MBB: NESCAC

[nescac1]

One more for you Jayhawk:

https://x.com/sherronw_/status/1848051966745727018?s=46&t=f6sxXDdfYkdSSeU0Te9c9A

I'd imagine a large class for Amherst incoming given that they graduate a big group and have had (I think?) two small recruiting classes in a row (unless there are a bunch of FYs who were never reported here, after losing the big guy only two I've seen for sure).

Solomon Marshall, a talented PG at Phillips Academy, recently announced he is headed to Williams, the second post grad guard in the Ephs' next class. 

[SpringSt7]

With most rosters up and practice about to begin, some thoughts on an x-factor player for each team:

Amherst - Charlie Randall: his stat-line was an upgrade over his FY but with his size, fluidity and shooting touch, has the potential to make a much bigger impact and score it with more efficiency and also be a bigger force on the glass.  May not see his best hoops until he gets to play his natural "5" spot as a senior.  If he has an all-league type year Amherst could make a long-awaiting return to the NCAA tourney.

A breakthrough in the spelling of Randall from nescac1 could be an impetus for a breakthrough year for Coach Sears and the Mammoths.

[RollConts25]

Gotta say I like Hamilton to win the league this year. No matter who they play this year, they can feel good with their chances as long as they have Morgan and Singh in the backcourt. A team who was better than their 4-6 league record last year, showed they could compete with the teams ahead of them, lost @ Williams by a single point, OT loss @ Amherst, 2OT loss @ Wesleyan, to me it seemed as though they were right there and just couldn't put it together. I also like Kane, Keyhani and Reese in the frontcourt. Keyhani could potentially be as good as anyone in the league with his combination of athleticism, size, and shooting, Kane is really a do-it-all big with the way he can score in the post, distribute, and step out and hit a three, and Reese is a sleeper pick for DPOY. Ceiling is really high for this team, have seen great things from the guys mentioned above as well as Robinson, Nelson, Holmes, and Jenkins. They never struck me last year as a team that just didn't have the talent, just a team that couldn't put it together consistently.

As far as the rest of the conference, really excited to see another year of Johnson and Regan in the backcourt @ Wesleyan. The rest of the team around them is continuing to develop and they return a lot of guys from last years team so I definitely expect them to make some noise. Trinity looks very talented even without Callahan-Gold and I expect them to be competitive again. Amherst brings a lot back as well and they showed lots of improvement from the beginning to the end of the season, will be interested in that potential early season matchup with WPI. I am interested to see how Tufts spaces the floor without Dieterle, Champion, and McLaren, their three best shooters from last year. Loved what I saw out of Medley,and with Bernstein, Gettings, and Gyimesi, Tufts will definitely be competitive, just need some shooting. I think all of these teams are potential NCAA tournament teams and would love to see them all make it.

I know a lot of people on here love Williams, and Kevin App's teams are always competitive, but I am interested to see how they do this year. They lost their best player in Karren, but I think just as important was the loss of Prowitt-Smith who was really running the show and the catalyst for their offense. Looking at Lee, Roughley, and Dinkins to embrae bigger roles, but it's hard for me to place Williams. Wouldn't be surprised to find them towards the top or behind all the teams I mentioned above.

Flaks, Brennan, and Stevens make Middlebury competitive and the best of the rest, but I don't know if they have enough without Osher and Bobbitt. Conn loses a lot, but they still have Schainfeld and Espinosa, giving them one of the better backcourts in the league. That intense zone they play has also smelled trouble for teams in the past. Heard through the grapevine that Primer is back at Bates, pairing him with Begin I think could make Bates competitive in more games this year than they were last year. Hoping McGowan can stay healthy for Bowdoin, and him and Achufusi could make Bowdoin solid this year. They finished their season last year on a two-game win streak which is more than a lot of teams can say. Lastly, Colby loses even more from the team that is two seasons removed from a NESCAC finals appearance and finishing as a "bubble-out" team for the tournament. Poulton can shoot the lights out, Montiel can orchestrate an offense, and Lawson is back but I don't know if they have enough.

