MBB: NESCAC

[ronk]

Williams and probably some other NESCAC's offer "slots". Each coach is given a certain number of slots to work with each year and if kids choose to take a gap year, the coach has to use a slot again for them the next year. So for example, if Williams recruited five class of 2024 guys and three take gap years, the coach can only recruit two guys for 2025. For the NESCAC's that offer significant support rather than slots, I don't think that it's an issue.

What's the difference between being a "slot" vs non-slot athlete?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Williams and probably some other NESCAC's offer "slots". Each coach is given a certain number of slots to work with each year and if kids choose to take a gap year, the coach has to use a slot again for them the next year. So for example, if Williams recruited five class of 2024 guys and three take gap years, the coach can only recruit two guys for 2025. For the NESCAC's that offer significant support rather than slots, I don't think that it's an issue.

What's the difference between being a "slot" vs non-slot athlete?

It's essentially guaranteed admission, right?  If they otherwise qualify for admission, they get picked for athletic ability.  Some elite schools save spaces for athletes; others don't (meaning athletes have to get admitted on non-athletic merit).  Or are you talking about something else entirely?

[WUPHF]

Its more of a preference than a slot.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Its more of a preference than a slot.

Yeah, but where they exist, there's a limited number - at least, evidently, in some places.  I've heard it most often being limited by class, not by overall team, but that's certainly one way to do it.

[WUPHF]

Yeah, but where they exist, there's a limited number...

Except at Emory. Ba-dump-bump...

I know Amherst and Williams gets a lot of applications, but the idea that a student who graduates in 5 years throws off preferences by a year...

I am not saying its wrong, but I find it hard to believe.

[SpringSt7]

As far as I know as long as each applicant meets the requirements for admission, they can get in. Once the coaches start playing with averages and trying to get a couple of guys who are below the typical standards, I'm sure things can get a little funky. But as far as teams being limited to a set # of guys, I don't think that's true.

[nescac1]

About half of NESCAC schools have posted rosters, and a few of those reveal some potentially interesting information:

Schools posting "practice rosters," which appear to be the players actually on campus:

Wesleyan: https://athletics.wesleyan.edu/sports/mbball/roster (missing Ravetz, Dezonie, Walker and James among returning players, which suggests that all of Wesleyan's key guys other than Peek and Maccoux may be taking a year off).  If Peek is graduating in 2022, I wonder if he tries to go for a D1 postgrad opportunity.  He has the talent to do so, if he keeps improving, in my view. 

Conn College: https://camelathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster (missing nearly all of Conn's key returning guys, Draffan, McPherron, Allen and Carlin).  Conn may be the most improved team in D3 next year, certainly in NESCAC, assuming those four guys are all taking a year off and return, because its frosh class is LOADED and a bunch of those tall, skinny newcomers could really benefit from a year of weight training on campus. 

Other rosters that are less illuminating, because they don't appear to show who is taking time off:

https://athletics.middlebury.edu/sports/mbball/roster/2020-21 (note, no Alex Sobel)
https://bantamsports.com/sports/mbball/roster?path=mbball  (Trinity I'm sure is hoping that Donovan and Jorden return for a fifth year)
https://colbyathletics.com/sports/mbball/roster (someone here previously posted that Colby's seniors were going to return next year, so again, this doesn't seem to reflect who is taking a year off)

In other New England news. St. Joseph's (CT) posted its roster and they are going to be loaded in 21-22 (legit top five preseason team), as all but one of its key guys returns from last year's team, and only one of those is a senior this year (and I think it's a good bet some of those guys end up returning for an extra year).  St. Joseph's added at least three highly-regarded players, two frosh recruits and a JUCO transfer, all of whom were highly-ranked players in New England in high school.  They also added a big man man from IMG, which is usually a very strong athletic pedigree.

http://www.usjbluejays.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/roster

Craziest roster I've seen: Swarthmore.  One guy!  I guess the rest of the team must be taking the year off in anticipation of being the national title pre-season favorites?  Also, Swarthmore has FOUR assistant coaches?  That's crazy.  The transformation in the Swarthmore hoops culture is complete!

https://swarthmoreathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster

[jayhawk]

believe Amherst has 8 players taking a gap year including one freshman

[jmcozenlaw]

About half of NESCAC schools have posted rosters, and a few of those reveal some potentially interesting information:

Schools posting "practice rosters," which appear to be the players actually on campus:

Wesleyan: https://athletics.wesleyan.edu/sports/mbball/roster (missing Ravetz, Dezonie, Walker and James among returning players, which suggests that all of Wesleyan's key guys other than Peek and Maccoux may be taking a year off).  If Peek is graduating in 2022, I wonder if he tries to go for a D1 postgrad opportunity.  He has the talent to do so, if he keeps improving, in my view. 

Conn College: https://camelathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster (missing nearly all of Conn's key returning guys, Draffan, McPherron, Allen and Carlin).  Conn may be the most improved team in D3 next year, certainly in NESCAC, assuming those four guys are all taking a year off and return, because its frosh class is LOADED and a bunch of those tall, skinny newcomers could really benefit from a year of weight training on campus. 

