Empire 8

[UCgrad45]

In all likelihood, Budcrew, you're gonna have to see one of the Rochester teams in the first round. I don't think RIT is going to be too scared playing Utica in the Roc, considering their success against the Pioneers in that city.

At Fisher, RIT vs Utica series is split 1-1 in the last 2 seasons.

RIT never had a chance last night. Utica fixed the problems they had in the first game, played their game, made their free throws, and dominated.

Snyder only scored 2 points. It seems he may be having some problems with his knee again. Number 30 off the bench can jump out of the gym.

The officials last night were the most professional crew I have seen all season. A complete 180 from the garbage crew that did the Oswego game. Last nights guys made a few bad calls both ways, but were consistent, not influenced by either coach or crowd, and went by the book. It was nice to see.

[UCgrad45]

Alfred is a team that may be a spoiler in the next few weekends. They have a lot of talent, and did not live up to their potential. They are a team that could want to go out on a bang.

Q. Bryant wasn't in the starting lineup against UC. I am not sure if he is back in it or not.

[rjcarter8]

Not that they were likely to get a spot in the E8 tourney, but Naz sure is playing itself right out of the tourney isn't it? That loss to Hartwick last night likely sealed their fate. Of the bottom teams, Hartwick's victory was least expected, but maybe it's just evidence Naz has given up on the season.

Alfred's win was no surprise, I'm just surprised the Saxons didn't win by more against the team who has no conference wins and just three overall. Elmira is just awful and Alfred has plenty of talent. However, I see IC getting the win at McLane today. A beating at the hands of Fisher combined with poor coaching by Murphy should equal a Bombers win.

[AUPepBand]

Final from McLane Center:
IC 91, AU 83

[col]

clear, don't listen to the haters,   Ray did do some destroying in that game     my vote is logged

AU, I am from Utica

[Caz Bombers]

Around the E8 today...

Fisher 78-52 over Elmira to clinch the #1 seed for the E8 tournament and the right to host.  Tough task ahead for the other 3 teams in the field to beat the Cards at their house.  Dan McSweeney 19 points, 22 and 11 in defeat for Micah Owens, who seems like a genuinely good player that should be applying his talents for a school that gives a crap, rather than EC.

RIT blows an 18-point second half lead but nips Hartwick in OT 96-90, not taking control until the final minute.  34 points in defeat for Jan Cocococooozielo.  Col, Bamm and Tigerfan2 probably feel like they just narrowly missed a deadly car accident like those kids in Final Destination 2.  You know, before they all died anyway or something cuz death had a plan.  What stupid movies those were.

Utica plows Naz 98-74.  No box info available on d3hoops.com.

Ithaca over Alfred 91-83 behind a career day for Jim Bellis with 31 points and 13 rebounds.  I was half-expecting to lose this one.  Yaay that we won and stuff.

[gobombers15]

Ithaca is going 0-2 this weekend. Guaranteed.

[gobombers15]

Some quick hitters then a look at how the All-Conference accolades should shake out:

-Should be a busy E8 tournament weekend in Pittsford as both the Fisher men and women have already clinched home-court advantage by virtue of winning the regular season championships. The women's games will likely start at 12 and 2:30 pm on Saturday, the gym will be cleared, and the men's games will begin at 6 and 8:30pm. The E8 depends on this tournament as a big source of funds so they're going to want two separate gate funds. I've heard rumblings that they may play the women's semis on Friday night, the men's semis on Saturday afternoon, the women's final on Saturday night, and the men's final on Sunday afternoon. It'll be interesting to see how they do it.

-Clear is wrong again, as usual. He guaranteed Ithaca would go 0-2 this weekend and, lo and behold, they went 1-1. Knowing the Bombers would lose at Fisher, Clear really only needed to get one game right for his prediction to come to fruition. I think we know what happened from there. Nice work, Clear.

-Hartwick may be better than I thought but they're still a distant 7th in the conference, which is exactly where I picked them to finish in the conference.

-Naz: it's time to hire a new coach. No reason that team should have the ups and downs that it is having. They have some young players but they are very talented. Daley has had a fork in his back for the last 3 seasons.

-Another impressive win for Utica in a game that doesn't really mean anything. The Pioneers are nauseatingly predictable at this point.

-Jim Bellis lights up Alfred again. I think he has Alfred's vote for E8 POY considering his two games against the Saxons this year.

-Speaking of E8 POY, I think it's a four horse race at this point. Here are the candidates:

-Ray Bryant: Pros: In the top 4 for scoring, rebounding, FG %. Can be a double-double machine when he's on. Cons: Utterly invisible in his team's two biggest conference games of the season (Fisher, twice). Wasn't one of the three best players on the court in either game.

