MBB: NESCAC

[Old Guy]

Oscar and West on the same team is the best pairing of guards ever. Insert either in their prime in a game in any era and they would shine.  As great as West was, the Big O is one of the few on the Mt. Rushmore of Hoops.  He did everything except play on a great team until he was way past his prime, and the Bucks brought him in to help Jabbar win a title.  It worked...

I'm not sure about Big O, though he was an early hero of mine. At 6'5" he overpowered smaller guards. I'm not sure he'd be quick enough to play effectively in the backcourt today.

On the hand, there was Elgin Baylor! He defies era.

[D3HforLyfe]

Happy holidays, everyone! It has been an awesome start to the NESCAC season. A lot of talented players, good teams, and (most importantly) great action on this board. I have had a blast, as always, following your opinions, thoughts, and random basketball tidbits of knowledge. With the exception of a couple of ill-conceived posts - an example being the person who tried to claim that Mike Maker isn't a good enough coach to work at the D1 level - I have really enjoyed this community once again.

Here are my power rankings and some thoughts from the first third of the season. As always, we will learn a lot more about each of these teams once we get into conference play. However, from my perspective, it seems Wesleyan and Middlebury are - by a relatively comfortable margin - the two best teams in the league, Amherst, Hamilton, Bowdoin and Tufts, make-up a very very solid middle of the pack, and then Trinity, Bates, Conn College, and Colby will be in a dog fight for the last playoff spot or two. Here is a little more on each team from what I see. I hope everyone has a great end of '17 and beginning of '18 - Cheers!

(1) Wesleyan - I am unapologetically a Wes fan and have watched them more than any other teams so far this season by a lot so take my opinion here with a serious grain of salt....BUT these guys are really friggin good for D3 basketball. Jordan Bonner has lived up to the pre-season hype and is the leading candidate early on - along with Jack Daly - for POY. Kevin O'Brien is playing at a 1st Team All-CAC level and is one of the most unique players we have had in the conference in a while: A 6'5" point guard who is an incredible competitor, lockdown defender, great passer, and who has dominated a number of games this season without being able to hit (or even attempt) shots outside of the paint. If I was a lower tier team, I would seriously consider intentionally fouling him to throws off Wesleyan's rhythm at times (ala hack-a-shaq style). Defensively, where Reilly teams have always excelled, Jordan Sears anchors it and should be the leading candidate for DPOY. His versatility is obscene. On offense he is strictly a 4/5, but on defense he is whatever you need him to be. Krill and Bascom deserve some ink as the solid seniors every team yearns for. Perhaps most impressive with this team has been the freshman class though. All three are really good in their own unique way. Jordan James has to be leading D3 in dunks per a game and certainly per a minute, and is a point guard's dream to play alongside. He doesn't demand any post touches yet is a great target on drive n' dumps or PnR plays (just lob it up), and is a great presence defensively - similar to the Delpeche twins in many ways. Antoine Walker is instant offense off the bench and reminds me of Vinnie Johnson from back in the day. He is an absolutely fearless little guard and provides them with some much needed perimeter shooting, and can completely change up the vibe of a game if subbed in for O'Brien. And then there is Austin Hutcherson. He broke the starting 5 on a top dozen national team (should be top 5), and absolutely deserves it. Scores from all three levels, cool and calm demeanor, and certainly has his best ball days ahead of him. Long limbs that will fill out and coordination he is still growing into it seems. Most upside in the league. Cards are flying high early, hope I didn't jinx them with this homer write-up.

(2) Middlebury - I owe all of the Middlebury contingent an apology for stupidly doubting Jeff Brown, Jack Daly, Matt Folger, and the true powerhouse that has been built in Pepin. These guys, per usual, are really really good. They are obviously ranked #2 nationally, but I believe both them and Wesleyan are two of the best teams in the country. The panthers play a beautiful brand of basketball - fast paced, ball going side to side, guys knowing and accepting their roles - it is fun to watch. Despite hating on him for his unorthodox style, Mr. Daly is basically averaging a triple-double and I have to give credit where it is due.I love how hard he plays and the way he competes. He is fantastic in all transition setting, but truly EXCEPTIONAL at throw ahead passes when he gets a rebound or a quick outlet (one of the best at any levels). The interesting thing is his half court game isn't that impressive. He isn't that athletic, can't really shoot, and isn't a dynamic 1v1 guy. His synergy rankings are not impressive ("average" on a lot of efficiency fronts)... But he just finds a way to get it done. It's hard not to respect it, even as a bitter opposing fan. Folger has emerged like many of you predicted, but I somehow refused to believe. Majors, Tarantino, and McCord are three peas in a pod just doing their job. Dahleh looks like he is back to his pre-injury form. Freshman Jack Farrell has started from day 1, and understandably so - that kid is a blur in transition, a great finisher, has a tight shooting stroke, and is doing a great job of picking his spots (which can be tough for a freshman as talented as him who is walking into a situation like the one he is in at Midd). Overall, hats off to Coach Brown. Just a truly incredible job by him. I can't wait for when they head to Middletown next weekend. Get your popcorn ready. Obviously, I think Wes has them this year despite that Koby Altman (the current Cavs GM) was in a Midd uniform the last time the Cards beat them. Doesn't matter. NOBODY beats Wesleyan 20 straight times, nobody.

(3) Amherst - It gets tricky for me here. I like Hamilton, but I am still not totally a believer (will get into this more in the next paragraph). Ultimately, I gave Amherst the nod because they are 7-1 despite Johnny McCarthy struggling more than I have ever seen him struggle. He just can't hit anything. I think he is a great player who is just going through a serious slump. Water always finds its level, and McCarthy has proven time and again he is one of the elites in this conference. In my opinion, it is only a matter of time, and, once he does, this team is very dangerous. Riopel is so solid, and reminds me very much of Killian from a couple of years ago. I really respect how he just plays his role, but at an exceptionally high level. The freshman trio of Robinson, Che, and little McCarthy has been great too. I don't think they sniff Wesleyan's Fab Freshmen Trio, but these guys are definitely very good (haha). Robinson has lived up to his pre-season rep and looks to be a star in time, and it's hard not to love Che's activeness all over the place in his minutes. Lastly, a small subtly to why I put them above Hamilton: the Continentals have to come to LeFrak this season. The Mammoths are phenomenal in that little nest of theirs and that fact could be the difference between 3 and 4 in the short 10 game NESCAC slate.