Other rosters that are less illuminating, because they don't appear to show who is taking time off:

https://athletics.middlebury.edu/sports/mbball/roster/2020-21 (note, no Alex Sobel)
https://bantamsports.com/sports/mbball/roster?path=mbball  (Trinity I'm sure is hoping that Donovan and Jorden return for a fifth year)
https://colbyathletics.com/sports/mbball/roster (someone here previously posted that Colby's seniors were going to return next year, so again, this doesn't seem to reflect who is taking a year off)

In other New England news. St. Joseph's (CT) posted its roster and they are going to be loaded in 21-22 (legit top five preseason team), as all but one of its key guys returns from last year's team, and only one of those is a senior this year (and I think it's a good bet some of those guys end up returning for an extra year).  St. Joseph's added at least three highly-regarded players, two frosh recruits and a JUCO transfer, all of whom were highly-ranked players in New England in high school.  They also added a big man man from IMG, which is usually a very strong athletic pedigree.

http://www.usjbluejays.com/sports/mbkb/2020-21/roster

Craziest roster I've seen: Swarthmore.  One guy!  I guess the rest of the team must be taking the year off in anticipation of being the national title pre-season favorites?  Also, Swarthmore has FOUR assistant coaches?  That's crazy.  The transformation in the Swarthmore hoops culture is complete!

https://swarthmoreathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster

As with many schools, the Swarthmore (my undergrad alma mater) "roster" was deleted, started and quickly brushed aside as other fires were being put out around campus. I'm not paying much attention to most of the rosters, as the slimmed down (12 game?) winter half-season becomes less likely as the COVID numbers spike. I've had several AD's and SID's tell me that their online rosters might just be purged when that decision is finalized in the not too distant future. In non-NESCAC and non-UAA universes, there is a fear of poaching, especially on the football side.

[nescac1]

Nice commitment for Middlebury, PG Jaden Bobbitt, ranked #22 in MA:

https://twitter.com/jbobbett2/status/1332731187807326209?s=21

[D3 Basketball912]

Williams and probably some other NESCAC's offer "slots". Each coach is given a certain number of slots to work with each year and if kids choose to take a gap year, the coach has to use a slot again for them the next year. So for example, if Williams recruited five class of 2024 guys and three take gap years, the coach can only recruit two guys for 2025. For the NESCAC's that offer significant support rather than slots, I don't think that it's an issue.

What's the difference between being a "slot" vs non-slot athlete?

It's essentially guaranteed admission, right?  If they otherwise qualify for admission, they get picked for athletic ability.  Some elite schools save spaces for athletes; others don't (meaning athletes have to get admitted on non-athletic merit).  Or are you talking about something else entirely?

Having talked with many NESCAC coaches, the way it works is that most schools offer significant support to athletes. These athletes must pass an admissions pre-reads where an admissions officer says that they meet certain academic baselines and if the coach agrees to support their application, usually ED1 or ED2 for schools that have ED2, they will likely get in. The academic standards vary by sport as football always has the lowest standards and the most recruits while niche sports tend to have higher standards and fewer recruits. However, this is NOT a guarantee as coaches at these schools submit lists of their recruits that commit to applying ED1 or 2. The admissions office is not required to take any of these recruits though they take most if not usually all and the coach at a school with significant support is usually given a target number of recruits to be on their list though they have some flexibility. Because these schools don't have official "slots", recruits admitted with coaches support who choose to take a gap year are not counted again on the same coaches list for two years in a row.

Williams, the Ivies, possibly a few other NESCAC's have slots in admission rather than significant admissions support. The admissions office and the athletic department determine how many recruited athletes will make up each incoming class and the slots are split up by sport with most sports usually getting the same amount of slots with little variance unless one sport is in need of a significant rebuild and that sport will get extra slots for that year or a few years to help make them competitive. For schools with slots, athletes who take a gap year before enrolling hold a slot for two years because for example if they take a slot for the class of 2024, but then take a gap year and join the class of 2025, they will take a slot in the class of 2025 because admissions limits the number of incoming recruits for each sport. If a recruit who got a slot were to take a gap year and not get a slot for the second year, that sport would have more recruits than are allotted which would take away from the number of non-recruits the school is able to admit that year. That is why if you look at most teams from schools that give out slots, you will see that their whole freshman class chose to enroll this year even though they knew they wouldn't compete. The coaches required them to enroll in their original class or risk losing their slot. For a few teams however, freshman were not required to enroll and those teams will have their 2024 recruits who take a gap year take up slots in 2025 as well.

This is a long answer but hopefully it explains everything.

[ronk]

 Thanks for the explanation; just not clear on "losing their slot" - if basketball gets 4 slots/yr, e.g., and a 2024 slot chooses to wait til next year, I would think it shouldn't affect future years of slots, just that the coach would have to do with 1 fewer slot player in that gap year.

[D3 Basketball912]

If the coach is the reason a student-athlete is admitted to a school, the coach can require the student-athlete to enroll that year. What I meant by losing their slot was that if the coach requires a student-athlete to enroll and they choose to take a gap year anyway, the student-athlete may lose their slot as the coach will give it to someone else.

What you said is correct though the coaches number of slots won't be affected just that if they allow recruits to take a gap year, they will be required to give the recruit a slot in their original graduating class and their new graduating class after taking a gap year.

[SpringSt7]

I'm a little confused as to your using Williams as an example of getting a set amount of slots with minimal year to year variance?

Their # of recruits per year under Kevin App: 4, 6, 3, 3, 4, 6

If the number was 4, for example, wouldn't App make sure he was getting 4 guys in every single year? I find it more likely that admissions has a standard for test scores, GPA, etc., for athletes that is different from team to team, and it is up to the coach's discretion as to whom they take each year.

[D3 Basketball912]

You are right. The number of spots varies year by year for sports at Williams and for basketball the minimum amount of spots appears to be three with that number varying based on how good the team is, the positional needs of a team based on who is graduating, and if other sports are in need of more slots that year for any of the reasons listed above.

Admissions does have a minimum standard for GPA, and test scores though at a place as popular as Williams, App could find a lot of kids who are qualified academically and have the potential to contribute. There is a cap on how many slots the athletic department has and each sport gets a minimum amount of slots every year while the rest of the slots allotted to the athletic department from admissions are given out based on team needs.