Picks
1- Hamilton
2- Trinity
3- Wesleyan
4- Williams
5- Tufts
6- Amherst
7- Middlebury
8- Conn
9- Bowdoin
10- Bates
11- Colby

[nescac31hoops]

Excited to see what has been brewing at Bowdoin over the Summer. Will they be ready to play post injuries is the main question. As we all know, I am expecting a big year again from McGowan who was ridiculed by injuries last year but was ready to have a MJ type of breakout year. Very excited to watch Da Bowdoin Bears!

[SpringSt7]

Hope the injuries don't laugh at McGowan again.

[nescac1]

Love the enthusiasm RollConts but I just don't see Hamilton leaping from 4-6 in league play and ending the year with a 20 point loss in the NESCAC quarterfinals to first in the conference, leapfrogging some really good returning teams (including three who made the Sweet 16).  I love the top three, one of the best trios anywhere, but no one managed over six points per game on the rest of the roster and it's just SO much pressure on those three guys to all be playing at their highest level game in and game out.  Also, Hamilton had good injury luck last year with the whole roster playing all ten league games, unlikely that recurs. 

My picks, with the caveat that I could see virtually anyone listed 1st through 6th in any position in that group:

1. Trinity - hard to go against a Final Four team with 7 of its top 9 back plus a big incoming class that is loaded with highly-regarded players.  Yeah, they lose two  very key players, but Dorion/Vetter/Okorougo is as tough a two-way perimeter trio as you will see anywhere and there is elite depth behind them, some guards who would start almost anywhere else.  Plus, there are 4-5 big men in the mix to replace Callahan-Gold's minutes, and Trinity should be OK there even though surely will have less scoring from that spot.

2. Wesleyan - this is the team more than Hamilton I see making the big jump.  Johnson and Vetter might be the best backcourt in the country and their group of young, long wings who are already high-level defenders have a ton of potential to grow as complementary scorers.  They have a lot of experienced size as well and Edelman should help with depth at center. A lot of pressure on them to do well with such a stellar senior class.

3. Tufts - Gyemisi, Medley, Bernstein and Morakis are an elite quartet, but the depth outside of the back-up big guys is untested and Tufts doesn't seem to have a lot of shooting. Still, they will physically just wear teams down with so much size and strength at every position and they've proven they can win big games. Another team with some impressive FYs who could help on the perimeter in particular. 

4. Williams - the Ephs are very difficult to predict this year.  Williams has good depth and team speed and should be elite defensively especially on the perimeter - more lock-down defenders than I've seen on maybe any Eph team.  But the Ephs have big question marks in terms of rebounding and especially outside shooting.  I expect this team to have some rocky moments in the first semester but will like last year look very different during league play, as some absent/injured players potentially return to help and the talented FY class begins to make a bigger impact. 

5. Hamilton - this feels about right for Hamilton, again, elite top-level talent but very questionable depth.

6. Amherst - another team that I could see anywhere from 2 through 7.  With basically everyone back this absolutely massive team will continue to punish smaller teams on the interior, but needs much better play from its guards to compete for the NESCAC title.  Garraud had some good moments as a FY and incoming frosh Elias Chen could help at lead guard as well.  The talent is absolutely there to make the NCAA tourney, but we've yet to see a Sears team live up to its talent. 

7. Conn College - no team suffered bigger losses in the off-season.  The program is in a solid enough place that it's no longer at risk of being a bottom-feeder in the league, but Murray did EVERYTHING on both ends of the court for Conn and Ben Rice's length and athleticism was also key to the zone defense. It's unclear who replaces all that Conn lost on the inside. 

8. Colby - these guys will both win and lose some games in surprising fashion this year, as they are always a high-variance team due to the reliance on threes.  Poulton could be an all-American before he's done but they need to find a consistent second option. Finally brought in real size in the FY class, but will any of those guys be ready to help?

9. Bowdoin - I could see Bowdoin rising to as high as seventh but want to see if McGowan is truly back to the guy he was pre-injury.  If so, he and Reeves are a nice one-two punch and there are enough solid role players around them. Always a well-coached team. 

