MBB: Great Northeast Athletic Conference

[rudebuoyz]

greetings u earthlings.....so j&W loses against svc...hmmmm...this is going to be a very exciting playoff session...predictions: svc beats norwich...(just because of the rule of life which says "in life u cant get lucky 3 times)....suffolk beats WNEC....and emmanuel destroys riv....j&W beats emerson...
lets see what happens in the 1st round

[thebigO567]

will be some good games on tuesday. 

[goldenpipes]

Rudebuoyz-

If you think that it's hard for one team to beat another in a season three times, why didn't you pick Emerson and WNEC to win tonight?  Each lost twice to tonight's opponent....just a question.

The games are really too close to call either way. Emmanuel is a favorite tonight, but it's not like that game is a gimmie either- Saints won by 2 at Riv and by 10 at home. The Raiders do have McMahon, and if he gets it going he can score 35 himself and make it a game down the stretch.

Tonight will be fun and we can revisit the games tomorrow and see what the semis hold.

[Jamball1444]

Anyone notice the players that Riv is losing due to the head coach?  It's a shame that the admin doesn't recognize the incompetence involved.  They could and should have been a contendor in their conference for 3 years with Rookie of Year and Leading Scorers, but given the head coach's ineptness they will never have a winning season.

[thebigO567]

is theer a web-site for statistics (team and individual) for the GNAC?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I'm not sure if there are stats there, but scores and stuff can be found at the GNAC website.

[creekhoops]

Probably a wise idea not to go down that road.  Regarding Rivier men's basketball, I have to respectfully disagree with the previous poster.  Coach doen't need (or expect) me to defend him, but I have coached against him on several occasions in my days in the GNAC.  Now that I am out and far away, I can say that I understand some of the challenges he faces at Riv.  The man is not inept.  Fact is, he can flat out coach.  Look at how far that team has come - in a time when Emmanuel is coming on strong, Norwich had it's run, and Emerson is - well, Emerson.    JWU will always have athletes and can pick them off trees if they so choose.  Rivier gets a different type of kid up there.  It isn't easy to sell college basketball to a kid in Nashua.  The facility is antiquated, and schedulling classes can be a pain in the butt up there.  Yet, he has been able to get a rookie of the year and a scoring leader recently.  That says he's out looking.  Dave does things the right way, and he expects everyone else to, as well.  He respects the game and expects the same in return.  I have broken down his film and picked apart his sets - he is intricate and precise.  I would have no problem sending a kid to him because he is a man of integrity.  Hell, I just may.  Either way, lets keep in mind that this board has come a long way since the days of coach and program bashing.  Best of luck to all teams left in the tournament - Coach Finn in North Carolina.

[carolina]

Well said creekhoops!!! Why is it if a team isn't doing well it's always the coaches fault but when they are doing great the coach is great? sometimes schools just do not get the support they need from administration to make their teams any better. Some coaches get lucky with their talent. SVC brought in some great athletes when Marks was there but no matter what type of coach goes to SVC, DWEB or even Rivier (except for volleyball) they will never be able to compete with the likes of Amherst, or Williams or maybe even any NESCAC school. They just do not get the support. There is nothing to do in Bennington or Nashua. Only certain types of kids are going to go to those schools and it is tough to get one great athlete let alone 5 or 6 at the same time. IT's not always the coaches fault and if you have never coached on the collegiate level you will never understand.   

[the_real_gnac]

Well to all the good Gnac players i would like to say great season and i would love to say congradultaions to the gnac player of the year Douglas Hammond great season SVC put up a great challenge with their limited number of actual b ball players but congrats to him and the GNAC champs

[All-around]

Do you mind me asking who said Hammond was the player of the year?

[thebigO567]

you talk about riveria,DW, and So. Vt., not being in a big town or b-ball area. It seems Norwich has been able to do alright for the past 4 years being in upstate Vt. and in a town of Northfield! 

[creekhoops]

Well in the early 90s, coach Griffith had the DWeb kids playing well.  In 1999, Rivier had a nice run.  And we all know about the Marks-era Mountaineers at SVC.  Excellent point - Northfield, VT is a tough draw for recruiting.  But Norwich is a demanding school, with tough standards for military and non military students.  A solid recruiting class can carry well over for a few seasons.  Coach Booth has done an outstanding job there.  So, one cannot blame the town for a lack of success.  However, it is hit or miss in D3 recruiting no matter where you go.  The point is, I think, that if a kid is looking for a Norwich Type school, with their standards lofty as they are, your choices are limited.  There is always West Point...  However, Rivier being a private school only 30 minutes from a much cheaper Fitchburg State, with nothing extremely unique to offer, is a tough place to convince a kid to spend 25,000+ to attend each year.  In the Ebb and flow of things, Riv will see their way into the top four.  It isn't easy when you have competition who is also improving each year.  Tough to mark progress that way.

[hoopsfab4]

Actually,  Jamball1444 has it right.  the program has lost 3 or 4 players this year because they hated the coach.  Team chemistry is the reason they lost so many close games - and that is the coach's fault.  As far as "he can flat out coach"; much if not all of that credit should go to his assistant coach.

[Jamball1444]

With all due respect to Carolina, it sounds like you've been out of the loop as far as Riv goes.  I don't know the head coach's long term  history, but if you look at his W/L record it pretty much tells the story.  The point you made about his recruiting skills is one thing I can't argue because he did have a Rookie of the Year two years in a row and a Scoring Leader as well.  There are definitely other players on Riv with talent that should be competitive with their conference.  This has to make one wonder with all this talent why they still can't win...that is inept coaching.   I totally agree with hoopsfab4, riv's asst coach has a great rapport with the players and it's a shame he can't step up into the head coach position...that's when you'd see riv have a winning record for the first time in.......forever?

[carolina]

Well Jamball everyone is entitled to their opinion and you may be right about the coach. I dont know. I do not know him. However all I am saying is that everyone is too quick to judge the coach when things are going wrong. Everyone in the stands seems to be a critic and everyone thinks they are a coach but until they are put in tough situations they shouldn't be so quick too judge.

As far as Douglas Hammond getting poy. That is correct. Heard it through some GNAC coaches. Congrats to him. He is an outstanding player!!!!!!!!