WBB: NESCAC

[amh63]

Amherst beats Albright today in PA in a game between ranked unbeaten teams.  Low scoring game.  Amherst lead at the half went to double digit at the end of the 3rd quarter..50-40.  The final spread was a bit higher.  Seems this Monday game was arranged between the schools because both coaches needed a 25th game.  Amherst's Coach G was the only coach willing to travel to play Albright.  PG Renner was the player to lead Amherst with 20 points...normally averages about 5 points..  Her scoring was needed with Giddins, Amherst's top scorer, was shut out.
Amherst basically won on the foul line in the second half...outside shots were not going in for Amherst.

[Vandy74]

Second year Head Coach KJ Krasco's Middlebury squad opened the conference season with a win 76-59 victory over Wesleyan this evening.  Sarah Kaufman, averaging 18.7 ppg, scored 31 including 15-16 from the FT line.  FY center Catherine Harrison, whose middle name is double-double, scored 12 while pulling down 15 boards and blocking 4 shots.  Eileen Daley collected 11 rebounds and stole the ball four times. 

This is a very young team with no seniors on the roster.  The only two juniors have been out with injuries all season.  One is last season's leading scorer (14 ppg) Elizabeth Knox.  Krystina Reynolds was a key reserve averaging 18 minutes per game and 5 points. 

Despite the NESCAC's ongoing conspiracy to disallow attendance of both men's and women's games versus a common opponent on the same evening, I've managed to see this team play a few times.  I see Amherst, Tufts, Williams and Trinity listed among the Top 25 at present.  For what it's worth Middlebury's three losses have been by 3 to Skidmore, 6 to Plattsburgh and a 70-62 decision against #5 NYU.  They play some good basketball.

[Maine 1]

Great to have the NESCAC season openers.  Very nice win for Middlebury. They were competitive last year, and seem to be improved.  Conn College continues to look like a legitimate contender, and had a good opening night last night.  Amherst blew Williams out--and I am not sure that Williams will be among the top four this year.  Very tight game between two strong teams, Tufts and Bowdoin.  Bowdoin should definitely be ranked if Tufts is, given the early season win by Bowdoin. Colby squeaked by what I believe is a very weak Bates team, and struggled earlier this week with a Husson team.  Early on it looks like Amherst, Tufts, Bowdoin and Conn College might be the top four, with Colby, Trinity and Middlebury and Williams after that.  Will have to check out Amherst as they seem to be really putting the pieces together for another strong run. 

[amh63]

Maine1.....thanks for your informative post!   Plus K.  Like Vandy74, I was watching the men's game of the Amherst-Williams match in LeFrak.  At half time, took a peek at the women's game in Willytown.  Surprised at the score.  Saw that the backup players....talented ones were in.  glad to see that all the players were dressed to play.  Nice to see Amherst score 80 points against a strong Williams team...ranked 19th with only 1 lost going into the game.  I think the surprising lopsided score was just one of those games.  The surprise was the Ehps were at home!...and had the bad game, relatively speaking.  Got to give Amherst's defensive effort some credit .

[Maine 1]

After first weekend of NESCAC play, it looks like Amherst is clearly the top team.  I watched the Tufts-Colby game, and if Tufts had any type of ability to put the ball into the basket, they would have won by about 20.  Tufts big players struggled with making shots inside against a small Colby team.  They also missed a number of wide open mid-range shots.  The score should not have been as close as it was.  It also looks like Conn College may be for real, as they won at Middlebury.  Wesleyan and Hamilton look to be on the weaker side  I expect to see a lot of close games among most of these teams.  The other interesting point is that in general, there appears to be very little depth across the teams, with starters playing big minutes, and very little bench scoring.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Believe it or not, but we are pretty much halfway through the 2015-16 season and there are plenty of teams still surprising and records being rewritten.

Tonight on Hoopsville we chat with the fourth person to reach the 900 wins in men's college basketball, a woman who keeps herself very busy even when she isn't coaching, and several other teams who are surprising everyone by leading their conference races.

