MBB: NESCAC

[ronk]

Looks like I get to see Hamilton again.  I'll be at Swat for the games next weekend.  I have to apologize to the Continentals - I was down on them most of the year, but the defensive performance they put on this weekend was truly impressive.  That's a team worthy of Salem and I'm glad I'll get to see them battle for the opportunity to go.  I'm really hoping for a Ham-Swat sectional final - I'd love to see that matchup - it should be just as good as the battle with York, which was one of the best games I've seen in a long time.

Jonathan Patron might have something to say about that, Ryan. That man is an astonishing basketball player.

I'm glad you feel that way Greg, all of us here in Plattsburgh feel the same way and are quite happy we have him back next year. Tough matchups in that sectional and all 4 teams have a chance.

Check in, Magic-man. We need your posts. I watched Swarthmore dismantle Middlebury in our gym by 20 (and then beat Wes by 22 —  and Wes beat us twice!), and I watched Midd handle Plattsburgh by 24 (though without Patron!) also in our gym, but early in the year (Dec 5). I am really taken with Swarthmore's balance and discipline (not to mention talent!). Can Plattsburgh, with Patron, beat them? Give us a preview, Magic-Man, of that match-up.

Are u ready for a full-page treatise from Magicman?   

[Old Guy]

All excellent points regarding the prospects for Williams next year.

However, one glaring weakness that needs to be addressed is rebounding.  Given the team's size, there is no way they should get crushed on the boards by a team like Ramapo.  The team's rebounding margin in all games and in conference-only games was +0.6 and -0.2, respectively. 

If Williams wants to win (not just contend for, but win) a national championship next year, they must significantly improve their rebounding.

MiddHoops wrote: Respectfully, Toad: with a team that could have some combination of Scadlock, Heskett and Karpowicz/Kempton on the floor at the same time, why do you say the Ephs aren't set up to make rebounding a priority?
Even adding Feinberg to that group looks like a lot of very tall and mostly athletic beef on the floor.
I ask this without knowing the personnel nearly as well as you.

I find myself somewhere in the middle of these perspectives. Young Guy who knows NESACAC hoops at a far greater depth and breadth than I, and I don't really understand why Williams ever loses, given the talent they have which, to us, seems superior to any other NESCAC cub, and not by a narrow margin. This year's team had Greenman and Casey in the backcourt, Teal and Heskett on the wings, and Kempton/Karpowicz underneath — my goodness, that's a club. Who wouldn't love to have Soto coming off the bench? Feinberg— a very dependable all-round player. And next year, with Scadlock back, is there a better D3 team on paper anywhere?

So the rebounding question begs further inquiry: should Williams have been even better than they were this year? Are their limitations, such as they were, about leadership (players, not coach), or "toughness"? Are the expectations perhaps just too high: after all, they were 23-6 and NESCAC tourney champs and league co-champs. (Don't mistake a bias in these questions: those who have read for a time know I am, to the horror of my Midd friends, something of a Williams partisan).

[Cards Fan]

Well, it's a little late, but congrats to Wes on their best season in program history. Swarthmore got out there and outplayed them. Magic came soooo close to happening in Silloway. Swarthmore took an 18 point halftime lead, and went up by 23, when the Cardinals began to get it together. Though they cut the deficit to 3, they couldn't get over the hump before a huge push by Swarthmore.
I will miss seeing all the seniors play. 

[magicman]

Looks like I get to see Hamilton again.  I'll be at Swat for the games next weekend.  I have to apologize to the Continentals - I was down on them most of the year, but the defensive performance they put on this weekend was truly impressive.  That's a team worthy of Salem and I'm glad I'll get to see them battle for the opportunity to go.  I'm really hoping for a Ham-Swat sectional final - I'd love to see that matchup - it should be just as good as the battle with York, which was one of the best games I've seen in a long time.

Jonathan Patron might have something to say about that, Ryan. That man is an astonishing basketball player.

I'm glad you feel that way Greg, all of us here in Plattsburgh feel the same way and are quite happy we have him back next year. Tough matchups in that sectional and all 4 teams have a chance.

