MBB: NESCAC

[nescac1]

Slicky quick, thanks for the update.  Are you affiliated with Williams?   Wisconsin, interesting, good to see Williams grab a guy who usually ends up at WIAC schools ...

Formerbant, I agree that Williams is not at Amherst's level, if you look at the last six years ... but that is kind of an arbitrary number.  If you look at success over the last decade (1997-2006), Williams and Amherst are clearly at the top of the league, and essentially even with one another.  Williams has been to four final fours in that time frame, remember, and has a solid record in those final fours (5-3).  Amherst has been to two final fours, and gone 0-4 in those appearances, including a loss to Williams.  Total number of NCAA appearances gives an edge to Amherst: 6 for Williams, 8 for Amherst, but head-to-head in the tourney it's Williams 3, Amherst 0.  Amherst is right now on an incredible run, and is clearly this year the top program in New England.  Williams had a few releatively lean recruiting years, with only one all-league player from the classes of 2005-2007, but no program can be dominant year in and year out ... Amherst right now is experiencing the very peak of its program with a stream of pretty amazing talent from classes of 2003 through 2008 and Williams is just now rebounding in terms of a talent level.   But if you look at Williams' success at its absolutely peak, 1996-2004, that is certainly equal to Amherst's peak, which is 2002 until at least 2008 based on the talent in Amherst's junior class.   All I am saying is that with Williams and Amherst, it is rare that either dominates the other for an extended period, and the young players on Williams will eventually have their day ... (same could be said for Williams/Amherst/Trinity in football, except for the one period where Amherst's long-term coach was aging just as Farley hit his prime). 

[Baller10]

Williams is VERY far away from rising back to contend for championship. Amherst has too much talent in every class, especially the junior class for them to be anywhere near competitive for a championship this year or next. Trinity, is also, far superior in comparison to williams, and at least for one more year bates will be better as well, the same goes for Tufts. So, Williams will find itself once again playing on the road for a first round playoff game. The only class with any talent is the juniors with Shalvoy and Rose. But compared to the other teams, that is not nearly enough. when those guys graduate, i dont see anyone who can bring them back to contending. Supposedly the freshmen are very average, and from last yrs frosh class, only snyder, and he doesnt project that well. To me, the top teams will continue to be amherst, tufts and trinity. That being said, Williams did have a nice 2yr run a couple years back, and Paulsen is a great coach. They are also playin a much harder schedule than the other nescac squads and maybe this will better prepare them for league play. Regardless, I dont seem them being an elite squad anytime in the next couple years.

[fpc85]

I know nothing about the Williams or Amherst teams before 02-03 season. The record shows that Williams was the better team2002-2004. During this time, Williams ususally won the Amherst-Williams "series". Most games were close AND Amherst still made the NCAA's. Since 04-05, Amherst has not lost to Williams and some games have been blowouts. We will see if the Ephs luck will change. I doubt it.
I know the current group of Amherst players hunger to get back to Va. and represent the community well. Obviously, there are a lot of good teams that will challenge them and it will an exciting season.

Lastly, I wonder why Hixon doesn't get more credit for his amazing consistentcy. His winning percentage over the last 15 years has been amazing. He has to be the best recruiter in the NESCAC. His players play at a high level more consistently than any team in the NESCAC.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I think Hixson gets plenty of credit, he's continually among the "best coaches in d3" conversations that I hear or read.  I think his comfortable situation keeps his name from coming up when big name positions are open, but that doesn't necessarily mean less respect.

[walzy31]

And Williams won't be down for much longer I imagine -- and when that day comes, the players and fans will remember the half court stomp and other Amherst antics. 

Nescac1,

That was ridiculous of our fans. But let's remember that it was the Amherst fans disrespecting Williams and not the Amherst players. However, in recent years both Middlebury and Williams players did the stomp on LeFrak's center court.

"Amherst antics."

If that day comes it ain't coming soon.

I wonder why Hixon doesn't get more credit for his amazing consistentcy. His winning percentage over the last 15 years has been amazing. He has to be the best recruiter in the NESCAC. His players play at a high level more consistently than any team in the NESCAC.

The consistency is defintly there. Amherst has the longest streak of weeks in the top 25 ever. I don't know what the exact number is right now, but it is over 50 and is still active.

