MBB: NESCAC

[David Collinge]

On behalf of the Wooster Scots, or at least on behalf of Scots fans in Posting Up (for whom I feel empowered to speak ), I extend my congratulations to the national champion Amherst Lord Jeffs.  You were clearly the best team here this weekend, and you won with great class.  Your players are great champions, with everything that word implies.  Congratulations! 

[daoustian]

I'll throw a discussion question out there before the glow of tonight's win wears off -- this question was posed to me by someone at Joshua Tree tonight while we were watching the game with hundreds of Irish wannabes:

Will Hixon now leave for Harvard (or another D1 job)?  I think I speak for Lord Jeff Nation when I say "I sure as hell hope not" but the poser of the question seemed to think it was a real possibility.  Discuss.

[atn alum]

I'm sorry, but can't you revel in victory for even 24 hours before you bring up something like that?

Congratulations to Amherst, its players, coaches, alums and fans on a terrific championship season.

[hasanova]

Greetings and congratulations to Amherst from the ODAC and a Guilford College alumnus.  What a great year for the Lord Jeffs!  Hopefully, the Quakers can have another "Strong" season and join you in Salem next March!  Again, enjoy your great championship season!  30-2.  Wow!

[ephoops]

Congratulations to AmHerst and Coach Hixon on winning the national championship.  Welcome to the club of national champions from the Northeast -- Charter member Williams College!!!

It's a great win for AmHerst and the NESCAC.

It will be fun watching AmHerst trying to repeat next year just as Williams tried in '04.  It's a tough road...

Regarding Hixon leaving for the Harvard job, I would be shocked if he left his alma mater after so long to take a job where you're hired to be fired.  Hixon has kids that I'm sure he would love to caoch at his alma mater one day in the future.  Harvard's not that appealing of a job. 

The prospect of trying to repeat with a strong nucleus coming back with the addition of at least one stud freshman coming in next year has to be appealing.  Paulsen and Williams were not able to repeat as national champions -- accomplishing something that Paulsen and Williams were not able to do must be very appealing as well...

[La Verdad]

Congrats Jeffs, you've made the Lord Jeff Nation very happy... .  What an amazing weekend, totally worth the grueling drive from the herst.  I think the Jeffs have figured out this whole Salem thing.  You either need to win it all or come in dead last.  It's the only way to have any fun on Sat night.  Which teams weren't in their rooms crying last night?  Wooster and Amherst.  Really enjoyed spending some time with the wooster guys, class class class.  I think Vandervaart is moving to MA.  Not sure what the funniest thing I saw last night was.  Either Dan Wheeler and Tom Port recreating Port's dunk on O'shea's head or Walzy31 drinking a beer out of a bouncers hand.  Really can't say enough about Wooster and their fans.  Aside from the barrage of expletives they hit me with as I walked in front of their section on friday, they were great.  Did anyone else notice that the halftime shows predicted who would win the games?  Amherst fans really stepped up.  Speaking of stepping up, how about Brandon Jones?  7-8 from the line AND pretty much shutting down Adair?!?!  How clutch is that?  He hasn't played 15 min in the past 5 games combined, but he had no problem coming in and playing 15 huge minutes in the biggest game of his life...W W.  And for the record, the only time anyone in purple and white thought about Williams was when some nerds with microphones brought it up.  It may be hard to believe, but Amherst's motivation for winning a nat'l championship was not the fact that Williams already had one...Sorry Pat.  Time for some shoutouts...Love to Vigo, Simon, Sam, Sam's boyfriend, Walzy, fcp, Pat Coleman, AK, JSF, Gilbride, believe the Hype, AO, KHop, Goldy, Swap, BJones, Flight Squad, Wooster, Va Wes, WAsh U, JJ Jumper(thanks for the gear), Hampton Inn, Comforte Suites, Charades, Sportscenter, Dick Stockton, 222, 220, 3109, Aaron's Party, Strawberry milkshakes, Jones special, Vandervaart, the dj with the mohawk, Tony Sal you're a legend,  Mr. G, Mrs. O and her lil bros, Sara and Chase.  Safe flights for all, enjoy your spring breaks.  Time to catch a plane and get a tan.  See you boys in Miami

-the Truth

[lemonjello]

I can't see Hixon leaving his alma mater either.  And walzy, you are right about the team next year.  They should be amazing, with Goldsmith and Coulibaly coming back, and Hopkins in the starting lineup.

[PraiseTheLords*]

1.  I'll have what Walzy's having.

2.  Can't let the season go without a public +1 for the T. McLaughlin bandwagon. (Started by the senator, maybe? Apologies if crediting the wrong dude/dudette.) Coming out of last year I probably wasn't the only one who thought McLaughlin's slot might be Amherst's black hole--but by Salem he'd become easily the club's second most valuable player. Defense, yes. (How big was it that against the best team Amherst played this year he made the All-American Cooper look ordinary?) But his offense/competitiveness was just as key. Streaky shooter--but I can't remember a miss when a make was necessary. Lousy free-thrower--but I can't remember a miss when a make was necessary. On a team that, for all its strengths, did not have players who could create their own shots, McLaughlin was the guy who most often generated something when things had gotten ugliest. (Olson will do this more next year because he'll have to.) Dude seemed to have no fear. And what's more fun for a D-III fan (well, besides a CHAMPIONSHIP) than seeing an unheralded kid grow over four years into the co-leader of a championship-level team? So, mad props to McLaughlin. The way he invented himself over his career will serve him well the rest of his life. And should.

