MBB: NESCAC

[daoustian]

Quick highlight from Hoopsville with Hixon:

- Hixon said he likes the bye, and noted that Workman and Toomey wouldn't have practiced until Thursday of this week even if there hadn't been a bye since they are so beat up / sick.  So hey, as long as the team can stay fresh and focused, could be good if you're an Amherst fan.

[Pat Coleman]

Amherst Coach David Hixon on Hoopville today at 4 PM

D-Mac - after you get the stock answers on the tournament,  "We're just happy to be here"  Every team at this point is good"  "We will not take anyone lightly"  "This is a special group of guys"  etc etc. , maybe you can ask Coach Hixon about the end of the game at Midd.  As long as Walzy and others saw fit to yell "Box Out" when Jensen and all others went to the line on Saturday, it seems proper and fair to raise the issue with the coach, especially after the video has the crowd booing him loudly and letting him have it right after it occured.  Journalism 101.  I know your show isnt 60 Minutes, and you are not Mike Wallace, but it is a probing and reasonable line to ask about unless the worry is that he will not come on again if you do.

Dave didn't ask this question and I just wanted to say, I'm not sure Hoopsville will participate in your axe grinding.

[grabtherim]

Amherst Coach David Hixon on Hoopville today at 4 PM

D-Mac - after you get the stock answers on the tournament,  "We're just happy to be here"  Every team at this point is good"  "We will not take anyone lightly"  "This is a special group of guys"  etc etc. , maybe you can ask Coach Hixon about the end of the game at Midd.  As long as Walzy and others saw fit to yell "Box Out" when Jensen and all others went to the line on Saturday, it seems proper and fair to raise the issue with the coach, especially after the video has the crowd booing him loudly and letting him have it right after it occured.  Journalism 101.  I know your show isnt 60 Minutes, and you are not Mike Wallace, but it is a probing and reasonable line to ask about unless the worry is that he will not come on again if you do.

Dave didn't ask this question and I just wanted to say, I'm not sure Hoopsville will participate in your axe grinding.

Ax grinding my eye.  Never let fluff and stock questions get in the way of a topical issue raised by many others not just me.  His interview was so chummy all that was missing was a promise to meet for a beer after.  "Please let me know if you want to talk to us later this post season".  Deep and probing.  The sound you hear is all good journalists dropping their pens.   Coaches "last word" from Hixon as requested by Dave were just about verbatim of my prediction.  The only ones missing were: "Hopefully the good lord will let us do our best".  Well like Walzy, I am going to put on the breaks and say I too am "over it". 

[Old Guy]

He will get DPOY like he deserves but I don't think he's getting POY nor should he. 

I can guarantee you the person least engaged by the Thompson for MVP discussion is Nolan Thompson - not an ounce of self-promotion in that young man.

I took seriously the question who would Midd fans identify as most valuable - and the honest answer is I can't. Lynch/Kizel/Thompson are such different players, and I genuinely believe (having watched in person over time probably 95% of their home games and another 15-20 away games) they are equally valuable, this year. PantherNation could undoubtedly analyze at length, in great statistical detail, the difference in their games and the equality of their value (but I urge them to resist the impulse).

Kizel is built like a boxer and plays with ferocity and is best in big games; Middlebury is a different team with Lynch off the court - he's nearly unstoppable at the hole and and ignites the offense. When Thompson missed some games last year I remarked to Russ Reilly (ass't coach, former varsity coach - 19 years, and A.D.) that missed him in games - and Russ said, "we miss him more in practice."

[toad22]

I always think about the 3 Midd guards as a package. To me, they are a unit that plays beautifully together. Lynch is very good, but the tempo and pressure of Middlebury comes from that three-headed monster in the backcourt. Individual awards are overrated. I really is a team game.

Regarding the NCAA brackets, I would rather be Middlebury than Williams. I've been looking at Wesley, Williams' first round opponent, and I'm very impressed. The frontcourt is very powerful. Epley and Mayer had better come to play. The obvious advantage that Williams has is shooting. Even though this Williams team isn't a great shooting group compared to prior years, they are a lot better than Wesley. I look for a very tough game on Saturday.

[LarryBasketball33]

He will get DPOY like he deserves but I don't think he's getting POY nor should he. 

I can guarantee you the person least engaged by the Thompson for MVP discussion is Nolan Thompson - not an ounce of self-promotion in that young man.

