MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[baselinejam]

All that talk of a 5th year sounds nice - who pays for it? That extra time to take it easy  and enjoy another season; at W&L it would run you about $40k. It must be nice to  cough up the cash and postpone adulthood. Scottie have you got that kind of coin?

As far as travel goes The Gennies have their (in)famous spring semester (mid-April to end of May). I know of at least 1 hooper that is currently in the UK. Just another in the long list of things that makes W&L an interesting school to attend.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Algernon

Thanks for your reponse. I'm not that concerned about the coming year because the Tigers will have four very good inside people with 20 fouls to give ...

Ouch! 

Information I have indicates that Guilford will also have a credible frontline next year.  It looks something like Strong, Belkoski, Sanborn, Neville, and Wells.  Maybe Strong will finally be able to power forward.  If so, there's a matchup problem for ya.

To paraphrase what they used to say about Wayne Gretzky, I believe that Ben Strong and two fire hydrants would constitute a 'credible frontline'!

[vandalviewer]

How good is Ben Strong from Guilford? Is he a future pro player? What are his strengths and weaknesses? how much does he weigh? Is he athletic for a 6'11" guy or is he really slow? Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[pg04]

As long as you aren't Ben Strong from Guilford, people on here will be pretty helpful.

Be careful, when a new poster comes on and posts like this it makes you seem like you are either him or someone close to him.

Since  there is no proof that this is the case, I'm sure someone with some in-depth knowledge of this player will help you.

What I do know is that Mr. Strong is D3hoops.com's 2007 player of the year. I'm sure he's not too shabby of a player and that information about him on d3hoops.com wouldn't be too hard to find either.   

[diehardfan]

I dunno, sounds more like a scout to me. Usually when a poster is the awesome player he's talking about, he brags a little more.

vandalviewer, your question really belongs on the ODAC board, the conference Guilford plays in. I'm sure there are people there who are willing to give their opinion if you posted your question there instead.... just a thought. There isn't a lot of visitors to the boards in the off season (relatively) but you may still get some valuable insight.

Of course, those from Guilford who might over talk him, or people from other schools that might downplay his successes, but I'm sure you're going to take any info you get from a message board with a grain of salt anyway.

[mybleedinghands]

All that talk of a 5th year sounds nice - who pays for it? That extra time to take it easy  and enjoy another season; at W&L it would run you about $40k. It must be nice to  cough up the cash and postpone adulthood. Scottie have you got that kind of coin?

As far as travel goes The Gennies have their (in)famous spring semester (mid-April to end of May). I know of at least 1 hooper that is currently in the UK. Just another in the long list of things that makes W&L an interesting school to attend.

my 5th year would have to be grad school, which is a heck of a lot cheaper than being an undergrad at LC.

[hasanova]

Algernon

Thanks for your reponse. I'm not that concerned about the coming year because the Tigers will have four very good inside people with 20 fouls to give ...

Ouch! 

Information I have indicates that Guilford will also have a credible frontline next year.  It looks something like Strong, Belkoski, Sanborn, Neville, and Wells.  Maybe Strong will finally be able to power forward.  If so, there's a matchup problem for ya.

To paraphrase what they used to say about Wayne Gretzky, I believe that Ben Strong and two fire hydrants would constitute a 'credible frontline'!

That's a good one, Mr. Ypsi.  lol  Tyler Sanborn was a fine freshman player last year and all the reports I'm hearing say he's lost some weight and greatly increased his strength and stamina.  At 6'10", what a complement he is to Ben Strong.  What else can I say about Strong?  Barring an injury, he should have a stellar senior season.  I expect to see Strong and Sanborn in the line-up at the same time for significant portions of next year's games - and that'll be tough for a lot of DIII teams to defend.   On paper, it certainly looks as though the Quakers will have another fine season in 2007-08.   