(4) Hamilton - If you remember from my pre-season report, I really am rooting for these guys. I think they deserve conference success on a number of levels, and I want them to crack the top four for the first time since being added to the 'CAC, if nothing else, because I think it would be good for the conference. Undoubtedly, they have a great offensive core. Balance, versatility, shooting, mismatch issues...their starting five really does have a little bit of everything outside of a dominant big. I'm also glad that Gilmour made me look smart and has surpassed Hoffman (at least so far) as 'the guy' - that is ultimately a good thing for Continental fans because Gilmour has a higher ceiling and is a better basketball player. In the end, I remain skeptical as a whole of their chances to compete. As (I believe it was) Polar Bear Fan astutely pointed out, these guys don't play a lick of defense when push comes to shove. They are last, once again, in points allowed and defensive field goal percentage. Unless you run an offense similar to Middlebury's poetry in motion, it is REALLY hard to get away with being that bad defensively. I don't know. Maybe they are offensively that good this year off to hang around with the big dogs of the conference. I will repeat, I want them to and (as this ranking shows) believe that they are at the top of the second tier. But, sadly, I think that is their ceiling until they decide to hone in on the side of the ball that matters more. Side question: Whatsup with one of my favorites in Jack Dwyer?

(5) Williams - Tough bid for Ephs fans. These guys battled Wesleyan in a Little Three instant classic and were firmly locked into my three spot before the devastating Scadlock injury. They will still be very good defensively and be able to score from jacking 3's out of all of their split cut actions, but their ceiling is MUCH lower without Scadlock. He was a top 4 player in the league, and did a lot for Coach App on both ends of the ball. Heskett is going to have to step up. I am a big fan of his, but he has been disappointing thus far (despite averaging 14 ppg, hasn't been great in the "meaningful" minutes). I expected him to take a big step forward this season, and now he will absolutely need to if these guys are going to compete to stay in the top half of the league. Cole Teal has really been slumping so far, but I expect him to find his rhythm come conference play - once again too good of a player/shooter not to start hitting shots. On a brighter side, Bobby Casey has been really good. Never been a huge Casey fan - for his size and frame I always needed him to be tougher/grittier - but even I have really respected how he has played so far. Lastly, I love App as a coach, but PLEASE play Karpowicz more!

(6) Tufts - I think my biggest miss of the pre-season, but they have also been plagued more than anyone by the injury bug. Everett Dayton is a shadow of the player he was the last season and a half when he was the glue that held all of the talented Jumbo pieces together. KJ Garrett has also only played one game, which is obviously a big loss considering he is one of the best athletes our league has had in years. Ben Engvall has yet to play a game either. Hoping Dayton can get back to form by conference play, but he didn't look it last night versus Pomona-Pitzer and I don't know what the statuses of Garrett of Engvall are. Regardless, these guys still have talent and that will win them at least a handful of games. Vinny Pace has shown glimpses of sophomore year VP and just needs to be more consistent, Eric Savage has taken the biggest step forward of anyone - along with spellman -from last season to this (and is definitely an All-CAC candidate), and I like Pat Racy as a good role player. In the end though, this team is flawed and will struggle without their entire roster. They don't have enough size, miss Ethan Feldman (who, last I checked, was CRUSHING it at NYU), and aren't very disciplined defensively or offensively.

(7) Bowdoin - These guys are a tough team to figure out. They seemed to have it rolling a bit before laying two terrible eggs at Colby and against St. Joe's. I wasn't very high on them to begin the season, and I am going to hold strong to that here by putting them at #7. O'Neil continues to be his solid self and Reynolds has taken a big step forward (despite still not starting or playing as many minutes as he seemingly deserves? - to be honest, the only game I've watch them play this year was their win against a disappointing Babson team). Question to the board: Has Jack Simonds played his best basketball? I really like him as a player, but does he ever go up from his phenomenal first year and a half? Nonetheless, I don't think these guys are any better than a 6th place regular season finish. However, at worst, I could see them sitting at home for the NESCAC Quarters once again.

(8) Trinity - The only reason I put them in the playoffs is because they continue to be so damn tough. Jeremy Arthur has been good, unsurprisingly since he is a very talented and versatile player. I thought Gendron would step as their guy this season. Maybe he will for conference play, but he hasn't been it so far. We will see. If nothing else, it is fun to watch Cosgrove legitimately play a 15 man rotation in close games.

(9) Bates - Jeff Spellman has been electrifying so far this season. A great stroke, athletic, and awesome rhythm to his game. After a crazy path to Bates, happy to see him settling into a good situation. Coyne is sporadic, but can get hot fast and is dangerous. Gilpin is what he is, and solid at that. I think they would be better suited giving Hummel's minutes to someone else (Zukowski if healthy), but, more importantly, Bates NEEDS big men. They have no one to control the paint on either end of the ball and that is going to be a serious problem come conference play. Due to that, ceiling isn't very high in the real L.A. this season.

(10) Conn College - Admittedly haven't watched one second of CC so far, but not surprised to see Labossiere take a big step forward statistically with so much more usage. He is extremely talented. Excited to watch Draffan as he has been putting up some good numbers as a freshman.

