MBB: NESCAC

[amh63]

ECSU....yes two terrific low scoring games played tonight by the two Necac teams that played for the title last season. 
Just watched Wes win in OT against a surging RIC team.
I thought the Amherst game was going to OT.  Dawson was the last player expected to take the shot.  Amherst's best three point shooters were all outside ready to take the shot.
You posted earlier that the Warriors had to play their best to beat Amherst in LeFrak.  Looking at the stats, the two teams were about even...RBs, steals, TO, assists, etc.  the Warriors shot better than Amherst from outside but Amherst scored more inside.  Amherst made one more foul shot.
Interesting game when I looked at the play of  two KEY players....Lindo for ECSU and Green of Amherst.  Last season, in the game in CT, Lindo scored in double figure and had 21 RBs.  Tonight, Lindo had key blocks and was the game top rebounder with 14 and scored when needed.  Green was again shooting poorly but led Amherst with 2 blocks, getting key steals and scoring on the foul line etc.  Green stripped the ball from Eastern's big center under the basket to prevent a layup.  During the game, Green was guarding Lindo throughout the game.
Yes, it was a terrific game to watch.  Both teams played hard on defense.  Amherst was lucky to win. The Warriors seemed to have founded their Mojo. .
Back to the Wesleyan game....seems that the Cardinal who made the difference was a veteran starter that did not score a point in regulation time. Rafferty came thru in OT!

7express...Both Tufts and Bowdoin won easily and Colby scored 115 points against Pine Manor that scored 97.  A shootout....any defense?
I prefer the low scoring tough defensive game.  Caught the end of such a game in D1 tonight...U of Wisconsin vs Indiana in Bloomington.  Lots of RED and the game in the 50's with a few minutes remaining.
Ready for the CAC season!!!

[P'bearfan]

Bowdoin defeats BSU 87-67 in it's final tune up before conference play.

The Polar Bears started slowly in the first half until Hausman connected on 3 consecutive treys to get things going.  After that Bowdoin opened up a double digit lead.  BSU clawed back towards the end of the first half and Bowdoin went into the break leading 40-32. 

Bowdoin relied a little too much on perimeter shooting and isolation plays in the first half.  That changed coming out of the locker room as the Polar Bears worked the ball into the low post and took advantage of some significant mis-matches.  The offense was much more balanced in the second half (both in types of shots and # of players involved) and Bowdoin built a 20 point lead mid-way through the half.  BSU kept battling but never seriously threatened. 

The story of the game for Bowdoin was Lucas Hausman who finished with 35 points on 13-22 shooting include 4-5 from downtown.  Matt Palecki added 14 points and 7 rebounds.  Neil Fuller just missed a double double as he finished with 9 points and 10 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block.  Jake Donnelly had only two points but 7 assists.  Jack Simonds finished with 6 points, 9 caroms and 1 block.

Bowdoin's bench contributed 21 points lead by Hugh O'Neil (8 points) and Liam Farley (6 points) - both of whom were very efficient as they each logged just 12 minutes.

Bowdoin controlled almost all aspects of the game especially the boards.  Bowdoin finished with a 44-28 rebounding advantage.  Late in the first half before he went to the bench after picking up his 2nd foul, Fuller had 7 rebounds while BSU had 8 as a team.

Nice win for the Polar Bears!  Good luck against the Jumbo's Friday night!!

