MBB: University Athletic Association

[Titan Q]

And hopefan, this is probably what you're referring to from last season:

By the way, the Wash U player guarding Chamernik in that pic is 6-6/215 Alex Toth, a freshman from Prospect H.S.  I watched John Camardella's team play last year and would have never guessed Toth would play this much as a freshman for the defending national champs (16-17 min/game lately).  In the IWU game, he played well and looks to me like he's going to be a really good player at Wash U.

I would say Kevin Reed is still the biggest D3 recruit/prospect from last year's Prospect team.  He's getting a lot of interest from Carthage, IWU, Augie, and UW-LaCrosse among others.  After a few of the big games he's had so far this year for Prospect, that is only likely to increase.  It should be a fun time for Kevin.

I don't think either post (mine or petemcb's) qualifies as a "low evaluation."

[hopefan]

I would agree TQ regarding your comments, but I really though SOMEONE made a post indicating Toth was not much of a prospect coming out of High School - not trying to put you on the hot seat .

And unless Richter begins to fit into things better, thinking of  him as an All American prospect may be even a bigger stretch.... He just needs to play the role he played last year....  Marty does a good job of evaluation- I hope he's right on Richter....

[Titan Q]

And unless Richter begins to fit into things better, thinking of  him as an All American prospect may be even a bigger stretch.... He just needs to play the role he played last year....  Marty does a good job of evaluation- I hope he's right on Richter....

I agree that Richter's production and play to date really does not suggestion future All-American status.  My prediction there is mainly based on the skill set I see and his potential.  I think everyone agrees, he has all the tools to be a star someday.

Probably the biggest factor in excelling (at anything) is opportunity.  Right now, Richter is playing behind what will turn out to be a legendary Division III nucleus, and is basically just a role player off the bench.  I think he will "fit into things better" (as you say) and "figure it out" (as I say) when he finally gets the chance to start next year.  Some players can excell in a reserve role.  Richter strikes me as the kind of player who needs to be "the guy" to really let it loose and shine.

When given the opportunity, I think we'll see all that potential realized.  

[Marty Peretz]

Talent and tools-wise, Toth finds a home on a Patriot League Roster. He's agile around the hoop, has good hands, and a nice touch. He tends to get in foul trouble and this limits his ability and potential, but tools-wise, he is closer to a D1 talent than almost anyone on the roster. That doesn't mean he is of D1 quality night in night out, but as his recent numbers show, the kid has serious gifts. Gay is the most explosive slasher I have seen at Wash.U and arguably in the UAA. He simply didn't get it all together until this year. His explosiveness is the defining attribute of his game and he tends to play well in spurts. It's important to note that D1 or D2 talent (difficult define as is) doesn't necessarily make for a championship caliber squad in D3. Sean Wallis and Troy Ruths are exceptional D3 players; their skills and basketball savvy simply translates well at the D3 level and that has enabled Wash.U. to emerge as the power they are. They run an unbelievably efficient offense. With Toth and Gay and Richter, you'll see an increased explosiveness and probably more dunks and general above-the-rim type stuff, but that won't necessarily correlate to wins if they can't play together. It will be very intriguing to watch.

[hopefan]

Was going to ask if anyone knew the status of Wash U's Caleb Knepper (concussion) and Zack Kelly (mono) for the opener vs Transy at Wooster  -  then I checked the Wash U page and there is some pre-tourney info posted  -  Knepper is listed as a starter, but Kelly isn't listed as a starter or a sub....  It's been a long time since I was at college - what's the typical recovery time with mono?   

[deiscanton]

I'm sorry to hear that Zach Kelly has been confirmed with mono.  The risk with mono is that his spleen could be enlarged-- which means that if he comes back to the basketball court too soon, he could get a life-threatening ruptured spleen.  According to WebMd, a person infected with mono will need to stay in bed  (aka complete bed rest) for a minimum of 4 weeks after symptoms first surface, and if he/she is an athlete that plays contact sports such as basketball, he/she will need medical clearance from a doctor to resume playing even after the minimum 4 weeks are up.  The good news is that once the symptoms subside, the disease will not come back, although the virus that causes mono will remain dormant  (aka the person infected with mono will always carry that virus in his/her system) and could become active and infect others at any time.

(Just from what I read at WebMd-- I am not a physician, please consult with your doctor for any medical advice-- just assume that Mr. Kelly is out for an indefinite period of time.)

[WUPHF]

Just from what I read at WebMd

I also checked WebMD for mono because I was curious as well.  Glad I am not the only one.

