MBB: NESCAC

[Gregory Sager]

We did not mean to imply that R-MC announcers are actual professional broadcasters.  They both have day jobs, but we meant that they always act professionally while broadcasting for the Jackets (& no doubt, everywhere else).  They are present at almost every road game & R-MC is very proud of them since we were all educated at the same small, old, liberal arts college in Virginia - home of the oldest permanent settlement in the United States.

Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico is actually located in Virginia? Who knew?

Even for the east coast, St. Augustine is 42 years older than Jamestown.  But, of course, we all know than if it ain't English, it doesn't count!

I haven't researched it, but something tells me there may be communities in Hawaii (and possibly even Alaska, though the Inuit tended to be nomadic) older than even Acoma Pueblo.

OK guys.  Gold stars for both of you.  I'm sure what 2RMCFans meant to say was Jamestown is the oldest permanent settlement in what originated as the English colonies and became the United States.   The Mensa chat room is three doors down the hall and to your right.

Yeah, but I can't get in. The door must be locked.

Are thinking and communicating accurately indicia of elitism?

No, but using the word "indicia" when everyday language would be more appropriate is proof of it.

Pffft. NESCAC guys.  I hear public-school grads use "indicia" in conversation all the time.

Next year is going to feature a small group of absolutely loaded teams in D-3 ... Illinois Wesleyan, Wash U., Stevens Point, Whitewater, Wooster, RMC and Cabrini are all very strong teams which return most if not all of their key personnel.

That list also needs to include Augustana and Wheaton (IL). Brandeis and Emory should be very good, too. St. Thomas, given the style of play of the Tommies, returns more than enough firepower next year to be considered on this list as well.

[madzillagd]

Madz...can your nephew play point?   Maybe next year he wii be given a chance.  A big 6'3"-4" guard like Nate.

Yes he can although I'd call him more of a combo guard than a point guard.  He's not in the Robertson mold even though he's also about 6'4 like Nate.  He's more of a scorer than Nate is but he's a great passer so given the weapons Williams will have next year I could easily see him being primarily a passer and then in his JR/SR years when Taylor & Mayer have graduated stepping up the scoring a bit.  Toad could probably speak to this better than I can because he's seen more practices but in the couple practices I saw he was basically starting up the offense it seemed when Nate or McCreary were not.  I haven't seen Hayden play so I don't know what he can do, but given Nescac1's description it sounds to me like Luke & Hayden could play side by side and basically be interchangeable parts.   

I don't think I ever posted the video I put together of his senior year.  It's a long one but since it's for friends and family that didn't get to see him play much I wasn't going for the quick 2-3 min clip that you usually see.  We have a week to kill between games though so here you go.  Luke played the 2 along side a D1 pg that is starting at Montana State his freshman year so he didn't get a whole lot of opportunities to handle the ball.  But you can see that he can knock down the 3 from 2-3 ft behind the line so that will be a different aspect that Nate & Matt don't bring this year. Stick around to the bitter end and you'll get some 'Stache footage.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ORdvUoqoEQ

[amh63]

Madz....thanks for sharing!
Several comments on his play shown and one on the video.   First....interesting selection of music.  Problem with many such highlights...no views of his defensive skills.  Just saying that if he was at Amherst, his offensive skills, ability to see the floor and passing would get him floor time.  However, if you can not play defense as defined by Coach Hixon, playing time will be limited.  I see Luke as a slender Conner Green in his shooting and driving ability.  C. Green is also a banger inside and off the boards though.
Yes, he has point guard ability with his ability to see his teammates.  Actually, he does remind me a little of Nate when Nate was asked to be more aggressive and take the lead.  If you can find the video in the Williams' archives....when Nate was a Soph there was a game against Amherst in Chandler....Toomey on the floor and star guard Meeham for Amherst.  That game, believe it was an post-season game, an elite 8 game?.  In any case, Nate's scoring and leadership in the latter stages of an otherwise tight game, won the game for Williams.  So much so, that I never noticed Nate's defensive talents...at the time.   Today, with the fire power of others, Nate is not asked to score.   In summary, I can almost see Luke in that game with his scoring ability.  As always, Luke has to play his game in the role given.  Nate is also an unique player as are a

ll good starting guards.

