MBB: NESCAC

[walzy31]

Have to add that Halas was an All-Conference player who would have won DPOY honors his Sophomore-Senior years if it weren't for Adam Harper who was one year ahead of him. He settled for winning the accolade as a Senior and then went on to play pro ball for the Rochester Razorsharks of the PBL.

Is Willy Workman an extremely similar type of player to Fletcher Walters or is it just me?
Both long, left-handed, can shoot threes, can bring the ball up the court, leave their feet with the ball a lot but find someone at the last second or score, and have a fire to win and compete...

Love 'em both. Love Willy's hometown more than the land of Sparty and Big Blue.

[walzy31]

Futures Lines:


All four institutions that will eventually participate in the 2011 Men's Basketball Division III Final Four are ranked in the Top 12 of this week's D3Hoops.com Top 25 Poll (Week 8):

Yes -900 (Wooster, Whitworth, Augustana, Middlebury, Williams, Amherst, Virginia Wesleyan, St. Thomas, Randolph-Macon, UW-River Falls, Wabash, UW-Stevens Point)
No +680 (The Field)



At least one of the following three NESCAC schools will reach the 2011 Men's Basketball Division III Final Four (Middlebury, Williams, Amherst):

Yes -1500
No +1000



The 2011 Men's Basketball Division III National Champion will be a NESCAC school:

Yes +350
No - 600

[nescac1]

Walzy, with those odds, I'd take the field in your first bet for sure, and, sadly, the no in in your third bet.  The second bet looks tempting, however, given the weakness this year in the rest of the Northeast / East / Mid-Atlantic / Atlantic regions ...

Midd / Williams / Amherst are, rightfully, as closely bunched as they can be.  Alas, either Midd or Williams will drop a bit after Saturday, but so long as the game is close, neither deserves to drop out of the Top Ten with a loss.  If Midd can pull off the road win, they may even start getting some first place votes.  And I do expect the game will be close.  Williams will have a real challenge dealing with Sharry, the Eph fours give up so much bulk to him inside.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Emerson playing a few minutes at the four to help out with defense and rebounding on Saturday, if Sharry starts to go off.  Whittington vs. Locke will be, as always, a very interesting battle to watch inside. 

Nice to see that former Eph Marcus Wells is having a lot of success at Lewis & Clark, helping them break into the top 25.  Wells went off for 30 last game, and he is averaging 11 points, 4 boards, and 2 assists off the bench, with outstanding shooting (.51 / .45 / .80).  He got stuck in a numbers game at Williams, which has three other top-notch players (Wang, Robertson, Rooke-Ley) with basically similar skill sets. 

Amh63, I agree that Trinity will likely bring in a huge recruiting class this year.  Last year's class was limited due to the timing of the coaching change, and there has been some attrition in the program (the reason they are so thin up front is that at least three highly-recruited front court players have left the team in recent years).  Trinity already has three quality New Hampshire guards lined up for next year, and I'm guessing they will bring in more than three front court players when all is said and done:

http://www.newenglandrecruitingreport.com/news/article/1805/Commitment-CatchUp.php

[amh63]

Before I put down my evaluation of the "state of the Amherst team", I want to thank Walzy......for providing his conference predictions one week earlier than his 1/28 posted date.  I also appreciate the info wrt to Halas.....as it might explain some of the comments to follow.
Also, I must apologize to readers for my errors in spelling and tense, etc....it does strain the mind to follow my comments at times.  I will cover myself by stating that it is partly due to my age, and partly due to my hand injuries as I try to touch type.
Anyway, here goes....
I am becoming more and more optimistic that the Amherst team can make a deep run in the post season!  The team has the individual talent....offensive side, but I was never sure how committed the players were to playing team defense; perimeter wise and help-side near the post.  After the Trinity game, I found the team to be committed to play defense well....putting in the work.
I will provide some examples.
First, during the game, the crowd would often chant.....defense....defense...as the Trinity players brought the ball up.  Most of the Amherst players joined in and clapped their hands on the floor in the "Duke fashion" encouraging their teammates on the floor.  When an Amherst player pinned a Trinity layup on the backboard (Holmes, I think) and it was called "offensive interference", the Amherst crowd objected.  
The Amherst players are getting very good playing the perimeter and switching and challenging every outside shot. All the players on the floor.  Top guards like Wang and S. Brown will penetrate.
I was on the floor on the Trinity side for part of the game.  I started to return to my seat on the Amherst side and stopped.  A Trinity player was approaching for a layup.  P. Kaasila, Amherst 6'9", 260 # center was chasing him.  Afraid to become part of the play, I stopped and watched as Kaasila caught the Trinity player on the breakaway and blocked the shot.
Amherst is playing defense and should get better at it...especially if they have a coach like Halas.
Must  stop here now.....due to a call.

