MBB: NESCAC

[FanOfNescac]

I agree with Amh63 that Amherst can be better without Dawson. I also find that a little sad, Dawson was a talented, dynamic, competitive player. It has to have been exasperating for Amherst fans to watch the program struggle to assimilate Dawson into an effective team system. But if you were a fan of another NESCAC team, he was a scary presence.

[toad22]

My response to PolarBear16  is a question.  Do you think/ believe that the nature of college ball is changing, especially in D3.  Granted, as Nescac1 alluded to, the days of Walton and Alcindor..in college maybe gone.  However, I believe if you have an effective low post game, your talents will give you much floor time.  Having big men shooting outside is ready a question for the HC. 
Amherst's best teams...Title teams...had a balance of inside and outside scorers...took what the defense allowed to score.
A question to Williams posters.  Last season, the Ephs started slow but finished strong.  Was it the growth of young players OR an offensive change/ approach by the HC?

Last year's Williams team was very young. Six of their top ten were underclassmen, with only one senior playing at all. The team just got better. This year, the team is dominated by juniors and seniors. I think this team is likely to be a lot better. The best news for Williams fans is that many of the top players are still only juniors.

[D3HforLyfe]

Sorry, some account issues caused for me to have to create a new one...

(4) Wesleyan - For Cardinal fans, the dawn of a new era has begun. The last standing statistical contributors of the NESCAC Championship team from a few years ago have now graduated, and new faces will emerge as the leaders of a new bunch. One thing is for certain in Middletown though: Joe Reilly will have these guys at the top of every defensive statistical category, similar to their Connecticut counterpart. With their athleticism this year that will translate to wins. It starts with Jordan Sears and Kevin O'Brien who are both Defensive POY candidates. Sears is in my running for potential 'CAC Breakout POY. The brother of Yale basketball standout Justin Sears, Jordan is a terrific athlete who showed moments, particularly early last season when the Cardinals climbed into the national top ten for a hot second, that he could be an impact player on a championship-level team. His issues are similar to KJ Garrett's in that he has been inconsistent, never shown us an ability to consistently hit jump shots, and I'm not sure what position he really is. With that said, Sears has defensive capabilities of guarding multiple positions in a way very similar to Nolan Thompson a half decade ago at Middlebury, and using his versatility on that end of the floor will be a big part of every Wesleyan gameplan this season.

If healthy, the front court of veterans Nathan Krill (should be an easy favorite for NESCAC All-Crazy Team) and JR Bascom is very formidable. Krill has battled injuries all four years at Wesleyan, but plays incredibly hard and is a very good shooter. Bascom, on the other hand, really came on late last season (14 points (6-7 from the floor) in 19 minutes in their NCAA loss) and provides a big body who can mix it up down low both on the box and on the glass. With Joseph Kuo gone, there is a lack of depth down low and it will be interesting to see if 6'8" senior Chad Elliott (never played significant minutes) or a younger player can step up into a bigger role. Wesleyan has a very tall team by D3 standards with multiple players who didn't see much time last year standing at 6'5" or taller so perhaps someone emerges that we don't know about.

Or maybe the answer to their frontcourt depth was found on the recruiting trail. Freshman Jordan James (http://www.hudl.com/profile/4877820/jordan-james) looks to be extremely long and active, and, in many ways, reminds me of a young Delpeche twin (as for which one, I still cannot tell the difference so that is up to you). James has a very different skillset than Krill or Bascom, and can provide the defensive and rebounding that Reilly seems to rest his laurels on. He doesn't seem very polished offensively, but I imagine that won't be enough to keep him off of the court this year because of what else he brings to the table.

With all of that said, the key to this team will be juniors Jordan Bonner and Salim Green. They both had moments last season before suffering season altering injuries (knee and concussion) that ultimately played a serious role in leaving Wesleyan with a feeling of disappointment after a first round exit in both the NESCACs and NCAAs. I expect both Bonner and Green, if healthy, to take big steps forward and for at least one of them to emerge as an All-NESCAC player. Can they provide enough fire power to carry this team offensively? I believe so, but that is up for debate. Outside of those two, this team has a startling lack of outside shooting ability - most notably O'Brien who shot a double-check worthy 27.3% from three and 50.6% from the foul line -- so if they are to compete in the upper echelon of the league it will be due to lockdown defense and on the offensive backs of Bonner, Green, and perhaps a young player to emerge. Reilly is too good of a coach to let these guys fall, I'm taking them for another home playoff game.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

For you Amherst fans... and of course NESCAC fans... the third podcast in the Hoopsville Preseason Podcasts series dropped today and features a conversation with Kevin Hopkins. We talk to Hopkins who has taken over the Muhlenberg program over the summer.

Hopkins is the second interview in the show which you can find here: http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2017-18/preseason-podcasts

You can also listen to the other podcasts in the series.

Enjoy!

[Canvas Hightops]

Goodness!
D3HforLyfe has Midd no higher than 5th.  Even lower than a team that hasn't beaten them since Bush was in office.
Can't wait to read the reason.
Keep posting those ratings, New Guy.
Great stuff.

