MBB: NESCAC

[walzy31]

I've never been more sick to my stomach posting a spread and I hope I am terribly wrong.

Williams -8.0 Vs. Amherst
Over/Under: 159.5

[Old Guy]

Midd - Colby-Sawyer: I should have acknowledged Tim Edwards: he didn't shoot well (he had company there), but had 14 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks from the pg. He played very hard, as always.

Jon Chaloux for CS (senior, 6'6") had 33 against Williams and 27 last night against Midd: 5-10 from the floor (4-5 threes), 11-13 from the line. That's pretty good. He killed us, along with the frosh pg.

[senatorfrost]

   Williams v Amherst is one of the five or so biggest rivalries in college basketball. I guess it's a sign of the times that Williams has to charge people to see it. Here we have one of the five or so wealthiest colleges in the country charging people to see the games. They probably don't want to charge but I've heard they're in a pretty bad way financially, what with all the features and benefits they provide and the market troubles etc..
    They obviously really need the $$ they'll get or they wouldn't be asking for it. If they want to be nice about it, next year they'll allow people who paid to see the games to submit a request for a rebate. Sort of like financial aid. You would briefly describe your circumstances, submit a W2 form and Williams could dole out rebates as they saw fit. The bottom line is, I guess Williams is not doing that well or they would never stoop to this.

[amh63]

I cannot help myself from a follow-up to the Senator's  comments.  When a school arranges to charge 10 dollars for a audio feed, 15 dollars for a video fee and 25 dollars for a telephone connection it is a shame. fr  Wiliams must do it because it can or it is just lazy.  It is easy to have a pro. company handle it.  I know that Williams can make a change since it was done last night.  Williams' men hockey team was hosting Amherst.  I logged on to see what the score was and noticed that the web site stated that the third period was FREE to view.  I had to fill out a form to see the third period.
Anyway, posters will have to wait for the Amherst/Williams  BB game in Feb. at Amherst.  That Fri. game, along with the game with Middlebury on Sat. will be Webcasted, free of charge, I believe.  The Women's BB games will also be free to view.

[nescac1]

Umm, I think you guys need to dial it back a bit.  I am not sure if you guys are aware, even the richest colleges in the country (Amherst, Williams, Harvard, etc.) have had to make massive cuts in all sorts of ways, big and small.  Yes, I'd like to not have to pay the view webcast, and maybe for at least the Amherst game, it would have been nice for it to be free.  But at time when schools are closing dining halls, cutting financial aid, stopping faculty hiring, borrowing 100 million dollars (in Amherst's case), postponing or canceling major construction projects (Amherst, Williams, Harvard), it is hard to bitch TOO much about cuts in the athletic budget.  Williams remember has more varsity teams than Amherst, some of them quite expensive (like skiing), so its athletic budget has to stretch across a lot more activity.  This is hardly the most painful cut that even the richest of the rich have had to undergo.  Do I wish the telecast was free?  Of course.  Would I rather Williams, instead of a millions small cuts like these, cut financial aid, or borrow a huge amount of money, or cut a varsity sport entirely, or cut back on faculty?  No way.   Really, you guys are acting like a relatively minor sacrifice is a travesty, in times where almost every higher educational institution is embarking on catastrophic cuts in at least SOME arena of campus life ...

Anyway, back to hoops.  Go Ephs!

[speedy]

Umm, I think you guys need to dial it back a bit.  I am not sure if you guys are aware, even the richest colleges in the country (Amherst, Williams, Harvard, etc.) have had to make massive cuts in all sorts of ways, big and small.  Yes, I'd like to not have to pay the view webcast, and maybe for at least the Amherst game, it would have been nice for it to be free.  But at time when schools are closing dining halls, cutting financial aid, stopping faculty hiring, borrowing 100 million dollars (in Amherst's case), postponing or canceling major construction projects (Amherst, Williams, Harvard), it is hard to bitch TOO much about cuts in the athletic budget.   . . .

I don't know about that - Williams was charging for its webcasts well before the financial crisis hit. And other NESCACs like Amherst and Bowdoin provide live webcasts of many sporting events with no charge and have not felt a need to cut back on the modest cost associated with those webcasts. In the relative scheme of things, live webcasts are an inexpensive way to keep interested alums and parents in distant locations connected to a school's athletic program.

[frank uible]

And of course free webcasts are a Constitutional right.

[speedy]

And of course free webcasts are a Constitutional right.

So a college should only do what the constitution requires - well that would be a limited function institution . .

[senatorfrost]

  Before or after the financial crisis? I'm not sure but I am sure that I watched the game from Williams last year for free. In addition Middlebury didn't charge for the NESCAC games. (I watched one) Of course Williams has the right to charge if they need the $$ that badly. I also remember that Williams used to charge for regular games until someone realized that there are students at Williams who hold every dollar dear.
    I listened to a Harry Sheehy interview and was very impressed with all the high ideals that were presented. Somehow all that talk doesn't seem to go with letting a little bit of professionalism into the mix. Getting money off what the student athlete is busting his/her gut for, just seems a little hypocritical to me.

[frank uible]

Two suggested approaches: 1) Withhold one's annual contribution to the Williams Alumni Fund; and 2) Apply to Amherst for a reimbursement of expenses.

[toooldtoplay]

No question a small fee is reasonable as there are costs but $10 for an audio feed is crazy relative to most of what the other colleges charge.  I have seen prices from $0 to $7.95 per game and $40 to $60 for a seasons pass.

[nescac1]

Solid first half for the Ephs.  Up 13.  As expected, no one on Amherst has the speed to stick with Wang.  Huge half, 14-5-5.   He was a bit out of control at times, but late in the half he stopped forcing shots and overpenetrating and found some open guys for easy looks (one was Whittington who was hacked from behind headed for a dunk on an egregious no-call, but the Ephs got a few calls themselves so hard to complain).  Dodson and Rubin each with a pair of threes.  Geoghegan two dunks, both off drives, one starting at the three point line.  Very quiet half for Schultz and Robertson but Wang was so dominant that they didn't really get a lot of chances to instigate the offense.  ONly downside for Ephs is a few too many turnovers, when they play under control the offense is very, very tough to stop.  

For Amherst, Wheeler's ace shooting kept them in it.  All he needs is a few inches.  Ephs played off Meehan and dared him to shoot, and he went 0-3.  Man he can drive, even playing off he was still able to penetrate, but his lack of a three point shot hurts him.  Workman is going to be very good, he has a ton of moves and is pretty quick out there.  Surprised amherst didn't go inside more with all of its size down low.  I imagine they will in second half.  

[nescac1]

Huge run for Amherst to cut it to three.  Amherst is playing Workman at the four and he is cutting the Ephs up.  Maker needs to adjust. 

[walzy31]

Amherst came back and tied it at 53. Williams now up 59-53 with the ball and under 7 mins left.
Goheghan leading the charge.

[nescac1]

Ephs up six.  Ephs not shooting well at all, but playing well inside.  Whittington with an insane dunk and one to spark the crowd.  Workman continues to kill the Ephs on the other end with penetration, but foul shooting has hurt the Jeffs.  Jeffs have defended Wang REALLY well this half, not sure what changed.