MBB: NEWMAC

[BaboNation]

Great to be back on campus for the home opening win over Lasell.

Random observations:

Rule #1: Don't get carried away one way or the other after one game.

Lasell doesn't look like a team that will be strong this year, so if nothing else, with so few OOC home games, this was a must-win.  There is no EJ Day (former All-American) caliber talent on this Lasell team, and they are somewhat small, which caused problems on both backboards.  It looked like every potential rebound was a 50/50 proposition, and in fact LU only out-rebounded Babson on their own glass 13-11 in the first half.

Bummer to see Parker Mason in street clothes.  Can this guy catch a break after missing huge chunks of 2 seasons?   I was (hopefully still am) expecting big contributions from him this year.

Bummer #2:  FY Fortes sporting a knee brace,  He was the FY I was most anxious to see in action.

I had 4 out of 5 correct on my predicted starting 5, and I think Mason (just a guess) would have started in place of O'Toole had he been available.

This Babson team will be solid up front defensively and better on D generally than on O.

The core engine of this team is Amado, Baxter, and Lauder.

Amado was filling the stat sheet in limited minutes.  Baxter was able to create space for his shots almost whenever he wanted.

I love Lauder's game and upside.  I think he'll be 1st team NEWMAC in a year or two.  He works so well with Amado, cleans the glass, runs the floor well, and is far better at finishing down low this year.

The biggest surprise was JJ Paul.  He logged more minutes in this one game than all of his freshman year.  In fact, he was the last off the bench last year, and when he did see action he frankly looked lost and unsure of himself.  Last night he looked comfortable all the way around.  That said, I'm not convinced his shot is yet where it needs to be.  But, a huge, unexpected step up to his game.

Great to see Gorgol back on the court after missing huge chunks the last 2 years.  His senior leadership and steady all-around game is extremely beneficial.

O'Toole is a strong defender, with relentless energy and quick hands.  He still needs to work on the O side, but he's still just a soph and a key starter or 6th man.

The team can go 9/10 deep against most of the teams they'll face this year, but the rotation will necessarily get tightened against the elite competition.

Everyone in uniform saw action and scored.  If only every game could be like this.

[SKUD]

Thanks for the recap stick with basketball, Babonation/Jason. Soccer is not your strength. Go Babo

[BaboNation]

Babson had it to a one possession game with under a minute left, but Albertus Magnus held them off for the 75-72 final.

For AM, Justice Washington's big body was too much to handle on both ends 16/14 on 8/9 shooting in 24 foul-plagued minutes.  And he's quick too, as evidenced by a strip of Baxter and coast-to-coast layup.  And Bonilla (14) was coming up big when they needed a bucket.
AM is the type of team that always presents trouble for Babson:  quick, pressing, slashing, beating you off the dribble, getting you in foul trouble, and a big guy down low.  St. Joe's (CT) is similarly constructed and is a future opponent.  AM looked very good for its first game and should be a legit GNAC title contender.  There is no other team in the NEWMAC that can prepare you for a team like AM (Clark is the closest, but AM, and St. Joe's are at another level).

For Babson, the absence of a true PG really hurt.  Baxter (9) carried some of the early PG load, but had back-to-back strips for coast-to-coast layups.  I said when he transferred he's much better suited as a SG.  But no one gets excused for all the soft cross-court passes, weak side strips, and dribbling into pressure in this game.  Cross is a better option as a PG, but I understand him coming off the bench because Babson needs Baxter's scoring ability.

How many ways can you quantify the speed/quickness differential:  23-2 in fast break points; 15-8 in steals; 38-24 points in the paint (for AM this is mostly slashing to the basket).

And whereas the answer is unknowable, I wonder what the final score would have been if Amado (32) hadn't been available to almost pull this one out.  His ball-handling wasn't what it should be, but with Baxter fouling out with over 13 minutes left, down 3, he scored 14 of their last 23 points, fighting through double-teams.

[WPI89]

I couldn't get into the site yesterday. Exciting stuff in Worcester! Great early season win.

