MBB: NESCAC

[madzillagd]

Nescac1 - I'm with you thinking that Wohl will be the best defender in the conference, but I'm not with you in thinking that he'll actually win the award.  We'll see what he gets listed as on the roster, but at 6'6 or 6'7 and 190 or so lbs. Wohl is going to be a beast on the court this year.  However, I will not be at all surprised if Williams plays some zone again this year and it's difficult for a guard/forward to stand out as a defender in a zone.  Usually if anyone gets noticed in a zone it's the big guys.  With that being said, I'd guess the award goes to David George or who knows, maybe Swords can pull it off it he can play 25+ minutes a game and block 4+ shots.

[nescac1]

If David George plays enough at Amherst, which has a lot of good veteran centers that he will be fighting for time, to even be in contention for DPOY, then I'd say he would be nearly a lock for ROY.  I think on most teams, he'd be a stronger possibility, but Amherst has three veteran quality fives in Pollack, Buckner, and Levine (plus Sanderson who could play a small-ball five) so it will be a challenging battle for minutes at that spot. 

[old_hooper]

It will be interesting to see how much PT George will get this year.  The competition for PT will be highly contested for the bigs at Amherst.  Pollack is probably the only one that at this point counted on for major minutes.  Sanderson will be looked upon to get significant time and then you have Buckner if healthy would have saw the floor last year a good portion of the minutes Pollack had.  Levine will have to step up also if he is going to factor in the last two years.  On the other hand if George is swatster we think he can be, it will be hard not to have that presence on the floor.  With the line up as it is now his offensive skills will have time to mature.

[jayhawk]

appreciate comments, I have no particular knowledge about what is actually going on at Amherst presently. It is just that David George has a different skill set than previous and present big men. . For a 6'8" player he has a good wingspan and good jumping ability.  He also spent a year in prep school like Robinson and Connor Green which helps in the transition to college. Time will tell. Will be interested to see the mix of players at Middlebury.

[middhoops]

Jensen is recovering from shoulder surgery and may not be available til January.....when he may be pretty rusty.
No secret that I think Mayer will be POY.  With Palleschi out, I like Sabety for ROY and I have no clue whatsoever who will be the star defender.  Robinson may very well be the best first year player but he won't get the playing time that Sabety will, most likely.  Don't count out St. Amour; the kid can shoot from out of town.
The Middlebury coaching staff is aware they have 15 guys who can really play but only room for 9-10 who really will.  I'm trying to convince Vandy74 to go to Lancaster, PA, with me for the opening tournament with Alvernia and Franklin & Marshall.  Thus far, he's being a responsible family man.

[nescac1]

That is a tough blow for Jensen and for Midd, especially since Midd has an atypically difficult early-season schedule.  With Roberts not much of an offensive threat and Lynch graduated, Midd is going to have to find a previously-unknown quantity to provide some sort of interior scoring.  I still think another Midd player besides Kizell will step up to be a strong second option on offense, so in light of the injury news on Jensen, I'll replace him on my third team with Dylan Sinnickson, who seems to be the most likely candidate as another guy who can create his own shot.  As for St. Amour, he definitely has the chance to make an impact on offense, but it's not even clear at this point that he will receive the most PT as a first year among the new Middlebury guards ...  as middhoops notes, it's a pretty big pool of candidates in the backcourt for Midd at this point behind Kizell, and hard to even know who will be in the rotation. 

I agree that PT will likely be as determinative as talent in terms of POY, which is why I picked Rafferty -- he may be running the show for Wesleyan from the get-go, and has the ability to play well as a first yeat.  Robinson, George, St. Amour and other talented frosh on the big three may all have to wait their turn to become impact guys. 

[Bucket]

James told me on Saturday that he will miss the first tournament (Alvernia, and possibly F&M), but should be cleared to play for the second tournament (D3 Hoops: Stevenson and St. Mary's) in late November.