10. Middlebury - feels blasphemous to put a Jeff Brown team 10th but man, who puts the ball in the basket for these guys?  Tristan Joseph is solid, albeit ideally a number two option, but after that it could be a real struggle unless Sam Stevens returns to his all-league form.  If Stevens is the guy he was as a FY, then I'd put Middlebury up a spot or two.  But two straight years of being severely limited by injuries is not a great sign. Not sure what happened to Midd's recruiting but it seems like Midd hasn't brought in a very hyped recruit in awhile. 

11. Bates - they will at least double their win total and be a lot more competitive, but these guys are a year away from even being in the league tourney picture.  Still, there should be some signs of hope this year, at least, with a nice sophomore class ...

[nescac1]

Amherst's roster out and Charlie Randall is not listed.  Losing both Randall (it seems) and the 7-foot recruit is pretty rough.   

Amherst has only eight non-seniors on the roster, which is very low, and of the six returnees in the non-senior group, only two averaged more than two ppg.  Amherst should be solid this year but the future may be dicey ... even with a nice early group of recruits for next season.

https://athletics.amherst.edu/sports/mens-basketball/roster?sort=class

[rdanie03]

As a Jumbos fan, I will say the loss of Champion and Dieterle will hurt, but I think it will be beneficial long-term. I'm expecting with a fully healthy Truman Gettings that Linton will go back to the twin towers approach with him and Bernstein. I'm really interested to see if there is another team in this country that can deal with a frontcourt of those two + Gyimesi

[RollConts25]

You make a lot of good points, but I do think that scheduling plays a huge role in a league where every team only plays each other once. Looking at Ham's road games in the league last year, they had 6/10 on the road, and the 6 were all top 7 in the league. Double OT loss @ Wesleyan, OT loss @ Amherst, 1-point loss when leading by 5 in the final two minutes @ 1st place Williams. Not to say that they deserved to win those games, but to say that three losses against contending teams were a possession away from a win. This year, 4 of their 5 home games are against teams in your top 6. Not to take anything away from those teams, but scheduling undoubtedly impacts the outcome. Also, there are a bunch of guys they had that showed flashes of greatness, with multiple double digit scoring games or dominant defensive performances, they just couldn't seem to put it all together. I'm thinking a year of experience can help them with the putting it all together, Stockwell is potentially the best coach in a league full of great coaches and I am optimistic about them. Honestly, this is shaping up to be a great NESCAC year and I'm excited more than anything.

Love the enthusiasm RollConts but I just don't see Hamilton leaping from 4-6 in league play and ending the year with a 20 point loss in the NESCAC quarterfinals to first in the conference, leapfrogging some really good returning teams (including three who made the Sweet 16).  I love the top three, one of the best trios anywhere, but no one managed over six points per game on the rest of the roster and it's just SO much pressure on those three guys to all be playing at their highest level game in and game out.  Also, Hamilton had good injury luck last year with the whole roster playing all ten league games, unlikely that recurs. 

My picks, with the caveat that I could see virtually anyone listed 1st through 6th in any position in that group:

1. Trinity - hard to go against a Final Four team with 7 of its top 9 back plus a big incoming class that is loaded with highly-regarded players.  Yeah, they lose two  very key players, but Dorion/Vetter/Okorougo is as tough a two-way perimeter trio as you will see anywhere and there is elite depth behind them, some guards who would start almost anywhere else.  Plus, there are 4-5 big men in the mix to replace Callahan-Gold's minutes, and Trinity should be OK there even though surely will have less scoring from that spot.

2. Wesleyan - this is the team more than Hamilton I see making the big jump.  Johnson and Vetter might be the best backcourt in the country and their group of young, long wings who are already high-level defenders have a ton of potential to grow as complementary scorers.  They have a lot of experienced size as well and Edelman should help with depth at center. A lot of pressure on them to do well with such a stellar senior class.

3. Tufts - Gyemisi, Medley, Bernstein and Morakis are an elite quartet, but the depth outside of the back-up big guys is untested and Tufts doesn't seem to have a lot of shooting. Still, they will physically just wear teams down with so much size and strength at every position and they've proven they can win big games. Another team with some impressive FYs who could help on the perimeter in particular. 

