MBB: NESCAC

[middhoops]

Anyone have any predictions for the nescac accolades since they're being released tomorrow? Here are mine:

1st Team:
G- Aaron Toomey
G- Connor Greene
F- Tom Killian
F- Duncan Robinson
C- Mike Mayer

Gotta think that Amherst will place 3/5 on the first team all-nescac.  I think toomey will win player of the year again, killian is a close runner-up and Greene would have won it if neither of the other two were playing this year.

Most improved player: Connor Gach

I know people might think this is crazy, but I can't see it going down any other way. Gach has been an incredible asset for the Jeffs off the bench this year and you gotta think that they'll give him most improved player nod after his career year this season.

Interesting.
Are you an LJ fan?  Don't answer.
Connor Green, first team?  Not after early January.
Thanks for your input.  Looking forward to more.

[madzillagd]

I thought he showed great restraint not making the entire LJ roster Co-POYs

[gratefulfred15]

Can't we all just be positive?! I was just making some bold predictions! Best of luck to all the players in tomorrow's selection process and the upcoming tournament!

[madzillagd]

G15 - this is positive. When we are negative it usually sends people into self-exile for months at a time.

On a serious note, no way Greene gets it over Kizel. Greene is a a pretty one-dimensional player who is almost twice as likely to turn the ball over than record an assist. Kizel nearly matches Greene in scoring and  has over 5 assists a game. I just don't see Greene making the first team at all.

[lordofthejeffs]

G15 - I don't think you're crazy at all, the Connor "Jones" Gach story is the most impressive I've seen this year.  And AS05 - great call on Mussachia, you have to believe he will be a preseason All-American next year...   

[amh63]

Lots of new posters with with dry humor
In a somewhat serious tone......do want to point out that Conner Green is not that one dimensional.  During his "down offensive period"....with respect to his outside shooting....he did contribute in other ways....even playing fine defense.  Check out his rebounds and blocks.  Yes blocks.  Go over his stats over the weekend, over the last months games and you should see the number of blocks he has made....would place a bet that he has more than Mayer of Williams, while being about 4 inch shorter.  Check out his steals while you are at it.
Speaking of blocks and Mussachia....did anyone check out his block in the Williams game in the first half.  Mayer gets an offensive rebound and goes up for a shot...Mussachia soars and makes a block of his shot.  It helped Amherst stop the Williams run and was a shot of "energy" to the players.....really lifted the spirit of the people in the cheap Amherst seats.

Speaking of cheap.  Do want to mention that for the Sunday game, the senior citizens...like me....Amherst charged 2 bucks like for students...sweet!   

AmhStud05 mentioned that the students did arrive to fill their section by the second half.  I and others around me enjoyed the energy, chants, etc. they brought.  It appeared planned in that there was a chant conductor to start and picked the chants aimed at the Williams' students across the way.  Clever words and hand gestures....see the pics...near the end of the game....pointing out the three-repeat NESCAC titles.

The game was a great one for all Amherst fans around me.  I was surrounded by parents, Amherst admin. fans alumns, etc.  Quiet fans...remembering there was a ref wife  nest to me.  At the half. both fathers of freshmen players  really enjoyed the play.  We agreed that it was like a heavy weight boxing match in the flow of the game, etc.  Williams surges ahead to a 9 point lead.  Amherst slowly takes the blows and counter punches leading to a 1 point lead  by the Ephs at the half.  Both teams fighting for loose balls, on the floor.  Both teams going inside to score and to get fouls on key players.  This was the third meeting between the top two teams in the northeast.  Both teams were playing well.  I explained to the ref's wife....who was at the Elms College game on Sat...that she was watching a game played by the top teams in New England, with All American players on both teams.  I think she got the picture through the play on the floor and the players efforts.
Gestures....want to point out several gestures I saw that illustrate the character level of the players and coaches.  Positive moments here.  The ones by the Amherst Captains on the floor after plays.
Aaron, had a ball stolen from him for a score...not able to stop the Williams play.  He hit his chest with his fingers to his teammates that it was his mistake clearly.  Kalema, giving encouragement/support to George after a negative Amherst play...a missed block/turnover?  Killian, giving strong talk to some teammates, defensive advice...after a Williams layup/score that was not challenged to his satisfaction.  Senior leaderships gestures all.

