MBB: NESCAC

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Relevant: was it a foul, or not?

I would say it was a foul the way the NFL commentators are fond of saying "they could call offensive holding on every play."  He was hindered in his attempt to shoot an off-balanced, last second shot, that he might not entirely been in control of.

[nescac1]

Nice to see Williams bounce back after two rough offensive nights.   Tonight (against a poor opponent) the Ephs looked much more relaxed and were hitting the 3's that haven't been dropping.  Also good to see the Ephs pursuing long rebounds hard on both ends and owning the glass.  Karp and Heskett were men among boys.  Karp had at least five, maybe six, rim-rattling dunks.  Cole Teal had by far his best game of the season, looking more confident and in the flow.  And Mickey Babek, new to the rotation with Scadlock out, shot the ball beautifully and looked good.

Of course the big question for Williams is Scadlock's status.  Fingers crossed he can return this season.

[Cards Fan]

Well! Not quite sure what this call was about, but I'm sure I'll see it soon. In the meantime:

Amherst losing to Babson isn't a huge deal for them. Babson is a solid team, and they lost by ONE point, on what was apparently a bad call. I don't think this should be too alarming for any Amherst fans.

Williams - wow.. That wasn't even close.. Yeah. Williams is fine.

Trinity - This is what is strange about Trinity. They come out gunning, crushing Bates and 2 other teams, then get wrecked by Nichols. Then they lose to Western Conn (!!), and they go back and crush a very good Springfield team. This must be frustrating for Trinity fans to bear.

Conn College - Not that this is a surprise with the transfer of Tyler Rowe, but it appears they are going to have a subpar year. 4-4 against subpar teams.. As early as it is, they look to be fading.

Bates - Post Delpeche could be tough. Their only losses have been against NESCAC opponents, but regardless they have been in close games across the board in their wins. Tough to call so far, but they could be in a similar boat as conn. At least they are winning the games they have to.

Bowdoin - They came out strong as ever, but have cooled down with losses to Colby and Saint Joseph's. A win over a NESCAC opponent should help get them back on track.

Colby - Though no one has mentioned them much, they have actually been very solid - a 6-1 record. No stellar opponents, but Bowdoin was no pushover for them. Looks like they could compete this year.

Hamilton - Hamilton's schedule is the only thing keeping them from being a top 20 team. If they had just one ranked opponent under their belt, they would be right up there. Regardless, offense is clearly the strong piece of this team's game, looking at the scores. They are consistently allowing 75 + points, but finding ways to win. If they could get their defense under control, they would be in the top tier conversation.

Middlebury - They won't go undefeated, but Middlebury should cruise to a top 3 NESCAC finish at least. This team is elite, and one of the best in the country. It's a good time to be a Panther fan!

Tufts - The Jumbos are finally winning again. After a 3-3 start, tufts is back to 6-3. This is not where they imagined being, as they appear to have overscheduled.

Wesleyan - For the second year in a row, Wes has started hot. I sure hope it lasts, and that our freshmen will play at the same level they have out of conference come nescac time. It all lies in the veteran big men, Krill and Bascom, and their sharpshooter Jordan Bonner. It's been fun to watch so far, and I hope they can keep up their run.

[ContinentalDomer]

It was a wretched shooting performance by Amherst, particularly down the stretch, with the exception of Tim McCarthy's apparent game-winner.  As I watched the call (without the benefit of replay),it appeared that Babson's player dribbled out of control at a fast pace, head-long into a wall of players who stood there as he heaved a running, one-foot, off-balance fling.  If not the worst in history, it was a terrible call. There's no way he deserved a reward for that launch.  The Amherst frosh deserved a better memory of last night.

Well Amherst fans, that was one of the worst calls in the history of the sport - the foul call, that is, with .5 seconds to play that awarded Babson 3 FTs (down 2 at the time) for the win.  The official should be terminated immediately.

It was not a foul that is often called in that situation, but I believe this might be a bit hyperbolic.  I was surprised they gave the foul there, but typically a foul could be called on those kinds of last second shots almost every time.  If I were Amherst, I'd be more worried about the overall sloppiness and poor shooting than the final score.

[nescac1]

Seems like Tim inherited Johnny's clutch gene ... for guys who are fairly average three point shooters overall, the McCarthy's sure have a sense of the moment.

Speaking of three point shooting, Riopel, who has improved each year, is tearing it up at 58 percent from deep this year.  On the other end of the spectrum, frosh PG Robinson, who has otherwise been impressive, is really struggling from deep, shooting 1-19.  Based on sheer number of attempts, clearly Hixon must have confidence they will start dropping, but that is a stat to watch. 

The other stat that is bizarre for Amherst is making only 7.8 FTAs per game. No one else in the league is under 10 made free throws per game; Hamilton leads with an unreal 19 makes per game.  Amherst is only shooting 59 percent from the line, but also needs to generate more attempts. 

It's too bad we don't have a Tufts poster because it's been a wild year, full of odd results, for the Jumbos already.  Last night the Jumbos opened with a 29-1 run!

[gordonmann]

Trinity - This is what is strange about Trinity. They come out gunning, crushing Bates and 2 other teams, then get wrecked by Nichols. Then they lose to Western Conn (!!), and they go back and crush a very good Springfield team. This must be frustrating for Trinity fans to bear.

I wasn't surprised by the Nichols result (good team, bad style for Trinity). I'm very surprised they beat Springfield that handily though.

[gordonmann]

Also what's up with Scadlock? Is he seriously injured?

[Bucket]

From The Undefeated, a great piece by Bill Rhoden: "A tale of two sons: One a potential pro, the other at Middlebury College"

https://theundefeated.com/features/a-tale-of-two-sons-one-a-potential-pro-the-other-at-middlebury-college/

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Also what's up with Scadlock? Is he seriously injured?

