MBB: Northwest Conference

[NWCer]

Stag44, why downplay my Boxers victory!?  Willamette and George Fox were picked to tie for 7th place in conference this season.  With Mitchell out, a new coach, and early in the year, you are catching the Bearcats at the right time.  Fox returns an all conference guy in Stockner.  If I'm not mistaken your Stags are returning a lot of guys from a championship team.  No knock on any of NWC members, but you guys are playing, at the time, one of the most favorable back to backs in our conference that you can right now.  I'm hoping for NWC victories, nevertheless, good luck. 

[stag44]

Any other news on Willamette or Fox?

Stag44, why downplay my Boxers victory!?  Willamette and George Fox were picked to tie for 7th place in conference this season.  With Mitchell out, a new coach, and early in the year, you are catching the Bearcats at the right time.  Fox returns an all conference guy in Stockner.  If I'm not mistaken your Stags are returning a lot of guys from a championship team.  No knock on any of NWC members, but you guys are playing, at the time, one of the most favorable back to backs in our conference that you can right now.  I'm hoping for NWC victories, nevertheless, good luck. 

NWCer,

I was a part of that team that lost up in Pacific, and have to say it was one of the worst games we played that whole year. But, irregardless, your Boxers made ALL the plays down the stretch and in overtime and fully deserved to win that game!

The Stags return pretty much everything. I played with them all of them last year, and they should be extremely explosive this year.

I'll take two SCIAC wins vs NWC teams. haha. Theres no question after playing up @Whitworth last year, that the style of play and fan base in the NWC is much greater than the SCIAC, but I hope that this year with both conferences having teams in the top 25 and ORV, that we get some more love for the west coast in the D3 scene.

Also, I'm looking forward to the P-P Whitworth matchup @ Lopata in WashU. Should be a battle of the best of the NWC vs a contender in the SCIAC

[TryMeTeam]

Stag44

Being a stat guy, you must be Teja.  Being the only game in town that night, I got to see you play Pac U, but I couldn't tell how you guys did having never seen you before.  Pac U did make all of the right plays down the stretch, though.

NWCer is right, your Stags are playing the right teams at the right time to get a couple of big road wins.  NWCer hit all the right points dead on.   I also noted your Stags are pretty short in the post position, and Fox may give you problems there.  If I remember right from the playoff game last year, you are pretty big and they may miss your size for the Fox game.  Fox's post player is pretty big and pretty good.

[stag44]

Stag44

Being a stat guy, you must be Teja.  Being the only game in town that night, I got to see you play Pac U, but I couldn't tell how you guys did having never seen you before.  Pac U did make all of the right plays down the stretch, though.

I am Tejas, and that was a tough game at Pac U.

Thanks for the info on Fox and their post play. We have Lacey returning, but are thing after that. Should be interesting to see how it all plays out.

I'll be in claremont tomorrow for our alumni game, so it should be nice to see all the guys and how they're playing

[LogShow]

TGlass,

For a guy that claimed to be the Logs biggest supporter over the past few years, that is quite harsh criticism.  First off, Bridgeland is gone, and he is never comig back.  And I think everyone around UPS is fine with that.  I don't understand what you have against Lunt...he did just as much recuriting as Bridgeland did to get those guys at UPS and then developed them, and went 16-0 last year...you are telling me Lunt doesn't deserve credit?  UPS hasn't even played a game this year...how could you possibly be disappointed in them?  They haven't even played a conference game yet.  Maybe they will struggle a little bit this year, they lost a lot from last year.  But 4 years ago they lost a lot when McVey, Curtiss, Walker, and Buehler graduated...but UPS competed for the top in conference all year.  UPS will be fine, and will be competeing for a conference championship again this year.

So what some other schools got D1 transfers...but there is probably a reason why they are transfering...

Whitman pumps up their recruits like they are can't miss all-americans.  I'm sure they have talent...but at some point you have to come back to reality.  While at UPS did you never hear Antwan Williams was the best PG on the west coast as a freshman or Chase Curtiss was the best shooter west of the Mississippi, if not the nation?  That's how Brideland does it.

