Empire 8

[hawks1323]

The Empire 8 community has two choices this season when it comes to Hartwick: 1) Respect Hartwick or 2)Get beat. Getting beat might happen anyway, but time will tell. Hartwick, as promised, will be significantly better than the previous two seasons. Having a 3-1 record is huge boost for a young program. Yes, it is very early in the season. However, the team, coaches, administration, students, and alumni are very hopefull for a breakout season. Winning the Empire 8 is probably an unrealisitc task this season, however post season action is an increasing possibility this season. Although Hartwick will probably drop some games this season, they will win games. There is no reason why Hartwick men's basketball  can't be 500 or better this season.

Other Empire 8 teams will have to quickly get used to playing a more athletic and deep squad. Not to mention enduring the newly revamped and growing student section (Fisher had a taste last year).  Most Empire 8 men's baskeball players haven't ever lost to Hartwick (except for some Ithaca players).

Paul Culpo, maybe soon to be Coach of the Year, has been busy recruiting this past off season. Hartwick has welcomed the following new players to "the NEST":

AJ  BEAULIEU         (6-0; Chicopee,Mass)
Mike Tracy              (5-8; Morris, NY)
Kevin Ryan             (5-11;Scotch Plains, NJ)
Alex Lanfear           (6-3; Lake George,NY)
Jan COCOZZIELLO (6-1; Allendale,NJ)
Jeff Dills                 (6-3; Milwaukee, Wis)
Albe Hulick             (6-4; Greenville, NY)
Pat Dunnigan        (6-4; Sussex, N.J.)
Adam Pelzek         (6-4; East Longmeadow, Mass)
Greg  BANKOWSKI (6-5; Schenectady, N.Y.)
Ramond Doyley     (6-5; Yonkers, NY)
Anthony Brown     (6-6;Milwaukee, Wis)
Jay Hori                 (5-10, Tajimi, Japan)

Hartwick will be returing the following players:

Matt SIMONESCHI   (5-8, Garden City, N.Y.)
John Montana         (6-1, Alfred, N.Y.)
Tim Kindlon             (6-1, Delmar, NY)
Josh MacKenzie      (6-4, Rutland,NY)


Hartwick Baskeball has also brought in a Director of Basketball Operations. This is a rarity in DIII athletics. Hartwick must be on the war path to win.

It is a privelege to play Hartwick!

Ciao for now

[gobombers15]

Everyone, read that last post from "Respect the Hawks."

Now go back to page 3 on this board and read an apology from "Respect the Hawks" about his overzealous and antagonistic posts last year. RTH, are you schizophrenic?! You all but conceded that Hartwick wasn't going to be any better this year in your post a few weeks ago and, now, you're saying they're not only going to be respectable, but competitive.

Forgive me for being a bit skeptical. I think your school has won, what, one conference game in the last two years? Nowhere in your roster of Hartwick players do I see your one competent player from last year(Bettancourt). Is it possible to have negative numbers in the win column?

As far as the recruits/newcomers you have provided, I'm not sure they'll help much. I have a friend in the capital district(where three of those players are from) and he hadn't heard of a single one of them. How are they going to hang with teams like Fisher who get great recruits from all over the place or even Naz who seem to keep plucking All-Greater Rochester players?

Until Hartwick wins two conference games I think you should relax a little bit with your posts warning of future Hartwick greatness.

[Jukebox Hero]

I remember this nutjob from the end of last year......

The Empire 8 community has two choices this season when it comes to Hartwick: 1) Respect Hartwick or 2)Get beat.

Ok, Fisher will be more than happy to respect and not overlook you. Because they'll be bringing their A game, then they'll beat you by 30. (Hell, Alfred and Ithaca might too)

Winning the Empire 8 is probably an unrealisitc task this season, however post season action is an increasing possibility this season.

Keyword possibility. I love how you command respect and then say your team probably won't even hit .500 and the team will be a success if it does.

