MBB: NESCAC

[middhoops]

Had a chance to see the Middlebury team tonight for the second time this year. Obviously not as strong as the past few years but they battle and grind like hell.
Majors and his sidekick Folger (despite his lack of time in the weight room) are tough down low. Majors is cast in the mold of Bob Brannum, Jungle Jim Loscatoff and Roughhouse Rudy LaRusso. Only the Panther inner circle will remember those guys....
Majors is the NESCAC equivalent of Wayne "The Wall" Embry.

Love it!
Did you see much of Midd's Eric McCord?  He fits your old school mold perfectly. 
Loscy!

[hopefan]

I'm a retiree down in Florida who finally jogged one two many miles... had to see knee specialist to check things out... the doctor had plaques and pictures everywhere of professional/college/hs athletes whom he worked with (sorry to admit the one I was most impressed with was Randy "Macho Man" Savage), but we're talking sports, I mention I'm a huge D3 fan, and he excitedly tells me his son played at Bates... I check it out, and yes, his son Max Eaton played at Bates for 4 years, graduating last year.... Needless to say Dr. Eaton and I had great conversation about D3 hoops (while he stuck a needle deep into my knee)....

[Greek Tragedy]

Just for clarification, Hamilton is a NE region team, by virtue of their membership in the NESCAC.

Why would that be the reason? As we know, there are other conferences that have teams in different regions. They wouldn't have to be in the NE region, would they?

[nescac1]

Greek Tragedy, I don't know what the rule is, but my guess is that it's because Hamilton is the sole non-New England team in NESCAC.  In the UAA, there are teams from all different regions.  I imagine some other leagues might also have a few outliers.  In NESCAC, it's just 1 out of 11 ...

Big Amherst-Williams game tonight.  While I think Williams has the better team, it's hard to know what to expect -- both teams have been very up and down, especially Amherst.  The Jeffs have ample talent and the size and athleticism on the perimeter to give Williams trouble on both ends.  Then again, Amherst's inexperience might prove to be a real issue in the first big rivalry game in a hostile environment that many of those guys have played in.  As for Williams, when the Ephs have it going from three, they are very tough to beat.  But if they are cold, anything is possible ... this is definitely a game where Williams has to establish an inside game, getting the ball into the paint early and often, where for the first time in a long time they actually should have an advantage vs. the Jeffs.  Amherst will surely be playing desparate given that it's a rivalry game and another loss before February puts Amherst squarely on the Pool C bubble.  But it's just as big a game for Williams, the Ephs do NOT want to be heading up to Middlebury having lost two of their last three ...

[Pat Coleman]

Just for clarification, Hamilton is a NE region team, by virtue of their membership in the NESCAC.

Why would that be the reason? As we know, there are other conferences that have teams in different regions. They wouldn't have to be in the NE region, would they?

They basically consolidated everyone but the UAA a handful of years ago.

[lumbercat]

Had a chance to see the Middlebury team tonight for the second time this year. Obviously not as strong as the past few years but they battle and grind like hell.
Majors and his sidekick Folger (despite his lack of time in the weight room) are tough down low. Majors is cast in the mold of Bob Brannum, Jungle Jim Loscatoff and Roughhouse Rudy LaRusso. Only the Panther inner circle will remember those guys....
Majors is the NESCAC equivalent of Wayne "The Wall" Embry.

Love it!
Did you see much of Midd's Eric McCord?  He fits your old school mold perfectly. 
Loscy!

Yes McCord is a another big banger......he's reminiscent of old Celts nemesis Luke Jackson- Wilts old sidekick with the 76errs and a real tough guy around the basket.

[amh63]

Just got in from shoveling the snow...it is cold here.  Checked on the Amherst Science Center construction status...almost a daily "look see" event.  It is snowing enough to shut the work down...no buses that bring some workers , etc. There are D3 basketball games that are postponed...one in RI.  Hoping the games with Williams are not postponed.
Little three games are hard to predict, especially this season.  My earlier post wrt the Wesleyan game is an example.  I posted that last season Amherst lost both games to the Cardinals! Well, it seems that last season, Amherst WON both games with the Ephs.  The game tonight does not count wrt the CAC Tourny standings.  The next one in LeFrak at the end of the regular season does.
Having said that...there is a video made several years ago wrt the Williams vs. Amherst games.  In it, Coach Hixon mentions that it is never hard to get his players up for the Williams game.  Yes, Amherst's young players are just that...young!  Expect them to play hard.  In any case, they will be more knowledable in Feb when the Ephs arrive in Amherst.
Off subject a bit....I found the discussion on Midd players with some past pro players quite "manly" wrt to names and play

[JEFFFAN]

Greek Tragedy, I don't know what the rule is, but my guess is that it's because Hamilton is the sole non-New England team in NESCAC.  In the UAA, there are teams from all different regions.  I imagine some other leagues might also have a few outliers.  In NESCAC, it's just 1 out of 11 ...

