MBB: Centennial Conference

[noonhooper]

Hi Everyone!
Long-time reader, first-time poster. I am looking forward to a great CC season!

Solid games on the slate today: I think we will learn more about Wash/Gburg after this game and, obviously, Swat/Dickinson will be a good early season test for both.

PICKS:
WASH
F&M
McD
HOP
SWAT

Excited to see how it goes and I look forward to jumping into some discussions here and across the boards!

[D.B. Cooper]

Only pick I would go the other way on is Ursinus @ McDaniel. I don't card if they play it in the Jeff Bezos arena on Mars.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Dickinson did an admirable job after literally the worst possible start to the game.  Out of the first 20 points scored, they had none of them.  Both of those teams are very strong.  F&M seems to have found something and Hopkins looks pretty good. Might only be one playoff spot up for grabs.

[Gabriel]

A bit too early to tell.  Do not discount Ursinus.

[BeRightOn]

Little known fact: Quattro and Rafferty from Ursinus and Yonda from Swarthmore played on the same AAU team throughout high school.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

A bit too early to tell.  Do not discount Ursinus.

So, you're saying there aren't any spots up for grabs?

[noonhooper]

Always tough to play at McDaniel. And Ursinus, while very athletic and skilled, sometimes struggles against teams that are physical on defense. I was so close to being right about the upset!

I agree with Ryan, seems like there are four teams that have things rolling early and have a system in place already. I will be interested to see the other teams grow over the next few months. Ursinus has the horses but can they stay consistent? Gettysburg always gets tougher as their younger guys learn the Princeton system and Washington and Haverford have younger guys playing good minutes, I don't think they will be consistent but they could become dangerous.

Of the top 4, I would say F&M has potential to drop just because they seem the thinnest and most reliant on a couple of players. But there are going to be some good games ahead!

[Gabriel]

Ryan,

What I am saying is everything is up for grabs.  There are not any can't lose teams in the CC.  Do not anoint Swat or Dick or F&M or any other team.  That is why we play the games! I am suggesting----do not ignore the Bears as most have!  I think the preseason predictions were right on----anyone of the top five could win---maybe even the top seven. But preseason predictions are not always right even though I agree Swat is the favorite.  It is no gimme and I am suggesting Ursinus as the surprise team.  They do have a history of being just that and this year they have the horses.

[noonhooper]

I agree Ursinus is a good team and will be competitive but I am not sure how they "have the horses" this year after basically playing the same guys as last year minus Knowles, who was their go-to guy when they needed a bucket in important games last season.

[Gabriel]

McTamney and Stark are now sophomores and, you may have noticed, are major contributors.  As freshmen, they were freshmen.  Williams and Quattro are better players than a year ago.  Also, Ursinus has a deep bench---players who can play.  Their offense will be fine. The key is how well they play defensively.

Bears have four promising freshmen, Edwards, Gordon, Olshevski and Paulus , who have not played much but could be factors in January and February.  In my 18 years of following the team, this is the deepest Bears team----not the best----the deepest.

Bears are the last to go undefeated in CC play----13-0 in 2003 (divided conference) and 18-0 in 2008.  Very difficult to do but with solid play and a bit luck, it can be done.

[Hank Mardukas]

Better the Mule You Know, than the Mule You Don't Know:

Right now, the AD at Muhlenberg College has to be re-evaluating his decision to fire perhaps the most the most recognizable face and voice in division III Hoops in Scott McClary. In all fairness, Coach Kevin Hopkins did not recruit any of these slightly above average athletes to Muhlenberg, but he also doesn't know how to utilize them. Nick Rindock continues to not get the ball in the right spots on the court and I can see a feud forming between Rindock and newly hired assistant coach Jake Brown. Rumor has it Brown is the brains in the locker room and is attempting to implement a 1-1-2-1 Press into the Mules defensive strategy. In all my 67 years of watching basketball, I have never heard of this defense but then again, most geniuses are considered crazy at first, just look at Bill Nye. Although Brown is known as a tough no-nonsense coach on the court, off the court he is an accomplished DJ who does a variety of events from Bar Mitzvahs to Weddings, (direct message me for contact information). You can find him on Spotify under the name DJ "Silent Raven-Master of All". In the past Rindock has been known to get into it with members of the coaching staff going back to his high school days at Parkland. My question to Kevin Hopkins is why isn't William Huang and Blake Hlatky in the rotation? These young phenoms deserve an opportunity to showcase their skills and rumor has it they have both been "spark plugs" in practice. Off the court, they are a genuinely good people and Blake is a hell of a violinist. Chances of Coach Brown teaming up with Blake to form a band are astronomically higher than the Mules winning a conference game this year. I expect Rindock out of the rotation and Huang in. Also, Hopkins has to work on his style. McClary strictly rocked designer suits, and Gucci does make suits for tall people.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Interesting take Hank but your hopeless effort to promote Mule bench players from the inevitable free fall the Mules are experiencing. I sat courtside with my daughters boyfriend last night and we bonded over a nice JHU victory in the nest (66-55). Admittedly I have involved myself in much banter involving Mules and probably have been out of place in the past. It seems as if Corporal Hicks and Mardukas have true inside information about Allentowns most polarizing division 3 basketball team.

I had to look up Hlatky on my daughters search engine and could find nothing of substance. One thing myself and my daughters boyfriend (Geoff) struggled to figure out, was who was actually making the offensive calls for Mules? At times it seemed like Brown was visibly disgusted by the Run n Gun. Being that he is a former point guard (and current DJ) I could see him being a set oriented coach, hopefully this does not lead to a divided locker room.. It will be interesting what side of the locker room the likes of Rindock, Baez and Werheim choose as we reach the bulk of the season.

Anyway that's enough from me, myself and Geoff are going to hit some balls at the golf simulator at DIck's Sporting Goods in Baltimore. It really is astonishing where this new technology has gone. Go Jays!!

Sounds like maybe I can then discover if this is a real person... you are getting a little too close to the home offices and making this easy. LOL

[Pat Coleman]

There are literally four people who have posted from that IP address. Come on, guys. Pick one handle and don't have a conversation with yourself. This isn't 2002.

[Swat Fan #1]

I firmly believe this year that Swat will go as Yonda goes. I truly believe he is an outstanding player who at times last year, didn't want to even attempt a shot. I didn't understand it. This year for whatever reason, he is back to looking for his shot. That makes for a lethal back court. Dickinson looked tough after the first few minutes and did an outstanding job of fighting back. It just takes so much energy to come back from 20 down.

I would love to hear from someone at Hopkins about your new coach. I personally think the guy is outstanding and think you got a steal of coach! I can't wait to see how well he does recruiting.

F&M looks tougher than I thought they would be. They are a bit thin, but again prove that coaching matters.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I would love to hear from someone at Hopkins about your new coach. I personally think the guy is outstanding and think you got a steal of coach! I can't wait to see how well he does recruiting.

I think Hopkins had the a rare opportunity where any of their finalists would have been a terrific hire - a steal even. I agree with you that Loeffler is a great choice.