|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 18, 2019 10:43:25 GMT -5
How many NCAA football fields are 90 yards? I guess I was counting wrong the whole time I watched, broadcasted, or was on the field.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 13, 2019 12:31:02 GMT -5
Lori Loughlin will have to switch from Hallmark movies to Lifetime dramas. Full House
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 12, 2019 9:41:43 GMT -5
First requirement? Promote the values of the Patriot League.
Fifth? Win and be successful at the national level.
It's not listed alphabetically, so I must infer they are in order of importance. The Patriot League should be the best fit right now for OUR values. The primary goal of an athletics department should be to foster the success on and off the court of student athletes. If the Patriot League is the fit, then so be it. If the Patriot League is not the fit, it should be replaced where possible.
How long has Pine been gone before somebody wrote this job posting?
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 11, 2019 13:33:24 GMT -5
Why are Lehigh, Bucknell, and Colgate able to figure it out, but Alma Mater can't? My dad never went to any college, let alone HC, but he always told me: "Can't means won't."
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 11, 2019 12:23:14 GMT -5
Fractions of the current student body (that are not participants themselves in D1 athletics), smaller fractions of recent alums, and smaller fractions still of local fans care about the program. The larger boosters and most ardent fans tend to be alumni aged north of 60 years old. I feel this waters down some of the more fiery feedback here, and likely more broadly, to not take the bold steps to do "what must be done."
Even the long, storied former athletes of HC football or basketball do not publicly advocate for, criticize, admonish, or otherwise seem to follow HC athletics. They have not banded together to tout the storied, yet now-ancient history of HC athletics, and compel TPTB to do anything.
To piggyback on trimester's post, TPTB are okay to finish with terrible records across the board. They are imminently satisfied that they allow a small school such a large opportunity to provide all sorts of sports to all types of student athletes, and would rather celebrate their GPAs than their W/L records, even with patches on jerseys during games. One cynical viewpoint is that there is continued belief of the mutual exclusiveness between academic success and athletic success... I feel that TPTB would have athletes playing contests wearing backpacks full of books just to prove a point that HC is "better" academically.
One thing is clear... the reputation or ethos or spirit of athletics from 100 or even 50 years ago is irrelevant, when the last 25 years have largely been that of ineptitude and by-golly-gosh-shucks acceptance of the participation model rather than the winning model.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 8, 2019 10:16:55 GMT -5
Chesney and the football team rattled off four nice wins at the end of last season, but still were 5-6 overall (4-2 in the league). Much left to be written regarding his Holy Cross career-- hopefully-- but can we please please please stop chugging the purple kool-aid with this guy until they've accomplished something? HC overall has a lacking sports culture, but the slow acceptance of mediocre performance over time is like a river eroding a rock. I'd rather have no culture than accept middle-of-the-road. I guess my point is let's not hope and pray for a "Chesney of basketball" because Chesney hasn't really done much (or had a chance yet to do much) with football. Chesney has re-energized the football program. His recruiting class is rated tops in the league and very high nationally. There is a buzz. This is the start and now it's time to do it on the field. Basketball has no buzz. Hasn't for a while. Pine created buzz too. Pine created no results. Buzz is all we've got after one year with Coach Chesney, so certainly not fair to criticize, but let's not anoint him just yet.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 8, 2019 10:00:59 GMT -5
Chesney and the football team rattled off four nice wins at the end of last season, but still were 5-6 overall (4-2 in the league). Much left to be written regarding his Holy Cross career-- hopefully-- but can we please please please stop chugging the purple kool-aid with this guy until they've accomplished something? HC overall has a lacking sports culture, but the slow acceptance of mediocre performance over time is like a river eroding a rock. I'd rather have no culture than accept middle-of-the-road.
