WBB: Landmark Conference

[TheNextLevel]

As I mentioned, the entire roster returns and that includes some excellent players.  I expect the Cardinals record to improve for the next 2 seasons and then is when all the duplicity and BS starts to catch up to Coach D.   The key will be the quality of the Assistant Coach.  Among other things,  he (she) will have to be able to make "in game" adjustments, something  D  has never shown he could do in the past.

Maybe he has learned something, lets hope so for the players and fans sake.


As you said, time will tell...Good luck

i myself will just wait till the season starts and see what kind of coach he turns out to be .. could  be a national champion winner or a below 500 coach ... or anywhere in between ...  only time will tell.. i'm sure the AD at CUA would not have chosen him if he were that bad.. let's just wait and see for ourselves before we jump to any conclusions on the man ok .. have a great summer and OCT can't get here quick enough ..

[ronk]

  A check of Scranton's schedule shows 2 teams with recent Lady Royals as assistant coaches(Cabrini - Kate Pierangeli and Gettysburg - Kelly Lewandowski, shifting this year from the Royals' staff). Word has it that they must excuse themselves from discussion about defending the favorite back-door cut play of the Royals.
  The web site says this year's roster will be up shortly( my guess, in 2 weeks after practice starts). This is the 1st season in a while that the incoming frosh were not preannounced.

[saratoga]

Ronk: I tend to get a little worried when Scranton does not post its usual synopsis of recruits. It reminds me of 3 years ago when only 3 kids made the team as freshmen & only one (Molly Klusick) is still on the squad. The following year was another wasted year of bringing in talented kids & that is why Scranton had only one junior & one sophmore on last years team. From what was lost to graduation (5 very good seniors) & what is returning, the Lady Royals will be primarily a very young team with a number of returning sophmores & what I would hope is a pretty good incoming freshman class. Then again, when they don't provide updates as in centuries past, even that is not a definate. Based on Scranton's schedule, I notice many teams that in previous years would have never entertained the idea of playing the Lady Royals...so the thought just might be to go play them now as they might be down like never before. Who knows ...perhaps this class will have another Taryn Mellody or Jen Nish or Kelly Halpin...then again, it may be as bare as two of the last three years.

[ronk]

Saratoga,
   Even in those 2 years I remembering them preannouncing the 2 juniors and the soph; the 3rd junior was a walk-on, I believe. So does a change in procedure indicate?....

[saratoga]

Ronk: It's somewhat hard to say that because a school doesn't announce its recruits it therefore automatically means its been another bad year...however, if you've recruited truly good players that you've seen play & you know they not only will make the team but get serious playing time, then why not update your fan base? Why the sudden change in protocol?There are numerous teams on this site that not only have updated their incoming freshman class...they've already posted their rosters. I always found it enjoyable seeing who actually came vs. those that were recruited or you "heard" were coming in. Oh well, perhaps by their first game we may read something.

[kate]

Can't believe i'm actually typing this, but i DO miss the Scranton posters.  CJ has married & moved, & Warren Thompson has not come on the MAC site in ages.  Anyway, good luck to the Lady Royals this season - also i do miss Drew - good luck to them as well.

[macfan]

Check rosters in the region - seems most teams only brought in one or two players; maybe the pickin for D3 prospects at MAC caliber was thin?  Guess we'll see through the season - and certainly in the out of conference games as well as the playoff picture - only time will tell! 

[ronk]

Saratoga,
  Royals' rosters finally up on web site. Ladies add 4 frosh and a soph. One promising frosh from last year missing this year, however.
  I met the Mechanicsburg frosh at the Messiah game last year, so she followed through on her interest in the U.

[roy_a]

Okay...someone fill me in...I went 12 yrs going to the Lady Royal home games, and many of the away games. During that 12 yr period I missed only 2 home games...last year, however, I only made it to 2 games...work!!! Anyway...fill me in...who are the teams to beat and who are the top playes in the conference.....

[saratoga]

Roy, welcome back! I seriously thought something may have happened as I don't think you even posted much last season. Glad all is well. Not much coming out of the Lady Royal camp thus far except descriptives such as "young", "pretty inexperienced" and "not very deep". This may be their longest year in the past 20...teams are taking numbers to stand in line for their shot at what some have said is a shell of what once was. The Lady Royals brought in some nice freshmen last year & may have some talent mixed in with this freshman class but, what will end up hurting them in the long run are the two non-existant recruiting classes of 2 & 3 years ago. No senior or junior depth or extensive playing time with the sole exception of their junior point.  I think Moravian has the best quality & depth that returns along with Juniata. After that, it will be anyones game for the 3 & 4 spots. Could be the first time in the better part of two centuries that Scranton will not be playing after the regular season. That said, Coach Strong has certainly not ducked anyone. His out of conference schedule is as tough as any in the country & I'm sure he's hoping that playing his freshman/sophmore laden team through those battles will be a great teacher for any conference run down the stretch.

[saratoga]

Somewhat expected yet still surprising to see...Lady Royals picked to finish in 2nd. place behind Moravian. Can't really remember the last time Scranton & second place were in the same sentence during the regular season.

[kate]

What's that old saying "you can take the teams out of the MAC, but you can't take the MAC out of the teams  - end quote. 

[roy_a]

Let the games begin...I can see why Moravian is the selection for the Landmark..it makes sense...but...let's not count the Lady Royals out...Megan Kopecki sure seems to be the heir apparent to the next top flight scorer for the Royals...Also, Ryan Mooney reminds me a lot of Kate Dougherty, Doc...and if Molly Klusek stays healty and we see her potential realized we should be in the mix yet again...nice article in the Scranton Times this morning...Coach Strong is only 13 victories away form 700....wow.......

[OshDude]

Any volleyball fans? I posted on my blog a Nationals Guide similar to the ones I did for the St. Thomas and Oshkosh regionals. Check it out if you're interested in Juniata and/or D-III VB.

[TheGrove]

Susquehanna beat FDU-Florham, 65-49, in the first game then St. Mary's (Md.), 62-55, to win the Cherry Cove/Seahawk Tip-Off Tournament. Freshman Libby Shober made the All-Tournament Team.