Check in, Magic-man. We need your posts. I watched Swarthmore dismantle Middlebury in our gym by 20 (and then beat Wes by 22 —  and Wes beat us twice!), and I watched Midd handle Plattsburgh by 24 (though without Patron!) also in our gym, but early in the year (Dec 5). I am really taken with Swarthmore's balance and discipline (not to mention talent!). Can Plattsburgh, with Patron, beat them? Give us a preview, Magic-Man, of that match-up.

Are u ready for a full-page treatise from Magicman?   

Old Guy,
I'll have a few things to say about that matchup on the SUNYAC board and I'll copy and paste it over here when I do. Was watching tape of the Wesleyan-Swarthmore game today and they will be a handful for sure. The Plattsburgh team that lost to Middlebury back on December 5th without Jon Patron, is not the same team and will present a few handfuls of their own.

This excerpt from D3HforLyfe's earlier post says a lot about Swarthmore as I watched that tape today.

"Wesleyan ran into an absolute buzzsaw tonight versus Swarthmore. I was very impressed - talented, big, and VERY well-coached. Landry Kosmalski (Swarthmore HC) is a Davidson guy through and through, and he has taken more than a few pages from Bob McKillop's coaching book for which was enjoyable to watch. Beautiful offense as expected from a Davidson disciple, but what was most impressive was the way they absolutely dominated the paint and glass. They are an old-school team that plays through and around their bigs despite having a very talented All-American guard Cam Wiley (who was fantastic tonight as well). In an age where more teams jack more 3s than ever, it was certainly interesting to watch a team do it differently. I very much respect it."

Swarthmore is particularly good at grabbing offensive rebounds and has one of the best rebounding differentials in the country. However the Cardinals are close behind in that category and actually have more offensive rebounds than Swartmore. (439 to 336) I think this game will be won or lost by that statistic. Swarthmore is bigger but Plattsburgh is more athletic. It should make for an outstanding game.

ronk,
It's not close to a full page but it may be on game day!


   

[Homer]

old guy, you read nescac1's posts.  that's why you think Williams can't lose

[nescac1]

Homer, not exactly sure why my posts gave you that impression.  While I generally try to err on the side of being optimistic and positive, rather than harping on deficiencies, I've certainly pointed out any number of flaws associated with the Williams roster.  Never have I suggested that Williams is really superior, talent-wise, to the other top-flight teams in NESCAC this year, at least not once Scadlock went down.  I have consistently opined (and continue to think) that by season's end Williams, Midd, Wesleyan and Hamilton were all very closely grouped, with Amherst just a tick behind in overall talent level, and that any of them could beat any of the others on any given night.  I believed before the tourney that any of the four NESCAC entrants - including Williams - could make a run to Salem or be upset in the first round.  Certainly, the 2018 Williams team was not as talented as the 2010 or 2014 versions. 

This Williams team had two players who were spectacular pretty much all year, but they had to carry far too much of the load on offense, and I'm not surprised it eventually caught up with the team.  The Williams senior class was a gritty bunch who contributed a huge amount to the program, but far from the most talented group of seniors in NESCAC this year (I'd put them collectively behind Tufts, Amherst, Midd, and Wesleyan, in fact).  The frosh didn't see the floor at all, so it's hard to judge what sort of impact that class will make down the line.  The junior class -- with Scadlock -- is indeed a ridiculously talented group.  But again, down the biggest star from that group for almost the entire year, and that is only one class of players.  The sophomore class is good, with two very promising players who are still finding their way, but it has a ways to go.   

Next year, if healthy, I do think Williams will be absolutely loaded, especially since the incoming frosh class appears to already be a strong one.  And I think the rebounding will take care of itself -- Scadlock was by far the best rebounder on the team before he got hurt, his presence was really missed.  Karp and Feinberg are both strong offensive rebounders who should both see more floor time next year and hopefully be improved as players.  Heskett I'd like to see improve a bit in that area, while not really his forte, he certainly has the size and athleticism to average 5 plus rbp as a senior.  Kempton is a solid defensive rebounder and started late in the year to occasionally show up on the offensive glass.  I think next year's team will be a strong rebounding group, especially if the coaching staff places a bit more emphasis on hitting the boards hard.  It's ball-handling and perimeter table-setting that, at least to me, will be the big question marks that need to be addressed in the off-season.  Williams would be absolutely deadly if they had a quick, penetrating guard who could set up all those strong interior finishers (Karp, Scadlock, Heskett) for more easy looks.  Whether such a player will be on next year's roster (either emerging from guys who saw little time or coming in as a recruit) remains to be seen. 

