WBB: Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference

[bbald eagle]

b-ball fan, you say "UMW is a solid program yes but they underachieve year after year." That's a very strong statement. Coach Deena Applebury took this program from nowhere to a level where she was named WBCA National Coach of the Year, and you say the team underachieves year after year?

[BigMac]

Its amazing how opinions are so biased when you have a kid playing for a team. Its one thing to be proud but another thing to totally find a pre-season stat to help your argument. Pre-season polls are opinion yes, and Im sure the people coming up with them dont have daughters playing. D3 hoops is on point with its selections. I mean I watch a lot of basketball and from what I've seen UMW is always over-rated by you big mac. Its time you take a realistic approach to your daughters team. Actually just wait one year and I'm sure your opinion will change. UMW is a solid program yes but they underachieve year after year. The 2 players you mentioned played better as freshman than they do now. They had a supporting cast then, now they have been asked to be the main components and lets be honest they have not flourished in that role. I can say that because one of them is not my daughter. Its really time to leave opinions to to people who dont have kids playing. I mean be proud of her but dont overhype or blame officials for the short comings of YOUR team. Just knowing your daughter plays for UMW really taints your objectivity. Enjoy the season all.

Bball fan- did not go out and find a stat for my daughter, heard about D-III News and subscribed to it. When I got the first issue was very pleasently surprised to have my daughter selected, UMW has underachieved year after year?? Are you nuts?? Applebury has taken a program that was not very good and made it a TOP D-3 team in the nation. That statement alone makes me wonder what you have been watching. And the 2 players on UMW McRae & Wimmer came in as freshman and worked their tails off to both become starters. With the other players graduated the opposing teams now focus on McRae & Wimmer and they still are top players in the CAC and in D-3. Again what are you looking at?? You must not come and watch them very much to make a statement like that.

I totally understand that these 2 list are signifcantly different from each other.  And I totally respect gordonmann & Pat's selections for the preseason list. I'm a homer for UMW and I do not hide the fact my daughter plays on the team. I also am a basketball coach and I think I can judge talent with the best of them. I have always been harder on Jenna then anyone else could be. I can come on this forum with everyone else and voice my opinion so please do not tell me not to b-ball fan. If you do not like what I write do not read it

From the CAC web site:
MARY WASHINGTON juniors Katie Wimmer and Jenna McRae were a big reason Mary Washington surpassed
the 20-win mark for the seventh straight year, as the duo each scored 18 points in each of the Eagles' CAC wins the final
week of the regular season and crept closer to the 1,000-point mark ... McRae scored 18 points and added eight rebounds
in 26 minutes of play and Wimmer added 18 points, four assists, and three rebounds as the Eagles topped Stevenson on
Wedenesday .... The duo repeated those scoring marks with 18 points each in the Eagles' Saturday win over Wesley with
18 apiece ... For the week, McRae shot 13-18 from the floor, including 4-6 three pointers, with 14 rebounds ... Wimmer shot
14-22 from the field, including 4-8 three pointers to go with seven assists ... The pair committed just five turnovers combined

Not My Words but others. I see where you might think they have "Not Flourished in that role"  NOT!!! You can say that because you do not have a clue what you are talking about

Next UMW game your at I would be happy to discuss this face to face. I'm the 6'8" redhead, easy to see. Just come up and tell me you are bball-fan and I would be happy to talk

[Pat Coleman]

Just to be clear, I have no problem with Big Mac posting the D-III News preseason awards. He didn't hit a nerve with me. Pat and I were just pointing out that the two lists are significantly different in structure.

Also I have no problem with Big Mac being a homer for UMW. I'd be a homer for them too if my daughter played there.

Right. Just making sure it's clear to all who read this that comparing the number of players for any team on the two lists is like comparing apples and oranges.

[Pat Coleman]

Not My Words but others. I see where you might think they have "Not Flourished in that role"  NOT!!! You can say that because you do not have a clue what you are talking about

Next UMW game your at I would be happy to discuss this face to face. I'm the 6'8" redhead, easy to see. Just come up and tell me you are bball-fan and I would be happy to talk

This sounds a little bit like a threat. Please be more careful with your words and don't ask someone to take this outside.

[BigMac]

Not My Words but others. I see where you might think they have "Not Flourished in that role"  NOT!!! You can say that because you do not have a clue what you are talking about

Next UMW game your at I would be happy to discuss this face to face. I'm the 6'8" redhead, easy to see. Just come up and tell me you are bball-fan and I would be happy to talk

This sounds a little bit like a threat. Please be more careful with your words and don't ask someone to take this outside.

No,No, Not a threat, I just stand out in a crowd and am easy to see. B-ball fan keeps saying he watches UMW all the time so just thought instead of us going back and forth on this forum we could discuss this face to face. If you look back on post you will see that b-ball fan is a homer for Marymount so that is why his opinions are so tanted Vs. UMW.

All in good fun

And you are right about apples & oranges. Both list have many of the same players on it but of coarse there will be differences. I, for one, am glad that you take the time to put together the selections. Give us something to look at as the season goes along and see who is doing well and living up to the selection and who is not. You see/hear much more about all the players in D-3 then most do so like I said I respect your opinion and am glad you do this for us.