I took seriously the question who would Midd fans identify as most valuable - and the honest answer is I can't. Lynch/Kizel/Thompson are such different players, and I genuinely believe (having watched in person over time probably 95% of their home games and another 15-20 away games) they are equally valuable, this year. PantherNation could undoubtedly analyze at length, in great statistical detail, the difference in their games and the equality of their value (but I urge them to resist the impulse).

Kizel is built like a boxer and plays with ferocity and is best in big games; Middlebury is a different team with Lynch off the court - he's nearly unstoppable at the hole and and ignites the offense. When Thompson missed some games last year I remarked to Russ Reilly (ass't coach, former varsity coach - 19 years, and A.D.) that missed him in games - and Russ said, "we miss him more in practice."

I think if you polled the 3 Midd seniors, Kizel and the rest of the rotation,  they would all laugh at the discussion of POY.  The reason for their success is that on any given night any one of them may be the guy called on to win a game, and my take is they could care less who it is as long as they get a win.  Even more so this year than last without Sharry who had weeks at a time of being dominant.  Will Midd be as much of a factor next season when you have to replace the 90+ minutes a game eaten up by this senior bunch?  I say they will.  Hopefully a healthy Sinickson and some of the younger guys keep the program on the uptick.  Looking forward to a packed Pepin on Saturday.  Curry has some real strong physical guys.  No shot Coach Brown and the guys look past them.  Wish it was tomorrow.   

[Pat Coleman]

Amherst Coach David Hixon on Hoopville today at 4 PM

D-Mac - after you get the stock answers on the tournament,  "We're just happy to be here"  Every team at this point is good"  "We will not take anyone lightly"  "This is a special group of guys"  etc etc. , maybe you can ask Coach Hixon about the end of the game at Midd.  As long as Walzy and others saw fit to yell "Box Out" when Jensen and all others went to the line on Saturday, it seems proper and fair to raise the issue with the coach, especially after the video has the crowd booing him loudly and letting him have it right after it occured.  Journalism 101.  I know your show isnt 60 Minutes, and you are not Mike Wallace, but it is a probing and reasonable line to ask about unless the worry is that he will not come on again if you do.

Dave didn't ask this question and I just wanted to say, I'm not sure Hoopsville will participate in your axe grinding.

Ax grinding my eye.  Never let fluff and stock questions get in the way of a topical issue raised by many others not just me.  His interview was so chummy all that was missing was a promise to meet for a beer after.  "Please let me know if you want to talk to us later this post season".  Deep and probing.  The sound you hear is all good journalists dropping their pens.   Coaches "last word" from Hixon as requested by Dave were just about verbatim of my prediction.  The only ones missing were: "Hopefully the good lord will let us do our best".  Well like Walzy, I am going to put on the breaks and say I too am "over it".

Hmm ... you didn't hear him say he thought Toomey pressed too much in big games and ask Hixon for his opinion on that, huh? Give me a break. Go ask him yourself if you have a question.

[grabtherim]

Amherst Coach David Hixon on Hoopville today at 4 PM

D-Mac - after you get the stock answers on the tournament,  "We're just happy to be here"  Every team at this point is good"  "We will not take anyone lightly"  "This is a special group of guys"  etc etc. , maybe you can ask Coach Hixon about the end of the game at Midd.  As long as Walzy and others saw fit to yell "Box Out" when Jensen and all others went to the line on Saturday, it seems proper and fair to raise the issue with the coach, especially after the video has the crowd booing him loudly and letting him have it right after it occured.  Journalism 101.  I know your show isnt 60 Minutes, and you are not Mike Wallace, but it is a probing and reasonable line to ask about unless the worry is that he will not come on again if you do.

Dave didn't ask this question and I just wanted to say, I'm not sure Hoopsville will participate in your axe grinding.

Ax grinding my eye.  Never let fluff and stock questions get in the way of a topical issue raised by many others not just me.  His interview was so chummy all that was missing was a promise to meet for a beer after.  "Please let me know if you want to talk to us later this post season".  Deep and probing.  The sound you hear is all good journalists dropping their pens.   Coaches "last word" from Hixon as requested by Dave were just about verbatim of my prediction.  The only ones missing were: "Hopefully the good lord will let us do our best".  Well like Walzy, I am going to put on the breaks and say I too am "over it".

Hmm ... you didn't hear him say he thought Toomey pressed too much in big games and ask Hixon for his opinion on that, huh? Give me a break. Go ask him yourself if you have a question.

