MBB: NESCAC

[middhoops]

Regarding the issue of post season awards, seems to me almost nothing is settled.  Wohl comes closest to being assured recognition.
The big guy issue is really tough.  Hunter Sabety is having a great year, but his numbers are diluted by the equally great season his team mate Palleschi is having.  Hudnut's numbers are better, but not greatly so.
The super talented David George has been inconsistent but he has plenty of games left.
Lin appears to be breaking out but he has to maintain his current level of play to be in the group.
Sinnickson is probably going to be first or second team on scoring and rebounding stats, alone.
What can Hayden Rooke-Ley do the rest of the way?  Safford? 
A thousand questions.  No clear answers.
That is, as we all know, why the play the games.

[amh63]

P'Bear....is that a set-up question...your last sentance? . I have commented several times wrt to Swords tendency to "chat" with the refs..or a ref?...during games, usually when lining up along the foul lane.  Expect the tendency to continue this Friday in LeFrak.  Maybe an answer to your questions?

[Bucket]

Word in Middlebury is that Joey Kizel has joined the Panthers' coaching staff. Love it.

[AmherstStudent05]

Word in Middlebury is that Joey Kizel has joined the Panthers' coaching staff. Love it.

This is a very nice development indeed.

While I obviously would have liked to see what Joey could have made out of a legit opportunity to play overseas, I am glad that he was able to turn a tough situation in Israel into this wonderful outcome. Joey seems like he was made to coach basketball so he might as well get started sooner rather than later.  And he is obviously very comfortable with the Middlebury program.  I wish him all the best.  Except against Amherst, of course.

[jayhawk]

Boston Globe article on Hauschka and mention of his days at Middlebury

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/01/29/needham-steven-hauschka-calls-facing-patriots-special/qOIhCA8RXAeVbg8lyFXmcN/story.html

[jumpshot]

My amHerst friends point out that the school is bringing each of its five finalists for the new athletic director to campus over the next two weeks for open meetings. One member of the selection committee is quoted in the school newspaper as pointing out the large issues on campus, including a "prominent" student athlete vs. student non-athlete divide.

President "Biddy" Martin and Dean of Faculty Epstein will make final decision.

Insight from lj posters ....?

[Old Guy]

I have only seen one game live, where I am certain that the refs decided the game. Nearly always, when you lose, you have only yourselves to blame. I really hate that about sports - it's much more fun when you can blame somebody else.

Players play, coaches coach, refs ref - do your own job. It's simplistic but it's the only way one can possibly be involved in the game without going crazy - oh, yes, and fans (parents!) know more than the coach and could ref better than the refs so they howl their objections.

The weakness of basketball as a sport is the prominence of the officials, the importance of the refs. I think Toad above is being charitable. A well-officiated game still has myriad errors of commission and omission, and sometimes I think three officials only make things worse, not better. True, they see more of the floor and don't have to worry so much about position, a big help in a fast-paced game, but one ref thinks this is a travel and another doesn't, one ref lets things go and another is ricky-tacky, one ref calls this a charge and another a block - all on the same crew.

How many times has anyone seen a game with about the same level of aggression by both teams  and a wide variance in number of fouls called? That can make a genuine difference in the game's outcome. I think there's some social science on the differences in NBA officiating (fouls called anyway) between home and away teams. The game is so intimate and intense and fast that it's hard to be philosophical and rational at game's end when you have a partisan interest. We all want the elusive "consistency," but once refs start to think, say, about evening things up (i.e. "make-up calls), rather than responding spontaneously, they are doomed.

I believe, from experience, that just about the hardest thing in sports is officiating basketball.

[middhoops]

OG, not only is officiating basketball difficult; I find it truly unpleasant.
Playing, after reffing, can be weird.  You see things differently.  Often when you see a 50/50 situation, you look at the ref and instantly feel sorry for him, cuz someone is going to be pissed and he has to make a call.
Nothing in my my life between the ages of 15 and 50 was more fun than playing hoops.  In college I played 7 days a week.  Few things were worse than reffing.  I once paid a guy $100 to take my place in a a league where every player had to ref two games a season.  Knowing the guy you're calling the charge on, really sucks.
By the time the season is over, most sane folk have completely forgotten all the officiating they were present for.
What they remember is the clutch shot, the big block and the happy highlights that basketball provides.

