MBB: NESCAC

[grabtherim]

I agree and share the hopes made in your first point, think you are astute and 100% correct in your second statement,  and could not be more wrong on your final point.  I don't see this as the "painting" of the NESCAC the way you do.  Rather I see a kid who has D1 talent, aspirations and opportunity all coming together at the same time, no more no less.  This is not the end of society or the NESCAC as we know, enjoy and appreciate it. I think you are being a bit maudlin in your statement on how our athletes are seen as well.  A kid transfers from one great school to another, is no more proof that "we are in the age of the demise of the amateur/student athlete and many boundaries and barriers are gone as a natural change in American society." than we are not...

 

Three insights regarding the "Robinson affair":

1. Let's all hope he works hard, stays healthy, develops into another Larry Bird, and realizes his dreams;

2. There are several more key elements to this story known only by a few closest to it;

3. This transfer paints NESCAC as a league for student/athletes with abilities somewhere between intramural and Patriot League with the rare truly elite NESCAC player subject to being seduced by Division I programs for their own interests as role players. In other words, as those of us who see as much Division I basketball as Division III (and that's a lot of basketball) know, the gap between DI and DIII has never been wider. Look for the continued escalation and fragmentation of aggressive recruiting, transfer, and admission practices in NESCAC, and the spread of "governance" from the NCAA to the major Division I conferences themselves.

In short, we are in the age of the demise of the "amateur/student athlete" and many boundaries and barriers are gone as a natural change in American society.

[frank uible]

Robinson's transfer is about youth being the time in life for optimism and risk tolerance and one individual's seizing of opportunity and not about the general falling of the sky.

[grabtherim]

Robinson's transfer is about youth being the time in life for optimism and risk tolerance and one individual's seizing of opportunity and not about the general falling of the sky.

I think I see pigs flying off in the horizon.  I have to say Frank makes a great point here and does so without me needing to grab a dictionary or seek a consultation with any former college professors. 

[NothingButNESCAC]

Turning back to the NESCAC, Robinson's departure means the NESCAC Player of the Year Race is WIDE open. The only returning players from the all-conference teams are John Swords (1st team) and Chris Hudnut (2nd team). The best returning perimeter players are probably Connor Green and Dylan Sinnickson, two players who play a very similar style. We don't know how Hurley will look as he returns to full strength but he could have a huge season. The other front runners at this point in my opinion would be  Hunter Sabety.

Potential darkhorses include the Bates guards, Boornazian and Safford, David George, and Dan Wohl in a greatly expanded role. Also Trinity had no standouts last year, but they bring back everyone and could be a top team so if one of their players sees a jump in production they will be in the running as well.  If you held a gun to my head I would probably pick Green at this point because I think he is going to put up huge numbers since he doesn't seem to have any reservations about shooting, but I am already convincing myself that this won't be the case. 

[nescac1]

I think it's safe to say we have never seen, and will never see, an exodus of talent in a single year, from a single conference, like this off-season: the national player of the year, the national ROY, two other all-Americans, a potential future all-American in Hart, plus several other near-elite level players in Epley, Killian, and Vadas.  That is a LOT of talent gone.

NESCAC has really had an incredible two-year run: Amherst winning the title and Williams and Midd making the Elite 8, followed by Amherst/Williams in the Final Four with Williams coming seconds from capturing the crown.  But the guys largely responsible for those deep post-season runs are gone.  Next year NESCAC is as deep and as balanced as I can recall, but it also lacks a single nationally elite player and, likely, any nationally elite teams (Amherst at least has the potential to get there, but has SO many unknowns at this point). 

I think Sinnickson, Swords, and George are the three most talented returning players in the league.  Sinnickson, though, may end up playing squash or something instead of hoops, hard to know what to expect from him, certainly.  George is another year or two away from becoming a dominant force on both ends.  Swords seems to make big leaps forward each year, and if makes even a small leap forward this off-season, he will most likely be the NESCAC POY.  Green, Wohl, Hudnut, and Sabety are all long-shot contenders. 

[grabtherim]

I will go with Sabety.  The kid has skills you just can't teach, but a teacher who cant seem to get the most out of his players.  Over the past few seasons, too much talent has gone wasted in Medford and too many losses have been snatched from the jaws of victory.  Sabety is the kind of kid you can build around.  It will be a great watch to see how it goes. 

I think it's safe to say we have never seen, and will never see, an exodus of talent in a single year, from a single conference, like this off-season: the national player of the year, the national ROY, two other all-Americans, a potential future all-American in Hart, plus several other near-elite level players in Epley, Killian, and Vadas.  That is a LOT of talent gone.

NESCAC has really had an incredible two-year run: Amherst winning the title and Williams and Midd making the Elite 8, followed by Amherst/Williams in the Final Four with Williams coming seconds from capturing the crown.  But the guys largely responsible for those deep post-season runs are gone.  Next year NESCAC is as deep and as balanced as I can recall, but it also lacks a single nationally elite player and, likely, any nationally elite teams (Amherst at least has the potential to get there, but has SO many unknowns at this point). 

