MBB: NESCAC

[Hugenerd]

Bartolotta just post as yourself (instead of in third person). Its alright to be "MIT-bias", because posters here really appreciate the insight that you will bring. Its just easier that way. Not trying to call you out, but trying to be honest.

Way to run him off the site Mr. Blvd.  I don't see you posting as "yourself." I think everyone has a right to remain anonymous if they want to (he probably wasnt aware that emails are visible).  I also don't see how the MIT-bias comment makes any sense, as he made two comments regarding solely the NESCAC.  Anyway, great job welcoming a new person to the board!

[Wydown Blvd.]

If I could post as myself, I would...but the job won't let me. Definitely a conflict of interest.

I was saying that it was fine for him to display an MIT bias in the future (it would probably be innate) because he can bring a lot to the table with his perspective. A lot of posters on the board support one team or another (as I support two conferences instead of teams).

If he "runs off the site," sorry. Didnt mean any harm, I was trying to be honest. Welcome to the board PandB! I can't wait for the NESCAC v. UAA debate...

[Hugenerd]

If I could post as myself, I would...but the job won't let me. Definitely a conflict of interest.

I was saying that it was fine for him to display an MIT bias in the future (it would probably be innate) because he can bring a lot to the table with his perspective. A lot of posters on the board support one team or another (as I support two conferences instead of teams).

If he "runs off the site," sorry. Didnt mean any harm, I was trying to be honest. Welcome to the board PandB! I can't wait for the NESCAC v. UAA debate...

So it appears that you should appreciate the option of anonymity that this site offers more than most.  In any case, calling someone out like that is a pretty di** move.

And I didnt mean that he was "running" off the site.  As a recent d3 player, it can seem like a conflict of interest posting about people you played with.  So maybe he wanted to share his opinion anonymously. For example, I didnt start posting until about 2 years after my last game in d3.  If someone wants to say who they are, they have that right, but if they dont want to, that is their right also.  You shouldnt make that decision for them, even if you are pretty certain who they actually are.

[BornBalla]

I heard the Trinity coach is still "Interim". Is this true? If so, any insiders know why. Obviously Trinity was not the usual Trinity last year but from what I was hearing he has been responsible for all the talent in there the last 4-5 years and really was coaching the team the last few years. Why not give the guy a legit shot at the job. Like 3-4 years? Anyone have the scoop

[walzy31]

Now that Mark Gilbride has landed his first head coaching gig, it is only a matter of time before Clarkson starts filling up its non-conference schedule with NESCAC games (Mark played for four years at Bowdoin; his father is the head coach of Bowdoin; he assisted and won a national championship at Amherst).

In which season will Clarkson have non-conference games scheduled with Bowdoin and Amherst?

This season ('09-'10)  +250
Next season ('10-'11) -300
Mark's 3rd year coaching ('11-'12) -110
Never +800

[ephoops]

Now that Mark Gilbride has landed his first head coaching gig, it is only a matter of time before Clarkson starts filling up its non-conference schedule with NESCAC games (Mark played for four years at Bowdoin; his father is the head coach of Bowdoin; he assisted and won a national championship at Amherst).

In which season will Clarkson have non-conference games scheduled with Bowdoin and Amherst?

This season ('09-'10)  +250
Next season ('10-'11) -300
Mark's 3rd year coaching ('11-'12) -110
Never +800

I assume that 2009-10 schedule is pretty  much locked in for Clarkson as well as all the NESCAC teams. 
Therefore, I would say 2010-11 (and that does not include Hamilton, because I also assume that Clarkson plays Hamilton each year anyway.)

[speedy]

Regardless of family ties, I don't see Bowdoin playing Clarkson because of the length of the trip . . . . . 

[nescac1]

Moreover, not sure father would want to coach against son, if they could help it.  I am guessing he wouldn't be too eager to coach against former boss Hixon, either.  As for the rest of NESCAC, your hypothesis makes sense ...

Speaking of Bowdoin, extremely quiet off-season for the Maine schools, not to mention Conn College, Middlebury, and Tufts ... any word on recruits, transfers, surprise players, etc. from that part of the league? 

[O-Boards10]

Projections for next season:

1. Williams (Snyder gone, but Schultz will have the help of a healthy Geohegan and youngsters Wang and Whittington. Should be loaded offensively)
2. Amherst  (Love the top 5 of Meehan, Wheeler, Waller, Holmes and Barrise, but who will come off the bench? Also, Baskauskas will be awfully tough to replace)
--major drop off--
3. Trinity (Great stash of young talent that really came on at the tail end of last year. probably have to wait a year to be legit contenders)
4. Colby (Lose Cutrone, but have Choice coming into his senior year)
5. Middlebury (Loss of Rudin, Smith and Dudley will be hard to recover from, but still have plenty of talent in Locke, Edwards, Coughlin)
6. Wesleyan (should have a legit one-two punch in Mendell and Kaminer, plus a stacked freshman class)
7. Bowdoin (they'll D-up as usual, but with Jackson and Lane gone, Mark Phillips may need to score 50 a game for them to win)
--major drop off--
8. Bates (Chris Wilson and Brian Ellis have their work cut out for them)
9. Tufts (Jon Pierce may actually face quadruple teams)
10. Conn College (Have seamlessly transitioned from the 'Stone and nobody else' era to the 'Porter and nobody else' era)

Basically, if Geohegan stays healthy it should be a battle at the top, if not, Amherst will reassume their rightful position at the top of the league.