I guess it's possible that he could be held out until January—out of an abundance of caution—though he thinks he should be good to go sooner rather than later. He's in good cardio condition and has been shooting, just can't bang around yet.

He played hurt all of last year; had surgery in May. He says that it's been years since his shoulder has felt this strong, so while this might be a short-term frustration in not being on the court for the season-opening games, it should (emphasis should) be a positive development for the rest of the year.

For interior scoring, I think Chris Churchill has the potential to be that guy. He showed flashes of it last year, particularly later in the season.

[amh63]

Middlebury playing in Stevenson, MD...with Jenson in the lineup.  May have to check my calendar.  Then there is a tourney in VA with Williams playing.  More temptations.  Live Amherst games...another strain of family interests/ funds.  For now, I am watching video games.  Just finished the two Amherst games in Salem.  Saw a number of things not seen live when the outcome is not known.  A little sad, I know...but was looking at the play of the returning Amherst players more under game conditions.
It is Family Weekend at Amherst.  The only sporting event on the weekend is Football.  There will be a basketball event planned.  The team will be at the Title Banner raising in LeFrak.  fans are invited to watch a scheduled practice...and there will be refreshments available.  Nice!  Wish I could go

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

James told me on Saturday that he will miss the first tournament (Alvernia, and possibly F&M), but should be cleared to play for the second tournament (D3 Hoops: Stevenson and St. Mary's) in late November.

It's the Hoopsville Classic (D3hoops.com Classic is in Las Vegas between Christmas and New Year's)... but I will let you slide on this LOL

[Bucket]

James told me on Saturday that he will miss the first tournament (Alvernia, and possibly F&M), but should be cleared to play for the second tournament (D3 Hoops: Stevenson and St. Mary's) in late November.

It's the Hoopsville Classic (D3hoops.com Classic is in Las Vegas between Christmas and New Year's)... but I will let you slide on this LOL

Whoops. Sorry about that. I had a feeling I wasn't quite right, though I was too lazy to look it up.

[madzillagd]

Interesting conversation on the CCIW board about the new rules about hand checking and physical defense in general.  Based on a few exhibition games so far, fouls have been very tight and extended the games a bit so we'll see how things are implemented in the Northeast. 

My initial thought is most teams in the NESCAC aren't going to be too impacted by this because nobody really plays that physical.  I could see this being an issue for Midd, but for Amherst & Williams I don't think it should have as much of an impact.  I think if anything this could have more of a negative effect for Williams on the offensive end.  For their offense, they get a lot more back cuts off of teams that are playing aggressive so if this causes teams to take a step or two off, it may eliminate some of those opportunities for easy layups. 

[middhoops]

"I could see this being an issue for Midd, but for Amherst & Williams I don't think it should have as much of an impact."
Good point, unfortunately.

[Vandy74]

James told me on Saturday that he will miss the first tournament (Alvernia, and possibly F&M), but should be cleared to play for the second tournament (D3 Hoops: Stevenson and St. Mary's) in late November.

It's the Hoopsville Classic (D3hoops.com Classic is in Las Vegas between Christmas and New Year's)... but I will let you slide on this LOL

Whoops. Sorry about that. I had a feeling I wasn't quite right, though I was too lazy to look it up.

In fairness to Bucket the schedule posted on the MC site only refers to these games as the "Stevenson Tournament".   I do remember all the particulars being mentioned a while back at the time the teams were chosen to participate.  I had the same feeling I was missing something when I checked the schedule for a friend in the Midwest who hoped some NESCAC teams were playing in a tournament close enough for her to travel to see.  I'm not sure Vegas is any better for her though.

[madzillagd]

I'm just going to set this down right here and walk away....    http://vimeo.com/78113196

[nescac1]

And that instantly moves into the pantheon of videos that best encapsulate NESCAC in under three minutes, along with prior classics such as:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZzCHcMKyDc

[I'm sure that I am forgetting a few ...]