Big Amherst-Williams game tonight.  While I think Williams has the better team, it's hard to know what to expect -- both teams have been very up and down, especially Amherst.  The Jeffs have ample talent and the size and athleticism on the perimeter to give Williams trouble on both ends.  Then again, Amherst's inexperience might prove to be a real issue in the first big rivalry game in a hostile environment that many of those guys have played in.  As for Williams, when the Ephs have it going from three, they are very tough to beat.  But if they are cold, anything is possible ... this is definitely a game where Williams has to establish an inside game, getting the ball into the paint early and often, where for the first time in a long time they actually should have an advantage vs. the Jeffs.  Amherst will surely be playing desparate given that it's a rivalry game and another loss before February puts Amherst squarely on the Pool C bubble.  But it's just as big a game for Williams, the Ephs do NOT want to be heading up to Middlebury having lost two of their last three ...

I hope to be wrong but I think that the assessment of "ample talent and ... size and ... athleticism" is a stretch.   This is a team with a few good seasoned players but it is too early to assess whether the younger players are all that talented.   Each of the frosh/soph players have highlighted performances, but there is insufficient consistency to their performances to know if the talent is really there.  Robinson and the younger McCarthy have both been hurt as well which doesn't help the assessment side of things.  I will hope for the best but am realistic that this is a serious transition that the program is undergoing, one unlike we have seen in a long, long time.

[nescac1]

Of course, I hope you are right Jefffan.  But considering that Amherst has made the NCAA tourney every year this century other than 2010, another young team that was very competitive until they collapsed down the stretch after an injury to the star point guard, I'm not gonna sleep on the Mammoths just yet ...

As for the younger players, you may be right.  But Amherst still has as many guys who were highly acclaimed as recruits as anyone else in NESCAC ... guys like Schneider, Sellew, Robinson, Mobley, Che, and so on.  Now, all that potential needs to turn into performance at some point.  But all those guys have, really, only half a season worth of experience playing significant roles on a college team, so the jury is most definitely still out. 

[Old Guy]

Greek Tragedy, I don't know what the rule is, but my guess is that it's because Hamilton is the sole non-New England team in NESCAC.  In the UAA, there are teams from all different regions.  I imagine some other leagues might also have a few outliers.  In NESCAC, it's just 1 out of 11 ...

Big Amherst-Williams game tonight.  While I think Williams has the better team, it's hard to know what to expect -- both teams have been very up and down, especially Amherst.  The Jeffs have ample talent and the size and athleticism on the perimeter to give Williams trouble on both ends.  Then again, Amherst's inexperience might prove to be a real issue in the first big rivalry game in a hostile environment that many of those guys have played in.  As for Williams, when the Ephs have it going from three, they are very tough to beat.  But if they are cold, anything is possible ... this is definitely a game where Williams has to establish an inside game, getting the ball into the paint early and often, where for the first time in a long time they actually should have an advantage vs. the Jeffs.  Amherst will surely be playing desparate given that it's a rivalry game and another loss before February puts Amherst squarely on the Pool C bubble.  But it's just as big a game for Williams, the Ephs do NOT want to be heading up to Middlebury having lost two of their last three ...

I hope to be wrong but I think that the assessment of "ample talent and ... size and ... athleticism" is a stretch.   This is a team with a few good seasoned players but it is too early to assess whether the younger players are all that talented.   Each of the frosh/soph players have highlighted performances, but there is insufficient consistency to their performances to know if the talent is really there.  Robinson and the younger McCarthy have both been hurt as well which doesn't help the assessment side of things.  I will hope for the best but am realistic that this is a serious transition that the program is undergoing, one unlike we have seen in a long, long time.

You can be very sure that no one at Middlebury will be writing off or not taking very seriously the Mammoths until it's all definitively over.

