MBB: NESCAC

[SpringSt7]

As a Williams fan, I apologize for taking it upon myself for praising the season Trinity has had. Clearly would've been better saying no nice things about them at all and leaving it to the hordes of other die hard Trinity fans on here that talk about them ad nauseum

[NESCACBBALLFAN]

Don't mean to jump the gun here, but a quick look ahead to next year. 3-7 are an absolute toss up to me.

1. Trinity. Obviously dependent on what BCG intends to do - as mentioned before, he could garner some low major interest - but Trinity has the distinct advantage of offering graduate programs. I believe Dorion can return as well. Smith is a big loss but they can certainly recover. Primed for another big year.
2. Tufts. Returning all but Dieterle and McClarren. Morakis is good defensively and handling the ball but struggles to get to his spots offensively against taller defenders. Gymesi is an early POY candidate - the outside shooting element of his game emerged late in the season and surprised many spectators (If I was an opponent - Yikes). Champion seems to be the only true perimeter scoring threat (Outside of Reilley, who is a quality player). I wonder if he will remain the sixth man next year and include Medley in the starting lineup. I'm not sure if that makes sense to  me, but Coach Linton looks to have a good grasp on his lineup. If Bernstein matures into a more consistent offensive threat, Tufts could be the team to beat.
3. Hamilton. An interesting down year for the continentals with two of the best scorers in the conference. Opposing coaches did a much better job game planning against Singh compared to last year - having a full year of film on hand helps in taking away his left hand. I expect them to rebound next year. They're very young and have size. Keyhani showed flashes of brilliance from beyond the arc but was derailed by injuries - he is a valuable third options for the conts.
4. Williams. Struggle to see how they can improve on this years unexpected success. I think CPS is the unsung hero of that team and his departure could be problematic. Outside of Lee (who I would expect to be an all conference player next year), the Ephs are losing their best perimeter scorer and playmaker. Shooters like McGraw and Porter (can Porter come back to Williams?) might be able to fill the gap left by Stoddard, but I'm of the belief that teams need players who can create instant offense on their own. I can't point out who that is next year. They will always be solid defensively and on the glass but the offensive woes could continue into next year.
5. Middlebury. A down year as well following the departure of Sobel. The good news is that a slew of injuries allowed young players to make strides developmentally. Joseph consistently paced the Panthers offensively down the stretch - he might go into next season as the primary option. Flaks was impressive in multiple outings, and it always helps to have a seasoned vet like Bobbett off the bench. Cisse graduating hurts them but expect Witherington and Mckersie to fill the void. Cwalina is one of the best young threats from distance in the conference. And lest we forget Sam Stevens - he can be the best player in the contest any given night.
6. Wesleyan. Returning their entire starting lineup. Offensively a very capable team but struggle guarding on the defensive end. I expect Reagan to follow up an impressive showing with another big year - he's one of the few players in the league who can score consistently on all three levels. Johnson impacts all aspects of the game but can hopefully take a leap statistically. Pohlman snuck into a starting role at the end of the year - he's got a good feel for the game but needs to be able to space the floor better at the two spot. Hauser was their best three point shooter - having a four who can shoot especially important to a guard like Johnson. 
7. Amherst. My prognosis entirely speculative. I have few expectations going forward, but know one few things for certain. Scherer and Hammond are their two best players and need the ball more.  Hopefully Garraud can make this happen. This is not an equal opportunities sport, regardless of how hard Spears tries to make it.
8. Conn College. Sweeney is an incredible coach who took a relatively undermanned unit and turned them into one of the hardest teams to beat in the conference, and perhaps the region. They play so hard night in and night out and should absolutely have made it into the tournament in my opinion - I think they could have given teams unfamiliar with their defense a true challenge. With that being said, they were paced by Murray's outstanding play this year and relied heavily on his presence down low. Losing your star five man hurts - ask Middlebury. Espinosa is very solid but teams will be keyed in on him defensively as the no.1 option. That defense will always be hard to beat, especially in New London.
9. Colby. Whenever you populate the court with high level shooters and take 40 3's a game, you can beat anybody. The dreaded reality is that you can lose to anybody just as easily.
10. Bowdoin. Was impressed by Kevin Reeves's performance this year. Most improved in the conference in my opinion. Chilson was one of the best shooters in the conference the back half of the year. Natrel Allen is a physical player with a very high ceiling. And McGowan can flat out score. I would refrain from counting out the Polar Bears.
11. Bates. The young talent exists as well. Begin is a scoring threat from anywhere, and Pouye is a load in the post. Cravitz and Psyhogeos are lengthy, talented shooters. Forget this season and move forward. The future is bright.

