MBB: NESCAC

[nescac1]

Any news on Paulsen to Brown?  How about Hixon, he is a finalist for Amherst A.D. job I heard?  Could be an interesting off-season if both the Amherst and Williams jobs open up ... Amherst has some long-time assistants who I would think might merit consideration, but the Williams job would be pretty wide open.  I'm kind of surprised Hixon has never been in the discussion for a D-I coach, I think his style would really work at a higher level, and he definitely knows how to recruit.

On another note, article that mentions a Tufts recruit, and his decision to attend Tufts over Williams:

http://www2.townonline.com/dover/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=510057

Kind of strange that he supposedly chose Tufts for more playing time, considering Tufts has four very solid guards returning who got PT last year, and only one of those guards is a rising senior.  How he could be "guaranteed" playing time is beyond me, unless he is already better than the guards Tufts already has, a scary prospect for NESCAC. 

So, a summary of guys supposedly attending NESCAC schools next year and planning to play hoops, from this board and "Sully's" Mount Ida College site:

Amherst: DJ Carcieri, 6'0, Steven Wheeler, 6'5
Bates:  Jimmy O'Keefe, 6'6
Colby: Gil Haylen, Paul Sellew
Middlebury: 6'4 guard from NYC??
Tufts: 6'7 guy, Dan Cook, 6'0, and another guard
Williams: Joseph Geoghegan, 6'7, Mike Moorstein, 6'0, Ethan Timmins-Schiffman, 6'7

Obviously, there are lots more.  Of those guys, Timmins/Geoghegan and O'Keefe probably have the best chance to make an early impact, given that Williams and Bates both lose their starting centers and aren't particularly deep up front, and it sounds like all three have potential.  The Amherst guys, no matter how talented they are (and you figure Steven Wheeler at least will eventually be very good if not a star), will likely have to wait a year or two with Olsen controlling the point and tons of talent and depth for the Jeffs at swingman.  Seems like there are less New England guys than usual, unless Sully missed a few -- only one Maine player NESCAC-bound, and just a few Massachusetts guys. 

[nescachoopsfan]

I dont think that article meant to say that he was going to get more playing time at tufts over williams i think it meant that he was opting to play division 3 basketball over division 1.  not saying he had the option to do so but it doesnt sound like that newspaper really was going to go into detail about dan cook and his choice of tufts over williams.  But williams cant exactly guarantee much playing time at the guard spots either considering they return their whole backcourt, if i am not mistaken

[formerbant10]

nescac1, Midd's kid is Kelleher from I believe Poly Prep.  Good shooter, a Bedford type of player.  There were quite a few NESCAC schools interested in him...I'm pretty sure his father went to Midd though.

[nescac1]

Brown job filled:

http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/5696208

Paulsen the only other finalist noted in the article.  Tough break for Dave as that would be an ideal spot, a respectable Ivy program, in a nice New England location, without a huge amount of pressure to win. 

But, his situation at Williams is hardly bad -- getting to coach his alma mater, basically 100 percent job security, a level of competition not all that far behind the Ivy League, and bright prospects for the next few years with a lot of young talent among rising sophomore and junior classes.  My guess is, after going through nearly two coaching searches (he withdrew from Dartmouth) and no Ivy openings on the immediate horizon, unless he wants to be a Div I coach badly enough to go the assistant route first, he may be at Williams for awhile. 

[nescac1]

Another mid-atlantic guy I heard (not confirmed -- perhaps someone here will do so) headed to Williams is Alex Rubin, a 6'4 shooter and two-time all league player.  Teammate of Mike Moorstein, also headed the Ephs way, and both have ex-Eph John Botti as an assistant coach.  Also former teammates with one guy on Amherst.  Hopefully they play the same type of defense as Botti as the Ephs will have no dearth of shooting and just need more of a defensive / rebounding mentality.  Sounds like Williams has a big class of recruits headed there, both in numbers and size (6'7, 6'7, 6'4, 6'0).   After a few lean years, the depth of talent may have returned to normal levels, now it's just a matter of seeing how long guys take to mature.   Williams has quite a mid-atlantic recruiting presence of late, with four D.C. guys (would be five with Leary) on the roster next year, plus guys from Delaware, PA, VA, and Jersey.

[ballaholic4]

What do people think about Bowdoin for next year?  They're returning 4 starters who have played a lot over the last 2 years and have three tough inside/outisde sophmores that are all about 6'4'' that have developed over the last year and since the end of the season.  I think if their younger players can continue to mature and play well together, they'll suprise a lot of people next year.  I think the only teams with more of their core players returning in tact are Bates, Tufts, and maybe Williams who could be a little lacking on the inside.   Bowdoin "snuck" out wins against unsuspecting williams and tufts last year, and I think next year, Bowdoin could really suprise some teams around the league. 

