MBB: New Jersey Athletic Conference

[phil]

I saw in the Ledger today that Montclair State has once again decided to drop wrestling. This time with job discrimination, a sexual harassment complaint, criticism of the coach and a defection of team members as the leading causes. The funny thing is that most of the problems stem from the coach they hired after the interim coach raised all the money to save the program. First the Montclair administration drops the program because of a budget problem – and as a result extorts the money from the local wrestling community to "save" the program. Then they fire the guy that raised the money in order to hire an underqualified SOB of a coach who causes the team to impload. Finally they drop the program after pocketing the money, saying that "they have become increasingly disenchanted with the program."

Joe Sabol raised over $100,000 to save the wrestling program which has an annual operating budget of $15,000. Might the powers that be at Montclair tell us where the surplus will be spent? Obviously in litigation.

In the end the businessman from Paterson who donated $50,000 to save wrestling ended up purchasing a lot of trophy cleaner for the Yogi Berra museum!

If you were a high school athlete looking to further your education and athletic career in the NJAC you should have your head examined if you want to go to Montclair – at least until the current administration stops wetting itself in public.

Montclair Drops Wrestling

Also ... I hope WPU continues their run in the tourney. I've become tired of hearing how "weak" the conference has become. While it's true the NJAC might lack a top 5 team that ran the table in the conference, I firmly believe that there are five other NJAC teams that are good enough to have done exactly what Paterson has done in the tourney up to this point. Hopefully the Pioneers will continue the run when the go up against Widener.

[Pat Coleman]

D3hoopsNet, under contract from NCAAsports.com, will be broadcasting the entire Virginia Wesleyan sectional. Coverage starts a half-hour before tipoff and includes a preview of all four sectionals, plus in-game "live look-ins" at other sectionals in progress.

Pat Coleman and Dave McHugh on the call.

http://www.d3hoops.com/audio/
All D3hoopsNet games are broadcast by Broadcastmonsters.com.

[BM10]

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If you were a high school athlete looking to further your education and athletic career in the NJAC you should have your head examined if you want to go to Montclair – at least until the current administration stops wetting itself in public.



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You are entitled to your opinion but if I may ask; what is so wrong at MSU that a kid should get his head examined if he were to play at one of the top programs in the NJAC?

[phil]

Ben,
The administration gives zero (0) support to athletics ... nada ... zilch. Last year they looked like fools when they dropped a number of sports – only to revive some once monies and public awareness were raised. Now this.

The best athletic programs in the NJAC and the rest of D3 are successful because they have the full support of the administration – not just good coaches. In Montclair's case, the current administration has done nothing but embarrass themselves and the athletic department over the past few years. Ask yourself what would happen to Montclair's basketball and football programs if they made a head coach hire like they did for wrestling. Given the current state of affairs at MSU, I would say that the Red Hawks would be as competitive as Camden if Ted Fiore weren't coaching bball ... and that probably wouldn't bother Dr. Cole of Montclair one bit.

[BM10]

I understand your stance on the MSU situation and I do agree with some of your points in your argument. With that said, I think the entire athletic program is going through a rebuilding stage. I have no inside information but something tells me that MSU is trying to make its way up to Divsion 2/Division 1 very soon.  As the saying goes, sometimes you have to break something down to build it back up. Unfortunately, it seems that the wrestling program and the other low-profile sports suffered from this reasoning. If you have been to MSU lately, it is starting to transform itself into a big-time campus. I, for one, was shocked to see how much the campus has changed over the years. Even the athletic teams have a new look. Throughout my years there, the baseball, football, and basketball teams were all NJAC champions at one point or another. Now, those teams have taken a step back and tried to clean up their respective programs academically and even with the type of kid they are recruiting. You are starting to see more 4 year players in every sport. Such was not the case when I was there.  It is funny how MSU was once characterized as a program who only cared about winning first and did not concentrate on academics and now that they have seemed to right the ship, the administration gets knocked for not caring about athletics. 

[phil]

I've knocked Montclair's football and basketball programs in the past for academics and have seen a different direction recently. i've also conjectured that they would move up to 1AA – like Monmouth and St. Peters – and hiring Fiore was a step towards this move. Though with what I've seen recently, I'm doubting that there's a master plan for any of this. What I see is a baseball stadium that creates a revenue stream. Same for the ice skating complex, Yogi World Museum and softball facility ... and that's the only thing that counts – making money. Montclair not only has the highest ticket prices in the NJAC, but they double charge you for parking.

If Dr. Cole is truly committed to MSU athletics, has a master plan for moving up to 1AA and is setting the table for the future, she had best take the excess $100,000 that was raised to "save" wrestling and hire a crack public relations firm. Their effort to "upgrade" hasn't exactly put the University in a positive light with the public and media thusfar.

The sad thing is that the Star Ledger devoted more column inches to the wrestling story today than it did for the entire NJAC basketball season.

[Knightstalker]

They still have not even touched on WPU in the tournament.  This year as in most others the NJ D-III rep has gone further in the tournament than any of the D-I reps will.

[BM10]

I have to commend Coach Rebimbas on the job he has done at WPU this year. I saw them play twice this year and came out thinking that this was one of the worst WPU teams I have seen since I started following the NJAC. For this team to make the Sweet 16 speaks volumes about him getting his kids to buy into his philosophy and the players' desire to win.