[gobombers15]

RIT splits their games this weekend in the Williams tournament. On Friday night, the Tigers fell to WPI, 61-56. Fran Snyder led RIT with 19 points while Barrett Zeinfeld added 14. Snyder's 3-pointer with :56 seconds left cut the lead to two points but WPI made a hoop and then some foul shots for the victory.

On Saturday, RIT killed Mass. College of Liberal Arts, 81-52. Zeinfeld scored 16 points and Snyder threw in nine.

[bamm]

The first game the Tigers lost was to WPI, ranked 10th in the d3 hoops poll currently.  They trailed by 2 with under a minute left but couldn't pull it out.  It's good to see they are playing decent ball far from home. 

I laugh any time I see predictions that the Tigers will finish at the bottom of the conference.  With the problems that teams like Alfred and Utica experience from year to year, I don't think you can count on them both to be playing well all year.  Expect to see the Tigers in the E8 tourney.

[gobombers15]

It's official. The Bombers are awful. Ithaca loses today at Hobart, 73-67. Jimmy Bellis leads the Bombers with 17 points(but 6-19 FG's) while Brian Joe and Sean Stahn both chip in 14 apiece.

Not sure why Ithaca is so awful. I mean, the coach is terrible but we all knew that going into this season. They gotta get things straightend out in a hurry or it's gonna be a real long season.

[thebear]

IC's schedule this week isn't helpful to the cause.

Cortland (6-2) on Tuesday
St. Lawrence (1-4) on Friday (two losses are close to B'port & Roch)
Potsdam (5-0) on Saturday

While all three are in the bulb, Not exactly a diet to improve one's record.

[jdex]

Think theBear knows Cortland 5-1 (5 straight wins) after 86-76 beating of homestanding Alfred tonight

[thebear]

Jdex - you're right, but take a looksee at Cortland State page on DIII Hoops and they are listed as 6-2.

Regardless, IC has a tough week ahead of them.  Slu is not your typical 1-4 team, gave strong competition to both Brockport and Rochester, they have good shooters, and decent size.

[gobombers15]

I picked Cortland to win by 8-12 and they win by 10! I'm gonna bet on every NFL game tomorrow!

[hawks1323]

Gobomber15- how does it feel to be a fan of an Ithaca basketball program that is 0-4 and has a winning percentage of .000? I am sure you are feeling good these days.

On November 1st your scout/prediction of Ithaca Basketball is turning out to be a falsehood so far this season. There is no way Ithaca is going to make it to third place and the E8 tournament without winning

3)Ithaca- A solid core returns for the Bombers. Jimmy Bellis is one of the best and most athletic players in the conference and will be the defensive focus for Ithaca opponents. Brian Andruskiewicz is one of the best low-post players in the league and should be primed for a big season; his numbers have improved in each of his first three seasons. Jon Whetstone has full reins on the point guard duties now that Nate Thomas has graduated. Sean Stahn has showed intriguing glimpses of potential and will step into a starting role at power forward in 2005.  Brad Clemente will have to fill the shoes, defensively, of departed Jesse Roth. Sophomore Brian Joe supplies a reliable long-distance threat off the bench. The Bombers hope one or two of their underclassmen will fill out their rotation and provide the team with adequate depth.

If you remember Ithaca Director of Athletics, Ken Kutler, came from Hartwick. He did some good things at Hartwick and some bad things. He and former President Rick Detweiler let men's basketball and some other programs go by the way side. It is clear that Ithaca basketball is in trouble and we may be starting to see a downfall. Hopefully, Ken is doing something to stop the bleeding. If he is, I commend him, as he didn't do it at Hartwick.

Meanwhile, Hartwick Basketball is 3-1 (.750) heading into big week with all winable games.  As I said in my earlier post, it is still early but Hartwick Basketball is looking impressive compared to the past several years and they are deep. On another subject, Greg Betancourt wasn't apart of the win against Skidmore this past week. Rumor is he is longer playing for the Hartwick Hawks!

