Empire 8

[Amherst95]

After much reading I finally registered just to say this to Fisher fans:

You guys are all class.  Come on down here any time.  I hope in the future we'll schedule a home and home so we can come on up there too.

But in the meantime GO JEFFS!  (Gotta be me.)

[Pat Coleman]

After a second trip to Amherst in two years I realize how political the D3 site selection committee is.  I have no qualms in Fisher going to Amherst this year.  What an advantage this give the home team.
There is now way that last year three New York teams should have had to leave NY state for last years sweet 16.  A belated shame on you to last years site selection committee

Okay...help me out.  With Fisher in the final 8 why should they play Amherst in A's home arena?  I'm a rookie.  Shouldn't the final 8 and beyond be played on neutral ground?  Who makes these decisions.  I believe it's time for a change.

This is the way Division III is, and the way it has been. If Fisher had earned homecourt advantage with its season-long play I believe it would have gotten it.

[Pat Coleman]

fisher is msotly made up of kids from alleghany cpunty, my complaint is simple ...

Don't come here with random allegations you can't prove.

[hoopandtheharm]

First off hats off to Amherst. 54% from three - that's sick! They deserved the win and if they play like that they will reign in Salem too. I don't think anyone can say this Fisher team underacheived or dissapointed.

Reggie - get your facts straight. The deepest RIT ever went, with or without Jones, was the Sweet 16. I beleive this is the deepest an E8 men's team ever played in post-season. How can you knock a team for bowing out in the Elite 8. We all want the national championship and defintely are idssapointed but to act like this was no accomplishment is ignorant. And exactly how does MA own Empire 8? UC beat Gordon and WPI, two MA teams they were expected to lose to. Amherst owned Fisher last night and that's the extent of it. Our league may not at the level of NESCAC in hoops this year but there's no shame in that.

E8 is on the rise. Where was Utica six years ago? They are now a Sweet 16 team and a couple of big men away from even greater things. Nazareth is on the way up, Hartwick too. RIT is still competitive. This league, while not elite in hoops, is on its way up no doubt.   

[reggieball22]

Im just a hater. Congrats to Fisher on a decent season. I apologize for screwing up my facts I thought Jones senior year team went to the final four. But I was smoking a lot of dope at that time so perhaps I imagined it. and I dont want to hear about Utica upsetting Gordon or WPI until an Empire 8 team can beat a Nescac team in the dance we are OWNED by Massachusetts.

[notjoshreed]

After a second trip to Amherst in two years I realize how political the D3 site selection committee is.  I have no qualms in Fisher going to Amherst this year.  What an advantage this give the home team.
There is now way that last year three New York teams should have had to leave NY state for last years sweet 16.  A belated shame on you to last years site selection committee

Okay...help me out.  With Fisher in the final 8 why should they play Amherst in A's home arena?  I'm a rookie.  Shouldn't the final 8 and beyond be played on neutral ground?  Who makes these decisions.  I believe it's time for a change.

This is the way Division III is, and the way it has been. If Fisher had earned homecourt advantage with its season-long play I believe it would have gotten it.

Pat you are right about this year Amherst earned the home court advantage over Fisher, however last year with Fisher being undefeated, even with a weaker strength of schedule, and with two other New York teams in the bracket, the game should have been in Rochester and not Amherst.

The other though on that is after seeing the effect of a huge crowd on the playoff; I think the sweet 16 ought to be played at a neutral site.

This all being said it is water over the damn.  I made the trip to Alfred a month or so ago and watch an inept Fisher pull out a Victory.  I knew that others looked at us as the
elite of the empire eight but in my soul I did not think we compared to last years team.  Since the Alfred game, Fisher had a tremendous run.  They peaked going in to the Playoffs and proved that they deserved to represent the Empire eight in the NCAA's.  They came together as a team and made themselves and the Fisher community proud. 

