MBB: Northwest Conference

[HopeConvert]

WW is heading to Holland, MI.  Should be an interesting trip...Nice that they, have a neutral first game, and don't have to play the home team.  But Wheaton isn't too far away, I suppose they will travel well.

Wheaton never travels well. If more than 100 Wheaton fans make the trek around the lake to Holland next Friday, I'll be shocked.

Are you serious?  Isn't Holland, MI less than 200 miles from Wheaton?  Whitworth fans travel farther than for a NWC game.  (Maybe Whitman is closer.)

If you have a nice big boat, it is even closer.  I think Wheaton will outnumber Whitworth but that wont matter cause the big number will be from Hope and they will be rooting for Whitworth cause we are the big underdog.   Who doesn't love an underdog?

More importantly, Hope and Whitworth have some connections to each other. They are both schools in the Reformed tradition. Gerald Sittser, well-know religion professor at Whitworth, is a Hope grad, and David Myers, well-known psychology professor at Hope (and regular attendee at basketball games), is a Whitworth grad.

Does every love an underdog?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467110/ratings

[LogShow]

WW is heading to Holland, MI.  Should be an interesting trip...Nice that they, have a neutral first game, and don't have to play the home team.  But Wheaton isn't too far away, I suppose they will travel well.

Wheaton never travels well. If more than 100 Wheaton fans make the trek around the lake to Holland next Friday, I'll be shocked.

Are you serious?  Isn't Holland, MI less than 200 miles from Wheaton?  Whitworth fans travel farther than for a NWC game.  (Maybe Whitman is closer.)

If you have a nice big boat, it is even closer.  I think Wheaton will outnumber Whitworth but that wont matter cause the big number will be from Hope and they will be rooting for Whitworth cause we are the big underdog.   Who doesn't love an underdog?

More importantly, Hope and Whitworth have some connections to each other. They are both schools in the Reformed tradition. Gerald Sittser, well-know religion professor at Whitworth, is a Hope grad, and David Myers, well-known psychology professor at Hope (and regular attendee at basketball games), is a Whitworth grad.

Does every love an underdog?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467110/ratings

Does everyone love an underdog?

Sports? definately yes
Movies? yes
Sports movies? yes
movies about a dog with that given name?  no

[sac]

........ and David Myers, well-known psychology professor at Hope (and regular attendee at basketball games), is a Whitworth grad.

I had completely forgotten that connection.

[sac]

As for taking sides, most Hope fans will sit there patiently waiting for the 2nd game.  You might get some ooo's and ahh's for good play but not much more.  It will very much be a neutral floor, there will just be 2-3000 looking on.

There are a surprising number of people in West Michigan with ties to Wheaton, I would actually be surprised if Wheaton had less than 100 people in attendance.

[sbaum]

Since I like to look ahead...assuming WW beats Wheaton, they will face either Hope or Ohio Wesylan.  Obviously WW wouldn't like to see Hope on their floor, but Ohio Wesylan has been playing very well lately.  I will be pulling for Ohio Wes...even though they are on a hot streak, they look like a better opponent then Hope.

If by better opponent, you mean easier, then I would agree. There is a reason that Hope is ranked #1 in the country. Since their last loss, which was against Albion 11 games ago, Hope has scored 883 points, or 88.3 points/game. They have held their opponents to 582 points, or 58.2 points/game. If you take out the Alma game, which Hope won 92-43, Hope has scored 791 points, or 87.8 points/game, while holding their opponents to 539 points, or 59.8 points/game. That's pretty hot, even including NCAA tournament games. Thats nearly a 30 point difference/game. So Hope is good, plus they have been extremely hot as of late. Yes, OWU will be a challenge, as will any team that Hope faces the rest of the way out (if we can make it past Friday). But I'll be watching the game Friday to see how Whitworth plays, and I hope to see a good game.

[LogShow]

That would be great if you could give us an eye witness account of the game!

[sbaum]

That would be great if you could give us an eye witness account of the game!

What's a few hundred dollars to fly out to beautiful Holland, Michigan and see some great basketball? I'd recommend it! Then you wouldn't have to rely on my poor account!

[Gregory Sager]

If Raymond can do for 35 minutes what Oxy's Whitman did for 25 minutes, we will be in some hurt but I really don't think that is possible.

Oh, but it is, my man, it is. Kent Raymond can do what any other superstar guard can do on this level, Connor Whitman included. He's a shoo-in first-teamer on this year's d3hoops.com All-American team.

Whitworth can be physical and will most likely deny the ball to Raymond in the half court.

