MBB: NESCAC

[frank uible]

Did they ever fail to get it when they deserved it?

[FormerPolarBear]

Bowdoin opens up its season tonight against the Mules of Colby.  It is very rare for the Polar Bears to tip off their season against a NESCAC rival.  Hopefully Bowdoin can build on their success from last year and begin the season off with a big victory.  Bowdoin returns with only two starters, but they have many guys who have seen significant playing time over their career.  Kyle Jackson will be the leader and main guy for the Polar Bears.  I predict he has a huge senior year and will be an All-Nescac player.  He will have to carry the load on the offensive end to compensate for the loss of Hippert,Fliegel, and Sargenson.  Mike Hauser, the other returning starter, could emerge has an upper echelon point guard.  His ppg should increase and he will have a breakout year.  The other starters will be Tim Lane (does alittle bit of everything, the ultimate team player), Mark Phillips (great touch for a big man, if he has a big year Bowdoin will be a tough team to beat), and Randy Dafoe (gets better everyday).  All of these guys have seen playing time throughout the years and if they all play to their potential, Bowdoin will finish near the top of the NESCAC.  Darian Reid Sturgis and Paul Sellew will be the 6th and 7th guys.  Sturgis is a great athlete and Bowdoin's best defender. He will help fill the void left by Sargentson.  Sellew is a talented offensive player who can score from anywhere on the floor.  Bowdoin also added 2 freshman to their squad who could see playing time.  Will Hanley 6'7 g/f and ryan oconnell 6'1 guard.  I have not seen either one play but from what I have heard they both have immense potential and should add to the depth of Bowdoin. 

I predict Bowdoin will finish in the top 4 in the NESCAC.  The team will be different from last year, but still very good.  Jackson will be the stud, but Bowdoin will get contributions from many different guys.  They have 5-7 guys that could potentially average 10 points each. 

BOWDOIN V. COLBY TONIGHT!

[nescac1]

Nice start for Williams winning by 11.  Ephs looked discombobulated for first five minutes but once they found their groove, the offense ran beautifully for the most part and they were up by double digits most of the way.  Very different look from past Eph teams.  Did not rely on the 3 much (which was good as they seemed to miss most that they attempted), almost all of their points were off layups from drives and back-door cuts, and free throws created by the same sorts of plays, very few jumpers relative to Paulsen teams.  Keene played a lot of frosh who were pretty clueless on defense, so it will be tougher for the Ephs in the future, but of course they should get a lot more polished in the system.  A few guys were, I believe, out with injuries as well based on names mentioned in season previews who didn't see the floor, so rotation could change.  Ephs started a very big group, 6'3, 6'3, 6'6, 6'8, 6'8, but had a little trouble with the press so at times brought in some true points off the bench.  No frosh played at all, and no Sophs other than Dodson. 

Highlights for Ephs: Snyder, who played point, handled ball well, and had his way with the D for about 25 points -- best player on court along with Kathan.  Schultz and big Joe were both solid as always but neither played at the very top of their ability level, the key surprise was Timmins-Schiffman, who looked perfect for the system with great perimeter game for a big guy.  Look for him, Hardy, and Dodson (who started but had an off night from the field) to all excel in this system, which allows a lot of space for perimeter-oriented big guys to operate.  But if tonight is an indication Timmins in particular could be one of the top sixth men in NESCAC.  I think the Ephs will be very tough to guard because of their skill level at the 4 and 5. 

Lowlights: defense was great in spurts, not so great in spurts, definitely room for improvement, they didn't do much of anything to slow Kathan down it seemed like.  Ballhandling shaky at times against the press, again something I'm sure they'll work on a lot.  Missed a fair number of open shots from outside.  That is about it.  Kathan was a killer as always but no one else on Keene looked like a top-flight player.   I worry how they will deal with a team with very fast, effective, penetrating guards -- Keene's guards had some speed and created problems on occasion,  but were all frosh and a little overwhelmed. 

[ephoops]

Nescac1:

Thanks for the analysis.  Great start for Maker.

Interesting that he started Snyder at PG.  I agree that based on the line up you mentioned, the Ephs will likely have trouble with quick guards who can press and penetrate.

[eclinchy]

what do you guys think of matt galvin at the point for tufts? what are his strengths and weaknesses? i had seen him a couple of years ago and thought he was just okay.  would like to hear feedback

Judging by his one year of college, nothing more:

Smart passer, good court vision. Would like to see him develop a little bit more as a scorer though. On D, he's physical but a bit undersized... seems to have trouble contesting shots without getting into foul trouble.

[eclinchy]

No frosh played at all, and no Sophs other than Dodson.

