MBB: Northwest Conference

[Andy Jamison]

I don't think that having the streak end would make a difference to how Linfield chooses to support it's athletic programs. If anything it would create more of a focus on how to never have it happen again thus perhaps making things worse. It is my belief that having to go through the hiring process for a new men's basketball coach is going to be an eye opening experience for the athletic department. Any new coach is going to have a laundry list of basic requests to be in place prior to taking the job.  Chief among them has to be a clear way of funding at least one full time assistant. Another would be for the new coach to be able to concentrate his energies 90% on coaching and recruiting and 10% on other duties.

It has been my belief that Linfield should be competing for national championships in football, basketball, and baseball on an annual basis. Success in one should translate in part to success in all.

[old_hooper]

I have been following the comments regarding the Lindfield coaching vacancy.  Really seems a little odd about the situation.  Know of players that have played for Doty.  If the school has a chance to get a coach of Hironoka experience, it would be rather foolish not to do it.  If it is true the athletic department is allowing football to interfere with this decision what a disservice to the players, students and Lindfield College community.  Any qualified candidate will have an agenda for their success and if the opportunity does not afford them that, why would they want to get involved?  Perhaps the football coaches should also coach basketball if it is that high of a priority.

[catmac567]

Linfield just announced the new Men's Basketball Coach for the Wildcats.  Shanan Rosenberg, Head Coach at Foothill College in California, has accepted the position.  According to the press release, he was Assistant Head Coach at Lewis & Clark College from 1998 to 2002.  His record at Foothill College was 186-131, with his 2012-13 team going 22-5, the best regular season record in program history.  Sounds very promising.  Welcome Coach Rosenberg.

[Gregory Sager]

Foothill College is a juco, so it's a completely different ball of wax. Success at that level doesn't necessarily translate into success at any of the four-year-college levels. However, I did notice that Rosenberg was the assistant at Lewis & Clark under Bob Gaillard when the Pioneers were a national power with Davis, Mietus, Oriard, Speier, and that crew, a team I remember well from seeing them play in the sectionals. I'm more impressed by that, because it means that he's been a part of, and is familiar with, the sort of team that it takes to dominate at the D3 level.

[catmac567]

I would agree with you that success at the Junior College level does not automatically translate to success in the four year college level, NCAA I, II or III and NAIA. All I was saying is that he has experience in situations that will be helpful at Linfield, which to me sounds very promising. Having experience in the Northwest Conference is definitely a plus.  It appears that he did not have a lot of resources at Foothill College and turned that program into a very competitive program.  That is also helpful coming to Linfield, a school that has not been very generous in supporting sports other than football and baseball.

[formercat]

Don't think you have good players near Linfield? Then why will two of your state's best d3 prospects be up in Spokane next fall to play basketball? The new Whitworth staff seems to like Portland just fine.

The Linfield football contract is weak too. They did what EVERY other NWC school has done (and for the record they were very late to the party as WC11 would probably tell you) which is get rid of non-d3 teams on the schedule. Ask the guys on the 2007 Whitworth team what losing to an NAIA team can do to your playoff hopes....even when you are the champ of one of the better conferences in the country. You HAVE to do whatever you can to schedule non-conference d-3 games which isn't easy in the NWC. So the $10k investment led to a playoff run and 80+ incoming freshman who may not have come to your school otherwise. 80 x $35k...I'm no mathematician but that's a butt load of money for the UNIVERSITY.

To address from your first comment, my comments made about Linfield near Portland were never made in relation to getting players from the area, Buc somehow turned it in to that.  My comment was in response to another made about Hayford's fundraising and how I feel it is more advantageous to get support in a city of 200,000 people as in compared to 30,000. Buc somehow read something else from that and then you ran with it.

Your second comment I agree with completely, but when the basketball team asked for money to travel, so they would not have to play NAIA teams Doty was denied. 

Oh, and I have more contacts in Eastern Washington than Kushiyama.   

[A Buc Forever]

Formercat, 

I didn't turn your comment around on you. I just don't get your issue that it is hard to get support/players/fans in a town of 30,000 surrounded by a metropolitan area of over 2.5 million (Spokane's metropolitan area population is less than half a million). 

Can you explain who Kushiyama is?

[formercat]

Formercat, 

I didn't turn your comment around on you. I just don't get your issue that it is hard to get support/players/fans in a town of 30,000 surrounded by a metropolitan area of over 2.5 million (Spokane's metropolitan area population is less than half a million). 

Can you explain who Kushiyama is?

Yes I think it is going to be harder to get financial support from businesses from the other cities that make up the 2.5 million metropolitan when there are 4 other NWC schools in the different towns, 2 Division I schools and 3 NAIA schools in the area also (I am counting Salem too).  Is a business in Newberg going to provide financial support to Linfield instead of George Fox? How would that look to the residents in town? Are businesses in Portland more likely to sponsor Linfield or PSU, U of P, Lewis & Clark, Warner Pac., or Concordia?  Those businesses are trying to appeal to their publics, which are people who live in their cities.  The public of Spokane can support either Gonzage or Whitworth.  Maybe Eastern Washinton? See what I am saying? Do you still think that is not an advantage?  Not that Whitworth should not take an advantage of such an opportunity.

Kushiyama is Casey Kushiyama, an assistant on the Women's team at Whitman and played college ball at Linfield College. He is who Rat thinks I got my Bridgeland info from, but Rat does not know that Bridgeland has some friend in Eastern Washington that I also know.

[Bearcat Press]

Willamette's aging Lestle J. Sparks Center is getting an extensive, much needed renovation this summer, including a vastly expanded weight room, and (eventually) new locker rooms for all Bearcat programs that use Sparks, including men's and women's basketball.  A photo gallery of the project (updated weekly) can be found HERE, while details of the renovation can be found at http://www.willamette.edu/athletics/facilities/sparks_renovation/index.php

[Bearcat Press]

More changes in the NWC this offseason, as 2012-13 NWC Coach of the Year Mark Sundquist steps down at Fox:

http://athletics.georgefox.edu/sports/mbkb/2012-13/releases/0627

[(509)Rat]

That's not good for GF...has to be a tough place to sell to most HS kids. But then again the bar hasn't been set very high

[(509)Rat]

Whitworth officially announces incoming class:

7 Freshman and a new coach

[TryMeTeam]

Rat:

No JC transfers.  Does WW have enough left off of last year's team minus the graduates to dominate, remain on top, or fall off?  Is this the year the rest of the league catches up to them?

[A Buc Forever]

Playball,

Any word on the new coach?  Thumbs up or down?  He seemed well respected in the Bay Area.

[(509)Rat]

Rat:

No JC transfers.  Does WW have enough left off of last year's team minus the graduates to dominate, remain on top, or fall off?  Is this the year the rest of the league catches up to them?

I don't think anyone in the conference thinks Whitworth will fall off. They return McConnell, McCargar, Valle, and Farnsworth. Word on the street from people who have watched a few practices is that this may turn out to be the deepest team Whitworth has ever had. I guess the Freshman class has a couple of studs that may contribute right away. Like most people I was a bit worried about not having that all-american, go-to scorer that the Pirates had in the past under Hayford, but Logie's teams seem to be just fine without one. They'll continue to play tough defense, be efficient on offense and I don't see why Logie and his staff won't continue to out-scheme opponents. I don't think anyone has closed the gap between Whitworth and the rest of the NWC.

I don't know how they'll fare against UW-SP, but it'll be good for the guys to see some early competition against one of the better teams and programs in the country.

Although, the alumni game could be, depending on who shows up, by far the most talented team they see all season...