MBB: NESCAC

[nescac1]

Update on Sobel's plans from a post on seniors with remaining eligibility board:

https://tbrnewsmedia.com/old-field-resident-scores-big-during-college-basketball-career/

[JEFFFAN]

From a Midd fan who rooted against his teams for years, Congrats to Dave Hixon on getting inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame along with a really impressive class.

Pretty amazing!   The first coach who coached his entire career in Division 3 to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.   Great for Amherst, great for NESCAC!

https://www.masslive.com/sports/2023/04/legendary-amherst-coach-david-hixon-overwhelmed-by-basketball-hall-of-fame-induction-ive-been-blessed-for-a-long-time.html

[Sabrina76]

Dave was a teammate and fraternity brother of mine though a class ahead. This is obviously a great honor for him and one he certainly never expected following the career path he chose. Imagine a D3 coach being inducted in the HOF for just being that. Dave was a coach's son, his father a very highly respected one at Andover High, and always thought like one. This was the career he truly wanted. His timing was great as Rick Wilson, the long, longtime Amherst coach, who was credited with being the first one to use a full court press (against Holy Cross the year after Cousy left) was ready to retire, staying for Rehnquist's senior year. Hix was his assistant and given his strong relationship with Rick and athletic director Peter Gooding he was given the job at a very young age. This would never happen in this day and age for reasons which needn't be said. Nonetheless a great choice. He could have left, particularly when he was bypassed for AD, but that really wasn't Dave's m.o. Dave is a quality guy. Just the type of individual that a college would be proud to have representing its school. A great teammate and fraternity brother. Our frat had a less than stellar reputation given some rowdy hockey and football players. I just received an email from one of my roommates forwarding an old economics prof's excitement on Dave's selection who said it was nice to see a DU (Delta Upsilon) in the news but not in the police blotter. This is wonderful for Dave, a most deserving individual.

[quicksilver]

Moving this to the front and updating the list of NESAC recruits:

Amherst:

Nate Pablis, 6'6 SG, Flint Hill (VA)
Johnny McCain, 6'0 G, Canterbury (#19 Connecticut)
Marc Garraud, 5'8 G, Noble and Greenough

Bates:

Cole Decker, 6'5 G, Archbishop Stepinac (New York)

Bowdoin:

Justus Bardauskas, 6'7 F, Loomis Chaffee (#49 New England, #17 Connecticut)
Ben Chilson: 6'5 SG, Tunkhannock (PA)
. . .

@NESCAC1

One more for Bowdoin:

Natrel Allen, 6'4 SF, Deerfield (PG) (graduate of Noble & Geenough)

[nescac1]

Thanks quicksilver.  Seems like a really nice incoming class for Bowdoin.

Trinity has for the second straight year a really impressive class.  Tristan Davis, 41 in New England, signed on, in addition to Jared Berry, 53 in New England.  Trinity will have a lot of talent to build around the next few years, especially if Callahan-Gold plays two more seasons.

[nescac1]

Seems like there is quite a lot of D1 interest in Sobel:

https://twitter.com/portal_updates/status/1645178278758449157?s=46&t=f6sxXDdfYkdSSeU0Te9c9A

UMass
Northeastern
Stony Brook
Sacred Heart
Toledo
UMBC
Quinnipiac
Fairfield

Meanwhile, still no update on King and Maccoux, and whether Thoerner will play a fifth year remains a mystery. 

[SpringSt7]

https://twitter.com/stevenD3Hoops/status/1647778383982460928?s=20

Dylan Thoerner taking a visit this weekend to his hometown UC Irvine. Seems like it would make a ton of sense. There has been little else reported on Thoerner's recruitment so if this doesn't work out I do wonder if he might return to Tufts, which would have massive implications on the shape of the league.

[nescac1]

That would be very cool if Thoerner got an opportunity to play for his home-town team. 

Congrats to Eph assistant coach Steve Phillips on being named head coach at Kenyon:

https://athletics.kenyon.edu/news/2023/4/20/mens-basketball-phillips-hired-to-operate-owls-basketball-program.aspx

[AmherstStudent05]

Congratulations to Aaron Toomey on being named Head Basketball Coach at the University of Hartford!  I am very happy for him and will be rooting him on.  I suspect the Hawks have made an outstanding hire.

https://hartfordhawks.com/news/2023/4/21/aaron-toomey-selected-to-lead-hartford-mens-basketball-program.aspx

[toad22]

I doubt it will take Toomey and UHart very long to become a power in D3.

[ccd494]

It's going to be interesting to see how things work out at Hartford.  The existing Hawks fans, donors, and alumni who have been involved with Hartford athletics all have stated that they have zero interest in the D3 Hawks, or the school at all at this point.

[WUPHF]

It's going to be interesting to see how things work out at Hartford.  The existing Hawks fans, donors, and alumni who have been involved with Hartford athletics all have stated that they have zero interest in the D3 Hawks, or the school at all at this point.

So, more or less the status quo in Hartford then?

[SpringSt7]

I would feel a lot more confident in Hartford's ability to have success if it was not for St. Joe's, who I would imagine is attracting the same type of talent that Hartford is going to try to attract in the CT/NY area, D1 transfers, etc. But St. Joe's is already doing it, has an established track record, and with all due respect to Toomey, has a much better and more experienced coaching staff. Not to mention they are joining the CCC where Nichols has dominated with a similar blueprint.

I also, quite frankly, am a little confused by the Toomey hire from a Hartford experience just because he has essentially spent the last decade of his life at high, high academic schools and basketball programs and I would assume Hartford will have a different type of player and personality. Now basketball is basketball and it's 5 on 5 with two 10 foot hoops no matter what so I assume Toomey will do just fine but I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised that they hired him for that reason.

[WUPHF]

I am more surprised that Hartford did not hire one of the assistants though for Toomey, I imagine being at a university with an engineering school, fine arts, and other graduate programs was important to the hiring committee.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

There are a lot of coaches who seem like perfects fits at the high academic schools to the point they might not fit in well elsewhere. I don't think Toomey is that kind of personality.  He's been at Vassar and Rochester because he knows the high academic world and is comfortable working there - but he's a great recruiter and he knows the whole high school UAA landscape really well.  I think he'll adapt just fine to a place like Hartford, where you recruiting pool is expanded, but it's not necessarily open to anyone - it's still a cut above Nichols and some of the schools they'll be competing with, even if its not a NESCAC level place.  All of his experience will serve him well, I think.

You have to give the Hartford leadership credit for one thing: they're jumping into d3hoops with both feel.  Polly Thomason and Aaron Toomey are d3 to the core.  Definitely "no hesitation" hires.