Folks, we might have a new team (ie Ithaca) taking the place of Hartwick/Elmira in the basement of the E8 for men's basketball!

Ciao for now

[gobombers15]

RTH, your ignorance shines through when you compare Hartwick's early season schedule to Ithaca's. Ithaca always starts out horribly(because they play tough teams early on) and then is a touch over .500 in conference and makes the post-season tourney. RTH, remind me again the last time Hartwick made the conference tourney. After you do that, remind me again the last time your team won the conference(Ithaca was the last team not named Fisher to take the E8).

The only decent team Hartwick has played thus far is Plattsburgh St. The result was quite predictable; a 25-point drubbing. Ithaca would also likely be 3-1 if they had Hartwick's schedule. On the same token, Hartwick would DEFINITELY be 0-4 if they had Ithaca's schedule(@Hampden-Sydney, @Roanoke, @Mansfield(D-2), @Hobart). Hartwick's three wins have been against Skidmore(worst team in the LL), Lehman(someone care to tell me where that school is?) and Massachusetts College(ooooohhh, big win). Don't forget Ithaca hasn't played a home game yet, either. They are a much better team in The Bulb.

When you beat somebody besides St.Theresa's School for the Blind, Deaf and Dumb then come talk to me. Also, there's a good chance that IC is 0-7 going into conference play with games against Cortland, Potsdam and St.Lawrence this week. And you know what? I'm fine with that. I've said ALL ALONG that Ithaca's season comes down to the E8 tourney. Sure, they have to make it first but they've had bad starts like this in past years and still made it.

So keep running your mouth, keep starting half your sentences with the word "folks," and keep enjoying your zero or one-win conference season. Chump!

[thebear]

Lehman is a CUNY School.  I think its located in the Bronx.

Lo & behold, tho the D-III hoops preseason All-American team

has as a 1st team selection

C Sekani Francis Lehman Sr. Bronx, N.Y 6'10.

That being said, they are winless.  Francis averages a double double.
Lehman was 21-7 last year and returns 12 players from that team.
Unfortunately, they still have last years stats posted to their web site.
But Francis had 25 pts 12 rebounds in their last game.

The game was also a consy, in which anything can happen.

[gobombers15]

Thanks, Bear.

The fact remains Lehman lost to Hartwick(a team that will finish 7th or 8th in the conference) which means they probably suck.

[hawks1323]

Gobombers15- Consider these facts:

Fact: Hartwick is 3-1 and is currently tied for first place in the overall standings of Empire 8. Ithaca is last with a record of 0-0.

Source: http://www.d3hoops.com/school_info.php?school=Ithaca&team=m&year=2006

Fiction: Skidmore is in last place of the Liberty League.
Truth: Skidmore is .500 and is in 4 place out of 8 teams

Source: http://www.d3hoops.com/conference_info.php?conf=LL&team=m

Fact: Through the 2005 season Hartwick has played a combined total of 1619 games in the history of the program. Hartwick has won 944 of then or .583.

Through the 2005 season Ithaca has played a combined total of 1582 games in the history of the program. Ithaca has won 909 of then or .575

Source: http://bombers.ithaca.edu/Sports/mbasket/2005/mbballhistory.asp?path=mbasket     
http://www.hartwick.edu/x2742.xml

Fiction: I am a coward and can't take the heat that this board dishes out
Fact: I am a persistant, thick-skined, and dedicated Hartwick Basketball fan that won't leave this message board. You have me for the season and post season. Deal with it!

Fact: I am NOT in the position and Won't cowtail to Gobombers15 and other posters that might dis-respect the Hartwick Hawks.

Source: Yours truly, Respect_the_hawks

Learn to Respect  Hartwick Men'
s basketball team! It is a privelege to play aganst them!

Folks, have a good Monday and week!