(11) Colby - Despite a nice start and nice win against Bowdoin, I still think they are the worst team in the league. Matt Hanna is definitely a talented and impressive freshman and having, but I'm not sure if it will sustain as much in NESCAC play where teams will throw length at him and really limit clean looks. These guys are fully on board with the new wave of hoops, and are still chucking up trey balls at a rate that must be making Dick Whitmore scratch his head. Look at Sam Jefferson for instance: Shooting 8 threes per a game and only hitting 29% of them. Guy isn't afraid to get them up! Anyways, maybe they will surprise me and finish 9th. I'm not counting that out as a possibility, but I would be shocked if they make the NESCAC tournament.

[D3HforLyfe]

Additional Points To Mention:
Maker is the right guy for Marist - As I already mentioned in the introduction, I firmly disagree with the comment by someone about Maker being "over his head" at Marist. Mike Maker is a GREAT coach. Smart, classy, and experienced. If Marist administration is wise, they will give him a decade to try to fix it. He walked to into an awful situation at a place that is extremely hard to win, particularly when trying to do it without cheating like Maker is. He still has the last holdovers from the previous coaching staff as seniors now. Give him the time he deserves and has earned at this point.
"Racial undertones" - First off, I agree that it is time to move on from the Dawson debates. He has gone off into the 'real world' and is probably doing something cool with his amherst degree. If he has moved on, so shall we. Not to mention, we have too many interesting storylines in the league contemporarily to be backtracking in anything other than a nostalgic way. However, before we move on, I feel the need to chime in here. Old Guy, I am happy you didn't back down from your comment. You said nothing wrong and treaded extremely lightly with words such as "might" when even that wasn't needed. Everyone here must confront the undebatable fact racial undertones may be at play at times on this blog as well as everywhere else. When people have commented in the past on Dawson, Sha Brown, James Wang, Joseph Lin or other racially minorative players in this predominantly white NESCAC basketball conference, it is often hard not to read them as racially insensitive. I am not trying to accuse anyone on here of purposely or consciously trying to incite racially charged emotions or prejudices, because I really don't think any of you are, but racial undertones are a reality of the world we live in and happen all of the time - PARTICULARLY in this region of the country and PARTICULARLY in the context of these small, elite liberal arts institutions. Me, personally, want to thank Old Guy for reminding us all of this truth that can often be overlooked, forgotten, or - more common than any of the proud and "well-educated" white males on this board would like to admit - unknown. If nothing else, it is something to take into consideration before pushing post.
Hanna ROY?!  NESCAC1, you are routinely one of my favorite people to read on this board and your knowledge of this great league is matched by very few...but stop with this! Are you related to Hanna? I almost fell off of my couch when I read you put him at #1. I would put Hutcherson, Farrell, James, and Robinson above him easily. First off, all of those guys are better right now than Hanna and would all be putting up better numbers if they were on Colby. Second, there needs to be some account for that perhaps his numbers, similar to Draffan's, are good numbers on a bad team that are using them an insane amount for a freshman. I think Tucker, Kornaker, and Walker are better too. Nothing against Hanna, he is definitely a talent and a top 10 freshman in the league (and debatably top 5), but no way should win this award or be leading the conversation, imo.
My Basketball Mount Rushmore: At a few different points I have seen people bring up their mount rushmore's of hoops so I will give mine - Jordan, Kareem, LeBron, Russell. It is tragic how often Kareem is left off of people's lists - his accolades speak for themselves and he is quite possibly the best ambassador the game has ever had.
Nice New NESCAC Home Page: One thing I have always appreciated about our conference is the work by the league office. Incomparably better than any others I have seen at the D3 level, and they just upgraded the whole websites look again. Well done by the 'CAC administration! Thank you

[nescac1]

D3HforLyfe, interesting thoughts as always.  Losing Scadlock definitely knocks Williams down a peg or two, no doubt, but even without him I don't see nearly such a dramatic difference - if there is any - between Wesleyan (who I think you are  LITTLE too high on) and Williams (who I think you are too low on).  That game in Williamstown was dead even despite the Ephs shooting absolutely horrifically from the foul line (which is not characteristic of them) and the three point line (where they do seem to be gradually improving), whereas Wesleyan had a few really difficult shots fall in big situations including a deep three that banked in.  Wesleyan is no doubt very big, athletic, and REALLY good defensively, but the question of, is there enough shooting and spacing remains with about half of the rotation being non-shooters.  It certainly will help if Hutcherson continues to light it up from three.

I would still have Williams first, despite that loss, if Kyle hadn't suffered the injury; without him, probably third, although anything from 1-6 is plausible.  I think both Wesleyan and Williams are probably legitimately in the 7-15 range nationally right now, with Williams a tad overanked since the injury hasn't really been figured into their national ranking.  But time will tell. 

As for Hannah, your skepticism is fair and admittedly I've yet to see him play.  But he was an acclaimed H.S. player and he has produced really well vs. the three best opponents Colby has played - Bates, Bowdoin and Eastern Conn, which is a borderline Top 25 team.  He's averaged over 16 ppg in those three games, while shooting 8-17 from 3.  His most recent game against Bates, which is not a very good team but does have good guard talent, was especially eye-opening: 23-7-5, 9-15 from the field.  He seems at least on paper to be getting better as the season goes along.  Colby has a tough three next games, Endicott, Salem and Tufts, so we will see how for-real he, and the team, is in short order.  Still, I agree that he is unlikely to finish the season as ROY, my best bet there is still Hutcherson, Farrell, or maybe Draffan in light of his continued off-the-charts production.

Speaking of Draffan, it was against a TERRIBLE team, but last night he did post 27 points, 9 boards and 2 assists in 16 minutes on 11-13 shooting including 2-2 from 3.  I haven't seen him play yet either but his high school highlight tape is very impressive -- he has a game a bit like Kyle Kuzma, long, really smooth with a really nice shot for his size.  Seems to have legit game, but time will tell if it translates to conference play.  Once again, a familiar story at Conn -- a seemingly strong recruiting class and heavy dependence on frosh. Will this group actually stick around for four years to develop, unlike most of the prior strong groups?  Time will tell.  Conn this year would sure be a LOT more interesting with Tyler Rowe and Lee Messier in the backcourt to go along with Labossier and Draffan up front. 

