MBB: NESCAC

Bucket · March 06, 2010, 10:11:04 PM

A disappointing night in Middlebury (unless you're RIC).

RIC turned in what had to have been one of their finest performances of the season, while the Panthers were not on their game. Example? Midd goes 2-22 from behind the arc, while the Anchormen shoot a blistering 7-11 for 3 in the first half alone (they only hit one more the rest of the way but had at least two more buckets with a foot on the line). And it wasn't just that they were hitting the treys and Midd wasn't, it was who was hitting the bombs--Mason Choice 5-21 on the year goes 2-2; the 6-6 center, Akinrola, who had attempted all of 4 threes all season (making zero) got in on the act. It was that kind of night.

Like the NESCAC championship against Williams, the Panthers got down early and had to scrap and claw to get back in it, which they did. Ryan Sharry turned in a monster performance in the second half; Timmy Edwards played his usual great D, holding RIC's leading scorer Scott Grimes (15 ppg) to 4 points; and Andrew Locke, when he wasn't getting hacked, had dunks on 4 of 6 possessions. With about 6 minutes to play, Midd was within 6 and had the ball.

Midd didn't get a good look at the basket, though, and after RIC gained possession Choice drained his second three of the night as the shot clock ticked down to 1. It felt like all of the air had been let out of the gym.

A tough pill to swallow. I feel for the three seniors, especially Edwards. I would have liked to have seen this play out a little longer.

On the way home from the game, I hear my three-year-old say from the backseat:

"I'm happy that the team will be back next winter. But I'm sad that Timmy's graduating."

Me, too.

toad22 · March 06, 2010, 10:30:42 PM

Alex Rubin gets the game ball if I am choosing. Big shots, big plays. Overall, it was a team effort. Nice going Ephs!

eph partisan · March 06, 2010, 10:52:23 PM

That was the fewest Ephs to score in a game in a very long time. That game was a lot closer than it should have been. Rubin definitely gets the game ball - he was clutch. Good to see Schultz scoring. Wang looked way off in the first half, then came out strong in the second. As an aside, in conference play, the NESCAC tournament, and tonight, Wang is 43-44 from the line. He hits his free throws when they matter.

eph partisan · March 06, 2010, 10:54:22 PM

And thanks for the support, Old Guy.

dman · March 07, 2010, 10:49:34 AM

i might give the fans a piece of the game-ball as well. this was the best fan support i have seen at a home game in over ten years and that includes the nat. championship years. i have commented in the past, that i have been to wakes that had more noise than the fans at a williams game, so it was really cool to see the players go over to the stands and thank the fans at the end of the game. for the players, i think this ncaa game was a bit of a wakeup call in terms of intensity, and williams will need more than fan support next weekend, if they plan on advancing......

amh63 · March 07, 2010, 11:39:09 AM

At this time of the year, it is survive and advance. Williams just did that, while Midd did not. There were alot of "upsets" so far, but who can call any game an upset at this time of the year. Was surprised about the lost to RIC by Midd at home though. Amherst did dominate RIC without Meehan....though some posters point out that RIC was short of players at the time. I really think it is the match-ups that occur for teams now. Every team has good players and talent. RIC has quickness and having players hit the long shots.
Been watching too much BB games on TV. Saw a local title high school game that had several interesting senior players. One had the son of Ralph Sampson, a 6'7"plus player with an outside shot and the other had the younger brother of Rudin of Williams. The younger brother is a 6'5" long range gunner. It was mentioned by the announcers that Rudin had a brother playing for Williams. No mention of where the players are going next year. Is Williams recruiting the younger player..nescac1?
Read an article in today's Parade mag by Harlan Coben, the best seller fiction writer, about March Madness in general and the relationship of a father and son in particular (Dell and Stephen Curry BB players). Thought a part was most appropriate here for Old Guy. "When a father gives to his son, they both laugh. When a son gives to his father, they both cry."

