WBB: NESCAC

[feces monkey]

Friday's opponent: Mount Holyoke (21-7)

Positives
- Beat Fitchburg St. (25-2) in the first game of the season
- Hung around with USM (losing by 13) on a neutral floor
- Appear to have a decent backcourt combo with Silvey & Astuccio
- Balanced rebounding numbers
- Four players who aren't afraid to take the three
- Solid team defense numbers

Negatives
- Play in the NEWMAC
- Run only eight-deep
- Turn the ball over. A lot.

This doesn't look like a real good match-up for the Lyons. It looks like this team is a bunch of slashers, with very little post presence. Strong post players give Bowdoin some trouble, but smaller, more mobile teams do not. I'll conservatively say the Polar Bears by 14.

Agreed that it is a terrible draw for Williams, but the Ephs are used to USM's style and this Huskies team isn't as dominant as years past.

[speedy]

My understanding is that Bowdoin's Marissa Berne has a serious back injury that causes her a lot of pain and has greatly limited her this year. . . The "coach's decision" may mean only that she was available to play but, in the coach's mind, it did not make sense to play her in that particular game . .

[nescac hoops]

the all-conference awards are up. i could not have done it better myself. congrats to the coaches for voting so well. absolutely love that cummings and tildsley are the co-defensive players of the year. the two are not nearly as flashy as barton, but get the job done just the same at the point position.

http://www.nescac.com/2006-07/sports/basketball(w)/allconference.htm

[feces monkey]

Tournament shook out as expected. Williams needs to get to the semis to assure an at-large bid, and that will likely do it for the conference.

All-conference honors:

First Team
Flaherty, Bowdoin
Miller, Williams
Cox, Trinity
Barton, Bates
Anelauskas, Bowdoin

Second Team
Krah, Tufts
Cummings, Bowdoin
Beckwith, Bates
Stetson, Williams
Fourney, Wesleyan

Not too bad a prediction. Flip-flopping Barton and Beckwith could have have gone either way. I got one wrong and I'll be honest -- Reiff wasn't even on my radar -- and Cummings received some recognition for her defense, not second team, which is a nice consolation.

I'm glad Berube received coach of the year. Swenson, as Amherst in general, was off my radar, as well.

Nescac Hoops, I went back looking for your predictions, but they must have been in December (!) or something. Getting in on the ground floor.

[nescac hoops]

feces,
i just tried to quote my predictions that i made on january 2nd but hit "delete" instead of quote. i didn't have cox as a first teamer but mine was almost as close as yours.

[Balder Eagle]

monkey
Any word on Marissa Berne  ?

[feces monkey]

monkey
Any word on Marissa Berne  ?

All I know is she missed the three conference tourney games and last played Feb. 10.

I wouldn't feel comfortable commenting as to why. I'll let the coach do that.

Good work by Bowdoin to get the hockey tourney games in before the hoops on Saturday, although I'm guessing the 14 or so parking spots available for rink and gym parking will be gone by 5 p.m.

[papabear]

I would be shocked if Berne played the rest of the year never mind this weekend. She has battled injuries throughout the season and many believe Pemper has penalized her unfairly for working so hard to be out there. "Coach's Decision" is the common phrase used when something other than an injury is involved. The team is going to try to keep it in house but the only people that know the reason are tight lipped. Stop complaining about the parking I just leave 2 hours before the game and have no problem, the game is always worth the effort.

[bballsneaks]

i think berne is an OK player but i think she is being given too much credit. bowdoin is a good team and i don't think berne is as fundamentally sound as many of the players that see a lot of time. sure she can hit a 3 once in a while but scoring isn't necessarily what a bowdoin player should be all about.. and she is too hot/cold and isn't as consistent as the team in general. i don't think pemper would play someone that shouldn't be on the court, and i'm sure she would rather 'penalize' that one player than potentially 'penalize' the whole team.
just my thoughts.

[Balder Eagle]

Good work by Bowdoin to get the hockey tourney games in before the hoops on Saturday, although I'm guessing the 14 or so parking spots available for rink and gym parking will be gone by 5 p.m.

Stop complaining about the parking I just leave 2 hours before the game and have no problem, the game is always worth the effort.

My thoughts are that monkey is accurate about the parking. After all the pines across the road from the rink will even fill quickly.
Thanks for the input RE: Berne, hope that she is healthy or that things get sorted out. Good luck to The Polar Bears!

[feces monkey]

Posting on this message board as much as I do is cause for enough concern. Arriving two hours before a game just for parking privileges would demand a thorough life reassessment. Obviously, if there were tailgating involved the dynamic would change, but now that the whole 'global warming' thing turned out to be a sham, the conditions aren't optimal.

I temporarily rebooked my trip to Fredericksburg in anticipation of next weekend and I look forward to witnessing that Southern hospitality I've heard so much about. Not exactly sure about the dress code for basketball games down there, but I'll pack my denim overalls and three-string banjo just in case...

[nescac hoops]

that's pretty funny, feces.

my last thought about berne....pemper is one of few coaches who has no "loyalty" to her players. this isn't meant to sound bad and i used "loyalty" for lack of a better word but she is not the type of coach who is afraid to sit a past starter/star in favor of playing a younger, better player who perhaps fits the current system better. i can't be 100% postive of the two players that most come to mind but one i think was vanessa russell and the other's last name was trotter (?) - i think the former is now a coach at rochester. anyways, these two were both starters earlier on in their carreer but barely played come their senior season in favor of younger players. one of my biggest gripes with berne, who is a VERY talented player that creates a lot of mismatches with her size, has been her speed/defense. this year, from what i hear, bowdoin's best asset is their defense and i could see why berne, even though she is very good offensively, might not fit the mold for this year's team as well as she did in year's past. that's not taking anything away from bowdoin's defense in the past (it has ALWAYS been very good) but this year i hear it is flat out amazing.....just ask norwich.

[feces monkey]

she is not the type of coach who is afraid to sit a past starter/star in favor of playing a younger, better player who perhaps fits the current system better.

I think the most successful college coaches (in either gender) are the ones who follow this pattern, although it is not always easy to do.

And N'Hoops, you better get cracking if you're going to make it to USM for tip-off...

[nescac hoops]

I think the most successful college coaches (in either gender) are the ones who follow this pattern, although it is not always easy to do.
And N'Hoops, you better get cracking if you're going to make it to USM for tip-off...

i completely agree! but like you said, it's not an easy thing to do and it's one of the reasons pemper is head and shoulders above a lot of coaches. i just checked the usm website - it looks like the game is postponed until tomorrow!  http://www.usm.maine.edu/athletics/

[Balder Eagle]

monkey-
Park at the Shop n' Save, stop at the Bohemian Coffee House and get warm as well as updated on what's happening before the game, it's not a long walk and the exercise might serve you well.

I was thinking along the lines of meeting at Newburgh, NY. Should you decide to come to Fredericksburg bring warm weather clothes and sun tan lotion. It will be a relief from the frigid North East.