What about Whittington? I liked him a lot from what little I saw of him last year... I thought he was going to be really legit. Is he hurt?

[nescac1]

He didn't play (although currently listed in box score as playing one minute, that was actually Cates for a defensive sequence).  Could be hurt or something as mentioned in season previews as a guy who would get PT.  He is a very talented guy, but I'm not sure how well he fits in with this system ... the big guys spend a lot of time on high post and/or perimeter and he is a guy who is strictly an inside guy, at least based on last year.  Still, his athleticism is so off the charts for NESCAC (especially as a defender, I would have loved to see Kathan try to shoot over him) that I can't imagine he won't get PT if healthy, so I guess we'll see.  Ephs are really stacked at 4/5 with Whittington, Meyer, Timmins, Dodson, Geoghegan, so it will be interesting to see how PT shakes out among that group.  The early indication is that Maker likes experience as all seniors on the roster got into the game, and only one underclassman ...

Looking at box score, Kathan actually missed a fair number of shots, even if it didn't seem that way, so I guess the Eph D did a better job on him than I realized. 

Nice opening win for Midd over a D-II team.  They play another D-II team tomorrow ... speaking of which, to answer a prior question, Midd and Amherst seem to be the consensus co-teams-to-beat, after that it is pretty wide open. 

[FormerPolarBear]

Bowdoin 67-60! Game info to come later.

[senatorfrost]

 Would someone explain to me why Amherst is rated so high. Do NOT count the frosh as they have yet to appear on the court. All I can see is one proven player, one halfway proven player and a lot of maybe's. Williams has three starters returning from a NESCAC championship. Middlebury looks best to me.
  Meehan, Holsey and Bennett are question marks to say the least. If they don't have at LEAST two frosh in the rotation (7) by NESCAC time I'll bet they don't finish second. I doubt they will be in top four.
   

[eclinchy]

I'm not sold on Amherst either, but doubting top four is kinda ridiculous. Top two is very likely.

FPB, thoughts on how Bowdoin looked? Solid win to start the season...

[ne-ball]

anybody know what happened to billy butler, who was a freshman last year at Amherst and is now not on the roster?

[FormerPolarBear]

Great game between Bowdoin and Colby.  It was a back and forth contest throughout most of the game.  Colby held a slight lead with about 5 or 6 mins left in the game, but some timely baskets by Reid-Sturgis and Freshman Will Hanley helped Bowdoin win the game.  The story of the game was Bowdoin's bench.  Bowdoin's bench, especially Reid-Strugis and Hanley, gave the Polar Bears a much needed lift. Jackson,Hauser, and Phillips also had solid games. 

Artie Cutrone played well for Colby.  Choice struggled alittle bit.  Colby only played like 6-7 guys.  Whereas Bowdoin had 7 guys with atleast 17 minutes of playing time.  Depth could hurt Colby this year, but I still think they are a good team. 

Based on only one game it seems apparent that Bowdoin is going to be a very good team.  Last year they relied on Hippert, Fliegel, and Sargentson every night whereas this year it seems like 7-8 guys will contribute each and every game.  This is the deepest Bowdoin team in recent memory. 

Impressive first win, keep up the good work. 

   

[Bluesky]

Looked like the 3 point shooting for Williams was very suspect.  If they shoot like that against a quality opponent, they could be in for a rough time.  Rubin and Wittington were held out due to injury and hopefully will be back soon.

Rubin's perimeter game and floor skills should help a great deal when he returns. Wittington makes a terrific backup for Big Joe and gives this team great depth and athleticism upfront along with their other big men.

This team, if it gets consistent guard play and outside shooting, will be very tough to beat given their strength upfront and Maker's system.  

[ephoops]

Amherst [Women] Routs NYCCT 117-20 in 2008 Season Opener; Advances to Tip-Off Tournament Championship

This was the headline on the Amherst athletics web page this morning.

The score was 71-8 at halftime.  This game is an absolute travesty.  Why in the world is Amherst scheduling a game against NYCCT in its tip-off tournament???

What purpose does it serve Amherst, NYCCT or women's college basketball for Amherst to invite NYCCT to play in its tournament and then have Amherst absolutely embarass NYCCT??

The Amherst athletic department and its basketball program need to seriously re-assess their priorities.

Note: I'm posting on the NESCAC men's board also because it appears that the NESCAC women's basketball board gets limited traffic.

[Rick Vaughn]

I'm surprised not to see Ryan O'Connell's name in the box score for Bowdoin...From what I've heard he was a big time scorer coming in.  PolarBear, will he see minutes down the road?