MBB: NESCAC

[OchoLoko41]

After a long summer away from the boards I was delighted to find some pro Cardinal chatter amongst the usual Middlebury, Williams, and Amherst buzz.  All due respect to those squads, they've clearly designated themselves as the class of the CAC, but Im of the belief that Wes Tech is going to crash that party this year.  Echoing what some of you have already written I think this is the year the Cardinals take the leap and acquire a NCAA bid and/or a top 2 ranking in the CAC (realistically the two should go hand in hand)

Why you ask?

The Cardinals have a lethal one two punch with a proven floor general/elite scorer in Shasha Brown (I think he proved last year that he is clearly capable of wearing both those hats) and arguably the most dynamic big man in the league in Mike Callaghan (should terrorize defenses both down low and from the perimeter both with his ability to shoot the ball and off the dribble).  Along with these two seniors the Cardinals put on the floor one of the hardest working players every night in Derek Beresford (his great D and sweet stroke certainly dont hurt) and a big man who has shown tremendous strides on both sides of the court in Thomas (admittedly fouls have been a regular problem for him).  Along with these soon to be household names for those who follow such things the cardinals have one of the deeper benches in the league.

Regardless of all these exemplary players, the number one reason I know the Cardinals are going to surprise people this year is that this core of seniors under Reilly have pushed the program to new heights every year. I have no doubt they'll continue the trend

[amh63]

Ocho....nice to hear from you and your comments are most interesting.  Should join the football board where the posters expect the Cardinals to make a run for the upper tier this season.  Yes, your school is getting respect in all sports as Whalen puts his leadership into play....so to speak.

[P'bearfan]

Looking forward to the upcoming season.  Just curious if there's any news on the recruiting front.  Which schools have the greatest needs and which are in the lead to fill them?

[amh63]

SE_D3_fan.....welcome to the board!.  It is too early for the schools to post their new players....will not expect stories until after the football season when practices start.  If you go back several pages on this board, there are a number of posts which point out the recruits that are expected to attend the "CAC" schools....and other factors.  Any particular school or schools that you support?

[madzillagd]

Looking forward to the upcoming season.  Just curious if there's any news on the recruiting front.  Which schools have the greatest needs and which are in the lead to fill them?

Page 789...

http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=4491.11820

Not sure if that link will work but that's what we knew a few months ago based on various recruiting sites & personal knowledge.  Scroll to the bottom to get the updated list to Skyline's last post which fills in a lot of schools.  No guarantees everyone is still at those schools and/or still playing but should be pretty close. 

[P'bearfan]

Thanks for the welcome and the page reference.  Very interesting stuff.

I'm a long time college hoops fan but have been looking for a conferences where there are true student athletes.   A friend mentioned NESCAC so I'm just trying to learn who's who.  Sounds like there's some very good ball (and students).

Based on what I could see it seems like the conference is fairly balanced - last year it looks like several teams (or groups of three) split their match ups.  Any pre-season favorites for this year?

[nescac1]

SE_D3_fan, welcome.  NESCAC is indeed a great league to follow.  Over the past five or so years, the league has been dominated by Williams (two final fours), Amherst (last year's champion) and Middlebury (one final four, multiple NESCAC titles).  All three have big questions (Williams is coming off a disappointing injury-plagued season, and several key guys need to return to health / re-establish themselves, Amherst did not meet post-season expectations, and loses three key players, including one of only two consistent perimeter threats, Midd loses only one player, but he was a repeat all-American and a dominant force in the conference for the last few years), but all three have the talent to be not only NESCAC champions, but contenders for a deep NCAA tourney run if everything falls into place.  Wesleyan has the best group of seniors in NESCAC, and this could be the year they finally break through and challenge the Midd/Amherst/Williams stranglehold on the top of the conference.  But, Wesleyan has to show that it is more than a paper tiger, and it's now or never for the senior class.  Tufts had a huge turnaround last year and returns a deep and balanced team, and could be a dark horse.  Trinity is on the rise after a recent coaching change, but is probably still a year away from contention at this point (although they have the talent to pull some upsets).  The rest of the conference will likely be fighting to make the NESCAC tourney, as Bowdoin loses a ton of talent, Bates loses its top player, and Colby (in particular), Conn, and Hamilton are all in rebuilding mode. 

In terms of individuals, Aaron Toomey of Amherst will be a pre-season all-American and is the top returning player in NESCAC.  But Midd's Joey Kizel, Williams' Mike Mayer and Nate Robertson, Wesleyan's Sha Brown, and Amherst's Willy Workman are all guys who could have very big individual years and challenge for all-region or even all-American status as well. 

[madzillagd]

Another new name to add to the mix.  Midd asst. tweeted out a welcome to new guys on the team, 3 we knew about before and one new one. 

Jake Nidenberg, C, Saint Ann's. 

http://vimeo.com/17908943

[amh63]

The "new kid" center at Midd. looks like......facial features... the departed all-american front court man.  Hope he remains just a look alike in the future....feature wise...not as a player.
Old Guy....just saw on twitter that Ken Howard has returned to Amherst.....as a media professor of sorts.  If and when Amherst meets your school at Amherst this year....you should look him up and trade basketball stories....how you bested him on the court, etc.

[Old Guy]

Ken Howard ("White Shadow") could play. He was big but he mostly shot from the outside (as I recall). He had a big teammate in the middle, Kraus or Schwartz, who cleaned-up his misses. He would have thrived with the 3-point shot. Amherst didn't have much else (enough to beat us - Middlebury, however).

