MBB: NESCAC

[frank uible]

I don't perceive that the depth of high quality basketball players at Williams at any position from the fall of 2000 through the spring of 2008 has been so great as to come close to justifying accusing Paulsen of the in any event not improper practice of stockpiling.

[ne-ball]

that's okay with respect to your perceptions of the depth...it is DIII after all and a high level academic situation. without going into it, some kids feel like they have been led astray. there are times when a kid needs to know where he stands in the pecking order during recruitment and paulsen has not always been forthcoming. it happens. i said he's a good man and good coach. don't want to color him by that, but it's real, .

[bball12]

At the div. III level you must recruit a ton of guys.  With no schollies it is the way it guys.

[ne-ball]

i'll leave this one alone as i don't want to get more specific. i also see the resistance to my post.  let me end it by saying i am quite knowledgeable of recruitment practices and merely wanted to voice a minor criticism based on facts. we can move on as i choose not to mention names. 

[slickyquick]

ne-ball, totally understand what you are saying but at the same time, coaches at places like Amherst, Williams, Wash U, and others get hundreds of tapes and letters from high school players. it's difficult to keep up with all of them. Those kids want a degree from that particular school and also want to play basketball.

I can see a coach saying, "you have the potential or opportunity to get minutes right away."  Some kids adjust quicker then others thus forcing some guys to the bench, same thing happens at all levels. Most of the time, at the D3 level it's a numbers game, the deeper you are, the better you are.

I wouldn't exactly say that Paulsen's recruiting tactics were like D1 schools. D1 schools dangle that scholarship and if it's not taken then they move onto the next kid. D1 schools' lists are much smaller and are choosing from a much smaller base. At the D3 level and you have a chance at several impact players at the same position then you should take both because you don't want your competition to get them. Kids don't want to leave because 1) they like the school, 2) don't want to leave that degree.

Here is some food for thought, I've heard that many of the upper echelon of D3s are packaging their kids so well that they are paying much or anything at all. These schools, some NESCACs included, are basically giving away scholarships at the D3 level against schools that give away nothing but need based financial aid. Not all schools are created equal.

[old_hooper]

Sporting News just released the top 10 poll for DIII.  Amherst or Middlebury get no love at least in the top 10.  Have not seen the

Top 10 Teams

1. St. Thomas, Minn.

2. Washington-St. Louis (Mo.)

3. Wheaton (Ill.)

4. Augustana (Ill.)

5. UW-Whitewater

6. Gettysburg (Pa)

7. Buena Vista (Iowa)

8. UW-Platteville

9. Brandeis (Mass.)

10. Capital (Ohio)

[nescac1]

That is absolutely ridiculous, especially St. Thomas (??) 1 and Gettysburg in top ten.   Amherst and Midd probably both belong in the 10-20 range given that Midd is still new to the national scene, and Amherst lost SO many guys, so I don't think it is criminal to have them outside the top ten.  Neither St. Thomas nor Gettysburg finished in the top 25 last year ... the d3hoops.com preseason poll has a lot more credibility.  I'd say in that one, Amherst and Brandeis will probably squeeze into the top 10, with Midd and RIC possibly making the top 25.  Hard to make a case for any other New England teams warranting a pre-season top 25 ranking beyond those four ... I imagine someone else will eventually emerge from Williams, Trinity, possibly Bowdoin or Colby, in NESCAC as a potential top 25 team, but too many question marks at this point to project ... NESCAC does have some pretty strong individual talent in Baskauskas, Geoghegan, Choice, Pierce, all of whom should put up huge numbers ....

[BankShotCharlie]

Just a quick note on Coach Mike Turner at Albion who retired today.  I was recruited by Coach Turner and the Albion staff in 2004 and he seemed like a great Coach on the court but it was clear that what you saw was what you got.  All of his players had nothing but great things to say about him and his coaching credentials speak for themselves.  At a school that I would have otherwise never given the time of day, coach Turner made it a difficult choice to turn down Albion. 

In other news...

Watch out for ya boy, Billy Hoyle, T-pain, young Kap, whatsa Hollll-sssee, Donald, Flaw-less, B-B-B-B-Billy BUTTler, kUURRt, Cons, the FUGG, and of course the "Hix-Six"

Consider yourselves warned.

[ne-ball]

billy butler at amherst? will never be a factor

[La Verdad]

In other news...

Watch out for ya boy, Billy Hoyle, T-pain, young Kap, whatsa Hollll-sssee, Donald, Flaw-less, B-B-B-B-Billy BUTTler, kUURRt, Cons, the FUGG, and of course the "Hix-Six"

Consider yourselves warned.

Great, another crazed amherst fan that thinks making up nick-names for the players means he is somehow an insider.  Got a little too much time on your hands, eh Charlie? 

[Trincoll14]

Trinity Coach Stan Ogrodnik announced his retirement today.

http://www.courant.com/sports/college/hcu-triogrodnik-1010,0,2769983.story

[eclinchy]

Pretty shocking to hear this in mid-October.

I wonder why now?

[nescac1]

first, bankshotcharlie does appear to in fact be an insider (former player) based on his email ...

interesting news on Ogrodnik ... very sudden ... in fact I bet Reilly would have held out for the Trinity job had he known Ogrodnik's retirement was imminent.  Should be a very interesting and unpredictable year in NESCAC with 40 percent of the league with new coaches, some very strong recruiting classes at a few schools (especially Trinity and Amherst), and a huge amount of player turnover at many of the contenders ... given the time of year, I imagine Trinity will have to go with an assistant on an interim basis ...

any word on any frosh to look out for, or upperclassmen ready to break out? 

(updated, just read the article about Tabb ... I imagine given his roots with the program and recruiting prowess, he would have been a prime contender for the job in any event ...). 

[BankShotCharlie]

In other news...

Watch out for ya boy, Billy Hoyle, T-pain, young Kap, whatsa Hollll-sssee, Donald, Flaw-less, B-B-B-B-Billy BUTTler, kUURRt, Cons, the FUGG, and of course the "Hix-Six"

Consider yourselves warned.

Great, another crazed amherst fan that thinks making up nick-names for the players means he is somehow an insider.  Got a little too much time on your hands, eh Charlie? 

Thanks for the formal introduction La Verdad.  I hate to intrude on your business, but shouldn't you be filing paperwork instead of snooping around on the d3 boards?

[La Verdad]

Charlie,

The paperwork is filed, so I'm taking a little vacation.  Shouldn't you be out shopping for lederhosen or eating sauerkraut?
Feel...the heat....Rays!