MBB: Great South Athletic Conference

[Spencer Beaty]

Queen will be back; I am not sure if he will get any time or not, though.

[scottiedoug]

Yikes!  Another MC guard recruit who seems to bring some talent to the Scots.  More ammo for Killerball.

http://www.maryvillecollege.edu/athletics/news-detail.asp?sportNameID=5&id=3068

[old_lion]

Looks like help is on the way ... per the July newsletter ...
http://www.piedmontlions.com/sports/2007/8/27/newsletter.aspx?path=mbball

At least a couple of these new guys s/b impact players.  Add these guys, plus Josh Chapman, who went down with an inury last year after 4 games, and PC should have its best depth since 05-06.

In the 6-5 Arnold, I'm hoping we'll have a prototypical college small foward on the team for the first time since Kemmerer left Demorest.  

One potential problem, too many guards ... good news is, we s/b able to handle it ... we've been playing 3 or 4 guards at the time for years.

Excerpted from the news letter:

Newcomers To Join PC Men's Basketball 
The Lions' men's basketball team is proud to annouce the addition of four newcomers for the upcoming season. These four student-athletes will join a Piedmont team that returns all five starters from a year ago.

Tyler Arnold 6'5 Calhoun, GA/Calhoun
2008 All-State selection, missed entire 2008-09 year with ACL injury, named 2009 Georgia/Tennessee All-Star game Most Valuable Player and three-point shooting champion, averaged 20.5 points and 8.4 rebounds as a junior, 2008 NWGA Tip-Off Club Player of the Year

Jim Orr 6'9 Gainesville, GA/Johnson
2009 Lanierland All-Tournament team, led Johnson HS to second round appearance in Region 7-AAA tournament and runner-up finish in 2009 Lanierland Tournament

Peter Ricks 6'0 Alpharetta, GA/Chattahoochee
Transfer from Oxford College, 2008-2009 Junior College (Division III) All-American, Georgia Basketball Coaches Association NAIA/JuCo Newcomer of the Year, NJCAA National Player of the Week, averaged team-high 23.1 points per game

Jeremy Smith 5'9 Cincinnati, OH/Wyoming
Two-year varsity player who helped lead Wyoming HS to 17- 11 record in Cincinnati Hills League, named Best Playmaker at 2007 Hoop Mountain Midwest Super Week Camp, scored a career high 17 points against Madeira.

[old_lion]

One potential problem, too many guards ... good news is, we s/b able to handle it ... we've been playing 3 or 4 guards at the time for years.

Here's a thought ...

We'll have:
·   Great depth
·   Proportionately, too many guards
·   Some veterans who have proven they can play up-tempo
·   Even a couple of East Hall guys ...

So maybe ... we'll press more?  I can dream, can't I?

Consider this ... defensive rebounding and shot blocking have habitually been weak points.  Of course, we have to continue to try to improve in those areas.  But, they become less important if you can force your opponent to turn it over before they get a shot off.  I'm just saying ...

[scottiedoug]

Hi old_lion!

It looks like y'all have really improved the mix, especially with a couple of these young men.  Is the word that Arnold is completely ready after the injury?

[bballlover]

Old_Lion if I may I will take this one for you. It does appear Arnold is over the ACL injury.He did play very well in the GA/TN all-star game .He will need additional work to get back into playing shape.That should happen in the next couple of months.Hope all goes well for this young man.Could be a very nice piece to the puzzle.

[bballlover]

Also,congrats to Coach Graham Crain who joins the PC staff replacing Coach Parker.Any other coaching changes?

[old_lion]

Hi old_lion!

It looks like y'all have really improved the mix, especially with a couple of these young men.  Is the word that Arnold is completely ready after the injury?

Scottie, good to hear from you ... but I'm going to have to defer those insider info type questions to bballover.  I'm just not in the loop anymore.

Thanks bballover.

