MBB: NESCAC

middhoops · December 14, 2014, 08:19:26 AM

Connor Green had the great good luck to be able to set his feet behind the three point line and get ready to receive a perfect pass from a double- or triple teamed Aaron Toomey for two seasons.
Green has the athleticism and game to score from anywhere, and he will. He is just one facet of what hasn't gelled for Amherst so far this season.
Do not expect him to struggle all year. He will torch a lot of league foes.

P'bearfan · December 14, 2014, 10:13:02 AM

QuoteP'bear...glad to hear that Polar Bears are returning to form. Any news on the recruiting side. Your team does have a short bench even before the injuries.

Bowdoin has picked up two recruits. One is Jack Simonds a 6'-5" F from Falmouth, ME. NERR ranks Simonds as the #5 player in Maine.
http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/3779/Simonds-is-NESCAC-Bound.php

The other is Hugh O'Neil who is a 6'-6" PF Phillips Exeter (PG year) and played for the Middlesex Magic.
http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/3755/ONeil-is-NESCAC-Bound.php

Both appear to bring the size and shooting ability that will help Bowdoin going forward. Welcome to Bowdoin!!

polbear73 · December 14, 2014, 11:46:12 AM

NERR is also indicating that 6'7" Connor ONeil, a power forward/center from Georgia via Tilton School has committed to Bowdoin.

amh63 · December 14, 2014, 02:50:46 PM

Any Middlebury fans...any confirmation that Zachary Baines, Green Farm Acad., is onboard. He committed in Nov. Baines, the highly sought after player...stands 6'5" with a seven foot wingspan...imo, could become like the Williams All-American center before Mayer. Expected to become the MVP of the class C NEPSC this year...if he does, will be the third year in a row!
It is always nice to see conference schools reload with quality student-athletes. Makes future contests between schools more interesting.

P'bearfan · December 14, 2014, 03:53:32 PM

QuoteNERR is also indicating that 6'7" Connor ONeil, a power forward/center from Georgia via Tilton School has committed to Bowdoin.

polbear73 - this is good news indeed. I see a Joseph O'Neill listed on the Tilton roster - assume this is the same player.

Can you post the link to the NERR article? I can't seem to find any mention of his committment to Bowdoin. Do they happen to mention his HS in GA?

polbear73 · December 14, 2014, 03:59:02 PM

P'bearfan-it is listed.under the prospects tab where they list by state in the latest NERR resport. Unfortunately I could find any confirming articles but he is included in the Tilton scouting reports. Also.a.mention in last week's Connecticut showcase.

P'bearfan · December 14, 2014, 04:24:09 PM

QuoteP'bearfan-it is listed.under the prospects tab where they list by state in the latest NERR resport. Unfortunately I could find any confirming articles but he is included in the Tilton scouting reports. Also.a.mention in last week's Connecticut showcase.

polbear73 - thanks for the update. I hope it is confirmed as O'Neill would be a nice addition to this year's recruiting class. In HS he was listed at 6'-5" so it appears he has grown. Hopefully there's another 1-2 inches of growing left.

It looks like O'Neill played at Blessed Trinity HS in Roswell GA - a school I know well. Neil Fuller played at Marist School - another Catholic School in the Atlanta area. However, they never played against each other even though both schools are 2A in size. Marist plays up two divisions at 4A and plays all public HS opponents - which typically features lots of D1 players.

Bucket · December 14, 2014, 05:16:36 PM

Quote from: amh63 on December 14, 2014, 02:50:46 PM
Any Middlebury fans...any confirmation that Zachary Baines, Green Farm Acad., is onboard. He committed in Nov. Baines, the highly sought after player...stands 6'5" with a seven foot wingspan...imo, could become like the Williams All-American center before Mayer. Expected to become the MVP of the class C NEPSC this year...if he does, will be the third year in a row!
It is always nice to see conference schools reload with quality student-athletes. Makes future contests between schools more interesting.

