MBB: Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference

[Cardinalboy]

jgatz...Cory Nickel did win POY and Weitor didn't win it because they lost in the conference semifinals to WLC and Lakeland won it all. So, your right. Ricky Davis won it the year before that. Weitor just couldn't lead CU to the championship game. If he did then he probably would have won it.

Go Cardinals

[jgatz33]

atkinson plays a nice inside out game and also edgewood has averkamp and cooper who can both post up

[jgatz33]

post play is very key into winning a conference title........cooper  blaska and averkamp led them to a title not the gaurd play...post play is very key granted the gaurd play helps but a strong inside game will win over an outside more often than not

[Cardinalboy]

Some teams are post oriented and some are guard oriented. Usually, the teams that are really good have a combination of both. The post game allows teams to get easier buckets and force the issue underneath as well as winning the battle of the boards offensively and defensively (key element to winning games). But win the game is on the line it comes down to guard play. You can look at all the NCAA basketball championships..how many times was it a post that made the biggest differences late in the game? Last year shawn may (UNC), was a beast for them THROUGHOUT the game and the Illini lived with long three's. Besides, that. Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse), Matteen Cleaves (Michigan State),  and some kid by the name of Mike Jordan. 

[jgatz33]

carmelo would not have won the title that year had wayne simion not have gotten hurt. kansas had the inside outside game with collison simien and hinrich and langford so i wouldnt say a good example is carmelo. cleaves didnt have stud inside players but aj granger and andre hutson were bangers and played great defense ...jordan had sam perkins and brad daugherty who both turned out to be admirable nba players.

[Cardinalboy]

KU was a great team believe me, I played against them that year!! I'm not saying that you will win it all with a great guard. I'm saying that, when the game is on the line. Who is probably going to end up taking that shot? A guard. Believe me, as I stated before I believe having the inside game and a outside game is what makes really good teams.

[True Basketball Fan]

It's hard to stop a guard from getting a shot, even if they are shorter than everybody else.  There is more space at their disposal, where as a post has limited space and can be double or triple teamed fairly easily.  More importantly, nobody at the end of a game wants to give up a look close to the basket.  So in a way, a team almost concedes an outside shot, as the chances are less for it to go in.

[The Way]

The Way I See It

Here is a little recap of the teams that have gone to the NCAA tournament in the LMC since i have been around.

2001- Marian (no post; Jaeger and Muench carried the team and were guards)
2002- Edgewood (Malkowski could be considered post but rest of the team was guards)
2003- MSOE (Lewis was tallest guy but was not a post player; hopf finally came around but wasn't a great post at the time)
2004- Lakeland (Zeck was only post player on the roster; the rest were all guards)
2005 - Edgewood (won by default; there were no other candidiates in the LMC to win)

My point is that when the smoke clears and it is all said and done, guard play will help you move on. Post players get into foul trouble on a regular basis and can't always be relied upon. Post players can't bring the ball up the court and create something on the spur of a moment.

Heck, even look at the past winners of the POY and show me a post player? 

[Cardinalboy]

Maybe I'm confused  or maybe you guys have me mistaken? I believe that good guards is what it takes to win it all.

But I also believe having a good post players to go with them (takes pressure off of them sometimes) makes teams a lot better.
ex: Zeck and Nickel (Lakeland 04)

Here's a question for us to ponder.
Would you rather have a one-two punch of two guards or one guard and one post?

[The Way]

The Way I See It,

You are missing my point Cardinal (and yes i know that you too believe good guards is what gets it done) . Obviously it would be in every teams interest to have at least some post play that would offset and compliment the guards But if i had to choose between having a team of oustanding guard play or outstanding post play, i would choose the guards (and when i say guards i also am including the 3 man in this).

But as far as my 1-2 punch, gimme the guards. You can always send a 'Goon' into the game to bang down low with the big boys but you can't just stick any two people out there to play the guard position.

[da_foreigner]

jgatz, you are totally right about Nickel (totally forgot about him.  He could really hoop I might add).  However I don't agree with you on your comments about post play.  End of the day, you could have a 6'10" beast on the block; if you haven't got the guards to get him the ball, he's rendered useless. 

In my opinion having high quality guards that will a.) Not turn the ball over b.) Take good shots c.) Create good shots for the whole team and d.) pressure the crap out of the opposing guard will 99% of the time get the job in this conference.  On a national level, things are very much different, where you are going to need the big bodies to compete.  I don't see the quality of guard play in the returning players that will allow them to dominate like last year.  To answer the 1-2 punch question, if given the choice I think most coaches will take a guard/post combination.  A balanced offence is hard one to slow down.

I don't think any team in the conference has a huge advantage over the other teams in rebounding.  Check the stats on rebounding margin for last year; Edgewood with all their size only had +0.4 advantage.  Maranatha and WLC are the only two teams that got consistently killed in that department.  Personally I don't think size is the key to rebounding.  Most rebounding situations in a game require soft hands & quick lateral movement over pure vertical size/leap.  I have seen teams in my time that lacked overall size but were very good rebounding teams because all 5 guys on the floor were relatively quick & made a point of putting a body on someone before running off to play on offence.

[fishguy]

What's the story about the guard who left UW-Superior and is now playing at MSOE - i've heard he is very good. They seem to have the pieces in place for a really nice year, especially when you consider that aside from Edgewood this league has a whole bunch of question marks this season.

[fan321]

Top 5 players in the LCM this year
1.Cooper
2.Mikos
3.AverKamp
4.Redmond
5.Saiberlich
What do you guys think?

[Bust Ya'll]

From the mouth of Busty:

WLC CONFERENCE CHAMPS 05-06
Last year in the saddle and as the new self proclaimed CEO of 6th Man Nation I bring you these tiddings:

Why is there no love for WLC?  I didnt see any standout players mentioned and a 6th in the rankings...yikes.   With that said, I do not see Cooper as POY again, because I do not see Edgewood as winning it all again.  I think they got all the 'OYs because they took it- no other real stand out players minus Kevin Christensen. 

Call me a broken record but- this years surprise WLC men all the way.  I think there is more team unity and all around ballness.  Watching their first practice today one frosh stands out who I have yet to find out his name. 

MSOE with the loss of Da Foreigner how do you expect to get anywhere?  I also see Edgewood suffering from the "Injury Bug" this year like all other past years, the difference will be that the LMC will take advantage of it this year and keep them out.  And btw...Marian I think was put 3rd by someone?  What the heck is that all about, they just got it on a fluke- and I will stand by that.

LMC Finish
1. WLC
2. Concordia - their new coach will do it for them
3. Edgewood
4. The Fish
5. MSOE
6.The Nurses
7. The Baptists
8. Dominican

Any questions to get the preseason BS going- just shoot Bust Y'all a line- I've missed it this summer so there is a lot stored up.  Sorry Bout it
Busty

[showtimeSmyHero]

Not to hate on all of your teams.... I have played with some people from MSOE over the summer and i think they will run away with the conference title this year. 

I will sum it up for yall this way... the new guy from UW Superior is as fast as mikos(if not faster), a really good shooter, and can jump out of the gym.  Those 2 can D people up and i dont see anyone coming close to them.

I saw all of the teams play last year.... and with all due respect... if they haven't got some stud transfers... they will be getting blown out this year.