[amh63]

Losing track of days it seems......The Bowdoin game is on Sat and the Colby arrives on Friday.  Both tough opponents at this point .....based on the way Amherst appears to be trending.
Good perspectives from the Middlebury posters on the "art" of reffing?
Surprised there has not been any comments on the selection of the new President of Middlebury.....the first women prez for the Panthers.  The new athletic facility is also a fine addition.  Believe there is one remaining Prez to be selected....at Hamilton.

[jumbo_hoops]

Tufts possibly will win the conference, but no all conference player?-- come on posters. Sabety ,-- a monster, Palleschi- as tough as they come, and even Smith-- one of the quickest guards in conference.  Shelton goes deep with bench so individual stats might not compare to some noted, but results for Jumbos will determine, how well these players should be considered .  A ways to go before we will know, but all should be under consideration

I couldn't agree with this post more. A Tufts player (if not more than one), deserves recognition after the season they have had so far. An issue with the Jumbos is passing; the big guys don't always get enough touches to the ball to have crazy stats. With Sabety, he handles the ball extremely well when he gets it. Stats alone cannot determine who gets chosen for the first and second teams. Of course, too soon to tell; but I had a few thoughts on the topic.

[gordonmann]

Players play, coaches coach

Haters hate.

So shake it off.

And you're welcome for the ear worm!

[toad22]

I agree with Bucket that even in a well officiated game, there are a great many imperfect decisions by the officials. For the most part, these are decisions that can be overcome, or adapted to. A great example of that was last year's round of 16 game between Albertus Magnus and Williams in Fredericksburg. The game was called extremely tightly, much like the early season games last year, including lots of "arm bar" fouls. Both teams were getting in lots of foul trouble. Williams adjusted, and the excessive fouls diminished. Albertus complained a lot, and seemed to double down on their style of play, as if to dare the officials to continue to call those fouls. The officials were consistent throughout the game, and Albertus imploded in a massive number of fouls. Officiating is really difficult, but it does no good to complain, though I am still guilty of complaining from time to time.

[nescac1]

Tufts fans, good to see the enthusiasm, but I think all-conference recognition is based primarily on NESCAC play, but also to some extent on play outside the conference, and Tufts after all does have one of the worst overall records in NESCAC right now.  The top of NESCAC is closely bunched and I'm sure if Tufts ultimately emerges, at least one guy will earn recognition (likely Sabety, who I think everyone has included in the conversation of potential all-league guys, including me). 

Tarik Smith has been scorching hot in conference, but his numbers out of conference were just awful, and despite his recent hot streak, his overall numbers aren't in the same stratosphere as Lin, Westman, Rooke-Ley, or Safford.  Let's see if he can keep it up, or if he just had a hot two week stretch.  Palleschi deserves credit for an incredible comeback, but a guy who averages 10 points, 6 boards, and less than 1 assist is not a credible contender for all-NESCAC honors.  Sabety on the other hand has been a dominant force on both ends for two years now, and if Tufts continues to play well, he will likely earn at worst second-team honors.  Since all three of those guys are now sophomores by eligibility, Tufts can be pleased with a strong nucleus for the next three years, and no doubt the individual plaudits will follow.  But right now Tufts is an 8-8 team with only one guy averaging more than 10.1 ppg, so it's hard to argue that they should be placing multiple guys on all NESCAC teams.  A lot can change, of course, over the next few months.

Big game for Midd and Williams this Friday, as both teams are coming off really surprising and dissappointing losses.  Both have been incredibly up and down all season, both are as healthy as you can expect for this point of the season, and both are capable of shooting the lights out or looking really stagnant on offense when the shots aren't falling.  It makes this game really, really, really hard to handicap, but based on recent Williams-Midd history, I expect yet another hard-fought, close, intense contest that goes down to the wire.  Although I've been wrong more often than right this year, so who knows ....

[P'bearfan]

I agree with Bucket that even in a well officiated game, there are a great many imperfect decisions by the officials.

Agreed but at least college basketball has not gone down the same route as CFB - endless video reviews by the refs improve the odds of the "right" call being made but really destroy the momentum and flow of the game.

[hoop master]

nescac. 1
   Faiir points -- however as noted before, a team that goes deep on the bench- i.e Tufts, will never have gaudy stats by its best.  Thus  I do think the entire body of work needs to be considered. Final team record, role of player and  overall trend of team should be considered.  History shows past " stars" not being rewarded despite their stats, as their teams fell short in results.  Regardless , there is still a long way to go to see outcomes, but  its enjoyable to have Jumbos in the dialogue this yr as a team.