MBB: NESCAC

[middhoops]

The topic of paying for a top flight coach at Amherst brings up an interesting question.
Do NESCAC schools have a very large disparity in what they pay coaches of "major" sports vs less heralded ones?

[amh63]

Middhoops....sorry, my friend...it will require much searching for hard to obtain info and would be like the blind leading the blind.  However, I did get to the Amherst athletic dept. directory.  Some interesting "titles" provided in various sports.  First...Dave Hixon has the title, Senior Associate AD. 
There is one female person that has the title Professor.  There are other HCs' also having other duties; such as a coach in another sport...like HC Mills coaching the golf team.
In the past, I would be provided a document that contained the salary for various levels of professors, for a given Fiscal Year.  Thus, the title of assistant prof. given on the Williams site to coaches will quantify the salary of the coaches....if such Williams' documents were available.  Another bit of info found on the Amherst site was the list of assist. coaches for a given sport.  Some "minor" sports have more assistants than a major sport like soccer.  Both Amherst's basketball HCs' have no listed assistants, presently.   One of the biggest compensation item at Nescac schools is professors'/coaches' children can attend Nescac schools tuition free...if they are admitted.  This  can apply even to Ivy schools ...in the past, tax free.....until the IRS put a stop to the "tax free" part. Yes, compensation becomes even more complex when one inserts retirement  and medical plans.

[Bucket]

As a matter of information ----head coaches at Williams College are all members of the faculty, and, as such, have the same standing, receive sabbaticals, and attend faculty meetings as their academic colleagues.

Well, not exactly the same standing. They're not tenured, for instance.

[jumpshot]

Bucket, by standing meant status in the community, not elements of compensation or tenure, so your point is a distinction without a difference. Still have great respect for Panther Pride ....

[toad22]

I watched the Williams basketball team scrimmage this afternoon, and it got me revved up about the new season. I know it is still soccer, football, v-ball, etc season, but once it gets this close, I lose some of my interest in those other sports. Bring on America's Game - basketball!!

[granddaddyhoops]

Heard there was a very nice and touching memorial service for long time Midd AD & Coach Russ Reilly this weekend at Middlebury. Russ was a great man, coach and mentor, he will be missed.

[Bucket]

Heard there was a very nice and touching memorial service for long time Midd AD & Coach Russ Reilly this weekend at Middlebury. Russ was a great man, coach and mentor, he will be missed.

There was indeed. Generations of former players in attendance, as well as a huddle of coaches—Hixon from Amherst, Sheldon from Tufts, former Dartmouth HC Faucher, former UVM HC Brennan, among them. Not a dry eye in the house as daughter Jody delivered a beautiful eulogy; Laurie Patton, Missy Foote, and one of Russ's first players, Ted Virtue, also spoke movingly about Coach. And I'd be remiss not to mention Larry Yarborough, Russ's friend and an ordained reverend and emeritus religion professor at Midd, who officiated the celebration. He was wonderful; if he were in the pulpit regularly, he might get me back in church for the first time in decades.

[Middfan]

Heard there was a very nice and touching memorial service for long time Midd AD & Coach Russ Reilly this weekend at Middlebury. Russ was a great man, coach and mentor, he will be missed.

There was indeed. Generations of former players in attendance, as well as a huddle of coaches—Hixon from Amherst, Sheldon from Tufts, former Dartmouth HC Faucher, former UVM HC Brennan, among them. Not a dry eye in the house as daughter Jody delivered a beautiful eulogy; Laurie Patton, Missy Foote, and one of Russ's first players, Ted Virtue, also spoke movingly about Coach. And I'd be remiss not to mention Larry Yarborough, Russ's friend and an ordained reverend and emeritus religion professor at Midd, who officiated the celebration. He was wonderful; if he were in the pulpit regularly, he might get me back in church for the first time in decades.

After the very wonderful and touching service for Russ, which focused much more on the man than the coach, we left the Chapel and started down the long beautiful walk which slowly drops through the middle campus green towards Old Chapel Road.  No one was in any hurry as we were quietly soaking in the memorial and the beautiful September day.  No more than two steps into our walk I turned and was surprised to see Coach Hixon at our elbow.  We introduced each other, he as Coach (which we acknowledged that we knew) and us as die hard MiddFans.  As the three of us meandered down the hill I fought the urge to exclaim "box out", but the spirit of the moment prevailed.  Thank goodness.  Although, I did reflect on my disdain for LeFrak and the many long trips down I91 only to drive home disappointed.  What did develop was a chance to mention that we'd heard he was taking some time off to be with family and a chance to offer best wishes for a wonderful year.  He made it a point to mention that he had a chance, many years ago as a young, single coach, to be invited into Russ and Jane's home for dinner and to spend the night.  He related how the Reilly's all stood and held hands at grace before dinner, then passed the "squeeze" around the table.  The deliberateness, tradition and reverence of the act made an impression on him and a perspective he brought to his own family, both as a son then as a father.  So much to relate in a short stroll down a hill with strangers joined by basketball and Coach Reilly.  I will never yell "box out again".  Here's to you Russ.