[ECSUalum]

ECSU....yes two terrific low scoring games played tonight by the two Necac teams that played for the title last season. 
Just watched Wes win in OT against a surging RIC team.
I thought the Amherst game was going to OT.  Dawson was the last player expected to take the shot.  Amherst's best three point shooters were all outside ready to take the shot.
You posted earlier that the Warriors had to play their best to beat Amherst in LeFrak.  Looking at the stats, the two teams were about even...RBs, steals, TO, steals, etc.  the Warriors shot better than Amherst from outside but Amherst scored more inside.  Amherst had one more foul shot.
Interesting game when I looked at the play of  two KEY players....Lindo for ECSU and Greene of Amherst.  Last season, in the game in CT, Lindo scored in double figure and had 21 RBs.  Tonight, Lindo had key blocks and was the game top rebounder with 14 and scored when needed.  Greene was again shooting poorly but led Amherst with 2 blocks, getting key steals and scoring on the foul line etc.  Greene stripped the ball from Eastern's big center under the basket to prevent a layup.  During the game, Greene was guarding Lindo throughout the game.
Yes, it was a terrific game to watch.  Both teams played hard on defense.  Amherst was lucky to win. The Warriors seemed to have founded their Mojo. .
Back to the Wesleyan game....seems that the Cardinal who made the difference was a veteran starter that did not score a point in regulation time. Raferrty came thru in OT!

7express...Both Tufts and Bowdoin won easily and Colby scored 115 points against Pine Manor that scored 97.  A shootout....any defense?
I prefer the low scoring tough defensive game.  Caught the end of such a game in D1 tonight...U of Wisconsin vs Indiana in Bloomington.  Lots of RED and the game in the 50's with a few minutes remaining.
Ready for the CAC season!!!

The Warriors seemed to have founded their Mojo
Nice recap amh63, a couple of easy layups missed in the last 5 min or so by Lindo and Canny were key!  Never the less a wonderful pressure shot by Dawson was the winner!  Hopefully ECSU takes this game and plays well in LEC play!!

[P'bearfan]

Now that we're about to start conference play I wanted to share a few observations of what I've seen in the year's Polar Bear squad:

-My first impression back at the Roger Williams tournament was that Bowdoin was going to be a much better team by the end of the season than at the start. This is true for most teams but especially so for Bowdoin given how young they are.  At this point, I'd say they're on track or even a bit ahead of schedule.

-This year's squad has better and more balanced 3 point shooting than last year which is great to see.  It gives the offense some much needed punch

-When the ball movement is good, it is very good - and it's good most of the time.  The team overall could be a little better at anticipating their passes (i.e. throwing the pass as the player starts to become open).  This is especially true on pick and roll situations - perhaps the one real obvious weakness in the passing game - i.e. not sure Bowdoin has executed a pick and roll all season even though the opportunities have been there consistently.  Also tonight there were a few passes that were telegraphed and BSU easily jumped the passing lane and created a turnover.  The P'bears will need to work on this.

-The starting line up appears to be set and unlike last year it hasn't changed since the opening game (fortunately!!).  However, Coach Gilbride has been using different substitution schemes since the start of the season.  Some of that may be due to the younger players developing over the course of the season and they are now ready for more minutes. Some of it may be him just adjusting substitutions based on the situation and opponent.  It will be interesting to see how / if this evolves over the course of conference play.

-While many of the bench players have gotten significant playing time so far this season (a very good thing) there are some rotations that don't seem quite as effective.  There isn't a single glaring issue or drop off - it might be a culmination of several smaller things - the offense doesn't score quite as efficiently; a few more turnovers occur; defense allows a little more penetration; the players don't box out everyone on every play.  Hopefully the coaches will be able to make a few tweaks b/c being able to go 9-10 deep is a big advantage.

-While Bowdoin has avoided relying solely on Hausman for its offense, the P'bears can struggle to get the ball into the post.  They won't always have the mis-matches they had tonight but they will need to create a consistent scoring threat down low to keep opposing defenses honest.

-Bowdoin will likely trail on the boards when playing NESCAC teams that have real height in the post but the starting five are solid position rebounders - especially Palecki and Fuller. Bowdoin will just have to make the most of their 2nd chance shots.

All in all I'm very excited about this year's squad and how much they have developed so far.  They have the talent to make a credible run in the NESCAC and beat any of the leading teams on any given night.

GoUBears!! 