[hasanova]

How good is Ben Strong from Guilford? This is pretty common knowledge, so I have no qualms about posting it.  Well, he was d3hoops.com POY and co-POY from NABC - that should say a lot.  Is he a future pro player? Probably in Europe to start.  Maybe a role player off the bench in the NBA after a few years in Europe.   What are his strengths and weaknesses?  Rarely fouls, savvy court sense, height, soft shooting touch to about 15 feet, can dunk with authority, can rebound, can block, 80% FT shooter, good team player, knows how to draw fouls around the basket, calm temperament.  Weaknesses? -  Not many, but he could be pushed around a bit by someone who was heavier, but that has lessened as he's gained weight and matured.   how much does he weigh?  about 220-230, but he's added some bulk since his freshman season.   Is he athletic for a 6'11" guy or is he really slow?  He's very athletic - some of his moves around the basket are superior for a man his height.  He can run the court with ease.   Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Just so everyone understands, I am a Guilford alumnus and a member of the school's booster club, so I am a Ben Strong fan.  With that being said, I don't think I have unfairly painted his skills.  He's just that good.  I've seen him play for three years and he's gotten steadily better each season.  He might not have been a star in DI, but he's a DI caliber player who has honored his commitment to play at DIII Guilford.  He's openly stated he had opportunities to transfer, but I, for one, am really glad he didn't!

[vdub_fan]

any word on recruits in the ODAC? i here VWC has some good ones

[Ralph Turner]

How good is Ben Strong from Guilford? This is pretty common knowledge, so I have no qualms about posting it.  Well, he was d3hoops.com POY and co-POY from NABC - that should say a lot.  Is he a future pro player? Probably in Europe to start.  Maybe a role player off the bench in the NBA after a few years in Europe.   What are his strengths and weaknesses?  Rarely fouls, savvy court sense, height, soft shooting touch to about 15 feet, can dunk with authority, can rebound, can block, 80% FT shooter, good team player, knows how to draw fouls around the basket, calm temperament.  Weaknesses? -  Not many, but he could be pushed around a bit by someone who was heavier, but that has lessened as he's gained weight and matured.   how much does he weigh?  about 220-230, but he's added some bulk since his freshman season.   Is he athletic for a 6'11" guy or is he really slow?  He's very athletic - some of his moves around the basket are superior for a man his height.  He can run the court with ease.   Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Just so everyone understands, I am a Guilford alumnus and a member of the school's booster club, so I am a Ben Strong fan.  With that being said, I don't think I have unfairly painted his skills.  He's just that good.  I've seen him play for three years and he's gotten steadily better each season.  He might not have been a star in DI, but he's a DI caliber player who has honored his commitment to play at DIII Guilford.  He's openly stated he had opportunities to transfer, but I, for one, am really glad he didn't!

hasanova, I think that Ben's staying at Guilford allowed him to develop in a (shall we say), a more nurturing environment.

We see it frequently in minor league baseball where an organization looks at the talent and sees how it wishes to develop the talent and not burn it out too quickly.

If Ben's basketball growth pattern was not going to peak until 24-26 years of age, then he might not have gained anything by "being beaten up" in leagues /divisions /conferences where his talent was not quite ready.

There is something to be said for D3.  At Guilford, he was "the prize pupil", and so he got an incredible amount of nurturing and encouragement and a degree.  He gained some maturity in an environment that honored and respected him for who he was, and not just another basketball player.

I encourage young people who seem to be on a path to blossoming at 21- or 22- years of age to consider D3 schools.  Sometimes they get lost in a D1 school, where there are 400 students sitting in an English class being taught by a "TA".

At a D3, they are a part of the precious "few" in this year's matriculation  class.  It is much easier to retain your students than to get replacements.  At a D1, they definitely have to "weed out" the non-serious ones, especially in the pre-professional classes.

I agree with April.  This message needs to be on the ODAC board.  I have moved it here.

[hasanova]

Ralph, thanks for moving this to the ODAC board where it belonged.

I agree, Ben was not ready for DI as a 6'9" 205 pound freshman.  At 6'11" and 230 or so with three years of college experience, maybe now he is.  I've spoken with Ben's family many times and I think they - and Ben - are all glad he chose Guilford for many reasons.  I also greatly respect Ben for going where he could play with his HS teammate Caleb Kimbrough.  At 5'9" and not heavily recruited, it's doubtful Caleb would have been on the same college team as Ben in DI.  I went to undergraduate school at Guilford and I was a TA at 30,000-student South Carolina, so the stark differences you cite are well known to me.

