MBB: NESCAC

[frank uible]

We aim to please.

[madzillagd]

In D3 hoops ranked teams....there are only six undefeated teams....so far.  In New England there only two remaining....Midd. and WPI.
I have seen elsewhere, posts that put down Midd. based on their close recent wins.  Midd. is undefeated!  IMO, more credit should be given them as an example.   

I don't think anyone is putting down what Midd has accomplished so far, undefeated is undefeated.  However, it's not a secret that folks are skeptical of Midd because they've struggled to win some of those games against weaker competition.  As nescac1 pointed out, Midd won by a total of 4 points this weekend while Williams beat the same two teams by 26.  Midd has only played 2 teams that have winning records - both of those at 7-4 so they haven't exactly been tested to date by elite competition.  Their overall opponent record is 53-79.  Compare that to WPI's 83-81 or Williams' 83-77 and you can see where the doubt starts to creep in about how good they really are.

They are definitely top 3 in the NESCAC in my opinion, but I'm not ready yet to say they're better than Williams & Amherst until we play some head to head competition.     

[amh63]

Was going to rest my fingers but thought that for those interested.....there is new feature that just came out on the Amherst website tonight.  Jeff Report on MBB....an interview, audio one..with Coach Hixon on his assessment of where the Amherst team is as the full conference schedule is here.  Jeff report started this year during the football season.  Hixon talks about how he prepares for back to back  weekend games, the short practice squad available due to illness and injuries and a little about the past weekend away games, among many things including where he thinks Amherst chances are.  I was surprised to hear why Aaron Toomey played only 9 minutes against Conn. on Saturday...from the Coach.

[Old Guy]

Wouldn't it be simpler (and more adult) for us to refrain from opining and speculating about, and otherwise discussing, incoming recruits and to wait patiently and silently until we can actually witness their performances in college. (frank uible)

Hard to believe, but I'm with Frank (and Bucket) on this one. I wait till they get here.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Wouldn't it be simpler (and more adult) for us to refrain from opining and speculating about, and otherwise discussing, incoming recruits and to wait patiently and silently until we can actually witness their performances in college. (frank uible)

Hard to believe, but I'm with Frank (and Bucket) on this one. I wait till they get here.

Might be wiser, but with attitudes like that, no wonder the boards are so dead all summer!

[nescac1]

I see nothing wrong with discussing recruits (obviously, since I've done it). Now, obviously there will always be surprises, but in most cases, the most discussed / anticipated recruits have fared really well.  Guys I remember receiving an inordinate amount of hype before their first college game, and who lived up to that hype, over the years in NESCAC include Mike Nogelo, Tyler Rhoten, Andrew Olsen, Aaron Toomey, Zak Ray, Mike Crotty, John Bedford, Colin Tabb, Sha Brown etc. etc.  Duncan Robinson seems to be the latest addition to that group, only time will tell if he has a similar hoops career ahead of him.   Conversely, very, very few guys who were talked about as major impact guys failed to turn into that (I can think of two offhand but won't name them), and in most cases that was due to injury.

Now, of course, there will be plenty of late bloomer types, guys who fell under the radar due to injuries (Mayer is an example there, had he been healthy for his senior year in high school, different story probably), late physical growth / maturity / growing into their frame (Sharry, Walters), playing at a very small program (Whittington, although he did receive some buzz before arriving on campus thanks to a dominating high school career), or just happened to exceed expectations (Kizell, Wang).   

And regarding Frank's commentary, for a guy who spends an awful lot of time deriding posting on message boards as waste of time and energy (which most leisure activities could be characterized as), Frank spends an awful lot of time posting on message boards ...

[frank uible]

One would be foolish to look to your correspondent when seeking an example of consistency, prudence, probity or any other virtue on any subject at any time.

[grabtherim]

One would be foolish to look to your correspondent when seeking an example of consistency, prudence, probity or any other virtue on any subject at any time.

What a pompous tool.  Quite frankly, I never really discuss incoming recruits except the rare occasion when I have personally seen them play.  Whatever others choose to do is fine by me, but apparently not for some others who choose to pontificate as the all knowing Oz. 