Yes, he is. He was admitted early decision.

jayhawk · December 14, 2014, 07:33:01 PM

Joe Schneider-Amherst recruit has been playing basketball for only four years or so with significant potential
former soccer player- which has provided a good foundation for footwork so critical for a big man

Buzzerbeater · December 14, 2014, 08:12:17 PM

Quote from: amh63 on December 14, 2014, 02:50:46 PM
Any Middlebury fans...any confirmation that Zachary Baines, Green Farm Acad., is onboard. He committed in Nov. Baines, the highly sought after player...stands 6'5" with a seven foot wingspan...imo, could become like the Williams All-American center before Mayer. Expected to become the MVP of the class C NEPSC this year...if he does, will be the third year in a row!
It is always nice to see conference schools reload with quality student-athletes. Makes future contests between schools more interesting.

Tweeted by Midd Asst Coach Dudley
Congrats to Zach Baines, Hilal Dahleh & Eric McCord on getting accepted to Middlebury class of 2019! Excited 4 them to join Midd Basketball!

pinseeking1 · December 15, 2014, 02:13:13 AM

Quote from: middhoops on December 12, 2014, 06:20:38 PM
NEhoops, Bates beat Babson at Babson. The Bobcats remain undefeated.

As much as I hate to say it, Babson had the game in hand against Bates, but one of the Babson players missed 4 free throws down the stretch to give the Bobcats a chance to win it with a 3 at the end. To the Bobcats' credit, they took advantage of the gift(s) and won the game at Babson.

TIAJeff · December 15, 2014, 01:11:30 PM

Re Amherst pg situation - is the theory that Barry will take over? I'm rather uncomfortable with the immediate future whenever Dawson's got the ball - it seems every time he has it, he drives to the hoop and attempts some really acrobatic stuff while 2-3 guys stand open watching. Never goes in, either. I love Berman, though he doesn't shoot (at all, seemingly) - were Barry to get back into things, would the three of them split 2 positions, or would Berman and Barry split PG while Dawson assumes the 2?

amh63 · December 15, 2014, 01:59:22 PM

Need to wait and see what the Amherst coaching staff does. Maybe awhile....but hopefully before the start of conference games. I recall somewhere at the end of last season, that Coach Hixon made a reflective comment that he should have rotated some more players in to get experience. This year he has a much younger team, talented yes, but lack of game experience and maybe need for someone to step up during games, via play and/or leadership role.
The staff is still evaluating rotations, player combos..in short blending a team.
A more patient approach...maybe. Evaluation continues after the holidays. The goal is to win the conference title at the end of the regular season....and to have a deep and healthy bench for a deep run into the post season.
Fans, including myself, need to remember that Toomey and Kalema are gone. This is a team that needs to play good defense until its offense catches up..or recovers..or finds itself. (The football team was carried by the defense this year to an 8-0 season).

Old Guy · December 15, 2014, 02:59:22 PM

Quote from: middhoops on December 12, 2014, 06:20:38 PM
NEhoops, Bates beat Babson at Babson. The Bobcats remain undefeated.

That's a good win, no? At Babson (Babson at 8-1 with wins over Tufts, Amherst, Bowdoin, and Colby). Bates with victories over Bowdoin and Colby, teams certainly favored in the preseason. Are the Bobcats for real? Wait and see? Worst to first, with the same group essentially? A new year. Midd gets them in their wonderful (to me) bandbox on Jan. 9 to open the NESCAC league play for both teams.

grabtherim · December 15, 2014, 03:46:40 PM

Quote from: Old Guy on December 15, 2014, 02:59:22 PM
Quote from: middhoops on December 12, 2014, 06:20:38 PM
NEhoops, Bates beat Babson at Babson. The Bobcats remain undefeated.

That's a good win, no? At Babson (Babson at 8-1 with wins over Tufts, Amherst, Bowdoin, and Colby). Bates with victories over Bowdoin and Colby, teams certainly favored in the preseason. Are the Bobcats for real? Wait and see? Worst to first, with the same group essentially? A new year. Midd gets them in their wonderful (to me) bandbox on Jan. 9 to open the NESCAC league play for both teams.

I think the Bobcats are no fluke and will have a strong season. The twins showed signs last season and it appears they are getting better. The experience of their coach may well be starting to pay dividends also. As with most young coaches, when he started out, he showed too short a fuse when a call did not go Bates way and when games got tight late, acting more like a player then a bench leader. It will be interesting to for me to see how he reacts to pressure situations now with a few years experience and a strong team. I think Midd will have their hands full with Bates as will every team which visits their classic gym this season.