MBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[theoptimist]

And wasn't laxeagles just harping about how Nonemacher is an NBA prospect simply because of his size?  I'm confused now.

[Mr. Downtown]

against Whitewater, size isn't the biggest worry (unlike playing Oshkosh and Stout).

It's all about speed baby, and making shots. If you can run with Whitewater, and keep pace with the number of shots you make, sometime, Whitewater's inability to play a complete game of defense will come through.

And yes Whitewater fans, I'm harping on how WW plays "D". How about you give us some "O", and we'll exchange some "D", and we can both be national contenders?

[fredfalcon]

If UW-RF beats Wm. Penn, they've advanced a lot farther/quicker than I thought possible. WP is 5-1 already, won their league last year, are favored to win again this year. Ask Stout's football team whether they have some athletes there.

[laxeagles1]

i don't believe size matters all that much........though many coaches do.......that is the point with nonemacher..........do we know how high these 6 3 guys can jump?  wingspans?  footwork?  that is just as essential to a players ability..........of course nonemacher is getting looks because of his size, otherwise how do you justify a player of his skill level even mentioned in that breath?

to some coaches it matters, to others it doesn't..............who would you rather have on your team nonemacher or werner?   give me the 6 7 guy with talent anyday.......same can be said if this 6 3 center is athletic and physical........

[laxeagles1]

Size doesn't matter too much?

You coach basketball, right?

when i coached my tallest guy was 6 4 (high school) but athletic and savvy as all can be.....held his own against taller players because he had skill and basketball iq........though some teams with size you need to match with size this happens very infrequently........

There are too many ways to hide a short team(zones, full court presses, half court sets) and not many to for a tall tree

[buf]

UWEC wins over Alma 69-61.  Good job on the boards by the Golds.  However, a close game considering Alma was picked to finish last in the Michigan Conference.  What is it with EC having trouble with Alma this year (football).

[John Gleich]

Mr DT,

I disagree... the games that I've seen where Whitewater has been taken apart the most are the games where they've been defended HARD (like the SP 18 point drubbing of the Warhawks in Point in 2003, Point's 20 point win at WW in 2004).  In both those games, Whitewater didn't even score 60 points (53 in '03, 59 in '04).  Now, Point has managed to get by the Warhawks in other games, but, generally, if the Warhawks are kept below 70 pts, then the chance of winning is much greater.

... Now, there IS the whole thing about keeping them below 70...  your team needs to avoid turnovers  (which quick teams like WW turn into uncontested fast break points) and control the tempo (like you said Mr D, making them defend the WHOLE game for the WHOLE shot clock), but I don't think that speeding up is the way to do it... I think being more deliberate is the way to go.

Now, there are some instances where you DO need to speed up.  For example, if you're playing a team like Stout from a couple years ago that ran the run and jump all over the floor, you're going to have to take what they give you, which tend to be pretty high percentage shots, earlier in the shot clock.  But if you hold on to the ball, then you take away a huge part of their offense, AND they're running around like banshees the whole time.  This is kind of what Puget Sound does (well, did... we'll see if their new coach runs ship the same way as the old).  They cause over 20 TO's per game... that's lots more offensive possessions, and if you've got more chances (and high percentage ones at that), then you can afford to shoot more poorly and still win.


RE: the size matters discussion

What it really all comes down to is how crafty and skilled a player really is.  Jon Krull is one of the most crafty players I've ever seen and he's at about 6'4".  He found a way to score two years ago against Trinity (TX)'s 6-10 post when Point badly needed a bucket and it propelled SP through to the second National Championship.

When it comes down to it, if there is a larger player who has the same general skills as a smaller player, the larger player will tend to win out.  That's why the D-1 teams recruit the larger players.  The chance that a 6'10" guy's shot is going to be blocked is much less than a 5'10" guy, plus the 6'10" guy will have more of an advantage defending, rebounding, etc.

My last thought is this:  When Point won the second National Championship, the Rochester coach was really amazed by the "length" of Point's defense.  Defending the Yellow Jackets in a 1-2-2 zone prevented any inside attack of getting anywhere because you had 6'5" on the point, 6'7" or 6'4" on one wing, 6'3" or 6'5" on the other wing, 6'9" on one post, 6'7" on the other.  This defense, playing with their hands up, totally eliminated the passing lanes that a smaller team would not have.

I think you hit it on the head with your last comment in the first post LaX Eagles... I'd rather have Werner, because he really brings MORE to the table than just a large body.  It's the same way that Aubry Lewis-Beyers was able to work in the post against bigger post players throughout his career at WW.

[CVFan52]

Nice win for the Golds' tonight, I really like the blend of players they have this year, they will probably surprise a few teams this year and hopefullly they can get a win in the WIAC tourny

[wizbegs1304]

UW-Superior - 86

Finlandia - 88

[CVFan52]

Not a good start for Superior but their new coach has that program headed in the right direction

[Hoops Junkie]

UWRF wins 99-91 over William Penn

[fredfalcon]

Sometimes surprises come in small packages:  junior guard Ryan Thompson, 6'0," scored 22 (9/12 ft) and freshman guard Jontae Koonkaew, 5'8," added 20 (3/6 threes) off the bench in the Falcons' 99-91 win over Wm. Penn in what must have been a run and shoot game. RF made 36/51 ft.

Another freshman, Nate Robertson, 6'7," got 12 pts., 10 rbds. Six players scored in double figures. Falcons outrebounded Wm Penn something like 46-33.

Falcons play winner of Bethel/Dakota State tonite at 8:00.

The curtain of gloom surrounding the Falcon bb program this year may be a bit less dense than thought.

[fredfalcon]

Falcons play Bethel tonite after Royals' 113-83 win. How good was Dakota State? They had 32 turnovers. Still, Bethel must be pretty good.

[Just Bill]

Those two games at Bethel must have finished at about midnight!

[frankiet]

The River Falls/William Penn game lasted 2 hours and 5 minutes. William Penn didn't see a shot they didn't like last night. River Falls shot 51 free throws to William Penn's 27 which made the game last longer than it had to. River Falls did play a little more uptemo than the previous couple years. They have a nice new crop of young players with some returners. It will be exciting to watch them develop.

Eddie Andrist would have been in heaven last night with those two scores at Bethel.