MBB: Ohio Athletic Conference

imderekpoe · March 06, 2011, 08:28:33 AM

Quote from: davepi2 on March 05, 2011, 11:30:31 PM
Can you imagine how much the house would be rocking in wooster next week if the scots and pioneers were too play each other. Better get your tickets early because it will be a full house and the place too be in ohio basketball. Hope the students are still on campus next week(doubt it, maybe one of the great fans of wooster can clear that up). It would be great to have the pipers again.

Spring break begins on Friday at Wooster. I believe that last year, when the Scots hosted rounds 1-2 and break was a week earlier, the College allowed students to stay on campus for the weekend to attend the games.

David Collinge · March 07, 2011, 10:22:46 PM

Marietta fans:
Here's a link to Wooster's Sectional Tournament information page.

Cali-Scot · March 12, 2011, 02:45:53 PM

Congrats to Marietta on a great season!

ohiofan1954 · March 12, 2011, 10:33:42 PM

I agree congratulations on a great season. A shame you didn't make it too saturday night, what a night that would have been. Still a great season and looking forward to watching you next year. The game I saw at otterbein was the best I saw all year(I saw 30 this year) and I am sure next year the team will once again put forth a great performance.

Dr. Acula · March 16, 2011, 07:11:04 PM

Lee Hood resigned today according to a release from MUC. He was 250-246. Nice guy, but the new blood is overdue. Maybe the resurgence of the women's program got LK thinking that the men should be better?

ste24vie · March 16, 2011, 09:06:55 PM

Now if the retirement bus will just make a stop in Westerville, Otterbein's program can get back on track. It's time to move forward. Too many worthy student-athletes deserve more.

Dr. Acula · March 16, 2011, 09:38:13 PM

I don't think it was the retirement bus. My guess is it was more like the resign or else bus.

David Collinge · March 16, 2011, 10:52:54 PM

Marietta is extremely well-represented on the D3hoops.com All-Great Lakes Region Team. The Pioneers placed one player on each of the All-Region teams, including third-teamer Tyler Hammond, also tabbed as the Regional Rookie of the Year. Jon VanderWal was also selected as the Regional Coach of the Year. Congratulations to these two, as well as Pioneer teammates Trevor Halter (the only non-senior on the 1st team) and Kevin Knab (2nd team), and Otterbein's Chris Davis (3rd team), on their selection!

raiderpa · March 17, 2011, 07:54:34 AM

two words for mount union

Randy Montgomery

Over 500 high school wins, former Huggins assistant, great x and o and the mentality to make umu a winner

Onward on, John Carroll · March 17, 2011, 09:03:08 AM

Is Monty the way to go? He made a conscious decision almost 30 years ago to take the high school routed while Huggins' other assistant, Dan Peters, chose to go the college route. If he did not want to recruit (although some would say he did that well, and when necessary, during his years at Hoover and Triway) and have the grind of being a college basketball coach when he was 25 years old, what makes us think that he will want to do it now at 55 or so? My other question would be: Is the campus big enough for both LK and Monty? If you know Monty, you know that is a valid question.

On the flip side, but for the same reasons as above, does Mount Union want to "go old" with this hire? They have "gone young" with their last three coaching hires – women's basketball, wrestling and track -- and the results have been outstanding. I don't think that you risk getting a coach past his prime who does not have the energy -- whether he realizes that or not -- to give to the job. This could be a Muskingum debacle all over again and, arguably, Geno Ford was a better high school coach than Monty.

My two cents on what will surely be a frontrunner to get the job in the minds of the Stark County community: Randy Montgomery

Onward on, John Carroll · March 17, 2011, 09:06:15 AM

I will ask you this . . . I know Marietta brings back everybody but would Coach VW think aboiut making the intraconference jump? He is not from Marietta and he is young which leads me to belevie that he would consider making a move ot a better situation. I know Alliance is not the big city but Canton is nearby and Cleveland is an hour away which has to be more attractive than Parkersbug and Charleston. Plus, he would have a larger recruiting base nearer to his school than he has at Marietta. Just a thought as he is this year's hot young coach at the D3 level and unless he is willing to be an assistant at the higher levels, his pedigree (D3 player, asst., head coach) right now shows that he is next move will have to be within D3.

