WBB: NESCAC

[sumfun]

Little shake up in the NESCAC yesterday with #18 Williams losing to Conn College and Tufts over #22 Colby.  Anything can happen on the road, but at this point in time seems like NESCAC teams will struggle against Amherst's suffocating defense and depth off the bench.  Amherst beat Conn 93-42. 

Good test for Amherst with Kean coming to LeFrak on Tuesday evening.  Seems like Kean will have many of same players that beat Amherst last year as there have been no NCAA penalties to players or coach (yet) for their ineligible players playing.  Last year Amherst was trying to feed Leyman and Daignault as the both scored their 1,000th point that game, and Stedman was just coming off an injury.  This year I'd expect Amherst to play with all barrels firing.

[Maine 1]

Looks like after Amherst-the battle for the other top three spots in the league will be interesting.  Bowdoin beat Tufts, but has lost to Colby,and lost to Bates this weekend. Williams has lost to Tufts and Conn College--Is Conn College that good, or is Williams overrated? Tufts seems to be a pretty solid team, with good wins of Colby and Williams, and a tough loss to Colby. Colby has been playing solid, will a good win over Bowdoin, but has lost to both UNE (out of league) adn Tufts. Hard to figure out at this point how this will all shake out.  It will make for an interesting season.

[Maine 1]

just noticed that Williams top player went out of the game after  6 minutes--any idea if the injury will keep her out longer?

[amh63]

There is a nice preview write-up of the upcoming game with Kean of NJ on the Amherst athletics website.  Kean at 15-2 is the school that beat Amherst last year in OT and appears to have returned a number of the starters from that team.  It will be webcasted by Amherst since it is at Amherst.
NHNESCACFan....the "man in the jacket" was not at the game with Hamilton.  From a local fan, I got a name and then a picture in the yearbook.  I believe it is Mr. Sommers, a G/F  in 1963, a team that beat both Harvard and Brown, spit with Wes. and lost both games to Williams that year....also go clobbered by Holy Cross who had an All-American.  One of his teammates on that squad was at the game.
Oops, forgot to mention that I arrived in New London for the Williams vs. Conn. MBB game......missed the upset win by the Conn. College WBB team over Williams.  I think that the victory was aided a bit by Williams loosing their center early in the game.  Not sure of that fact.

[remsleep]

Looks like after Amherst-the battle for the other top three spots in the league will be interesting.  Bowdoin beat Tufts, but has lost to Colby,and lost to Bates this weekend. Williams has lost to Tufts and Conn College--Is Conn College that good, or is Williams overrated? Tufts seems to be a pretty solid team, with good wins of Colby and Williams, and a tough loss to Colby. Colby has been playing solid, will a good win over Bowdoin, but has lost to both UNE (out of league) adn Tufts. Hard to figure out at this point how this will all shake out.  It will make for an interesting season.

Maine1....not only makes for an interesting season but it also provides for some thinking about how the balance of power in NESCAC WBB has shifted solely to Amherst.   Bowdoin, Bates dropping badly in last five years....Colby is rising but it is a tough road for them...I think Veilleux may get them to second best in NESCAC fairly soon....but she'll never get the players that Amherst can get.    Conn is definitely better, but that school has a horrible track record in athletics generally and in WBB specifically.  Tufts was probably as good as they can be a couple of years ago.    Trinity, Wes and Hamilton are irrelevant in WBB.     Why is Middlebury so bad? Especially given their elite status in other sports?  Williams, as always, terribly overrated.  Cannot ever be counted on in big games and simply never has the basketball culture that would allow them to be really good ( such as Bowdoin a few years back and Amherst currently).  If they had a Gromacki or Pemper clone watch out!---until that happens they will never be championship caliber.  Veilleux would be a great fit with them and be able to get players that she simply cannot get at Colby.

[NH NESCAC Fan]

amh63...sorry the mystery man wasn't there Friday night, but it sounds like you have zeroed in on who he is.

I think Remsleep makes a very good point about the stranglehold Amherst has over the rest of the NESCAC.  I, too, don't see that changing anytime soon.  They have created the perfect storm...best coach, selfless team, gorgeous campus, very accessible location, top flight academics, seemingly unbeatable...who wouldn't want to be a part of that.  Granted, all of the NESCAC schools have some of all of the above traits, but Amherst has all of them.  They are becoming the Duke of DIII.

[sumfun]

Wash U might have something to say about the "Duke of D3" as they have many of the same attributes and years of success. But to say, Gromacki with support of AD, have turned this program around is an understatement.

