MBB: NESCAC

[Charles]

Thanks posters for pointing out the Dave M. article.  Read it and put it in the trash bin where it should go.  Not even up to the level of "yellow journalism", IMO.  I'm sure the schools in question will take donations from D3hoops.....at least Amherst...to further improvement.  Enough said here on a "rant" by  self promoting individual.  Sad.

Looking for the video from the Williams v. Catholic game. Is it available?

[frank uible]

Improving the quality of webcasts undoubtedly are very low priorities for both Amherst and Williams. The practical alternatives here are probably flawed webcasts or no webcasts.

[Panthernation]

Is Ithaca's player personnel as good as it reads? If so, then WOW.

Frank,

We tweeted some of this last night, but Ithaca is playing really, really well right now. Travis Warech is averaging 19.7 points per game over his last 14 games, covering a span of two months. He's going to be a tough matchup for Nolan, though that hasn't mattered all that much.

[AO]

Thanks posters for pointing out the Dave M. article.  Read it and put it in the trash bin where it should go.  Not even up to the level of "yellow journalism", IMO.  I'm sure the schools in question will take donations from D3hoops.....at least Amherst...to further improvement.  Enough said here on a "rant" by  self promoting individual.  Sad.

Amherst's endowment: $1.641 billion (2012) Just imagine how bad the webcast would be with a mere half-billion.  DONATE NOW!!!!  THINK OF ALL THE STARVING FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATORS!!!!!

[Pat Coleman]

Only thing Dave or I are going to say about this blog post here: He and I discussed the proper tone, etc., for this and we felt it definitely had to be said.

We are not surprised Amherst fans are a fan of their webcast. I bet they would be fans of a better webcast as well. It doesn't actually cost money to mentor and guide your student broadcasters. This deep into the NCAA Tournament, this service is relied upon by fans who are hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles away. This puts a bad face on the institution, and I doubt that an administrator would allow it to continue if made aware.

Let the young men know it's unacceptable to behave that way and give them some guidance.

Williams' issue is different because they are on Teamline, the service that was designed to distribute radio via telephone in the mid-1990s. There are other best-in-class services that befit a best-in-class institution.

[madzillagd]

Looking for the video from the Williams v. Catholic game. Is it available?

http://www.teamline.cc/sport_schedule?teamcode=0126&eventcode=6

[madzillagd]

A:  Agree on the Amherst, I've listened to the last 2 games on mute because it's just too immature.  Homerism is one thing, immaturity is another. 
B.  Agree on Williams.  If you are going to have it then at least have a clear picture.  There's been less technical issues during the basketball season than there was for the football season (which was frozen or down a lot) at least.

- Agree with Amh63 - don't promote your own stuff when tearing down others - that's just bad form.  Should have just cited other schools that put on great broadcasts and left it at that.
- Agree with Frank (for once) - I don't think you are going to convince either of these schools (especially by calling them out publically) to put money in this area if they don't want to.  They are more apt to respond by shutting it off than by improving it which would be very frustrating for those of us that rely on it for every game, not just the few that outsiders tune in to.   

[amh63]

Have some idle time between chores and deeper posting of the games to come.....so want to pursue further a probable theory to the cause of  the problems of physical broadcasts at three sites last Sat. during the 3-5 PM time interval.  A somewhat serious one...or "food for thoughts" type.
First to cover some loose ends...
Charles....according to D3 hoops the broadcast video's of NCAA sponsored games belong to others...not the schools....good luck.
The Plattsburgh SID article of the contest with Amherst was very well written, IMO, and pointed out specifically the Kalema dunk.  Good luck to fans to get a video of that incident.
Panthernation....see that you liked Old Guy's writeup and style of writing...personal touches and all.  Conclude you are not taking any of his courses!

Now to my "theory" to the cause of the what should be labeled the "no webcast weekend" "CAC" BB games. I must begin by giving credit to NESCAC 1, Vandy74, and Remsleep, for their posts that inspired me to pursue this thesis.  Vandy pointed out that unusual radio interference occured earlier.  Nescac1 hinted that it could be man caused by Hugenerd and Rem...followed up the area of western PA.  Rem...you did get MIT's colors right, but alas Hugenerd in Pittsburg is not the cause.  He is a good BB player and a huge nerd but his MIT education is in the wrong "course"/field.  I believe I have more courses in atmospheric science at MIT than he and I barely passed the course.  Kind prof.
As most posters know, Earth is often traveling through/enveloped in the EM atmosphere of our Sun.  During heavy solar flare periods, broadcasts, our electro-magnetic signals, etc, over all frequencies are distorted and impacted...as the Sun's atmosphere intensifies and is distorted in varies ways.   There was an article that stated that recent asteroids were affecting our atmosphere, etc.  One hit Earth and caused great damage in Russia.  A much larger one...the size of a bus, it was so stated traveled dangerously close...600,000 miles to Earth.  It crossed close to our planet at around 3:30 PM on Saturday!  Such a passing can cause disturbance in the EM atmosphere of the Sun....like a finger run through an otherwise "calm' water pond.  In any case, I believe that many agencies around the world were "observing", measuring, etc. the recent space objects.  Many more were altering and making adjustments to man made objects circulating around our planet at various orbits.  In short there were tremendous activity in signals sent from ground stations in all frequencies as the big astroid approached and passed by.  Some of it could have come from West Virginia where we have the largest radio telescope....do not know if it is still active.  Heck...The 5-colleges of the Amherst area has a radio telescope somewhere in Western Mass?