Here's the way it works Einstein. Journalists ask tough questions and the public forms opinions on the answers. One more time so you get it,  reporters ask the questions not the reader. Taking offense with this basic rule of journalism and then getting snarky with a reader for questioning it proves you not only have thin skin but even worse gives the impression that you are a shill. Oh no, now you are going to press some idiotic karma button. Oh the pain, Im so hurt.

[Pat Coleman]

I've already minus-1'd for the day but I can come back for you tomorrow if you prefer.

Now I see why you're so popular here. Why so angry?

[lefrakenstein]

Congrats to Amherst, Williams and Midd for making the tournament!  Best of luck going forward.

It looks like the National Championship game will be played in Atlanta which is where I live.  Does anyone know specifically where the game will be played?

Phillips Arena on the campus of Georgia Tech.

Philips Arena is where the Hawks play. GT sometimes play games there, but it is not their home arena and the arena is not on their campus.

It should be a pretty cool venue. Hopefully the d3 fans can fill it up.

[7express]

Whoops.  I don't know why I thought Phillips arena was on Tech's campus.

[grabtherim]

I've already minus-1'd for the day but I can come back for you tomorrow if you prefer.

Now I see why you're so popular here. Why so angry?

Are you out to be popular or to be honest?  Apparently unlike you, I choose honesty.  It's amazing to me that you dont get it.  A longstanding coach clearly crosses the line in a very big setting.  A crowd of nearly 1,000 fans boo him for it,  a video clip confirms all of this.  A former player openly and proudly tells anyone who will listen that he will do the same when given the chance and does so.  Finally, the coach is interviewed on the one forum where he can be asked for his side of the story.  With his years of experience he probably would and could have deflected or sidstepped the issue with little or no effort, but not to worry,  it was never brought up.  Rather, it was more important for the interviewer to show his chuminess with the coach and to ask for a future interview on the air during the current one. 

No anger or sour grapes as I stated from the get go that Hixons choice which in my view was abhorant had nothing to do with the final outcome.  Bad sportsmanship needs to be exposed especially and sadly when it is perpetrated by a coach at any level. 

In my view and you can disagree, when given the chance to be a reporter asking about a legit issue, the path chosen was to make believe or forget it ever happened.  I dont have entree to Dave Hixon.  Be a journalist, cut and paste my asking him for his version of what happended, and send it to him.  Publish his response.  Of course, be sure to tell him it is not from you, but rather from somone else who thought his behavior was beneath the dignity of what a respected coach should do under any circumstances.   

[walzy31]

Two quick things:

1) I am not a former Amherst basketball player and never played for Coach Hixon.
2) Yeah Pat, you're a bad journalist: creating a website dedicated to an underrepresented population that has been appreciated by tens of thousands of people since inception. And real journalists encourage creative and expansive thoughts from related parties...all you did was add a chat forum to your website enabling people to represent themselves and their schools in a (mostly) enjoyable way. Damnit! Ask coach Hixon why he told his team to box out!!!

[madzillagd]

Jim Gray will always be a jerk in my book because he chose to use the moment of honoring baseball's greatest players to sideswipe Pete Rose with betting questions.  You can argue that he was being a journalist, but every account I've read in the past decade+ thought he was an ass because it was not the right time and place.  In my humble opinion, a show about the NCAA tournament is not the time and place to sideswipe a coach on his court side behavior.  Just my 2 cents. 

Grab - why not just email Coach Hixon directly rather than rely on a third person to confront him for you?  He can choose to not respond, apologize, or stand by his actions. Regardless, you'd have an answer on where he stands and you'd be able to speak your peace.

[grabtherim]

Two quick things:

1) I am not a former Amherst basketball player and never played for Coach Hixon.
2) Yeah Pat, you're a bad journalist: creating a website dedicated to an underrepresented population that has been appreciated by tens of thousands of people since inception. And real journalists encourage creative and expansive thoughts from related parties...all you did was add a chat forum to your website enabling people to represent themselves and their schools in a (mostly) enjoyable way. Damnit! Ask coach Hixon why he told his team to box out!!!

You are right. Better to not ask. Even better, do the same yourself.  I see Madzillagd's point of view and will be sending an email to Coach Hixon. If/when he chooses to respond, I will post it here. Out of further respect to his point on timing, I will do so when the season is over. Good luck to the NESCAC teams in the big dance.