Bucket · March 07, 2010, 01:03:34 PM

Quote from: amh63 on March 07, 2010, 11:39:09 AM
At this time of the year, it is survive and advance. Williams just did that, while Midd did not. There were alot of "upsets" so far, but who can call any game an upset at this time of the year. Was surprised about the lost to RIC by Midd at home though. Amherst did dominate RIC without Meehan....though some posters point out that RIC was short of players at the time. I really think it is the match-ups that occur for teams now. Every team has good players and talent. RIC has quickness and having players hit the long shots.

A former Panther player commented last night: "In DIII, anyone can beat anybody on any given night--especially in the tournament."

Very true.

RIC presented Middlebury with some match-up issues, no doubt, but the elemental truth of the matter was that the shots were falling for RIC and they weren't for the Panthers. Of course, Middlebury is not a great shooting team, but they're not a "2-22 from 3" shooting team either. And not to take anything away from RIC--I think they are a very good team--the shots they were hitting were shots the Panthers wouldn't mind them taking. Mason Choice from long range entering the game? 5-21. Mike Akinrola? 0-4. On the season. Hats off to them. They hit their shots. They advance. That's the name of the playoff game. Surprising? Yes. Disappointing? Extremely. But what are you going to do?

Hope the kids will be able to put this behind them soon and reflect fondly on the season.

Really, who expected Middlebury to go 25-4 this year after losing three starters--including the NESCAC POY and All-American Ben Rudin--off last year's NESCAC championship team?

We will miss Timmy Edwards's energy, his leadership, his intensity, his clutch-playing, his suffocating defense. But we take heart in knowing that everyone else who logged serious minutes is back next year.

As for Alex Rubin's (Williams guard) brother--it's my understanding that Williams is recruiting him. I also think that he might have DI options--or at least aspirations. As a Panther partisan, I hope he enjoys a nice career in the Ivy League.

nescac1 · March 07, 2010, 01:04:54 PM

Glad to hear that, dman. Hope the fans bring it again next weekend! (And I hope at least a few go to support the Cinderalla women's squad as they try to do the impossible and win at Amherst on Friday).

amh63, Danny Rubin, like Alex before him, is an all-league player in DC. I imagine the Ephs would love to have him ... only time will tell. The Ephs will have a HUGE hole at the three next year with Schultz and his back-up Hardy graduating (Geoghegan and Rubin are also big-time losses, but the Ephs at least have solid depth at the five and two, respectively, with Emerson/Whittington and Robertson/Klemm). There are four other returning guys who seems like natural three's on the current roster (Hicks, Mickens, Divietri, McClelland), but none have received any meaningful PT and three are frosh, so who knows if any can step up to fill the void. A long way of saying that, a top-notch three could have a shot to get immediate playing time on a very good team next year. As could a top-notch four, since the Ephs lose both back-ups at that spot as well, and there are really no four's on the roster other than Dodson. I would think Maker would be priorizing those two spots in recruiting.

Amh63, you do know Coben is an Amherst alum, right? One of his villains was a serial killer who graduated from you-can-probably-guess-where.

SUNYIT's starting five goes 6'7, 6'1, 6'1, 6'1, 6'0. The Ephs HAVE to dominate inside on the boards in that game, as I imagine SUNY must have some quickness.

eph partisan · March 07, 2010, 01:52:33 PM

Quote from: dman on March 07, 2010, 10:49:34 AM
i might give the fans a piece of the game-ball as well. this was the best fan support i have seen at a home game in over ten years and that includes the nat. championship years.

Dman, you couldn't be more right about the fan support; I'm feeling confident that it will be just as good next weekend, though it might be tougher because some of the spring seasons are starting. Let's hope that that doesn't affect anything!

amh63, Rubin's brother is definitely being recruited by Williams, just to corroborate what Bucket said.

Quote from: Bucket on March 07, 2010, 01:03:34 PM
We will miss Timmy Edwards's energy, his leadership, his intensity, his clutch-playing, his suffocating defense. But we take heart in knowing that everyone else who logged serious minutes is back next year.