Tufts barely beat Pomona last night.  I watched some of the game and Tufts really picked up the intensity late against a team they probably should have beaten soundly.  It's hard to tell too much from these post-break games as teams are often a bit sluggish.  Still, Tufts is a bit frustrating to watch as they have the athletes to be a lock-down defensive team but aren't yet playing that way except in small spurts.  Also, they do a heck of a lot of one-on-one stuff on offense.  It works pretty well because they have a lot of good one-on-one players, but I think they would be more dangerous if they ran more unpredictable/creative sets.  The good news for Tufts is that KJ Garrett looked dynamite in his first game back.  He, Pace and Savage are as talented a big three on the perimeter as you will see anywhere.  Something definitely seems to be up with Dayton and the starting PG Lapham is not Tarik Smith in terms of ability to create so they need someone else to step up in the backcourt.  Frosh Justin K. came up big last night and he might get more and more run if Dayton continues to have a tough time.   The center position seems OK between Racy and impressive frosh Rogers, and maybe Engvall comes back to give some more beef up front for spot minutes.  Jumbos are a team that can beat anyone on any given night but it's odd to see them struggle to beat FAR less talented teams like Brandeis and Pomona. 

Tremendous group of non-league NESCAC games tonight -- Tufts vs. Claremont, which was a top-25 preseason team but like Tufts has struggled with injuries, but does seem to be getting healthier; Endicott and Keith Brown vs. Colby; Williams vs. Hamline, which has played everyone tough this year and has a soft spot in my heart as the alma mater of Mrs. NESCAC1; Bates hosting Babson, which has been up-and-down but obviously has loads of talent.  And of course the big game, Midd taking on York in a battle of undefeated ranked teams.  Should be fun!

[grabtherim]

Simply put, I think you are way off.  I take umbrage with quotes or thoughts like this from those who allege others to be openly or tacitly racist:
"I am not trying to accuse anyone on here of purposely or consciously trying to incite racially charged emotions or prejudices, because I really don't think any of you are"  Really?  Thanks I feel so much better now. 
Funny how the accuser always separates themselves from those who "might" or "may" be perceived as having racial undertones.  "I don't think any of you..."  as though you are above even the possibility of  doing so yourself.  In other words, the proverbial "you" not me are capable of this.  It's the same longstanding self serving poppycock I have heard from those looking for racism pointing to others while on a high horse throwing everyone but themselves under the racial bus.
To be clear, I have not noticed anything racially motivated on this board and this condescending quote to me is complete BS:
"PARTICULARLY in this region of the country and PARTICULARLY in the context of these small, elite liberal arts institutions.. this truth that can often be overlooked, forgotten, or - more common than any of the proud and "well-educated" white males on this board would like to admit..."
In fact, any type of racism is largely based on false generalizations and assumptions, and while you tacitly accuse others of both,  this quote proves you are quite adept at using each yourself...

"Racial undertones" -  Everyone here must confront the undebatable fact racial undertones may be at play at times on this blog as well as everywhere else. When people have commented in the past on Dawson, Sha Brown, James Wang, Joseph Lin or other racially minorative players in this predominantly white NESCAC basketball conference, it is often hard not to read them as racially insensitive. I am not trying to accuse anyone on here of purposely or consciously trying to incite racially charged emotions or prejudices, because I really don't think any of you are, but racial undertones are a reality of the world we live in and happen all of the time -

[middhoops]

D3HforLyfe!!!
It is SO good to have you back.  You need to be on this board.  Often.
Great job of assessing teams.  I respectfully disagree with some of your well thought out and painstakingly well explained rankings.  However, I'd pay good money to read them.
Stick around.  It's the season.

[JEFFFAN]

I have spent far too much time on the NESCAC football and basketball sites over the past five years - well, maybe not as they are generally enjoyable other than football this past Fall - and I haven't seen racism as a topic yet.  These schools are generally highly liberal schools to begin with and, beyond that, have comparatively bright and reasoned folks.  I just don't see it in the commentary.

I think that Dawson has been a lightning rod because he was a high profile D1 transfer and nothing else.  Amherst has taken a bit of a beating over the years on D1 transfers in football and basketball, perhaps justifiably or perhaps out of jealousy, so that could be the issue here.   Doesn't really matter whether that transfer is black or white - its that he (in this case) is a D1 transfer!

[ContinentalDomer]

Side answer:  Jack D is not done yet.  He will play again very soon.

Separately, here's a good article about Wes' Nathan Krill from the west coast:

https://twitter.com/Wes_Athletics/status/946392067672104961

Happy holidays, everyone! It has been an awesome start to the NESCAC season. A lot of talented players, good teams, and (most importantly) great action on this board. I have had a blast, as always, following your opinions, thoughts, and random basketball tidbits of knowledge. With the exception of a couple of ill-conceived posts - an example being the person who tried to claim that Mike Maker isn't a good enough coach to work at the D1 level - I have really enjoyed this community once again.

Here are my power rankings and some thoughts from the first third of the season. As always, we will learn a lot more about each of these teams once we get into conference play. However, from my perspective, it seems Wesleyan and Middlebury are - by a relatively comfortable margin - the two best teams in the league, Amherst, Hamilton, Bowdoin and Tufts, make-up a very very solid middle of the pack, and then Trinity, Bates, Conn College, and Colby will be in a dog fight for the last playoff spot or two. Here is a little more on each team from what I see. I hope everyone has a great end of '17 and beginning of '18 - Cheers!