[grabtherim]

So sorry to I could not be at Midd for the tribute to Russ. Hard for me to think of Middlebury in the future without his voice and smile to greet everyone who might pass his way. I consider myself lucky to have known him.   

[nescacfaninbos]

Looks like some schedules have been released...

Colby: https://www.gocolbymules.com/sports/mbkb/2019-20/schedule
Hamilton: https://athletics.hamilton.edu/sports/mbkb/2019-20/schedule
Middlebury: https://athletics.middlebury.edu/sports/mbkb/2019-20/schedule
Williams: https://ephsports.williams.edu/sports/mbkb/2019-20/schedule
Tufts: https://www.gotuftsjumbos.com/sports/mbkb/2019-20/schedule
Trinity: https://www.bantamsports.com/sports/mbkb/2019-20/schedule
Bates: https://www.gobatesbobcats.com/sports/mbkb/2019-20/schedule

Some quick things I noticed..
Tufts plays St. Joseph's (Conn.) 11/23; Trinity plays them 11/19
Hamilton plays Nichols 12/14; Trinity plays them 12/1
Hamilton has a trip to California for two games looks like over Thanksgiving

[amh63]

nescacfaninbos....would you be a Hamilton fan?  In any case, Thanks for your post.  Went to the Hamilton schedule and see that the first/early tournament is in N.J.....at the College of N.J.  The HC of the men's BB team was an assist HC at Amherst and a player/alum of the LJs.  His father was an active poster on this board then...an alum of Georgetown Un.  The women's HC of basketball is an alum of the Ephs.  Yes, lots of Nescac connections .

[nescacfaninbos]

amh63, I am not a NESCAC graduate nor a fan of any particular program, I have younger kids who play and through following HS/AAU hoops in the Boston area, I have come to know some friends with sons and daughters playing NESCAC hoops at various schools. I went to the NESCAC semis a couple of years ago at Tufts and since then have been following more closely. 

[SpringSt7]

Williams also travels to Jim Calhoun's squad on 1/14.

[nescac1]

Those NESCAC-St. Joe's games should be really interesting.  There is a big difference between a team of essentially all first-years, as St. Joe's was last year, and one that is mainly sophomores, all of whom played leading roles last season.  Their talent (especially in the backcourt) is certainly on par with NESCAC teams, just not their level of experience.  But the Calhoun-Miller coaching pair is as good as it gets.  And now they add this dude, who looks like a crazy athlete for the D3 level, to the mix this year: https://newenglandrecruitingreport.com/in-the-news/taelon-martin-to-play-for-calhoun-at-st-joes  I have a feeling that the St. Joe's program is set up to have a quick-ascending run like Cabrini or Rowan did back in the day, starting as soon as the 20-21 season. 

I think Williams has one of the most intriguing non-league schedules I've seen for the Ephs.  If you just go by records, the opponents aren't that impressive, but I think a lot of these teams are going to win their leagues and end up in the NCAA tourney.  Going chronologically, here are the most notable games:

-- Oneonta returns everyone from a team that lost in OT in the SUNYAC semifinals, may be favorites in their always-solid league this year
-- Wesleyan, a Little Three game, always a war, both teams will have very different looks this year so a good early barometer for both
-- Albertus Magnus only loses one guy and brought in some major talent, they will be a lot better this year
-- Springfield -- a healthy Jake Ross (he was not himself most of last year) plus Heath Post gives Springfield one of the best if not the best 1-2 punch in the country
-- Endicott -- brings back their top few guys, including potential all-American Keith Brown, and added Echevarria's little brother
-- Salem State -- brings back two star rising seniors, if they can add 1-2 more guys to the mix (and they usually have a few JUCO transfers), could be much more dangerous, as always the class of MASCAC
-- St. Joe's -- already discussed
-- Amherst -- speaks for itself
-- Yeshiva -- another really interesting game, they bring back their three stars (all of whom are legit players) plus possibly a fourth star who did not play last year, now a really experienced squad

[Bucket]

Cross-posting this w/ Football board.

Middlebury Magazine pays tribute to Russ Reilly—former hoops coach and AD and PA voice of Panther football—w/ this video, "The Voice of Reilly":

http://middleburymagazine.com/videos/the-voice-of-reilly/