MBB: Northwest Conference

[Tglassman55]

A couple of UPS Stats from the big 3:

• Antwan Williams this season not only breaks the career Assists record of 426 (which was actually 48 ahead of the next highest player) with 497 assists and counting, but is currently only 66 points from hitting the 1500 point mark.  For some reason UPS doesn't have the career leaderboard for steals but he is sitting at a rediculous 297 for his career
• Robert Kraul is 15 away from 1300 points and 20 rebounds away from 550 for his career.  The truly impressive stat is the .586 FG % he has going right now. 
• Jason Foster just passed the 1603 point mark for his career, making him 18 points shy of being 3rd in school history.  He is also 8 rebounds away from 600.  This puts him in the company of only Curt Peterson in UPS history at having both 1600 points and 600 rebounds in a career.  He is also only the second player in UPS history to earn NWC player of the year honors

already had midterms...

[LogShow]

Almost time to rev the bracket of death back up!

Let's go Loggers!   

[LogShow]

A couple of UPS Stats from the big 3:

• Antwan Williams this season not only breaks the career Assists record of 426 (which was actually 48 ahead of the next highest player) with 497 assists and counting, but is currently only 66 points from hitting the 1500 point mark.  For some reason UPS doesn't have the career leaderboard for steals but he is sitting at a rediculous 297 for his career
• Robert Kraul is 15 away from 1300 points and 20 rebounds away from 550 for his career.  The truly impressive stat is the .586 FG % he has going right now. 
• Jason Foster just passed the 1603 point mark for his career, making him 18 points shy of being 3rd in school history.  He is also 8 rebounds away from 600.  This puts him in the company of only Curt Peterson in UPS history at having both 1600 points and 600 rebounds in a career.  He is also only the second player in UPS history to earn NWC player of the year honors

already had midterms...

3 very impressive players that have had great individual careers.

[Pugetsoundfan]

This might be a little too Logger-oriented for the board, but I'll go for it...would this year's team match up well against the best Bridge-era team? I'm inclined to say no, since the  best Bridgeland teams always had two killer 3 point shooters on the floor (god, remember Medved?) and at least with McV. and Shelton they were a bit heftier up front.  But the current version of the Logs has some offsetting strengths, and it's an interesting comparison.

[Mugsy]

This was posted over on the CCIW board.  Nice homemade promo for the weekend.  Should be an outstanding weekend of basketball.

I just picked up another link from the Facebook group for the Wheaton team.  Let's get ready for some big time basketball games!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVpibLR667I

[UPS4Life]

This might be a little too Logger-oriented for the board, but I'll go for it...would this year's team match up well against the best Bridge-era team? I'm inclined to say no, since the  best Bridgeland teams always had two killer 3 point shooters on the floor (god, remember Medved?) and at least with McV. and Shelton they were a bit heftier up front.  But the current version of the Logs has some offsetting strengths, and it's an interesting comparison.

Very good players you mentioned, Chase Curtiss and Mcvey were amazing and with Antwaan and Jason as freshman starters took UPS to the Elite 8 four years ago, but I think UPS's best team might have been the one that featured the other NWC Player of the Year and an All-American for UPS, Matt Glynn.  This was the team that started it all for UPS these last 6 years or so.  Either of these teams were bigger than the current one and I think better shooting teams.  However, there are some intangibles here, also a lot of experience.

[ds0097]

This might be a little too Logger-oriented for the board, but I'll go for it...would this year's team match up well against the best Bridge-era team? I'm inclined to say no, since the  best Bridgeland teams always had two killer 3 point shooters on the floor (god, remember Medved?) and at least with McV. and Shelton they were a bit heftier up front.  But the current version of the Logs has some offsetting strengths, and it's an interesting comparison.

Very good players you mentioned, Chase Curtiss and Mcvey were amazing and with Antwaan and Jason as freshman starters took UPS to the Elite 8 four years ago, but I think UPS's best team might have been the one that featured the other NWC Player of the Year and an All-American for UPS, Matt Glynn.  This was the team that started it all for UPS these last 6 years or so.  Either of these teams were bigger than the current one and I think better shooting teams.  However, there are some intangibles here, also a lot of experience.

As long as we're doing hypotheticals, can you imagine how good that Elite 8 team would have been if Jeremy Cross and Josh Akwenuke had stayed at UPS and been senior leaders instead of moving on to WSU and Oregon, respectively?

Adding my 2 cents to the topic, I think the 2005 team that lost to UWSP is SP was the best of the teams and would have gone much farther if they hadn't played Kaslow and Co. again. They had size, experience, motivation, depth and three guys (Curtiss, Cross and Shelton) who were perfect final shot options. The 2004 team was too inexperienced and reliant on Glynn for scoring. The Elite 8 team was smaller and less deep than 2005, and this year's team is smaller and doesn't seem to have the same depth.

[LogShow]

This might be a little too Logger-oriented for the board, but I'll go for it...would this year's team match up well against the best Bridge-era team? I'm inclined to say no, since the  best Bridgeland teams always had two killer 3 point shooters on the floor (god, remember Medved?) and at least with McV. and Shelton they were a bit heftier up front.  But the current version of the Logs has some offsetting strengths, and it's an interesting comparison.

I am always game for a discussion about this! 