Coaches....with time running out, Coach Hixon had his starters slow the play down, not going to score with a 15 point lead, I believe.  With about 1 minute to go, Coach Maker calls a timeout and takes his starters out and puts in 5 replacements....Coach Hixon quickly follows with his five bench players.  The Williams bench outplays the Amherst bench and close the score.  Fine gestures by both coaches.
Last comment here...with respect to the play which I will label..."The Strange Foul".  In a game when every foul is challenged by the fans and when fouls on key players can change the flow and nature of the game, this was one that had people on my side shaking their heads.  A Williams player drives for a layup and is challenged by Killian.  A foul was called on George who was not even near the play.  Aaron may have been around but backed off.  Amherst challenge the call.  referees meet and talk it over and one goes to the table.  Play resumes without a change and George goes to the bench with his 2nd foul.  During a timeout later in the game....the table ref/judge calls the floor ref over and there was a change in the foul assignment...Killian gets the foul...correct player.....George goes back into the game.  A ref goes over to Coach Maker and gives him the news.  Coach Maker shakes his head that he understands and agrees to the change.  Fine gesture by Coach Maker without argument....at a time that the game was still even.  Williams was making changes that I had not seen before.  Playing more man to man defense...playing tougher defense than I had not seen the Ephs play in previous games, etc.  One knowledgeable parent pointed out that Amherst was not able to drive into the lane easily.  Meanwhile in the early part of the game, Williams was going inside inside and scoring easily.
Both Coach Maker and Coach Hixon must have talked to their players and made some changes.  Amherst stepped up the defense and the offense in the 2nd half, imo, and slowly got the lead and won the game.

[Old Guy]

Coaches....with time running out, Coach Hixon had his starters slow the play down, not going to score with a 15 point lead, I believe.  With about 1 minute to go, Coach Maker calls a timeout and takes his starters out and puts in 5 replacements....Coach Hixon quickly follows with his five bench players.  The Williams bench outplays the Amherst bench and close the score.  Fine gestures by both coaches.

Have to take mild issue with amh63, though I acknowledge that he is right and repeats the conventional thinking. The coaches must do this, to prevent their best players from injury when the outcome is decided, and to protect themselves from the charge of "running it up."

Tangential point here, a player's perspective: I suspect the Amherst players, the subs, were not overwhelmed with gratitude for being able to play in the last minute after Williams had thrown in the towel, the opportunity to take off their warm-ups and stand around and hold the ball. Williams players too.

What's it called at the end of a one-sided game when the bench players (sometimes called "scrubs") are put in there? That's right - "garbage-time." I logged some time on the bench, and played in some games where the only minutes I saw were at the end of a one-sided contest. I played my best but did not enjoy myself. I wasn't garbage.

It's unfair too that your stat line is so dramatically affected by your minutes on the floor. Give me 10-25 minutes in a game and I guarantee you I will put some numbers in the box score, and not not just under turnovers and personal fouls. I always thought there should be a line "ppm": "performance per minute."

Now, hold on. I do know the value of bench players. Their principal value is not on game night; they are crucial every day at practice making the starters better prepared, better players, and contributing to a positive team dynamic - the "chemistry" so important to team performance.

Last year, Young Guy had some h.s. games where he didn't get in. Naturally, he wanted to play. But he had a wonderful experience overall playing on the team and knew his contribution was valued. He appreciated competing every day in practice, the bond he formed with his teammates, the fitness that accrued from the physical demands of practice, the learning about this great game and how best to play it.

Amh63 asked me a couple of years ago when he found out Young Guy was a player, "will he play in college?" I told him, "every day."

[jumpshot]

Well said, Old Guy. With young players at the youth level, even first years in college, it is important not "to label" players too quickly as they are continuing to develop, or expect children to "declare a major" quickly. 75% of boys stop playing team sports because they are either "burned out" by unreasonable expectations or weeded out in club team competition.
Best policy is remaining at a distance in giving lots of space to develop and opportunities to choose.

