MBB: Centennial Conference

givengo · February 13, 2014, 06:25:33 PM

Saw Ursinus play in Carlisle, and they played like a team tired of losing. They moved the ball well, hit a ton of shots and were aggressive, rather than resigned to a less than stellar season. It doesn't surprise me one bit that they won over F & M with or without Moune. This was a group ready to take one away from any team that looked past them.

CCD3Basketball · February 15, 2014, 08:32:47 AM

My picks for today:

Dickinson @ Johns Hopkins: all of a sudden a comfortable advantage for the Red Devils in the homecourt chase. I don't think this road trip bothers them today. Dickinson on the road for the win.

Haverford @ Gettysburg: big win for the bullets the other night. They get another one today.

Washington @ Ursinus: what a win for ursinus the other night huh? Down 24-1 and still find a way. Expect another win from the bears today.

Swarthmore @ McDaniel: a big loss for McDaniel the other night. They rebound today against the Garnet.

Muhlenberg @ Franklin and Marshall: tough game here. I assume Moune is still out which is HUGE. The mules are the favorite without him but the homecourt for F&M is always an advantage. That being said, Mules get the win on the road.

Swat Fan #1 · February 15, 2014, 06:26:30 PM

Saw the box score today. Why is Killing not playing? Is this left over from getting two t's the other night? Single digits in last two games with under 20 minutes played.

Reserved Seat · February 15, 2014, 06:47:37 PM

F&M played a solid game after their poor performance on Wednesday. F&M had decent offense and solid defense. Porter's playing time was limited by foul trouble, but Phelps and Figueroa picked up the slack. Salandra played an excellent all round game. Moune was back with a taped wrist which seemed to hamper his play little. Levy provided some quality minutes in backing up the bigs. Wright played tremendous defense and shut down who ever he was covering. Lee played tight defense causing his opponent to take poor shots. Killing played little, but still played selfish in his limited time. Definitely not the player of the year--most selfish yes.
Kudos to Muhlenberg's coach for his class. On senior day at F&M he sent his seniors out to congratulate the F&M's seniors, and during a clothing issue at the start of the second half, he told the referees not to make a deal out of it. Coach showed a lot of class.

CCHOOPS12 · February 15, 2014, 11:35:05 PM

Hard to say a kid that finished 7th last season and is currently 6th in assists in the conference (one less game played) is selfish.

Reserved Seat · February 16, 2014, 01:50:22 PM

I heard one of Killing's teammates say to him during the game --"pass the ball" and then rolled his eyes.
How many more assists could he have? I'm not saying he's a bad player, but you can tell when he's going to take the ball down the court and not even look to pass.

centfan · February 17, 2014, 10:06:21 AM

muhlenberg's situation is tricky. not sure they can win without killing's scoring, so then he has to be a bit selfish to make it happen. to me, hargrove is overrated and muhlenberg has become somewhat of a one man team, which is why they are vulnerable. i wonder what the team chemistry is like and what other guys feel as we head into the playoffs. he is arguably the most talented player in the conference (nobody can guard him).
on another note, i still feel dickinson is vulnerable when an athletic guard plays focused D on honig (like porter did). their offense shuts down with no other guard to step in and lead. despite a very up and down season for F&M and being shorthanded,i feel like they are the best candidate to beat dickinson in the playoffs, particularly if their guys up front are finishing and playing strong around the rim.

Gabriel · February 17, 2014, 05:42:09 PM

Centfan,

I think if you ask almost any player, coach or fan in the CC, most will say Killing is arguably the most talented player in the league-----but also the most selfish. I don't care what his assist stats are---just watch him. Perhaps he is not starting right now because his coach realizes they are better off without him. Chemistry---or lack thereof has been an issue since Liddic graduated. Top to bottom, Muhlenberg has the most talented roster----they don't know how to play as a team because of Killing. Curry, Stavetski, Scheer, Hunter among others are very talented players. Hargrove is big and a presence even though he has not lived up to our expectations this year.

Can they adjust and play well as a team? Will they reinstall Killing as their focal point? Only time will tell. One thing I am quite sure of, he has no chance of being selected as POY.

diplomaniac1 · February 18, 2014, 03:18:42 AM

The following are my predictions for Wednesday evening's (February 19) Centennial Conference games:

Dickinson @ Muhlenberg: On the surface, this should be a Dickinson victory. However, since the Mules really need this game, I think that they just might eke out a win at their "Barn". So, I will go out on a limb and say that the Mules win a close contest at home.

McDaniel @ Johns Hopkins: Another tougher game to pick! Again, the home team needs the win more than the road team. The Jays are always stronger at home. With very little conviction, I will pick Hopkins to win a close game at home.

