MBB: NESCAC

[middhoops]

Sounds like we have a full week of NESCAC hoops to watch if it were only teams from Maine.  I LOVE this time of year!

[toad22]

I picked Midd as my co-leader going in to this season. I'm not surprised that they are doing well. If Daley gets back into the lineup, I don't see a better team in the league. Merryman and Sinnickson are beasts on the wings. I doubt there is a better combination in the NESCAC. With the return of St. Amour, the backcourt is now very strong. That just leaves Daley to heal up. I don't think Midd is going to be sneaking up on anyone.

[amh63]

Vandy74.....I watched the MIddlebury game in the second half.....late doing chores.
Anyway, glad to hear the OG family was in attendance.  Where do you all sit?  Saw a hulking person standing at the top level...side behind the team benches ..and thought maybe OG was he.  Do not understand the younger younger label.
The game was interesting to watch...with respect to the player rotations for the Panthers.  Liked the play of the the freshmen.
Did noticed the dark shoes of Dylan and the distinct...for me...two hand passes he throws.  Yes, Sinnickson does have a unique presence on the floor....thinking about another comic book hero...Batman, The Dark Knight...DK, maybe....let me know what the locals think .
Oh yes, you maybe in trouble with referring to OG's wife as Old Girl! .
Amherst starts up again on Tuesday.  Seems other  Amherst sports teams will be arriving to take on the Panthers in MIddlebury this weekend. 

[Bucket]

Vandy74.....I watched the MIddlebury game in the second half.....late doing chores.
Anyway, glad to hear the OG family was in attendance.  Where do you all sit?  Saw a hulking person standing at the top level...side behind the team benches ..and thought maybe OG was he.  Do not understand the younger younger label.
The game was interesting to watch...with respect to the player rotations for the Panthers.  Liked the play of the the freshmen.
Did noticed the dark shoes of Dylan and the distinct...for me...two hand passes he throws.  Yes, Sinnickson does have a unique presence on the floor....thinking about another comic book hero...Batman, The Dark Knight...DK, maybe....let me know what the locals think .
Oh yes, you maybe in trouble with referring to OG's wife as Old Girl! .
Amherst starts up again on Tuesday.  Seems other  Amherst sports teams will be arriving to take on the Panthers in MIddlebury this weekend.

younger younger refers to OG's infant grandson.

[Panthernation]

Hayden Rooke-Ley is now 61-61 from the free throw line this season. The Division III record for consecutive makes in a season is 66, set in 2011. (http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2015/DivIII.pdf) He appears to have already set the NESCAC record.

Since returning from injury last February, Rooke-Ley is 97-100 from the free throw line. He is averaging 20.4 points per game this season.

[P'bearfan]

Hayden Rooke-Ley is now 61-61 from the free throw line this season. The Division III record for consecutive makes in a season is 66, set in 2011. (http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2015/DivIII.pdf) He appears to have already set the NESCAC record.

Since returning from injury last February, Rooke-Ley is 97-100 from the free throw line. He is averaging 20.4 points per game this season.

That is simply a amazing - at any level.  That's a streak that you just have to cheer for.

[nescac1]

Thanks, Panthernation, for the jinx .  There is a reason Eph fans have been conspicuously vague / quiet about the streak.  Regardless of when it ultimately ends, it's been absolutely remarkable to watch and a testament to a strong work ethic and tremendous concentration. 

Williams' free throw shooting -- over 86 percent -- as a team continues to be incredible.  Hayden of course stands out, but every starter is shooting well from the line, and what's amazing is that seven games into the season, Williams' starting backcourt has combined to miss ONE free throw.    Obviously that level of proficiency is impossible to continue, but even if the starting guards settle in at a "pedestrian" 85-90 percent or thereabouts, it is a big advantage in games that go down to the wire.  Especially because Williams continues to be good at drawing fouls.  Williams also continues to shoot the three ball efficiently despite shooting an enormous volume of threes.  The Ephs' offense has been looking good since a rocky start, with Ryan Kilcullen in particular improving his shot-making thanks, I imagine, to ditching the protective mask.   

There are still plenty of areas to improve upon: Williams still turns it over a bit too often, and given that the team generates few offensive rebounds, it is critical to value the ball on every possession, especially early in games when the team takes awhile, seemingly, to settle down.  The Ephs are very good at generating open looks from three and at drawing fouls, but they still need to improve in terms of getting more easy shots from two.  Because they don't have guys who are true post scorers, that will need to come from more coordinated plays, screeing, and off-the-ball movement (especially back-door cuts), which will happen more over the course of the season ... that takes the longest to come together, offensively.