[LogShow]

More importantly UWSP is coming to town soon...can't wait to watch UPS in action.  Let's go Logs!!!

[logshock101]

caught a little of the loggers scrimmage, played your typical CC team, athletic, but not very skilled. GRCC tried to trap the loggers without much success, actually led to lots of open 3s, 38 to be exact. the loggers hit 19 of em. obviously they wont shoot that well every night, but ups might be pretty dangerous from the outside this season. hopefully levin can play by the law of averages and since he only seemed to hit about 20% last year he'll hit about 50% of em this year. Loggers had a thin lineup with only 9 or 10 guys healthy. Koach was out with a concussion, and two of the ups bigmen who are looking at getting good minutes this year were out, 1 with a stress fracture and the other at a funeral. So ups has some height, and their success really just depends how quick they mature.

Tglass im not sure why youre knocking lunt, he actually did most of the recruiting of that highly touted class that graduated last year. secondly ups hasnt even played a single game how can be disappointed? maybe youre getting confused with the football team who will score less points in their entire season than hoops team will score in a single game. take all the recruiting hype with a grain of salt, everybody wants you to think they have the best recruits in the country. brdigeland is the king of that.

making it through a season at ups is no joke. its not uncommon for 2-3 players to quit every year, but the guys who stick it out are some tough guys. Thats why ups has been so tough for the passed 6-7 years, they seem to lose a lot every year, but the guys that come back are tough.

if you wanna be disappointed, at least let them play a couple games first.

Logshow

you hit it right one the head with those quotes. haha

Start of the season just a few days away!!!

[Tglassman55]

No one loves Logger basketball more than me and I'm not afraid to say exactly how I feel about it.  That's why I put my real name and not "BonnerforLogs" or something as my SN.  

I love UPS basketball and tried hard to make it fun for the fans (despite the worst AD in the conference).  

This does not make me unrealistic about their abilities or the abilities of the other teams in the conference.  We all knew the day would come when we have to live with ONLY Lunt recruits.  If Lunt had more to do with the recruiting while Bridge was here than he would have continued to pull stellar players every year like Bridge did after he was gone.  Austin and Nadav are good, where is the rest of the Logger future?

In speaking with Lunt (several times) I like the man.  I think he has vastly improved his clock management and defensive coaching over the last two seasons. But anyone on this board could have run the team we had out last year and won the conference.  

When we graduated McVey and Curtiss, Antwan and Foster had already played a season of college basketball to be ready for the next season.  Unlike most teams, we play 9-11 players a game because of the press.  We are untested in this regard because the Sophs we had last year barely played and the feshman could not possibly be in shape enough for Logger basketball.  

I am afraid that the Logger dynasty is finally over.  I am afraid that all of those Whitworth fans who want to be our program from 03 - 09 (last year) have finally gotten there.  Although I would hate to have to cheer for David Riley.  

I hope I'm wrong.  I hope that all of the UPS recruits do fantasitically(despite one having a stress fracture) and we roll into the playoffs yet again.  

I hope that all the UPS cheerleaders on here are right.  But to say that this years losses is equal to any of the years in the past is just out and out false.  I'm sorry to hurt my own team's fans feelings. 

but I'm not a rah rah fan, I'm a realistic fan and I see UPS going a very different direction.  

South

[89Pirate]

The WW Alumni game last night was fun to watch...wished the score was a little closer (100 - 61). Avery can still hit from anywhere, Gunner can still get up and dunk, and the rest of the 'old guys' are always entertaining...

The new guys look good!  Loofburrow is genuine, Montgomery was big in little minutes, and Riley has a smooooth 3 as always.  They look deep everywhere, and will be fun to watch.

Taking the family to Tacoma this weekend for the games against the Pointers and the Banana Slugs (love their mascot)!  This will definitely be a GREAT start to the season!

Hope to see alot of Buc fans there!

[TryMeTeam]

I gotta go with TGM on this one.  There has been a few quips on this board that have said pretty much what TGM has said in his last two posts.  