[quicksilver]

Here's the Bowdoin roster -- noticeable is the absence of speedy PG Tim Ahn, who had seemed like the PG of the future . .

[BigMike33]

Canvas Hightops,

Great analysis by D3forLife,  but now you have hit on the key point. Is this analysis accurate. 
A common strategy to create your own truth is called the 'devil in the details'

The strategy like most of our modern medicine and science employs, spews lots of data, endless amounts, but since we don't have cures for disease & we live in a world of famine, this data rings a bit HOLLOW

Wesleyan ranked ahead of Middlebury. Amherst ranked ahead of Middlebury,without knowing Dawson's status.

Hope  D3forLife is paid by the character........

[toad22]

Honestly, does anybody really care how a team is ranked before the season starts? Last year, Williams did not get a single vote in the D3Hoops top 25 poll. They wern't Considered to be in the top 50 in the country. That fact just didn't matter, Williams made it to the final 4 anyway. If we wait just a few weeks, we'll have a much better idea how everybody ranks.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Honestly, does anybody really care how a team is ranked before the season starts? Last year, Williams did not get a single vote in the D3Hoops top 25 poll. They wern't Considered to be in the top 50 in the country. That fact just didn't matter, Williams made it to the final 4 anyway. If we wait just a few weeks, we'll have a much better idea how everybody ranks.

While this is valid... UMHB even went from getting absolutely no points in the Top 25 in the final regular poll to the championship game in 2013... but I do wonder if you thought Williams deserved any votes until about halfway through last season?

My point being that, yeah, preseason rankings are a talking point and interesting... but sometimes teams develop in ways even their coaches staffs don't realize. I am not sure many thought Williams would have been in the NCAA tournament (okay, maybe the tournament) let alone the final four. And that final four run nearly derailed early on.

But every year some team comes out of no where... it is why there is a page on the multi-regional room dedicated to those kinds of teams.

[middhoops]

Better to be Williams with no expectations last year and a final four appearance at the end than top ranked Amherst who stumbled badly after a heroic early season defeat of the eventual national champs.
Yup, we just engage in this stuff now because we are excited to have the season begin.
All harmless fun.

[nescac1]

What do you mean by nearly derailed early on, Dave?  It was dicey for the Ephs to get in the tourney, no doubt, but once in, their first three games were blow-out wins.

Ahn is a good player.  That's a big loss for Bowdoin.  His quickness set his teammates up nicely.  On the plus side, the Polar Bears seem to have a very interesting recruiting class. 

[BigMike33]

Polar Bear 16

Game has changed to more spacing and shooting. Golden State proves big men are defensive liabilities.  Recruiting usually follows the main trend as do the styles of developing players who mimic what they see growing up.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

What do you mean by nearly derailed early on, Dave?  It was dicey for the Ephs to get in the tourney, no doubt, but once in, their first three games were blow-out wins.

I apologize... I was thinking of something else and mushed them together. I has been a rough week. I have a ton of things in the air and juggling is getting a challenge. I just had this thought in my head that went with someone else. Need a break, I guess (bad sign).

[BigMike33]

Pre season rankings mean nothing...

Williams season started on the Bus Ride home from the Hamilton debacle. They came home, got a day off, convincingly beat a tough Middlebury team, which gave them confidence and a blueprint how to win, which they carried through to Final Four

I will bust on D3forLife because he just showed up, so I always say consider the source. Number of characters does not equal accuracy. The Dawson miss, the Wesleyan ranking..early tells

Dave McHugh gives us a pre-season ranking then writes an article explaining his methodology and how he sees lots of good parity but few great teams. Trusted source with pedigree.

My analysis is accurate. Had Midd and Williams as Final 8. Too close to call rubber match. Midd had chance to tie in last 10 seconds.
Had Midd as NESCAC champs. Had Williams easily beating Susquehanna by getting their main big in foul trouble, then focusing on their all conference guard. 12 minutes into game, he sat with 3 fouls. Exactly how it went down.

Lets not forget, Williams lost leadership to graduation, they need to replace leadership roles. 10 man rotation works well without pressure due to established Senior leaders.  Just cause someone is a Seníor does not make them a leader

Middlebury is a Jack Daly injury away from big stress on ball handling and leadership from the backcourt, which could be an big issue.

Talking basketball is awesome, we are close to the season finally.

[FanOfNescac]

Williams lost one senior, Dan Aronowitz. Big loss, but just one guy. Ephmen will be a handful.

Middlebury will be good. Jeff Brown, Jack Daly, etc. Proven winners. Safe bets.

Amherst will be good. Hixon is not new to this; always lots of talent on campus. They will figure it out.

Wesleyan will play everybody like their lives depend on it. Reilly's way. Tough out. Salim Green can ball if healthy.

BigMike... Spacing, ball movement and shooting threes are central to the modern game, but size still moves the needle, especially versatile size.