I will have to agree with ds, he brought up some good points.  I would have to say that the 2005 team was definately the best.  The deepest and the most talented, they played Seattle U (losing at the buzzer) and SPU very tough.  Then the 2004 team and then the 2006 team.  It woudl have been really interesting to see how far the Logs could have made it in 2004 and 05 if UW-SP was on the other side of the bracket.  They probably could have made the final 4 both years.  UW-SP was just an absolute juggernaut.  If they had played 10 games, I think UPS could have only got them 3 times.  The 2006 team went the farthest, but wasn't as good as 04 or 05.  They were basically lead by a group of 3 tough and talented seniors, with really good freshmen...but they were just that freshmen.  Now if the Jr. class of Cross, Akwenuke, and Medved had stayed around then its a completely different story.  That team would have been just scarey.

If the current team were to matchup against the those great UPS teams of the past, they could probably give the 06 team a pretty good game, but don't think they would be able to beat them.  And I don't think that they would be able to touch the 04 and 05 teams.  Those teams had too much firepower.  Everyone on those teams could shoot the 3, and their guards up top could really get to the rack and create opportunities...not to mention McVey was just a monster down low.  Probably the most athletically gifted D3 players I have every seen.

Don't get me wrong though, I think this year's team to really good too!  Who knows, they might get to the final 4!

[LogShow]

Getting closer to gametime!     8)

[Tglassman55]

After having watched the the last 4 years of teams (Foster, Antwan, Kraul and I are all seniors) I think it's extremely hard to compare the old UPS teams with this team. 

I believe that the diffence is with Coach Lunt.  While I mourned the loss of Bridgeland as much as any (I was a sports writer for "The Trail" at the time and had spoken with him several times) I felt we could have done a much better job searching for a coach and chalked it up to another Amy Hackett mistake (he is a Lute for god's sake!).  While I am certainly doubtful that next years team will be close to this years team in terms of wins and losses, I have seen Lunt learn extremely quickly on the job.  He has a done a fantastic job adopting a half court defense which has slowed other teams much more than some of the bridgeland team's of old and is getting much better at timing on his time outs and shift changes (hockey reference to UPS' 3,4,or 5 person subs).  On an unrelated note, Lunt has not done the job recruiting the Bridgeland did, not even close. 

The old Logger teams were much different defensively, much more frantic than either the player or who wrote a couple days ago on here or the TNT this morning gave us credit for.  Many claimed that the Loggers used to win by trickery and gadgetry with a crazy defensive scheme creating 30 TO's a game and the team not actually being the good a "traditional basketball."  I, unlike many Logger fans, feel that is at least partially true. 

While the teams of old certainly had prolific scorers, none of them had the depth in the starting five that this teams has.  The bench is thinner than any UPS fan is used to but has outperformed it's expectations and left us certainly sweating for tonight's game.  The old teams did not have the staying power that this team has.  Those teams may have been better from 1-9 in the rotation, but they all had uncharacteristic losses to bad teams when our inflated three point shooting failed or they had any sort of a presence inside. 

using the old "they play 10 times" analogy I think this team wins 7-10 on consistency over the Curtiss, Medved, Rogers, years. 

2 more hours!

[Tglassman55]

Also, now that the regular season is over, how would you guys make your "fantasy line ups" for the NWC.   Not the players of the year statistically or otherwise, I mean who would you want going into a game. 

here's mine

PG - Ross Nakamura  (TO/A ratio is rediculous)
SG - Antwan Williams (best defender in the conference against other gaurds)
SF - Garold Howe (averaged a double-double, scary to think of what he would do with a team around him)
PF - Jason Foster (POY, right attitude)
C - Nate Montgomery (giant human being)

tough to leave off anyone from LC and Cam Mitchell but oh well

[UPS4Life]

Can't agree with you on this one Tom.  I'm a senior as well this year, lived on the same floor as Foster and Williams freshman year, have followed theirs and Robert's stellar careers very closely, and have been a UPS basketball fan since I can remember.  My heroes used to be guys like Mike "It's Miller Time!" Miller" and I remember crying at Logger losses, when we were the door mat of men's basketball.

This year's team is one of the best all time, going undefeated was incredible, but  Matt Glynn's '04 team and the '05 and '06 teams featuring Chase, McVey, Cross, and Medved were hands down better teams.  Does this mean this years team hasn't or won't go farther and accomplish more?  Not at all, but I don't think anyone should disagree that those three years showcased the best mens basketball teams UPS has ever put forth.  These are benches that included guys like Mario Mendoza, Vinny, Aubrey Shelton.  Talking about just the players themselves right here, they would top this current team fairly easily in my opinion.  Coaching/defense/system, that's another argument though...

Can't wait for the game, less than two hours to tip!

[LogShow]

I am with you UPS4Life, though cross and medved didnt play at UPS in 06.

Glassman, what were some of their uncharacteristic losses, I don't remember too many of those.

I think the 05 team's starting line up of Cross, Curtiss, Walker, O'Donnell, and McVey was better all-around and more solid then this year's starting 5.  And then bring Shelton, and Marsh off the bench...that's a pretty tough to beat.

I wouldn't call the UPS defense gimmicky, but there were definately a lot of lay-ups given up.  With their offensive firepower, if UPS had emphasized the same defense they play now, then they would have been crazy good.  These guy averaged over 100 points a game.

I personally think Lunt has done a great job, and his maturity as a basketball coach is very noticeable.  I think he is a great fit for UPS.  He seems to get the short end when talking about recruiting...he got Heyman this year and some other talent.  Also people forget Antwan Willams was Lunt's recruit.

[Tglassman55]

radio broadcast has begun!

[LogShow]

Can anyone get the video to work...I'm having problems