[Old Guy]

We'll know a lot more about Middlebury after this week: tough road game tonight at hamiliton and the Ephs in Williamstown this weekend.  Williams and Amherst have played each other, giving a sense of their relative strength. Midd gets the iron of the NESCAC schedule late each year. 

[nescac1]

Old Guy, according to the scoreboard tonight's Midd game is postponed (weather related, I imagine)?  So I guess you'll have to wait until Saturday!   

[Hugenerd]

We'll know a lot more about Middlebury after this week: tough road game tonight at hamiliton and the Ephs in Williamstown this weekend.  Williams and Amherst have played each other, giving a sense of their relative strength. Midd gets the iron of the NESCAC schedule late each year.  

Troy Whittington didnt play in the first game, however, so the relative strength may actually be in favor of Williams.

[amh63]

Back again for my "team assessment saga".....had a conference call with classmates on Amherst business..
Anyway, if a very large center will chase a player to prevent a score, that is to me ...defense commitment.
Amherst has big, long and quick players that will contest outside shots and an entree pass, etc.  Seeing Barrise, Meehan, Workman, Waller, Holmes, Williamson and Toomey play team defense was great.  They are not perfect at it..but they and the rest of the team seemed to relish it.  Williamson, like Workman, Toomey and Waller has quick hands.  Several times Williamson stole a ball or picked up a loose ball and headed down the court to produce a Walzy desired highlight.  Both times, he was fouled going up for a dunk.  On one, an Amherst fan wanted an intentional foul call....since the Trinity player didn't make a reach for the ball.  
Oh yes, if one checks the latest stats, one sees that there is a distribution of blocks, increase in steals and a greater distribution of defensive rebounds.  Amherst guards...Meehan (always a good rebounder), Barrise, and even Toomey rebound well on both sides.  I believe it is partly due to Amherst's inside players blocking off defenders so that willing guards can rebound.

Defense takes energy.  This year, with the fast development of  players, Amherst has more depth to provide rest for starters.  Last year, Meehan seemed to be the only player that could create his own scoring play.  With his improved outside game, he is more effective going inside.  This year, he is joined by Workman and Toomey....both players that can generate their own shot/play...either going inside....shooting 3's outside and even making smart passes to team. Amherst has a slew of players that can shoot the long ball...Meehan, Toomey, Waller, Barrise, Workman and Holmes.  Barrise has become a more complete player.  He is rebounding well and is playing better on the defensive side.  He is the prime player to receive a pass for a 3-point shot......and he is shooting well from outside.
Waller is back to play and played in both games.  Williamson still will start, it seems...for many reasons.  I think Williamson brings another offensive skill that is missing on many teams...a jump shot in the lane.  Williamson is not a deep threat.  His offensive game is above the basket.  He will drive to the basket and rise up to take a jump shot.  Very few people will block his shot...much like Whittington of Williams.  He can also pass the ball while up in the air to an open inside teammate when a defender approaches him.  This year Williamson has become very effective with this short shot.  In the Conn. game, he went 10 for 10.  In the Trinity game, he went 6 for 6 and was 9-10 on the foul line.
All of Amherst starters have improved their foul shooting!
In summary, Amherst on the offensive side has depth, more options and can even score inside well with P. Kaasila.  In almost all the games to date, the scoring for Amherst is distributed well....with five players in double digit averages.  This year, if a scorer is off, someone will pick it up.  Meehan, Toomey and Workman all pass the ball well.  If there is a weakness in passing, it is that at times, a player will make one pass to many.  The pass will go to a teammate who is not expecting it.  The teammate is preparing for a rebound or the passer to take the shot.

