MBB: NESCAC

[amh63]

P'Bearfan and Middhoops....will mention your comments to Ben Pollack and his family.  thanks. Posters like you'll makes it fun to post here.  Plus K!
The team gets ready to play their first game on Monday in The Tuscan region, I Believe.....hope they adjust to "international" rules.
Signed up to get blog inputs.  Seems the trip was planned awhile back but was delayed by conference Presidents...on all oversea trips...during the economic downturn that hit most colleges' funds.  In any case some interesting tidbits picked up.  Spouses, trainerS...plural..and a former assist coach joins the trip.  The coach was the one most likely that helped recruit most of the upperclassmen.  Guess this serves as the Junior year abroad for the LARGE Junior class....J. Dawson is listed as a jr.
Speaking of Mr. Dawson...listed as a Canadian....he is wearing Bright neon yellow shoes...like seen on former Midd and Tufts players.  Hope they do NOT find their way in games this season.....yes, I'm old fashion in that area.  Heck, wearing black Chucks myself.  looking for high tops this season
Last season, Amherst missed Ben down in the paint.  A big body down low against the big bodies found on Tufts, Bowdoin and elsewhere.  Looking at an early pix of the team and aware of the Distortions....I am comforted by the size of Conklin.  He is closer to 6'7" than his listed 6'6".  He was injured early in the season last year and came on strong late in the season.  He is a true big body front court player much like Big Pete...that carved his space down low and tough for opponents to get rebounds.  George, another front court player, looks stronger/ fit.  Standing along side of a 6'10" former assist coach...George appear closer to 6'9" than his listed 6'8".  All the players looked fit in their shades.  Hope they improved their foul shooting!  Lots of players had poor FT stats.  Many shot poorer late in the game...when they were tired, IMO.  Enough!

[nescac1]

Sorry also to hear about Pollack.  He would have made a major impact the last few years but for injuries, he had potential all-NESCAC level talent it seemed.  Amherst of course has an embarrassment of riches at center with George, Conklin and incoming frosh Schneider, all three of whom should be (at worst) starting-caliber fives for the next few years, so the Jeffs will keep right on rolling. 

Congrats to Williams' Hayden Rooke-Ley, who like Daniel Wohl signed a pro contract in Israel.  Both had fantastic senior years for the Ephs after toiling in the shadows behind several all-American guys, and it's great to see both rewarded. 

http://ephsports.williams.edu/sports/mbkb/2014-15/releases/20150811xdsqb0

[amh63]

Speaking of players going to the pros....Joseph Lin of Hamilton is reported Signning a contract to play on a Tawain professional team....on the Hamilton website.  Pros really like the guards in the CAC.
The Amherst team practiced on Sunday.  After practice the Nigerian National team had their practice.  The Jeffs got to meet the Nigerians, including a present NBA player on the Nigerian team.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Speaking of players going to the pros....Joseph Lin of Hamilton is reported Signning a contract to play on a Tawain professional team....on the Hamilton website.  Pros really like the guards in the CAC.
The Amherst team practiced on Sunday.  After practice the Nigerian National team had their practice.  The Jeffs got to meet the Nigerians, including a present NBA player on the Nigerian team.

Al-Farouq Aminu, probably.

[amh63]

Hoops Fan....Yep!  Plus K    I was going to make a mess of his name....was in the Amherst blog.
Anyway....Amherst won its first game against a local Italian professional team....65-63, I believe....doesn't matter.  Some adjusting to the rules, but points and rebounds shared around.....no injuries reported.

[magicman]

Checked out my Plattsburgh State Cardinals 2015-16 schedule and in addition to the annual game with our Vermont neighbor, Middlebury,which is early this year on December 12th at Pepin, the Cardinals will host last year's top seeded Trinity Bantams on January 4th.  I'm wondering if my Middlebury friends, might venture over to Plattsburgh to get a sneak peek at the Bantams, who should be in the upper tier of the CAC once again.   

[amh63]

Magicman....the guru awakens! . The boys over in Vermont have been somewhat quiet of late.  Middlebury is in a little rebuilding period....though the conference is going to be "squashed" again.  Trinity in the upper tier again.as they are getting their mojo.  Still...it was Wesleyan that won the title last season....beating Amherst....after the LJs crushed them Twice during the regular season.
Too bad your coach has completed his schedule.  Amherst has some Slots opened for their tournament to begin its season.  The Amherst team is over in Italy presently getting an art appreciation tour it seems. 
I'm hoping that Amherst gets to host a regional Tourny this year and welcomes Plattsburgh.  Maybe then, we can met for a meal/drinks after the matchup.

[middhoops]

Checked out my Plattsburgh State Cardinals 2015-16 schedule and in addition to the annual game with our Vermont neighbor, Middlebury,which is early this year on December 12th at Pepin, the Cardinals will host last year's top seeded Trinity Bantams on January 4th.  I'm wondering if my Middlebury friends, might venture over to Plattsburgh to get a sneak peek at the Bantams, who should be in the upper tier of the CAC once again.