I think Sinnickson, Swords, and George are the three most talented returning players in the league.  Sinnickson, though, may end up playing squash or something instead of hoops, hard to know what to expect from him, certainly.  George is another year or two away from becoming a dominant force on both ends.  Swords seems to make big leaps forward each year, and if makes even a small leap forward this off-season, he will most likely be the NESCAC POY.  Green, Wohl, Hudnut, and Sabety are all long-shot contenders.

[amh63]

Nice posts being made at this time of the year and the DR topic winding down.  Unless there are any major stories revealed here in the near future.......I will take a leave of absence.
I plan to turn to the Fall sports boards and head to the beach to try to relax a little....amid the circus that occurs when the family members gather.
To all regular posters here.....have a happy Summer!
Grabtherim...." Flying Pigs ....??...really?....any reference link? 

[madzillagd]

I think a healthy Dan Wohl is the POY, but the healthy part is going to be tough.  I'm expecting a 20 ppg year from him and with what he does rebounding and on defense I think he's the most well-rounded player that has a shot at it.  Swords just isn't assertive enough on offense I don't think and George is going to have Green taking most of the shots so I think that hurts his chances.

A darkhorse I will throw out there is Palleschi.  He'll be back and he's got a much better team around him than his freshman year.  I think he could be due for a monster year if he has his timing down and is not limited in his minutes. 

[30 for 30]

Matt Hart already opening eyes in DC

https://twitter.com/hajjmalikturner/status/497534775742455809

Much more to come from this guy.

[magicman]

Illinois Wesleyan competed in the NAIA tournament when Jack Sikma was there. He was not a Division III player.

Hidden deep within the grey matter of my aged brain I knew that Jack was not really D-III but since IWU is D-III now I figured it was close enough. Actually nobody was D-III back then but Jack was a long way from the Pac 10. SEC, ACC and so on. and much closer to our modern day D-III player. Besides he's one of Mr. Ypsi's claim to fame and I want to keep him relevant on the boards every so often,  just to allow Chuck to have a senior moment or two.    

[frank uible]

Turning the question on its head: Be reminded that in 1982 Pete Metzelaars as a first team All-America led Wabash College to a DIII basketball national championship and then went on to a highly successful 16 year career as a TE in the NFL.

[magicman]

Magicman....alert as ever! .   When I saw the post by Coach  Hixon, I thought about you and your "hometown" school.  Yes indeed, noticed the possibility of home and away games.  Who knows...maybe there will be only an one game deal this season.  Good to have strong programs face each other during the regular season.  Maybe your coach could suggest a future series..plant a "seed".
There are some weak teams that Amherst has on it's schedule.  Hope I do not get in trouble with Coach Hixon...not knowing his thinking wrt to out of conf. Games in the middle of the season.
Still it is good to test one's team against strong opponents to judge the progress of the team.

Was disappointed to hear our schedule got filled up (just recently) when a team at a Buffalo State tournament backed out at the last minute and our coach helped out by filling in for the team that dropped out. Not really a tournament we would normally play in since we play Buffalo State at least twice and sometimes 3 times during the regular season and conference playoffs. It won't be a classic tournament in that the 2 winners may not meet for the championship since we will play the other 2 teams in the tournament and so will Buff State. Not even sure who the other 2 teams are yet but they surely won't be of the stature of Amherst. Our Coach Curle was quite disappointed that our schedule was filled as he would have welcomed the opportunity to play the LJ's in back to back years. One thing about Coach Curle is he will play anybody, anytime, anywhere. The better the competition, the more learning experiences for the players. I let the other SUNYAC teams know that they might check with Coach Hixson if they still have an open date. Perhaps one of these years my Cardinals and your LJ's will get to do a home and home during the regular season. I'd love to get them in Memorial Hall at least once before I leave this planet. Amherst was there back in 2008 but unfortunately they played and beat Brandeis in the "Great 8" and not my Cardinals. That was the year of Olsen, Walters, Hopkins, Baskauskas, and Jones and resulted in a runnerup finish losing to Washington U in the National Finals.  Another great team in a long line of them from Amherst.     

[magicman]

Turning the question on its head: Be reminded that Pete Metzelaars lead Wabash College to a DIII basketball national championship and then went on to a highly successful 16 year career as a TE in the NFL.

And if I remember correctly when Metzelaars led Wabash that year it was my alma mater Potsdam State that Wabash beat to win the National Championship. I almost mentioned him earlier but his pro career was in a different direction than the hardwood. Still a heck of a basketball player.

[Panthernation]

Good article detailing Duncan Robinson's journey from his senior year at Exeter to Michigan.

https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/how-duncan-robinson-made-the-leap-from-division-iii-to-michigan-232239550.html

[NothingButNESCAC]

We've now written two articles about the whole Duncan Robinson. If you haven't read Peter Lindholm's article last week it covers a good deal of the process and also where the transfer leaves the NESCAC as a whole for next season.
http://nothingbutnescac.com/2014/07/31/williams-duncan-robinson-mulls-transfer/

Article today has a lot of quotes from NESCAC players and coaches about Robinson and the jump to Division 1. I recommend checking it out for nothing else than Harry Rafferty's quotes near the end of the article about Robinson at Exeter.
http://nothingbutnescac.com/2014/08/08/duncan-robinson-announces-transfer-to-michigan/