This all started because I put this post on Northeast region. I did so because someone was complaing about only 1 Amhurst player being selected. Was just trying to show that this other list also only pick 1 player from Amhurst (same one)
And I clearly stated that I liked that list because my daughter is on it, as any dad would.

D III News also puts out 24 selections for preseason All-American players and they also only have Stedman from Amhurst as a pick.

The selections are close but there are different players:
Northeast :
Stedman - Amhurst
Wurdeman - Babson
Wehner - MCLA

EAST:
Fiore - Utica
Cohen-Cortland
Parks-Vassar

Atlantic
Lucas-Wm. Paterson
McRae-UMW
Pickell-NYU-Poly

Mid-atlantic
Chili-Muhlenberg
Woerner-Catholic
Marks-Misericordia

South
Prewitt-Centre
Duncan-Greensboro
Singleton-Concordia

Great Lakes
Verkaik-Calvin
Wiedt-Mt. Union
Ernst-Kenyon

Central
Simpson-Chcago
Karsten-Wheaton
Gregorich-Wis. River falls

West
Williams-Lewis & Clark
Geske-Gust. Adolphus
Barbetti-Cort-Redlands

With Taylor Simpson - Player of the Year

With 29 players as Honorable Mention

I will go with this list as my daughter is selected under Atlantic on this list and not on D-3 Hoops list
Bball-fan just loves to respond to my post

[Pat Coleman]

Sorry you ended up spending money on DIII News, though ... we provide much more for free but if you feel like a donation we will never argue.

[BigMac]

Yes yours is free and a great service to all. I just got it because it's my daughters last season and wanted to get all the news I could. You guys do a great job and I really apprechiate what you do. We in the D-3 would be in the dark most the time if it was not for D-3 Hoops, Thanks!!

[BigMac]

Top 25 preseason poll out and UMW is #36 on the list. I think UMW needs to earn their way up the poll as last season ended poorly. Hope this makes the player hungry to move up. Really need to get off to a better start.

Scrimmage at EMU on 11/8 at 6:00 and Vs. Catholic on 11/12 at 2:00.(in the new gym) Season begins at W&L on Nov. 15

Go eagles!!!

[bbald eagle]

2 hours to tip. Let's Go, Eagles!

[bbald eagle]

UMW's Wimmer reaches the 1,000 point mark in first game of the season.

[bbald eagle]

UMW's McRae hits the 1,000 point mark too in the win. The Daily Double!

[BigMac]

Good first game for UMW. Have a ways to go but much better start then last season. Tough games this weekend at RM tour. Was very happy to be at the game and watch Jenna McRae and Katie Wimmer both get 1000 points!! Best of friends, best of teammates why not get this together also. Hard to beleive that after 3 years of playing together there was 1 point difference between them.

http://umweagles.com/news/2011/11/15/WBB_1115114436.aspx

[Brookland]

BigMac,
Congrats to the Eagles and especially both of "your" girls! I watched them play AAU years ago and could tell even then that they had each others' backs. I agree that it is a great story (and pretty amazing) that they reached the 1000 point milestone within minutes of each other!
And I'm still picking UMW for the conference title this year - even though I don't have a daughter on the team (or even in the league!), so I don't know why I'm "so biased"...(Sorry, b-ballfan I couldn't resist  )

[bbald eagle]

Great Post, Brookland. 

[Brookland]

bbald eagle,
Just "Callin it like I see it!"   
I got to watch the Marymount 74-60 win over Lynchburg. Katelyn Fischer had a career night, with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. Sam Spencer added 17. However, as well as the team played, I still don't think they will be a contender for the CAC title. Rather than an indication of a really sound team, I believe the game simply reflected a good night under circumstances that aren't likely to recur.
First of all, they simply had an outstanding shooting night (48% overall and 57% from beyond the arc). Although this was partly because of their aggressive scheme to break guards free off of screens and picks, it was also aided somewhat by hesitant defensive guard play from the Hornets. I am NOT taking away from their ability, however. If you let these ladies hit some uncontested shots and get into a rythm, look out! I just doubt that will happen against the top CAC teams...
Secondly, and more importantly, it seemed to me that the refs may have made a conscious decision to "let them play" due to the very late start of the game (about an hour behind schedule with a following game yet to be played). The Marymount posts are wide-bodied players with low centers of gravity and they use it very well to muscle their opponents aside. The Lynchburg players sometimes appeared to be overpowered with physical contact that (in my opinion) could easily have been called for fouls but was not. Lynchburg players hit the floor numerous times and one could hear skin-on-skin contact but Marymount was called for only 12 fouls. That allowed Marymount to make it through the game with only 8 players on the roster without needing to sit a single starter for foul trouble.
You might say that that this sounds like sour grapes, but the following day, without the same time pressure, Marymount was called for 31 fouls. Of their 8 players, 2 fouled out, three finished with 4 fouls and 3 finished with 3 fouls in a 65-54 loss to Manhattanville. I really think the difference was not style of play, but style of refereeing...
So, my conclusion: Marymount has some real talent but little depth, and won't contend. Until someone proves otherwise, I still see UMW and York as the front-runners, in that order...