MBB: NEWMAC

[Hugenerd]

Congrats to Noel Hollingsworth for picking up Player of the Year honors and Mitchell Kates for picking up Rookie of the Year honors.  Hollingsworth was also named 1st Team and Kates was named 2nd team all-conference.

http://mitbasketball.blogspot.com/2010/03/noel-hollingsworth-named-newmac-player.html

[BBallers]

I have seen similar situations (none getting to the point of punches however) in a lot of games over the last few years where officials can’t seem to call a game consistently from start to finish and the players get frustrated that plays in one part of the game are let go, then all of a sudden the crew starts to call a completely different game.

If you look back at the play-by-play of the box score, WPI was called for 7 fouls in the next 3 minutes after the fight while Springfield was called for 1 (Cavalieri’s T with Etten).  In the 2.5 minutes before the fight, there was one foul called on each team.

I agree with your opinion on the officiating.  There appeared to be many questionable physical plays by Springfield when they played MIT that did not get called.  This is not to take anything away from Springfield because they were smart in continuing their physical play as long as it is not being called.  The referees should do a better job as that is how games can easily get out of control.

MIT already has at least 3 more 6'5"-6'9" forwards players that have verbally comitted to MIT.  One is the recently mentioned Will Dickson, who at 6'8"-6'9" is averaging nearly a double double with 17.5ppg and 9.5 ppg for his high school in Dallas. 

Also 6'6" Tim Donegan, another forward recruit of the Pittsburgh area has already let his interest in MIT known with an article in the Pitt Tribune (Donegan to MIT article)

I agree that it appears that MIT is getting a lot of good recruits.  It's also worth mentioning that Jamie (6'5" shooting guard or small forward) who started last year will be back for MIT.  IMHO, Jamie will probably move into Billy Johnson's spot in the lineup, but hopefully there will be good competition at all spots.

I hope that both Clark and MIT will win their first two NCAA games so they can play each other again with both teams healthy.

[mass_d3fan]

First off,

  Congradulations to ALL those recieving honors from the conference today.

Player of the Year
Noel Hollingsworth, MIT

Rookie of the Year
Mitchell Kates, MIT

Coach of the Year
Charlie Brock, Springfield

Sportsmanship Award
Coast Guard Academy

First Team All-Conference
Noel Hollingsworth, MIT
Mark Alexander, Clark
Brian Vayda, Clark
Matt Cavalieri, Springfield
Jeffrey Robinson, WPI 

Second Team All-Conference
Mitchell Kates, MIT
Pat Crean, Springfield
Anthony Coppola, Wheaton
Brendan Degnan, Wheaton
Kyle Nadeau, WPI

I have seen similar situations (none getting to the point of punches however) in a lot of games over the last few years where officials can’t seem to call a game consistently from start to finish and the players get frustrated that plays in one part of the game are let go, then all of a sudden the crew starts to call a completely different game.

If you look back at the play-by-play of the box score, WPI was called for 7 fouls in the next 3 minutes after the fight while Springfield was called for 1 (Cavalieri’s T with Etten).  In the 2.5 minutes before the fight, there was one foul called on each team.

I agree with your opinion on the officiating.  There appeared to be many questionable physical plays by Springfield when they played MIT that did not get called.  This is not to take anything away from Springfield because they were smart in continuing their physical play as long as it is not being called.  The referees should do a better job as that is how games can easily get out of control.

I agree with you that a savvy team will continue to push the edge of what is being called and not being called.  The officials MUST be better at establishing in the first few minutes what the game is going to be and then calling that game until the very end.  The best officiated games I have seen in ANY sport are the ones where you don't walk away talking about the officiating.

There is nothing more frustrating as a player than to get called for a foul halfway through the 2nd half of a game when you and your opposition have been playing that way the whole game with no calls.  It is the same as an umpire all of a sudden changing the strike zone halfway through a game, or in football when the refs start calling pass interference in the fourth quarter after letting the same kinds of plays go for 3 qtrs.

The single biggest thing we all look for in officials is consistency from the tip-off until the final buzzer!

[Hugenerd]

I have seen similar situations (none getting to the point of punches however) in a lot of games over the last few years where officials can't seem to call a game consistently from start to finish and the players get frustrated that plays in one part of the game are let go, then all of a sudden the crew starts to call a completely different game.

If you look back at the play-by-play of the box score, WPI was called for 7 fouls in the next 3 minutes after the fight while Springfield was called for 1 (Cavalieri's T with Etten).  In the 2.5 minutes before the fight, there was one foul called on each team.

I agree with your opinion on the officiating.  There appeared to be many questionable physical plays by Springfield when they played MIT that did not get called.  This is not to take anything away from Springfield because they were smart in continuing their physical play as long as it is not being called.  The referees should do a better job as that is how games can easily get out of control.

MIT already has at least 3 more 6'5"-6'9" forwards players that have verbally comitted to MIT.  One is the recently mentioned Will Dickson, who at 6'8"-6'9" is averaging nearly a double double with 17.5ppg and 9.5 ppg for his high school in Dallas.  