[Pat Coleman]

Didn't know about this discord until recently. I guess more people here are Eph's fans so I get it. I guess Trinity just needs more active fans here.

I've heard it called a blog, but never a discord. That's new.

[D3BBALL]

Last 3 posts oldest to newest:

1) LOL
2) Very good scouting report
3) 100% agree

[nescac1]

Nescacbballfan, I think that is a very good breakdown (subject to change of course as more off-season news rolls in).  I'd put teams in tiers at this point that largely (but not entirely) agree with your rankings.

Tier 1: Trinity and Tufts - both will be ranked and I suspect ranked very highly in pre-season polls (both likely in the top 10).  If Callahan-Gold returns for Trinity they are absolutely loaded next year and could be pre-season number one.  Even if he does not, the combination of Tristan Davis, McDonald and Macarchuk should be able to do a competent job of doing the dirty work up front and Dorion, Vetter, Okorogou, Berry, and Lazarre gives them the best/deepest returning perimeter unit in the country (Platteville, John Carroll and CNU should be right there too but I'd take Trinity's group). As for Tufts, the front court will only get better.  Dieterle could come back, which would make them even tougher, but even if he does not, Medley, Reilly and Kennelly figure to make a collective leap and their perimeter game should stillbe improved overall. 

Tier 2: Williams, Wesleyan, Hamilton, Amherst - 1-2 teams from this group should make the tourney, but it's hard to say who. Williams has the most uncertainty of every team with five seniors departing the rotation, including Nate Karren, who the offense has run through for the last three years, four guys (including two guys who were or were going to be starters) who ended the season on the DL potentially returning (but how many will be back to 100 percent?), and what looks like a strong FY class which may help right away.  The Ephs will be an entirely different team and I think are likely to play smaller and faster than this year, with excellent ball-handling.  The defense should be elite again but I agree scoring and especially outside shooting are HUGE question marks at this point, Lee and Roughley need to become consistent go-to guys offensively and ideally Declan Porter will be back to help as well. 

Wesleyan as noted has everyone back from a very young rotation, and is loaded with talent.  If their three big, athletic, but still fairly raw wings (one soph and two frosh) take a big leap to help out their already-elite backcourt, they could be a big surprise.  They did play Trinity as tough as anyone other than Williams this year.  Hamilton's top three guys are right there with anyone's but there was a massive drop off from that group this year - will a few rising sophs or incoming FY's step up, particularly inside?  Amherst has nearly the entire rotation back from a NESCAC semis team and that frontcourt remains scary.  If Randle takes another leap as a player, they could be an NCAA team again, finally, as Scherer, Randle and Vance remain very difficult to content with in the paint.   

Tier 3: Conn, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Bates, Colby - I don't see any of these teams as contenders next year.  Midd loses by far its best offensive player from a mediocre team, doesn't seem to have any sort of interior scoring option that it can count on, and Joseph will have to take a big leap to be the main man (although I do like his game).  Stevens' career has seemingly been ruined by injuries, alas, he's just not close to the same guy he was as a FY.  Conn, which I'd say is the best of this group, loses the most of any NESCAC team - Murray is irreplaceable at both ends, but Ben Rice, who is transferring up to D2, was a terror defensively with his length and athleticism - the loss of both of them together decimates the interior of that zone, and everything they did on offense ran through Murray.  Flynn and Whalen were solid four-year contributors as well. Bowdoin, Colby and Bates all should be improved but they have a LONG way to go to catch up to the rest of the league.  Colby has a good amount of offensive talent returning but its interior D was non-existent, Bates was simply a mess, and Bowdoin was decimated by injuries and has to hope for better luck. 