Middle of the pack will be crowded, but I think Trinity showed at the end of last year that they're at least ready for 'best of the rest' status, with serious contention maybe a year away. Wouldn't want to see them in the tournament.

I don't know if Sheldon is allergic to defense or what, but until the Jumbos start showing some interest on that end of the court it doesnt really matter how good jon pierce is. Which is kind of a shame because he's really good.

I think you have Trinity way too high. I know some of us anticipate the day when Trinity returns to the upper echelon of the league but it won't be next year. First, they lose their best defender in Westbrook and they also lose their top scorer in Rowe, which is a big blow for a team that struggled to put the ball in the basket to begin with. Also, it sounds like their coach is still in interim status so they dont even have that spot solidified.

Without Cutrone it'll be interesting to see if Colby can remain in the 4th spot. If they do, it won't be because of Choice, it'll be primarily because of Russell. he averaged about 13 points a game and dominated the boards on both sides despite being undersized. He'll be a force to reckon with this season.

Bowdoin's help in scoring will come from their sophomores, Hanley and O'Connell. Hanley scored just as many points as Lane during league play despite less minutes off the bench. He'll be a scoring force; he may even lead the team in scoring this upcoming season. O'Connell will establish himself as the best long range shooter in the league. keep in mind he shot 44% from 3 overall and a blistering 61% from 3 during league play. I think the thing to worry about is will they rebound the ball and keep that tough Bowdoin style of play they've established over the past few years.

[nescac1]

Not NESCAC news, but of interest to the conference powers:

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/983/Commitment-Catch-Up.php

UMass Dartmouth lost only its point guard from last year's roster.  Bringing in two capable replacements, plus a big-time big man, makes them the overwhelming power in New England, and a likely top-five (at worst top-ten) national team.  I'd say Williams and Amherst start the season a half a step back as the NESCAC pre-season favorites, with WPI, Brandeis and Elms arguably also in the mix.  The rest of the top New England teams seem to have graduated a ton ...

[Hugenerd]

Not NESCAC news, but of interest to the conference powers:

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/983/Commitment-Catch-Up.php

UMass Dartmouth lost only its point guard from last year's roster.  Bringing in two capable replacements, plus a big-time big man, makes them the overwhelming power in New England, and a likely top-five (at worst top-ten) national team.  I'd say Williams and Amherst start the season a half a step back as the NESCAC pre-season favorites, with WPI, Brandeis and Elms arguably also in the mix.  The rest of the top New England teams seem to have graduated a ton ...

Although you list them in your top 5 or 6 in the region, WPI lost 4 starters (Kirkland, Lirette, Izuchi, and Lyons, although Lyons only played about half the season).  Brandeis also lost their two best shooters, Olson and DeLuca, but they had a strong freshman class last year that didnt get a lot of minutes, so somebody should step up.  MIT also lost two starters, starting point guard Gampel and small forward Bartolotta.  Mitchell Kates should be able to fill in for Gampel and, although they dont have someone at quite his caliber, MIT gets a group of solid incoming freshman who should be able to fill some of the hole left by Bartolotta.  Billy Johnson is also back for his last year of eligibility (he had a medical redshirt year), which will provide some key leadership and continuity.  Wheaton should also be solid with some very good incoming players and their returning core.

[nescac1]

MIT could of course still be solid, but they DID lose the best player in all of Division III, and a guy like that simply can't be replaced by committee, especially by frosh, who almost always take some time to adjust.  They may be a year or so away from returning to last year's level ... but hard to project a team with so many new pieces, who knows how they will mesh. 

WPI always seem to go 8-9 deep and always seems to reload no matter who they lose ... although they can't get over the hump it seems in NCAA tournament play where they often lose in the early rounds. 

I agree that Wheaton is one to watch, they seem to have really stocked up on talent and now that talent has matured, and it is time for them to compete for the NEWMAC crown.

I think after Amherst and Williams, NESCAC is very competitive 3-8, and there are 3-4 more teams, in particular Trinity or Midd, who could emerge as contenders.

Two others worth watching: Salem lost a lot but they always seem to bring in big-time transfers.  RIC is the same way, those two squads are always hard to project.   

[nescac1]

Hate to give props to Amherst, but have to for this fantastic site, beautifully done:

http://www.youtube.com/user/AmherstBasketball

I'd love to see some Eph highlights featured in similar fashion (if they even exist on video, who knows) in particular highlights from the four final four tourney runs, the Tucker Kain shot against Amherst as well as some of the other classic Amherst battles, the 2007 NESCAC championship upset wins, and the Holy Cross win. 

[lefrakenstein]

That is a great site, but they don't have The Shot!! Can anyone upload? I still have that clip on my computer at home.

Also, it would be awesome if someone had the Casnocha shot from the Tufts game in the '06 NESCAC tournament.

Or the time Russell Lee hit 8 threes against Williams.

Actually, the best clip montage might be all the fights and near-fights that Fletcher Walters got into. Some of those were pretty hilarious.

[walzy31]

That is a great site, but they don't have The Shot!! Can anyone upload? I still have that clip on my computer at home.

Also, it would be awesome if someone had the Casnocha shot from the Tufts game in the '06 NESCAC tournament.

Or the time Russell Lee hit 8 threes against Williams.

Actually, the best clip montage might be all the fights and near-fights that Fletcher Walters got into. Some of those were pretty hilarious.

The Shot is in that collection and also on YouTube one or two other places.

Tucker Kain's three feels like it was last weekend and I have seen it about 21 times on film...oh hell, what's another three or four on YouTube.