Edwards was fun to watch on the defensive end of the floor, and he was clearly the heart and soul of that team. Bucket and Old Guy, do you think that the Panthers can replace that? I know you are returning everyone else, but it seemed like Edwards was the driving force for the Panthers in a way that is uncommon at any level; will Sharry be able to step into that role? Do the other players on the team have the heart that Edwards did? What is your sense, beyond the optimism that returning so many strong players brings?

amh63 · March 07, 2010, 05:13:33 PM

Thanks everyone for the info on Rubin (sorry about calling him Rudin Saw too much of Ben last yeasr!)
Yes, I do know about Coben's Amherst connection. Met him and his family several times. Both he and his wife played BB at Amherst. His wife was recently inducted into the NE Hall of Fame. I believe Coben has a ex-BB player with an limp/injury as a character in several of his books. Since I haven't read any of his books...I am told the character has a little bit of Coben and his BB past.
Without jumping ahead too much, I to believe that Brandeis maybe the greatest challenge for Williams in their bracket. Still, it is win and advance these days at all levels of college BB.

Old Guy · March 07, 2010, 10:09:09 PM

"Edwards was fun to watch on the defensive end of the floor, and he was clearly the heart and soul of that team. Bucket and Old Guy, do you think that the Panthers can replace that? I know you are returning everyone else, but it seemed like Edwards was the driving force for the Panthers in a way that is uncommon at any level; will Sharry be able to step into that role? Do the other players on the team have the heart that Edwards did? What is your sense, beyond the optimism that returning so many strong players brings?"

(I have to learn how to do that box thing for quotations)

Your question is a good one, Eph Partisan. Edwards was special, crucial to our success. But I think someone will emerge, or some two or three. Remember that last year Rudin provided the fire - and Edwards was competence personified, doing his lock-down defensive thing and keeping the ship steady.

Thompson and Wolfin were frosh this year and deferred wisely to their elders. Thompson has the Edwards' look defensively - he's an exciting player, and he has a ton of offensive potential. Wolfin has a swagger that was kept mostly under wraps this year. He could make a mistake at one end and then come back and hit a dagger three to win a game. They'll both be more assertive next year.

Locke, Wholey, and Davis are the senior core next year, all conscientious, determined players. Strong kids. Senior leadership is so important and we'll have it. Sharry will only get better and has POY potential. We will miss Tim Edwards next year, but there's a quiet confidence and strength of character in what's returning. We'll be okay.

eph partisan · March 09, 2010, 04:27:22 PM

Thanks, Old Guy. Appreciate the feedback.

What about other teams - how does everyone feel about the returning groups? I know nescac1 gave a serious rundown for a few teams a little while back. How about the perspectives of others?

nescac1 · March 09, 2010, 08:08:16 PM

Congrats to Blake Schultz on (deservedly) winning the Jostens trophy ... not too many All-American hoops players who are also pre-med and engaged in that level of community service:

http://athletics.williams.edu/sports/mbkb/2009-10/News/030910_Blake_Schultz_Wins_Prestigious_Jostens_Trophy

If the Ephs make it to the Final Four, Schultz will likely finish as the fourth all time leading scorer for the Ephs ... not too shabby.

Have any other schools had two Jostens winners, I wonder?

eph partisan · March 10, 2010, 01:06:35 AM

Additionally, forget basketball for a second: Schultz is, at least off the court, one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. I say this not because I know what he does in the Williams community, but because of the genuine kindness that he shows anyone that he speaks to. I cannot speak to the other nominees, but Blake deserves whatever recognition he gets.

bomber3 · March 10, 2010, 04:10:14 PM

Quote from: nescac1 on March 07, 2010, 01:04:54 PM

SUNYIT's starting five goes 6'7, 6'1, 6'1, 6'1, 6'0. The Ephs HAVE to dominate inside on the boards in that game, as I imagine SUNY must have some quickness.

And the 6'7" player stands on the 3 point line most of the game. They are a two-headed monster with Golembiowski and Brown leading the way -- the rest are mostly role players. Can't give Golembiowski (6'7" player) an inch -- he will shoot from 25+ with no conscience. More of a catch and shoot player but can create a little bit. Not the most physically intimidating team but Brown's quickness is unmatched in the East region and he can shoot it as well. Great at creating and has an unguardable pull-up if he is on. Williams' help side defense will need to be excellent if they want to contain him -- that or play off and hope he misses his 3's. You won't be blown away by them but they are surprisingly solid across the board.