MBB: NESCAC

[amh63]

Good topic to discuss while our schools are several weeks "behind"..season wise.  I would like people's opinions when/why coaches tells their "shooters" to start shooting 3's.  I understand that when a team gets behind and one has good outside shooters, then the green light is given more.  Is it when the other team is packing the inside and you want to open it up in order to establish an inside game?  If you do not have an inside game, maybe.....then you better have rebounders.  I prefer to have an inside game established and open driving lanes...thereby getting better higher percentage shots.  I also believe a player should take an open shot.  However, I get annoyed when players get the ball and force a 3-point shot rather then create a better shot inside.....or come down and take an outside shot without considering his teammates positions and awareness.

[NEBBall25]

Is there anyone else on here besides me who thinks that the Gods that are Amherst, Williams, Middlebury will not finish #1,#2 and #3 in some order? Anyone think one of these other teams can sneak in the mix or is it a foregone conclusion that it will only be them 3 in the race everyone else is playing for the last home seed (#4).

[Bucket]

Considering that Midd, Williams, and Amherst are all preseason top five picks in the nation--and no other NESCAC teams cracks the top 25--then yeah, it's a pretty safe assumption the three will finish in the top three spots in the conference. Barring injuries or any other unforeseen circumstances, of course.

[walzy31]

Speaking of shooting the lights out, who would folks say is the best overall shooter in NESCAC?  Candidates:

Barrise and Aaron Toomey, Amherst
James Klemm, Taylor Epley and James Wang, Williams
Ryan O'Connell, Bowdoin
Matt Vadas, Conn College
Jason Mendell, Wesleyan
Alex Goldfarb, Tufts

My vote goes to Klemm: while he runs a bit hot-and-cold, no one can match him when he is on: he led NESCAC in threes last year, shot a solid .42 percent from deep despite the fact that he is a high-volume shooter, and made an insane .94 percent from the line (only two missed FT's all year).  Barrise, O'Connell, Wang are also all deadly.

For any of these guys, it pretty much depends on the night, they're all excellent shooters. I'd probably say O'Connell or Klemm are the ones I'd choose if I was forced.   I'd also offer up Ben Foreman from Colby as a sleeper candidate here, as he can definitely shoot it.  He's going to be one of the guys relied on to carry the offensive load, and he'll certainly have the opportunity to launch some 3s.

I begrudgingly vote Klemm

[walzy31]

Is there anyone else on here besides me who thinks that the Gods that are Amherst, Williams, Middlebury will not finish #1,#2 and #3 in some order? Anyone think one of these other teams can sneak in the mix or is it a foregone conclusion that it will only be them 3 in the race everyone else is playing for the last home seed (#4).

What you're really asking for is the line on whether or not Amh, Midd, & Williams all "Show" in the NESCAC standings.

Will Amherst, Middlebury, & Williams all "Show" in the NESCAC standings (any order)?
Yes -900
No +750

Looks like you can bet the field at cracking the top three in NESCAC and get a respectable 7.5:1 payout.

[grabtherim]

Is there anyone else on here besides me who thinks that the Gods that are Amherst, Williams, Middlebury will not finish #1,#2 and #3 in some order? Anyone think one of these other teams can sneak in the mix or is it a foregone conclusion that it will only be them 3 in the race everyone else is playing for the last home seed (#4).

A bit dramatic on your choice of words to describe the three schools.  None of know know what type of impact freshman or developing athletes will emerge. The beauty of sports at this or any level is that talk while fun means nothing, and the kids play will tell us all what we think we know. I cannot wait to once again watch the intensity that I have seen in gyms all over the NESCAC.

[7express]

Is there anyone else on here besides me who thinks that the Gods that are Amherst, Williams, Middlebury will not finish #1,#2 and #3 in some order? Anyone think one of these other teams can sneak in the mix or is it a foregone conclusion that it will only be them 3 in the race everyone else is playing for the last home seed (#4).

Order remains to be seen, however those 3 teams finishing in whatever order is about as sure of a lock as you can get.

[amh63]

Sort of long shot attempt to pick up info on the Amherst team,  Yesterday, former asst. coach Halas  was in the broadcast box of the Amherst vs. Trinity football game and made some comments wrt to the BB team.  Halas, a Trinity grad, is now an administer and coach for the nearby Mt. Hermon prep school (which is loaded with Div.1 BB prospects).  I did not catch his comments on Amherst except that Toomey plays like a 25 year veteran.  If any posters caught his comments, please post them please.   He did state that Trinity maybe a year away and has 13 FY candidates and could surprise this year....if I recall correctly.

[lefrakenstein]

From the front page-

"The five conferences I've personally considered the strongest – CCIW, ODAC, NESCAC, UAA and WIAC in alphabetical order –"

LOL. The NESCAC can't even get its proper due on this site when they're ranking the conferences by alphabetical order.

[centfan]

i like mendell as a shooter but that team seems like a bit of a mess chemistry wise

[jumpshot]

You heard it here first---Middlebury will win the Directors Cup this year. Their entire athletic department will be purchased by Amherst in an attempt to duplicate this feat!

[amh63]

Jumpshot.....Is this an early attempt to make the Walzy's....infamous Crazy team?  At least try to make some sense.

[nescac1]

Interesting article on Rob Delaney, who was one of (if not the top) Eph recruit in this year's senior class, until Paulsen left.  On the one hand, Williams could have been scary-good on the perimeter with him added to the team.  On the other, I doubt a guy who barely played for a lower-tier Patriot team his first two years is really any better than Wang or Robertson, and his presence might have stunted their opportunities (or in Robertson's case, dissuaded him from attending) ...

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/lafayette/index.ssf/2011/11/rob_delaney_has_climbed_the_de.html

[OchoLoko41]

i like mendell as a shooter but that team seems like a bit of a mess chemistry wise

While I agree that Mendell certainly is a terrific shooter, potentially one of the leagues best, I have no idea where the claims of bad chemistry are coming from... I see Wesleyan's team chemistry as equal or better than most teams in the 'CAC.  While the Cardinals have been cursed with three injury ridden losing seasons in Coach Reilly's three past seasons there they have had only one major player leave their ranks (Matt Figueroa from the 2008-09 team)... this kind of loyalty to a team not rolling in wins is a clear sign of team loyalty.

In addition, Coach Reilly's history speaks for itself.  His former squads at Bates possessed some of the best chemistry seen in the NESCAC during his time in Maine.  I'm sure that Reilly didnt forget how to recruit both quality competitors and quality men to his teams.

[nescac1]

I haven't seen Wesleyan enough to judge their chemistry, but one other Cardinal has left the program, Chad Labove who saw limited time last year and is now on the WPI roster (which is perennially a refuge for defectors from other New England D-3 programs). 

In all events, that isn't any sort of mass exodus like what seems to occur at Conn College every few years ...