[Homer]

nescac1: point taken

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Mike Maker let go at Marist according to reports. No idea what his future plans are or if he has any interest in coming back to D3, but that man can coach. Not sure what the problems were at Marist, can't say I paid much attention. Would certainly be fun to see him back at the D3 level.

Thinking back on the discussions in our circles when he took the job, I think the problems at Marist are basically Marist-related. Not sure who could be successful there. Am I remembering correctly?

That is my memory of conversations and having watch Marist from afar, I get the sense a lot of their issues really are of their own making.

[Homer]

nescac1 i finally got through your dissertation.  You proved my point.  i don think williams is going to lose another game. lol

[booyakasha]

you fed the troll three whole paragraphs, nescac1, and now he's hungry for more... Let him starve!

[nescac1]

Good advice, booyakasha!

[nescac1]

Not hoops related but interesting Nescac sports news.  A bit surprising to me given what sounds like a pretty minor violation:

https://swimswam.com/amherst-college-withdraws-team-from-mens-ncaa-championships/

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Not hoops related but interesting Nescac sports news.  A bit surprising to me given what sounds like a pretty minor violation:

https://swimswam.com/amherst-college-withdraws-team-from-mens-ncaa-championships/

This feels more like a punitive thing for the team, but I know schools are getting a lot more cautious after the Thomas More WBB decision - they got dinged far more for not checking with the NCAA than they did for the actual violations.

[D3HforLyfe]

It seems like we are all in agreement on the Mike Maker firing so I will try to keep my opinion short (admittedly hard for me)...

Mike Maker is a TERRIFIC basketball coach, and an even better human being. The Marist basketball program has been a mess for this entire decade, and, while I understand the pressure to bring in a coach who will seemingly turn it around over night, that was not realistic for how bad of shape things were in Poughkeepsie after Jeff Bower left for the Pistons. There were still players on Maker's roster this season who were recruited by the previous regime. When Marist recently resigned Maker I thought that move showed both courage and intelligence in realizing that playing the long-term game with a coach of such character at the helm would eventually pay off for the university. I guess they got antsy and couldn't wait any longer. Regardless, I am positive Maker got that program moving in the right direction and the table may be set for another coach to come in and finally be successful there.

I personally hope he comes back to d3. How fun would it be if he had the opportunity to take over a program like Conn College, Brandeis, or Emerson and build it back into a contender (a friend pitched CC to me and I thought it was an awesome idea). However, he spent many years as an assistant at the d1 level and he is a fiery competitor. Something tells me he may be itching to prove to people that he can be successful at D1 and may jump on as an associate HC somewhere else in order to get another head job some time down the line. I guess we shall see. No rush though - he is likely still under contract and will be able to take his time in making a decision for what is best next for him and his family.

[JEFFFAN]

Been holding off commenting on this post for a few days but finally - well, it just hit me that the comment from OldGuy "...I don't really understand why Williams ever loses, given the talent that they have which, to us, seems superior to any other NESCAC club, and not by a narrow margin", should stick in the craw of a bunch of NESCAC fans from other schools.   This was a nice Williams team that tied for the regular season title, won the NESCAC title, and lost in the second round.   The second round!  There are a number of teams that also tied for the regular season title and there are two NESCAC teams still playing this upcoming weekend.   On what basis would any objective observer suggest that the talent level is far superior and not by a narrow margin, or wonder why Williams ever loses?  About a team that lost six times and is trying to figure out where to head to Florida for spring break?   Time to take a chill pill, Eph fans.   There have been a half-dozen Eph teams with more talent than this one over the past 25 years, teams that actually won in the post-season.   To say nothing of the Middlebury, Wesleyan and Hamilton teams this year that have talent as good or better than Williams.   (Note I didn't mention my beloved Lord Jeffs, because I don't feel this year that their talent level was very high.)

Just sort of an uncalled for slam against the good Williams coach and against the rest of the other good NESCAC teams, clearly in a down year for the NESCAC, two of whom are still playing.