Yup, I think you'll probably see us.

[middhoops]

Magicman....the guru awakens! . The boys over in Vermont have been somewhat quiet of late.  Middlebury is in a little rebuilding period....though the conference is going to be "squashed" again. 

Geez, amh63, we're gearing up for what looks to be a good football season for us.  Takes us backwoods folk a while to get ready to talk hoops.  We'll let you know when hibernation is officially over.
We hope catch up with you, a la Magicman, in Amherst at the end of the season.

[magicman]

So I visit Middlebury on the 12th of December, probably with my travelling crew of 3 others while you and Vandy come over and enjoy Plattsburgh's hospitality on January 4th to take in the Trinity-Plattsburgh game. Then there's always the possibilty we may meet in Saratoga when Plattsburgh plays Skidmore down there. (Yes we have to play them in their house for the 2nd straight year but they did promise to come to Plattsburgh next year...we shall see. ) Especially if the Thoroughbreds are once again on the Panthers 2015-16 schedule. I know I'm making the trip down to see that game which I believe is a Monday night. Three times in one season we could meet. That would set a record.

[magicman]

Magicman....the guru awakens! .

Careful amh63...there's only one guru on these boards and his initials are P.C. And I've never been asleep,merely lurking. As you should know from all of my middle of the night, and early morning posts, I'm a vampire and I seldom sleep.

Trinity in the upper tier again.as they are getting their mojo.  Still...it was Wesleyan that won the title last season....beating Amherst....after the LJs crushed them Twice during the regular season.

Trinity may have lost to Wesleyan in the NESCAC semifinals, but they did beat the LJ's rather handily last year by double digits. They also advanced further in the NCAA Tournament than any of the other 'CAC teams did as they made it to the Elite Eight and really should have beaten Babson in that overtime game they lost to the Beavers, which would have put them in the Final Four. They return their 3 best scorers and 6 of their top 8 point producers, so I would think they might be considered the early favorites this year. Of course the new recruits by some of the other teams could alter that view.

Too bad your coach has completed his schedule.  Amherst has some Slots opened for their tournament to begin its season.

Coach Hixson has to contact us early if he wants to get us back in Amherst. Our Coach Curle would probably have taken him up on the offer.

I'm hoping that Amherst gets to host a regional Tourny this year and welcomes Plattsburgh.  Maybe then, we can meet for a meal/drinks after the matchup.

We have already been to Amherst twice in the past 3 years for an NCAA game. I'm kind of hoping that if we meet again in the Big Dance that it happens in Plattsburgh.    In reality,this is a rebuilding year for the Cardinals and I see us probably finishing in 4th or 5th place in our conference this year. Our only chance to make the NCAA tournament will be if we qualify and can win the SUNYAC Tournament to claim the automatic bid. I'll be surprised if that happens. We do have a lot of new recruits (12 I believe) and if there are some hidden gems among them that can translate into frosh power then we may be better than my projections.

However, if we do get a bid and we somehow have to make another trip to LeFrak I promise you I will be there...if you are there . How's that?       

[nescac1]

In my mind, Amherst and Wesleyan are the two overwhelming early favorites.  Trinity was very inconsistent last year and relied primarily on depth (especially up front), toughness, rebounding and defense to wear teams down.  The Bantams could throw waves of experienced big guys against teams which allowed them to defend really aggressively.  But they could also be really ugly to watch on offense at times.  With Papadeas (a very underutilized player in my view but the most efficient scorer on the team) graduating along with Conaway, Trinity will now be pretty thin and a bit undersized up front ... Ajay, Ogundeko and Starks are a great trio to build around, but the Bantams don't have any proven scorers besides those three (no one returns who averaged over 5 ppg) and they won't be able to wear teams down anymore with relentless front court play.  Ogundeko, while very talented, will need to show he can carry the load in consistent minutes at center without picking up cheap fouls.  He could be a monster if he improves his post moves and touch near the rim.   

Amherst and Wesleyan, on the other hand, were the two conference finalists and each return everyone of note from their rotations while adding some very prominent recruits.  Amherst is especially scary considering that the Jeffs relied almost entirely on frosh and sophomores last year -- most of their rotation players figure to make a big jump, and some like Conklin, Berman and Dawson who did very little most of the year exploded into prominent roles very late in the season.  Amherst's second five of Schneider (projecting), Conklin, Riopel, Racy and Berman or Dawson (whoever is not starting) would be favored vs. most D3 teams.  Wesleyan will be a senior-dominated team and the Cards looked really good late last year.  They have a LOT of guys who have been starters or close-to starters for 2-3 years already now, and a few guys who are massive match-up problems for most teams.  Kuo, Davis, Epps and Mackey could all have really big years.  The Cards should be deeper as well with some good young players added to the rotation.   

