|
Post by trimster on Dec 1, 2023 7:38:55 GMT -5
As is almost always the case, football drives the conference affiliation. No different here. Willard showed HC can have a legit hoops program while in the PL just as Chesney has shown in football. I have faith DP can as well. Regarding "football drives the conference affiliation," all ten core PL members play basketball in the conference. Only five core members play football in the PL. It's hard to say football drove conference affiliation for B.U., American or Loyola. Perhaps not having to play football in their core conference helped drive Navy and Army toward the PL. For our two associate football members, I would say basketball drives their core conference affiliation in the Big East and A-10 because neither of those leagues offer football. I think you are correct about FBS Football, but it's harder for FCS football to drive conference affiliation as opposed to D-1 basketball which is the highest level college basketball compared to FCS being the second highest level college football. Very good points. My take on things is HC hoops was deemphasized due to the need to find a home for the football program. (Kind of like collateral damage). It was obvious HC wasn’t going to compete with grid rivals like BC, Rutgers, Temple, etc as the 80’s began. We were a driving force behind the creation of a non-scholarship football conference and it was only a matter of time before the football conference became an all sport conference which resulted in the elimination of basketball schollies. Short of eliminating the program a la NYU, eliminating scholarships is the most drastic deemphasizing of a program possible. Maybe that is not what WCHC was intimating but that is what I thought he was doing. My guess is hoop scholarships would have been eliminated regardless of what happened to football.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 30, 2023 12:20:18 GMT -5
Losing at home isn't "sustainable" for a basketball program. "Look at what they did to my boy!..." Nobody is showing up because we're not winning in front of our fans. To be fair, the team hasn't discriminated over the last 15 years-- they're not really winning anywhere. We sold our basketball souls for our football program. We just stay getting trounced. As is almost always the case, football drives the conference affiliation. No different here. Willard showed HC can have a legit hoops program while in the PL just as Chesney has shown in football. I have faith DP can as well.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 30, 2023 9:02:13 GMT -5
12-46 minus the two D3 victories. 14-54 after tonight vs. D1 comp. Correction per Warren Nolan, 14-55.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 29, 2023 22:47:43 GMT -5
PL is 14-45 so far non con. 12-46 minus the two D3 victories. 14-54 after tonight vs. D1 comp.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 29, 2023 22:44:36 GMT -5
The PL is woefully inept so far, 2-8 tonight against 2 good Ivies and 8 others that are less than fearsome, so I think there is hope we win at least 10 games. I don't see many D1 wins left non-con wise. Maybe 1.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 28, 2023 8:25:23 GMT -5
Both of these guys seem like they would be very interesting teammates. They appear to bring a lot to the table in addition to basketball. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see them doing an interview in 30 years. One as a successful actor and the other as a late night tv host.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 28, 2023 7:57:09 GMT -5
NY...why do you find this league boring? Or are you just bored with this discussion (which is understandable). I know your preference is an American East football conference. I've seen you write about this previously. Your proposal is compelling, and I like it. However, I'd prefer keeping the PL core and adding Nova, W&M, and Richmond. I wouldn't say boring, certainly not in football. And the discussion HAS over the years gotten a little bit monotonous. W&M, Nova, Richmond, the proverbial dead horse. But that horse may as of today have some actual life outside of Crossports. THAT BEING SAID, today might be the first day in 25+ years, where if you're William & Mary, you start to consider the Patriot League as a real option. W&M has, since the mid-2000's considered Delaware its closest athletic peer across the board in the CAA. More so than longtime rival Richmond, who left the conference high and dry in 2001 to go to the A-10. Not JMU, who pretty clearly by 2010 or so was gearing up to go FBS at some point. Old Dominion was the school that W&M considered its biggest basketball rival for years (yes the rivalry was very one sided). I think Richmond would hitch its wagons in football to wherever W&M decided to go. And I'm fairly certain that if those two went, Villanova would follow. The idea of a trifecta of W&M, Richmond and Villanova joining the PL in football is absolutely appealing to me. However, I think the bigger problem is basketball. My expansion priority would be to bring in schools that would pump at least some semblance of basketball culture into the league. Villanova and Richmond aren't bringing basketball. W&M would, but you'd need to supplement that with others. Now that UD is off the board, here goes for my best-case Patriot League expansion: Football (10 teams)Holy Cross Fordham Colgate Bucknell Lehigh Lafayette VillanovaGeorgetown Richmond W&MAll-Sports / Basketball (14 teams)
Holy Cross Colgate Army NortheasternBoston U. Fairfield BinghamtonLehigh Lafayette Bucknell Loyola Navy American W&M
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Not going to dive into the America East thoughts again tonight. But you have to wonder if UNH and Maine are looking at this Delaware move and possibly look to play a little defense. America East Football NOW makes too much sense. Plus, creating the football conference could help prevent the A-East from losing Bryant and/or Albany to the CAA in all sports. AND you have SHU and Merrimack there for the taking. Merrimack would dump the MAAC to be in an America East Conference with football IMO. Not sold on Binghamton but other that, I really like your thinking.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 27, 2023 19:11:56 GMT -5
Not everyone on the Delaware message board are thrilled about the move..
