MBB: NEWMAC

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

WOW - no love for the host of Hoopsville, I guess!

Congrats to MIT on a terrific season. May not have been a thrilling end, but every guy fought to the end. Injuries and UWW's style was just too much for the Engineers.

Would love to say I will look forward to seeing some Engineers in the All-Star Game, but because many will be returning for their last year of eligibility while in graduate school... there will be no MIT representation. No shame in that - unlike other years.

[WPI89]

A little confused about whatever is going on that is or maybe isn't a joke................I can't keep up.  But I do not hat I have heard Pat refer to H-Nerd numerous times on Hoopsville - so I know there is love there!

Good luck to all NERDS tonight - be they Huge or Small or somewhere in-between.  Go Engineers!

Actually, that had nothing to do with me.

Apparently someone at MIT hacked the d3hoops.com front page poll (Question: 'Who do you think will win the men's championship?'), so that MIT would get a lot more votes than the other teams.  In response, Pat jokingly removed MIT as a choice, and put instead something along the lines of 'Anyone besides the ballot stuffers at MIT'.  Then, NESN got wind of this and, in response, ran an article on their website saying d3hoops.com was cheering against MIT (because there was no 'MIT' as a choice in the poll, not mentioning that originially MIT had been a choice).  I then posted a link to that article, saying that NESN had run an article about the anti-MIT sentiment of d3hoops (my post was just joking also, I thought it was funny how NESN spun it, which I since have deleted), and for some reason I got my karma dinged like 10 times for posting that link.  I would post the link again, but it doesn't appear people liked it  very much the first time, so you can google it and find it yourself if you would like.

Gotcha - thanks.  Too bad last night but congrats on reaching new heights MIT/NEWMAC!

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

WOW - no love for the host of Hoopsville, I guess!

Congrats to MIT on a terrific season. May not have been a thrilling end, but every guy fought to the end. Injuries and UWW's style was just too much for the Engineers.

Would love to say I will look forward to seeing some Engineers in the All-Star Game, but because many will be returning for their last year of eligibility while in graduate school... there will be no MIT representation. No shame in that - unlike other years.

They didn't invite Bender?

[ECSUalum]

Huge,

Congratulations to the MIT Engineers on an outstanding season!!!  I am sure we will see them back here next year!!!  I hear some of the seniors will be in grad school and will use up their eligibility.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Off the top of my head, I don't believe he was on an All-District team for the NABC. Furthermore, Coach Anderson did seem to stress that the team had to get back to Cambridge for academic reasons.

However, I am sure if they had seniors with no eligibility issues, they (he) would have played.

[Hugenerd]

Bender may not be willing to play in a game that doesn't mean anything because of his orbital fracture. He will have surgery on it next week.

Definitely a great year for MIT, Hollingsworth and Karraker are the seniors coming back for their last year of eligibility, along with juniors Kates and Tashman.

MIT didn't play their best game last night. Some of it was UWW, but they also missed a ton of open shots they were making most of the tourney. If some of those shots fall, we could have seen a completely different game. As it was, though, UWW played better and deserved to win last night. Davis was obviously a difference maker. I thought Tashman played him really tough, but he made some open outside shots which opened up some other options for him. Looked like MIT might get something going early in the 2nd, when they led 32-30, but too many missed open outside shots. Game seemed pretty much over after that big drought for MIT and corresponding UWW run.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

The score was so low and everyone was working so hard for point, once they got down 12 it was almost insurmountable - just so much effort from both teams.

It will be interesting to see how far the freshman come over the summer - MIT could be better next year.

[rlk]

Here are some photos I took at the MIT-UWW game (and the MIT receptions before and after):

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1752987391&k=RpS7RCM

(I'm the third from the right in this picture, between MIT president Susan Hockfield and David Koch: http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753008037&k=WbtPKkg)

It wasn't a cheap trip to Salem on short notice, but I'm very glad I went.  I know the team members were disappointed for it to end as it did, but two teams' seasons were going to end yesterday and one team tonight won't win either.  Reaching the Final Four is in fact a Really Big Deal.

[Hugenerd]

Here are some photos I took at the MIT-UWW game (and the MIT receptions before and after):

http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1752987391&k=RpS7RCM

(I'm the third from the right in this picture, between MIT president Susan Hockfield and David Koch: http://rlk.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball/MIT-NCAA-semi-20120316/21977503_NdDNMq#!i=1753008037&k=WbtPKkg)
It wasn't a cheap trip to Salem on short notice, but I'm very glad I went.  I know the team members were disappointed for it to end as it did, but two teams' seasons were going to end yesterday and one team tonight won't win either.  Reaching the Final Four is in fact a Really Big Deal.

What did the richest citizen of NYC have to say about the game?

Congrats to Mitch Kates for being named an All-American.

