MBB: NESCAC

[magicman]

Yep... computer allows me to keep track of stats and tweet

Time for a new nickname ...Dave 'Multi-Task' McHugh.

[ronk]

Just got back from the Goucher game.  Amherst had another character building game...and another win...in OT.  Different game and this one was a nail bitter in the last 30 sec. of regulation.
First...saw the Man of Hoopsville staring into this computer.  Game was video cast...available within 4 hours of the start...7:30.  Saw a bunch of Amherst fans from all over.  Ben Pollack's parents were down and also D. George's parents.  Even met the parents of Bowdoin's PG Mathais again.
Amherst seemed have the game under control....ahead by 6-7 points at halftime and had a double digit lead for most of the 2nd half.  Then Goucher players started to hit baskets...outside 3's and inside 3's...shot with a foul.
Do not want to talk about the refs again but it seems that the league that have both Drew and Goucher should look to upgrade their people in the stripped shirts.  Smiled when I heard complaints from Alums older than me...a old friend of mine from Baltimore..Class of '62.
Anyway, Amherst's lead that was as high as 16 became a deficit of 3 with 5 seconds to go.  Johnny Mac came down and tied the game with a 3 point shot.  In OT, the lead went up to 7 and the game could have been higher if foul shooting improves.
Even my wife found the game interesting....a first!  In any case, Amherst has another big road game on Tuesday...ECSU.....a highly ranked team that is playing well.

  Nice for you that Goucher was more competitive than predicted. I've always been of the school that under 10 seconds with a 3-pt lead that you foul and rebound the miss/inbound the made FT(s) rather than defend/allow the 3-pt tying attempt.

[Bucket]

Just got back from the Goucher game.  Amherst had another character building game...and another win...in OT.  Different game and this one was a nail bitter in the last 30 sec. of regulation.
First...saw the Man of Hoopsville staring into this computer.  Game was video cast...available within 4 hours of the start...7:30.  Saw a bunch of Amherst fans from all over.  Ben Pollack's parents were down and also D. George's parents.  Even met the parents of Bowdoin's PG Mathais again.
Amherst seemed have the game under control....ahead by 6-7 points at halftime and had a double digit lead for most of the 2nd half.  Then Goucher players started to hit baskets...outside 3's and inside 3's...shot with a foul.
Do not want to talk about the refs again but it seems that the league that have both Drew and Goucher should look to upgrade their people in the stripped shirts.  Smiled when I heard complaints from Alums older than me...a old friend of mine from Baltimore..Class of '62.
Anyway, Amherst's lead that was as high as 16 became a deficit of 3 with 5 seconds to go.  Johnny Mac came down and tied the game with a 3 point shot.  In OT, the lead went up to 7 and the game could have been higher if foul shooting improves.
Even my wife found the game interesting....a first!  In any case, Amherst has another big road game on Tuesday...ECSU.....a highly ranked team that is playing well.

  Nice for you that Goucher was more competitive than predicted. I've always been of the school that under 10 seconds with a 3-pt lead that you foul and rebound the miss/inbound the made FT(s) rather than defend/allow the 3-pt tying attempt.

Amherst has proved quite adept at tying the game this way as well. See: Workman, Willy.

[nescac1]

Notwithstanding that one example where Workman made a simply incredible play (and of course, Workman is no longer on the Jeffs!) I would always, always, always foul rather than allow a three point shot.  Statistical analysis seems to bear this out:

http://www.82games.com/lawhorn.htm

I think coaches are hesitant to do so because if they foul, and end up losing the game, the loss can be blamed on coaching strategy.  If they lose as a result of a made three-point shot, then they can attribute it to a great or lucky shot by the opposing team, or player error (failure to defend the shot adequately).  It's like NFL coaches stubbornly refusing to go for it on 4th and short and instead punting, when statistics show that anytime they are past I believe their OWN 40 yard line, they should ALWAYS go for it. 

[Bucket]

Notwithstanding that one example where Workman made a simply incredible play (and of course, Workman is no longer on the Jeffs!) I would always, always, always foul rather than allow a three point shot.  Statistical analysis seems to bear this out:

http://www.82games.com/lawhorn.htm

I think coaches are hesitant to do so because if they foul, and end up losing the game, the loss can be blamed on coaching strategy.  If they lose as a result of a made three-point shot, then they can attribute it to a great or lucky shot by the opposing team, or player error (failure to defend the shot adequately).  It's like NFL coaches stubbornly refusing to go for it on 4th and short and instead punting, when statistics show that anytime they are past I believe their OWN 40 yard line, they should ALWAYS go for it.

