MBB: Landmark Conference

[NEPAFAN]

   Scranton SID announces that former Royals' cager Jim Dooley passed away yesterday. I was a teammate of Jim for 1 year and he was as good a distance shooter as there was in college bball then(before the 3-point era), and had a highly successful high school coaching career in the Central Pennsylvania area through the present.

Sorry for the loss Ronk, not sure if you were close with Jim.

[ronk]

 Catholic got considerable playing time from 2 frosh 6-7 Jared Prince(Loyola(IL) Academy) and 6-4 Corey Stanford(Penn-Trafford(PA)). So, they've replaced Kearney and Koenig in size, if not ability.

[ronk]

Landmark preseason poll:

The results of the 2013-2014 Landmark Conference preseason poll are as follows:

Rank   Team   Points
1.   Scranton (4 first-place votes)   59
2.   Juniata (2 first-place votes)   47
3.   Catholic   43
4.   Merchant Marine Academy (2 first-place votes)   42
5.   Susquehanna   24
6.   Drew   19
7.   Moravian   15
8.   Goucher   7

  One would think Goucher would have a minimum of 8 points, even if everyone voted them last, so I'm unclear how many points a team gets for each position. I agree with the order although Susquehanna and Drew should be closer in points to the top 4.

[NEPAFAN]

A bit of a surprise in my opinion. Give it to Catholic until they lose it.

The write up again hints that Tommy Morgan is moving to PG. Not sure what that will look like.

[ronk]

Catholic got considerable playing time from 2 frosh 6-7 Jared Prince(Loyola(IL) Academy) and 6-4 Corey Stanford(Penn-Trafford(PA)). So, they've replaced Kearney and Koenig in size, if not ability.

Correction:   Jared Prince is a Junior who missed last season with an injury.

[NEPAFAN]

Dmac:

Break down the conference for us ( all two of us) will ya?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

HA... in that case I am putting Goucher at the top so everyone can have fun ridiculing me!

Tough to break it down, I think.

Catholic - despite the losses, CUA is still a darn good basketball team especially with reportedly good size additions inside. Also, the Phanord twins are a year more experienced that revealed they are a tough duo. I like Limberiou who I think will be more comfortable in his roll this season. Their schedule does not impress me. They have Randolph-Macon, Dickinson and DeSales on there... so that is good, but they are also playing some teams that will not help their SOS. The games against Scranton and Juniata will probably be key.

Drew - this could be an interesting year. They have two seniors and a host of juniors. They play NYU early and may face Morrisville State in the second game of the season, but that is about all the challenges I see in the out-of-conference schedule. They really struggled last season in the conference and with how strong the top of the conference is this season... I don't see that changing. The big key is two of their top scorers last year are gone... leaving a lot of places for others to have to step up to and that may not happen. That being said, teams that have a lot of juniors have been known for being a surprising team especially a year ahead of when people would expect it... I am just not expecting it this season.

Goucher - well... I would love to sing praises for my alma mater, but I have learned over the years to just wait. They got off to a great start last season but laziness from a few players, including the disappointment that became Trae Lindsay sunk them (remember how good he was his freshman campaign? He NEVER lived up to those expectations despite breaking a few records at Goucher). This year's squad brings in a new look and different dimension in terms of how they want to run their offense and who their go-to guys are... but it is also a work in progress to get news guys who will see a lot of playing time on the same page with everyone else. The team shocked Howard in a scrimmage, but that was forgotten by the time they played the alumni who they lost to the other night and struggled throughout the game. Granted, the alumni were of the younger generation and were playing really well under alumn star Gerard Garlic's guidance and coaching... and Goucher was not playing with Livingston who will be a major factor this year. But I am not holding my breathe for a breakthrough season. They do have a rather challenging schedule with Navy, William and Mary and even Ferrum. If they don't get demoralized in the out-of-conference... who knows what might happen.

Juniata is one of the sleepers, despite being predicted to finish second by the coaches. They were a sleeper last year that just couldn't get over the hill in the title game against Catholic. They could be the team that leads this conference from start to finish, believe it or not. I think Coach Curley has a very experienced and tough team that will certainly not surprise teams, but may dominate more than in previous years. There are seven seniors on the roster... so there is also a feel of "make it or break it" and with guys like Sholly, Stapleton, Mellot and Hays leading the way... watch out. Their schedule is tough to read right now. I do see Dickinson on there... but two of their tournaments read "TBA"... so not sure how that will impact things.