4. Williams - the Ephs are very difficult to predict this year.  Williams has good depth and team speed and should be elite defensively especially on the perimeter - more lock-down defenders than I've seen on maybe any Eph team.  But the Ephs have big question marks in terms of rebounding and especially outside shooting.  I expect this team to have some rocky moments in the first semester but will like last year look very different during league play, as some absent/injured players potentially return to help and the talented FY class begins to make a bigger impact. 

5. Hamilton - this feels about right for Hamilton, again, elite top-level talent but very questionable depth.

6. Amherst - another team that I could see anywhere from 2 through 7.  With basically everyone back this absolutely massive team will continue to punish smaller teams on the interior, but needs much better play from its guards to compete for the NESCAC title.  Garraud had some good moments as a FY and incoming frosh Elias Chen could help at lead guard as well.  The talent is absolutely there to make the NCAA tourney, but we've yet to see a Sears team live up to its talent. 

7. Conn College - no team suffered bigger losses in the off-season.  The program is in a solid enough place that it's no longer at risk of being a bottom-feeder in the league, but Murray did EVERYTHING on both ends of the court for Conn and Ben Rice's length and athleticism was also key to the zone defense. It's unclear who replaces all that Conn lost on the inside. 

8. Colby - these guys will both win and lose some games in surprising fashion this year, as they are always a high-variance team due to the reliance on threes.  Poulton could be an all-American before he's done but they need to find a consistent second option. Finally brought in real size in the FY class, but will any of those guys be ready to help?

9. Bowdoin - I could see Bowdoin rising to as high as seventh but want to see if McGowan is truly back to the guy he was pre-injury.  If so, he and Reeves are a nice one-two punch and there are enough solid role players around them. Always a well-coached team. 

10. Middlebury - feels blasphemous to put a Jeff Brown team 10th but man, who puts the ball in the basket for these guys?  Tristan Joseph is solid, albeit ideally a number two option, but after that it could be a real struggle unless Sam Stevens returns to his all-league form.  If Stevens is the guy he was as a FY, then I'd put Middlebury up a spot or two.  But two straight years of being severely limited by injuries is not a great sign. Not sure what happened to Midd's recruiting but it seems like Midd hasn't brought in a very hyped recruit in awhile. 

11. Bates - they will at least double their win total and be a lot more competitive, but these guys are a year away from even being in the league tourney picture.  Still, there should be some signs of hope this year, at least, with a nice sophomore class ...

[toad22]

Basketball is again upon us, and not a moment too soon. I know I write this every year, but I am as usual, very excited for the season. Good luck to everybody, but especially the Ephs!

[SpringSt7]

Taking my crack at a preseason power rankings (not a predicted standings, which would heavily factor in home/away splits) - I can't remember a year with so many general question marks in recent memory so I'm sure we can all look back on these and laugh in March.

1. Trinity - questions about being able to replace all of the depth if they are planning on platooning again but have too many key guys back to put any lower. Low hit rate on impact D1 transfers in the league but Paul Jordan is still worth watching.

2. Tufts - Not overly worried by the McLaren and Dieterle graduation or the loss of Champion, between Medley, Cain, and Watt they will have enough to overcome it. Gettings back is huge and Bernstein/Gyemesi is a matchup problem for almost all teams in the league.

3. Wesleyan - return just about everyone but not sure how much better Johnson and Regan can get despite the clear talent and production. They were not a good team last year and will need some help from others (Cormier, Langs, Cameron my guesses) to be any higher.

4. Williams - you would think they earned the benefit of the doubt after last year's showing but just too many holes offensively to put them any higher. Karren is a massive loss and for Prowitt-Smith's shortcomings he was still a 1000 point scorer who played in a lot of big games. A lot of holes on the roster relative to their standards but Alex Lee and Brandon Roughley have the talent to elevate them. Will need guys like Devine to take big leaps and relying on FYs more than they probably wanted to. Mainly they need to get healthy ASAP.

5. Hamilton - Wesleyan lite in that they return a lot of scoring from a team that was not very good last year. If Morgan, Singh, and Keyhani score 60 a night they have a chance but I don't know where else the scoring is coming from. Stockwell thrives on continuity and maybe they take a big leap as a group but the 4 teams ahead of them are better for right now.