[allsky7]

How good is Ben Strong from Guilford? This is pretty common knowledge, so I have no qualms about posting it.  Well, he was d3hoops.com POY and co-POY from NABC - that should say a lot.  Is he a future pro player? Probably in Europe to start.  Maybe a role player off the bench in the NBA after a few years in Europe.   What are his strengths and weaknesses?  Rarely fouls, savvy court sense, height, soft shooting touch to about 15 feet, can dunk with authority, can rebound, can block, 80% FT shooter, good team player, knows how to draw fouls around the basket, calm temperament.  Weaknesses? -  Not many, but he could be pushed around a bit by someone who was heavier, but that has lessened as he's gained weight and matured.   how much does he weigh?  about 220-230, but he's added some bulk since his freshman season.   Is he athletic for a 6'11" guy or is he really slow?  He's very athletic - some of his moves around the basket are superior for a man his height.  He can run the court with ease.   Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Just so everyone understands, I am a Guilford alumnus and a member of the school's booster club, so I am a Ben Strong fan.  With that being said, I don't think I have unfairly painted his skills.  He's just that good.  I've seen him play for three years and he's gotten steadily better each season.  He might not have been a star in DI, but he's a DI caliber player who has honored his commitment to play at DIII Guilford.  He's openly stated he had opportunities to transfer, but I, for one, am really glad he didn't!

hasanova, I think that Ben's staying at Guilford allowed him to develop in a (shall we say), a more nurturing environment.

We see it frequently in minor league baseball where an organization looks at the talent and sees how it wishes to develop the talent and not burn it out too quickly.

If Ben's basketball growth pattern was not going to peak until 24-26 years of age, then he might not have gained anything by "being beaten up" in leagues /divisions /conferences where his talent was not quite ready.

There is something to be said for D3.  At Guilford, he was "the prize pupil", and so he got an incredible amount of nurturing and encouragement and a degree.  He gained some maturity in an environment that honored and respected him for who he was, and not just another basketball player.

I encourage young people who seem to be on a path to blossoming at 21- or 22- years of age to consider D3 schools.  Sometimes they get lost in a D1 school, where there are 400 students sitting in an English class being taught by a "TA".

At a D3, they are a part of the precious "few" in this year's matriculation  class.  It is much easier to retain your students than to get replacements.  At a D1, they definitely have to "weed out" the non-serious ones, especially in the pre-professional classes.

I agree with April.  This message needs to be on the ODAC board.  I have moved it here.

     I am a classic example of what you are talking about academically. I would never have survived academically at a D1 school because I would have gotten lost. I needed my advisors at Ferrum and Maryville putting their foot up my rear. God bless them both. I considered grad school at UT. It took me about two seconds to realize after meeting with an advisor there, it wasn't the place for me.
     Athletically, I was able to play two sports at D3. I always dreamed of playing for the Vols, Hokies, or Hoos.  I would have been able to do that except for a few bad breaks. I was too small, too slow, too weak, not quick enough, didn't have a strong enough arm,  and didn't have enough talent. Otherwise, I was there baby!!

[Jacketlawyer]

Have to agree with all of the prior posts on this subject.  Had I gone to a DI school at 18, and remembering very well how I was back then, I wouldn't have made it.  I needed someone to educate me in spite of myself, which is exactly what I got at R-MC.

[allsky7]

Have to agree with all of the prior posts on this subject.  Had I gone to a DI school at 18, and remembering very well how I was back then, I wouldn't have made it.  I needed someone to educate me in spite of myself, which is exactly what I got at R-MC.

     If you had gone to H-S, you would have gotten that education in spite of yourself AND to spite R-M.  A double bonus. 

[Jacketlawyer]

Have to agree with all of the prior posts on this subject.  Had I gone to a DI school at 18, and remembering very well how I was back then, I wouldn't have made it.  I needed someone to educate me in spite of myself, which is exactly what I got at R-MC.

     If you had gone to H-S, you would have gotten that education in spite of yourself AND to spite R-M.  A double bonus.