I guess my point is let's not hope and pray for a "Chesney of basketball" because Chesney hasn't really done much (or had a chance yet to do much) with football.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 8, 2019 9:16:13 GMT -5
TELL. US. WHAT. HAPPENED.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 5, 2019 14:49:15 GMT -5
Those last two replies by Bison and BBC were what I was going to get at. Potential =/= results. JF was not used as much/solely/wholly/whatever, and his team performed poorly as a collective unit. In basketball, where one dominant player can carry a team, HC finished in last place. Now, I wholeheartedly would argue that HC would be even WORSE record-wise if JF was for us unfortunately not part of the picture... but we can only see what we see. I think the HC team performance dragged him down in this accolade. And even that, we're saying he's among the top 5-10 players in the whole league? No small potatoes. Congrats to the young man, proud he represented our school, and will continue to do so.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 5, 2019 13:31:06 GMT -5
Let's include points because, besides preventing them, which JF can do, you have to score them to win. Also, winning, which HC would not have done. Fair or not, the team is in last place. If HC was in first place, the best player on the best team would likely be on the best selection of individual accolades, in my opinion.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 5, 2019 10:25:43 GMT -5
Right. But it proves that Carmody's strategy of the quick hook had to be employed, or at least somewhat justifies it. Add five more MPG to his playing time this season, where the best player on the HC roster probably SHOULD be if he could physically tolerate it, and he'd probably add what, four more points, one more block, and maybe (heaven forbid) a rebound or two to his per-game stats.
I'm nitpicking again, and my intention is not to tear down JF, who I am appreciative of wholly... but his stats on a last place team fits perfectly with the 2nd team, and being acknowledged by the biggest defensive force in the league bar none highlights his strengths perfectly.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 5, 2019 10:08:39 GMT -5
Best defender in the league, and defense is half the game of basketball. On the offensive side: Broke the PL record for FG% by a wide margin. Current nearly leading the nation in FG%. 12.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.5 assist, 2.5 blocks (led PL by a wide margin) per game. It’s a joke he isn’t 1st team. Clearly the fact that we finished dead last hurt him, which it shouldn’t, as these are individual accolades and not team accolades. Should be swapped with either Mackenzie or Tejada. They averaged more points on better teams (teams with much faster tempo, btw). That’s it. If I must nitpick (and I must, because you call it a "joke" he's not 1st team), he didn't score enough. I start there. You can have a high FG%, and his was exceptional, and that would help boost his offensive profile, but as noted ad infinitum on this board, JF was not used enough on offense. He didn't "go get his" enough. And it hurts him here. Perhaps some folks would say that the small sample size of offense per game made the FG% easier to attain... that's a bit of a stretch but it has to be considered with lots of other strong, deserving candidates. Secondary points: The HC record must be factored in. Sure, it's individual accolades, but all things being equal, if one individual helps his team win games, and another wins fewer, it must be accounted for. There are lots of mitigating factors (teammates, coaching, injuries, etc.) but one player's team wins and another's loses. And it's about the Ws and Ls. Floyd improved it late in the season, but he's not been a good free throw shooter long term. Floyd fought foul trouble nearly every game. Yes, he dramatically impacts the game as one of the best, if not THE best, player on the floor when he's out there. But when he has to go to the bench because of two quick fouls (more reliable than a Carmody white flag in the face of a rebound), he's not helping the team. Again, I nitpick, and would love to have Floyd for 20 more years. 2nd team is no joke, and I think with the HC performance in the cellar of the PL, the fact that he was noticed, and selected to all-league accolades, as well as being DPOY, speaks volumes about just how much he had to accomplish to get there, well-deservedly.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 4, 2019 10:58:17 GMT -5
Could have been dress rehearsal. Either way, there's no change that Carmody is going to make in this PLT PIG other than have his team run a real offense, the players make attempts for rebounds on either side of the ball, we drive to the hoop to get to the foul line, or actually make jump shots. I would be surprised if any one or combination of those things happened.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 4, 2019 10:55:14 GMT -5
RE: HC92 and the potential PLT surprise-- the last time Carmody rolled out a 1-3-1 it took our opponents by surprise, because it's a rarely-used ploy and the gimmick was half surprise and half effective.