[amh63]

P'Bearfan....nice post...thanks for sharing your observations.  Actually went to the Bowdoin game for a minute but it was becoming a blowout.  Have not watched the Bears as much as I wanted to date...therefore appreciate your generous thoughts.
As posted last night, Amherst was lucky to win over a veteran and talented ECSU team.  My concerns wrt the game soon were revealed.  All the Warriors scorers were back and Canny, their 6'11" center has become a key rotation player.  Amherst got 4 fouls on both Warriors centers...yet could not stop their top blocker and rebounder, the 6'5" leaper Lindo.  Green was put on him and the energy spent impacted Green's outside shots.
In the lost to Rhodes and near lost to ECSU, Amherst shot poorly from outside and the opposite was true of the opponents.  I may know the reason for the Warriors game but did not see the Rhodes game.  Note, in the NSN produced game, I lost video for about 5 plus critical minutes of the first half...the period when Amherst fell behind by 10 points!
My observations....ECSU shooting guards were overall smaller and maybe quicker than Amherst defenders.  ECSU's HC is a veteran coach that aided his shooters to get open outside.  Amherst prefers man to man defense and was having trouble at times by being picked off by the devised screens  Yes, it was a good learning game for Amherst.  Warriors guards made their threes when they found themselves open.
It seems that the mid range shots is not used much by today's fine shooters.  To me a two pt made shot is better than a missed 3-pointer.  Last night, both Green and JMac drove and made a mid range shot vice a three...in order to be in position for a RB, if needed.  The MOP winner for Amherst in the 2013 Nat. tItle team, Allen Williamson, finally developed a reliable mid range shot in his senior year.  With it, his leaping ability...he played center in HS..became much more valuable to the team success.  If defenders stepped out to guard him, he would go by and throw one down.
In any case, Williams comes to LeFrak on Friday with its outside oriented offense.  Hope Amherst is ready.  Amherst is developing a nice inside game to date and expect it will be used again.  Scoring inside helps open the outside for Racy, Green, Nabatoff, JMac and others.

[ronk]

amh63,
FYI- yesterday while googling bball prospects, I came across a book about the 25 greatest DC players(Capital Kings by Josh Barr) with lots of stories by Morgan Wootton and Red Auerbach. I've seen most of them in person. The ranking is interesting, also - Kevin Durant is only #4, after Adrian Dantley, Dave Bing(my class year), and Elgin Baylor. There's a preview online that contains a lot of material. As an afficianado, you might even be in the book.

[nescac1]

Article from the Berkshire Eagle on Williams' start to the season.  I agree that Williams has been improving but still has a lot of room to grow.  8-3 is very solid for a team that was missing its starting backcourt for half the season and often started two frosh, with two more frosh as the first guys off the bench.  The big news from this article is that Mike Greenman is out for the year and may try to obtain a fifth year of eligibility.  The Eph backcourt could be very deep and experienced (and crowded!) for the next few years with four guys who have started (Greenman, Teal, Casey and Galvin) all returning for at least two more seasons, assuming Greenman does indeed play for a fifth year. 

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/sports/ci_29352786/williams-mens-basketball-ready-start-nescac-slate 

Nothing but NESCAC put out their pre-season all-conference teams: http://nothingbutnescac.com/?p=3147

A few emerging players who all belong on the team based on their first-semester performance (Vinny Pace, Matt St. Amour, maybe Ed Ogundeko) are excluded in favor of seniors who are more accomplished in the past (Starks, Green, Boornazian, Hudnut) but who have been up-and-down this year.  But I do think it's a safe bet that those four all post big numbers in conference play, so I don't take issue with any of the predictions.   

Similarly, Jack Simonds is clearly the ROY based on performance-to-date, but I think Kyle Scadlock has more upside as a player, so that pick makes sense -- the only question is whether that upside will fully materialize later this season, or next year, when he is two years removed from his knee injury. 