[nescac1]

Williams didn't play particularly well on either end vs. WPI and was missing a few key players up front due to injury, but even so, WPI looks like a very legit top 25 team to me and seems better than last season even without Lowther.  Every guy in the lineup is tough, very physical and plays WPI's trademark stifling D.  John Adams looked like a physically dominant force on both ends and I suspect will have the all-American season folks were expecting of him last year.  Aidan Callahan is also an elite player, controls the game from the PG position - he's extremely crafty and knows how to create space off the dribble.  Those two guys along with Nate Amado are clearly the class of NEWMAC players.  Sevilla and Lufkin (whenever he returns) will provide the outside shooting around those two guys.  Newman and Morelli are solid glue guys who defend. 

But where WPI has really improved is depth thanks to an impressive FY class.  Justin Molen has struggled with his shot to start the year but definitely looks the part of a really solid two-way wing.  If the shots start falling he will be a big asset for them even as a FY.  JT Veiking is already a solid back-up big guy who should be a starter down the line.  And Bleier and Bledsoe give some deep shooting off the bench.   If they can handle Tufts at home I expect WPI will be undefeated and ranked fairly highly heading into the Babson game. 

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I agree, WPI showed everything people needed to see this week.  They just have to keep it up, now.

[BaboNation]

I caught a half of MIT's loss @ Endicott, and a half of Coast Guard's win at home over Roger Williams.

MIT can't seem to catch a break.  The last couple of years it was short rosters and starters playing 38+ minutes.  This season they seem to have fallen to the injury/health bug.  Their #1 (Delgado-Gonzalez), #2 (Killeen), and #5 (Spann) scorers from last year have yet to play a single minute.  Those guys were also 1-2-3 in rebounding, and, oh yeah, Delgado-Gonzalez was NEWMAC ROY.  That's a loss of 40.2 ppg in scoring average, and the loss is felt just as badly on the front line defense.

On the flip side of the health ledger, Coast Guard has started out well.  While they haven't beaten anyone of consequence, last year's 4-21 (2-12 in conference) team is now 2-0 and could conceivably enter the new year at 9-2 or 8-3.  Notably, Cameron Brown, who wasn't roster listed earlier is back, they have a nice 4-guard rotation led by junior Declan Rooney, who I project as 2nd team NEWMAC, Shettles, Yagey, and FY Frazer.  Luke Farrell 9.0/6.5 looks more polished as a soph.  A nice combination of skill sets, but let's see if their early success is sustainable against better competition.

[BaboNation]

Stellar game from Baxter, but Babson falls in OT @ WashU.

Babson led virtually the entire game, but was unable to inbound cleanly up 3 with 18 seconds left, and gave up a tying 3.  Still had a chance to win in regulation, but Baxter lost the handle on what appeared to be an open layup with 2 seconds left.

They hung with a very good team for 40 minutes.

[WPI89]

I watched the second half and OT of Bason vs Wash U.  Babson certainly looked their equal.  Very well played fun game.  Bodes well for Babson this year. 

WPI was tested against Bridgewater, I think they went down 49-48 several minutes into the second.  Then their D took over and Adams refused to give up on the offensive boards!  Somehow he was credited with 2 offensive rebounds.  There was one play where he had 3 alone, before putting it in!  He looks so strong running the floor.  Sevilla and Callahan continue to lead and take care of the ball.  Molen, Morelli, Bleir, and Bledse certainly fitting in nicely.  Fun start to the season

[WPI89]

Congrats to WPI on an impressive last 12 minutes last night. One more thing, get Fitchburg off the schedule!  Lol. Enjoy your well earned Turkey, boys!

[3isdaone]

Clark is very underrated this year... deep and fundamental team in Main South.

[iloved3hoops]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Thanks for welcoming me to this platform. As I sit here patiently watching my turkey marinate in a variety of spices that I will not disclose, I can't help but think about how little we are talking about the Clark Cougars. Taylor and McArdle could be the best duo that Worcester has seen since Cherry and Hicks in the 80's. Their schemes, sets, actions, and adjustments are sophisticated and leave opponents heads spinning. Time for us to seriously put some respect on their names, as they continue to stand on business!

[BaboNation]

Sort of a State of the NEWMAC from one fan's perspective as we end November.  After a pretty awful '22-'23 comparable period collectively, there is unmistakable improvement this year.
Putting aside the OOC opponents each team faced each year, and eliminating games played against D1 or D2 teams, the bump in conference W-L record is encouraging.  I didn't include Salve Regina because they weren't a conference member in 22-23.

