MBB: NESCAC

[7express]

The game that counts is for the NESCAC race is at Williams.  The Williams Middlebury game is back to back as well and not a lot if time in between (ones in a Friday nignt the other Sat afternoon). Not saying it can't be done, but that's an extemely talk order to win games back to back nights at Williams and Middlebury.

[walzy31]

Amherst closing out the game in the last two minutes, with about a 15 point lead.  A well-earned win for Amherst.  Amherst beat Williams to a lot of loose balls and rebounds and played very very hard, the Ephs played hard as well, but Amherst was the more intense team.  I actually look forward to the next game in Williamstown when I expect Williams to make a much better showing, the Ephs can play (and in particular shoot) quite a bit better and I'm not sure Amherst can play any better than they did tonight, the whole team was just locked in for the last 25 minutes of the game.  Toomey, Workman, Williamson and Killian were all spectacular for Amherst, hitting many, many high degree of difficulty shots, several of the circus variety, as well as a lot of clutch threes.  Williamson and Workman were both tremendous on D as well.  Kalema also provided a big spark with his quickness and energy on both ends.  The younger players as you'd expect in a big rivalry game were not heard from much at all, for either team. 

For Williams, Mayer was spectacular and on fire, but the Ephs did not get him enough shots.  Epley got his points and made some tough shots, but as expected Workman played him extremely tough and forced him into many very difficult looks.   Daniel Wohl played well on both ends and will be a bigger factor in future years, he was the top underclassman on the court.  Sean Hoffmann provided a nice spark off the bench.  Nate Robertson was very aggressive which was great to see but he needed more help making plays on offense.  The Ephs need to hit more threes and defend the three point line a bit better than they did tonight, but that was honestly one of the best overall performances I've seen from an Amherst team, not only the stars but the supporting players all played extremely well.   Amherst will be very, very tough to beat if they can continue to play at that level.  It will be interesting to see how the Ephs bounce back from a dispiriting loss, and I expect they will be have (and will certainly need to) a big boost in energy from the fan base back in the friendly confines.   

Nice to hear Walzy's voice, and thanks for the shout-out to the board regulars.  Nice job also by the Amherst announcing crew.

Nescac1, glad you enjoyed Spencer and Brian...I think they are good at calling the play-by-play and are pretty funny as well.

I'll agree with you on a few things:
-Our key players played well (especially Workman and Killian).
-Klemm's shot was off all night.
-Wohl did a lot of nice things on both ends for Williams.

However, I'll comment on a few too:
-Mayer shot the ball well...he impressed me as much improved from last year. He hit three big 3s that kept Williams close and had some nice moves in the post. I wouldn't go as far as saying he had a spectacular game when he plays center and finished with four rebounds and zero blocks.
-I hope between last nights game and the rematch in Chandler that Coach Maker gets some sleep. He may have some restless nights thinking about trying to defend some of the Amherst standard offense.
-Amherst is starting to play at a higher level than they were earlier in the year, but your comment about them not being able to play better doesn't make sense since they could play at that level for the full 40 minutes and not just the final 25. Also, Amherst shot 65% from the FT line which was their worst performance all year.



I gave 7express the first of two Karma +1 already and deducted one from nescac1 for the Williams pick.

[Bucket]

Big test for for the Snow Panthers against the Ephs before they get to their ultimate Purple challenge. Hope they don't look beyond that one.

Look beyond Williams? Are you kidding. Good gracious. Williams may have come out on the short end last night, but they are a heck of a team, as good as any in the country.

[Bucket]

-I hope between last nights game and the rematch in Chandler that Coach Maker gets some sleep. He may have some restless nights thinking about trying to defend some of the Amherst standard offense.

He has an infant son. Not sure how much sleep he's been getting these days. Speaking of young Jack Maker, the Bucket Family will be heading to Williamstown this weekend bearing gifts--the finest in Panther sportswear for the infant set.

[grabtherim]

Big test for for the Snow Panthers against the Ephs before they get to their ultimate Purple challenge. Hope they don't look beyond that one.

Look beyond Williams? Are you kidding. Good gracious. Williams may have come out on the short end last night, but they are a heck of a team, as good as any in the country.

Agreed, no one among the Panthers or their fans would ever sell Williams short this or any season even after a tough loss.  In fact, it’s even more laughable to those who remember Midd’s less than stellar play and record of not too many seasons ago.  The takeaway from last night and from their recent play is that, despite the rankings, Amherst is the team to beat in the NESCAC this season.  Top to bottom they match up well against the rest of the league.  As we all know, these are kids playing a game, and anything can happen, but at this point the Lord Jeffs sure look tough.   