[nescac1]

Another classic Williams-Amherst showdown, neither team could ever get much separation and it was a tightly contested battle.  Both teams started off on fire offensively and then both defenses really bore down the rest of the way. 

The Ephs got some tremendous clutch shooting from Bobby Casey and James Heskett down the stretch including a brutally difficult three from Heskett as the shot clock expired that ended up being decisive.  For Williams, it was a three-man gang (as it has been quite a bit of late), as Casey, Heskett and Karp all played brilliantly.  Karp had I'd say the best game of his young career: 16 points, 5 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block (he needs to have  a word with the official scorer -- he had at least 3, maybe 4 blocks for SURE), 7-8 shooting, and his minutes continued to creep up to 23.  He had several thunderous dunks that electrified the crowd and even hit both his foul shots.  Heskett poured in 22 including 5-8 from 3, he was his usual efficient offensive self, both inside and out.  And Casey finished with 17-4-3 including five massively important points down the stretch. 

There were plenty of things to improve on for the Ephs ... poor foul shooting kept them from getting any sort of separation (9-15, including two misses on front end of one-and-ones), and they got hurt on the glass (10 offensive boards for the Mammoths, only two for Williams).  They missed a few tip-ins as well close to the rim and Cole Teal was just way, way off from the outset, missing badly on some good looks for him (he did, however, make good contributions in other ways, especially on the defensive glass).  The Ephs' continue to need more help for the big three, although Kempton and Feinberg each had a few strong moments on both ends.  Finally, Amherst seemed to get a bunch of layups on cuts off back-screens. Well-designed plays for sure, and something the Ephs will need to improve their awareness of.   

For Amherst, the man of the game was Michael Riopel, who was huge all night hitting from everywhere, including some very difficult shots.  A brilliant game by him and he was dangerously close to hitting a game-tying three at the buzzer.  Joseph Schneider was also great and gave the Ephs fits on the inside.  He is dramatically improved as one would expect from a guy who really never saw the floor in high school or his first few years, but has tremendous length and and improving feel for the game.  He is very tough to keep off the glass (although the Ephs big men need to do a better job in pushing out aggressive big guys like that).  He had some nifty moves inside and some excellent touch passes to boot.  On the downside he really had no answer for Karp one-on-one in the post, but almost no one in D3 does.  Grant Robinson and Fru Che also played well in their first rivalry game and both are going to be very good, especially Che in my view.  Robinson has a smooth all-around game and Che is a load down low and tough on defense.  He reminds me a lot of former Jeff center Tim Jones, only with a better outside shot.  McCarthy had his usual all-around strong contributions although he continues to struggle with his outside shot.  I'll be happy to see he and Riopel gone next year!  Amherst definitely has a lot more talent than almost any 9-6 team you will see, but they, like Williams, need more contributions from a few of the role guys going forward. 

[nescac1]

Video of Heskett's clutch late three to put the Ephs up five JUST as the shot clock expires ...

https://twitter.com/howardherman/status/953812629717438464

[Old Guy]

Seems pretty anti-climactic, given the Williams-Amherst excitement tonight — but last night's Midd-Albertus Magnus game was very exciting too, a 77-73 extra-innings affair.

D3HoopJunkie: did you make it to the game? If so, your impressions?

First half, AM got out to a fast start but Middlebury managed a late rally to get within two at the half, 36-34: a familiar script. Midd took charge early in the second half going ahead by ten but could not shake the Falcons, mostly because their great player Jaqhawn Walters lived up to advance billing and was unstoppable, despite double and triple teams, 25 points (10-25 from the floor; 5-8 from the line; 12 rebounds). He fouled out a couple minutes into the OT, to the great relief of Panther fans and perhaps instrumental to the outcome.

Interesting aspect of the game was that Middlebury played zone almost exclusively — they play man-to-man mostly. It was explained to me after the game that the Falcons "iso" a lot (isolate a player one-on-one with room) and the zone would allow for help — and indeed Walters had lots of company when he went to the basket (he didn't shoot at all from the outside). Also they don't shoot the three very well, though A'Jen English didn't get the scouting report and went 5-8 from the arc, making some big 3s when Midd was threatening to pull away in the second half (the rest of the team went 2-12). 