6. Amherst - same question marks as its been for the last few years but so physically imposing that it has to count for something. Chris Hammond is the best player in the league that everyone forgets about. Maybe this is the year they figure out a rotation (maybe!)

7. Conn College - Lose a ton but the zone will keep causing fits, Sweeney has proven to be a reliable coach who organizes competently and his guys play hard. Schainfeld, Casey, Espinosa have been around for a while and if Hartel is healthy they will be fine.

8. Colby - More pieces back than you realize, including a lot of guys with room to grow into their games - Montiel is a breakout candidate and classmates Hinman and Lamy should both compete for bigger roles. Need a good year from Jack Lawson and a step forward from either Kaczmarek or Stewart.

9. Middlebury - Largely the same group from a 5-5 team minus their leading scorer but struggling again to see the upside. A healthy McKersie and Witherington would go a long way but still curious as to how the pieces fit together.

10. Bowdoin - Another team that will benefit from a clean bill of health and some younger guys stepping up but its all relative at the end of the day and it is hard to see enough firepower on paper to be any higher than this for now. Really struggled to score the ball as a group last year.

11. Bates - Maybe it's better because it has to be but they were woeful last year and unfortunately they don't have a track record that says much could change. Not terribly high on Begin but maybe he takes a huge leap.

[jayhawk]

https://www.amherst.edu/news/magazine/issues/2024_fall/amherst-creates/from-d3-to-the-nba

[rdanie03]

I know it's against Bridgewater st. so you can't take a lot from it, but the way the jumbos offense looks is so much quicker than any other point under Brandon Linton's reign

[SpringSt7]

Williams picks up where they left off, winning 62-49, an ugly one on the road against a SUNY Delhi in a game that was much closer than the score would indicate as the Broncos led with 10 minutes left and trailed by just 4 with 2:30 left.

For the Ephs the clear story was the career game for Hudson Hansen who went for 21 points and 10 rebounds. He looks noticeably bigger and stronger with an improved touch to complement his athleticism and leaping ability, and although he missed both threes that he took, it was good to see him showcase a willingness to shoot from beyond the arc as well as a 5-6 day at the free throw line.

Brandon Roughley (12 pts, 6-9 FG) had a nice game as well, the two forwards shared the floor together for much of the game although Roughley was plagued by foul trouble throughout. They will need the two of them to find as much synergy as possible despite their unique fit as they looked like their two most potent offensive players. Alex Lee had 10 pts but didn't leave a massive imprint on this one, certainly another guy with a pressure on him to carry a lot of the load this season.

It wasn't the clean start you'd like to see from a team with the year in and year out expectations that Williams does but they have shown time and again that they are capable of holding teams to 50 or below like they did today and there is no reason to think they can't do that consistently this season like they did last year. For the Ephs to reach their ceiling they will need more from Lee and continued development from their younger players. Aidan Yates was just 1-7 in 11 minutes on his collegiate debut but it bodes well for his future that Kevin App has given him license to come in off the bench and play with confidence from the beginning.

And lastly it was good to see Evan Glatzer get the start and play 27 minutes today as his health had been a question mark throughout the offseason as he recovered from hip surgery. He is such an X factor for this team and was a huge loss last season. He certainly has room to improve as he finds his footing from such a long layoff but his defense and playmaking will be crucial this season.

Oneonta St. on Wednesday will be a big test as it always is, I would say that given the preseason question marks and a rather shaky showing tonight, they are probably slight underdogs heading into that one. But if they can gel and grow through some shaky wins without dropping them, they will have plenty to play for in the second semester.

[MapleBBQChicken]

Great to see Middlebury start the year with a win today at St. Joseph, who was the GNAC champion last year and won an NCAA tournament game. Everyone seems to be low on the Panthers... I don't think they'll be a top team in the NESCAC, but I'd be shocked if they finish as badly as some of these predictions suggest. Tristan Joseph and Sam Stevens are legit and Coach Brown will find a way.

I'm excited to be joining the basketball board, and it's nice to see some familiar names from football season.