Here's my early early early prediction for next Season:
Bates
Tufts/Amherst/Bowdoin
Trinity/Williams
Conn/Colby
Midd
Wes

That's kind of how I see the teams grouped at this point.  Bates and Tufts have great core players back, but Bates isn't losing a major scorer.  Conn is another team who is 1 impact player away from being really good, Stone is really tough inside.  Trinity could finish anywhere from 3 to 8, it will be interesting to see them without Rhoten.  Colby could use some more guys around Cohen, but have also been looking up lately.  Williams has great guards (including Rose) but needs to slow down sometimes and dictate a half court game- to do this they need some semblance of an inside game, or defense, that's what they had in 2003 and 2004.  Amherst needs to prove itself with a new core of players (I'm assuming Wheeler will be the go2 guy?) Wes has had some unfortunate circumstances with certain players, and needs some stability before they come out of the basement.  I think it will be interesting to see how the league's dynamics may shift in the Next couple of years.  I know a lot of New yOrk kids are attracted to Connecticut schools, maybe they can get some sort of a recruiting pipeline going from the city. 

K4

[fpc85]

 
Amherst is still the team to beat. They had unusual depth the last 2 years.They gained a lot of experience. Seven players who averaged at least 10 minutes a game return. Losing Bedford, Casnocha and Corrigan will require some adjustments by the Jeffs.
The returning players will have greater responsibility. I am sure they are up to the task. Hixon has proven over the years to be an excellent coach and I am sure this "new" group of guys will be prepared. His 03-04 team played well and advanced to the final four even though they lost the all time leading scorer in school history (Zieja). The 04 -05 team lost Adam Harper, Tim Jones and John Donvan and set the school record for wins in a season only to broken by the 05-06 team. It appears that Amherst reloads better than any other NESCAC school. Given that they lost 1 NESCAC game in two years leads me to believe that they will at least be in the hunt for another title. In addition I am sure the experience in Va. will only create a greater desire to become the best team they can be and compete for a national title.


For you old timers:

Has the NESCAC seen a better 3-4 years run by a school? ( I know Williams was dominant 01-02 and 02-03 but other than the national title I think Amherst's play has been more consistent for a longer period of time.) 

How does the Amherst teams of the last fews years stack up with some of the best teams in NESCAC history?

[frank uible]

There was no NESCAC nor Division III in 1954-55, but, as I recall, during that season Williams defeated (mostly on the road) Army, BU, BC, Harvard, Dartmouth, UMass, Vermont and Rhode Island, among others, on its way to the NCAA tournament.

[formerbant10]

I'd have to agree with fpc saying that Amherst is still the team to beat.  And besides Williams 2 great years, Amherst has been the best in the conference.

As for this next year; Amherst, Tufts, Bates, Trinity and Williams should be fighting for the final four. 

Trinity will be a very different team, but they have 8 guys returning to this year's team that have started games for them in the past few years.  They will have the most talent of any of the Trinity teams in the last couple of years, but the chemistry will be the issue.  Taylor and Hasiuk started as sophomores then both missed all of last year.  Their replacements did pretty well in their place and it'll be interesting to see what happens in the fall when these guys all start playing pick up. 

I think the key for Bates is for Wholey to really step up as the 3rd scorer.  If he can spread the defense out, Ray will be able to penetrate and Stockwell will have more room to work down low.  And I believe they have Amherst/Trin at home this next season, which would be a big advantage for them.

Should be another good year for the conference.

[nescac1]

Wow, you ask for history, you really get history.  The Nogelo-era Eph teams are right there as well.  In three years, they made the sweet 16, barely losing to basically a Division I Rowan team on the road, then made two straight final fours, finishing third both years.  Like Amherst of late, only lost a few games each year.  

Speaking of Amherst, I think it's ridiculous to put them alongside Bowdoin and below Bates heading into the season.  They should be about as good as last year -- Bedford is a big loss, but McLoughlin / Coulibaly, his replacements, would pretty much have started at any other NESCAC school last year and would certainly both start on Bowdoin next year.  Goldsmith is probably more versatile than Casnocha at the 4.  And everyone else who got serious minutes is back.  They are so deep on the wings that guys like Baskauskas and Wheeler's little bro may not crack the rotation next year; again, an anomaly among NESCAC schools.  And they have three centers all 6'7 or above, all with a lot of experience, while almost no one else (except Colby) has experienced pivots next year.  They will be the favorite to win the league once again.  Bates is a close second, because they return all their key guys and looked great until a late-season collapse.  They have the best group of seniors in the league which means a lot.

Bowdoin I actually see down a notch w/out Petrie -- a lot of fairly talented guys but no all-league types and they aren't terribly deep.   The problem is that most of the league will either almost definitely be improved -- Williams, Conn, Midd, Wes, Bates come to mind as teams w/ almost all of their key players returning and/or really good recruits coming in -- or are still well above Bowdoin in talent level -- Trinity and Tufts.  I think Bowdoin will struggle to make the NESCAC tourney and that Williams and Conn will both pass them in the standings this year.  The only team capable of pulling a Tufts is Conn, lots of talent, very young team last year, and their stars missed some key league games so their record was deceiving.  I could easily see them finishing as high as second or third.