If Carmody has his team move to M2M defense as the "surprise" in the PLT, they'll be using the defense that 90% of the rest of the country effectively deploys... so it may surprise some opposing coaches that we actually changed, well, ANYTHING... but it's not unfamiliar to a D1 collegiate offense.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 1, 2019 15:44:55 GMT -5
I have to respectfully disagree, RGS. Is it insensitive for a man to be dealing with these issues on the personal front to have to see Crossports repeatedly call for his job? Probably, yes. But is the information posted just a fact too? Yes-- and facts that BC is responsible for.
I think you're beyond insinuating that Holy Cross, as a place that has a reputation of being, and producing, high-quality character people, should not hold people accountable for their jobs if their personal lives are experiencing great hardships. I think there are more pragmatic ways to do that.
For example, the college is not firing the coach because he is not traveling to select road games as he opts to stay close to home and care for his wife. That is admirable, and that is reasonable, compassionate leeway on behalf of HC. Letter of the law? He's not reporting for duty at those times. We all would agree HC and Coach BC are doing the right thing, the thing that matters more than simply "job" or "basketball."
However, to say more generally that the college has to employ a coach who has a losing record in 17 years as a professional because his wife is dealing with that same hardship is, in my mind, a different story.
If the stats presented in BBC's post crossed my desk as part of a resume, the person wouldn't come close to being hired for the job.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 1, 2019 11:32:40 GMT -5
No one is expecting Sweet 16 runs or even consistent trips to the NCAA Tournament, but it would be nice to actually finish in the top half of our low-major league and have more than a sprinkling of winning seasons. Why the hell not? It's unreasonable to expect, given where the program is, what is being invested by way of time, attention, and smart money, that HC would have Sweet 16 runs, or consistent trips to the NCAA tournament... or even finishing in the top half of the league. However, when you talk about what the BoT, President, students, alums, and fans should not settle for less than... it's those same achievements above. I get what you were trying to say. But let's be specific: we should only expect what reality is presenting. We should NOT ACCEPT anything less than better and then best.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Mar 1, 2019 10:30:12 GMT -5
I can quite get on board with the gym vs. arena thing. When it's full, in a big game, it's a GREAT place to watch a game imho. No one sees the bleacher seats when there are a$$es in them. And the sightlines are as good as it gets. Colgate is managing with their barn.....and has anyone seen St. Mary's McKeon Pavilion? I'd take their program in a heartbeat. Two things, NAD: 1-- I love a full Hart Center. One of my fondest memories of Holy Cross was standing in the rafters with guys from the football team while we played Princeton in front of a packed house. Hot, stuffy, loud, exciting. The experience can't be beat. 2-- The Hart Center isn't bopping like that lately. It doesn't appear to be bopping like that anytime soon. So if you're a 6'12" big in the words of HC70, or a stud guard from somewhere NOT Massachusetts for a change, who is touring campus to see what the school is about, and you walk into a place that has bleachers, or could be smaller than your high school gym, it may not pass the eye test. It's not the "wow" that I let out when I went to my first game at Bucknell. These are the things that are competing for the athletes, much like I said the events are competing for the attendees/patrons just the same. What can you bring to the table? What can you offer? Now, if Hart had a regional or national reputation as one of the wildest places to play... one of the most hostile environments for opposing players and coaches to come and compete against the Crusaders-- and I believe it has been and could be again-- that's another story. I can only think of dirty analogies, so I will leave them to your imagination. But what I'm saying here is that the Hart is a book that has to be judged by a cover, because if a prospect is "reading" it lately, the story comes up short. Six kids in a band, four cheerleaders, and 27 students, where the radio announcers have to whisper during free throws to not appear to be willingly distracting shooters, is not that environment you and I both love and desire.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Feb 28, 2019 16:50:00 GMT -5
I agree that students nowadays have more interests competing for their attention, but don't say they won't watch college sports because they're too buried in their phones. They will watch college sports that APPEAL to them. The players are impressive. They get better. They win games. They entertain. The production (music, PA, cheering, bands, promotions, venue, coaching, competition) are of a PROFESSIONAL nature, or at least division 1 sports.