ScotsFan · March 17, 2011, 10:51:06 AM

Quote from: Onward on, John Carroll on March 17, 2011, 09:06:15 AM
I will ask you this . . . I know Marietta brings back everybody but would Coach VW think aboiut making the intraconference jump? He is not from Marietta and he is young which leads me to belevie that he would consider making a move ot a better situation. I know Alliance is not the big city but Canton is nearby and Cleveland is an hour away which has to be more attractive than Parkersbug and Charleston. Plus, he would have a larger recruiting base nearer to his school than he has at Marietta. Just a thought as he is this year's hot young coach at the D3 level and unless he is willing to be an assistant at the higher levels, his pedigree (D3 player, asst., head coach) right now shows that he is next move will have to be within D3.

I would highly doubt this would even be a thought by Coach VW. I don't know him at all, but the fact is, the players he recruited in his first class to turn Marietta around to the program it is today are all going to be seniors next year. No way does Coach VW leave them high and dry to go to another school in need of rebuilding, especially a school in the same conference.

I would guess, the only thing to lure Coach VW away from Marietta would be if an opening became available at his alma mater (Albion) or another job opened up in Michigan or possibly a job at a DI or II program. I just can't see Coach VW walking out on his seniors and the promise of how special of a season Marietta could be in store for next year considering they have EVERYONE returning from this year's sweet 16 squad.

Gregory Sager · March 17, 2011, 02:48:46 PM

Quote from: Onward on, John Carroll on March 17, 2011, 09:03:08 AM
Is Monty the way to go? He made a conscious decision almost 30 years ago to take the high school routed while Huggins' other assistant, Dan Peters, chose to go the college route. If he did not want to recruit (although some would say he did that well, and when necessary, during his years at Hoover and Triway) and have the grind of being a college basketball coach when he was 25 years old, what makes us think that he will want to do it now at 55 or so? My other question would be: Is the campus big enough for both LK and Monty? If you know Monty, you know that is a valid question.

On the flip side, but for the same reasons as above, does Mount Union want to "go old" with this hire? They have "gone young" with their last three coaching hires – women's basketball, wrestling and track -- and the results have been outstanding. I don't think that you risk getting a coach past his prime who does not have the energy -- whether he realizes that or not -- to give to the job. This could be a Muskingum debacle all over again and, arguably, Geno Ford was a better high school coach than Monty.

My two cents on what will surely be a frontrunner to get the job in the minds of the Stark County community: Randy Montgomery

You say that as though hiring an older coach is all downside and hiring a younger coach is all upside. 'taint so. More often than not, older coaches have the experience, the knowledge, the wisdom, the perspective, and the connections that younger coaches lack. As for youthful energy translating into more success on the recruiting trail, there's four things to keep in mind: 1) While younger guys may have more get-up-and-go and more enthusiasm, youth is sometimes seen as off-putting and middle-age seasoning is often an asset in the eyes of the people who need to be sold on a school (because they're the ones who pay the bills at the D3 level) -- the parents; 2) depending upon whether or not Mount Union has an assistant coaching position on the athletics staff that is either full-time or close to full-time in terms of being devoted to men's basketball, it's likely that the head coach will be delegating a lot of the recruiting footwork to a younger assistant, anyway; 3) energy level is relative and is not necessarily pegged to age; and 4) there tends to be a lot more turnover among younger coaches than among older coaches, particularly in an iffy economy in which job security is at a premium.

Onward on, John Carroll · March 17, 2011, 03:48:07 PM

I certainly did not mean to come off as saying that a young coach is always preferable. My original point was to say that this particular older coach -- who will be mentioned time again because he is a successful, local coach who is also a Mount Union alumnus -- may not be the right choice at this time. I do see that I started to speak in generalities toward the end but I meant to apply this only to that one particular coach.

I am just suspect on giving the keys to a high school coach who has not had college experience for 30 years. He might be great, he might not be great. Just throwing my thoughts out there.

. . .and the fact is that Mount Union has gone young and somewhat inexperienced with all of their recent coaching hires and I would not be surprised if they did that again.

Onward on, John Carroll · March 17, 2011, 03:52:52 PM

ScotsFan - I tend to agree with you but, in coaching, if you evaluate your position in life and your job and you come to the conclusion that you do not want to end your career where you are at, sometimes you have to strike while the iron is hot and his iron is hot. If Mount comes in with more money and more resources, he might consider it but, again, I tend to agree that he will not jump intraleague.

I think the more likely question he is going to have to ask himself in the immediate future: Do I want to make the jump to scholarship level basketball and, if I do, am I willing to be an assistant at the D1 level or take over a struggling D2 program. I just do not think he has the resume at this point to get a good job at the higher levels.

All that aside, it will be real tough to leave a Sweet 16 team that has everyone coming back and he may think that "Hey - I'm young and I will have more opportunities in the future."