I'm pretty sure I recall him tweaking an ankle, maybe, towards the end of the Wesleyan game?  I assumed this was rest from that, but maybe there's something else going on.

[nescac1]

Scadlock left the first half of the Westfield State after suffering a leg injury of some kind, although he was eventually able to walk off the court after being down for some time, it certainly looked like more than just a small tweak, so it's no surprise he is missing some time.  There has been no official word on the severity of the injurity, and obviously it is a cause for concern among the Eph faithful.  It was great to see some new faces step up in his absence last night, but the competition gets quite a bit tougher on Saturday versus Jake Ross and Springfield.  Fingers crossed that Kyle is OK and can return after the break, but again, there has been no information either way. 

Williams (and perhaps other) NESCAC schools releases early decision results tonight, so some NESCAC recruiting news is likely to start filtering in over the next week. 

[middhoops]

From The Undefeated, a great piece by Bill Rhoden: "A tale of two sons: One a potential pro, the other at Middlebury College"

https://theundefeated.com/features/a-tale-of-two-sons-one-a-potential-pro-the-other-at-middlebury-college/

For you other senior citizens out there; remember when Bill Bradley played at Princeton?  He was recognized as one of, if the the, best player in college. 
After a sterling career at Princeton, he took his Rhodes Scholarship and returned two years later to join the NY Knicks.  Bradley played well, won two NBA championships and retired to politics.  He also won an Olympic Gold medal along the way.
Does the Rhoden article say that the Bradley option is gone?  Can a kid not rock the world in AAU play, star at Harvard, and then make his living in the NBA?

Mr. Ingram is a heroic dad.  I admire him greatly but I do not envy him.

[grabtherim]

The problem as the article and the dad correctly detail is the sorry state of AAU basketball with sneaker companies coming up way too often with unclean hands.  While there are some caring guys who do right by the kids, there are far too many who have a  financial agenda and interests which more often than not involve little or no concern with what is best for the kids they coach.  No rules to speak of, no monitoring etc has sadly led to a "wild west" situation with these kids futures in the balance.  Even worse, there are no solutions or changes contemplated that anyone can point to to reverse this trend. A dad like Mr. Ingram is the best thing a kid can have, but there are far too many parents who themselves are blinded by the bright lights AAU coaches flash in their eyes.  The academic camps which have been a boon to D3 programs while not cheap for attendees are the best current alternative to unfettered bad behavior by too many AAU coaches and programs.     

[PolarBear16]

Does the Rhoden article say that the Bradley option is gone?  Can a kid not rock the world in AAU play, star at Harvard, and then make his living in the NBA?

Mr. Ingram is a heroic dad.  I admire him greatly but I do not envy him.

Jeremy Lin did it, so it's possible. Some high profile recruits, top 10 guys nationally out of high school, have also listed Harvard in their final list, but they decided to go elsewhere.

Another modern equivalent to Bradley is Myron Rolle. He starred as a safety at Florida State, completed his premed requirements in 2.5 years, went to Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship for a year, and then went to the NFL for three years. In 2013 he retired from the NFL, went to medical school, and is now a first year neurosurgery resident at Mass General Hospital. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myron_Rolle

As well, a former NFL player, Colin Allred, is now running for Congress in Texas after going to law school and working in the Obama administration after retiring. https://www.colinallred.com/

[JEFFFAN]

Does the Rhoden article say that the Bradley option is gone?  Can a kid not rock the world in AAU play, star at Harvard, and then make his living in the NBA?

Mr. Ingram is a heroic dad.  I admire him greatly but I do not envy him.

Jeremy Lin did it, so it's possible. Some high profile recruits, top 10 guys nationally out of high school, have also listed Harvard in their final list, but they decided to go elsewhere.

Another modern equivalent to Bradley is Myron Rolle. He starred as a safety at Florida State, completed his premed requirements in 2.5 years, went to Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship for a year, and then went to the NFL for three years. In 2013 he retired from the NFL, went to medical school, and is now a first year neurosurgery resident at Mass General Hospital. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myron_Rolle

As well, a former NFL player, Colin Allred, is now running for Congress in Texas after going to law school and working in the Obama administration after retiring. https://www.colinallred.com/

IMHO, I dont think it is possible to do what Bill Bradley did before or for anyone to be an Ivy player in any sport and become a professional star.  The money is too big, the process too efficient, to alllow athletic greatness to end up in the Ivy League.   The Rolle story is nice but remember where he went to school - Florida State.   The reality that this cannot occur tonight is neither a shocker nor a problem.  Institutions serve various needs and constituents.

Suffice to say that at the NESCAC level, the decades of one school - Amherst - having five players drafted in the NFL are even further in the rear view mirror.  Freddie Mitchell, Jean Fugett, Doug Swift, Bill Swiacki, and Sean Clancy all drafted in the NFL out of a NESCAC school in the 1970s.   Where has the time gone?

[truenorth]

From The Undefeated, a great piece by Bill Rhoden: "A tale of two sons: One a potential pro, the other at Middlebury College"

https://theundefeated.com/features/a-tale-of-two-sons-one-a-potential-pro-the-other-at-middlebury-college/

For you other senior citizens out there; remember when Bill Bradley played at Princeton?  He was recognized as one of, if the the, best player in college. 
After a sterling career at Princeton, he took his Rhodes Scholarship and returned two years later to join the NY Knicks.  Bradley played well, won two NBA championships and retired to politics.  He also won an Olympic Gold medal along the way.
Does the Rhoden article say that the Bradley option is gone?  Can a kid not rock the world in AAU play, star at Harvard, and then make his living in the NBA?

Mr. Ingram is a heroic dad.  I admire him greatly but I do not envy him.

Can we say "Big Baller brand"...?