____________________

I do not have the time or talent to go through and do the thorough research and analysis that you see in other conference threads, but I did a quick summary of the conference record so far, not including conference games.  It looks like the UAA starts the spring semester with a 49-14 record overall with each team postings a winning record for games played.  A good record, considering the overall strength of schedules (not the strongest).

Washington University 8-0
Rochester 7-1
Brandeis 7-1
Case Western Reserve 6-2
Chicago 6-2
New York University 5-2
Emory 6-3
Carnegie Mellon 4-3

Conference action begins in a little less than two weeks.

[Wydown Blvd.]

Anyone with a recap of the WashU loss?

[deiscanton]

I would like to hear a first-hand account from someone who was there in Ohio to witness the game, but I have been able to read the box score and play by play of the game, as well as hear a summary account from Jay Murray last night, who was calling the Wash U women's game vs Ripon on the internet video feed.

Here-- in a nutshell-- were the keys to the Transy upset:

(1)  The game was played 8 on 8, with Wash U playing a starting 5 with 3 reserves, and Transy also playing a starting 5 with 3 reserves.  (This was of interest to me because Brandeis, with a 10 player roster this season, is planning to play UAA games with an 8 player rotation most of the time.)

(2)  Transy was able to hold Wallis scoreless in the first half and Aaron Thompson to 2 of 2 from the line in the first half for 2 first half points combined from these two men.

(3)  Transy used the 3 pt shot as their primary weapon in the game (a la Chicago men)-- Transy hit 8 of 13 from 3 pt range in the first half and 11 of 22 from 3 pt range for the game.  Wash U only hit 5 of 19 from 3 pt land for the game.

(4)  The game was tied at 30-30 with 3:14 left in the first half before Transy hit 3 consecutive 3 ptrs to take a 39-30 lead into the locker room.

In the second half

(1)  Transy was able to build their halftime lead of 9 points to a 17 point lead.  Transy led 54-37 with 12:31 remaining in the game before Wash U mounted their comeback attempt.

(2)  Aaron Thompson had a big second half to help Spencer Gay in the comeback attempt, while Sean Wallis scored all 7 of his points in the second half  (the 7 included a layup to cut the Transy lead to 2 at 71-69 with 7 seconds to go.

(3)  Wash U could only cut the deficit to as close as 2 pts with 22 seconds to go and 7 seconds to go respectively, but Transy went 6 of 6 from the line in the final 30 seconds to seal the upset.

Spencer Gay led Wash U with 19 pts and 11 rebounds.

[BUBeaverFan]

Hats off to Transy.  They played great perimeter defense.  They shot the ball very well and they controlled the tempo.  WashU was never able to get a flow going offensively.  The game was pretty physical but not rockem' sockem' robots.  Having another body down low to help Alex Toth might have helped, but the key to the game was Transy's perimeter shooting, they never missed a shot when they needed to either stop a WashU rally or maintain one of their own. I honestly thought WashU looked pretty sluggish in the first half and not nearly as crisp as they certainly can be.  Spencer Gay was the only bright spot for most of the game.  Transy's defense took away other options for large chunks of the game.  Fifteen turnovers by the Bears seemed more critical than the same number by Transy because WashU was trying to battle back so the TO's become magnified.  Transy maintained great composure as WashU tried to mount a comeback late.  I will be interested in the Transy vs. Anderson matchup in the HCAC. 

[Wydown Blvd.]

WashU33Fan - thanks for the recap, and congrats to your son for breaking your household scoring record. although im sure the game overshadowed the accomplishment for AT.

[BUBeaverFan]

Wydown,

Thanks so much for the compliment but I couldn't score 1296 or more points in a lifetime of chances, uncontested on an eight foot basket.  Denny really appreciates your comments and we both chuckled about me being AT's dad.  Thank goodness AT didn't have to rely on me for any athletic prowess.  AT is a special young man from a special family whom I was lucky enough to become a part of through marriage to my lovely bride.  It is certainly fun to watch my nephew play a game that he loves at a pretty high level.  Go Bears!

WashU33fan (AT's uncle)

[Wydown Blvd.]

  

[r-buddy]

The previous summary of the WU-Transy game seems generally accurate to me.  Transy hit some incredible shots against good defense and at other times WU's defense was not as tight as it might have been. Transy was very well prepared for the game.  All in all the trip might prove a useful wake up for WU as well as a confidence builder for some of the less experienced players.  Every team needs a go-to guy, but at times WU may have looked to AT more than is ideal --it will be good if others are more willing to step up.   

[Wydown Blvd.]

Welcome to the board r-buddy. I agree with your last post.

Bears take on Webster next. Should be a good warmup before conference play starts. Webster is 4-6 and doesn't look like they're scoring too many points (58.5 ppg).