-Jim Bellis: Pros: Smoothe as they come on the offensive end. Good outside shooter, can get to the rack and will shoot a lot of FT's. Probably the most athletic player pound-for-pound in the league when he feels like displaying it. Only consistent scoring threat for Ithaca. After Fisher beat Ithaca in the Bulb, Nick Bennett was quoted in The Ithacan as saying that Bellis is his toughest assignment in the E8. Cons: Defers to others too much. Rarely likes to take the game over. Will settle for a jumpers when he can get to rack or the foul line. Doesn't have the killer instict when the game is on the line. Too many defensive lapses.

-Sean O'Brien: Pros: For my money, the most valuable and best player in the league. I think every poster would take him first if they were starting a team and could have any player in the conference. As he showed in the 2nd Utica game, can take any game over if he wants to; he simply chooses not to  because of Fisher's vast arsenal. He is a winner. Cons: When it really comes down to it, doesn't have the numbers of the other contenders. That will be the only reason he doesn't win.

-Joe Canori: Pros: Offensively gifted player. One of the nicest jumpers you'll see when he's not forcing things. A true scorer in every sense of the word. Leading scorer in the conference. Type of guy you'll watch and say "he didn't have that great of a game," then you'll come home to see he scored 23 points. Cons: Has laid some eggs in big spots this year. Tends to force the issue instead of letting the game come to him. Sometimes has trouble getting his own shot. If he's having an off game he tends to disappear(see every time he has played Fisher). Still just a sophomore and that will be held against him.

Sorry for the length of the post, fellas. I'll post what I think the all-conference teams are going to be tomorrow. I think we're gonna be surprised by one or two of the players on the 1st team.

[clearconceit]

Bamm and GB you guys need to get a life.  You spend more time on here nocking other posters when nobody knocks you.  First off Bamm - the RIT Utica game was never in doubt.  I was there, were you?  They sustained a comfortable margin the whole way.  So you get a clue about attacking a post from someone who was at the game. 
Number 2 My prediction of ALfred over Ithaca was an upset prediction, not a lock.  Perhaps I think Ithaca is a better team than you do, since you felt it wouldn't be a shock to see them lose that game.  Alfred stinks.  As your boys to rank the E-8 teams and i guarentee the only team they would rank below Alfred is Elmira.
Yesterday's game was a complete joke.  Cichon could have scored 40 if he played more.  They did whatever they wanted to do.
We need to get through next week and and then Tuesday of the following week against a very underrated Hartwick team and then onto the only thing that matters at this point, the tournament.
Funny how I made a post last week about the same thing and yet GB you continue to post meaninless wins by the Pioneers.  Get a life dude.  And by the way my Father is a lawyer, you are not doing any lawyers any good by speaking out of your behind like your some sort of hotshot lawyer about not keeping your word.  GET A CLUE AND GROW UP.

My league awards (nothing is going to change over the next 2/3 games for these teams as far as me having a change of heart.

Coach Of the year:
Rob Kornaker SJF - The best players overall but he gets them to play hard and together.  A tip to the strength coach over there though because that team is jacked physically.
Honorable mention:
Paul Culpo Hartwick - I am not sure I have seen anyone do more with less than what he has done in a very short period of time.  He will probable get 4 or 5 league wins, has a great freshman and has done an excellent job.
Bob McVean RIT - What else can you say.  The 3rd best team and they LOST 4 starters from last year.  Great job!


Player of the Year:
Sean O'Brien  SJF - Best player on the best team.  He controls every game and could score 20 if the team needs it, or gets 10 assists if the team needs it.  In my opinion he was better than  Sydney last year.
Honorable mention:
Ray Bryant Utica - He is the BEST player in the league.  But I want him to dominate when it matter most.  IS the one guy capable of taking down Fisher in a few weeks.
Too many other guys that in my opinion that are basically neck and neck.

Freshman of the year:
Is this vote I am only including freshman since some leagues have newcomer of the year which in this case is Bryant (Read above).
Jan Cocozziello  Hartwick - Not even close.  He is a first team player in this league right now.  He is better than Canori right now, and if people are going to put him into this caliber then this kid should be 1st team too.  But in any event a landslide here for this award.
Honorable mention:
Sean Burton Ithaca - A nice point guard who should be a fixture at Ithaca for the next 3 years.
Doug Herring Utica - A solid player who can shoot from long range and has held up under the pressure of being the point guard on the 2nd best team.

To MADHAWK:
Team of the future:
Hartwick - Great young kids with a dominant player.  If that staff can continue to recruit like it has so far you are going to be one happy poster.
Nazareth - Really like the young kids on this team, just need a point guard to run the team
Utica - Yes we lose 3 key guys, but we return the best player, our inside guys and Herring.

Peace

[superman57]

after having seen coco and Burton, Burton wins this award in a landslide.  Ray Bryant needs to show up for Utica to make it out of the first round.  While I know that fisher won't be as strong next year as this year, you never know. Fisher doesn't rebuild they reload.  Again I repeat after having seen all of the best players in this league the only one who has impressed me is Bellis.  Naz is always a tough game, next fridays games should be very fun.  After having talked to several guys on the team, they admitted to taking the first game lightly, I can't see them doing this again

[gobombers15]

First decent post for you in awhile, Clear. By the way, I'm not speaking out like some "hotshot lawyer," surely you jest. You should realize by now that I'm just give you a hard time about 90% of the time, but you do bring it on yourself a lot of the time.

