MBB: Great Northeast Athletic Conference

[lildave678]

That's what I was thinking related to a D1 format. I watched a little of their championship game from their site. Offense was a lot of iso/screens and seeing if the guy with the ball can make a play. When that didn't work they'd try to find Parker. I think Chi will be huge inside altering shots defensively, and just being there offensively since they don't have anyone that big.

Looking forward to your next post!

[pjunito]

Over the next few days I will give my breakdown of the game:

Here is what I will cover....

Alvernia Defense vs Albertus Offense

Albertus Defense vs Alvernia Defense

Experience

Home Court Advantage

And the keys to the game

I will start with Coaching.. in my next post.

[pjunito]

1. Coaching: Mitch Oliver is a heck of a coach - he can plan and prepare for other teams. You give him 5 days to watch film and develop a gameplan and 9 out of 10 times, his team will win. However, Coach Miller is a great coach; he has a 144-73 record as the coach at Alvernia. He lost two years ago in the first round of the NCAA's in overtime and won the ECAC South tournament last year. This year, he has 4 guys who didn't average over 17 minutes last year starting (including one new comer in Bennett) and has this team as the No. 1 ranked team in his region. He has also coached very talented players in the past and I am sure will have his team ready to play. What he accomplished this year is great, taking a team that had new players playing significant minutes and winning the regular season and conference tournament crown is quite a coaching achievement. Two very good coaches going at it.

[pjunito]

Alvernia plays in the MAC commonwealth conference...

Here is a link to their end of year awards:

http://www.gomacsports.com/news/2013/2/22/MBB_0222134907.aspx

[GnacBballFan]

Listen I'm an Albertus fan but not being bias here. The fact Darius Watson didnt win POY in GNAC is a complete, insane joke. Click is a good player, Watson a superstar. Big difference. Watson avg more points and rebounds and then in title game shut click down, while Watson put amc on there back with 34 points and 12 boards. What a joke.

[pjunito]

Well Said... Watson is clearly the best player in the conference... Take Watson off the team and Albertus finishes 4th or 5th in conference.

+1

[lildave678]

Completely agree. I was shocked to say the least. The only thing I can think of is their thought process (that is not right by any means) that Darius is just gonna clean house next year. But he was the better player this year regardless.

I never really get the GNAC's voting. I'm not sure if you guys follow soccer (I played at AMC) but this year a kid named Mike Skelton from Suffolk received GNAC POTY because he led the league in goals with 14. Stephen Zapata from Albertus had one less goal at 13, 9 more assists for a total of 7 more points. Stephen also had 6 game winning goals while Skelton had 5. And granted it's after the GNAC awards are announced, but Zapata was named a 2012 Second Team All-American and a 2012 NEISL All-Star. Those stories are on the GNACs website with nothing about Skelton. It's a shame if you ask me.

[lildave678]

Skelton was from Lasell*

[pjunito]

We get more wrapped up in the awards than maybe the players and coaches do. But, I think if you asked most fans of the GNAC who the player of the year was.. they would have said Watson..


And Dave, I agree, they would have said Zapata was as well.

[pjunito]

2. Alvernia Defense vs Albertus Offense:

I have not seen Alvernia play at all, but looking at their stats over the last 5 games and video highlights from online; they look like a team that prides themselves on man to man defense. They play a small line-up which probably helps them with pick and roll defense. They probably have 4 guys who can defend all 5 positions on the court. They also rebound the ball very well for such a small line-up (starters go 5'9, 5'11, 6'1, 6'4, 6'5). They average 7 steals, 3 blocks, and force 13 turnover per game. Albertus is an offense that loves to go inside to its Big man Lora. Give him a few touches, get him going, and open things up from the perimeter. But, let's face it, Darius Watson is the best scorer Albertus has and usually the best scorer on the court. He will be hard to handle inside and out.  Albertus does average 13 turnovers per game. Alvernia is quick and athletic and can convert those turnovers into easy points.

I think the question to ask will be: Will Alvernia play man to man and hope their speed can stop the inside game or go to a zone? I think they play man to man and hope Bridgers and Parker can contain Watson and Lora in the inside game.

[pjunito]

ECAC pairings:
#8 Emerson @ #1 Westfield
#7 USM @ #2 Anna Maria
#6 Johnson & Wales @ #3 Eastern Connecticut
#5 Wentworth @ #4 Castleton
Anna Maria did not put in to host the finals, so if Westfield loses and Eastern wins, Eastern is hosting the semi's and the finals March 2-3.  Quarterfinal games Wednesday, February 27 at 7.