[madzillagd]

Amh63 - I don't think defense will be an issue for him, it's just not that entertaining to watch a guy stopping the ball in transition 30 ft from the basket so I didn't throw much in there.  I do not think he is as quick as Nate is with his feet, but he reads the offensive players very well so he does a good job staying in front of people but he isn't going to get steals like Nate or even McCreary.  He's not going to be banging inside too much but he's a little bigger than Nate and has more jumping ability as well, so I think he'll take it a bit more inside and look to kick more often.  Nate is so crafty he has a way of finishing inside when it doesn't even look like he can get a shot off and Luke's probably more like Green where they are going to just attack you with their athleticism and try to finish that way.  But it depends on the role and I see him as a playmaker and supporting cast next year who won't need to score much but can if necessary.

[2RMCFans]

OK guys.  Gold stars for both of you.  I'm sure what 2RMCFans meant to say was Jamestown is the oldest permanent settlement in what originated as the English colonies and became the United States.   The Mensa chat room is three doors down the hall and to your right.  I guess I'll go back to prepping for my upcoming fantasy baseball draft.  I thought we had gotten back to talking serious hoops here.  Nice keeper list Old Guy.  Here's wishing you a strong second place finish.

Thanks Vandy74, we did mean the first permanent English settlement.  Since no one challenged the "first athletic department in the land" being in Massachusetts when even we parochials know that "sports" in the now-US originated with the indigenous peoples of the American Southwest, we thought we could get away with it. 

We won't try that again... but we do love a good mustard.  And serious hoops.

GO JACKETS!!!  GO MARLINS!!! 

[Old Guy]

I don't think I ever posted the video I put together of his senior year. Madz

Been away from the board for a while - Life intrudes. Madz' nephew, Thoreson, sure looks like a player: nice size for the position, agility, ambidexterity, court sense. Wish someone had put together a highlight video for me in high school - it would have been 19 seconds, not 19 minutes.

Thanks to Bomber798891 for the Ithaca scouting report. Good team, many weapons: a 1000 point D2 scorer (Warech); all-time D3 assists leader (Rossi); a good-sized versatile player (Mitchell) - not to mention Pistol's nephew (that's good karma!). I hope the Panthers play well again. They will need to. The Scranton game last year is still a keen memory.

Just noticed that Skidmore's Aldin Medunjanin was named East Region Rookie of the Year. PantherNation

Medunjanin is a beast.

I'm guessing that no one will underestimate Amherst, Williams or Midd next year. Nescac1

Midd loses a lot - three senior starters, all stalwarts, hard to replace. Lots of talented players anxious to fill those spots. It's safe to say the Panthers will likely be better at the end of the year than the beginning. It will take time to determine PT, rotations, chemistry. We'll be good; it may take some time. Nice to start with Kizel/Jensen/Roberts (Bulluck, Brierly, Churchill).


I highly doubt that it says anywhere in the NCAA bylaws/rules/regulations that the school announcers have to be neutral. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Lafrakenstein

I find myself in agreement with "d-mac" in his March 11 post. My hope is that the Jeffs' athletic leadership will realize that the "partisan exuberance" of their announcing team should have limits; otherwise, I think the presentation is fundamentally disrespectful to opponents' fans who can't get to the game and have no alternative - and to others who just want to watch the game (an expanding audience). It brings little credit to the college. I spent my career understanding and forgiving the excesses of students, but I think undergraduates can aspire to a reasonable professional standard in this regard, can get over themselves. Okay, I'll get off my high horse now (horse metaphors tonight) and go to my room and listen to my Vin Scully tapes (Old Guy).

News on Ryan Sharry in Luxembourg: his team won the league and he was the MVP in the title game (22 points, 19 rebounds, 3 blocks). http://www.basketnews.lu/?p=8086#more-8086
He has played well, especially in the second half of the season. We had a chance to chat briefly when he was back at Midd over the holidays. He said the European teams have very high expectations of "their Americans." His numbers were good: 19.2 ppg (66% fg%); 45% from 3 (66-104); 11.8 rpg.
http://basketball.eurobasket.com/player/Ryan_Sharry/T_71_Dudelange/173048#Player%20Stats

Big hoop weekend. The Pantherdome will be rockin'. Tickets selling like hotcakes. Full house. Who knew a basketball subculture existed in Middlebury, VT.

[madzillagd]

Old Guy - Does Sharry stay in the same league next year or does he get to move up to a higher league?  I know Wang got into a league in China initially but had some issues with his papers etc. and had to join a team in Taiwan instead. His goal was to play his way back to the Chinese league which paid about 5 times as much.