(1) Wesleyan - I am unapologetically a Wes fan and have watched them more than any other teams so far this season by a lot so take my opinion here with a serious grain of salt....BUT these guys are really friggin good for D3 basketball. Jordan Bonner has lived up to the pre-season hype and is the leading candidate early on - along with Jack Daly - for POY. Kevin O'Brien is playing at a 1st Team All-CAC level and is one of the most unique players we have had in the conference in a while: A 6'5" point guard who is an incredible competitor, lockdown defender, great passer, and who has dominated a number of games this season without being able to hit (or even attempt) shots outside of the paint. If I was a lower tier team, I would seriously consider intentionally fouling him to throws off Wesleyan's rhythm at times (ala hack-a-shaq style). Defensively, where Reilly teams have always excelled, Jordan Sears anchors it and should be the leading candidate for DPOY. His versatility is obscene. On offense he is strictly a 4/5, but on defense he is whatever you need him to be. Krill and Bascom deserve some ink as the solid seniors every team yearns for. Perhaps most impressive with this team has been the freshman class though. All three are really good in their own unique way. Jordan James has to be leading D3 in dunks per a game and certainly per a minute, and is a point guard's dream to play alongside. He doesn't demand any post touches yet is a great target on drive n' dumps or PnR plays (just lob it up), and is a great presence defensively - similar to the Delpeche twins in many ways. Antoine Walker is instant offense off the bench and reminds me of Vinnie Johnson from back in the day. He is an absolutely fearless little guard and provides them with some much needed perimeter shooting, and can completely change up the vibe of a game if subbed in for O'Brien. And then there is Austin Hutcherson. He broke the starting 5 on a top dozen national team (should be top 5), and absolutely deserves it. Scores from all three levels, cool and calm demeanor, and certainly has his best ball days ahead of him. Long limbs that will fill out and coordination he is still growing into it seems. Most upside in the league. Cards are flying high early, hope I didn't jinx them with this homer write-up.

(2) Middlebury - I owe all of the Middlebury contingent an apology for stupidly doubting Jeff Brown, Jack Daly, Matt Folger, and the true powerhouse that has been built in Pepin. These guys, per usual, are really really good. They are obviously ranked #2 nationally, but I believe both them and Wesleyan are two of the best teams in the country. The panthers play a beautiful brand of basketball - fast paced, ball going side to side, guys knowing and accepting their roles - it is fun to watch. Despite hating on him for his unorthodox style, Mr. Daly is basically averaging a triple-double and I have to give credit where it is due.I love how hard he plays and the way he competes. He is fantastic in all transition setting, but truly EXCEPTIONAL at throw ahead passes when he gets a rebound or a quick outlet (one of the best at any levels). The interesting thing is his half court game isn't that impressive. He isn't that athletic, can't really shoot, and isn't a dynamic 1v1 guy. His synergy rankings are not impressive ("average" on a lot of efficiency fronts)... But he just finds a way to get it done. It's hard not to respect it, even as a bitter opposing fan. Folger has emerged like many of you predicted, but I somehow refused to believe. Majors, Tarantino, and McCord are three peas in a pod just doing their job. Dahleh looks like he is back to his pre-injury form. Freshman Jack Farrell has started from day 1, and understandably so - that kid is a blur in transition, a great finisher, has a tight shooting stroke, and is doing a great job of picking his spots (which can be tough for a freshman as talented as him who is walking into a situation like the one he is in at Midd). Overall, hats off to Coach Brown. Just a truly incredible job by him. I can't wait for when they head to Middletown next weekend. Get your popcorn ready. Obviously, I think Wes has them this year despite that Koby Altman (the current Cavs GM) was in a Midd uniform the last time the Cards beat them. Doesn't matter. NOBODY beats Wesleyan 20 straight times, nobody.

(3) Amherst - It gets tricky for me here. I like Hamilton, but I am still not totally a believer (will get into this more in the next paragraph). Ultimately, I gave Amherst the nod because they are 7-1 despite Johnny McCarthy struggling more than I have ever seen him struggle. He just can't hit anything. I think he is a great player who is just going through a serious slump. Water always finds its level, and McCarthy has proven time and again he is one of the elites in this conference. In my opinion, it is only a matter of time, and, once he does, this team is very dangerous. Riopel is so solid, and reminds me very much of Killian from a couple of years ago. I really respect how he just plays his role, but at an exceptionally high level. The freshman trio of Robinson, Che, and little McCarthy has been great too. I don't think they sniff Wesleyan's Fab Freshmen Trio, but these guys are definitely very good (haha). Robinson has lived up to his pre-season rep and looks to be a star in time, and it's hard not to love Che's activeness all over the place in his minutes. Lastly, a small subtly to why I put them above Hamilton: the Continentals have to come to LeFrak this season. The Mammoths are phenomenal in that little nest of theirs and that fact could be the difference between 3 and 4 in the short 10 game NESCAC slate.

(4) Hamilton - If you remember from my pre-season report, I really am rooting for these guys. I think they deserve conference success on a number of levels, and I want them to crack the top four for the first time since being added to the 'CAC, if nothing else, because I think it would be good for the conference. Undoubtedly, they have a great offensive core. Balance, versatility, shooting, mismatch issues...their starting five really does have a little bit of everything outside of a dominant big. I'm also glad that Gilmour made me look smart and has surpassed Hoffman (at least so far) as 'the guy' - that is ultimately a good thing for Continental fans because Gilmour has a higher ceiling and is a better basketball player. In the end, I remain skeptical as a whole of their chances to compete. As (I believe it was) Polar Bear Fan astutely pointed out, these guys don't play a lick of defense when push comes to shove. They are last, once again, in points allowed and defensive field goal percentage. Unless you run an offense similar to Middlebury's poetry in motion, it is REALLY hard to get away with being that bad defensively. I don't know. Maybe they are offensively that good this year off to hang around with the big dogs of the conference. I will repeat, I want them to and (as this ranking shows) believe that they are at the top of the second tier. But, sadly, I think that is their ceiling until they decide to hone in on the side of the ball that matters more. Side question: Whatsup with one of my favorites in Jack Dwyer?