You don't "deny the ball" to the man who is bringing it up the floor. You find a way to force it out of his hands, most likely through trapping double-teams. Raymond is a point guard -- a score-first point guard, but a point guard nonetheless.

If he gets it, he will most likely be facing a shot over a defender who is longer and taller than he is than a chance to penetrate and create.

Penetrating and creating is what Raymond does, and very few teams have stopped him from doing it -- and CCIW defenses take a backseat to nobody in D3. Raymond not only has a very quick first step, he has an uncanny knowledge of the game and the ability to read a defense's (and a specific opponent's) weaknesses very, very quickly. Don't casually declare that Whitworth will stop him from doing this or stop him from doing that before you've seen him play.

TOUCHY TOUCHY..I don't think I declared anything.  "Most likely" does not sound like a "we will shut him down."  Denying him in the "half court" was meant to say that if he does give up the ball, getting it back will be made difficult.  And no offense to CCIW teams or def. was implied or suggested.  Whitworth plays pretty good defense, when it wants or needs to.  Finally,  I said it wasn't possible because Whitman was out of his mind good for about 25 minutes and kept his team alive through sheer will and determination.  Not even directed at Raymond, who I KNOW is a point guard. 

Sager, I know you know your stuff.  Why so defensive?  Finally, who would you rather have Raymond or Andrew Olsen?

I'm not being touchy or defensive at all. Raymond doesn't play for my alma mater (in fact, he plays for my alma mater's archrival), so I have no vested interest in defending him. I'm simply warning you against the hubris that seems to be typical of D3 fans at this time of year. Fans tend to get a little too stoked up about their own teams and they sometimes dismiss opponents sight unseen as a result.

[Gregory Sager]

But Symes is wiry and quick . . . you know, if you can't be big, be quick!  Oh wait, that's football!

If Symes is a quick big man, he could give Wiele a lot of trouble. Wiele's Achilles heel is his defense, particularly when he's asked to guard a quicker player who can either face up or play with his back to the basket.

[LogShow]

But Symes is wiry and quick . . . you know, if you can't be big, be quick!  Oh wait, that's football!

If Symes is a quick big man, he could give Wiele a lot of trouble. Wiele's Achilles heel is his defense, particularly when he's asked to guard a quicker player who can either face up or play with his back to the basket.

The first chink in Wheaton's armor is exposed.

[nwhoops1903]

I'm not being touchy or defensive at all. Raymond doesn't play for my alma mater (in fact, he plays for my alma mater's archrival), so I have no vested interest in defending him. I'm simply warning you against the hubris that seems to be typical of D3 fans at this time of year. Fans tend to get a little too stoked up about their own teams and they sometimes dismiss opponents sight unseen as a result.

I will guard against the hubris (and the canabis, thank you Nancy Reagan) that seems to be typical of D3 fans at this time of year.  Thanks for the "Just Say No" to over confidence and blind faith addiction.

[nwhoops1903]

But Symes is wiry and quick . . . you know, if you can't be big, be quick!  Oh wait, that's football!

If Symes is a quick big man, he could give Wiele a lot of trouble. Wiele's Achilles heel is his defense, particularly when he's asked to guard a quicker player who can either face up or play with his back to the basket.

The first chink in Wheaton's armor is exposed.

Once again, a clear indicator that Wiele will not be asked to guard the quickest forward in the NWC.  I am thinking that Montgomery will see more PT and we will have a true post on post battle.  Wiele would probably win the stat sheet battle but Nate has the body and skills to keep this guy off the O boards.  Lets say we keep Raymond and Wiele below 50 points collectively, do we win? 40?

[LogShow]

So do you think Jurich is out and Montgomery is in?

Not in the sense of starting, but in terms of mins played?

If that's the case, and even though WW doesn't play at a lightning pace...do you think his conditioning will hold up?

[LogShow]

I am also curious on who will match up against Raymond.  The most likely choices seem to be Nakamura or Williamson.   I would like having Williamson on him because of his size and that fact that he moves so well.  And spelling him with Nakamura so he doesn't wear down.

[NWCer]

I'm happy for Whitworth and our conference Logshow and I hope they keep going, but you know I'm already looking forward to next year!!

After seeing UPS at Pacific early in the year, I still go away saying Williams and Foster (along with Symes) are probably the two most gifted players in the league, just a different type of player and athlete, and then you throw in Krauel, and they will be losing a TON after next season and I just wasn't as sure about the younger guys on the team, if they can match that.  And they've been 11-5 the last two years WITH those 3, do they get better, stay the same, get worse?  Just food for thought.

let me chew on that one for a bit...

Logshow, you still chewing??