[fpc85]

Thanks for the spell check.

[formerbant10]

N1, 6 is an arbitrary number, but I figured starting with the 2000-01 season would be far enough.  Williams was on top in the 90's, but I'm now looking at the next decade...where Amherst is the class of not only the league, but the entire Northeast and arguably all of Division III.

Some Midwesterners will argue that their teams play tougher conference schedules and all that stuff, but when it comes down to it the Jeffs have been just as successful as anyone I can think of.  There have been a few graduating classes that left with the all-time wins record....pretty impressive if you ask me b/c that means they just keep getting better.

Can they stay on top forever...who knows, but from what I saw last year and what I've heard about this year they are still the team to beat.

[Red1]

Amherst may be the team to beat, but they still have to travel to Lewiston this year where EVERYONE struggles because everybody hates our tiny, 100 degree gym.  We'll be ready.  Bates just posted their roster for this year.  Here it is:  http://www.bates.edu/x151125.xml.

Cheers,
Red1

[walzy31]

I love Bates gym, great atmosphere. 2 years ago I won a free pizza at halftime. I look forward to going back this season.

[nescac1]

Thanks, Red.  What happened to Bates' sophomore class?  Didn't they have some frosh who got pt last year?  Including a center?  Not an issue this year with all of those seniors, but could be an issue in the future ... if O'Keefe is any good he'll be a ROY candidate because he is the only true big guy on the roster other than Stockwell, and thus should get lots of pt. 

[Red1]

Nescac1,

Mark Westhuis was a frosh who got some pt last year in the center position.  He's not on the team this year and I don't know why.   Sam Taylor is also a big man and he's been getting better each year.  He was getting more playing time then Westhuis last year, and he's looking at his best year as a senior.  If O'keefe is good (and I've been told that 3 of this years frosh are good enough to be starters, but I don't know which 3) then Westhuis may not have made the team.  Reilly, a former guard at Trinity, is a very guard oriented coach, and I doubt if he'd carry more than 3 big guys.  If there's another reason, and there might very well be, then I don't know what it is.

Scott Place was a guard last year who got pretty good pt at first.  He definitly had a hot hand from behind the arc early on, but he stopped playing near the end of the season, and missed, approximately, the last 2 weeks plus the NESCAC tournament and has not returned this year.  I don't know why.

Those are really the only 2 sophmores of consequence that didn't return.  This years sophmore class isn't notably strong, and if the freshman class is strong then they may have supplanted some of the sophmores of last year.

Unfortunately, my ability to get inside information has waned this year as the last few players who new me as a student (I'm an alum by the way), and were willing to give me the scoops, have graduated, but I'll keep digging.

Cheers,
Red1

[formerbant10]

Red1, playing Amherst at Bates will be an advantage....but to say that EVERYONE struggles is a bit much.  I don't think either of Amherst's last two games were that close up there (I could be wrong though).  Playing in that gym is a great advantage for the Bobcats...after all they managed to beat the Bants at the buzzer the last two times they played in Maine.  And every school not from Maine knows it can be a challenge to play up there.  Bates will definitely have a better chance against Amherst up there than at LeFrak.

Any word from New London??? 

[Red1]

Formerbant,

I don't think Amherst has struggled anywhere in at least 3 years.  No, they haven't struggled in Lewiston in their last 2 trips.  I know that.  My post wasn't meant to be taken literally.  I was just trying to interject a friendly jab.  Next time I'll put  afterwards to make it clear.  Walzy seemed to understand though.

Cheers,
Red1

[whoarewebobcats]

Red 1,

Do you know if Wilson or Curley is a PG? Obviously with Zak around recruiting a PG hasn't been a priority, but looking on I'd think Reilly would want to make sure he brought one in...I couldn't find anything about any of the new guys (except one small preview of Hatch's team last year) online.

As for the sophs...I think Place must have had a pretty serious injury, he's kind of the prototypical Reilly player, so I can't figure out why else he wouldn't be back. Westhuis is a mystery though...perhaps the PT writing was on the wall with O'Keefe coming in?

[Red1]

I do not know which, if any, of the first years are PGs.  I only got to watch them for 15 minutes of march madness during my break from my job.  They certainly weren't doing ball control drills.  I'll do some digging and get back to you. 

Cheers,
Red1