[NH NESCAC Fan]

Sumfun...your point is well taken...I should have said the Duke of the NESCAC, as that was what I had been discussing, my bad (as they say)

[amh63]

Just some loose end comments, etc. before the game tonight.
The Duke of...whatever.....one of the reason I refer to Amherst's coach as Coach G is after Coach K of Duke who I admire.  Still, if we are talking about WBB vice MBB coaches, then one must think about UCONN or Stanford and yes even Tenn.  For the above single letter references to coaches.....the other reason is that I am not good at spelling.
It is interesting to note that this week's conference player of the week is from Conn.  In the top 25 listing, Conn. College actually picked up several points after a 2-0 weekend.  As Sumfun pointed out earlier, Amherst beat Conn. by over 50 points.....sort of shows the separation of Amherst from the other teams at this time.
In the preview of the Amherst vs. Hamilton game, it was pointed out that there had been only 5 previous meetings between the schools.  Amherst lost to Hamilton once.....in the 2007 meeting. I believe the Coach at Hamilton at that time was Coach G.  He left to come to Amherst after that season.  Some trivial relating to that move.....Coach G.(who I met at Salem Va. in the MBB Final 4 in 2008) had asked for some advice from a friend about the ethics/concerns he had with regards to pursuing the opening at Amherst.  The friend is an Amherst graduate who he met when he was the coach at St. Lawrence.  The friend was at that time on the Board of Trustees at St. Lawrence...or as they call such positions...Overseers.  That friend was at Amherst last Sat. to see the games.  I was introduced to his traveling companion as we went to watch the WBB game.  His companion is a graduate of Hamilton.  It is a small world.

[amh63]

Amherst beats Kean 81-58 or close to that score....It was a 11 point lead at the half and such scores are "Close" for Amherst.  Lem Atanga McCormick lead the charge in the first half with defense, rebounding, etc.  with at least 6 rebounds by the mid point in the half.  She was hit in the head by an elbow near the end of the half and did not return in the second half.  Stedman took over in the second half and scored a career high of 31 before she was taken out of the game.  Jackie Renner played a great game on the defensive side against Kean's top scorer who scored only 7 points.  The boxscore and recap will be on the web shortly.  Kean's downfall was turnovers and Amherst's defense that caused many of them.  Kean's fast pace game was countered by Amherst's.  Amherst half court game was better than Kean's and Amherst depth also prevailed.  With the reserves being rotated into the game, the lead grew in the 2nd half.  Kean countered with a full court press and Kean's quick guards did produce several mini runs.  However the runs were too few and too short.  Amherst took the lead and never gave it up.  Kean could only get to within 7 early in the 2nd half before Steadman took over, it seems.
Still it was a physical game against a tough opponent and should help as Amherst goes on a long road trip in the conference.

[amh63]

Several comments after looking at the boxscore.  Turnovers.  Kean had 28 and Amherst 22.  Kean as it was pointed out by the announcers tends to have a large number of turnovers due primarily to there style of play...fast pace transition game generated by rebounds and steals.  Kean had more steals than Amherst who had 7 steals.  Amherst won the rebound battle. Coach G dislikes turnovers, I believe.  One Amherst player who has been playing great was quickly pulled when her turnovers generated Kean points. A learning lesson in a contest that the opponents press and have quick hands and play physical.
Oh yes, for those that may have missed the game, there is a short video of highlights of the game and also game photos on the Amherst website. 
Glad to see Stedman  "breakout" so to speak.  After the game with Hamilton last Friday, she came out to watch the MBB game with a icepack around her right ankle....something of concern to all fans....since her speed down the floor is one of her strengths.

[amh63]

Interesting story on the D3hoops front page today....just 3 days after Amherst's game with Kean at home.  The Kean coach was dismissed.  Will NCAA action follow?  Not good news in D3 in any way.
Amherst is taking the long road to Maine.  Two tough games ahead...back to back games against solid opponents.  Be looking at the rotation of players by Coach G tonight.

[farmboy]

From the moment we first Coach G before he actually started his first year it was clear he was a game changer.  You could feel it in the interview.  Unfortunately Amherst was not to be the choice but I count myself lucky to have met him and shook his hand.

I think I have stated this before.  Williams has had possibly better women athletes/BB players than Amherst since Coach G got there, but William's coach is still coaching girl's BB and that all changed on the arrival of Coach G. There are a lot of head games always going on on the William's side, and Coach G has been extremely successful, like he always is, at getting rid of that factor at Amherst.  That fact is always crucial to girl's BB teams.  Its hard to change coaches apparently in the NESCAC with tradition and all, not to mention it looks to the unwashed like Williams has had great seasons over the last 2 -3 but that really isn't the case and has been a great squandering of talent. In reality I truly believe Williams should have been in the final four the last few years but what do I know.  I should mention this is/was not an isolated thought as it pretty well rippled through the Williams side in the last few years.

[NE Hoop Guy]

Sounds like quite an indictment of Williams, and probably not totally fair. 

Two years in the final four is a stretch.  Williams should have beat Amherst in the Sweet 16 two years ago. They had a big halftime lead, gave it all back and more in about ten minutes of the second half and then played them pretty even.  But they lost, and it did not appear to be coaching, she put them in a position to win and they could not.  Even if they had, no guarantee they would have beat Babson the next night who gave Amherst a good game.

Last year they lost in round 1 to a team that Amherst killed in the sweet 16.  That same team beat Rochester after they beat Williams.  So I think it is hard to say they should have progressed last year.

This year, I thought they were pretty good. Probably only two really good players, but some good parts.  Not sure how they lost to Tufts and though they lost Beacher, they still should be able to beat Conn College.  So I think to date this is a missed opportunity.  If they get their player back they may still be ok, if they dont it is all over.

But having seen both Williams and Amherst play over the last couple of years, it is not close in talent, and the difference is not coaching.  Amherst is deep in talent like no other team.  Does not mean good players cant and wont beat them, but player for player they are better than Williams and Williams missed the best chance they had in the Sweet 16.

[farmboy]

I hardly agree with anything you say.  But thats okay:)