MBB: NESCAC

[La Verdad]

Props to Walzy for posting at 10 on a sat. night...thats dedication.  In my defense, it is only 7 here.

[La Verdad]

Old hooper,

I really like where your head is at...the Golfsmith will make serious contributions to the Jeffs upon his glorious return.  He earned Hixon's trust with some gutty performances in big games last year(see tufts).  The only part of your post I question is his return date...next year?  Get real.  A little bird flew out west and told me that Sir Goldsmith's has been rehabbing unlike any other Lord Jeff who may have suffered a serious leg injury in his day.  Whether he comes back this seaosn or not, he gets my vote for best dressed.  Kid has got the fashion sense of a Californian...

[daoustian]

The reason Weitzen played 9 minutes ElClinchy was that he had a seemingly major knee injury & thought lost for the season. This could have helped the Middlebury cause against Tufts . Miraculously Weitzen played today against Williams & was his usual self scoring 15 . Amazing !!

sounds like a really terrible injury if he played the next day.  basically the dude is really soft that he had to leave the whole game and come back the next day.  what a gamer.   

[TUrighty14]

daoustian, wasn't Jake's call. he wanted back in, trainer told the coach it was too serious an injury to risk, even though the next day it was proved that it wasnt that big a deal. if you want to call the tufts medical staff soft, be my guest, but dont classify JW as such. He is a great player and a great kid.

[hoopjunkie]

great post TU RIGHTY 14 I wasn`t even going to respond to daoustian.
GO JUMBOS

[Dr E. Spengler]

Clinchy...look at hopkins numbers this year when he plays decent minutes.

Yesterday he was 10-6-4 in 20 minutes of play shooting 5 of 6 from the floor.  The kid is going to be averaging a double-double when he is starting next year.  Not one of the top ten juniors? goodpoint, goodpoint, goodpoint, goodpoint.  I'll give you second best junior in the NESCAC this year...but the kid who is number one, wears that exact jersey for Amherst.

"The greatest big men of all time...Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Bill Russell, Wilt, Shaq, Kevin Hopkins...MYSELFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!" -Bill "Grateful Red" Walton

[lemonjello]

Agreed.  Not sure why Hopkins doesn't start, although he usually ends up getting as many minutes if not more than O'Shea.  Hopkins as POY next year probably wouldn't happen because Olson will still be there.  Out of curiosity, has anyone ever repeated as NESCAC POY, and if so, when was it last done?  Also congrats to Dan Wheeler, he sure caught fire in the second half.  It's impressive how well he shoots with his unorthodox motion (see picture of him on http://www.amherst.edu/sports/current/m-bball/0203_wesleyan.html).  I think I would take Amherst's junior class (Olson, Coulibaly, Walters, Hopkins, Jones) over any starting five in NESCAC.

[hoopjunkie]

Does`nt it get boring for all you Amherst people to keep saying how
great all your players are? I`ll tell you this much IT IS UNBELIEVABLY
BORING reading it.
I will grant you Amherst has a very good team , but do any of you watch
any other school ? Kevin Hopkins is good .Are there 10 juniors better then him ?
probably .

[hoopjunkie]

I just checked Hopkins stats 9 points & less then 4 rebounds a game ,
Of course all you lords jeffs will say , but he only plays 16 minutes ,so I would`nt
exactly give POY for next year just yet.

[La Verdad]

If reading our posts is as boring as watching Williams get pummeled by Amherst, then I apoligize because that is very boring.

There is a lot more to basketball than a box score; Hopkins does a lot of things that don't show up there (changing players' shots and coaches' strategies).  But since stats are all you understand maybe you will be more impressed with K hyphen Hops' stats over the past ten games...13pts on 75% shooting 6 boards and 3 blocks

[hoopjunkie]

also dr.  Spengler a list of junior that i would happily pick of your Amherst juniors in no particular order:
Brian Wholly -Bates , Hippert -Bowdin, Gaudet-Colby , Charles Stone- Conn,
Martin-Trinity , Pelletier-Wes, Weitzen -Tufts , O`keefe-Tufts , Chris Rose & Shalvoy - Williams ,
thats 10 .
Not to mention Olson for your beloved Amherst .

[Dr E. Spengler]

Hoopjunkie, three posts in 45 minutes...during the Superbowl.  A legendary performance to say the very, very least.  And no, I don't watch other division three basketball games.  When my school plays other teams I go to support my friends...it's a novel concept I know.

I don't attempt to tell you anything but what I know, which happens to be that Kevin Hopkins will be POY next year.  If you must know, Emmett Brown allowed me to borrow the train he used to visit Marty in 1985 with Jules, Verne and Clara.  I checked, Hopkins will put up such gaudy numbers that they will have no choice but to give him the award.

Geronimo, while I am a doctor, I do not know if I am qualified to deliver your child.  I mainly study the paranormal and collect spores, molds and fungus on the side.

Listen, you'll have to excuse me. I have a lunch meeting with Cliff Huxtable at the Four Seasons in 20 minutes. (I can ask him if you can shedule an appointment with him in the near future)

[hoopjunkie]

Hey Doc I guess thats why i`m called hoop junkie . You were probably  a
bears fan  with all your sports knowledge . I too watch my favorite college team ,
but before making unjustafied statements , maybe check out the competition ,
i will give you this  though , GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR 

[ballaholic4]

well, if no one else is going to talk about a school that doesn't wear purple, then i will...

from looking at the statistics and from what some inside sources have told me, word on the street is that a  man by the name of Nick Farrell has made one of the largest scoring improvements in off season history.  If you don't believe me, look at his numbers between this year and last:

'05-'06   12.8 ppg, 40 3pt made, .303 3pt % (25 games)
'06-'07   19.4 ppg, 82 3pt made, .408 3pt % (22 games)

his minutes per game are almost indentical (35 and 36)

Aside from the astonishing improvement from downtown, a player on from a 3rd party team told me he'd never seen an offensive performance like farrell's 39 at Bowdoin.  he was 11-19 from the floor including 7-12 from three.  although there have been other great players to come through the league, 39 from a point guard on a mediocre team against a good defensive team in Bowdoin is extremely impressive. 

Anecdotely, my source told me that Farrell hit multiple contested shots from beyond 25 feet, and scored 24 points in the second half when the game hung in the balance. 

I'm gonna throw this out there, in a year where there hasn't been any consistent standout performances, i don't see why he shouldn't get some POY consideration...especially if Colby can make some noise in the NESCAC tourney.

Look at it this way, he's 1st in the league in scoring (19.4), 7th in assists (4.0), 6th in FT% (.780), 5th in steals (1.8), 15th in 3pt% (.408), and 1st in threes made (82) - 16 more than his closest competitor. 

His numbers kill Olsons, who's only got better assist numbers and 10 times the weapons.  RKelly isn't really a factor cuz he missed games and wesleyan is back to its Wes tech ways, Rose and Shalvoy kind of hurt each other's cases and they're juniors, the way Bates has played in conference compared to their talent level and expectations, I don't think you give it to Ray or Stockwell.  That tufts kid off the bench is too new, and I'm not sure if he ever passes. 

I think Farrell may have been the POY, but the way the NESCAC works it's doubtful he'll get the recognition because of his teams Lo-cal. 

tell me what you think. 

[ballaholic4]

PS -
he's also had 4 30-point games this season, someone dig out the NESCAC records and tell me the last time that happened.  My money's on Kanem Johson in '03-'04.