MBB: Great South Athletic Conference

[old_lion]

When Covenant joins the GSAC does the All-GSAC team expand to 10?

According to currently existing logic, they will ... and then, when Berry joins, I guess they'll go to 12.   

[mattgrubb]

come on now
Obviously Hernandez will be POY and the scots will win another GSAC championships, these are not arguments.

why fisk was ejected from the conference is not an argument either.  it was obvious.
Why Rust will not be admitted is obvious as well.

Let's get some arguments going on here.

With only 4 teams, it is hard to get an all conference team, especially when Maryville has 5 or 6 guys that are better than anyone else in the conference and most of the selections are based on numbers.
Williamson and McGill are players and would be a great addition and probably have all conference numbers on any other gsac team.
Coppage would not have all gsac numbers at MC.
the grubby one would have all gsac numbers at any gsac school.
The Jackroberts aka the sitch is a bum. ( this is a fact)

Old Lion, lets argue over those statements about who would and would not have all conference numbers on different teams.  And lets agree on the sitch being a bum.

[coachwgh]

We are obviously not as strong of a conference from top to bottom as the ODAC/USA South/SCAC, but I would be very interested in seeing our 10 best individuals against those three conferences 10 best. 

[scottiedoug]

That would be very interesting.  The USASouth and ODAC do some sort of game along those lines, I think.  Maybe the GSAC and SCAC could do something like it?

[coachwgh]

This is not basketball related.  It is mainly for wilburt, but you all may find it interesting.

http://www.lagrange.edu/news/JubileeSingers.aspx

[old_lion]

OK coach H, you bring up some points worthy of discussion ... I'll bite.

Obviously the scots will win another GSAC championship.

Obviously, Murvul has been, and still is, the premier program in the gsac.  You imply that they are superior in every way ... better players, better coaches, better winning tradition, etc. etc.  While I don't disagree that most, if not all, of that is true, I think you overstate the case ... especially with regard to the quality of players.

Maryville has 5 or 6 guys that are better than anyone else in the conference

I strongly disagree with that statement.  Yeah, Murvul usually has the best talent. But in the years I'm familiar with, no way has Murvul ever had the 5 or 6 best guys in the gsac.  If that were the case, how did PC upset MC this year?  If MC had the 5 or 6 best players in the gym, then Glenn must have been a lot better coach than Lambert that day ... Is that what you think happened?  Maybe he did out coach Lambert that day ... I don't know.  But, I don't think PC could have overcome the talent gap, if MC had the 6 best players.

But back to the talent issue ...  MC always has the best depth, the best overall talent (In other words, MC's second 5 could probably start somewhere in the gsac) ... but they have never had all the best players.  IMHO, over the last few years, the rest of the gsac has always had a handful of really good players that could have successfully competed for playing time at MC.

Regarding ...

Coppage would not have all gsac numbers at MC.
the grubby one would have all gsac numbers at any gsac school.

Those statements seem to imply, in general, that good, non-Murval players couldn't get the PT at Murvul to be outstanding, and conversly, Murvul players could go elsewhere and be stars. I'm sure that line of reasoning has some validity ... but, there are always at least two sides to every issue.

Here is another side ...  maybe it is not quite as easy, as you seem to imply, for a good player to still be as good, with less help.  Basketball is, after all, ultimately a team game.

You don't think it is easier for a good player to excel in a better program, with better coaches, surrounded by teammates that are, on average, better than the opposition?

Take a typical PG, for instance ... put him on a better team, with a more efficient offense, with teammates who are better finishers ... you don't think it would be easier for him to get more assists and less T/Os?  In short, to look better, both on the court and on paper ...  Would Laverdiere have that killer assist to T/O ratio anywhere else in the gsac?

Take a typical big time scorer ... put him in a situation where he has more help ... put him in a situation where the other team isn't always focusing primarily on stopping him.  You don't think that should enable him to be a more efficient scorer?  (Don't you think his PG would have an easier time getting him the ball if everyone in the frickin gym didn't know where the ball was likely to go.  It s/b easier for everyone's #s to look better, on a better team.) Theoretically, shouldn't his PPS #s go up?  That point is one of the strongest arguments for Coppage.

I think Hernandez is the POY.  He is 6'6, as opposed to the 5'10 Coppage ... and, according to you, he has vastly superior teammates. Look at the PPS #s ... (by the way, Rubio is 3rd among the all-gsac candidates at 1.53 PPS.)  You don't think Greg has been set up for a lot more easy opportunities than Sam has?  That 1.87 PPS is extremely impressive ... especially considering their respective, overall situations.

Player         FG Pct 3 Pct  FT Pct   rpg ppg    PPS    apg tpg  spg bpg
Coppage      44.6% 53.3% 87.6%   1.8 10.0   1.87   3.2 2.7   1.1 0.0
Hernandez    60.3%  0.0% 80.0%   9.6 19.9   1.58   1.7 2.8   1.1 1.0

And, Sam is only playing 19.8 mpg, PC is much more Murvul-like in their depth this year.  IMHO, that is the biggest single factor in their improved record this season.