(5) Williams - Tough bid for Ephs fans. These guys battled Wesleyan in a Little Three instant classic and were firmly locked into my three spot before the devastating Scadlock injury. They will still be very good defensively and be able to score from jacking 3's out of all of their split cut actions, but their ceiling is MUCH lower without Scadlock. He was a top 4 player in the league, and did a lot for Coach App on both ends of the ball. Heskett is going to have to step up. I am a big fan of his, but he has been disappointing thus far (despite averaging 14 ppg, hasn't been great in the "meaningful" minutes). I expected him to take a big step forward this season, and now he will absolutely need to if these guys are going to compete to stay in the top half of the league. Cole Teal has really been slumping so far, but I expect him to find his rhythm come conference play - once again too good of a player/shooter not to start hitting shots. On a brighter side, Bobby Casey has been really good. Never been a huge Casey fan - for his size and frame I always needed him to be tougher/grittier - but even I have really respected how he has played so far. Lastly, I love App as a coach, but PLEASE play Karpowicz more!

(6) Tufts - I think my biggest miss of the pre-season, but they have also been plagued more than anyone by the injury bug. Everett Dayton is a shadow of the player he was the last season and a half when he was the glue that held all of the talented Jumbo pieces together. KJ Garrett has also only played one game, which is obviously a big loss considering he is one of the best athletes our league has had in years. Ben Engvall has yet to play a game either. Hoping Dayton can get back to form by conference play, but he didn't look it last night versus Pomona-Pitzer and I don't know what the statuses of Garrett of Engvall are. Regardless, these guys still have talent and that will win them at least a handful of games. Vinny Pace has shown glimpses of sophomore year VP and just needs to be more consistent, Eric Savage has taken the biggest step forward of anyone - along with spellman -from last season to this (and is definitely an All-CAC candidate), and I like Pat Racy as a good role player. In the end though, this team is flawed and will struggle without their entire roster. They don't have enough size, miss Ethan Feldman (who, last I checked, was CRUSHING it at NYU), and aren't very disciplined defensively or offensively.

(7) Bowdoin - These guys are a tough team to figure out. They seemed to have it rolling a bit before laying two terrible eggs at Colby and against St. Joe's. I wasn't very high on them to begin the season, and I am going to hold strong to that here by putting them at #7. O'Neil continues to be his solid self and Reynolds has taken a big step forward (despite still not starting or playing as many minutes as he seemingly deserves? - to be honest, the only game I've watch them play this year was their win against a disappointing Babson team). Question to the board: Has Jack Simonds played his best basketball? I really like him as a player, but does he ever go up from his phenomenal first year and a half? Nonetheless, I don't think these guys are any better than a 6th place regular season finish. However, at worst, I could see them sitting at home for the NESCAC Quarters once again.

(8) Trinity - The only reason I put them in the playoffs is because they continue to be so damn tough. Jeremy Arthur has been good, unsurprisingly since he is a very talented and versatile player. I thought Gendron would step as their guy this season. Maybe he will for conference play, but he hasn't been it so far. We will see. If nothing else, it is fun to watch Cosgrove legitimately play a 15 man rotation in close games.

(9) Bates - Jeff Spellman has been electrifying so far this season. A great stroke, athletic, and awesome rhythm to his game. After a crazy path to Bates, happy to see him settling into a good situation. Coyne is sporadic, but can get hot fast and is dangerous. Gilpin is what he is, and solid at that. I think they would be better suited giving Hummel's minutes to someone else (Zukowski if healthy), but, more importantly, Bates NEEDS big men. They have no one to control the paint on either end of the ball and that is going to be a serious problem come conference play. Due to that, ceiling isn't very high in the real L.A. this season.

(10) Conn College - Admittedly haven't watched one second of CC so far, but not surprised to see Labossiere take a big step forward statistically with so much more usage. He is extremely talented. Excited to watch Draffan as he has been putting up some good numbers as a freshman.

(11) Colby - Despite a nice start and nice win against Bowdoin, I still think they are the worst team in the league. Matt Hanna is definitely a talented and impressive freshman and having, but I'm not sure if it will sustain as much in NESCAC play where teams will throw length at him and really limit clean looks. These guys are fully on board with the new wave of hoops, and are still chucking up trey balls at a rate that must be making Dick Whitmore scratch his head. Look at Sam Jefferson for instance: Shooting 8 threes per a game and only hitting 29% of them. Guy isn't afraid to get them up! Anyways, maybe they will surprise me and finish 9th. I'm not counting that out as a possibility, but I would be shocked if they make the NESCAC tournament.

[Old Guy]

Midd drops its first game, 90-87 in OT, to York (10-0) in a highly competitive game between two good teams. I will leave the analysis to Bucket after he catches his breath, as he was there. Hard to beat a good team if you turn the ball over 27 times, to state the obvious.

[Bucket]

It was joy to welcome the Midd Family to my hometown and alma mater today, though more than a bit surreal to be watching the Panthers on a court that I once knew so well. Also had the opportunity to catch up with former professors and family friends; all understood my Middlebury allegiance in a hoped for match-up with the host tomorrow. Sadly, it is not to be, though it's certainly not for a lack of effort or heart.

A valiant effort by the Panthers to nearly steal a win on a day that was, quite simply, not theirs. Midd was playing catch up all day, a victim of too many turnovers (27) and poor shooting, especially from deep (24 percent). York is long and quick, snuffing out passing lanes and blocking and altering many shots. Every time it looked like the Panthers had a run in them, York closed the window, getting stops and converting inside and out on the other end.

And then that run happened. Trailing by 10 with under 4:00 to play, Midd had stops on four consecutive York possessions. A Dahleh layup and 3s from Folger and Daly, and it's a 2-point game with under 3:00 to play. York misses free throws, but Midd can't tie it, then the Spartans stretch the lead back to 4. But then a Daly drive and score, a Majors steal, and a Folger 3. Panthers lead by 1 with :50 to play. Steal Farrell and a foul at the rim. He makes 1 of 2.