[Panthernation]

Only thing Dave or I are going to say about this blog post here: He and I discussed the proper tone, etc., for this and we felt it definitely had to be said.

We are not surprised Amherst fans are a fan of their webcast. I bet they would be fans of a better webcast as well. It doesn't actually cost money to mentor and guide your student broadcasters. This deep into the NCAA Tournament, this service is relied upon by fans who are hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles away. This puts a bad face on the institution, and I doubt that an administrator would allow it to continue if made aware.

Let the young men know it's unacceptable to behave that way and give them some guidance.

Williams' issue is different because they are on Teamline, the service that was designed to distribute radio via telephone in the mid-1990s. There are other best-in-class services that befit a best-in-class institution.

On the way back from Cortland Saturday we were able to stream the Rochester-Ithaca game and listen to nearly the entire game. The broadcast was tremendous, and it made a huge difference for us, particularly given the way the game finished. I think setting a minimum standard for broadcasts is important, and Amherst doesn't meet it. Not sure there's any problem with holding people to a high standard (in this case any standard), and suggesting that they receive some kind of advice is entirely fair.

[nescac1]

I share some of the frustration with the quality of the picture and sound in the Williams webcast, but I do think the critique, for both schools, was way over the top.

First, regarding the technical issues with the webcast, if there is a technical solution that could replace Teamline with a higher caliber webcast and without incurring substantially more costs, by all  means, suggest that to the powers-that-be at Williams.  That would be constructive.  Short of that, I don't see it happening any time soon (but hopefully technology will improve just as a matter of better tech becoming cheaper over time, in all events).  Remember, until half-way through last year, Williams was charging for these, so at least now it is free .. a big upgrade.  I know people like to point to how much money Williams and Amherst have, and they do have more resources than any other D-3 schools.  But then again, Williams has a much, much bigger athletics budgets than other D-3 schools simply because it (1) has such a huge number of D-3 sports (many of which are quite expensive, like football, skiing, crew, etc.) and has to spread an athletic budget out among so many sports, with so many participants and (2) pays for a ton of travel for its teams, both during the regulars season but also do to the all the post-season participation.  I'd rather the school have lower-caliber webcasts yet provide a first class varsity athletic experience for a greater number of students (huge varsity rosters due to no cuts in many sports) participating at a high level in a greater number of sports than any other D-3 school in the country.  That being said, I really do hope that Williams can find an affordable way to upgrade the technology, as it would benefit me personally, certainly.  But paying for better-quality webcasts for the very small handful of people who watch them is just never going to be a top budget priority for the Williams administration, and like many schools, even Williams was not immune from the financial crisis and the school cut its spending back by a substantial amount across the board. 

Second, regarding the caliber of the broadcasters, there, I disagree entirely.  There has been variance of quality of the broadcasters for Williams over the years, but generally I find them to understand basketball and know the strengths and weaknesses of the players on the teams, and to generally be fair and balanced while still being supportive of the home team.  It's fun to hear college kids connected to the school and the players in a way that you just don't find outside of D-3, and in some ways as an alum I enjoy that more than a I would a neutral, typical play-by-play.  I do wish the sound caliber was better, but I have no problem with the substance. 

As a Williams guy, if anyone should be annoyed by Amherst homerism, it's me, but I actually enjoy the Amherst broadcasters and find them entertaining.  They are having fun, talking about kids they know and are friends with, giving shout-outs to alums, students, etc.  Again, something unique to D-3 and I don't think D-3 hoops necessarily requires a neutral, NBA-style of broadcast.  Even in D-1, the players are in many ways separate from the rest of the student body, a quasi-professional class of athlete on campus.  that isn't what D-3 is about, and I feel that the broadcast style is in line with that, and doesn't bother me in the least, other than, yeah, it does get a little ridiculuos when EVERY call against Amherst is a bad call . 

[nescac1]

Speaking of board controversies, thought this Grantland most-hated-players bracket was interesting, in light of the discussion of Walzy's (far more mild / fun) all-crazy team.  I think I'd be honored on this list, actually, because usually you are doing something right to inspire that level of animus in opposing fans (although of course, some guys do act in such a way as to inspire legitimate animus for reasons beyond their style of play). 