[nescachoopsfan]

i like the "pulling a tufts" reference.  My biggest thing with amherst is the loss of casnocha.  i dont think goldsmith is nearly as good as casnocha.  cas spread the floor so much and if you watched many of amhersts games you would see they loved to get out and run, and drive and kick it back out for 3.  you could not take a step off casnocha and help out on post play or drives to the basket because of his deadly shot.  goldsmith is not nearly the shooter casnocha is and if he plays down low, help will be a lot easier to come by and defenders can stay on shooters.  obviously bedford was amazing, but with amhersts style, i think losing casnocha is a bigger blow (unless of course they can run something different and be just as effective).  still the team to beat.

i dont see bowdoin doing too much damage.  petrie was really the only player i saw for bowdion that was a play maker and drew a lot of attention from the defense.  hippert is pretty good, but based on last year he cant carry bowdion to the promise land. 

im interested to see how good cohen is, i didnt get to see him play since the game was all the way up at colby, but his numbers are impressive and is a true nescac center.

bates obviously dangerous returning stockwell and ray.  i agree if wholey can be a dangerous 3rd option bates should be extremely tough.

i dont see trinity being as good without rhoten.

tufts should be just as dangerous as last year minus a true center.  I dont know how they are going to do their starting lineup, but they are only losing martin.  a sweet 16 team is a sweet 16 team.  and athletes grow up in the playoffs, just look at the new superstar dwayde.

all in all, i think a very open league.  no dominant team as there has been the past few years.

[formerbant10]

I'll put it out there again, Drew Cohen is legit.  He played last year at a lower weight than he should've.  But so far this summer, his muscle is back and he seems to be in pretty good shape.  He is getting up and down the floor better than last winter, and getting of the ground much quicker for a few pretty impressive put backs.  If he stays focused and healthy, he'll be at the top of the list for POY and maybe even some All America honors.

I'm not quite sure why Tufts will be just as good when they lose their dominant big man but Trinity will not be as good without their big.  Both of those guys meant a lot to their teams, granted Rhoten put up better numbers over his 4 years than Martin did....but the lack of a post presence will hurt Tufts more, I think.  Not that Tufts will be miserable this year, I think they will be in the hunt again this year as they have a great load of talent coming back.  But they will certainly miss Martin.

Trinity has 5 players returning to this year's team that averaged at least 9.0 points per game in their last full season.  They will be a different type of scoring team than in previous years because Rhoten is gone, but they are a very athletic team that can score in many ways.  The biggest question is finding minutes for everyone, 8 players coming back have started games for the Bants and that does not include Russ Martin who very well may be starting this season.  If they stay healthy, the Bants will have plenty of depth to carry them deep into the postseason.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

That Trinity team certainly has Ewing Theory potential without Rhoten this year.  It will be interesting to watch how they perform.

[nescac1]

Article on Tufts-bound Dan Cook:

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/highSchool/view.bg?articleid=135300

Sounds like he'll fit right in to their run and gun offensive style ...

I think Rhoten meant more to Trinity than any one player, except Cohen, did to anyone else in the league.  On the other hand, with two top players returning and the maturation of an otherwise young team, Trinity should be able to off-set that.  As for Tufts, when Stovell left everyone thought he would be impossible to replace, then Martin blossomed in his absence.  They may have someone else ready to take on the same role next year.  In any event, they have no lack of shooters / scorers from the perimeter to make it a lot easier for whomever plays inside. 

[walzy31]

A lot of good things posted in the past month. I would say the months of June and July weed out the true NESCAC posters from the phonies.

Rather than compliment a piece of everyone's posting, I will bring up the few rare things that I disagreed with:

Trinity won't "finish between 3rd and 8th". They will come in no worse than 5th place and even that would be a surprise.

I think some of the Tufts argument should be directed away from Martin and to Fitzgerald. If he is really coming back for one more season then he will give Tufts a defensive post presence. Everyone is right that they will lose the option (and 18 ppg) of D Martin on offense.

Bates will be tough with Stockwell, Ray and Wholey...but Trin, Tufts, and Amh will have more scoring options than those 3. Five players play at a time, not three.

Bowdoin is in trouble losing headband Petrie.

Cohen is real good. Colby is not.

Williams is Williams and will defintely improve from last year. They will finish no better than 4th though.

Wesleyan...haha. Never know with Wes. Might sneak into NESCACs but might also go 0-9 again. A lot will depend on if #11 decides to play hoops or party it up his senior winter/spring.

Middlebury will probably be 7-0 again right before fizzling to powerhouses Hamilton, Plymouth St and Norwich. (1-8 last year in NESCAC and I heard all they recruited were Lacrosse and Hockey players this year).

Conn I cannot comment on because I saw them play undermanned and they might be legit this year.

Saving the best for last...but everyone already has gotten into why Amherst has been and continues to be on such a roll the past 5 years.

So:

1) Amherst

2) Trinity            (                       2-5                    )
3) Tufts              (can beat eachother on any given day and need to play)
4) Bates             (at the top of their games to even hang with Amherst)
5) Williams          (                     2-5                      )

6) Conn

7) Colby
8 ) Bowdoin

9) Middlebury
10) Wesleyan