The seniors are a proud and dedicated bunch and will be missed next year.
O'Brien, who else but he, would you like the ball in his hands.  During the last stretch, he controlled the team and re found his offensive skills; he has been fun to watch.
Bennett, I am still convinced that he is the best defender in our league and has fire in his eyes when he plays.  He also contributed nicely on o hitting some key threes down the stretch. 
McGee, a pure shooter, so fun to watch and was so key to this team's offensive success.  A couple of great blocked shots and key rebounds down the stretch.
Auman, saved his best for last having a great playoff run, great vision and hustle and a on court and of court presence as a player/coach.
Gillette, a class act, made up for his smaller size with, hustle, vision and moxy.   Was totally aware and opportunistic on the court both with shots drives and rebounds when you least expect them.  Deserving of the sportsman of the year bestowed on him by the Empire Eight

Kornacker a nice job of bringing this team together and having them reach their potential.  You will miss this group of seniors

[superman57]

I think that no game that big should have been played on a home court, not Fisher's, not Amherst's find another D3 school in the middle and let them go at it.  Amherst's fans were incredible and that place was rocking, but for a game that big should the conference you play in depect where the game is, maybee sectional should have been in MA, because they were the best team, but what about putting it someplace that isn't your own home court.  Thirdly my other suggestion, is give the whole weekend to the team that won it the year before, that way if they are consistant to make it back then they will be rewarded, if not you are rewarding a school with some money for doing a good job in the year before.

[superman57]

Now on the other hand if Amherst shoots the way they shot last night they will be cutting down the nets in Salem, that was incredible, they could not miss, even when they tried to miss it went in

[reality check]

Just a technical note, for those calling for neutral sites in the second weekend of the playoffs...

If you were to pick a neutral site, there are four teams to consider and not just two as was mentioned earlier.  Picking a site in between all four schools would be slightly more complicated but not impossible by any means.  Would it need to be a Division III venue or just any venue capable of hosting?  I honestly don't know.  If it needs to be a D-III venue then the one that seems most central ends up being Utica and you're back at square one. 

I think keeping the game at the highest seed's venue is logical at the D-III level.  It's fine with me for football and it's fine with me in basketball but that's just one person's opinion.  To each his own.

[ricco1]

Can anybody give me a web site with the list of sectional players? all levels. I would like to look at it myself.

[auerbach]

Congrats to the young men from St. John Fisher. They never quit. The Amherst win had nothing to do with home court or shooting percentage or any of the other reasons posted . If any of you saw the the Amherst -Tufts game you would have realized what it takes to beat Amherst. Tough quick  defense . St. John had a hard time with the hand in their face and the body in front of them from the start to the finish. They were jittery early and it lasted too long. Nice team but overmatched. Don't think Amherst is going to repeat when they head south. They will meet their match and more,they will have to step it up. Tufts dominated the boards . If they repeat that lack of production on the hardwork side of basketball they'll be coming home empty handed. Don't like teams so dependent on three's and big runs. they are a good team but they have weakness.

[superman57]

I'm sorry if Amherst hadn't shot the lights out the game would have been closer, Fisher was also missing wide open 3's something they never do

[nescachoopsfan]

the thing that makes nescac teams different than teams i have seen throughout the country, is their ability/dependency to shoot the 3.  you have to play them differently than most other teams you play against.  amherst is going to shoot at least 50% from beyond the arc, especially if you arent keying in on stopping their shooters (which is basically their whole starting 5, minues the center).  rarely do you see a team that would rather drive and kick for three, than drive to the rim.  its a different style of play and if you werent ready for it, teams dont stand a chance against amherst.

[nescachoopsfan]

also, i think the game saturday did not help the case someone made that tufts would finish behind utica and st johns fisher in the empire 8.  i know that you cant say just because one team beats another and on and on, but that shows you how good amherst is, and how good tufts is that they should have beat amherst on their home court twice. (for those unfamiliar with the nescac, in the tournement championship game amherst hit another borderline miracle shot to put the game into overtime and ultimately defeat tufts)

[senatorfrost]

Tufts, Amherst, Trinity in my opinion all about the same as far as talent is concerned. I might add it was a pleasure being in the same gym as the folks from Fisher for 2 nights. I had a question or two and they politely took the time to give not only answers, but thoughtful ones. I speak of those directly involved with the team by the way. A nice bunch.