[nescac1]

Two bits of news:

David Murray, who was just named region 1's POTY, has entered the transfer portal.  It will be interesting to see if he garners D1 interest as a very talented, but undersized (for that level) post player. 

Besides Murray, Vetter, Cosgrove, Regan, Karren, Morgan, Callahan-Gold and Gyimesi all received regional honors.  I'd say Murray and Vetter are good bets for all-American honors of some kind, as well:

https://www.d3hoops.com/awards/all-region/2023-24/region-1-men

[NESCACBBALLFAN]

I think we can agree to disagree on the Williams and Middlebury discussion, NESCAC1. If Stevens career has been "ruined" by injuries, then Porters career has been decimated to a greater extent. Stevens had 28 and 13 in Midd's first game this year against a very good St. Joes team, and followed it up with a 21 pt performance a few games later before hurting his ankle in the fifth game of the year. He was never the same after that, but still made big plays down the stretch in the Amherst and Maine weekend. We speak fondly of many freshman on these boards (Medley, Begin, Vetter last year, Poulton last year, Lee last year just to name a few). None of their freshman years come even remotely close to what Stevens did his freshman year. When healthy, he is a top three scorer in the conference. Williams is unproven around the horn. Talented freshman are great, but I would bet money I don't have that none will have the immediate impact Stevens had.

With that being said, App is a great coach and the purple elephants play tough. When the going gets rough, they seem to find a way to get going. If Dinkins develops on offense he could be a load - he is already a force on the wing defensively. If you venture down to the end of their bench you are struck by the sheer size of Van Gorp. One would have to think that App would find him a spot near the rim (but the 6'11 senior last year on Williams never really materialized). Oh well. Time will tell. Only 250 more days until basketball season.

[nescac1]

Stevens had a great first year, no doubt.  But the trajectory of his stats since that time has been brutal, which is what I mean when I say injuries have ruined his career.  Same with the eye test -- it seemed like he could barely move out there at all in league play this year.  He's gone from 18 ppg to 11 to 9, and his shooting from 41/38 to 36/25 to 35/23.  He's not a playmaker for other guys as he's never averaged more than 1.5 APG and it's not like he will have an elite point guard setting him up next year.  Now, it's certainly POSSIBLE that his senior year completely reverses that trajectory and he gets back to 100 percent (or higher) of what he produced as a first year, but I don't see how you can count on a guy who has not been the same (again, from what I gather largely due to bad lack) player for two years now to be the man on a good team next season.  I mean his last three games of the season he went a total of 1-15 from the field.

For Midd to improve on last year, I think the more realistic path forward is for the rising junior class to take a massive leap.  If Tristan Joseph makes the same sort of improvements he made last year, he will be an all-league player.  Maybe Stevens can return to being at least a quality second option on offense.  Now that Osher is gone, Joseph will face the best defender every game, which could make his life tougher, so he needs help from somewhere.  A lot more was expected out of the Witherington / McKersie duo after they showed promise as first years, and while they will never be close to Alex Sobel, they need to more than double their combined 5 ppg and 7 rpb this year.  I think both of them may have had injury issues as well, so that seems very plausible.  Along with Flaks there is plenty of talent in the rising junior group but a few of them will have to emerge as prime time players for Middlebury to improve on this season.  The rising seniors at this point probably are who they are. 

Williams also had loads of questions, but at least they know if they put a unit out there of Alex Lee, Glatzer (hopefully back to 100 percent), Dinkins, Hansen, and Roughley they'd have battle-tested lock-down perimeter defenders 1-4 (plus Cooley as a top defensive sub off the bench). Those guys simply won't give opposing teams any room to breathe.  Offensively, though, that unit would need some big improvements, especially in outside shooting, from at least several of those guys, but there would be a nationally elite defensive foundation to build on.  And if Van Gorp who showed a few flashes in his limited minutes can get more comfortable and develop into a quality rim protector off the bench for 10-15 mpg, that would make the defense even nastier. 

