MBB: NESCAC

[walzy31]

Looks like a superb hire for Williams. I don't know much about Creighton but saw WVU quite a few times in Big East play when Beilien was the coach and Maker one of his assistants. The WVU offense under Beilien was a sophisticated variation on the Princeton offense with lots of motion and big men popping out for the three - it was a fun team to watch. So he should be a great x's and o's guy and a good teacher (the Princeton's tough to teach) plus he no doubt has a tremendous recruiting background due to the 11 years at Dartmouth  . . 

Sounds like Coach Maker just needs Pitznoggle's clone to apply to Williams ED and he will be all set.

Coach Maker,
Welcome to one of the three or four fiercest Division Three basketball rivalries out there. Enjoy Williamstown, MA, the choir, and the children of the corn.

[Bluesky]

I think this was an excellent hire for Williams. It would have been easy to hire an existing Division 3 coach. This was a bold move that should pay dividends down the road. No one ever really knows what will happen with a first head coaching position but this guy has worked for some pretty smart and excellent coaches. Plus, he has plenty of experience.  What is important is his ability to teach the game, recruit and get players to play hard for him. On paper, he looks great. This is a breath of fresh air for the Nescac.

I can tell you this. If I were a high school player and he recruited me, I would strongly consider playing for him, in addition to all of the obvious benefits of a Williams education. The players at Williams should be very excited and based on his style of coaching, it should be a fairly easy transition.

By the way, I had Clyde Mckie as a professor.

[Gabriel]

The buzz-----there were over 250 applications for the Williams job----there were three finalists----Maker, another D1 assistant and a D3 head coach.
Sounds realistic.

[atn alum]

http://www.thetranscript.com/ci_9826816?source=most_emailed

he was a finalist at Williams too...awhile back

[formerbant10]

Let's give up for Clyde "The Glide" McKee, Jr.  I actually lived in his house off campus while an advisee of his; great man.

I heard that the other D1 Assistant has an Ivy pedigree as well,  but was much younger.

Maker is a great coach, great guy and a very good fit for the Ephs.  He was great at Dartmouth and knows the type of kid that will fit in at Williams and will be a great fit for the program.

[ephoops]

Below is a link to an interview with Mike Maker that appeared in the Berkshire Eagle over the weekend.

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_9866354?IADID=Search-www.berkshireeagle.com-www.berkshireeagle.com&IADID=Search-www.berkshireeagle.com-www.berkshireeagle.com

[nescac1]

Thanks Ephoops.  I like that Maker wants to emulate the Beilin WVU teams.  I loved watching those teams play -- incredible spacing, ball movement, and precise cuts, and everyone on the floor could bomb it from all over the court.  Of course, I hope he is cautious in implementing the full system because I don't think the current Eph roster is well suited for it.  They graduated their two primary long range shooters, and the team's biggest strength next year will be its advantage over every other NESCAC team in terms of depth, size, and interior scoring at the 4 and 5, and they only have one big guy who can shoot the 3 (Dodson).  At least for next year, based on personnel on the roster, Williams is probably better served emphasizing getting the ball into the post (in particular Geoghegan and also Whittington / Timmins / Meyer / perhaps the frosh Emerson if they develop as big men generally do) more than a traditional Beilin team did, which seemed to run an outside-in offense with the big guys staying outside to open lanes for cutters. 

On another note, congrats to former Eph assistant Dale Wellman, new head coach at Alfred:

http://www.alfred.edu/pressreleases/viewrelease.cfm?ID=4854

Considering he didn't preside over two of the better years for the Williams program, just shows how much respect Paulsen's former assistants are accorded.  I am curious who Maker will get to assist him at Williams ...   

[ephoops]

I've heard from a few Dartmouth alums about Maker.  He was well liked and respected at Dartmouth.  They believe he's a great hire by Williams.

I'll be interested to see how he transitions from the role of asst coach to head coach.  It appears that he's already focused on recruiting and he certainly should have a good feel for the type of student athletes that can have success at Williams (in both academics and athletics).

Also, it would be very ineteresting if one of the players agreed to do a blog of the team's trip to Italy.

Pat - Have you approached anyone at Williams to see if a blog is possible??

[Pat Coleman]

I haven't, but I have heard from Randolph-Macon and Ursinus, who are looking to blog their upcoming trips.

[toad22]

I met Mike Maker yesterday & found him to be really likable. My take on him is that his best attribute for the Williams job was that he has been a very successful recruiter for 20 years, including 10 at Dartmouth, an institution that, in many ways, is quite similar to Williams. He has also worked under several excellent head coaches, another positive. He is a really upbeat, positive guy. I'm sure the existing players will really like him. He has tremendous contacts all over the bball world, which should help him hit the ground running on the recruiting front.

[ephoops]

It's a bit slow on the board this summer so I thought I would open a debate on regarding the following:

Question:  What do the following D3 schools have in common?

Amherst College
Bowdoin College
Claremont McKenna College
Colby College
Haverford
Pomona College
Swarthmore College
Washington and Lee University
Williams College


Answer: They all have a "no loan" financial aid program.

In 2001, Princeton University became the first university in the United States to eliminate all loans from its financial aid packages.  This initiative was designed to attract more students and applicants from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, reduce student debt loads, and provide the institutions with an advantage over their rivals in attracting commitments from accepted students.

It's interesting to note that four of the nine schools with a "no loan" financial aid programs.

Athletic programs at these institutions will be a beneficiary of the "no loan" financial aid policy.  Given that D3 schools cannot offer athletic scholarships, a financial aid package that does not include a student loan will be viewed as quite attractive to students and athletes who are deciding on a college.

Will this financial aid program result in a widening of the gap among those institutions that have the endowment to support a no-loan aid program versus colleges and universities in D3 that do not have the endowment to support such a program??

[frank uible]

Will a basketball playing, financial aid applicant, who would have had Amherst and Grinnell as his sole finalists and would have chosen Grinnell, now choose Amherst because of its "no loan" policy? In my view the answer is "no" - subject to the very rare (almost non-existent) exception.

[nescac hoops]

Would a player choose Bowdoin over Bates due to the "no loan" policy? Yes. Would a player capable of receiving an athletic scholarship at a Patriot League reconsider the D3 option at these "no loan" schools? Perhaps. I think this matters.

[eclinchy]

This calls for a Tufts Daily shameless plug.

Tufts is working toward eliminating loans, but it's a step-by-step process. We're not as rich as Amherst, unfortunately.

[ephoops]

Frank:

I disagree with your post. 

I believe that a basketball playing, financial aid applicant (and his/her parents) will be influenced by the "no loan" program. 

An athlete deciding on Williams vs Dartmouth may decide on Williams if it means, ceteris paribus, that he may have zero debt upon leaving Williams as compared to +$20K in loans upon graduation from Dartmouth.

The no loan program is a powerful recruiting tool (not only for athletes but for all students) that I believe could dramatically shift the balance of power in athletics in D3 to the "have" schools versus the "have nots."