MBB: NEWMAC

[7express]

Thrilled about all 3 in! 

My initial gut is that WPI does not have a favorable draw.  Will be back with some comments after some research.

Ehh, now that I look at it, it's not that bad.  They'll have more problems with Randolph-Macon then Stevens, but I think they should get to the sweet 16.

[WPI89]

amh63 - yeah I figured they would have set it up to play one of the NESCACs in the sweet 16. Did not think it would be Ahmerst.

You can only play who they put in front of you but a very big SUNY Purchase team - a traditional power in Randolph Macon and then Amherst would be about as tough as it could get.

You have to love your draw?  Midd fans have to be ecstatic?  Maybe Williams not so much?

[remsleep]

An 8 loss team from the NEWMAC gets to host another 8 loss team?   how is this reasonable?

[WPI89]

WPI played 7 tourney teams this year (MIT, Springfield, RIC, Husson, Curry, Elms, Fitchburg) and 10 total games against tourney teams.  They beat them all - going 8-2 total.

That is a pretty good stat.

[Hugenerd]

An 8 loss team from the NEWMAC gets to host another 8 loss team?   how is this reasonable?

Geographic proximity? 

[remsleep]

An 8 loss team from the NEWMAC gets to host another 8 loss team?   how is this reasonable?

Geographic proximity?

   then it must be the same logic used in sending 20-5 MIT to 23-4 St. Mary's College   haha....again, wow

[Hugenerd]

2013 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team and Award Winners

NEWMAC Athlete of the Year:
Will Tashman, MIT

NEWMAC Rookie of the Year:
Aaron Davis, WPI

NEWMAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player:
Ryan Kolb, WPI

NEWMAC Coach of the Year:
Chris Bartley, WPI

NEWMAC Sportsmanship Award:
Coast Guard Academy

First Team All-Conference
John Wickey, Babson
Brian Vayda, Clark
Mitchell Kates, MIT
Will Tashman, MIT
Alex Berthiaume, Springfield

Second Team All-Conference
D.J. Bailey, Clark
Matt Redfield, MIT
Jordan Rote, Springfield
Marco Coppola, WPI
Ryan Kolb, WPI



I had 9 of the players right (I omitted DJ Bailey), but also had Coppola and Wickey switched. Davis from WPI wins ROY.

MIT gets good representation - Tash wins POY.  Kates and Tash make 1st team, Redfield make 2nd team.

[walzy31]

I've had a love-hate relationship with Mitchell Kates the past two seasons as I would see him floating around MIT's campus. Love his play but hated him because I wanted to see an Amherst / MIT match up and would be pulling for the purple and white. Now that the only way Mitchell would be squaring off against Amherst is in the National Championship game (which would be awesome for the region and for me), I feel comfortable in saying a few things about the kid:

He is a great person and it's great to find that special mix of a student-athlete who has:
1) Brilliance on the court
2) Intelligence in the classroom
3) Personality worth chatting with

That's all. A very nice kid, good representative of MIT, and also of the NEWMAC. I'm sad I don't get to see my schools square off.

[remsleep]

I've had a love-hate relationship with Mitchell Kates the past two seasons as I would see him floating around MIT's campus. Love his play but hated him because I wanted to see an Amherst / MIT match up and would be pulling for the purple and white. Now that the only way Mitchell would be squaring off against Amherst is in the National Championship game (which would be awesome for the region and for me), I feel comfortable in saying a few things about the kid:

He is a great person and it's great to find that special mix of a student-athlete who has:
1) Brilliance on the court
2) Intelligence in the classroom
3) Personality worth chatting with

That's all. A very nice kid, good representative of MIT, and also of the NEWMAC. I'm sad I don't get to see my schools square off.

Ditto that Walzy

[rlk]

MIT gets good representation - Tash wins POY.  Kates and Tash make 1st team, Redfield make 2nd team.

Tash richly deserved POY.  He has had an absolutely brilliant season. Nice to see him get his 1000th rebound and 1st dunk on the same play (putting back a "missed layup" that just happened to bounce off right into his hands): http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Wheelock-20130217/28058014_QCdPbG#!i=2370242528&k=xS54jfV

Matt Redfield has really come into his own this season, from occasional sub to starter and a massive force in the post.  This really says it all: http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Wheelock-20130217/28058014_QCdPbG#!i=2370051697&k=45Lq7LX

As far as Mitch goes, I don't have all afternoon to sort through photos and clips, but this one from his freshman year against Harvard says a lot, if any of you can get it to play (it isn't playing for me right now, for reasons I don't know).  He didn't make the shot, but you'll notice he blew by his defender like he was standing still.  You'll notice another well-known player on the floor... http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-Harvard-Mens-Basketball/10786526_HrVt6D#!i=2249844747&k=57Pb4c2

[rlk]

I've had a love-hate relationship with Mitchell Kates the past two seasons as I would see him floating around MIT's campus. Love his play but hated him because I wanted to see an Amherst / MIT match up and would be pulling for the purple and white. Now that the only way Mitchell would be squaring off against Amherst is in the National Championship game (which would be awesome for the region and for me), I feel comfortable in saying a few things about the kid:

He is a great person and it's great to find that special mix of a student-athlete who has:
1) Brilliance on the court
2) Intelligence in the classroom
3) Personality worth chatting with

That's all. A very nice kid, good representative of MIT, and also of the NEWMAC. I'm sad I don't get to see my schools square off.

All of them that I've met -- and I don't know any of them well, but they know me from shooting games and some team/alumni functions -- are great kids.  Just plain good folks, in addition to being top students and some of the best basketball players in D3 (giving the top of the Ivy League a tougher game than a lot of their D1 opponents did).  I don't know if any of the seniors will ever lace on a pair of sneakers on the court again, or follow in Jimmy Bartolotta's and Bill Johnson's footsteps and play or coach, but they're going to make their mark in the world.  Very sad that Noel Hollingsworth and Jamie Karraker didn't have an opportunity to play their final year.

Back in my era, we routinely got clobbered by Amherst.  One year we lost to them by 40 points, although the year before we somehow beat them 64-63 (one of the three best games when I managed the team, the other two being a 64-63 defeat of Brandeis on a buzzer beater turnaround by Mike McElroy and the other being a 1 or 2 point loss to Tufts my freshman year).

[CCC Talk]

How about WPI not getting a single first team player- yet winning the league regular season and tournament titles...that's either a great coaching job or poor voting or a combination or both.

[Hugenerd]

How about WPI not getting a single first team player- yet winning the league regular season and tournament titles...that's either a great coaching job or poor voting or a combination or both.

WPI has their 4 top guys putting up similar numbers, and they are a younger team.  Its also easy to question the teams, but who would you take off the first team to replace with a WPI guy?  In my projections (posted earlier on this board), I had Coppola on the 1st team for Wickey, but Wickey was a 1st team player last year and had another great year.  WPI did pick up the ROY.

[WPI89]

The WPI starters will be filling up the all NEWMAC for the next 2-3 years if they continue to develop.  No issues with any of the voting this year from me.

But yes - just from a recruiting standpoint alone - Bartley gets tremendous credit.  He also gets the guys to play really hard every play, every night (at least form what I have watched).

[WPI89]

I just found out that Friday is the last day of the term at WPI (they work on 4 - 7 week terms) - then next week is break.

Usually a mass exodus - hope some of the students spend the one extra day on campus!

Any current students on this board - what is the talk?