Good luck to Anna Maria!

[WPI89]

Thanks Punto - I had been looking for the ECAC's.  Do you know the women's match-ups?

[7express]

Thanks Punto - I had been looking for the ECAC's.  Do you know the women's match-ups?

#8 Albertus @ #1 Castleton
#7 Endicott @ #2 Suffolk
#6 Salve Reginia @ #3 Wellesley
#5 Westfield @ #4 Roger Williams

[eslaps]

As someone new to the d3boards, and more specifically reading some of the posts about the GNAC, it seems to me that there is considerable bias towards Albertus Magnus as opposed to the other schools. 

In numerous posts, I have heard that people seem to believe Oliver is a great coach.  From an outside observer, I beg to differ.  He is a UNBELIEVABLE recruiter getting players of the likes of Askew, Watson, etc., but I  believe he has just has the more talented team and plays an uptempo style that favors his teams athleticism as opposed to "outcoaching" others.  With the talent that he has brought in over the past couple years, his teams should go undefeated in the GNAC. There may be people are that are over his teams and his own antics.  I had some free time, so I decided to check an obscure season statistic on Albertus.  They were given 23, I repeat 23 technicals this year as a team.  I always thought D3 basketball was about sportsmanship and integrity, and 23 T's doesnt exactly scream sportsmanship and integrity.

I also noticed quite the uproar over Watson not receiving POY.  So not knowing the actual statistics of either player, I compared Click from Anna Maria and Watson from Albertus.  Watson had the edge in ppg 23.1 to 19.4 for click.  Watson also shot the ball at an outstanding percentage of 55% but click also shot the ball at a 50% clip.   But click averaged more rebounds, dished out almost 3 times as many assists, averaged almost twice as many blocks, lead the league in steals and had a better assist to turnover ratio.  It seems Watson is the premier scorer in the conference, but if you look at the complete package, Click seems to have the upper edge.  Also, voting is generally done right after the regular season in most conferences, so at that point Anna Maria was the #1 seed so Click probably benefited from it as well. 

Someone said that if you take Watson off Albertus they are a 4 or 5 seed, what do you think would happen in Click wasn't on Anna Maria??

[GnacBballFan]

These boards are def bias towards Albertus, but you wanna know why? Bc Albertus has dominated the gnac for four years. Winning 3 titles, and the only one of those four years they lost in the semis with no askew(flu), no Lora, econopolus, or dugas. All of these three were suspended for the yr. or Albertus might have been on a 4 yr streak.

As far as Mitch Oliver goes. I went to Albertus from 04-08. I kid you not when I tell you those teams would have lost to my high school team, it was a joke. Go look at those teams records. Enter Oliver, and obv we know what he has done. 3 titles and two NCAA wins with a 3rd pending. He recruits the hell out of the area and has gotten fine talent, but here's where your wrong. Last yr Albertus lost to Edgar mevers, on a buzzer beater, there only regular season loss. Want to know why? Bc Oliver wasn't coaching that game, two T's prior game(ill approach this). Them this yr he gets two at Ana Maria, early in 2nd half, they lose. Oliver's first GNAC title in 2010, Albertus loses last game of yr to rivier, again with no Oliver. First round and next game they gave same Riv team and win by 20. He prepared his team for William Patterson that yr perfectly, and amc led all game before winning on a buzzer beater. He has complete control of his guys and what they run, and of you think it's just talent, your sadly dead wrong. A 2-23 team for yrs doesn't just turn things around on talent alone. In fact the key win that turned the whole program around was against a good trinity team, that was up nine on Albertus until Oliver started pressing with askew on the baseline five yrs ago. It jump started the program. I've seen many players become inelgible grade wise and also personal reasons not being able to play, and Oliver has overcome that.

Anyone who has seen Watson play, knows Watson is a step above Click. It's fine, bc Watson rather have his GNAC title he beat click out for last Saturday by dominating him.


Mitch gets his T's there is no doubt about that. But it's who he is as a coach, it's his personality. And guess what, it's worked. All that sportsmanship is great, but lets get real, if that's what it were all about, why keep score? The guy wins, and wears his emotions on his sleeve, like a lot of others. Of ppl are tired of his antics, and this board being bias, then someone else beat this guy in the gnac