UPS will be down this year, and I am going to say, way down, and I think they will be hard pressed to finish fourth.  We all know how much they lost last year.  How many "5 star" recruits did they bring in this year?  Being the #1 assistant coach going out recruiting for a quality head coach is different than recruiting for yourself.  Bridgeland closed those deals in the past that Lunt worked, just like James did for Wally (?, can't remember his last name), Gaillard does for Foreman at LC, Hayford for his assistants at Whitworth, etc.  Without that quality head coach, a great recruiter can fall flat on his face when he takes over the reins.  

Like TGM said, any of us could have won the conference with what Lunt had last year. Lunt just got the benefit of a timely departure of Bridgeland to a DI program and have the Fab 3 for 3 years.  UPS can only put 5 players on the floor this year that have had any significant playing time last year.  That shouldn't get it done in such a complicated system.  

The coaches poll has them tied for 2nd with Linfield, but that is out of respect for what they did last year, as is their top 20 ranking from DIII hoops.  

I believed I had UPS 5th in my preseason ranking (okay, I know I did), and I still like them there.  My only revision at this point would be to put LC higher based on the "rumored" hanging with PSU in a scrimmage and the result in the Pit at U of O.  

TGM just said what a lot of us are thinking/fearing/wondering/hoping.  

Being disappointed is not the right word.  If you want to be disappointed, you could say that about the incoming class and the results of recruiting over the last year, but I really know nothing about them other than I haven't heard anything about them.  I think worried would be better, very worried.

89:

You mean the alumni won by almost 40?  Wow! I want to change my picks some more now.   I am envious of you making the trip to Tacoma.  Should be a lot of fun and highly informative.

[NWCer]

Logshow, what's good my man.

Listening to the back and forth from the Logger faithful, I understand both sides.  I think they will be good, but UPS's standard for "good" is a little different, can they live up to that?  That will be tuff.

Also hearing about Bridgeland's recruits, I jumped on their site and read their season preview, according to him they are ALL STEALS.  Who knows.  He does think this kid plays hard though, you think? 

Drew Raher, a 6-foot-3 forward, earned First-Team All-West Catholic League honors last season at San Francisco's St. Ignatius College Prep.

"In the last eight to 10 years, I haven't seen anyone play as hard as Drew does on a consistent basis," Bridgeland says. "You look at Quam and he has national-level quickness. You look at Peter and he can shoot it as well as anyone in Division III. Then you look at Drew and he plays so hard that it's a skill. He plays harder than anyone, and he plays for his teammates. He's a throwback.

Raher battled for 10 rebounds in 20 minutes on the court in a recent exhibition, Bridgeland says. "With our style of play benefitting the team that works the hardest, Drew sets the bar. There will be games when he'll blow up. He'll get 15 rebounds.

"All of our guys play hard, but Drew takes it to a whole new level. He works harder than any human alive today. He works so hard that it's a skill and a weapon. It's his gift from God. He goes 100 percent every possession, and he's totally selfless. He plays for his teammates."

[LogShow]

So wait...NWCer,

What you are really trying to say is...that kid plays hard?  I think that's what I am getting out of that quote.   

[LogShow]

In response to everyone claiming the Logger Dynasty is over in Titletown (Tacoma).  We are still the defending champs, we have still won the league 4 out of the past 6 years.  People are quick to write us off, they are tired of us winning, want to crown a new champ, or whatever.  But bottom line is we will be ready to play and compete this season.  I have complete confidence in Lunt and the job he is doing.  And Lunt can definately seal the deal on recruits...he got Nedav to come to UPS.  Word is that kid is going to have a heck of a year.

Which brings me to my last point...UPS plays hard.  I have never seen a team play as hard as them.  Everytime they go out there, they just play so hard.  Lol. That last bite was for you NWCer. 

[NWCer]

But Logshow, do they play as hard as any human alive today?    Is it their gift from God?

[89Pirate]

89:

You mean the alumni won by almost 40?  Wow! I want to change my picks some more now.   I am envious of you making the trip to Tacoma.  Should be a lot of fun and highly informative.

I wish the Alums had won, that would have really po'd Coach Hayford...not going to happen for awhile, they newbies are good !