[Hugenerd]

Great article on Kates from ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/boston/story/_/id/7695958/m-mitchell-kates-found-winning-formula

[toooldtoplay]

Congratulations to MIT on a great season.  A couple of comments on recent posts.

1. The success of the program is going to have a major impact on recruiting over the next few years. I expect a higher level of talent to consider MIT and keep the program rolling.

2. Rumor of a 6'11" player from Greece who has committed to MIT next year. No comment on ability at this point.

3. Points per shot taken is a great measure of scoring ability and efficiency.  Of the 12 top scorers in the NEWMAC Berthuime was last in that category at 1.21. The leader was Degnan at 1.52 followed by Tashman at 1.44.  Volume shooters always get the love but rarely play for champions.

4. The ability to pass the ball, with the seams, hitting the shooter in the right place at the right time with the right speed is the single most underrated and under appreciated skill in basketball.  Great passers enhance great shooters. Good ones are rare to find. True point guards cannot be measured solely by the numbers.

5. I believe that Harwick, Amherst, or Franklin and Marshall were as good as any team in the final four this year.  To get there is special and MIT should be proud of what they did.

[Hugenerd]

2. Rumor of a 6'11" player from Greece who has committed to MIT next year. No comment on ability at this point.

MIT does have a 6'11" commit from Greece who was involved with the Greek Junior National Team, I will post more details later.


Congrats to Will Tashman for being named to the 2012 NCAA All-Tournament Team.

[rlk]

Congratulations to MIT on a great season.  A couple of comments on recent posts.

1. The success of the program is going to have a major impact on recruiting over the next few years. I expect a higher level of talent to consider MIT and keep the program rolling.

2. Rumor of a 6'11" player from Greece who has committed to MIT next year. No comment on ability at this point.

3. Points per shot taken is a great measure of scoring ability and efficiency.  Of the 12 top scorers in the NEWMAC Berthuime was last in that category at 1.21. The leader was Degnan at 1.52 followed by Tashman at 1.44.  Volume shooters always get the love but rarely play for champions.

4. The ability to pass the ball, with the seams, hitting the shooter in the right place at the right time with the right speed is the single most underrated and under appreciated skill in basketball.  Great passers enhance great shooters. Good ones are rare to find. True point guards cannot be measured solely by the numbers.

5. I believe that Harwick, Amherst, or Franklin and Marshall were as good as any team in the final four this year.  To get there is special and MIT should be proud of what they did.

A lot of really good points here.  In the end, Whitewater really proved themselves, and that comeback against Cabrini was quite something.

I think word is getting out about just how good Coach Anderson is.  We've now had four consecutive seasons in the tournament, and I'd have to think that any technically-minded top high school player will be looking very, very seriously at MIT at this point.  They have a lot better shot at a national title with MIT than they do with an Ivy League school.

It will be interesting to see how The Tech reports on this on Tuesday.  I still come across some people who sound almost embarrassed that MIT is exceling in something as crass as basketball.  I set these people straight in a hurry.  This team plays an intelligent, precise, team-oriented game that does just as much credit to the school as winning a Nobel prize, say.

At the postgame reception, the team members not surprisingly looked glum entering the room.  I think they were the only ones who really felt that way.  Everyone there was very well aware of what they and the school have accomplished!

I shared part of the flight home yesterday with the cheerleading squad and we had lunch together at the food court at PHL.  One of them happens to be the son of someone in my living group, interestingly enough.  I enjoyed catching up with what life is like at the 'Tute these days.

[Hugenerd]

Here is some more information on MIT's Greek recruit, Lampros Tsontzos. He is on the Greek U18 National Team 15 man roster, although he is a year younger than most of the other players on that roster.  Most sites have him listed at 6'10", but he is apparently still growing and have heard he is 6'11" now. Not surprisingly, he has a euro style game, and is comfortable both inside and shooting from the perimeter. He is very smooth around the basket with both hands, watching his post highlights you wouldn't know if he is left or right handed (first link below).  Lots of video on him on YouTube:

Mainly post moves (hooks, etc.):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65fbFJxNZ7I&feature=related

Mid-range game, dunks, blocks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXtRmlvMVkc&feature=related

He is one of a few really solid recruits MIT is bringing in. They should be even better next year than they were this year, with the guys they are bringing back and the new players.  I'll post more about recruits as I have more concrete information.

[nescac1]

I am stunned that kid is not going D-1.  I imagine he either really wanted the MIT education, or just was missed because he is a foreign recruit from a place that isn't really a hoops mecca.  He looks like a decent enough athlete for his size, with plus touch and coordination for a nearly-seven footer still in high school.  You just don't see big guys like that arriving in D-3 very often (sometimes you see them leaving, but usually they take a big leap forward in coordination while in college).  Putting him behind Tashman and Hollingsworth will make for a scary group of bigs next year for MIT.