Yeah, I tend to agree with you, but after seeing this happen not just once, but twice (courtesy of Sha Brown) in our gym in the same year, I'm a little more gun shy on the strategy.

[Old Guy]

Notwithstanding that one example where Workman made a simply incredible play (and of course, Workman is no longer on the Jeffs!) I would always, always, always foul rather than allow a three point shot.  Statistical analysis seems to bear this out:

http://www.82games.com/lawhorn.htm

I think coaches are hesitant to do so because if they foul, and end up losing the game, the loss can be blamed on coaching strategy.  If they lose as a result of a made three-point shot, then they can attribute it to a great or lucky shot by the opposing team, or player error (failure to defend the shot adequately).  It's like NFL coaches stubbornly refusing to go for it on 4th and short and instead punting, when statistics show that anytime they are past I believe their OWN 40 yard line, they should ALWAYS go for it.

Yeah, I tend to agree with you, but after seeing this happen not just once, but twice (courtesy of Sha Brown) in our gym in the same year, I'm a little more gun shy on the strategy.

A couple of times I've seen the intentional foul when up by three backfire when the player being intentionally fouled anticipates the foul and fires up a shot, even in the backcourt, and is awarded three shots.

Still, he must hit all three to tie.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Just saw Endicott came back to take a lead against Williams.  Rooke-Ley mostly absent from the box score.  Did he get hurt in this game?

[Old Guy]

Quick observations on the Middlebury game yesterday. Yes, the Panthers defeated another team with a losing record, and Salve Regina is not a good team, but they're not a bad team either - they have some good players. In stretches, Middlebury was terrific. Good basketball! Scary for me to say, because I like to keep my expectations in check to limit possible disappointment (my kids make fun of me for my caution).

Midd pushed the ball on every possession, played fast, even after a Salve goal, with Jake Brown in charge. The team is deep, tall enough, and fast. Midd had 24 assists in the game. Hunter Merryman (15 points), so tough from three, went hard to the hoop on a number of occasions; one time rebounded his own shot at the rim, very aggressively. A good sign.

If possible, Dylan Sinnickson had a quiet 24 and 14 in 26 minutes. Not so quiet on one defensive rebound in traffic where he just soared over people. Impressive.

Matt St. Amour was very good indeed: 16 points and eight assists (some of them real beauties). He's a versatile player who is fun to watch - he's savvy and clearly enjoys himself out there.

Matt Daley played seven minutes, had a couple of hoops (one a delicate tip-in at the rim), and didn't get hurt. It will take him a while to shake off the rust. It will be interesting to see how he gets used in these upcoming rugged tests (Plattsburgh, Bates, Tufts, Castleton, all on the road).

With frosh back-up point guard Jack Daly out with an injury, jr Henry Pendergast played nine minutes and acquitted himself quite well. That's important as Jake Brown will need a breather now and then if Midd plays at the pace they seem to prefer.

Freshman big man Nick Tarentino (6'7) had four hoops and six rebounds (16 mins). He clearly likes to run the floor and play the uptempo game.

Nice crowd for a vacation game. You can't tell the size of the crowd from the video because most people sit on the side from which the video is shot, as entrances to the other side are blocked by construction. The team has a following in town, many of whom are hoary of head, like me. Nice atmosphere. The Panthers played with energy and exuberance and the fans were appreciative.

[nescac1]

Rooke-Ley tried to play through a hand injury suffered a few games ago.  He clearly was unable to be effective with the injury and only played a few minutes.

Really competitive game vs. a very solid Endicott team.  Endicott has been very up and down on the year with some really impressive wins and some odd losses.  They played very well today, using their speed advantage to continually break Williams down off the dribble, leading to many easy interior baskets.

The Ephs hung on for dear life after a few late missed free throws gave Endicott a chance to tie the game.  Really, really good win for Williams playing through adversity -- tons of foul trouble (the refs called this game EXTREMELY tight), especially for Daniel Wohl which limited his aggressiveness, the injury to Hayden, etc. 

Daniel Wohl continues to play at an all-American level for the Ephs: 24 boards and 7 assists in only 18 minutes, and hung in mentally through some really tough foul calls against him to come up big at the end of the game.  Dan Aronowitz was also huge for Williams, keeping the team in the game in the first half with Wohl sitting for much of the half -- his perimeter shooting has dramatically improved from last year to this year, and he lit it up today with 18 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, and 4-6 from deep.  The Eph frosh guards gave them a big boost, stepping in capably for Hayden in the second half after a rough first half.  Cole Teal looked much more relaxed in the second half, attacking the basket more aggressively and hitting a crucial three pointer (crucial both for him, and the team).  Galvin, despite a few turnovers, had a strong overall game with 6 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists.  He, too, was more aggressive attacking the hoop.  Both of them are going to really have to continue to step up and play aggressively if Hayden is going to be out for any length of time. 