Merchant Marine is my other sleeper. Danny Nee is one of the best coaches in the country... and especially in this conference which already has Curley, Danzig and Howe among some other really good coaches (seriously, this is a deep conference when it comes to coaching). This is a bit of a young team, but with good leadership in guys like Wisely and Beck (the two seniors). Last year's record was more indicative of the challenges they have a MMA with players traveling and being on board ships during part of their school year. However, I see them fighting for another playoff spot and maybe even a chance to host a game if things go right for them. They also have some games on their schedule that will get them ready for the conference... and I key on the NYU game as a barometer for both teams. They also play RIT, Kenyon, Potsdam State and Stevens which will be great tests.

Moravian - I am always routing for the Greyhounds because I love Coach Walker... but I am not sure what to make of them this season. They have a young team outside of the three seniors... but Blake English is one of the best players in the conference. I think they will need the ball to bounce their way more times than not to have a really good chance in this conference. Otherwise, I think they will be lost in the middle again - splitting their season with tough losses and surprise wins. Their out-of-conference schedule has some really good teams on it for them... and if they can do well there and boost their confidence, that can be a good spur heading into the meat of conference action.

Scranton, as always, will be a contender. Danzig should be pretty darn good this season and of course Morgan can be a difference maker. However, no one else jumps out at me. There are plenty of roll players, but I see a younger team in terms of experience than maybe other do. It will come down to one thing: avoiding the mid-season slump which the Royals seem to have every year. Last year it was the three-game slide to Merchant Marine, Keystone and St. Josephs that kind of derailed the train as it where. Scranton needs to play the best 25 games possible with only Cabrini, Ithaca (if they are good) and Catholic guaranteed good games on their schedule (they could play Randolph-Macon if either team wins or losses in the tourney in the early part of the season - otherwise, this isn't a great schedule).

Susquehanna - here is another team with a lot of youth despite three seniors. Sellinger is a good player, but he needs more weapons around him to really shine and raise this team up from last year's disappointing outcome. Hedley is going to be a major factor for teams, but they need someone to step up after losing Ortmyer. No one else really contributed this year... so look for guys who didn't see a lot of action last season be asked to rise to the challenge this year. That being said, I don't see them battling for a playoff spot.

So I see the conference finishing as such:
1 - Juniata - too strong and will win some close, tough games
2 - Catholic - better than advertised when only losing Kearney will be a factor
3 - Scranton - not sure they can put an entire season together and there are more teams than CUA to worry about
4 - Merchant Marine - I just want to see them succeed and I think they have the pieces to do it
5 - Moravian - will have a chance to fight for a spot in the playoffs, but will be inconsistent which could hurt them
6 - Susquehanna - I don't think they have enough pieces to put up a great fight - they will win some surprises, but not enough
7 - Goucher - not sure they have a team that will gel soon enough or maintain consistency long enough to be a factor
8 - Drew - too many questions and too many holes to fill from a team that struggled a lot last season

[ronk]

  Goucher vs Navy tomorrow nite @ 7(videostreamed for those who can't wait 4 the games this weekend). Opportunity to see the development of Goucher's Troy DeShields - his Scranton game at the end of the season(27 points, 9 rebounds) was very impressive.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Troy has improved and even seemed to have gotten stronger... but it will be his teammates that need to really help him by being able to shoot outside to keep defenses from sagging... and get him the ball.

[NEPAFAN]

Thanks Dave:

How did Goucher do against Navy?

[ronk]

 Goucher struggled against Navy. No interior effectiveness against the D1 Patriot leaguers. They should be more effective against D3 foes, especially DeShields.

[Matt Letourneau]

Losing Hillary (actually Hilleary?) Uh, that happened around 2003.  I think you mean Kearney.   

But, your prediction on Limberiou is off to a good start--he dropped 33 (!) on Westminster tonight in a CUA win.

Had a chance to go to the Maryland game with the kids (well, the older 2).  We had fun.  CUA was competitive for the first 2/3rds of the first half.  Got worn down--seemed like Maryland had second chance opportunities on every shot they missed, and then they got hot from long range. 

Cardinals have Loyola coming up--this time a D1 game that counts.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Losing Hillary (actually Hilleary?) Uh, that happened around 2003.  I think you mean Kearney.   

But, your prediction on Limberiou is off to a good start--he dropped 33 (!) on Westminster tonight in a CUA win.

Had a chance to go to the Maryland game with the kids (well, the older 2).  We had fun.  CUA was competitive for the first 2/3rds of the first half.  Got worn down--seemed like Maryland had second chance opportunities on every shot they missed, and then they got hot from long range. 

Cardinals have Loyola coming up--this time a D1 game that counts.

LOL - I clearly have names all running together... sorry about that. I did mean Kearney

[CCHoopster]

Scranton just seems to win big non-conference games each year. A lot of respect for Coach D, his staff and players. They do a great job.

[NEPAFAN]

Scranton just seems to win big non-conference games each year. A lot of respect for Coach D, his staff and players. They do a great job.

Ross Danzig is Landmark Player of the Week. Not a bad week for the Danzig family.