Offensively, again, there are huge questions everywhere - will Porter and McGraw be healthy enough (at least one of them!) to give desperately needed outside shooting?  Can Lee and Roughley take modest leaps and develop into consistent go-to offensive options for the team?  Can ANYONE besides Roughley score in the low post?  Can either Matt Devine and/or one of the first year players bring immediately offensive playmaking off the bench?  Can a few guys from the athletic Dinkins/Cooley/Hansen/Glatzer grind-and-grit group become more aggressive offensively and develop into solid secondary scorers? 

Back to this weekend - I think we see Hampden-Sydney and Trinity in the title game, and I'd give Hampden-Sydney a SLIGHT edge in that matchup, but really close to a toss-up.  To me Trinity's only real question mark was how they'd deal with an elite opposing big man, and after largely shutting down Overway, that is no longer a question ... Callahan-Gold and Vetter are NOT gonna go 0-16 from 3 ever again, not even close, those guys are too good. 

[SpringSt7]

Trinity down 12 at half. Trine looks like they know everything Trinity is running before they do - they've only attempted 2 threes because they've barely had any breathing room. Going to need some serious halftime adjustments

[NESCACBBALLFAN]

Darn. Frustrating game all around. Credit to Trine.

[D3BBALL]

Yes very frustrating. Tough to win when leading scorers shoot 5 for 28, yes 17%. Might get away with that at home, which they did last week, but not on the road.

Trine did a nice job of switching everything and didn't care about any miss-matches. They knew Trinity doesn't take advantage of those big miss matches down low, and they were right.

Dorian best player for Bants and played very well on both ends. He needed more touches on offense as only player with at least 2 assists. Smith and Okorougo, not really part of the game plan. Smith had 2 shots. Trine with all their switches did a nice job of making Trinity start their offense way up high. The Trinity second 5, while not shooting great either (4 for 12), for the most part was taking the ball down hill and had 8 free throws. Smith, Dorian and Okorougo had 12 FT attempts, Vetter and Gold had 2, sums it up. Trinity not a great ball movement team, and when they are not making shots, it looks even worse. Too much dribbling and hero ball too much of the game, (4 assists for the entire game).

Give Trinity credit they fought back and had a chance to get it to 1, but another missed layup, a foul on a 3 pointer, and a minute later down 7 again and never rely got it closer.

Trine deserved to win, they played better, smarter and out coached Trinity. Cosgrove needs to adjust his 5 in and 5 out and mix it up, especially when things aren't going well. He really didn't do that until last 2 minutes and at that point it was too late.

Great season for Trinity, good luck Trine in the finals!

[nescac1]

I did not mean to jinx Callahan-Gold and Vetter when I said they'd not have back-to-back off games!  It will be interesting to hear whether Callahan-Gold plans to return to Trinity, one of the few NESCAC schools with graduate programs who can accommodate that. 

By making the final four, Trinity becomes only the third NESCAC team to make two final fours.  Nineteen total final four appearances for NESCAC teams in 30 eligible years, not bad!  Amherst and Williams remain the only NESCAC teams who have won a game in the final four.  The full list, I believe:

Williams - 8 (7-7 record at Final Four, including two consolation wins)
Amherst - 7 (5-7, including two consolation losses)
Trinity - 2 (0-2)
Middlebury - 1 (0-1)
Conn College - 1 (0-1)

My guess is that Tufts is the next NESCAC team to break through.  They've been close a number of a times (including suffering bad luck during the COVID era) and look loaded for the future. 

[toad22]

Though a sad ending for Trinity, a great season.

[SpringSt7]

Trinity's offense for the most part was really figured out over the last month. Outside of an overpowered Utica team and a half or so against Swarthmore during the first weekend, they really hadn't been able to get anything inside in a really long time. Vetter and Callahan-Gold (really Vetter in particular, how BCG got All American honors over him I'll never know) could only bail them out for so long.

I'd disagree with Cosgrove's rotation criticism though. The second unit won them the Calvin game, was critical against Tufts, and was really what allowed them to win 30 games this year by being able to play 40 minutes of defense at the highest possible level of intensity. You don't just throw that away at the end of the year because it's a bigger game.

[toad22]

The second unit for Trinity was often more impactful than the starters. They were a key to Trinity's success this year. Defensively,they were way better than the starting group