Team/22-23/23-24

Babson 4-3 4-3
Clark 6-0 5-1
Coast Guard 1-5  4-2
Emerson 2-3 2-4
MIT 2-5 1-6
Springfield 1-5 2-3
WPI 5-0 6-1
Wheaton 3-3 4-2

Total 24-24 28-22

Team assessments:

Coast Guard has already equaled their entire season win total of last year (4).  Nice 4-guard rotation of Rooney (9.0), Shettles (13.2), Yagey (12.3), and Frazer (11.2).  No signature wins, but they're improving and never a team to be taken for granted when conference play begins.

MIT continues its puzzling, recent history.  They are still missing 3 of their top returning guys from last year and have started 4 freshmen in every game.  Is there another D3 team in the country doing that?  If/when they get everyone back they will surely be more competitive, and could still be a NEWMAC playoff team.  FY's Gogolin 13.1 / 5.6 on .493/.400/.720 and Bland 12.6 / 4 on .508/.385/.719 could be in contention for NEWMAC ROY.

Wheaton is being led by 2 sophomore guards, Henry and Pedevillano.  It's a very young team that lost a lot through graduation and Carlisle's xfer so it's hard to see them finishing above 7th in the NEWMAC.

Emerson has been a pleasant surprise, even at 2-4.  They've beaten Colby in Maine, and took Albertus Magnus to OT in CT.  Their offense is potent when they are draining 3's.  Guards Arico (17.8) and McNamara (16.2) are streaky, but deadly when they're on.  FY Gasset Ruiz from Spain looks like a solid all-around player and is leading the team in rebounding.

Springfield is uber-athletic, but they don't shoot very well, turn the ball over a lot, and sometimes don't play with the necessary focus.  That combination was on display in the last 10 minutes last night when they lost after leading by 14 against Amherst at home.

Clark is off to another fast OOC start and they are doing the right thing again with SOS.  Almost pulled one out against a strong Tufts team.  It will be interesting to see if McArdle (17.3/10.8) can score on Adams (WPI) inside, he being one of the few big men with low post skills in the conference.  Upcoming games against Trinity (TX), Westfield St, and CWRU will help in determining whether they have Pool C credentials if the AQ isn't in play.

WPI lost Lowther to graduation, but their incoming class looks loaded:  Molen is starting, and Bledsoe, Bleier, and Veiking are all playing 10+, meaningful mpg.  Bledsoe is an absolute sniper (11/20 from 3) with a quick release, but all these guys are playing with poise you don't typically find with freshmen.  Then they have Adams playing better than ever, a regional AA candidate in Callahan, a solid off-guard and defender in Sevilla, and senior starter Lufkin hasn't even dressed yet.  A big win over NE regional power Williams and a competitive game with Tufts will help their SOS.  Barring injury or an unexpected stumble they're a likely tournament team, even if they don't get the AQ.

Babson is off to a start that very much looks like last year:  Building a strong SOS, but not able to quite close out winnable one-possession games (WashU, Albertus Magnus, and St. Joseph's CT); best win to date Brandeis (again); and far too reliant on too few scorers (Amado 22.6 and Baxter 20.6).  They desperately need someone else who can score in the paint if they are to reach a higher level.  Still hoping that Mason can be ready by the new year for rotation help, but he plays a stretch forward, so the inside scoring void will still be present.  I can't complain about 3 consecutive tournament appearances, but a recruiting class like WPI just brought in would do wonders for the continuity of the program.

There's still a long way to go, but right now I'd rank WPI a clear #1, Clark and Babson close for #2 and #3, giving the edge to Clark because Babson has problems handling McArdle, and then there's another drop in talent level for a group of teams battling for the #4 and #5 seeds in the NEWMAC tournament.  Having seen each team a few times, I'd submit Coast Guard, Springfield, Emerson, MIT, Salve Regina, and Wheaton for 4-9.

[stlawus]

Great write up as usual.   As to this "They are still missing 3 of their top returning guys from last year and have started 4 freshmen in every game.  Is there another D3 team in the country doing that?"  Skidmore currently starts 4 freshmen.

[WPI89]

Great job, Babo!