York goes inside to one of their two terrific bigs who were monsters on the blocks. Tie game. Midd holds for a potential game winner, but York forces a Daly turnover with :04 remaining. Overtime.

York holds a slim advantage after a few minutes, but then Midd trailing by 4, Daly called for an offensive foul, his fifth personal, with 2:00 to play. Midd comes up empty on successive possessions, York stretches their lead to 8. Now under :30 to play.

But then a Leighton 3 and a quick foul. York, which had struggled from the line all night, manages 1 of 2. 6 point game.

Majors lay-up and a time out. Four-point game :19 to play. York 1 of 2 from the line. Folger 3 w/ 10 seconds left. And then—a 5-second call. Will Ingram denies the inbounds. And, improbably, Midd has the ball with a chance to tie. But one of the lanky York bigs deflects the inbounds pass (and if he doesn't it looks like Majors would have been wide open in the paint to tie it). But even with :04 left, there's still life for the Panthers. York keeps the door open, again making only 1 of 2. Jack Farrell races up the court and pulls up from the right wing for a potential tying 3. It's online. But just short, grabbing the front of the rim.

You win or you lose; I don't really believe in moral victories. But you can learn a lot about a team when facing adversity, and Middlebury really showed something on a night when the shots weren't falling (7/29 from deep) and when too many possessions ended without even a shot. I'd like to think that the way this game played out—against a very good team—will serve Midd well down the road; I don't think the players will think they are ever out of a game until the final buzzer sounds.

Other observations: York bigs were as good as advertised, just really difficult to defend, and nearly impossible to stop if they got the ball on the blocks or deep in the paint. * Guard Jason Brady had four spectacular blocks on Midd lay-ups—one that looked a lot like a goal tend, though that might have been wishful thinking—on plays that Midd almost always converts. * Jack Farrell was everywhere. 5 steals. He struggled with his outside shot (3-15, 0-5 from 3), but the shots looked good; they just did't fall. * York guards made life difficult for Jack Daly, and they were in his ear and face all game. They seemed to think they had gotten the best of him time and again, but then he drops a couple of huge 3s, and York got really quite. 20 points, 4 steals, 5 assists, 4 boards. And somehow that seems subpar for him? Crazy. * 22 and 12 for Folger, plus 3 blocks. As good as the York bigs were, Folger was the best player on the floor.

I sure wish Midd was playing W&L tomorrow, if only for the competition and the atmosphere. But at least I can now cheer for the Generals in the championship game.

[nescac1]

And Williams goes down to Hamline by two points.  The Ephs were up by 12 in the second half and pretty much fell apart.  A combination of great play by Hamline and some poor play and cryptic decision-making by the Ephs. 

It was a shooting exhibition for both teams and Williams was on fire from three, hitting a scorching 14 of 31.  Unfortunately for the Ephs, they could do little else on offense.  For the second time in two losses, the free throw shooting was horrific -- 3-9.  That is pretty awful in a two-point loss.  The center position was an absolute disaster for Williams today vs. a much smaller Hamline team.  Karp and Kempton went a combined 2-9 missing a number of point-blank shots at the rim and both turning the ball over several times.  Neither looked remotely in sync and had trouble guarding Hamline's smaller lineup on the other end.  I was surprised App struck with a clearly-struggling Kempton as long as he did especially when Marcos Soto was having his best game of the year by far on offense and would have been a better choice to guard Hamline's style of play featuring five guys on the perimeter.  The other thing I don't get is how Williams didn't work to get James Heskett more shots.  He was brilliant all day, finishing with 24 points on only 12 shot attempts (that is pretty darn efficient), doing it inside and out.  He needs to touch the ball more and ideally play a few more minutes than he did.  Bobby Casey also had an excellent game for Williams, as did Marcos Soto.  The rest of the squad really struggled.

Hamline was absolutely scorching hot in the second half, led by a brilliant effort from Zach Smith, who could not miss from anywhere and hit a number of difficult running shots.  He finished with 31.  As great as he played and as many tough shots as he hit, Williams did not make it NEARLY tough enough for him on defense.  Hamline used a lot of very effective, very hard screens to free shooters up, especially Smith, on the perimeter. and Williams never figured out any sort of strategy to deny him the ball with looks at the basket.  Williams bigger, slower guys struggled to guard on the perimeter, as you would expect, which is OK if they are able to dominate on the interior on the other end, but that simply didn't happen today.  Credit to Hamiline who plays a really precise offense that is more than the sum of its parts and is difficult to guard, but the Ephs' defensive A game didn't appear at all today, they just looked sluggish and a step slow fighting through screens or switching all day long.  A very discouraging start to the second part of the season for Williams. 

[Cards Fan]

