MBB: NESCAC

madzillagd · November 19, 2012, 11:22:30 AM

Quote from: amh63 on November 17, 2012, 02:45:48 PM
Several strong dunks including one great one that was disallowed. Might make the highlights sometime in the future.

Saw the first half of that game and yes, I'm not sure you can have a dunk of the year be a play that didn't count but I think you are going to have a hard time topping that one. Would be great if that comes out on a highlight real because it was spectacular. It clearly wasn't a foul - the ref I think was stunned and blew his whistle out of habit, he should have waved off the whistle and let the play stand.

nescac1 · November 19, 2012, 11:39:59 AM

Too bad it's not online, who was the dunk by? I'm assuming Williamson, he is capable of some insanely athletic plays. His combination of size, strength, quickness, and jumping ability is pretty spectacular, for some reason, he hasn't really put it together consistently, but if does, he could be a true difference-maker for Amherst.

amh63 · November 19, 2012, 11:49:12 AM

The opening of the season has come and gone......and after the first few games, the posts reflect the hopes of the fresh new season, IMO. It was interesting for me to see how the new starters....A. Williamson and T. Killian...blend in with the returning starters for Amherst. Seems that there are strong players off the bench to support the "starters" including several FY players. Hoping to see in the next few games the appearance of some other contributors and improved defense and outside shooting options. Maybe this year, there will be more dribble driving and shorter jump shooting offense. Team turnovers should go down as team "Chemistry" improves.
Having said that, I find the discussion of Mayer and Sharry both premature and amusing. Let me explain my position.
To compare an All-American player Sharry who was the conference player of the year to a front court player that has only become a starter this year is IMHO, premature and funny. First, Sharry was a complete player and a force on his team over several years. He had both defensive and offensive skills and his play allowed his teammates to excel and help win games. When Midd. guards got beat, Sharry provided the defensive backstop. In short, defensive play/skills are critical when one suggest a candidate for All-American, IMO. Mayer, may have great offensive skills (including great tipping skills....yes, I watched a bit of the Williams game in which he showed it...and where the announcers wondered if a tip counted for a rebound), but he has to show me that he can play defense over the long season....to be a more complete player to be considered an All-American candidate. Was Mayer a first option on offense until this year? I agree with OLD GUY.....let us wait until the end of the season at least before one starts to make comparisons.
I will use Amherst's Aaron Toomey as an example here of a possible all-american candidate. Aaron is the PG and he is a leader and distributor. He can shoot from outside and score going inside. He also rebounds and plays defense....with significant steals in critical games. He contributes offensively by driving and getting fouls called.....where upon he makes over 91% of his foul shots....only a Midd. player shoots a higher %. He makes his teammates better and is often looked upon to make the winning play.....may it be a shot, a pass or even taking a charge. That kind of a COMPLETE player should be considered for post-season honors.

amh63 · November 19, 2012, 12:02:36 PM

nescac1.....yes the dunk was by A. Williamson. It was so quick that my recall maybe wrong. A shot by Amherst bounced out and Allen took the rebound in the air and slammed it in with a defender between him and the basket....and he landed on top of defender who was facing the basket. Allen was called for a foul for falling on and knocking down the person underneath him.

toad22 · November 19, 2012, 07:31:56 PM

I'm hoping for a great game at Wesleyan tomorrow night. The Cardinals look to be the best they've been in a very long time. I think Wes and Middlebury are the co-favorites for the NESCAC title. It's rare to have so many impact seniors on the same team. Beresford and Callaghan are lighting it up, and Sha Brown is doing what he does best -- break the opposing team down and distribute the ball, or score. Beyond those three the have another group of role players, Harris, Galvin, Thomas, Hogan and Bartner who can really contribute. I'm hopeful that Williams can play with Wes. We're going to need better performances from Robertson, Epley, and Klemm to be successful. It is so early in the season that this game can't be considered crucial, but it will give some insight in the potential of the two teams.

old_hooper · November 19, 2012, 08:51:18 PM

Amherst has a horse in the stall that didn't run this past weekend, Logan Buckner. He will definitely be a solid contributor this year and bring aggressive physical play down low. Jeff's will have to do better job boxing out defending for them to repeat as CAC champs. The Williamson dunk was amazing! Hopefully they will put it up so people can see. The other player that did not play was Barry who was anticipated to make a contribution this year. For the two frosh to get the play time they did in the game situations says that Coach Hixon has confidence in them to help now. They will only get better! To early to tell but this team could be deeper than last year. Toomy, Workman and Big Pete should all be better. Killian we need to be consistent and Williamson will need to stay out of foul trouble.

amh63 · November 20, 2012, 10:37:35 AM

Old_Hooper.....good points all. Were you at the game site? I too expect Logan to contribute this year.....did see he was in street clothes in the "title pix". Hope he gets some game time soon. Coach Hixon in his brief discussion with me indicated that he feels confident that another FY player will contribute this year at the center position. That may support your point at the depth of the team.

walzy31 · November 20, 2012, 10:50:49 AM

Quote from: Old Guy on November 17, 2012, 10:56:03 AM
I'm not much of a gambling man, but I had a bet with my doctor, who attended Ursinus, on last night's game. He called me earlier in the week and proposed a lunch bet, and asked for five points, which I quickly gave him. Midd won by five, so I lose, right? Or is it no blood? I should leave the point spreads to Walzy.

That's a push Old Guy. Nice line set by your friend! Don't buy him lunch...if you already have then he is either not a trustworthy friend or is not gambling literate.