[jayhawk]

Tufts is still developing as a team and they are bringing another quality big man next year, Hunter Sabety, who can both score and rebound well

[jayhawk]

Interesting and exciting set of games this week. Williams is a quality team both in terms of players and coaching. To me it is interesting that Williams plays so much zone defense which changes their dynamic. Perhaps they are trying to protect their front line players from foul trouble. Teams that have quality outside shooters will present a challenge to a zone defense. Amherst has several individuals who consistently hit three point shots- Aaron Toomey of course, but Killian and Kalema as well as Workman and off the bench freshman Connor Green. This year Killian has grown with the increased playing time, he also got 10 rebounds last night. Allen Williamson with his skill set complements the team.
With outside shooting players can flash through the middle of zone and makes it tough to defend.
Middlebury has several excellent outside shooters so it will be interesting to see.
Robertson and Klemm are quality players. Robertson is an excellent playmaker. Epley is unusual in that he is a very rugged scorer who knows how to use his body and strength in scoring close to the basket. Mayer and Wohl are fine players who are developing.
Plenty more chances this year to see how the rivalries develop.

[nescac1]

I still don't love the Williams zone.  It does protect players from fouls and also keeps legs fresher, and against inside-oriented teams it makes sense, but I'd rather see Williams rest the starters a bit more and play zone less when they are in the game.  It works in certain situations against certain teams, but Amherst did three things against it very effectively, and I think other teams have and will as well: you can get open threes at the elbows, and Amherst nailed them, a quick guy (and Amherst has a few) can penetrate and dish to open shooters vs. the zone, and it makes defensive rebounding very, very difficult -- Amherst, like all teams vs. the zone this year, got a lot of second and third chances off of long rebounds.  The zone makes it really difficult for an opponent to score inside, but I'd rather take my chances trying to guard Kaasila then let guys get open threes and second chance opportunities.  Amherst is clearly not an easy team to guard in man, either, but I felt that Williams was more effective in that set.

Walzy, I agree that Amherst could have done some things better, in particular from the free throw line (although Kalema and Pollack, who combined to miss four free throws, really struggle in that department, in general).  But Workman, Toomey, and Williamson all hit some very, very difficult shots.  Now all are very good or great players, but for Workman (especially) and Williamson at least, I haven't seen them consistently hit nearly so many difficult contested shots in the past.  And Amherst received very good outside shooting from some of its supporting players, who have been hit-or-miss most of this year.  Now, if Amherst continues to play at this level, I'd agree that they are the team to beat in NESCAC (well, at least until I see Midd play on Saturday), but I do think they did at least a few things that may be difficult to sustain game in and game out.   Time will tell.   

I do think things will be different in Williamstown (where at the very least Williams should match Amherst's energy level and composure), but there are a few things that worry me as an Eph fan.  Workman is a tough match-up for Epley, and Epley has torched almost everyone else he has faced in other big games, and he'll need to hit a higher-percentage for the Ephs to win.  While Mayer was scorching hot from deep, I don't think Amherst has anyone who can guard him one-on-one, so I do think he'll continue to be productive in future match-ups.  If Klemm is missing threes, however, Williams will have a tough time beating Amherst no matter what, unless Amherst is also ice cold.  And Williams needs a bit more bench scoring, for sure, and it's not clear where that is going to come from at this point. 

Anyway, first things first for the Ephs, who will have to play better than they did last night to beat Midd on Saturday ... should be a great game!

[amh63]