A somewhat long saga...but hopefully it explains why I am feeling good about the chances of Amherst reaching the Final Four.
What about the "other" conference teams that at present, IMO, have an equal chance to reach the Final Four?  I Believe,,,,it was the 2004 Final 4 where Williams and Amherst met in a semi-final game...when Williams won....and FY player Wheeler had to go in for the injured Amherst center.

[nescac1]

Williams is up by 19 at the half at Skidmore (who are not world beaters, but also aren't horrible -- they beat Trinity and Hamilton, and lost by only 13 at Midd), and Whittington has one of the most impressive stat lines I have ever seen in a single half of action for an Eph:

in 13 minutes, 24 points, 7 boards, 2 blocks, 8-9 fg, 8-9 ft.  I imagine he won't play a ton in the second half with a secure Eph lead, but wow, that is impressive.  I think it is fair to say that Troy is pretty pumped up to face the big guys from Midd. 

In troubling news for the Ephs, Nate Robertson is not playing.  Hopefully whatever is keeping him out of this game won't affect him vs. Middlebury, as he would just be a huge loss, the third most important guy on the team, and the Ephs are very thin at guard this year to boot.   

[walzy31]

Several times Williamson stole a ball or picked up a loose ball and headed down the court to produce a Walzy desired highlight.

I do like Amherst highlights...

[walzy31]

Troy Whittington didnt play in the first game, however, so the relative strength may actually be in favor of Williams.

Yes, Amherst was without starting PF David Waller who is not as dominant a player as Whittington, but is certainly no slouch and throws Amherst into defensive matchups other than their preferred. Both teams are very even and talented.

[amh63]

Thanks Walzy....I now see the connection between W. Workman and Fletcher Walters of Ann Arbor.  Walters played guard in high school and gained his floor skills there.....he started to grow and was about 6'5" or 6'6" when he arrived at Amherst.  In '07 he was listed at 6'7" and in his senior year, he was listed at 6'8".  W. Workman has grown an inch since he started at Amherst.
I met W.Workman's parents on Thursday night.   WW is making his parents proud...indeed.  He reminds me of a "gym rat" player with a great skill set.....but more important a player who loves to play with intensity and for the competition.  The tougher the opponent....the harder he plays.
He was smiling soon after the game, sitting on the floor ....awaiting the start of the WBB game.  He had ice packs on his knees and his ankles...smiling and chatting with a fellow teammate with ice packs.
More Tivial...Between games, I went by the weight room and saw a number of players....mostly FY players working out and awaiting their turn on a particular equipment.  Good sign.  Getting time in before the start of classes on Monday.

[amh63]

Interesting bit of info.  The Midd. versus Hamilton game was postponed tonight due to unplayable playing surface in the field house!  It had been a rescheduled game from Jan 18 that was cancelled due to driving conditions.   Guess Hamilton doesn't want to play the Big, Bad Midd. team.....just kidding.  Info obtained from the Hamilton website.

[Old Guy]

"Hamilton College's non-league men's basketball game against Middlebury College scheduled for Jan. 25 has been postponed due to an unplayable surface at Hamilton's Margaret Bundy Scott Field House."


That's it. That's all the information that is provided on the Hamilton website. I hope the Middlebury team didn't have to go all the way to Clinton to find this out. "Unplayable surface"?

[highhoops]

would any of us say that amherst is a better team and williams has a couple of the best players? when i look at the starters for williams, they do not overwhelm except for a couple of them. amherst seems more balanced and thus potentially more dangerous. any thoughts from the nescac community?