Empire 8

[fisheralum91]

i hear crickets

[Caz Bombers]

RIT also beat York College (not the good one from PA but the pretty bad one from NYC) at home the other day, I think Barrett Zeinfeld had 20 points.

Didn't York(NY) start the year like gangbusters?  I think they got some love in the poll and some D3Hoops.com front page love before settling back to earth.

Actually they did, beat Christopher Newport and William Paterson, both top-level eastern d3 squads but then lost 3 straight, beat some of their lesser CUNYAC competition then made the trip up to RIT and lost, leaving York at 6-4, 2-0 in their league.  That conference hasn't been good for a while but their champ always manages to put up a good fight in the NCAA Tournament.  I think NYC Tech actually won a game when they had a stud big man (Shacun Malave was his name IIRC).  York has been a mid-pack CUNY team for a while but this could be their breakout year. 

So, upon further review, good win for RIT over a good team.  I amend my earlier thoughts.

[AUPepBand]

I wouldnt go that far jose,  I have you on a huge reach right there.  I love McVein but lets be serious now, i hope u were being sarcastic.  Just to name a few that are better Coach Near, Kornacker, goodemote, Dobbs....

I merely said "one of..."  I think McVein does more with less than nearly any other coach in the area.  Kornaker has a lot of talent, but he gets credit for using that talent wisely.  Dobbs I am partial to, having played for him, but I think he will prove to be a very good coach as well.

JOSE:
Given your partiality to Dobbs and assuming you had a positive experience playing for him, aside from ability to recruit (partly because AUPepBand believes that success breeds success...if it's evident that you're doing a good job, there will always be those who'd like to jump on the bandwagon) what do you see as the top five ingredients of a good basketball coach?

[FisherDynasty]

clearconciet, are you really that dumb or do you write ignorant messages just to sturr up the posting board?

[d3lifer]

Clearconceit-

As much as I would like to see that much shake up the standings this year for the Empire 8 conference with regards to the middle of the pack it is my belief that a team earn the right to be placed in the top 4 ie...Hartwick. Do they have promise...YES! Are they on the right track...YES! But until you can prove that you are going to consistently win league games you still have to consider them to be a team that is going to be fighting there way through again this year. They have some ability and a good core but still very inexperienced when it comes to playing big games.

Predictions:
1. SJF
2. Utica
3. Naz
4. Ithaca
5. RIT
6. Hartwick
7. Alfred
8. Elmira

[d3lifer]

Oh one more thing...I saw conversation about Betancourt from Hartwick it is my belief he is still at the school, but not playing. Sorry for the delayed posts but wanted to comment on a previous conversation.

[JQV]

I wouldnt go that far jose,  I have you on a huge reach right there.  I love McVein but lets be serious now, i hope u were being sarcastic.  Just to name a few that are better Coach Near, Kornacker, goodemote, Dobbs....

I merely said "one of..."  I think McVein does more with less than nearly any other coach in the area.  Kornaker has a lot of talent, but he gets credit for using that talent wisely.  Dobbs I am partial to, having played for him, but I think he will prove to be a very good coach as well.

JOSE:
Given your partiality to Dobbs and assuming you had a positive experience playing for him, aside from ability to recruit (partly because AUPepBand believes that success breeds success...if it's evident that you're doing a good job, there will always be those who'd like to jump on the bandwagon) what do you see as the top five ingredients of a good basketball coach?

A question interesting enough to draw me out of my research-related hole...

I definitely think the ability to recruit is the #1 skill.  It has always been my belief that no coach, in any sport, is good unless he or she has good players.  I think it is especially true in basketball where a few talented guys can make a good team great.  I love Mike D'Antoni and coached a system similar to his in high school the last three years.  But look at what his system produced the season before Nash and the seasons with Nash.

But since you asked about things aside from recruiting here goes:

1. Ability to Motivate: This may seem odd but basketball is a physically demanding sport and the college season can be grueling and long.  I think the team that wins is not always the most talented or have the best gameplan, many times it is just the team that wants to be in the gym that night.  For big games, gameday motivation isn't a problem but, to get to the big games you have win some Tuesday nighters, on the road, in front of no one, against a team you are way better than.  This is when the motivator makes his team better.

2. Game Management: The respect coaches get from their players is based mostly around their ability to manage a game.  Basketball is definitely a game of rhythm and it is trickier than you think to manage subs, offenses, timeouts, in bounds, etc to make sure your guys get into, and stay in, a rhythm while preventing the other guys from getting into, or staying in, a rhythm.

3.  Tactics/Strategy/Gameplan/Scheme:  I know this seems low but I am definitely a believer in the theory of Red Holzman.  Holzman used to always say that basketball is a simple game (it is) and all the good plays have been thought of (they have).  I mean, look at Jerry Sloan, among the most brilliant half court offensive minds in the NBA.  Why?  He ran the pick and roll and kept the ball in the hands of his two best players.  Coaches need to have some idea what they are doing in this area but, generally, it isn't football. 

4.  Babysitting:  You have to know your players and keep them out of trouble.  (including academic trouble).  It is a sad comment on the state of the high school and college game but coaches are as much camp counselors as they are chess players.  A coach's greatest contribution to his team's success can be making sure the best players don't get suspended/kicked off/or quit

5.  Respect:  You have to earn the respect of your players because basketball is a game that is easy to coach from the floor.  I didn't respect the JV coach I played for my sophomore year at IC and would often change whatever he said in the huddle when the team took the floor.  You can't really do that in football.  If a WR doesn't like the play call he can't get the guys to change the play that often.  In basketball the game is so improvisational you can just make things change.  Coaches need to be respected by their players to be able to run the asylum.