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 27, 2023 16:02:59 GMT -5
He does. Buffalo. Played for his father in high school and that's where Eric Schon also graduated from (St. Francis). Hmm, makes me wonder about Eric possibly transferring to Syracuse grad school? If Chesney makes the move to Syracuse, I suspect we will see multiple HC grads playing for the Orange next year. Kind of reminds me when I first started following HC in the 60's and guys like Pat McCarthy and I believe Denny Golden, returned to Fitton with the Quantico Marines squad.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 27, 2023 10:02:21 GMT -5
He's a smart guy. He knows he's a hot commodity. My hope is that he is happy where he is and wants to stay, but is a shrewd negotiator. Perhaps he's using his reputation to leverage more from HC. Boy I'd not enjoy being Kit Hughes right now... I suspect BC relishes a challenge and at some point, maybe not now, no amount of money HC can offer him will keep him here.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 27, 2023 8:53:06 GMT -5
Who's behind us? MEAC and SWAC? NEC and SWAC? KenPom has SWAC, MEAC and NEC behind the PL (29th) Warren Nolan's NET rankings has the PL 27th, followed by the MEAC, Ohio Valley, Southland, SWAC, Northeast, Independents Team Rankings/Real Time RPI (which both use the since-discontinued RPI in determining conference strength) has the PL...DFL. 33rd. Ouch.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 26, 2023 18:41:24 GMT -5
Ranked 29 of 32 conferences. Seven of ten teams ranked 300+. The PL has never been this bad. Sad. I am surprised it isn’t 31 or 32. I would hope the PL ADs if not the Presidents, are aware of this. It shouldn’t be this bad and should be seen as unacceptable. I suspect it isn’t.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 26, 2023 17:21:09 GMT -5
If this season is going to basically be about improving, at some point, do you turn to your 5 recruits for major minutes and let them grow? No. The best way to learn is to have the team compete and win the games that are winnable. and secure as good a PL record as possible. The freshmen will get plenty of minutes. The coach cannot just tell the returnees that they will not play if they show in practice that they deserve time. I get your point but I didn't say the returnees wouldn't play. I know you want to build a culture as well and reducing some of the upperclassmen minutes might not be the best way to do it. You can also argue they deserve respect for sticking around thru the coaching change when they could have left with 2 years of eligibility left. I also said at some point, not now.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 26, 2023 14:42:42 GMT -5
If this season is going to basically be about improving, at some point, do you turn to your 5 recruits for major minutes and let them grow?
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 26, 2023 8:08:57 GMT -5
Maine does have one good win against AAC team South Florida. I don't think this will be an easy game. Unless the PL teams below us are a lot worse than HC, there is one easy game left the rest of the way. It is really a humbling experience for this oldtimer to look at games vs Q and CCSU as tough games. It is what it is.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 26, 2023 7:45:12 GMT -5
Why in God's name did we play mostly all M2M defense tonight? Not that it probably made a whit of difference but this was our best tactic defensively? I don't think so. Just hung up with another poster and we discussed it. we lack speed, quickness, and length- hard to find something on D that works that you can settle on to succeed Other than that Mrs. Lincoln….
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 26, 2023 7:43:07 GMT -5
PL is 14-45 so far non con. 12-46 minus the two D3 victories.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 26, 2023 7:32:36 GMT -5
At least the frosh got some more experience on a big stage. Other than that….
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 25, 2023 18:54:29 GMT -5
PL is 14-45 so far non con.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 25, 2023 18:51:42 GMT -5
PL goes 0-5 this afternoon with HC/St. John’s about to tip.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 23, 2023 7:27:40 GMT -5
There are 50 D1 games on the day after Thanksgiving plus 13 TBD which I assume are part of a tournament. That seems crazy to me. Those Friday games should be on Saturday or Sunday. There are 15 games today; all part of tournaments. That explains the 15, not 13, TBD listed for tomorrow. Some are pretty good matchups if you get tired of watching football.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 22, 2023 17:59:30 GMT -5
There are 50 D1 games on the day after Thanksgiving plus 13 TBD which I assume are part of a tournament. That seems crazy to me. Those Friday games should be on Saturday or Sunday.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 22, 2023 7:31:46 GMT -5
Harvard is at Colgate this afternoon. Should be a good matchup. The Johnnies play a tough non-conference schedule and are off to a good start.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 20, 2023 9:38:40 GMT -5
I watched the alphabet game this morning. It seems to me we have a lot of tweeners and a lot of 2 guards. When I look at the size of our players, I think, "He looks like a 1 but isn't playing it, he looks like a 3.........., he looks like a 4........ Maybe I am placing too much emphasis on it. Afterall, guys like Bob Foley and Keith Hochstein were effective centers at 6'2" and 6'3". Of course that was 60 years ago, give or take.
|
|
|
Post by trimster on Nov 20, 2023 9:27:02 GMT -5
Good to see better free throw shooting today by the Crusaders: 10/13= .729 including Joe Octave's 6 for 7. Interesting that the top ten free throw shooting teams (percentage wise) are a composite W-L 28-14 YTD while the bottom 10 are W-L13-23. This does not address the all-important "getting to the line" issue.
The top ten teams in free throw rate are a collective 33-6. Winthrop, btw, is tops in the nation currently.
Holy Cross ranks 336th in FTR, and 350th in the percentage of points it gets from free throws. Not in the company we want to keep.
I just read your post referencing teamrankings.com after I posted mine.
|
|