Middlebury didn't shoot well but scrapped as usual. They always play hard. Folger had a quiet night (9 points on 3-13 shooting, 7 boards, 2 blocks). Tarantino had four blocks, a couple which were crucial down the stretch. Daly was Daly — missed all four of his threes, but went 8-17 overall (22 points) with 9 rebounds and 8 assists, played his usual stellar defense, and had the ball in his hands most of the time. He has put his free throw woes behind him (14-16 in the last two games). Middlebury

Williams next at Midd in a Saturday afternoon tilt. The last time we met was a classic in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tourney last year in our gym, a 79-75 last-second thriller that sent the Ephs and not the Panthers to the Final Four. Big game.

[D3HoopJunkie]

Old Guy,

Unfortunately I was not able to make it to the game. The anticipated snow storm coupled with the 4 hour and 15 minute drive, I just thought it was a little much. I did however watch the entire game via webcast and while that just isn't the same as being their live I did have a few takes on the outcome and how well both teams played.

First off, I want to give props to the Middlebury webcast and their play x play announcer. It was one of the best and most unbiased webcasts that I have viewed in a long time for D3. I understand that most of the time (especially at the smaller schools) that it's usually a current student or alumni volunteering and of course they are going to be more in tune with their school and team but a lot of the times it is so biased its almost hard to listen too. This was not the case for Middlebury as you can tell the announcer did his homework and knew a lot of our player's names and as I said, stayed much unbiased throughout giving equal respect to both teams and coaches. It made for a nice viewing experience.

Also, glad to see the respect coming out in a few posts here regarding the play of JQ Walters. He truly is a special player and he has a unique ability to step up in big games and perform at his best. He has an ability to finish shots under the basket unlike few that you'll see. His athleticism, strength, flexibility and work ethic allow him to compete with just about anyone regardless of size or skill level. Glad others were able to see it.

Jack Daly was as good as advertised. No doubt the best opposing guard Albertus has faced all season although Cam Wiley from Swarthmore is a very close second. He is a true floor general who understands the offense they run and the abilities of his teammates that surround him. Not only can he score but he consistently puts his teammates in good positions to score with timely and accurate passing. He is a fantastic player and while I haven't seen much of the other top teams in the NESCAC play, just off of this game alone, he has to be a front runner for NESCAC POY similar to how Walters is the frontrunner for the GNAC.

As for the game; what a great matchup between 2 strong teams. Albertus came out strong and I think actually shocked Middlebury a bit with their strong post play and finishing ability. They also outrebounded Middlebury in the first half which was a surprise to me and probably everyone else. With the exception of A'Jen English for Albertus both teams really struggled to shoot the ball well from the perimeter. Partly due to just poor shooting and partly because both teams played really well on defense. Albertus switched between man to man and zone just like Middlebury did. Albertus saw their halftime lead diminish early in the second half and eventually found themselves down 10 points but they battled back and put themselves in position to win the game. What this game ultimately came down to was poise as Middlebury, specifically Daly did an outstanding job of controlling the tempo down the stretch. Albertus had a couple forced turnovers at the end of regulations and OT and once Walters fouled out we became very stagnant on offense. A great game by both teams that had all the feels of a typically NCAA tournament opening round pod. This game was no doubt beneficial to both squads because Albertus will not face a more disciplined team the rest of the season and while the NESCAC is an extremely strong conference with GREAT teams I think most would agree that Middlebury probably won't face a team as athletic and fast as Albertus is for the remainder of their season.

Good luck the rest of the way to all teams in the NESCAC. It will be fascinating to see the rest of your conference season play out!

[jayhawk]

Appreciate NESCAC1's often tries to be fair in his analysis even though he is a beloved Willilams fan
I think Amherst is better than record without doubt, no blowouts except for one game in Florida
Battled a number of issues including injuries and lots of players getting their first real playing time
Yesterday's game against Williams is by far the most that Joe Schneider has played- hopefully a sign of growth
Offensively he has had some good moves inside -Defense is a learning curve now with more time- I think he can improve with experience

Amherst has  lost a few heartbreakers hopefully with a win they can catch the momentum that Williams achieved over the course of last year
Eric Sellew has a lot of talent but yesterday his minutes were significantly limited due to foul trouble which significantly hindered Amherst efforts yesterday
Those of us who watch Amherst I hope feel that the team is close to putting it together and hopefully for Amherst boosters that wil happen