If the significance of those PPS #s don't jump out at you ... well, I can't think of a diplomatic comment, if that's the case.

[old_lion]

But, none of the above will really matter, when it comes to all-gsac selections.  We both know the gsac brain trust has never given the issue that much thoughtful consideration. Here is my prediction as to what they will come up with ...

All-Conference Team
Greg Hernandez, Maryville, SR, C, Miami, Fla., 19.9 ppg, 9.6 rpg.
Eryk Watson, Maryville, JR, G, Powder Springs, Ga., 16.6 ppg., 4.0 rpg.
Nic Whitfield, LaGrange, JR, F, Stockbridge, Ga., 16.2 ppg., 8.0 rpg.
J.C. Herebia, Piedmont, SR, F, Pharr, Texas, 14.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg.
Michael Rubio, Piedmont, SR, G, Cumming, Ga., 13.7 ppg., 2.3 rpg.
Reggie Sprouse, Huntingdon, SR, G, Montgomery, Ala., 13.6 ppg., 5.2 rpg.
Joe Cromwell, LaGrange, SR, G, Atlanta, Ga., 13.6 ppg., 4.9 rpg.
Ephriam Hudson, Huntingdon, JR, G, Montgomery, Ala., 11.0 ppg., 3.2 rpg.


Of course, this is subject to change should someone else break into the top 8 in scoring ... sigh ...

[old_lion]

Coppage would not have all gsac numbers at MC.

Sam doesn't have all gsac numbers at PC.  But, a lot more than just numbers, should be considered.

[old_lion]

OK coach H, you bring up some points worthy of discussion ... I'll bite.

Coach H,

My bad.  I read carelessly this morning ... or maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. After all, I am an old Lion. 

But anyway, I mistakenly thought Grubbs comments were yours ...  Now that I reread them, I see that they were a little "plain spoken" for you.  I now recognize Grubb's distinctive style.   

[mattgrubb]

The Grubby one would be POY this year and every year, that is why The Grubby one is the undisputed king of the gsac
It is tough get good numbers on the murvul team, there is only one ball, but the individual talent of the role players does not need to be missed. Damron, Mcgill, and Lambert will put up big numbers next year and they could do it now, but there is only one ball.
That is why i like rebounds and steals.  you can get those any time.

[RustCollege]

I know they not n your conference but what yall think of these two players  from Rust College i know some of yall seen them play some of the teams in the GSAC

#40 Larry Veasley(Low Post)

Games played: 21
Minutes/game: 26.5
Points/game: 15.2
FG Pct: 59.7
3FG Pct: 0.0
FT Pct: 70.0

Rebounds/game: 8.8
Assists/game: 0.7
Turnovers/game: 1.6
Assist/turnover ratio: 0.5
Steals/game: 1.0
Blocks/game: 0.4

#23 Markeith Wilson

Games played: 23
Minutes/game: 24.9
Points/game: 15.4
FG Pct: 49.2
3FG Pct: 40.7
FT Pct: 52.3

Rebounds/game: 2.8
Assists/game: 1.0
Turnovers/game: 1.5
Assist/turnover ratio: 0.7
Steals/game: 1.2
Blocks/game: 0.1

[scottiedoug]

The only time I saw Rust this year was at Maryville.  Wilson was 1 - 4 with no rebounds and 7 points in 15 minutes.  Veasley was 4 - 9 with 10 rebounds and 8 points and no assists with 4 turnovers in 22 minutes.   They must have done better elsewhere.

[hasanova]

That would be very interesting.  The USASouth and ODAC do some sort of game along those lines, I think.  Maybe the GSAC and SCAC could do something like it?

The USASAC and the ODAC have a postseason (after the Final Four) game with seniors only ... not always the best players in the league that year, but certainly many of them are.  They alternate venues between the two conferences and also have a women's game to complete the double-header.

[scottiedoug]

Nice article in Blount Today by Stefan Cooper about the Piedmont-Maryville games this weekend:

http://www.maryvillecollege.edu/athletics/news-detail.asp?sportNameID=5&id=3369

[old_lion]

And a special shout out to Tracy Gardner. He is not the type of guy that is going to make an all-gsac team ... but he is a winner.  If I'm not mistaken, he is the guy that made 2 FTs to send the Murvul game into OT.  He is a solid synergy guy (PC's leading rebounder and a top defender) who does all the little things that help you win.  PC is 2 and 2 (0 and 2 in the gsac) since they lost him.

I'm afraid it appears I was on to something re Gardner's synergistic value to the team.

http://www.piedmontlions.com/news/2010/2/17/02_17_10_mball.aspx?path=mbball

Lions were 13 - 6 with Gardner ... and are now 2 - 3 since losing him.  And to be honest, those two wins were not against the toughest competition.  (Not to overstate the case, but the Lion's would have won those two with me taking Tracy's place in the starting lineup.  Hey, I can still move the ball and hit the open jumper ... sometimes.  And ... I could take it to the hole while my defender was on the floor laughing. )

But, I digress.  Good luck Lions ... in bouncing back and finishing a good season on a strong note.