there. Mary Washington is always going to be in the playoff mix.   Marymount, and Frostburg seem to never get anything done as of late.  Not sure about Penn State Harrisburg.

What about POY candidates?

The loss of Biberaj to ODU will hurt CNU. He was All-American material. It will be interesting to see what impact the new guys will have...FR and any transfers. We need to give Benefield and Cherry some help!

Couple of quick thoughts:
- I saw SMC's ranking and even talked to an alum of the program and we both agreed this may be too high. This is also from a publication that really doesn't cover Division III. Let's find out in about six weeks or so what the D3hoops.com voters think. They do bring back a lot of talent... and they have been on top of this conference probably longer than Catholic was in some extent.
- CNU changes the dynamic of this conference, especially at the top. No longer is it SMC and than maybe Wesley or someone else. Now it is at least a three-horse race (depending on Wesley) with the hopes others step-up. The commute for most CAC schools to CNU will not be that challenging... and for CNU, the trips are actually shorter than their last conference. Look for CNU to make a big impact in the CAC.
- The assumption Wesley is bringing in athletes who can't get into other colleges is a reach. Sure, they may not have the same admission standards as some high-level liberal arts colleges... but I wouldn't say they are getting athletes Salisbury or others can't get. In fact, they are getting students from a different circle of recruiting usually.
- No disrespect for Salisbury, but they have had the state school "advantage" for a very long time. Being in Maryland and being a cheaper tuition option has helped in a lot of sports at Salisbury including both lacrosse teams and football... but it has not been a factor in basketball in a very long time - mid to late 90's was the last time they were competing consistently for a conference title.  I think they are improving under a coach that is determined to improve the program... but they have a lot of hurdles including perception to solve first.
- York will improve... but don't expect them at the top or really in the mix for a few more years. Their coach basically started from scratch last season (not many recruits to work with), so it will take a few years to finally get moving in the right direction.
- Mary Washington has been a disappointment over the last few years. I don't think Coach Wood is as good at in-game adjustments as either he was or his team made him look in the past. They may pull off an occasional upset in the conference tournament in the last few years, but they have not been a serious contender in awhile (they have played in four conference title games this century - two in the last nine years - and won just one of those four games).
- I agree Marymount never seems to get things done, but Frostburg is at least a challenge each year. However, they both need improvement from being at the bottom of the conference year in and year out. Harrisburg will be near the bottom until they get their feet under them in the conference.

And finally... POY candidates in September? They still have to lace it up for practice still five weeks out... and then play 25 games!

[purpleheart22]

Saw St. Mary's is ranked 10th in the D3 hoops preseason poll while Christopher Newport and Wesley are receiving votes.  Congrats to the CAC for getting some national recognition.  Ready for things to get started.  Any news on how teams are doing with scrimmages or anything?  I know St. Mary's scrimmaged Howard Community College last night not sure how it turned out.  Howard Community College Head Coach Mike Smelkinson is a St. Mary's alum and was part of their CAC championship team and sweet 16 appearance in 2008. 

[CNU85]

CNU is still trying to figure things out with new folks and the loss of Biberaj. This season could go either way.....awesome or tank. Gotta love it!!! Let's get this thing started to see what happens!

[Teamski]

Well done Wesley!  A strong start with Langan at the lead.  90-76 win over John Hopkins is telling!  Looking forward to the rest of the season.

-Ski