Hoopsville hits the air at 7:00 PM ET and you can watch it here: www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/archives/2015-16/jan10

Guests include ( in order):
- Glenn Robinson, #17 F&M men's coach - won career game 900 Saturday
- Pat Manning, #18 Williams women's coach - WBCA Center Court segment
- Amanda Crockett, North Park women's coach
- Mac Brown, New Jersey City men's coach
- Kendal Wallace, LaGrange men's coach

You can tune into the podcast after the show airs here::
SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/hoopsville
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hoopsville/id1059517087

And don't forget you can always interact with us:
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[Vandy74]

It also looks like Conn College may be for real, as they won at Middlebury.  Wesleyan and Hamilton look to be on the weaker side  I expect to see a lot of close games among most of these teams.  The other interesting point is that in general, there appears to be very little depth across the teams, with starters playing big minutes, and very little bench scoring.

I know I composed a message re the Conn Coll-Midd game but it would seem I never hit "post."  Just as well since you give me a few reference points to use Maine1.  I see no reason to question the Camels' legitimacy.  I'm not a longtime serious women's hoops fan but I see no wins against schools that would be considered scrimmage opponents in other sports.  The Chapman-Redlands conference, I draw a blank on the name, takes it's athletic reputation very seriously.  Redlands is the usual NCAA tournament representative each season in women's lax, a sport with which I am quite familiar.  What I would hope, taking your depth reference into consideration, is that Middlebury is also for real.  While the Camels only played six contributors, statistically speaking, they did put three other players on the court for a combined 17 minutes to rest the starters.  Liz Malman played the entire 40 minutes but Payton Ouimette logged the second most PT with 33.  All of the Panther starters played at least 33 minutes and Sabrina Weeks, the only player coming off the bench, played 25.  In a previous post I mentioned the two juniors on Middlebury's roster who have been unavailable all season.  Elizabeth Knox was last season's leading scorer and Krystina Reynolds was a key reserve who averaged 18 minutes per game.

Conn Coll got off to a fast start in Middlebury taking a 17-9 lead in the first quarter but the Panthers won the second 16-7 showing the ability to come back and had a one point lead at the half.  They fell behind by four after the third and the Camels dominated the closing ten minutes 25-16.  It's notable that no Connecticut player was in foul trouble.  Middlebury lost one starter to fouls while three other players had four by game's end.  I didn't see the game.  I'm only using statistics here but it does seem reasonable to conclude that Middlebury's lack of depth, in light of the fouls, contributed somewhat to the way the final period played out.  As I said, I believe the Camel's single-blemished record is legit.  I also believe that if the Panthers can add the two injured players to the active roster they are a team that can play 40 minutes with anybody.  From the three games I have actually watched I know there is also a lot a developing talent on the Panther bench. 

In closing I join amh63 in asking what common sense challenged brain trust came up with the (dare I say sexist?) idea of scheduling men's and women's games against common opponents home and away concurrently?   And got away with it.

[amh63]

Vandy74 is completely right on the matter of CAC separation of men and women games.  I believe the Nescac over reacting to Title IX concerns is the culprit.  Having said that, back to basketball matters.
Amherst played a game yesterday while the men's team was "idle".  Delaware Valley entered LeFrak for an out of conference game and got crushed, 73-38.  Sr. Marley Giddens was the top scorer of the game with 28 points....her career best.
For me, there are two stories taken from the game.  It seems that this year's Amherst team has many potential top scorers and is becoming a very good defensive team.  The leading scorer from Friday's win had a "bad" day and Giddens stepped up.  PG Renner who was a top scorer in another game had no points but dished out 8-9 assist.  In short, Amherst is becoming a team that can score in many ways and improving defensively.
The second story is DV.  Based on its record, it is a solid opponent from a conference that I am not familiar with....even though it's members are in the D.C/MD area.  How did this game come to be??
A regular season game vice a tournament opponent.  Maybe someone from D3hoops could inquire.  Coach G is rather like a statue on such matters .

[Roundball999]

Vandy74 is completely right on the matter of CAC separation of men and women games.  I believe the Nescac over reacting to Title IX concerns is the culprit.  Having said that, back to basketball matters.
Amherst played a game yesterday while the men's team was "idle".  Delaware Valley entered LeFrak for an out of conference game and got crushed, 73-38.  Sr. Marley Giddens was the top scorer of the game with 28 points....her career best.
For me, there are two stories taken from the game.  It seems that this year's Amherst team has many potential top scorers and is becoming a very good defensive team.  The leading scorer from Friday's win had a "bad" day and Giddens stepped up.  PG Renner who was a top scorer in another game had no points but dished out 8-9 assist.  In short, Amherst is becoming a team that can score in many ways and improving defensively.
The second story is DV.  Based on its record, it is a solid opponent from a conference that I am not familiar with....even though it's members are in the D.C/MD area.  How did this game come to be??
A regular season game vice a tournament opponent.  Maybe someone from D3hoops could inquire.  Coach G is rather like a statue on such matters .