Additional Points To Mention:
Maker is the right guy for Marist - As I already mentioned in the introduction, I firmly disagree with the comment by someone about Maker being "over his head" at Marist. Mike Maker is a GREAT coach. Smart, classy, and experienced. If Marist administration is wise, they will give him a decade to try to fix it. He walked to into an awful situation at a place that is extremely hard to win, particularly when trying to do it without cheating like Maker is. He still has the last holdovers from the previous coaching staff as seniors now. Give him the time he deserves and has earned at this point.
"Racial undertones" - First off, I agree that it is time to move on from the Dawson debates. He has gone off into the 'real world' and is probably doing something cool with his amherst degree. If he has moved on, so shall we. Not to mention, we have too many interesting storylines in the league contemporarily to be backtracking in anything other than a nostalgic way. However, before we move on, I feel the need to chime in here. Old Guy, I am happy you didn't back down from your comment. You said nothing wrong and treaded extremely lightly with words such as "might" when even that wasn't needed. Everyone here must confront the undebatable fact racial undertones may be at play at times on this blog as well as everywhere else. When people have commented in the past on Dawson, Sha Brown, James Wang, Joseph Lin or other racially minorative players in this predominantly white NESCAC basketball conference, it is often hard not to read them as racially insensitive. I am not trying to accuse anyone on here of purposely or consciously trying to incite racially charged emotions or prejudices, because I really don't think any of you are, but racial undertones are a reality of the world we live in and happen all of the time - PARTICULARLY in this region of the country and PARTICULARLY in the context of these small, elite liberal arts institutions. Me, personally, want to thank Old Guy for reminding us all of this truth that can often be overlooked, forgotten, or - more common than any of the proud and "well-educated" white males on this board would like to admit - unknown. If nothing else, it is something to take into consideration before pushing post.
Hanna ROY?!  NESCAC1, you are routinely one of my favorite people to read on this board and your knowledge of this great league is matched by very few...but stop with this! Are you related to Hanna? I almost fell off of my couch when I read you put him at #1. I would put Hutcherson, Farrell, James, and Robinson above him easily. First off, all of those guys are better right now than Hanna and would all be putting up better numbers if they were on Colby. Second, there needs to be some account for that perhaps his numbers, similar to Draffan's, are good numbers on a bad team that are using them an insane amount for a freshman. I think Tucker, Kornaker, and Walker are better too. Nothing against Hanna, he is definitely a talent and a top 10 freshman in the league (and debatably top 5), but no way should win this award or be leading the conversation, imo.
My Basketball Mount Rushmore: At a few different points I have seen people bring up their mount rushmore's of hoops so I will give mine - Jordan, Kareem, LeBron, Russell. It is tragic how often Kareem is left off of people's lists - his accolades speak for themselves and he is quite possibly the best ambassador the game has ever had.
Nice New NESCAC Home Page: One thing I have always appreciated about our conference is the work by the league office. Incomparably better than any others I have seen at the D3 level, and they just upgraded the whole websites look again. Well done by the 'CAC administration! Thank you

I missed the discussion, but I think I should make it clear there were no "racial undertones" about my question. It was solely about a player. Period.

[Bucket]

Additional Points To Mention:
Maker is the right guy for Marist - As I already mentioned in the introduction, I firmly disagree with the comment by someone about Maker being "over his head" at Marist. Mike Maker is a GREAT coach. Smart, classy, and experienced. If Marist administration is wise, they will give him a decade to try to fix it. He walked to into an awful situation at a place that is extremely hard to win, particularly when trying to do it without cheating like Maker is. He still has the last holdovers from the previous coaching staff as seniors now. Give him the time he deserves and has earned at this point.
"Racial undertones" - First off, I agree that it is time to move on from the Dawson debates. He has gone off into the 'real world' and is probably doing something cool with his amherst degree. If he has moved on, so shall we. Not to mention, we have too many interesting storylines in the league contemporarily to be backtracking in anything other than a nostalgic way. However, before we move on, I feel the need to chime in here. Old Guy, I am happy you didn't back down from your comment. You said nothing wrong and treaded extremely lightly with words such as "might" when even that wasn't needed. Everyone here must confront the undebatable fact racial undertones may be at play at times on this blog as well as everywhere else. When people have commented in the past on Dawson, Sha Brown, James Wang, Joseph Lin or other racially minorative players in this predominantly white NESCAC basketball conference, it is often hard not to read them as racially insensitive. I am not trying to accuse anyone on here of purposely or consciously trying to incite racially charged emotions or prejudices, because I really don't think any of you are, but racial undertones are a reality of the world we live in and happen all of the time - PARTICULARLY in this region of the country and PARTICULARLY in the context of these small, elite liberal arts institutions. Me, personally, want to thank Old Guy for reminding us all of this truth that can often be overlooked, forgotten, or - more common than any of the proud and "well-educated" white males on this board would like to admit - unknown. If nothing else, it is something to take into consideration before pushing post.
Hanna ROY?!  NESCAC1, you are routinely one of my favorite people to read on this board and your knowledge of this great league is matched by very few...but stop with this! Are you related to Hanna? I almost fell off of my couch when I read you put him at #1. I would put Hutcherson, Farrell, James, and Robinson above him easily. First off, all of those guys are better right now than Hanna and would all be putting up better numbers if they were on Colby. Second, there needs to be some account for that perhaps his numbers, similar to Draffan's, are good numbers on a bad team that are using them an insane amount for a freshman. I think Tucker, Kornaker, and Walker are better too. Nothing against Hanna, he is definitely a talent and a top 10 freshman in the league (and debatably top 5), but no way should win this award or be leading the conversation, imo.
My Basketball Mount Rushmore: At a few different points I have seen people bring up their mount rushmore's of hoops so I will give mine - Jordan, Kareem, LeBron, Russell. It is tragic how often Kareem is left off of people's lists - his accolades speak for themselves and he is quite possibly the best ambassador the game has ever had.
Nice New NESCAC Home Page: One thing I have always appreciated about our conference is the work by the league office. Incomparably better than any others I have seen at the D3 level, and they just upgraded the whole websites look again. Well done by the 'CAC administration! Thank you

I missed the discussion, but I think I should make it clear there were no "racial undertones" about my question. It was solely about a player. Period.

I probably shouldn't be speaking for Old Guy—he's more than capable of speaking for himself!—but I don't think his commentary was directed at you, but rather a broader query about discussion and criticism of Dawson in general, and not just recently.

[4samuy]

Midd drops its first game, 90-87 in OT, to York (10-0) in a highly competitive game between two good teams. I will leave the analysis to Bucket after he catches his breath, as he was there. Hard to beat a good team if you turn the ball over 27 times, to state the obvious.

York beat a good team with 25 turnovers, so it's really not stating the obvious.

[grabtherim]

Bucket's analysis on the Midd/York game was spot on.  No excuses and no moral victories.  Time to get past the next game healthy as all the teams hope to do, and start playing the league schedule.  This next 6-8 weeks should be fantastic.  Good luck to everyone.