[nescac1]

Congrats to former Eph player and coach Dave Paulsen for leading Bucknell to its third post-season appearance, and second NCAA bid, in the last three years.  Bucknell had an awesome year, finishing 28-5 and winning the Patriot League regular and post-season crowns.  Hopefully Bucknell (with a respectable RPI of 55, hard to do much better in the Patriot League) gets a better first round draw than two years ago, when they faced eventual national champion UConn in the first round. 

Paulsen is also one of 20 finalists for the Skip Prosser man of the year award:

http://www.skipprosser.com/award.html

[trixiep]

take time to determine PT, rotations, chemistry. We'll be good; it may take some time. Nice to start with Kizel/Jensen/Roberts (Bulluck, Brierly, Churchill).

Old Guy:  Don't forget Sinnockson!  That's a pretty darn athletic group.  You're right on, it will take a few games to gel. 

[middhoops]

Sinnickson may be a real beast next year.  He is an extraordinary athlete.
I'm keeping an eye on Matt Daley.  He's really big (looks taller than 6-8 to me) and appears to have the best offensive skills of any of Midd's inside players.  There is a lot of talent on the bench that didn't play in league games this year.
Also agree the '14 Panther squad will be much better in February than December.

[nescac1]

Midd I think has a good chance to be more dynamic in terms of perimeter scoring next year.  Kizell will man the point I assume, and Sinnickson, Prendergast, Bullock, and Brierly all returning healthier and more experienced give them a ton of depth, size, and versatility on the wing.  Now, of course, Thompson in particular and Wolfin are big losses and are great defenders, clutch shooters, great leaders, and you can't really quantify big-game experience, but I think that the guys replacing them have more size, athleticism, ability to create offense, and overall upside as players, they just need to gain experience as go-to guys.

Lynch I think is a tougher guy to replace for Midd.  Roberts and Jensen are big and athletic and will be a dynamite interior duo defensively, and Merryman is a great shooter, but none are remotely as efficient in the post as Lynch.  if Daley can provide inside scoring off the bench, though, Midd won't have any major holes. 

The top half of NESCAC I expect will be REALLY good next year, as many as five top-25 caliber teams.  Amherst loses the most for certain, but still brings back a tremendous perimeter group with Toomey, Kalema, Green and Killian, and Hixon always reloads up front.  Midd and Williams have been discussed.  Tufts has Palleschi, Ferris, Haladnya, Firepong and Cohen all back.  Bowdoin should be much improved as they return nearly everyone and Swords may be ready to make a big leap.  And the bottom half of the league will be a lot tougher as well ...  Trinity, Conn College, Colby, Bates and Hamilton all relied heavily on first-year players this year, who should benefit from the experience.  And Wesleyan, which on paper returns the least, despite all their losses to graduation may be a Ewing theory candidate, led by a solid group of new recruits.  After a bit of a down year behind the big three, NESCAC could easily be the toughest national conference next season. 

[amh63]

Nice to see all the Panther posters gathering together.  Awaiting Panthernation.   Welcome back Old Guy...missed your wit, inciteful posts and contrary positions.  Always good to have opposing views, who ride their horses well...fit their britches.   
Since we have all this Midd love, some North country news, the land of LATE posters...is it 'cause of more sunlight?     Seems that Bowdoin...the Polar Bears...has hired a Panther as its head soccer coach.   Soon the conference will be filled with Midd grads teachers....have not determined if it is a good or bad thing for the conference. . 
Back to BB.  Congrat to Paulsen.  One reason Bucknell will not meet UConn is that the men's team is on probation again...cannot even play in their conf tourney.

[middhoops]

Too bad that there aren't Tufts enthusiasts here.  They have the most upside of any NESCAC team  looking at next season.  Solid core of returning players with a killer recruiting class. 

[nescac1]

Yeah, a few years back, when the Jumbos were contending, there were some Tufts die-hard posters, the program kind of fell off a cliff as did the supporters, but hopefully a few will emerge with a bright future ahead.   With a third straight very strong recruiting class arriving next fall, the Jumbos have positioned themselves to be, at worst, a contender for the next three years, and they have the most talented group of underclassmen in NESCAC it appears. 

[nescac1]

Nice article on Nate Robertson:

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/sports/ci_22786367/eph-guard-robertson-is-pointed-success