WBB: NESCAC

[frank uible]

True. Let's all agree to never mention the senseless USN&WR rankings or their ilk again. What is this obsession with forced ranking and digital quantification? Isn't it sufficiently more thoughtful and sophisticated to say that certain colleges are among those which might be good fits for certain students of certain general qualities? That is what people did before such rankings appeared on the scene.

[amh63]

remsleep,
   Agree.  Your request for particular info brings up some questions.  New to the BB boards, I do not know much about  "recruiting" data for WBB.  As I mention on the MBB side, the admit letters for NESCAC are out and the next phase of "recruiting" begins.

   While the admitted students for say Amherst are in, it is now time to have them select Amherst over other schools that can range from Duke, Stanford, an ivy school or even another NESCAC school.  On the men's BB side, there are recruiting services that give one a lead on NESCAC recruits, especially in New England.  Are there equivalent sources/services for WBB? 

The only info that I know is that there is a coaching vacancy at Conn. College.  The NESCAC web site is one for such info and it quiet on the subject.  I do not believe the site ever provides recruiting info.   So how does this board get WBB recruiting info ?  In the past.

Looking in the local papers in my area, I often see data about top players going to a given school.  For example, a top woman soccer player coming to Amherst.  Info about WBB players going to schools are rare compared to MBB players in the local players....Div3 players in particular.

I am going to a local reception for admitted Amherst students in early April.  If there is a WBB player among the ones that show up,  I will let this board know.  Otherwise, who knows. 

[amh63]

Back again after scanning the NESCAC WBB sites for WBB news of interest.  If any.   
It is interesting to me that the Conn. College coach that resigned, was the WBB coach at the UAA member U. of Chicago prior to her appointment in CT.  The present squad count is quite small whereas the present squad count at the U. of Chicago is more than double that of Conn. College.  Recruiting problem?

The Williams WBB web site is surprising...at least today.  There is no first year players listed though the team picture show them.

[Pat Coleman]

I think you're a little obsessed with this roster size thing, and I'm not sure it has nearly the impact as you think it does. The WIAC schools are successful, for example, with a conference-mandated 15-person cap on their rosters.

For Laura Hungerford's case, she was at Conn for eight years. Chicago is good now but that program was in the bottom half of the league when she left.

[amh63]

Pat C.,
  Thanks for info on the Con. College coach.  I guess she may have been a weak recruiter everywhere.
Your opinion is accepted but I find it based on a weak foundation of info.  I am trying to generate discussion to make a better determination.  I can assure you that in a given conference, schools with small squad numbers will have poorer records than those that have consistently larger numbers in the long run, whether there is a conference limit or not.  If there is no correlation with squad size in BB, then why do certain schools have very large squads (as well as high numbers of assistants.)  Most schools have squads around 15, the mandated size for NCAA travel.  If the NCAA allowed raised the limit to say 18, I do believe that you will see squad size go up rather then stay at 15 or go down.  Conn College squad was 9 in a conference that the conference where the average squad size is 30-40% higher.  Even when one recruits good players, a larger size team improves the team play....via better practices, more experienced players around, more depth, etc.

[Pat Coleman]

Yes, but having read your posts over the past week or so it sounds like you think it's the be-all and end-all. I don't think it is. There may well be a correlation between success and high roster sizes, but it may be a chicken-and-egg scenario. It could be that fewer people want to play for a team that's not successful and more want to play for a team that's successful, rather than more players making a team successful.

[feces monkey]

Congrats to Amherst, its players and coaches. A great run. Many -- even the players and coaches themselves -- may view the last two games as a reflection of the season en masse, but that would be a mistake. Amherst represented the conference well and should be exceedingly proud.

Relatively speaking, the NESCAC is still a young conference (15 years, if memory serves) in terms of the NCAAs, and the student-athletes have always acquited themselves well. Some day down the road we'll get that national title.

To NESCACers and non, have a nice offseason.

[sumfun]

Sometimes large rosters are a function of who got in the school and who decided to come.  I had a UAA coach tell me once when I asked why the roster was so large and there were no JV games.  They said everytime they picked up the phone in the Spring a different kid said, "Hey, coach, I got in, I'm coming."  Some coaches prefer less than 15.  I believe Gromacki is one of those, while others by design have large staffs and take whatever they can get...ie Wash U.

[sumfun]

Any comments with Hamilton joining the NESCAC.  5 hour drive from Boston and 7 hour drive from Brunswick.  Ouch....that seems un-NESCACish.  I heard that scheduling is changing next year and boys and girls will try to travel together to save on costs.

[frank uible]

Mapquest says New London to Waterville is 4 hours and 53 minutes.

[sumfun]

I used mapquest also for the time from Bowdoin to Hamilton and Tufts to Hamilton.  Hamilton is a great school whose profile fits the NESCAC, but it will be a trek.

[speedy]

No big deal - Hamilton already plays a NESCAC schedule for everything except basketball, lacrosse, and soccer.

[sumfun]

Did you see that retired Southern Maine coach is coming back to take the helm.  Will make it that much more difficult to get out of this region in the NCAAs. 

Also saw on men's boards that men and women will travel together in NESCAC this year to cut travel costs.  What affect does anyone see this having on the men's or women's programs.....good or bad?

[senatorfrost]

 I guess I shoulda kept my mouth shut
When I started to brag about my car
But I can't back down now because
I pushed the other guys too far

  I've gotten hundreds and hundreds of emails begging me to comment on the new Conn. Coach. I don't know what to say. I would bet anything he improves them but anyone with even a 2 digit IQ could come to the same conclusion.
  Holy Cross has not been the dominant team that they used to be before his (Coach Wilson) arrival but the head coach could be going stale. Or perhaps other teams have hired better coaches? I think it says something that Conn seems to realize that you have a much better chance of winning if you have a m-- as the head coach.
   If you hire a Gromacki you can look and see that he will probably win no matter where he ends up. That's why if I were on a search committee I would try to insist on a head coach. Yes I know you would miss out on some real good coaches.


 

[senatorfrost]

  Temper temper. Let's look at your response. Lori McBride played on a championship team and I didn't. That's true and it relates to my post as much as if you had said that Big Papi is having trouble adjusting to life without steroids.
   Shibles beat Gromacki-Well I agree she did. What you forgot to mention was that she also had to overcome the loss of Anelauskas and Leahy. True she picked up Rubega but Rubega was maybe not quite as valuable as Anelauskas.
   Gromacki on the other hand had it easy. All he had to do was replace 3/4 starters and 4 out of his first six as well as the best pg I've seen in NESCAC-a veritable cakewalk. (Pollack was great Senior year only)
    By the way I saw Muhlenberg and they were strictly a two trick pony, yet they beat Bowdoin.

M V W-Take a look at the number of responses and posts as far as NESCAC M and W are concerned-Look at the HUGE difference in posts and responses. Then factor in the fact that almost all of the posters for NESCAC women are men. Men, even in D3 live basketball all year round-They watch hundreds of games, they have endless discussions etc. etc. Women on the other hand seem to think behavior like that is not a life. No question you probably have a few women in D1 who are like men in that respect and maybe Pemper was one?
   For the most part they forget about basketball after the season-I mean where are they on this site?? Looking at the posts that appear right now you have 5 men and 3 women AT WORST!!  Personally I think it's 7 men and 1 woman but that could be wrong. I hope no one takes my guessing personal
  A couple years ago there were some women posters here but they wanted to talk about froyo forever.