I love Middlebury and Williams (sarcasm), but let's not get carried away comparing Mayer to guys like Sharry, Whittington, and Coffin. Those three guys were the most dominate difference makers in the league during their final 1-2 seasons. Mayer isn't in the top three right now in that category. He's not even the most valuable player on his own team (Nate).

ECSUalum · November 20, 2012, 11:57:09 AM

Quote from: toad22 on November 19, 2012, 07:31:56 PM
I'm hoping for a great game at Wesleyan tomorrow night. The Cardinals look to be the best they've been in a very long time. I think Wes and Middlebury are the co-favorites for the NESCAC title. It's rare to have so many impact seniors on the same team. Beresford and Callaghan are lighting it up, and Sha Brown is doing what he does best -- break the opposing team down and distribute the ball, or score. Beyond those three the have another group of role players, Harris, Galvin, Thomas, Hogan and Bartner who can really contribute. I'm hopeful that Williams can play with Wes. We're going to need better performances from Robertson, Epley, and Klemm to be successful. It is so early in the season that this game can't be considered crucial, but it will give some insight in the potential of the two teams.

Toad,

Good Luck to the Cardinals this year, I agree they could do some serious damage in the CAC in 2012/13. Brown is a remarkable player, difficult to guard and has soo many talents!!! Callaghan just gets better every year!! Will get to see them beat up the Warriors @ Geissler this year after two 1 point wins the last two years. Saw the game last year @ Silloway, a really nice facility.

madzillagd · November 20, 2012, 11:59:47 AM

It's early in the year and Mayer has gotten off to a good start, we'll see how it plays out in the upcoming months. However, tonight is one of those nights where he has to be a difference maker. Wes has the speed advantage, the experience advantage, and home court advantage. The one advantage the Ephs have is Mayer and everyone knows it so we'll see if he can still carry the load when he's got a target on his back. A 20/10 night is a minimum for Williams to stay with Wes tonight. Mayer has to be the anchor and we'll see if Klemm & Epley can start hitting some shots since they've both been struggling to start the year. If Mayer is slowed down and/or Klemm/Epley continue to struggle I don't think Williams can pull off the upset tonight.

Old Guy · November 20, 2012, 12:07:10 PM

Williamson is still at Amherst? It seems like we have been watching highlight dunks of his for ten years. He had one against Midd last year that was pretty special. Imagine if he played for another team in NESCAC and got major minutes. We'd be talking about him all the time.

nescac1 · November 20, 2012, 12:22:16 PM

Old Guy, Williamson is (finally) starting for Amherst this year, so you should see a lot more highlight dunks. The issue with him is that he doesn't have much of a perimeter game (both in terms of shooting and ball-handling), and seems to accumulate a lot of turnovers. But once he gets the ball in a good position close to the basket, forget about it. He is the best athlete in NESCAC hoops and it isn't even close ... the best since Troy Whittington. Troy really amped up his game as a junior and particularly as a senior, once his skill set caught up to his athletic ability and he learned to consistently harness the latter. The jury is still out on whether Williamson will do the same, but he certainly can be the x-factor for Amherst if he does so.

As for Mayer (the NESCAC player of the week -- though Beresford also had a strong case), I think folks ignored my initial caveat ... I never said he was in Sharry's class as a defender / rebounder, I (and others) spoke glowingly only of his offensive skill set, and I stand by my comments on that point, and I'm confident that, as the season progresses, folks will see what he can do ... remember, those other star big men at Williams, Chapin, Coffin and Whittington, didn't really show all that much offensively until their junior years, certainly didn't show the skills Mayer did as a sophomore. But admittedly, this is all projecting forward based on a limit data set. Tonight will indeed as Madzillagd states be a big test because undoubtedly Wesleyan will focus its defense on him. I expect Nate Robertson to be a bit more aggressive offensively than he has been in the early going, accordingly, and also the Ephs absolutely have to do a better job shooting from deep. Klemm did appear to find his shooting groove in the second half of the Salem game, and he has had huge games vs. Weselyan in the past ... agree that he will be key. If the Ephs shoot over 40 percent from three I like their chances, but otherwise, Wesleyan's substantial quickness advantage will be difficult to overcome.

grabtherim · November 20, 2012, 01:29:54 PM

Is the Williams/Wes game being webcast?

madzillagd · November 20, 2012, 01:53:21 PM

Quote from: grabtherim on November 20, 2012, 01:29:54 PM
Is the Williams/Wes game being webcast?

http://wescast.wesleyan.edu/

amh63 · November 20, 2012, 03:13:03 PM

I guess, I will provide some info on "starter" Allen Williamson that may build up his growing fan base. Allen is listed at 6'4" and 210# and built like a fullback and yes can leap a little like Superman at times. Though he is listed as a guard, he plays like a power forward, imo. I was told that he played in the low post in high school. His game,imo, was never the outside perimeter game and he is not truly a dribble drive player. Over the years, he has developed a good short to middle range jump shot that is almost impossible to stop due to his leaping ability. He will take and make a tear drop shot. There has been over the years when he has led the team in scoring.. making over 90% of his shots in a game. In past years, he has replaced Waller in the big forward spot and last season he was called upon to play more minutes. At times he is over aggressive and gets into foul trouble. Oh yes he can rebound and block shots.
In the Sat. game against Curry, Allen scored 22 points on 10-12 shooting.....including 1-2 from 3-point range and made 1-2 foul shots. Allen had 5 rebounds, 2 block shots and only 1 TO.....all this done in 25 minutes of playing time. I am hoping he will continue his fine play to date though out the rest of the season. Too lazy to look up some his previous fine offensive games.