[Knightstalker]

They only gave up 93 points combined in the first two games.

[Truck]

WILLIAM PATTERSON - 52
WIDNER                     - 45


Press release submitted by William Paterson on Mar 10 2006 at 08:24 PM



VIRGINIA BEACH, VA — MARTINEZ, DOGGED DEFENSE LEAD WILLIAM PATERSON MEN INTO ELITE 8, 52-45

(March 10, 2006) - Junior forward Luis Martinez (Passaic, NJ/Clifton) netted a game-high 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds as William Paterson moved into the Elite 8 of the 2006 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship by defeating Widener, 52-45, at The Batten Center on the campus of Virginia Wesleyan College on Friday evening.

William Paterson (23-7) reached Elite 8 for the fifth time in school history and will play the winner of Friday night's Sweet 16 matchup between Lincoln and Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Pioneers are 2-2 in Elite 8 games, but 2-0 under head coach Jose Rebimbas, the program's 11th-year coach who has led them into the national quarterfinals in 1999, 2001 and now 2006.

The Pioneers were national runners-up in 2001 and finished fourth in Division III in 1999.

William Paterson's season was extended another game primarily because of Martinez' continued postseason excellence and the typically staunch defense the team plays. Martinez scored 12 of his 13 points during a decisive 19-11 spurt to start the second half as the Pioneers turned a 26-21 halftime lead into a 45-32 lead with 4:15 remaining. He produced his points off a variety shots such as a couple of baby hooks, a couple of drives, a short jumper and two free throws.

"I just like I needed to score," said Martinez, who is averaging 21.0 points and 7.7 rebounds in the first three rounds of the NCAA tourney. "I felt like I needed to put the ball in the basket or someone needed to put the ball in the basket. I started posting up and I knew I could score."

"We earmarked Luis Martinez to be our best player because of his versatility," Rebimbas said. "He makes his teammates better."

Meanwhile, Widener (23-6) went 8:38 without a field goal in the second half, ending its drought when senior guard Brandon Blakey (Willow Grove, PA/Abington) coverted a lay-up off a dribble drive. Widener shot just 31.8 percent from the game (14-for-44), including 27.3 percent in the second half (6-for-22) despite averaging 71.6 points and shooting 46.4 percent from the floor entering the Sweet 16.

Then again, William Paterson is 16th nationally in scoring defense (39.3) and 23rd in scoring defense (62.6 ppg) and has its first three opponents to an average of 46.0 points while not permitting any of them to shoot above 35.0 percent.

Senior forward Kris Clarkson (Philadelphia, PA/Overbrook) recorded a double-double with 11 points and 14 points for Widener, but his point total was almost 10 points below his average. Junior forward Malcolm Thomas (Baltimore, MD/Pikesville) led the losing team with 13 points and junior guard Essien Ford (Baltimore, MD/Loyola Blakefield) added 10.

"We feel like if we can impose our will on the defensive end, it will give us a chance to be successful," Rebimbas said.

"These are the final 16 teams," sophomore guard Jason Cameron (Cliffside Park, NJ/Cliffside Park) said. "Defensive is all about heart. You don't have to be good to play good defense."

The Pioneers never trailed in this contest, starting off by scoring 12 of the game's first 14 points. Cameron buried two 3-pointers to spark the surge. Widener pulled within four points on three occasions, but after getting within 28-24 on a three-point play by Clarkson at the start of the second half, the Martinez and the Pioneers controlled things.

[Rhodes Scholar]

I have to commend Coach Rebimbas on the job he has done at WPU this year. I saw them play twice this year and came out thinking that this was one of the worst WPU teams I have seen since I started following the NJAC. For this team to make the Sweet 16 speaks volumes about him getting his kids to buy into his philosophy and the players' desire to win.

I agree 100%. Rebimbas has done an outstanding job this season. This WPU team does not have a whole lot of talent. Luis Martinez is their only standout player. Everyone else, with the possible exception of Joey Spiegel, is a role player. Right now the Pioneers are playing extremely well, and a lot of the credit should go to their head coach. This team is very well prepared and is playing with a lot of confidence.

[Knightstalker]

There is even a D-III connection in D-I at Seton Hall:

Copeland

Donald Copeland Sr. was one of Charles Browns assistant coaches on the 1986 NJCU then JCSC final four team.

[phil]

Donnie Marsh, who became head coach at TCNJ when Kevin Bannon left, is the Assistant Head Coach at Indiana. He also coached at Elizabethtown and played at F&M.

[Knightstalker]

I read over on the football board that Kean has fired the Football coach and it was mentioned that Coach Hamburglar, I mean Hamburger has also been let go.  Anybody know anything more.  Any former players have any insight to the situation?

[phil]

This is as good as a press release. It's from the Kean website for job postings:

DEPARTMENT OF ATHLETICS
Half-Time Head Coach (Assistant Director IV) Men's Basketball
Kean University is also seeking a half-time Head Coach for men's basketball reporting to the Director of Athletics. The Coach has the primary responsibility for all aspects of a Division III men's basketball program in the highly competitive New Jersey Athletic Conference. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience. This is a twelve month half-time position 17.5 hours per week.