[fisheralum91]

Wow,
Everyone is playing nice nice.
Where is Hawk when you need him to say something stupid!

[bamm]

Clear -- I'm sorry for attacking you personally.  I hope I didn't hurt your feelings too badly. 

Here's the way the tourney would shape up if it started today:

RIT (3) vs. Utica (2)
Ithaca (4) vs. Fisher (1)

However, this could and should change.  Ithaca has played one less game than RIT, and if they win two of three against Utica, Hartwick, and Elmira they will be tied with the Tigers for third -- a tie that would be broken by Ithaca's two wins over RIT. 

So -- in two weeks look for RIT/Fisher and Ithaca/Utica.

[the bird man]

I can barely believe it but I think that Clear is right on with his predictions, on POY and COY...I still think he is being a little kind to Utica thinking that they are up for team of the future, but hey he is a fan...

I think Fisher will be a real tough team to beat again next year for a few reasons. First, they lose a lot, but do return beigle, Mcsweeny, Smalt, a very strong inside presence. As far as bringing the ball up and guard play, I think a lot of the Fisher bench players would see a lot of time on some other E8 teams, and kornaker is a great recruiter which will help.
I would pick them to be in the mix for a league title next year, but hey I am a fan...

[gobombers15]

You have to be careful with the POY award. This league can sometimes do crazy things with this award. I wouldn't be surprised if Micah Owens of Elmira comes close to winning it, either. Look at his numbers, he's at the top of almost every statistical category.

Don't get me wrong, I think winning should count for something but I've seen similar situations where a player from an awful team won solely because of stats. In '03-'04, the Ithaca women's team had by far the two best players in the league (Swatling and Cleary) and they were on a team that went something like 13-1 in the conference. The E8 gave the POY award to some girl on Elmira, a 2-12 team, who averaged like 23 pts/game because she was that team's only threat. This girl from Elmira, at best, was the 5th or 6th best player in the league (Fisher had some that were better, too), yet she won. I'm sure CazBombers remembers this because we were both pretty shocked.

With that said, here's how I think the all-conference awards will shake out:

Coach of the Year: Kornaker-St. John Fisher. Not even close, but Culpo from Hartwick will get some consideration.

Rookie of the Year: Jan Cocozziello-Hartwick. I think it's closer than Clear makes it out to be, though. Cocozziello has to do everything for that team so, obviously, his numbers will be better than guys like Burton and Herring. I think if you put Burton in the same position he could do many of the same things that Cocozziello does. Burton is a very important cog for Ithaca and without him they wouldn't have been nearly as successful this year.

Player of the Year: Ray Bryant- Utica. As I mentioned yesterday, I think most would agree that O'Brien is the most valuable and best player in the league. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the numbers Bryant does. It will be interesting to see if the coaches overlook that fact, but I sincerely doubt it.

All Conference 1st Team

Sean O'Brien-SJF: Obvious pick. It's a joke if he's not on the 1st team.
Joe Canori-Naz: Got off to a great start but has faded of late. I could easily see t his spot going to Cichon but I think Canori gets it because he'll have the scoring title.
Jim Bellis-IC: Bellis has continually improved over the years and makes the jump from 2nd team to 1st team. He deserves it.
Ray Bryant-UC: Has the numbers for the 2nd place team in the league.
Dillon Stein-AU: One of the few competent big guys in the league and has good numbers.

All-Conference 2nd Team

Quentin Bryant-AU: On talent alone, there are few with more. May have been hurt by having to sit out the first semester.
Justin Cichon-UC: Like I said, may be a 1st teamer. Addition of Bryant hurt his numbers but still probably the most valuable player to the Pioneers.
Fran Snyder-RIT: When I think of this guy, it will always be "what could have been?" He was awesome his first two years but bad knees really slowed him down. It's too bad.
Micah Owens-EC: See above. Has the numbers but is hurt by being on such a terrible team. He should still be rewarded for bringing it every night.
Dan McSweeney-SJF: Really improved this year. Leads the league in FG% and is a force defensively, blocking and altering shots.

Honorable Mention

Jan Cocozziello-HC: Good numbers. Has been a savior for the Hawks.
Barrett Zeinfeld-RIT: Potent outside shooter for the Tigers.
Mike McGee-SJF: Best shooter in the league. Doesn't do much else which will keep him from being on one of the top two teams.
Ryan MacAdam-Naz: Streaky player with a lot of talent. Has had enough good games to get him this honor.
Brian Andruskiewicz-IC: Could have been a 1st teamer this year. Not really sure what happened with this one.