MBB: NESCAC

[ephoops]

Morty Shapiro announced this morning that he is leaving as president of Williams next summer to become the president of Northwestern.

http://www.williams.edu/admin/president/letters/081216_Northwestern.php

This is a HUGE loss for NESCAC athletics.

Morty was absolutely the strongest supporter of NESCAC athletics of any of the presidents of NESCAC. 

He was the driving force behind the decision to keep NESCAC as participants in NCAA tournaments / post-season competition as well as the driving force behind killing the asinine idea of creating a D-4 in athletics.

A search committee has been formed by the Williams Board of Trustees to be headed by Greg Avis.  Avis is a gradute of the class of 1980 at Williams and he has a daughter who is a member of the Williams volleyball taeam that advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament this year.  According to the Williams Alumni directory, Avis played baseball and basketball while at Williams. 

Hopefully, the search committee will identify a candidate who shares Morty Shapiro's love and commitment to athletics as well as Morty's strong belief in the importance of full participation in NCAA post-season competition by the NESCAC.

It's no secret that there are certain NESCAC presidents who do not favor NESCAC participation in NCAA post-season playoffs and tournaments.  Williams' remarkable success in the Directors' Cup competition over the past 13+ years has created animosity among certain NESCAC members who resent this success. 

Morty has been a leader among his NESCAC peers in holding together the conference's commitment to NCAA post season participation.  Williams is losing an outstanding president and NESCAC athletics is losing its biggest supporter.

It will be interesting to see who becomes the next president of Williams and his/her commitment to athletics.

[nescac1]

Congrats to Morty.  I can't imagine Williams bringing someone in who is anti-athletics, especially considering who is leading the search, but one never knows.  And it seems like the tremendous recent success of Bowdoin, Trinity, Midd and Amherst (all winners of NCAA championships over the last two years) will keep athletics on the front-burner at least at those schools.  Indeed, it seems like Amherst has been emphasizing athletics more in recent years with the kind of talent it has brought in in both the coaching and player ranks, especially in the basketball and soccer programs (both men and women). 

Speaking of Amherst, wow:

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/638/Commitment-CatchUp.php

Three ED recruits from one school!  One of whom is 6'9 and sounds like an athlete with upside from the description, sheesh!  Add that to last year's haul, and that is NINE recruits in two years who are at least 6'4, SIX of whom are at least 6'6, and this year's recruiting season isn't even completed. 

Anyone hear any other recruiting news from ED kids?  I wonder if the late hiring of Maker will push the Ephs' recruiting season back to regular decision this year ...

[senatorfrost]

  The twins are ranked 322 and 323. That might not seem too good but if you add 322 and 323 you get 645. Now according to the site the twins are 6:4 and 6:6. They often add an inch to tall kids so the taller one could very well be 6:5 and even if he is 6:6 he was 6:5 not too long ago.
   So then if you take the number 645  and put an 'and' in between the 4 and the 5 you have 6:4 and 6:5 which are their heights. This is too big a longshot to be just a coincidence. I take this to be a sine of some sort. I have to go along with NESCAC1 and admit that this is very impressive.

Send out those acceptances
Hurry up and mail'em
Make sure that the guys are tall
And we'll end up in Salem.

See what an easy game this is.

[nescac1]

And there is the predictable response from Senator Frost, the most pessimistic, negative fan in history of any team that has played  in four final fours in five years.  Whatever Hixon's recruiting strategy is (which I'd say lately seems to be recruit as many tall athletic guys with huge upside he can to complement the one-superstar-talent-per-year he brings in), it seems to be working.  And you can't deny that (in addition to having Andrew O., which obviously was the main factor) Amherst's massive size advantage over virtually every team it played over the last few years certain didn't hurt.  Not many D-III teams consistently have 6'5 and 6'6 two guards, 6'7 small forwards, and centers in the 6'8-6'10 range, the way Amherst does year in and year out.  Also, you conveniently ignore the highly ranked 6'9 athletic guy with upside they are apparently bringing in.  Again, not a lot of guys like that playing in NESCAC (in fact, this year I'd say there are exactly zero). 