Ah, it is a bright sunny cold day in MD, with snow on the ground.  I see it is also a bright sunny morning, with snow on the ground on the Amherst campus.  Finished my chores and reading the news on-line and in hand and even the posts of the games last night on the Williams website.   My "take" of the game and some responses to some on-line posts.
First, I see the game back and forth flow in terms of adjustments made by the coaches and even by the players themselves....especially through the lens of the defensive adjustments.  In the first half, the aggressive Nate Robertson worried me as he has not looked to score in many earlier Williams wins.  Mike Mayer was indeed impressive....his long range shooting ability in particular.  Someone stated that Mayer may have taken "Big Pete" to school....maybe in the first half...but not in the second, IMO.  At the half, Coach Hixon made his necessary adjustments and the flow of the game changed.  Robertson drove to the basket and was not as effective....was even blocked by Aaron Toomey once.....one of 2 Toomey blocks!  Nescac1 wonders why Mayer didn't get the ball more.  Mayer in the 2nd half was ineffective down low, IMHO...getting blocked several times as Amherst players surrounded him.  Big Pete had 3 blocks in the game and I believe two were on Mayer's shots.  Mayer was more effective going outside when he made several 3's.  Why did Mayer go outside to help his team.?....adjustments made by the Amherst team.  Williams went to a zone of shorts...a 2-3 ? in the first half.  Amherst made adjustments to it and Williams changed, I believe.  Amherst has developed into a good outside shooting team....Toomey, Kalema, Workman, Killian and Green can all shoot well from beyond the arc.  Even Williamson can hit from outside...when left unguarded....but is more effective inside for the team.
In the 2nd half, Amherst took more shots inside the arc and drove inside.  Workman and Toomey went inside for points or assists.  They could because Big Pete blocked Mayer and others off and allowed Workman to "work his magic" inside....full disclosure here....Willy has been my favorite player for awhile.  Nescac1 states that Willy was the best player for Amherst in the game.  I disagree, Willy was the best player on the floor last night, period!
Williams and others ahead should note that Amherst has at least 5-6 players that can score in double figures in a game.  Williams had 3 players who scored in double figures last night....Amherst had 4 players that did.  Teams should know by now, that when they double team Aaron, he adjusts and allows his teammates to score and he does other things.  Colby recently forgot and Aaron had a great all around game.  Williams put one person on Toomey for the most part and guess what, he controlled the game.  Aaron is the prime worry of opponent coaches....why do I say this?  In recent games, after an Aaron led run, a timeout is called by the opponent's coach.  Last night, in the first half, when Aaron led the 15-0 run by Amherst, when he came down the floor and hit a long 3, William's Maker quickly called a time out.
Wohl of Wiliams  impressed me.  He surprised Williamson with a block.  Williamson made adjustments and scored and  made a "payback" play late in the game around the 2.5 minute mark, I think (looked it up).  Epley, who had a fine game last night, who went for a break away dunk was blocked by Williamson.  Williamson ran Epley down and got the ball back.  The Amherst fans rose up and at least one of the announcers went somewhat crazy over the defensive play.
Both teams played hard last night and nescac1 wondered why Williams player's shooting was off, etc.  How about some credit given to the defense of Amherst....the adjustments made by the coach and players.....the stepping up of Killian who had 10 boards. 
Maker's remarks in the Williams' website story of the game seemed to to me to be that of a "tired" coach.  He mentioned twice that Amherst had taken more foul shots.  So what...Williams made more fouls...especially near the end of the game as Williams wanted to get the ball back and Amherst was milking the clock.  Gosh, if Amherst had shot better from the foul line, the game could have looked like a blow-out.
Enough....for now.  Must learn brevity....like Frank and Old Guy.

[madzillagd]

amh63 I think you are reading too much into the ft comment.  Maker wants to beat you with 3 things - open layups, open 3s, and fts.  I think he was just focusing on the fact that they got beat on the 3s and the fts.  He wasn't commenting on the officiating, just that his team got beat in that category. 

Where to start, I can say I was disappointed in the outcome but not surprised by the outcome.  Of the two games this week I thought this one would be the more difficult for Williams to win.  As Nescac1 said, now we'll see just how good Williams is compared to Midd on Saturday to get a sense of where the teams rank against each other.  Also agree with Nescac1 on the comments on the zone vs man and the bench production.

My one woulda/coulda/shoulda coaching comment for last night was when the Ephs were up by 11 I believe with 5 minutes to go in the first half and had all the momentum.  At that point, Maker elected to go with his bench and pulled 3 of his starters.  Amherst as we know responded with a 15-0 run and that turned the momentum and the game.  I would have loved to see the Williams starters stay in at that 5 minute mark to try and push the lead to 15-20 before the half (and I have the text messages to my brother to prove it    ).  There's no guarantee that they would have been able to push the lead, but at that point things seemed to be going their way and at a minimum I don't think they let Amherst go 15-0.  Oh well. 

Saturday is going to be a slugfest I imagine. 