[amh63]

Finished my breakfast and have put off an assigned chore by my wife....left for her volunteer efforts....so here I am ...again to share some thoughts (?).   Yes you are so correct about leisure activities NESCAC1.  Anyway, here goes...Is it Friday yet?!
Coach Hixon in his audio interview commented that Aaron Toomey had suddenly come up with the flu on Sat...therefore his limited time in the Conn. game.  Heard from my daughter up North this morning that there has been a "outbreak" of flu in NY and Mass....particular in the Boston area recently.  Though we will never know for sure...but got me wondering whether many of the games in the NE region were impacted somewhat by illness...the flu, recently on teams in the "CAC".  Let us take a step back and look at our American sports culture today in general and ourselves in particular.  Leisure time activity?.....heck, it has become Big Business even....in all sports and at all levels.  Think ESPN...that Ct. based company.  Think BCS and yes the NCAA with all its rules/regulations.  Will now get off my "high horse" and go in a little different direction.
In the WSJ article I mentioned yesterday, it was pointed out that Bobby Knight's undefeated season had 4 seniors and 1 junior as starters.  A very rare thing in today's Top Div. 1 teams.  Today's best FY players often play one-season only because of the 19-year old NCAA rule.  Where am I going with this....It brings me to why I enjoy D3 BB so much and even DI WBB.  It allows me to follow players through out their 4 years in school.  It allows me to speculate and then watch how a new player developes...grows and helps his/her team.  I get a "kick" following players from my area on their teams at Amherst.  Sometimes I am lucky to meet them and their parents before college and get to follow them along with their parents through college years, even.   
Anyway, I need to feed the birds in the back yard and it will be Friday soon....I get to watch the Hamilton matchup games.  My daughter tells me she will not be at the games with my grandchild...still got to start their interest early.

[Bucket]

Something to keep an eye on this weekend:

Middlebury's Jake Wolfin is 4 assists away from passing Ben Rudin's school record for career assists, which stands at 460.

Another eyebrow raising statistical milestone: Both Wolfin and Thompson are in range of reaching the 1,000-point scoring club. Thompson is about 50 points shy of scoring 1,000; Wolfin is about 60 points away.

As far as I can tell, Wolfin and Thompson would be the first classmates in Middlebury history to both reach 1,000 points.

[frank uible]

We continue our striving to please.

[lumbercat]

Grabtherim-
Frank's MO in this forum or the NESACA football board is basically to tick people off now and then. He's the ultimate contrarian who loves to stir it up. If you look at it in that light he can be pretty amusing. And once in a while, if so motivated, he can write some great posts especially when there are historical elements of D3 or the NESCAC under discussion. He knows his stuff.

I enjoy watching Frank on the net each fall in his weekly role on "The Williams Football Show" which is broadcast and archived on the Williams Athletics website. If you catch a broadcast you will see that Frank is a good guy with a strong loyalty to the Ephs who has drifted toward some eccentric tendencies as the years have passed.

My concern has been some of Franks posts dated in the wee hours of the morning where he may have been on the south side of a fifth of Bourbon judging by their content. It can get lonely out in them hills.... However, at the end of the day it's guys like Frank who make the boards go.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

FYI - the flu is affecting teams across the country. It is certainly bad in the Boston area, but there is a widespread outbreak in pretty much every state. The flu will actually be a not-so-subtle subtext for the rest of the season.

[frank uible]

lumbercat: If my momma were still alive, she would send you a Xmas card (if you would have left out the reference to bourbon).

[grabtherim]

lumbercat: If my momma were still alive, she would send you a Xmas card (if you would have left out the reference to bourbon).

Appreciate the lumbercat suggestion to check out Frank on the Williams Football Show. As all of our mom's told us: if you have nothing nice to say..." So with that in mind, and with my tounge firmly in my cheek: Frank - you have a great face for radio.  Seriously, let's all have some fun with the rest of the season.  Upset alert, this will not be like the recent past where the Ephs, Panthers and Lord Jeffs only lose to each other.  IMO the league is better balanced than in the recent past.  Too much recognition is being given to the Top 3 and not enough to the next tier.  Time will tell, but I smell an upset soon.