The Ephs really struggled with Endicott on the perimeter -- perhaps some dead legs from the holiday and traveling.  They will have to move their feet much better on the perimeter in NESCAC play, because Endicott pretty much penetrated at will tonight, leading to basket after basket from cutters working off help defenders.  The Ephs shot the ball much better from deep than Endicott, which more than compensated, but that is an area to focus on going forward. 

[Old Guy]

Bates just played an impeccable final two minutes to come from behind and beat So VT in Bennington, 72-67, a nice bounce back win after a couple of defeats, heading into league play (against Midd Friday).

[amh63]

Glanced over a number of Nescac box scores after Hoops Fan's post.  Some interesting "notes" .
Williams' gun Rooke-let appeared to me to have entered the game in the second half.
Bates' box score showed that one of the sophomore bigs did not start, but did contribute.
Colby loss its game...with its Big man missing from the lineup. 
Seems some CAC coaches are shifting the rotation?? Or adjusting to injuries??
Ben Pollack's mother stated last night that her son had the OK to play a little.  saw him in warm up drills...but his knee was iced after the half...being very cautious.  Still needs to get his practice time in! 
Conner Green had his shooting hand wrapped and taped.  Really frustrated with his outside shooting, IMO.  His points were from inside. Contributed with 13 rebounds on Sat.  Time limited due to fouls. Backup Racy had a great night from outside...8-16 from 3-point land..career high 24 points.
Interesting time for the coaches...adjusting to injuries and making rotation and player combos.
The announcer in the game whenever a times-out was called would cite the remaining timeouts for both coaches.  True to his rep, Coach Hixon took hardly any timeouts and had a full set going into OT, I believe....while the Goucher Coach used most of his.  Coach Hixon preferred to use hand signals or talk to his PG during foul shots and shouting out reminders to his players to take TOs if needed.
Different coaching styles, IMHO.

[magicman]

amh63,

Per your request on the SUNYAC board that my Cardinals be a good host for the Lord Jeffs hockey team these past two days. Is winning the title in a shootout over Plattsburgh satisfy your demands? It was a 0-0 tie through 3 periods and overtime. The only time the red light got lit was when the LJ's scored in the 2nd round of the shootout.  Amherst's  goalie with 38 saves was the MVP. I hope you're happy. Congratulations. It was the 2nd straight night the LJ's won in a shootout.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program. 

[amh63]

Magicman....thanks...a most gracious host!  Now the Midd fans are going to rquest that your Cardinals be nice to the Panthers on Tues on the hardwood! .  My request was not to crush the Jeffs.
Watched an interesting ACC MBB game between no.3 Virginia and Clemson in "Death Valley"...is that only used for football?  Anyway, Bucket's favorite team pulled out a win in 2OTs.  Clemson tied the game with a 3 point shot attempt with 0.9 seconds left.  Attempt is the key word.  The shooter was fouled and went to the foul line to tie the game.  In the first OT, Clemson took the lead and Virginia had to strategize to tie.  It was a play out of all the posts on what to do in the last 10 seconds of a game, imo.
In the Amherst win, the only tie came with 17 sec left....and JMac's shot went in at the buzzer...yep, the freshman is a keeper. 

[Bucket]

Magicman....thanks...a most gracious host!  Now the Midd fans are going to rquest that your Cardinals be nice to the Panthers on Tues on the hardwood! .  My request was not to crush the Jeffs.
Watched an interesting ACC MBB game between no.3 Virginia and Clemson in "Death Valley"...is that only used for football?  Anyway, Bucket's favorite team pulled out a win in 2OTs.  Clemson tied the game with a 3 point shot attempt with 0.9 seconds left.  Attempt is the key word.  The shooter was fouled and went to the foul line to tie the game.  In the first OT, Clemson took the lead and Virginia had to strategize to tie.  It was a play out of all the posts on what to do in the last 10 seconds of a game, imo.
In the Amherst win, the only tie came with 17 sec left....and JMac's shot went in at the buzzer...yep, the freshman is a keeper.

Yes, a nice ACC road win for my Hoos...tho the opponent was Miami. You got the other details right, however. 

[amh63]

Bucket....you are kind!.....another brain dead moment.   I believe Clemson was playing UNC in the other game I watched.  Actually, like the Miami HBC...ever since he was at George Mason.  plus K to you....and Magicman while I think about it.