[jayhawk]

Agree
I think the main reason players were taken out at the end of the Williams/Amherst game was to provide an opportunity so fans could acknowledge and provide  an ovation recognizing the quality efforts of those who had played in the game

[gratefulfred15]

I'm not so sure that players don't appreciate getting into what you guys have dubbed "garbage time," especially in Hixon's system.  Obviously there are some players on the bench who would be starting players on a lot of other teams that aren't loaded with the kind of talent that the Jeffs, or any other nescac team for that matter, have (My sources at Plattsburgh told me that Connor Gach was a coveted recruit for their squad four years ago, and now he is a pivotal bench player for the Jeffs). But I don't think that the LJs who could play on other teams and don't play as much for Amherst are necessarily disappointed with this. I think some of these players are excited just to be a part of the Amherst program, winning a NESCAC championship and aren't so concerned with boosting their egos. Hixon is good about letting freshmen (who are primarily the bench players) learn the system and earn their spot on the team. Plus, when these kids do get in and score or grab a rebound, I always hear friends/family cheering for them just as much as when Killian, Kalema, Toomey et al. do the rain dance on their opponents. just sayin...

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I'm not so sure that players don't appreciate getting into what you guys have dubbed "garbage time," especially in Hixon's system.  Obviously there are some players on the bench who would be starting players on a lot of other teams that aren't loaded with the kind of talent that the Jeffs, or any other nescac team for that matter, have (My sources at Plattsburgh told me that Connor Gach was a coveted recruit for their squad four years ago, and now he is a pivotal bench player for the Jeffs). But I don't think that the LJs who could play on other teams and don't play as much for Amherst are necessarily disappointed with this. I think some of these players are excited just to be a part of the Amherst program, winning a NESCAC championship and aren't so concerned with boosting their egos. Hixon is good about letting freshmen (who are primarily the bench players) learn the system and earn their spot on the team. Plus, when these kids do get in and score or grab a rebound, I always hear friends/family cheering for them just as much as when Killian, Kalema, Toomey et al. do the rain dance on their opponents. just sayin...

Not to mention, to know, an Amherst education.

[madzillagd]

amh63

Mayer:  0.9 bpg  / 0.8 spg
Greene: 0.7 bpg / 0.6 spg

Greene leads Mayer in neither category except for the being shorter part. 

[TheHerst2and4]

Tangential point here, a player's perspective: I suspect the Amherst players, the subs, were not overwhelmed with gratitude for being able to play in the last minute after Williams had thrown in the towel, the opportunity to take off their warm-ups and stand around and hold the ball. Williams players too.

What's it called at the end of a one-sided game when the bench players (sometimes called "scrubs") are put in there? That's right - "garbage-time."

Perhaps your own situation has jaded your opinion on this and I'm sure players might have differing opinion on the topic, but I couldn't disagree more. I recall a time at Williams, I believe it was my junior year, I was the fourth string point guard (not a typo, fourth). There was under a minute left in the game. Coach Hixon does this thing where he slowly walks down the Amherst bench somehow managing to simultaneously keep an eye on the game, the clock, and the bench,  contemplating who he want to throw into the fray. He was making his way slowly down our bench and he stopped at my teammate next to me, the third string point guard. He asked him if he wanted to go in, the player politely declined, Hixon looks at me and says "Sal, you don't wan-" he hadn't finished his question before I had my warm ups off and was at the scorer's table ready to check in. We've discussed "meaningful minutes" before. To me, those 30-40 seconds were meaningful. In a way, the playing time deprivation made me value them even more. I wanted to get in there make a steal, get an assist, maybe (in the rare occasion) score a bucket. I worked hard the entire year, getting that time was a way to justify all the sweat I poured into it; I wanted to contribute. To me the alternative of sitting made zero sense.
As far as the title "Garbage Time", my buddies in the student section had an alternate title for it.

[AmherstStudent05]

All NESCAC Selections have been announced:

First Team: Hart, Kizel, Mayer, Swords, Toomey

Second Team: Hudnut, Killian, Madlinger, Robinson, Vadas

POY: Toomey

DPOY: Swords

COY: Hixon

[toad22]

AMH - Late in games, teams run the clock down when they are ahead because they want to take as much time off, and shorten the game. It is smart strategy, but usually has little to do with not running the margin up imho. Certainly not when a team is ahead by 15 with 2-3 minutes left. We have all seen games where a team scores 15-20 points in 3 minutes. Taking big chunks of time off the clock with every possession makes that kind of offensive explosion nearly impossible. It forces teams to start fouling if they want to get the ball back with the clock stopped. That nearly always dooms the comeback. With the ball in Aaron Toomey's hands, a steal by the opponent almost never happens, so playing the modified "four corners" works nearly 100% of the time. As a Williams fan, I couldn't care less if we lose by 1 or 31 to Amherst. A loss is a loss. As you know in the Williams-Amherst rivalry, there are no moral victories.