[WPI89]

Amherst closing out the game in the last two minutes, with about a 15 point lead.  A well-earned win for Amherst.  Amherst beat Williams to a lot of loose balls and rebounds and played very very hard, the Ephs played hard as well, but Amherst was the more intense team.  I actually look forward to the next game in Williamstown when I expect Williams to make a much better showing, the Ephs can play (and in particular shoot) quite a bit better and I'm not sure Amherst can play any better than they did tonight, the whole team was just locked in for the last 25 minutes of the game.  Toomey, Workman, Williamson and Killian were all spectacular for Amherst, hitting many, many high degree of difficulty shots, several of the circus variety, as well as a lot of clutch threes.  Williamson and Workman were both tremendous on D as well.  Kalema also provided a big spark with his quickness and energy on both ends.  The younger players as you'd expect in a big rivalry game were not heard from much at all, for either team. 

For Williams, Mayer was spectacular and on fire, but the Ephs did not get him enough shots.  Epley got his points and made some tough shots, but as expected Workman played him extremely tough and forced him into many very difficult looks.   Daniel Wohl played well on both ends and will be a bigger factor in future years, he was the top underclassman on the court.  Sean Hoffmann provided a nice spark off the bench.  Nate Robertson was very aggressive which was great to see but he needed more help making plays on offense.  The Ephs need to hit more threes and defend the three point line a bit better than they did tonight, but that was honestly one of the best overall performances I've seen from an Amherst team, not only the stars but the supporting players all played extremely well.   Amherst will be very, very tough to beat if they can continue to play at that level.  It will be interesting to see how the Ephs bounce back from a dispiriting loss, and I expect they will be have (and will certainly need to) a big boost in energy from the fan base back in the friendly confines.   

Nice to hear Walzy's voice, and thanks for the shout-out to the board regulars.  Nice job also by the Amherst announcing crew.

Nescac1, glad you enjoyed Spencer and Brian...I think they are good at calling the play-by-play and are pretty funny as well.

I'll agree with you on a few things:
-Our key players played well (especially Workman and Killian).
-Klemm's shot was off all night.
-Wohl did a lot of nice things on both ends for Williams.

However, I'll comment on a few too:
-Mayer shot the ball well...he impressed me as much improved from last year. He hit three big 3s that kept Williams close and had some nice moves in the post. I wouldn't go as far as saying he had a spectacular game when he plays center and finished with four rebounds and zero blocks.
-I hope between last nights game and the rematch in Chandler that Coach Maker gets some sleep. He may have some restless nights thinking about trying to defend some of the Amherst standard offense.
-Amherst is starting to play at a higher level than they were earlier in the year, but your comment about them not being able to play better doesn't make sense since they could play at that level for the full 40 minutes and not just the final 25. Also, Amherst shot 65% from the FT line which was their worst performance all year.



I gave 7express the first of two Karma +1 already and deducted one from nescac1 for the Williams pick.

I guess I am not "regular" enough over here on NESCAC but I think you owe me 6 K's at this point Walzy?

PS - WPI escapes last night to go to 19-0  Would love to win a first round game and then get a shot at maybe the lesser of the big NESCAC 3 at Harrington in the second round?

[pick and roll]

Depth could be an issue for Williams against Middlebury - last year Mayer, Wohl and Rooke Ley were making major contributions off the bench and we are not seeing that this year.  The zone could be a way for Maker to try to keep his top five more fresh at the end of the games.

[madzillagd]

Depth could be an issue for Williams against Middlebury - last year Mayer, Wohl and Rooke Ley were making major contributions off the bench and we are not seeing that this year.  The zone could be a way for Maker to try to keep his top five more fresh at the end of the games.

I couldn't agree more.  I think the positive side to look at this is the Ephs have more on that bench than we've seen so far this year so there is potential there to get more support I believe.  Obviously it is going to depend on how guys respond and whether Maker decides to change things up.

[walzy31]

I guess I am not "regular" enough over here on NESCAC but I think you owe me 6 K's at this point Walzy?

PS - WPI escapes last night to go to 19-0  Would love to win a first round game and then get a shot at maybe the lesser of the big NESCAC 3 at Harrington in the second round?

There is some honor code when it comes to the K payments and deductions. I'll get you up to 15 (from 12) barring this weekend's performance.

[walzy31]

I would hate to be the wing that has to guard Epley on the game following Middlebury. He faces the two best individual defenders in the conference on back to back games and is going to unload on that opponent. Just looked at the schedule and it's Southern Vermont...oh goodness he might drop 40 to get Workman and Thompson out of his shorts.