Washington @ Swarthmore: A coin flip in my opinion. I will give the nod to the Shoremen and say they win this one on the road!

Gettysburg @ F&M: The Diplomats will be out to avenge a loss to Gettysburg earlier in the year. So, F&M wins at Mayser to enter the playoffs on a strong note.

Ursinus@ Haverford: Although the Bears have been playing better lately, I think the Fords will win at home on the main line.

Enjoy the games! Regards to all.

Eric

centfan · February 18, 2014, 08:41:40 AM

Gabriel,
I can't argue with anyone who perceives Killing as selfish...I see him that way also , but maybe not to the extreme that others might.His shooting percentages are good, free throws very good, plays hard. He is not a point guard on this team and doesn't seem to trust anyone else with the ball.My guess is he was more of a point guard in high school, where he played with better players at Friends Central. Him and Hargrove should be working together on every possession but that isn't how it goes.I also hold the coach responsible for what he accepts on his team. As far as Muhlenberg being the most talented, i am not sure I agree with that. The top 4 or 5 teams seem pretty even in terms of talent (a couple of guys on each team and then alot of standard CC role players.) Curry has shrunk and not lived up to his potential (like Hargrove), Staveski can shoot it and I don't know the other guys very well but they don't seem like a better group than Dickinson, F&M, Hopkins, McDaniel this year.

Gabriel · February 18, 2014, 09:46:52 PM

Quote from: centfan on February 18, 2014, 08:41:40 AM
Curry has shrunk and not lived up to his potential (like Hargrove), Staveski can shoot it and I don't know the other guys very well but they don't seem like a better group than Dickinson, F&M, Hopkins, McDaniel this year.

Centfan,

And why do you suppose this has happened? Why have Curry, Hargrove and the others not lived up to their potential. One reason-----Killing. None of them is strong enough to overcome his personality and selfishness. I think that without Killing, Curry would be the floor leader and he is an selfless player. I know I would not want Killing on my team----ever.

centfan · February 19, 2014, 04:34:45 AM

Quote from: Gabriel on February 18, 2014, 09:46:52 PM
Quote from: centfan on February 18, 2014, 08:41:40 AM
Curry has shrunk and not lived up to his potential (like Hargrove), Staveski can shoot it and I don't know the other guys very well but they don't seem like a better group than Dickinson, F&M, Hopkins, McDaniel this year.

Centfan,

And why do you suppose this has happened? Why have Curry, Hargrove and the others not lived up to their potential. One reason-----Killing. None of them is strong enough to overcome his personality and selfishness. I think that without Killing, Curry would be the floor leader and he is an selfless player. I know I would not want Killing on my team----ever.

I would agree that one reason players on muhlenberg have not lived up to their potential is Killing and his dominance with the ball. the other reason is the coach, who is equally or more responsible for the situation. many players play with a "me first" attitude, particularly when they are young, in high school and AAU. when they run into a strong coach (usually in college) who is clear about what he will and won't allow, their game radically changes (often for their own betterment and the betterment of the team.) i think that there are not alot of players in the conference now who can make plays...like it or not, killing can, so coach has relied on him and allowed him to do pretty much whatever he wants. i would love to have a player with killing's ability on my team but i would sit him if he didn't share the ball more and get other guys involved...and not past the middle of his junior year but right from the beginning. do you think this would go on with seretti? highly doubtful. dickinson is no more gifted than muhlenberg, and they win almost all the time. to me the difference is coaching and what they teach and demand of their players.

Gabriel · February 19, 2014, 07:49:44 AM

Centfan,

Agree with what you say. Basketball is a team game. Looking into the recent past, players such as Shattuck and Milligan had the ability and could easily have averaged at least 10 points more per game had they been selfish players. Thankfully they were not----they wanted to win------ as a team. Also, they had coaches who would not and will not permit selfish play.

centfan · February 19, 2014, 08:41:09 AM

Quote from: Gabriel on February 19, 2014, 07:49:44 AM
Centfan,

Agree with what you say. Basketball is a team game. Looking into the recent past, players such as Shattuck and Milligan had the ability and could easily have averaged at least 10 points more per game had they been selfish players. Thankfully they were not----they wanted to win------ as a team. Also, they had coaches who would not and will not permit selfish play.

i agree completely gabriel. it all starts at the top with coaches setting the tone and priorities for team play and sharing the ball.

CCHOOPS12 · February 19, 2014, 08:50:26 AM

For all you Ursinus and Dickinson fans coach McClary and killing combine to be 9-2 vs you guys. Trash all them all you want but at the end of the day it's just fear. Killing is the player of the year BC there isn't a player that other coaches prepare for more. Give both the respect that is due and wait until Muhlenberg doesn't succeed this year to trash a 21 year old kid.