It was Lebanon Valley from PA, not Delaware Valley.  Commonwealth Conference is all PA colleges.

[gordonmann]

Yeah, Leb Val is from the same conference as Albright, whom the Lord Jeffs beat earlier in the week. Del Val (which is also in Pennsylvania) is from the MAC Freedom. The MAC Freedom and MAC Commonwealth are one conference (the plain old MAC) for football and two for most other sports.

Leb Val has been a consistent conference title contender in the Commonwealth and was a repeat NCAA tournament team a few years ago. So it theoretically should've been a good non-conference test.

Leb Val's coach also was in New England (Southern Connecticut State) before she came to Amish Country. So maybe she knows Gromacki from that somehow?

[amh63]

Roundball999 and Gordonmann......thanks for the correction.   My bad, and plus K to you both.
I knew it was LVC, but my brain was elsewhere.  I go by the area and remember my HS team playing Lebanon HS and getting beaten by a QB by the name of Dick Shiner....went on to Becoming an All-American at Maryland.  Yes, a very long time ago.
LVU plays Hood College in Frederick Md and has some local high school players.  Also checked out the coaches for the team.  HC father coached a bit in NE and HC was at Yale for a time.  Another assist has NY roots, etc.
You maybe correct Gordonmann.  Still, the coaches are all relative young...to initiate a seasonal game with Amherst. 

[kate]

Coach Gromacki was at Drew University for a very brief stint immediately after Drew left the MAC to be a member of the then newly formed Landmark League.

[amh63]

Kate....thanks for that info.  The time frame is off somewhat for me.  The coaches at LVU would have been in HS then.  Coach G was a successful HC at St. Lawrence before moving on to Hamiliton...both in the NY state.  He just hired a former player at St. Lawrence as his top assistant.  I met him in Salem, Va.when he was just hired at Amherst.  He wanted to return to Western Ma. for personal reasons.
In any case, Coach G recruited in the NYState area of SJF and Alfred Un and in NE.  I would think he met the fathers of two of LVU coaches...one the HC of AU....during recruiting/ scouting trips.  It is possible that an initial inquiry was made by his assistant and/or via a father.
I just find " small  world" connections fascinating.  For example....when Coach G was at St. Lawrence, he had a mentor of sorts on the school's Board of Overseers (trustees), an Amherst alum.  After Coach G was given the job at Hamilton, after a successful season as Interim HC, the job at Amherst became open.  It was like his dream job...coach G grew up in nearby S. Deerfield and his mother was still living there.  Coach G asked his mentor for advice whether to apply.  I was told that the advice given was to tell Hamilton straight out first if he decided to apply, his reasons and accept how the chips fell.  His mentor and I often chat at Amherst BB games.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Roundball999 and Gordonmann......thanks for the correction.   My bad, and plus K to you both.
I knew it was LVC, but my brain was elsewhere.  I go by the area and remember my HS team playing Lebanon HS and getting beaten by a QB by the name of Dick Shiner....went on to Becoming an All-American at Maryland.  Yes, a very long time ago.
LVU plays Hood College in Frederick Md and has some local high school players.  Also checked out the coaches for the team.  HC father coached a bit in NE and HC was at Yale for a time.  Another assist has NY roots, etc.
You maybe correct Gordonmann.  Still, the coaches are all relative young...to initiate a seasonal game with Amherst.

To also clarify, the MAC consists of teams from NJ, PA, and MD... not just PA. Hood and Stevenson from MD, FDU-Florham (recent national champs) from NJ. The rest are from PA.

And Gromacki's tenure at Drew was a few MONTHS, actually. He was hired in June of 2007 and left in October just two weeks before the season started - never coached a game - to take the Hamilton job on an interim basis. That title was removed in April of 2008... and he then left to take the Amherst job.

[amh63]

Some conference news.
Amherst traveled down to NYC to play Baruch.  Won 85-34.  Stats only....checked in at halftime and it was 44-18.  It was high winds in the area....hope team got back safe.
The surprise result was Bowdoin's lost to Emmanual in Maine last night, 64-57.  Watched the game in the first half and it was back and forth.  Figured the Polar Bears would take control in the second half.
Emmanual played Amherst close in a 59-48 lost in LeFrak in early Dec.....still?