MBB: Northwest Conference

[TryMeTeam]

Former:

You're right.  Every coach has a system: Hayford at WW, Gaillard at LC, James at Wil, Bridgeland at both places, Syracuse and Duke.  All I am saying is that if your system is not being successful, and I wholehearted think Linfield has underachieved over the last many years, then you need to take a close look at changing it, adapting it, tweeking it to fit your players to become more successful.   And I am talking about doing more than slowing it down a little bit, not pressing sometimes.  If you can't get the players to fit your system, you need to alter it.

More recently he has played some of the better players 30 minutes or more.  So I guess you could say he has changed, but I say that is a small step in the right direction.  How well has that worked for Linfield?  I have talked with several alums (they are all over the place!) and there is certainly discontent with recent and not so recent results.

His recruiting the last few years has been down, and I agree that that has a lot to do with Playball's points.  But I would not put Doty in as one of the better coaches in the NWC, no way!

Press: 

Yeah, Gordie was a good recruiter and Willamette has some good facilities, location and academics.  I only got to see Gordie in his last years at Willamette, and that may not be fair.  But he has had some very good athletes come through his program, and you can't teach talent.  I just felt his system held some of those better players back.  I thought if you would let them create more, he/they would have done better.  But scoreboard is right.  You can't beat up a national champion coach too much.

I can think of three coaches who have done more with less: Bridgeland, Sundquist and Gaillard.  Bridgeland and Gaillard had some down years with less talented kids and still were competitive, and Sundquist has done well at times with few quality players (I think this year was one of them).  It always seemed to me that Gordie always had 2-4 really good players (including some big, strong, athletic guards come to mind), but I guess you could argue that he developed them. 

Formercat and Rat:

Do tell.  We can keep secrets, and nobody is listening. 

[wildcat11]

Not sure where you got your numbers from, but the numbers that I have found from the Department of Education tell a slightly different story.  Granted I am not sure if these dollar amounts include donations from alumni or not, but I would think they do since Pacific's is so high.

Same source but I looked at total expense per team.

Willamette - $646,365
Pacific - $620,963
Whitworth $456,318
Lewis & Clark - $421,329
Linfield - $419,168
Puget Sound - $359,191*
PLU - $332,346

*Puget Sound actually has a total expense less than Linfield.

On the basketball side of things the top two teams Whitworth and Whitman outspend everyone greatly. Whitworth spends 111,000 and Whitman 116,000. Willamette 69,000. Pacific 59,000. L&C 33,000. GF 50,000. PLU 60,000. UPS 62,000. Linfield 53,000.

Total expense in hoops has Linfield scrapping bottom too.  I would love to see the college reach a little deeper for all of their programs across the board.

[OxyBob]

linfeild

Sad.

oyxBob

[wildcat11]

linfeild

Sad.

oyxBob

Bob...I love you still.  I corrected the typo to make you happy.

[(509)Rat]

Ok, back to the team that is actually still playing...

Whitworth has been given a gift. The NWC doesn't get potential matchups like this in any sport...ever. Beat Redlands (who you've already beaten), then a bubble team who you'll get at home, and finally another team you've already beaten (assuming UMHB wins). Boom. Elite 8.

Just got to limit all of those Redlands shooters this weekend...

[Mr. Ypsi]

Hey 509 - please report to the fantasy league page - you're up to bat!

[dahlby]

(509) Rat:

I have tons of respect for your guys......but just remember they play the game for a reason........Redlands is not the same team that you (and Chapman) beat earllier this season.

Good luck to the winner in the rest of the playoffs.

[A Buc Forever]

Dahlby is correct. Can't put too much stock on early season games. Teams evolve tremendously from November to March.  However, if rankings mean anything, this is the best draw WW has ever had. In addition, since travel costs are no longer affected by location, it will be hard to justify sending WW out of Spokane until the Elite 8 (they are #2 in the nation in attendance). 

[(509)Rat]

dahlby, I don't disagree. Looked at a few box scores and Redlands has been shooting the ball really well for most of the season. Most everyone who made the tourney could beat Whitworth on any given night...that's why they play the game.

I will be the first to congratulate Redlands if they win. BUT until a SCIAC program comes into the fieldhouse and gets a W, I wil always like the Pirates chances.

[frodotwo]

Dahlby is correct. Can't put too much stock on early season games. Teams evolve tremendously from November to March.  However, if rankings mean anything, this is the best draw WW has ever had. In addition, since travel costs are no longer affected by location, it will be hard to justify sending WW out of Spokane until the Elite 8 (they are #2 in the nation in attendance).

Not unless they outdraw Hope or Calvin or Wooster or UWSP.

[A Buc Forever]

Dahlby is correct. Can't put too much stock on early season games. Teams evolve tremendously from November to March.  However, if rankings mean anything, this is the best draw WW has ever had. In addition, since travel costs are no longer affected by location, it will be hard to justify sending WW out of Spokane until the Elite 8 (they are #2 in the nation in attendance).

Not unless they outdraw Hope or Calvin or Wooster or UWSP.

Last year WW was #8.  I heard they were #2 this year at one point.  Not sure where they stand now. Nonetheless, none of the teams mentioned are in their bracket.

[A Buc Forever]

Looked at the bracket for St. Thomas.  I don't envy their draw.  Could face Wheaton second round, Calvin or UWSP third round.  Challenging road to the 4rth round.

[Gregory Sager]

Dahlby is correct. Can't put too much stock on early season games. Teams evolve tremendously from November to March.  However, if rankings mean anything, this is the best draw WW has ever had. In addition, since travel costs are no longer affected by location, it will be hard to justify sending WW out of Spokane until the Elite 8 (they are #2 in the nation in attendance).

Not unless they outdraw Hope or Calvin or Wooster or UWSP.

Last year WW was #8.  I heard they were #2 this year at one point.  Not sure where they stand now

Dunno why someone would've told you that Whitworth was #2 in D3 in home attendance, since attendance numbers aren't compiled by the NCAA until after the season.

Nevertheless, based upon self-reported statistics at this point in the season, there's a bunch of schools that currently have higher home attendance averages than Whitworth's:

Hope	2,748
Calvin	1,949
Wooster	1,647
UWSP	1,448
Franklin & Marshall	1,152
Illinois Wesleyan	1,138
Northwestern	1,084
Whitworth	1,056

These numbers are fluid, of course. Wooster, UWSP, Illinois Wesleyan, and Whitworth will all get to host at least one more game this season, and it's quite likely that several of them will get to host more than one. But it's pretty obvious that Whitworth is nowhere near #2 in the nation in home attendance, nor will it finish any higher than fifth, at best.

The more important point regarding home games is that Whitworth is clearly the top seed in its grouping of seven teams that feeds into one quarterfinal slot at Salem. Given the spread-out nature of this seven-team group (Washington, California, and two Virginia teams represented in one half, with three Texas teams in the other half), there's no reason why the committee would feel the need to fly the Pirates out of Spokane to play somewhere else, since the next three weekends will all consist of individual matchups rather than three- or four-team pods. Whitworth is clearly one of the teams that is in line to host three games prior to the quarterfinals in Salem, should the Pirates keep winning.

[OxyBob]

BUT until a SCIAC program comes into the fieldhouse and gets a W, I wil always like the Pirates chances.

In the last 5 years Whitworth is 59-6 at home. Advantage Pirates.

OxyBob

[playball]

On to the next one!  Good luck WW, hopefully it won't be such a test as this first one was.  Make the NWC proud