[gobombers15]

The E8 continues to pile on Cortland (sucks) as RIT upends the host Red Dragons, 63-62. Colin Roy hits a 13-foot jumper with 5 seconds left to win it for the Tigers. Dave Maggiacomo gave Cortland (sucks) the lead on a 3-pointer with 16 ticks left. RIT gets 15 from Barret Zeinfeld (on 5-18 shooting) while JC transfer Kenny Gethers goes for 13 and 7. Another solid game for RIT pivot Tim Bacon as he adds 11 and 7.

The Red Dragons were led by Dave Maggiacomo's 16 points. Dave Jutton scored 10 and reserve Carson Niehoff scores 11 for C-State. Cortland led for 90% of this game but RIT had more at the end. It's looking like it's going to be a three horse race between RIT, Ithaca and Naz for the last two spots in the E8 tourney.

[gobombers15]

IC gets nipped at home in OT by a solid Kean squad, 74-73. Dom Scanlon hits a 3-pointer with under a one second in regulation to send it to the extra session. Scanlon's trey comes after Kean (8-1) misses two straight front ends of one-and-one's. A missed opportunity then in OT for IC. The Bombers led by 3 in the extra frame with under 20 seconds. Ithaca had the ball up one and turns the ball over giving Kean a chance. Jeff Bostic called for a foul with one second left on what sounded like a questionable whistle; Bryan Keller sinks them both and that's the ballgame.

Ithaca was led again by stud soph Jeff Bostic (17 and 15) as the Bombers almost play through Sean Burton's worst game in his young career (2-17 from the field, including 0-9 from distance) against a good team. Brian Joe and Dom Scanlon both put in 12 points for IC.

Ithaca's next game will in 2007 when they head over to the East Hill to take on Cornell, January 5th.

[clearconceit]

Guys take it easy.  All I am doing is intelligently guessing just as you are.

It is my opinion they will finish 3rd.  Gave Hamilton a tough game (didn't see it as I was watching our boys romp), played Elms tough and beat Ostate (Maybe OState isn't good, but they are 3-0 in the SUNY's)
Just an opinion - besides it gets so boring in here.  I mean everyone just says the same stuff. 

I'm a Jimmy The Greek guy!  Bold predictions.  Only time will tell.

Where is MadHawk to back me up?

[d3lifer]

Clear-

Listen, it would be nice to have a new get back into the mix, a good friend of mine played hoops there and I would like nothing more to see them climb out of the cellar, but rebuilding a program takes time and Paul Culpo is doing exactly the right things. He is a no nonsense guy who probably has lost some very talented players over the last few years because when you are rebuilding a program the most important thing is to have everyone on the same page going in the same direction. You can't allow people to being pulling in different directions. But this takes time and they now do have a solid core. They have always played tough at home, but consistently winning on the road in any league is a step that has to be achieved first in order to get into the mix.

[Jonny Utah]

Hey, new to the basketball boards but I had an idea............

How about the football captains (or seniors if they arent announced) tell the whole Ithaca football team to go to a home basketball game and just act like maniacs.  And I dont mean drunk and acting like jackasses, but I mean like get 100 guys in there, and just go nuts like the cameron crazies.  It would be slow at first but you know that chicks will soon follow, and then other students might join in the fray too.

I think I was only at a few games when I went there and there were seriously probably not even 25% of the fans that my high school had.

i just think it would be cool to get 100 passionate fans at an IC game in a small gym. 

I think its time to start a tradition....

[AUPepBand]

Chairman Jose:

+K and thanks for the thorough and well-thought out response to my "five ingredients" question. With "recruiting" an absolute must, you cited the following to be essential for a good basketball coach:

1.Ability to Motivate
2.Game Management
3.Tactics/Strategy/Game plan/Scheme
4.Babysitting
5.Respect

Now based on these ingredients, how would E8 hoop posters rate their respective institution's head coach? Use the typical classroom scale (A,B,C,D,F)

[AUPepBand]

Hey, new to the basketball boards but I had an idea............

How about the football captains (or seniors if they arent announced) tell the whole Ithaca football team to go to a home basketball game and just act like maniacs.  And I dont mean drunk and acting like jackasses, but I mean like get 100 guys in there, and just go nuts like the cameron crazies.  It would be slow at first but you know that chicks will soon follow, and then other students might join in the fray too.

I think I was only at a few games when I went there and there were seriously probably not even 25% of the fans that my high school had.

i just think it would be cool to get 100 passionate fans at an IC game in a small gym. 

I think its time to start a tradition....

'Tis true that attendance at D3 basketball games in the E8 is less than what it could and should be. AUPepBand believes football players already are the majority of the spectators at AU basketball games, but then, AUPepBand hasn't attended any games yet this season.   

[d3lifer]

Things have changed so much over the years in terms of attendance for Division III basketball games and my feeling is that Television has changed everything. It used to be that when you wanted to watch a college basketball game on a regular basis you would just go to the local college or for some people maybe they had multiple options. But now all you have to do is turn on the TV and you have your pick of multiple big-time Division I games. So with that Division III gets thrown by the wayside and people lose sight of the fact that it is quality basketball. That definitely has a factor on this, it also affects students as well because you have so many options to entertain yourself in a dorm room, tv, video games, movies, and internet. You can watch Duke play North Carolina, chat on AOL while typing a paper and eating dinner all within your dorm room. These things create highly apathetic student bodies on small college campuses, they may not know how a good one of there teams may be because they never made it to a game.