The most remarkable statistic, I think, of Middlebury's amazing ascendance in hoop is that we have lost only to Williams and Amherst (three times each - against four victories, however) in NESCAC in the last four years. 36-0 against the rest of the league (including Hamilton). We last lost in the NESCAC semis in 2008, to Trinity. I'm keenly aware that that dominance will not last forever.

I'm not gloating. It certainly was not always thus. I'm not sure there's a team in NESCAC that we have defeated more often than we have lost to them in competition over time. It's been quite a change of fortune, a lot of fun for beleaguered Midd hoop alums.

"New kid center" in the video doesn't look much like Sharry when he came in as a frosh. Sharry was tall and slender with a nice mid-range shot. This young man looks like he needs to mature a bit physically. Nice size, hands, outlets the ball - these videos can be misleading, highlight films.

[amh63]

Ken Howard was defined by his role as the BB coach in "White Shadow" for our generation....Old Guy.  For today's generation, he is "Hank Hooper" in 30 Rock.....a show that I have not watched!  To me, Ken was the award winning Broadway actor playing Thomas Jefferson in "1776".  Like Jefferson, a tall man, Ken was at least 6'5" or more.  A "modern-type" player you say, shooting the outside shoot.
Another bit of trivia......on this board, I believe, Jumpshot predicted that Midd. would win the Director's Cup.....but for the wrong reason.
Congrats anyway Panthers!  Walzy....take note of this when you come up with your infamous list of posters/players.

[grabtherim]

Ken Howard was defined by his role as the BB coach in "White Shadow" for our generation....Old Guy.  For today's generation, he is "Hank Hooper" in 30 Rock.....a show that I have not watched!  To me, Ken was the award winning Broadway actor playing Thomas Jefferson in "1776".  Like Jefferson, a tall man, Ken was at least 6'5" or more.  A "modern-type" player you say, shooting the outside shoot.
Another bit of trivia......on this board, I believe, Jumpshot predicted that Midd. would win the Director's Cup.....but for the wrong reason.
Congrats anyway Panthers!  Walzy....take note of this when you come up with your infamous list of posters/players.

To me, Ken Howard will always be the coach from the White Shadow, but he was a bit player in one of the funniest episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm a few years ago.  He played a snooty country club admissions officer who runs into Larry David sitting with a hooker at a Dodger game. 

[NEhoops]

I guess it's never too early to make some predictions for the upcoming season.

1.   Amherst: Still the team to beat in my opinion. They return two all-conference players, led by preseason conference player of the year favorite Aaron Toomey (Workman is the other). They won't be as effective from the perimeter, but still return great size and athleticism.
2.   Middlebury: Their run of dominance isn't going to end anytime soon. Losing Sharry will hurt, but they have enough depth and experience to win the league. Their guard play is as good as it gets, led by another great floor general in Joey Kizel.
3.   Wesleyan: They will build off last season's breakout performance and be a top tier team once again. Similar to Mid they will be deep and experienced across the board. Brown and Callaghan might be the best guard/big combo in the league. 
4.   Williams: This will be Coach Maker's first season with all his own recruits. It is clear who the top five players are. Their success will be based on the contributions they can get from the bench/freshmen.
5.   Tufts: The Jumbos went from six wins in the 09-10 season to 16 wins and the fourth seed in the conference tournament last year. They have the ability to stay in the top half of the league, but have to stay consistent for the entire year. Anderson and Ferris will be leaned on heavily.
6.   Bates: Besides Amherst, Middlebury and Williams, the Bobcats are the only other team to make at least 2 of the last 3 NESCAC final fours. They seem to play their best basketball during conference play. Brust and Matarazzo can compete with any backcourt in the league. They will a somewhat thin up front.
7.   Trinity: Somewhat of an unknown at this point. Not sure of who is still on the roster and who they have coming in. Didn't have a signature win last season and were very inconsistent/struggled to score towards the end of last year. The talent will be there, but can they put it together and take the next step.
8.   Hamilton: Great season last year considering they had a new coach and were new to the conference. There are some pieces in place to, but Newton needs to play at an all-conference level for them to be competitive. Making the trip to Maine twice doesn't help either.
9.   Bowdoin: They will be an extremely young team and could potentially start three sophomores. As expected they will have some growing pains. I think they had a solid season last year, but at times Hanley covered up for a lot of their deficiencies. With him gone they truly lack a go-to player.
10.   Colby: They are in a similar situation as the Polar Bears, but have even less talent. They are in rebuilding mode up in Waterville so I'm sure they will be bringing in a big class and minutes will be available.

I welcome any and all opinions. Just some thoughts based on what I saw last year. Would like to hear any news of IMPACT freshmen or transfers. Also if someone has left a certain team. I'm sure I'll edit this as the season approaches. I think its safe to say that the NESCAC has turned into a point guards league, at least for this season.

[NEhoops]

No disrespect to Conn College, ten was always such a nice round number. Wasnt sure if there is an edit feature so I just decided to add another post.

They will go as far as Vadas can take them. They lost some close games and their style can cause problems for some other teams. Their leadership will be a key factor in them having a chance to make the NESCAC tournament.

[trixiep]

Twitter link of story announcing Ryan Sharry's recent pro signing:

http://www.propartnersports.com/2012/09/04/sharry-inks-deal-in-luxembourg/

Congrats to Ryan and entire Panther program.  Well done and good luck!