3.  And what about Hixon? Apparently he just got this site's Coach of the Year (congrats). On this board, though, it usually seems he's praised for recruiting but not, um, coaching. Let's correct. His offense capitalized on everything his players could do best, and enabled Amherst to exploit opponents outside (Wooster) or inside/mid-range (Va. Wes--with motion, backcuts, and even a little post play despite having no players who can actually do much in the post). But you had to love his ability to teach team/help defense even more, and that's where a coach makes his bones--'cuz, A) you gotta get a whole team to understand how it's played, and B), you gotta get a whole team motivated to play it. Amherst's defense was the difference in Salem, unsexy as it is to admit. Upshot: Just a flat great coaching job by the man this season. Warrants mentioning.

4.  Congrats to ALL Amherst's players and coaches (the above ain't meant to shortchange anybody). Loved your style. Thanks for the memories.

5.  Now lemme have some more of what Walzy's having.

(6.  And some of whatever La Verdad's on wouldn't be so bad either. Don't hurt yourselves in Fla., fellaz....)

[PraiseTheLords*]

...should have added, while feeling all gobbed up with national championship endorphins and overflowing unfocused gratitude:

7.  A thank you to all the posters on this board, before everybody departs for tanning until next year. No, seriously. The surrealist slam poets included. (You know who you are--keep bringin the flava, boyz.) (And grrrlz.)

On account of bad mojo, I wasn't able to see any games this year until the NESCAC tourney, so had to watch the season through the prism of all this chat-board jive--and loved it. The waning of Bates, the birth of Middlebury, the chemical imbalance of Tufts, the renaissance of Williams (looks like THAT particular competitive nap is over), the arrival of some dame's infant...all of it. Even found myself looking up formerbant's current professional progress.

Big fun. So thanks. Y'all have more readers than you know.

[dman]

congrats to amherst on winning the national championship.....

[Pat Coleman]

And for the record, the only time anyone in purple and white thought about Williams was when some nerds with microphones brought it up. 

Wheeler sure didn't respond like that.

Sorry if real questions are insulting. At least I wasn't asking Coach Hixon if he had a room for the night.

[gordonmann]

Congrats to Amherst on the national championship and thanks for adding another feather to the cap of us NESCAC fans.

You had an amazing season, disproving the doubters of which I honestly was one.  I didn't think the best team would come from New England but I'm glad it did.   

[senatorfrost]

 Others have already said what I would have on the Hixon leaving thing. I would be amazed if he left. I gave MVP of Wooster game to McLaughlin. Last night there were probably four who could have been given the honor, which made the game more gratifying to watch. (though not as exciting as the night before).
  Take away the WIAC and their past usage of red shirts and NESCAC stacks up reasonably well against anyone. (since 1994). I know I shouldn't be thinking about Williams and how they get everyone back. Nor should I be thinking of Middlebury and the player they allegedly took away from Dartmouth, or what Trinity might have picked up, so I'll try not to. I liked the all tourney team, even though I would have made a very small adjustment, without removing/adding anyone. The most important thing is that Amherst won.
   
   

[wooscotsfan]

Congratulations to Amherst on the D3 National Championship!

Your team played great ball this weekend and it is a well deserved title!

[VigoTheCarpathian]

PAT COLEMAN!!!!!!! Word on curb is that the real media in the room and the players looked at you like you had three heads when you asked about Williams.  It's a good thing that Dan Wheeler is such a gentleman or you would have been sitting there with your foot in your mouth.  Also Walzy, informed us that you took back that the Northeast is the weakest region in D3...save the NESCAC.  No love for our friends Brandeis who knocked off your beloved Bantams?  Really shocked that the headline for the website wasn't the following:  "Defense wins Championships" or "The Better Team Lost."  Although the headline lacks anything actually good, the fact that you magined to avoid a complete cliche or an overall jab at Amherst is impressive.  Congrats!

I'm not sure what to say that the truth hasn't already mentioned.  A tremendous amount of love to the Amherst parents for treating us like royalty throughout the weekend.  Made the trip all the way down great even without the basketball.

The difference between Amherst and the field this weekend....THE PASSION.  Incredible leadership by the seniors to never let up whether it was on Friday or Saturday made all the difference in the world.  I feel like Ben to Verdad's Matt right now after we're accepting the best original screenplay for "Good Will Hunting."  WHO TO THANK?!?  Coach B for the love at dinner on Saturday night, the waitress for refilling my lemonade with the pin point accuracy of an AO pass, Rachel C for her epic performance at Fuds, the two guys from the class of 90 for paving the way, tall waitress for keeping Jones motivatived, and the guys in purple in whiite for bringing home a champtionship to Amherst.


The real question, however, is how do you determine who is taller...the Amherst team of '07 or next year's team of '08?  The answer, my friends is actually very simple...


GO BACK TO BACK


I love you all...