MBB: NESCAC

[amh63]

Magicman....alert as ever! .   When I saw the post by Coach  Hixon, I thought about you and your "hometown" school.  Yes indeed, noticed the possibility of home and away games.  Who knows...maybe there will be only an one game deal this season.  Good to have strong programs face each other during the regular season.  Maybe your coach could suggest a future series..plant a "seed".
There are some weak teams that Amherst has on it's schedule.  Hope I do not get in trouble with Coach Hixon...not knowing his thinking wrt to out of conf. Games in the middle of the season.
Still it is good to test one's team against strong opponents to judge the progress of the team.

[Pat Coleman]

Illinois Wesleyan competed in the NAIA tournament when Jack Sikma was there. He was not a Division III player.

[nescac1]

Any news from Duncan's Davidson visit this weekend, or ongoing Michigan visit?

I can't think of any D3 players who made a big impact as transfers at D1 schools, but then again, I can't think of a D3 national rookie of the year who ended up transferring.   Some of the national rookies of the year who I've seen play I'm VERY confident could have attracted interest from major D1 programs, and thrived there, including Aaron Walton-Moss and Kent Raymond (I'm not sure if there was a national ROY in Raymond's day, but if so, he would have certainly won the award).  And plenty of other guys could have been major impact guys in D1 after a year or two in D3: Ben Strong comes to mind, immediately. 

On the other hand, some other ROYs were guys who, while great players, probably were better fits in D3, like Justin Hallowell and DJ Woodmore. 

[grabtherim]

You're not really a star in d1 unless you're on the NBA radar - no one like that is going to end up in d3.

Not sure I agree with the first half of your statement.  The NBA drafts 60 or so kids a year and of those, half of the 2nd round and a few in the 1st round are busts or projects in Europe.  There are far more kids than that who are college stars, just not cut out for the NBA game. Two recent examples, barely on the NBA radar this season are Aaron Craft and DeAndre Kane from Ohio State and Iowa State respectively.  Both unquestioned stars in college who were almost left to beg before being invited to the Utah Jazz's camp.  Craft was the best defensive college guard in the country the last two season, but the scouts felt he couldn't do the same in the league or score on the other end. Kane's game didn't translate at the NBA level for the scouts either.  They may be wrong.  Time will tell.       

[madzillagd]

What team is Workman playing for this year?  I think it was mentioned and I scrolled back a few pages but didn't find it.  MACCABI HAIFA    is going to be playing a preseason game at the Sac Kings this year. 

[GingerBaker]

HaPoel Tel Aviv.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

You're not really a star in d1 unless you're on the NBA radar - no one like that is going to end up in d3.

Not sure I agree with the first half of your statement.  The NBA drafts 60 or so kids a year and of those, half of the 2nd round and a few in the 1st round are busts or projects in Europe.  There are far more kids than that who are college stars, just not cut out for the NBA game. Two recent examples, barely on the NBA radar this season are Aaron Craft and DeAndre Kane from Ohio State and Iowa State respectively.  Both unquestioned stars in college who were almost left to beg before being invited to the Utah Jazz's camp.  Craft was the best defensive college guard in the country the last two season, but the scouts felt he couldn't do the same in the league or score on the other end. Kane's game didn't translate at the NBA level for the scouts either.  They may be wrong.  Time will tell.     

So, can we say they are the "not really" part of that statement?  There are fewer and fewer of the Wojo/Craft kind of players who top out at the college level.  They may still exist, but they're not getting the kind of media attention that makes a star.

[nescac1]

The latest on Duncan Robinson's Michigan visit (alas, you have to be a Rivals member to read): https://michigan.rivals.com/barrier_noentry.asp?sid=883&script=%2Fcontent%2Easp&cid=1666829

Here is another recent article on Duncan's decision, featuring extensive commentary from former Eph Mike Crotty:

http://www.freep.com/article/20140805/SPORTS06/308050210/michigan-wolverines

[nescac1]

And it's official, to no one's surprise, Duncan commits to Michigan.  Congrats on an amazing opportunity that few D3 athletes could ever have, and fewer still would pass up.  Obviously, it's going to be a long time before Williams recovers from the talent that has left the program this off-season, but the Ephs aren't going anywhere and will, I'm sure, relish the role (for once) as the overlooked underdog this season who everyone is counting out. 

[madzillagd]

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2014/08/duncan_robinson_michigan.html

[ronk]

 And this baseball score just in: Amherst 73 - Williams 32 in 25 innings in the 1st intercollegiate baseball game(July 1, 1859); results travel slowly from the West Coast of MA; ran across this today while doing an internet search engine assignment. Thought it might be pertinent to the rivalry thread.

[amh63]

ronk......that is indeed a historic fact .  You must have gotten the news by pony express!

Several years back, on the occasion of Amherst honoring the present Prez of Williams College with an honorary degree at a graduation event....an Amherst tradition....the Senior speaker cracked up the audience...including both college presidents...that he did worry about any of his comments reaching up to Williiamstown soon because there was no "internet" up in that corner of MA.  I understand your comment.

[P'bearfan]

Obviously, it's going to be a long time before Williams recovers from the talent that has left the program this off-season, but the Ephs aren't going anywhere and will, I'm sure, relish the role (for once) as the overlooked underdog this season who everyone is counting out.

If memory serves, this past year's Williams team played several games where their bench gave them 0 points (or close to that) and at least one game where Robinson and Mayer scored ~50% of the teams points.  In fact the departing seniors + Robinson made up >58% of Williams scoring, on average.

That's not a great harbinger of the future...throw in a coaching change and I'm not sure I'd  say "the Ephs aren't going anywhere". Yes, there's still some talent there and it's a program with a ton of pride and tradition, but Williams easily has the biggest losses to overcome this season.  This could be the most wide open  NESCAC conference race in a while and I'm not sure I'd put my money on Williams being in the top 3.

[nescac1]

Williams will still be pretty good this year, led by a very strong senior trio (Wohl, Rooke-Ley, and Kilcullen).  Those guys have a lot of pride and experience.  They will really need a lot of younger players, including some frosh, to step up.  Greenman and Aronowitz will need to switch from supporting roles to leading players.  With all they lost, and a coaching change, finishing in the top four in NESCAC would be a very successful year, I'd say.  That won't be easy with Amherst, Midd, Tufts, Trinity and Colby all returning as much or more talent than the Ephs, and Bowdoin being right there, too.  When this year's seniors graduate, things look bleaker, so the Ephs really need App to hit the ground running and score two big recruiting years back-to-back.  It would be nice if admissions gave him, as a new coach who missed half of the recruiting season and then suffered a tough blow right in his first week on the job, a little extra help this year (especially after Hixon has been able to bring in a dozen guys including two D1's over the past two years), but based on recent precedent I'm not holding my breath. 

[jumpshot]

Three insights regarding the "Robinson affair":

1. Let's all hope he works hard, stays healthy, develops into another Larry Bird, and realizes his dreams;

2. There are several more key elements to this story known only by a few closest to it;

3. This transfer paints NESCAC as a league for student/athletes with abilities somewhere between intramural and Patriot League with the rare truly elite NESCAC player subject to being seduced by Division I programs for their own interests as role players. In other words, as those of us who see as much Division I basketball as Division III (and that's a lot of basketball) know, the gap between DI and DIII has never been wider. Look for the continued escalation and fragmentation of aggressive recruiting, transfer, and admission practices in NESCAC, and the spread of "governance" from the NCAA to the major Division I conferences themselves.

In short, we are in the age of the demise of the "amateur/student athlete" and many boundaries and barriers are gone as a natural change in American society.