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9038798/a-tournament-determine-most-hated-college-basketball-players-last-30-year

[Panthernation]

On a separate note, any reason why Amherst and Williams are the only two game-times currently not listed?

[walzy31]

I share some of the frustration with the quality of the picture and sound in the Williams webcast, but I do think the critique, for both schools, was way over the top.

First, regarding the technical issues with the webcast, if there is a technical solution that could replace Teamline with a higher caliber webcast and without incurring substantially more costs, by all  means, suggest that to the powers-that-be at Williams.  That would be constructive.  Short of that, I don't see it happening any time soon (but hopefully technology will improve just as a matter of better tech becoming cheaper over time, in all events).  Remember, until half-way through last year, Williams was charging for these, so at least now it is free .. a big upgrade.  I know people like to point to how much money Williams and Amherst have, and they do have more resources than any other D-3 schools.  But then again, Williams has a much, much bigger athletics budgets than other D-3 schools simply because it (1) has such a huge number of D-3 sports (many of which are quite expensive, like football, skiing, crew, etc.) and has to spread an athletic budget out among so many sports, with so many participants and (2) pays for a ton of travel for its teams, both during the regulars season but also do to the all the post-season participation.  I'd rather the school have lower-caliber webcasts yet provide a first class varsity athletic experience for a greater number of students (huge varsity rosters due to no cuts in many sports) participating at a high level in a greater number of sports than any other D-3 school in the country.  That being said, I really do hope that Williams can find an affordable way to upgrade the technology, as it would benefit me personally, certainly.  But paying for better-quality webcasts for the very small handful of people who watch them is just never going to be a top budget priority for the Williams administration, and like many schools, even Williams was not immune from the financial crisis and the school cut its spending back by a substantial amount across the board. 

Second, regarding the caliber of the broadcasters, there, I disagree entirely.  There has been variance of quality of the broadcasters for Williams over the years, but generally I find them to understand basketball and know the strengths and weaknesses of the players on the teams, and to generally be fair and balanced while still being supportive of the home team.  It's fun to hear college kids connected to the school and the players in a way that you just don't find outside of D-3, and in some ways as an alum I enjoy that more than a I would a neutral, typical play-by-play.  I do wish the sound caliber was better, but I have no problem with the substance. 

As a Williams guy, if anyone should be annoyed by Amherst homerism, it's me, but I actually enjoy the Amherst broadcasters and find them entertaining.  They are having fun, talking about kids they know and are friends with, giving shout-outs to alums, students, etc.  Again, something unique to D-3 and I don't think D-3 hoops necessarily requires a neutral, NBA-style of broadcast.  Even in D-1, the players are in many ways separate from the rest of the student body, a quasi-professional class of athlete on campus.  that isn't what D-3 is about, and I feel that the broadcast style is in line with that, and doesn't bother me in the least, other than, yeah, it does get a little ridiculuos when EVERY call against Amherst is a bad call .

I was going to defend both schools with identical arguments (and I do not like Williams College as a college) but Nescac1 beat me to it. Just retweeting here.

[lefrakenstein]

Thanks posters for pointing out the Dave M. article.  Read it and put it in the trash bin where it should go.  Not even up to the level of "yellow journalism", IMO.  I'm sure the schools in question will take donations from D3hoops.....at least Amherst...to further improvement.  Enough said here on a "rant" by  self promoting individual.  Sad.

Amherst's endowment: $1.641 billion (2012) Just imagine how bad the webcast would be with a mere half-billion.  DONATE NOW!!!!  THINK OF ALL THE STARVING FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATORS!!!!!

It was over $2B at one point. The college has clearly done a crappy job reinvesting during the recovery. Just saying.

But really, is the webcast that bad? I understand people have issues with the announcers (I for one am very anti going w/ professional broadcasters though), but is the video all that bad? Other than this one hiccup I've found the video to be reliable and of good quality all year long. I guess they could invest in multiple cameras for different angles, but considering that we didn't have video at all when I was there, it seems like the school has done a good job providing support.

I think it's worth pointing out that some of the people who have been most critical of the technical difficulties and skill of the student broadcasters are people who make their living by broadcasting of DIII basketball games. It's not surprising that d-mac would be critical of the Catholic broadcasting capabilities when he owns a business that provides broadcasting services for colleges in the DC/northern VA area. As a former student broadcaster, I'm obviously biased as well, but it's worth noting that others have their own interests in mind as well. 

Edit: whoops, should have kept reading before posting. Nescac1 covered all of this more eloquently than I have.

[frank uible]

At Amherst and Williams athletics is predominantly (close to the point of exclusively) for the benefit of the student participants, not the alums or other fans or constituencies. Consequently these institutions will favor that athletics announcing be conducted by students - irrespective of any of their shortcomings.