[frank uible]

Of course Hixon needs the help (complicity if you will) of the Amherst Admission Office.

[fpc85]

Lots of layers like what the Amherst area has to offer. Small school, great education, other colleges within 10 minutes of each other, the ability to take in a movie or to go to a mall and get what you need, reasonable driving distance (less than 2 hours) to a major city. All of these things are big factors some players choose Amherst. It certainly doesn't hurt that Hixon is a great recruiter and the team has solid citizens who relate well to recruits and the community. Plus winning approximately 200 games, 4 final fours, 1 national championships in the last 8 years certainly doesn't hurt. Hixon can also use that 5 players from last year now play professionally.

[jumpshot]

I have seen the Edwards boys from Suffield that are referred to in the New England Recruiting report when they played in Texas at Highland Park High School in Dallas. Both are excellent players who have been well coached along the way.

[lefrakenstein]

Quick research shows that Suffield has been a middling-to-bad team in the New England prep B league the last few years. I realize if the twins are post-grads, they wouldnt have been on the team the last few years, but it's still hard to imagine 3 good NESCAC players coming from that type of team.

On the bright side, Suffield is apparently the alma mater of former Spurs guard and current Bulls head coach Vinnie Del Negro!

[ephoops]

Of course Hixon needs the help (complicity if you will) of the Amherst Admission Office.

Tom (a/k/a/  the "GM", "Theo", etc.) Parker, the esteemed Director of Admissions at Amherst is indeed at it again, working hand in hand with Hixon to make sure that Amherst remains at the top of the NESCAC standings.

Eph fans can only hope that Maker forges as good a relationship with Dick Nesbitt in Bascom House at Williams.

[ne-ball]

am not sure why, but am not overly optimistic about williams basketball in the next few years.

[ephoops]

am not sure why, but am not overly optimistic about williams basketball in the next few years.

I think the Ephs will be fine this year and next, given that they only lose Snyder and Golia next year.

However, once Schultz and Joe G. graduate, Maker needs to have some new blood in the program or they will struggle.

[eclinchy]

I thought people in Williamstown were excited about the last two recruiting classes under Paulsen?

Whittington? Wells? Etc, etc? No?

[PolarBear]

Ehoops - good point about the importance of a president like Shapiro, not just to Williams, but to NESCAC in general.   

I didn't know Shapiro was the driving force in burying D4.  I heard the Colby president was advocating for D4, and may he keep doing so - keep that program mired in mediocrity. 

Glad to see that the head of the search committe, Avis, is a former athlete.   

[senatorfrost]

  I can't even show enthusiasm without getting flak. I mean my logic was as good as NESCAC1's even if it was a tad more fanciful.
  Anyway, I know a professor who teaches/works at a top 10 liberal arts college. This person was a Summa Cum Laude from a top 5 liberal arts college. This person is constantly complaining about 'those athletes' and why do they have to take as many of them as they do and why can't they stop recruiting so much etc.
  When this person was in college they did not participate in any of the rah rah stuff. They never went to any game in any sport. They engaged themselves with heady experiences as well as saving the world. They would be the first one to tell you that their activities on behalf of all of us have been immeasurably helpful to us and the world at large.
   One day, many years after they graduated, they finally agreed to send their alma mater $$ because the college had stopped dealing with undesirables and now come rain or shine they send $100 a year. No school spirit, no $$.
  I too heard the Colby Pres. wanted this. Pretentious claptrap. Look at it this way. People who play an outdoor sport are out there every day, in the rain, mud, cold etc. The protesters always seem to wait for a beautiful Spring day with the sun shining to get outraged over something. Just once I'd like to see them out there holding their signs in 40 degree weather with a 20 mile an hour wind and a driving rain.


Don't get the idea I disapprove of all protesters.

[ac08]

Of course Hixon needs the help (complicity if you will) of the Amherst Admission Office.

Are you implying they need more (complicit) help than other NESCAC schools?