Also 6'6" Tim Donegan, another forward recruit of the Pittsburgh area has already let his interest in MIT known with an article in the Pitt Tribune (Donegan to MIT article)

I agree that it appears that MIT is getting a lot of good recruits.  It's also worth mentioning that Jamie (6'5" shooting guard or small forward) who started last year will be back for MIT.  IMHO, Jamie will probably move into Billy Johnson's spot in the lineup, but hopefully there will be good competition at all spots.

I hope that both Clark and MIT will win their first two NCAA games so they can play each other again with both teams healthy.

They could also be getting back Dan McCue, who was a starting guard 2 years ago.  He can play both the point and shooting guard.  He was injured last year and is abroad/injured this season.  

[BBallers]

They could also be getting back Dan McCue, who was a starting guard 2 years ago.  He can play both the point and shooting guard.  He was injured last year and is abroad/injured this season. 

I forgot all about "D-Mac".  MIT will really be loaded next season.  I hope that MIT plays more D1 and other strong competition next season.  I bet you could let about 80% of our pre-conference opposing coaches choose 5 MIT players who would not play and MIT would still go undefeated.

But that is next season.  I hope MIT plays strong again in the NCAA's beginning this weekend and start playing an underdog role that could help control the playoff nervousness.

[newmachoopsfan]

This is my first post.  I read an article about Jimmy Bartolotta and his success at MIT and I was very impressed.  I started following the team's success this winter and it sounds like they have a great mix of veteran leadership and young talent.  I saw the NCAA selection clip on the blog and it sounds like the coach is a very impressive guy.  Do they have a good match up against the first team or two they face?

[remsleep]

This is my first post.  I read an article about Jimmy Bartolotta and his success at MIT and I was very impressed.  I started following the team's success this winter and it sounds like they have a great mix of veteran leadership and young talent.  I saw the NCAA selection clip on the blog and it sounds like the coach is a very impressive guy.  Do they have a good match up against the first team or two they face?

NMHF---MIT will be playing against DeSales on Friday night...although MIT will outsize them, DeSales runs almost all their stuff through their guards who are very good...teams that do this with quality at the guard position generally give MIT problems....expectation is this will be a close game and should be viewed currently as a toss-up.  Either way, the winner of this game may be playing William Patterson on Saturday ( assuming WP defeats Albertus Magnus)....highly unlikely that either MIT or DeSales will prevail over William Patterson...they're pretty stacked and certainly a lot more athletic than MIT....having said all that many many kudos to Coach Anderson ( by the way, he IS a very impressive guy) and and his team...they will continue to progress in the next few years because they are recruiting very effectively

[mass_d3fan]

Congratulations to Ben Etten & Matt Carr of WPI on receiving Academic All-Conference Honors.

Also congrats go out to Noel Hollinsworth, Billy Bender, Jamie Karraker & Pat Sissman of MIT, Conner Flynn of Springfield College and David Opp of Clark University.

These young men show us they can play the game at a high level, but also commit to achieving at the highest levels in the classroom too.  After all that is the real purpose for being at these schools.

Here is the WPI release.

Babson Park, MA --- A pair of New Hampshire natives represent WPI on the 2009-2010 NEWMAC Men's Basketball All-Academic team.  Junior Ben Etten (Hollis, NH) receives the honor for the second straight season, while Matt Carr (Somersworth, NH) earns his first academic accolade from the conference.

WPI joined conference regular season champion MIT as the only NEWMAC institution with multiple student-athletes named to the squad.

Both WPI players have distinguished themselves on the court and in the classroom.  Etten, a junior, was selected in early February to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I first team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (Co-SIDA), while Carr, a sophomore, boasts a perfect 4.00 GPA.

Honorees must have met the following criteria: earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5/4.0 scale or 4.35/5.0 scale after the 2009 fall semester, achieved second year academic status at her institution, and been a member of the varsity team for the entire season.

The NEWMAC consists of 10 highly selective institutions committed to academic excellence: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

The Engineers won a pair of NEWMAC Tournament contests last week before falling to Clark 74-68 in the championship game.  WPI, 20-7 on the season, joined Wooster (OH) and Maryville (TN) as the only Division III programs with 20 or more wins in the each of the past seven seasons.   

NEWMAC Release


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 2009-10 NEWMAC Men's Basketball Academic All-Conference Team

David Opp                 2011  Clark 

Billy Bender               2012  MIT 

Noel Hollingsworth    2012  MIT 

Jamie Karraker          2012  MIT 

Patrick Sissman         2010  MIT 

Conner Flynn             2012  Springfield

Matt Carr                  2012  WPI 

Ben Etten                  2011  WPI 

[Hugenerd]

This is my first post.  I read an article about Jimmy Bartolotta and his success at MIT and I was very impressed.  I started following the team's success this winter and it sounds like they have a great mix of veteran leadership and young talent.  I saw the NCAA selection clip on the blog and it sounds like the coach is a very impressive guy.  Do they have a good match up against the first team or two they face?