Defense, it appears, continues to be a bit behind the offense for Williams.  With their offense, the Ephs could be anything from a pretty good / middle-of-the-pack squad in NESCAC to a top-2 squad in NESCAC with 20-win potential.  To reach that upside potential, they will need to improve in terms of keeping opposing players out of the lane and defending the interior once they get there, because you can't count on scoring 85 every game.  Without a big-time shot-blocker, that will take a team effort with each man locking down his assignment.   

[P'bearfan]

Thanks, Panthernation, for the jinx .  There is a reason Eph fans have been conspicuously vague / quiet about the streak.

So I guess it's OK now to mention that the NCAA record is 85 consecutive free throws and at the rate he's getting to the line, Rooke-Ley will have a shot at the record against WPI on the 29th.

[grabtherim]

Thanks, Panthernation, for the jinx .  There is a reason Eph fans have been conspicuously vague / quiet about the streak.

So I guess it's OK now to mention that the NCAA record is 85 consecutive free throws and at the rate he's getting to the line, Rooke-Ley will have a shot at the record against WPI on the 29th.

Sort of like not using the words "no hitter" while one is being thrown.     

[toad22]

The 85 number is the multi-year record for D1. The D3 multi-year record is 84. Hayden hit his last 11 shots last year, so his multi-year string is now 72. This record is so far from our normal experience that it is hard to imagine. No matter what happens from here, it is quite an achievement.

[Panthernation]

The NCAA record (for both single-season and across multiple seasons) is 94 consecutive free throws made. http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2015/DivII.pdf

[middhoops]

Recently I've been finding more games online that require payment to watch.  Being overly optimistic, I had thought those days were gone and NSN or schools would provide us free basketball viewing for life.
Long ago I did business with a guy who handed out a card that simply said "TANSTAAFL".  It stood for 'there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'  Everyone understood where he was coming from.
Hopefully the NSN advertising model works and we cheap old SOBs can watch our games (with maybe a modest annual donation, if necessary.)
Now, if we can just do something about requiring student announcers to inquire how to pronounce players names prior to a broadcast....

[toad22]

Good get, panthernation, I didn't even bother to look at D2, they are so far off my radar screen!

[Old Guy]

Saw my first Midd game in person in 22 months, along with son (a student at Middlebury), daughter (a senior at Midd High), wife, older daughter, and grandson. That, combined with a win, is whatchacall a good family outing. Grandson (Young Young Guy) is 10 months old and just loves being in the gym on game day, the nosier the better.

Sunday afternoon game - most Midd students not yet back from Thanksgiving break, still there were two-three hundred fans there, townsfolk and fac/staff. Very heartwarming for an old hooper. I have on my office door at home a sign I purloined after an NCAA game at Midd a couple of years ago: "NCAA Tournament game between Middlebury-Ithaca SOLD OUT." I always thought  maybe when pigs fly or hell freezes over, yet here we are.

Rooke-Ley's free throw shooting! Terrific.

Really fun watching Jake Brown run the show. I've not seen a guard at Middlebury quite like him. Lightning; exciting. Fun too seeing Matt St. Amour playing for the College. I saw him 8-10 times when he was in high school playing against Young Guy's high school and AAU teams. He just moves around the court like a basketball player and enjoys himself out there, plays with a smile on his face.

I haven't seen many Panther players able to make something out of not-much better than Sinnickson.

Could be a wild NESCAC season.

[Bucket]

Saw my first Midd game in person in 22 months, along with son (a student at Middlebury), daughter (a senior at Midd High), wife, older daughter, and grandson. That, combined with a win, is whatchacall a good family outing. Grandson (Young Young Guy) is 10 months old and just loves being in the gym on game day, the nosier the better.

Sunday afternoon game - most Midd students not yet back from Thanksgiving break, still there were two-three hundred fans there, townsfolk and fac/staff. Very heartwarming for an old hooper. I have on my office door at home a sign I purloined after an NCAA game at Midd a couple of years ago: "NCAA Tournament game between Middlebury-Ithaca SOLD OUT." I always thought  maybe when pigs fly or hell freezes over, yet here we are.

Rooke-Ley's free throw shooting! Terrific.

Really fun watching Jake Brown run the show. I've not seen a guard at Middlebury quite like him. Lightning; exciting. Fun too seeing Matt St. Amour playing for the College. I saw him 8-10 times when he was in high school playing against Young Guy's high school and AAU teams. He just moves around the court like a basketball player and enjoys himself out there, plays with a smile on his face.

I haven't seen many Panther players able to make something out of not-much better than Sinnickson.

Could be a wild NESCAC season.

Come on, admit it: what you missed most was hearing the public address announcer.