I put Trinity with Colby and Bates as the teams who have a lot of talent but some glaring question marks, especially offensively.  Colby has a great starting five returning if they can get, and stay, healthy -- two key guys coming off season-ending injuries.  I think any of those three could challenge for the top two spots and an NCAA berth if certain things go right, but to me Amherst is the team to beat, followed very closely by Wesleyan. 

Williams, Tufts and Hamilton will feel (or continue to feel) the premature losses of Robinson, Sabety, and Hart respectively -- you just can't replace guys like that.  Bowdoin has the best player (by a fairly wide margin) in the league but little behind him, and Swords was such a huge part of what they did, and there is no obvious replacement.  Conn will be more competitive but still not ready to scare the big boys.  Middlebury is the biggest wildcard.  They have some strong talent at the top of the rotation but the Panthers have been wildly inconsistent for two years now and are very difficult to predict from game-to-game.  That group will all be fighting for the last three playoff spots with Conn and Hamilton probably worst-positioned to nab one. 

[madzillagd]

Bowdoin has the best player (by a fairly wide margin) in the league but little behind him, and Swords was such a huge part of what they did, and there is no obvious replacement. 

I'm going to disagree with you on the wide margin part, I don't think McCarthy is that far off from Hausman.  Hausman benefited not only from Swords presence but also had a fantastic PG running the show which makes a huge difference. McCarthy on the other hand had weak PG play (to put it nicely) and of course was inconsistent being in his first year.  With a year under his belt I expect McCarthy to be more consistent and shoot at a higher % and with the supporting cast gone Hausman is going to have a tougher time than last year. 

[amh63]

Awaiting more posts from the Italy "art and food" trip.  Latest news was the great dining adventures in Tuscany, where the players had to pulled away from the tables at an Olive and Grape farm .  There was " training sessions" with the coaches again in prep for the 2nd game against another local pro team.  Early word it was a " tough loss"....no specifics or pix.  Players still recovering from over eating is my best guess.
Nescac1...very perceptive analysis of the CAC teams.  I agree with many of your points.  I will add that last season it seemed that almost all teams were " inconsistent" through out the conference season....was it because of matchups, injuries to key players, youthful squads...maybe the stepping up of particular players.  Last season, Amherst showed all the above tendencies and more.  IMO, it was was trying to find a PG to run the team on offense and learning how to play tough defense for an entire game.  I know that Coach Hixon is aware of his team's areas for improvement. Team chemistry is the common thread expressed by players' pre-trip comments.  First game stats show a spread of points among the starters....8 assists between Dawson and Berman.  I liked the stat that Racy, Nabatoff and George all had 7 plus rebounds..each...with George having his usual 3 blocks.
Madz....you are spot on wrt to Hausman rise above the crowd...late in the season.  The young man was the only conference All-American.  I have been wondering how he made the BIg " step-up".   Came to the conclusion that most teams were worried about Swords and Hurley for the most part. 
Still, Tufts and Bowdoin were the two teams that I feel were the greatest disappointments.  Wes and Trinity were the two surprises.  Heck, I just shook my head after Wes, and Middlebury beat Amherst.  I lost some hair and got more grey hair watching the battles against Williams...a late lost in Willytown and a fine win in OT in LeFrak...led by Conner Green and yes Berman.  Too old for any more games like those two this season.  Rambling too much.

[nescac1]

Usually we are on the same page madzillagd, but I wouldn't put McCarthy in my top five overall players in the league heading into the season, let alone challenging Hausman, who will likely be a first or second team all-American heading into the season.  Hausman may have had Swords and a good PG, but there wasn't all that much other talent around him.  He would take guys one-on-one again and again and again and just school them consistently.  He had the highest scoring numbers we've seen in NESCAC conference play in many years, and he did so without playing in an especially fast-paced system and with excellent overall offensive efficiency.  He certainly owned Williams, while I barely recall McCarthy registering in those games.  And Hausman has improved tremendously each year, no reason to think that will change.

McCarthy on the other hand probably isn't even the best guy on his own team heading into the season -- despite his occasional defensive lapses, to me that has to be Green, he is just SUCH an elite offensive weapon and totally unstoppable when he has it going.  Last year in NESCAC play McCarthy averaged 8.8 ppg on 33 percent shooting from the field and 57 from the line on a team loaded with good offensive weapons.  Hausman averaged 24.7 on 50/93.  McCarthy is a really good defender but not an elite playmaker either for himself or his teammates -- let's not get carried away!

I'd also put a healthy Hudnut, Palleschi, and J. Starks on my all-league preseason team along with Hausman and Green.  Those to me are the clear top-five guys returning in NESCAC.  McCarthy is one of many roughly equal contenders for the second-team along with Boornazian, the better of the Delpeches, Ajay, D. George, Aronowitz, St. Amour, Matt-Daley-if-Healthy, Jann, Westman, Pavlin, and basically the entire Wesleyan starting five.