[amh63]

Nescac1.....thanks for the info.  Greenman was/is a key player for Williams...very quick and the pg...and appeared to be developing an outside shot that required attention.
Normally a packed crowd for the Big game on Friday.  Many students on campus maybe elsewhere...WBB game at Williams, hockey games, etc.
One thing I noticed when students are out....the replacement personnel for the games!  There were all white haired persons keeping the stats, running the clock, etc for the ECSU match.  Maybe I could get a job...if I can convince my wife to buy a place in Amherst...a place to use for the fall and winter sports season . She thinks I am crazy...going North vice South for the winter.

Ronk....I did watch a lot of blacktop games and other games.  Missed Elgin Baylor, a Spingarn HS grad?...a HS that is gone after DC schools became integrated.  Will look for the book.  thanks.

[Bucket]

amh63,
FYI- yesterday while googling bball prospects, I came across a book about the 25 greatest DC players(Capital Kings by Josh Barr) with lots of stories by Morgan Wootton and Red Auerbach. I've seen most of them in person. The ranking is interesting, also - Kevin Durant is only #4, after Adrian Dantley, Dave Bing(my class year), and Elgin Baylor. There's a preview online that contains a lot of material. As an afficianado, you might even be in the book.

Where does George Leftwich rank? Terrific point guard on perhaps the best team in DC history—Archbishop Carroll from '68 to '70 '58 to '60. I coached with George for 7 years at Sidwell; one of the highlights of my life.

[jumpshot]

Bucket---
Minor correction: Archbishop's famous teams were 1958-1960.

[ronk]

amh63,
FYI- yesterday while googling bball prospects, I came across a book about the 25 greatest DC players(Capital Kings by Josh Barr) with lots of stories by Morgan Wootton and Red Auerbach. I've seen most of them in person. The ranking is interesting, also - Kevin Durant is only #4, after Adrian Dantley, Dave Bing(my class year), and Elgin Baylor. There's a preview online that contains a lot of material. As an afficianado, you might even be in the book.

Where does George Leftwich rank? Terrific point guard on perhaps the best team in DC history—Archbishop Carroll from '68 to '70. I coached with George for 7 years at Sidwell; one of the highlights of my life.

George is #10, just after Len Bias. Austin Carr is #14; I'd move Austin ahead of George. I saw George play as a soph at Villanova, before his injury which effectively ended his playing career; teamed with Wally Jones, a great college backcourt.

[amh63]

ronk....in your scouting/ recruiting trips in the DC area, drop by St Johns HS...off Military RD.  Yes it is now a coed parochial school.  G. leftwich is the AD there, I believe.  Remember talking to him before he left Sidwell Friends.  Both my sons have chatted with him at Sidwell.

[ronk]

ronk....in your scouting/ recruiting trips in the DC area, drop by St Johns HS...off Military RD.  Yes it is now a coed parochial school.  G. leftwich is the AD there, I believe.  Remember talking to him before he left Sidwell Friends.  Both my sons have chatted with him at Sidwell.

I believe George was most recently back(up to a year? ago) @ Carroll(AD?) where his boys' coach was Reggie Williams(former Georgetown star).

[Bucket]

Bucket---
Minor correction: Archbishop's famous teams were 1958-1960.

Ha. Right. Though I bet George, Big John etc would not mind me making them ten years younger!

[Bucket]

ronk....in your scouting/ recruiting trips in the DC area, drop by St Johns HS...off Military RD.  Yes it is now a coed parochial school.  G. leftwich is the AD there, I believe.  Remember talking to him before he left Sidwell Friends.  Both my sons have chatted with him at Sidwell.

I believe George was most recently back(up to a year? ago) @ Carroll(AD?) where his boys' coach was Reggie Williams(former Georgetown star).

Yes, that was his last gig. He's enjoying a well-deserved retirement now:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/archbishop-carrolls-george-leftwich-calls-it-a-career-after-more-than-50-years-as-basketball-player-coach/2013/06/20/9fe0776a-d7fa-11e2-a9f2-42ee3912ae0e_story.html