NMHF---MIT will be playing against DeSales on Friday night...although MIT will outsize them, DeSales runs almost all their stuff through their guards who are very good...teams that do this with quality at the guard position generally give MIT problems....expectation is this will be a close game and should be viewed currently as a toss-up.  Either way, the winner of this game may be playing William Patterson on Saturday ( assuming WP defeats Albertus Magnus)....highly unlikely that either MIT or DeSales will prevail over William Patterson...they're pretty stacked and certainly a lot more athletic than MIT....having said all that many many kudos to Coach Anderson ( by the way, he IS a very impressive guy) and and his team...they will continue to progress in the next few years because they are recruiting very effectively

I think a lot will depend on how healthy MIT's guards are.  If Bender and Kates are close to 100%, they will have a pretty good shot.  MIT will definitely outsize DeSales, as they dont play anyone over 6'4" more than ~10 minutes a game, and MIT will start 6'2", 6'5", 6'8", 6'8", 6'9", but the game will depend on how much MIT can slow down Darnell Braswell and who shoots better from outside.  If MIT is -18 or more points from 3, they will have a tough time beating anyone.

Also, with respect to William Paterson, and not overlooking DeSales in any way, but I think an MIT/WP matchup would be a very close game.  Both play similar styles and both are top ~7 in the country in scoring defense, which makes me think that if they were to play, the game would be low scoring and both teams would have a shot at it.  I think DeSales and WP are both very good teams though, so there is no telling who is coming out of that pod (Albertus Magnus also has a lot of talent).

[Hugenerd]

This is my first post.  I read an article about Jimmy Bartolotta and his success at MIT and I was very impressed.  I started following the team's success this winter and it sounds like they have a great mix of veteran leadership and young talent.  I saw the NCAA selection clip on the blog and it sounds like the coach is a very impressive guy.  Do they have a good match up against the first team or two they face?

Welcome to the board.

[emesb]

I wuld love to see MIT and Clark win at least a couple games each. That would make a nice statement for the NEWMAC. Good luck Boys. I hope all are healthy and ready for the tourney.

[emesb]

I have a question of others more experienced than me. Do teams run into big changes in the way games are called by the refs when they travel out of the northeast or are the games just as physical everywhere or even more so.

[Pat Coleman]

Don't forget, final three-plus hours to enter the D3hoops.com bracket challenge.

You have extra time for the women's bracket, since the first game isn't until 4 p.m. ET on Friday.

http://www.d3hoops.com/pickem/

(And yes, emesb, I would say the style of officiating varies significantly across the country, though I don't know it well enough to characterize it.)

[BBallers]

MIT will be playing against DeSales on Friday night...although MIT will outsize them, DeSales runs almost all their stuff through their guards who are very good...teams that do this with quality at the guard position generally give MIT problems....expectation is this will be a close game and should be viewed currently as a toss-up.  Either way, the winner of this game may be playing William Patterson on Saturday ( assuming WP defeats Albertus Magnus)....highly unlikely that either MIT or DeSales will prevail over William Patterson...they're pretty stacked and certainly a lot more athletic than MIT....having said all that many many kudos to Coach Anderson ( by the way, he IS a very impressive guy) and and his team...they will continue to progress in the next few years because they are recruiting very effectively

I think a lot will depend on how healthy MIT's guards are.  If Bender and Kates are close to 100%, they will have a pretty good shot.  MIT will definitely outsize DeSales, as they dont play anyone over 6'4" more than ~10 minutes a game, and MIT will start 6'2", 6'5", 6'8", 6'8", 6'9", but the game will depend on how much MIT can slow down Darnell Braswell and who shoots better from outside.  If MIT is -18 or more points from 3, they will have a tough time beating anyone.

Also, with respect to William Paterson, and not overlooking DeSales in any way, but I think an MIT/WP matchup would be a very close game.  Both play similar styles and both are top ~7 in the country in scoring defense, which makes me think that if they were to play, the game would be low scoring and both teams would have a shot at it.  I think DeSales and WP are both very good teams though, so there is no telling who is coming out of that pod (Albertus Magnus also has a lot of talent).
[/quote]
Appreciate the DeSales preview and analysis.  I agree it will be a tough matchup for MIT.  I believe Kates is close to 100% and Bender was cleared to play but still has a high ankle sprain.  BTW, the game is being shown on video (link is at the MIT website under "Schedule/Results").

I hope everyone filled in their D3 Mens brackets on this website.  My only chance of being close to a high score is if MIT goes all the way!  

[BBallers]

I wuld love to see MIT and Clark win at least a couple games each. That would make a nice statement for the NEWMAC. Good luck Boys. I hope all are healthy and ready for the tourney.

Me too!  Go NEWMAC!  Hope Clark and MIT face each other again after winning a couple of games.

I have a question of others more experienced than me. Do teams run into big changes in the way games are called by the refs when they travel out of the northeast or are the games just as physical everywhere or even more so.

LOL, I have seen so many games called differently by different officiating crews during our conference games, sometimes with the same crew (but not often).  Suffice to say that there will be some adjusting by all the teams.  The home team probably feels more comfortable and will have the fan support.  I just hope MIT and Clark perform well and not let the referees influence the game too much.  If DeSales smaller team fouls the larger MIT players, I hope it will be called fairly.  DeSales may be quicker and more athletic, but hopefully that won't influence the officials calls or no calls.