I agree with most of BBC's post above. Saddest part? $95 mil didn't get a new basketball court or new hockey rink. Sojka is a FANTASTIC and attractive aspect for prospective student athletes at Bucknell. I love the facility, and as a die-hard HC fan, am very jealous/proud that a PL cohort proved it can be done the right way.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Feb 27, 2019 16:52:30 GMT -5
"Following the basketball game at Ohio State, coach McCaffery made unacceptable comments to a game official in the hallway headed to the locker room," Iowa athletic director Gary Barta said in a statement. "Fran's comments do not represent the values of the University of Iowa, Hawkeye Athletics, and our men's basketball program. Fran immediately accepted responsibility for his comments and understands the severe implications of his remarks. Fran fully understands this suspension and penalty imposed by the Big Ten Conference. Fran continues to have my full support moving forward."
His comments and behavior do not represent the values of the University of Iowa, and yet, that's what he always does, and was still hired. So the values are in practice representative, until they're not. What a joker.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Feb 27, 2019 10:52:59 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Feb 25, 2019 16:17:03 GMT -5
The Pats (team) suffering as a result of his actions, forfeiting draft picks as an example, I think would be incongruous, although it would send a very clear and discouraging message to other owners: keep your nose clean or pay a big price. If a player does something off the field and it results in a suspension, he forfeits game checks and sure, it could hurt the team as well. But fining an owner is probably a drop in their very big financial bucket, so perhaps draft picks is the only way to go.
One interesting thing I did hear on NYC sports talk radio this weekend: why would an owner whose team plays in New England travel to a random strip mall in Florida for these services, when they could theoretically buy the company of any high-price (and likely less-risky) engagement they want? It means that this particular place must have had a very strong appeal for a specific reason, or set of reasons, to warrant the risk. And that's the creepy and maybe disgusting part if your mind wanders.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Feb 25, 2019 12:04:20 GMT -5
Pretty soon they're going to change our ranking to "?"
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Feb 22, 2019 13:46:35 GMT -5
Coaching 101:
When you press another team and force a time out, you almost always will want to change out of that press or trap to another defense once play resumes. The other team spent their last 30-60 seconds preparing to defeat that defense with a play, so you don't want to present them with a known opportunity to execute that plan.
PL coaches have had much longer, perhaps weeks, to prepare to beat the HC 1-3-1. I'm not saying the defenses have to be a roulette wheel selection, game over game, or minute over minute. Hell, you can keep throwing the 1-3-1 out there as the main/base defense if it works. But when the same team, or especially the same player, is lighting up the zone with shots in the same exact spot on the floor, not changing for five straight baskets is questionable at best.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Feb 19, 2019 14:29:45 GMT -5
I saw Butler go out when I was watching the game on TV. Didn't look like he was being taken out because of the blood, although the cameras did focus on it, from what I could tell. I thought he was being subbed out after being called for a foul. He then stopped in front of the ref to try and make his case, somewhat composed, somewhat gesturing what he did, and the ref just pointed for him to leave the floor. I guess it was because the ref wasn't going to speak with a player who was A) getting beat rather handily, B) was subbed out, and C) wasn't in the NBA.
To BBC's post earlier about the three HC defenders covering one BU player 35 feet from the basket, that's all that 1-3-1 can aspire to do: it creates 2 and three man traps in the high and low corners. If you extend it too far, or can't defend the swing pass with the middle man, you will get torched with open looks. I didn't see a single successful trap. Plenty of Floyd blocks, a couple picked pockets from a clogged paint, but no forced timeouts, or bad heaves on the part of BU due to a trap.
|
|
|
Post by WCHC Sports on Feb 19, 2019 10:50:23 GMT -5
In the second half, the TV color announcer made it a point to say HC needs to have Floyd touch the ball every time down the court. The entire planet seems to want that to be the focal point except the field marshal in charge of the whole thing...
|
|