I'm curious about Ricks, the JUCO transfer from Oxford. 23ppg sounds impressive, but I don't remember hearing anything about him in high school ... And what does Division III JUCO mean?  Did Oxford play decent competion?

[bballlover]

Any time Old_Lion.I too am curious about Mr. Ricks.You have some of the very questions I have. 23 ppg is pretty good in any league, but we will just have to wait and see. Ask me in six or eight weeks.

[bballlover]

Covenant schedule shows games against every GSAC member, a good sign..http://athletics.covenant.edu/mbasketball/schedule

[Ralph Turner]

Covenant schedule shows games against every GSAC member, a good sign..http://athletics.covenant.edu/mbasketball/schedule

+1 Karma

Looks like that we shall see Covenant entering into the provisional class of D-III this season.

Let's look for the announcement from the NCAA next month. 

[batteredbard]

Does anyone see any advantage for the GSAC if the men become as USAC division?

Not to mention what would happen to this board! Would we be thrown in to the USAC board and lose our posting history <yikes>

But really, the GSAC schools do not get any guaranteed games with the current USAC schools, if they do play one of them they don't count toward league standings. Still have no idea how you take the top three from GSAC vs top 5 from USAC and make a fair tourney for either side.

Maryville - doesn't get the guaranteed games it really needs and probably has a harder road to get to the NCAAs as taking a second team for an expanded USAC probably not as likely as the current pool bid.

Piedmont - no extra games though arguably easy drive for the NC schools

LC, PC, HC - would get a guaranteed reward for a great season which would prevent the no bid for HC after winning the conf tourney thing from happening again but it would no longer be beating MC to get a title.

I'm failing to see the advantage under this proposal. And if this is the USAC insurance policy should they lose a football school they give up very little for a big win on that count. Without some guaranteed cross division play then it kills the GSAC as a men's conference for no real gain.

As far as I an tell the only step made has been the GSAC voting to investigate the option. The USAC is rumored to be voting soon though on what exactly is being voted on is hard to fathom. If its not a joint meeting of the two conference's members to vote on unification in some form then what is it, ys you may investiage the option with us? You can't accept an investigation if there's no offer on the table and no one wants to vote and wait on the other guy to vote later. If they are dancing around the matter, its a middle school dance with the parties gathered on opposite sides of the gym while the music plays.

Covenant doesn't get the league to a men's AQ but its a step closer.  I'd think tighter budgets might make some schools with required cross country travel for league play reconsider their position if things don't pick up soon, which could really help down the road.

Thoughts? Am I missing something important here?

[old_lion]

If they are dancing around the matter, its a middle school dance with the parties gathered on opposite sides of the gym while the music plays.

Nice analogy.

[wilburt]

But really, the GSAC schools do not get any guaranteed games with the current USAC schools, if they do play one of them they don't count toward league standings. Still have no idea how you take the top three from GSAC vs top 5 from USAC and make a fair tourney for either side.

***

Thoughts? Am I missing something important here?

The major objective is not a "fair tourney" for either side, but that the GSAC schools have access to a tourney that is an automatic qualifier for the "big tourney" bid.  Guaranteed games don't matter as much if you have access to an automatic qualifying bid! That's Pool B type thinking, and Pool B bids are becoming extinct as the years go on and the conferences grow...

[Ralph Turner]

Bard, When Shenandoah leaves the USASouth (probably in summer of 2010), the USA South has 2 years to add a member to keep the AQ in all of the current sports except football, where Maryville makes the difference.

I don't see a likely candidate to join the USA South in the provisional pipeline in that time period.  The easiest way to handle the AQ issue is the find affiliates for all of the sports.

Greensboro has put its campus up for collateral to cover its indebtedness.  Its financial situation is possibly tenuous.

The USA South is vulnerable to losing its AQ by fall 2012.

I think that they need several schools to give a cushion against the AQ and the GSAC men can do that.

Wilburt is right about Pool B.  Pool B is shrinking.