Monthly Archives: May 2005

Division III’s stealth new member

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As you may know, there is a waiting list to get into Division III.

Since Division III is the largest subclassification in all of college athletics, with more than 420 members, we can’t simply take everyone who wants to join right away. Each of the past two years, six new schools have gotten the opportunity to enter Division III from the NAIA or other non-NCAA affiliations. (Last year we got Crown, Keystone, Mitchell, Mount Aloysius, Presentation and Tri-State. They just finished the first year of a four-year transition process, at the end of which they will be eligible for the playoffs, if successful.)

The NCAA has not released an updated list of schools on the waiting list in a while. However, the waiting list is known to be full through the 2006-07 school year. Those schools would not be eligible for the playoffs until the fall of 2010!

There’s an easier way in, however, and Green Mountain has taken advantage of it, whether planned or not. Green Mountain applied for Division II membership from the NAIA, and after one year, decided to join Division III instead. This upcoming fall they’ll be in the third year of the four-year transition period.

Never heard of Green Mountain? It’s a school in Poultney, Vt., with a grand total of 639 undergraduates. (Not clear how many are full-time.) The school offers 15 intercollegiate sports if you count skiing, which puts it safely above the minimum 10 Division III members require. So welcome aboard — I hope we get scores from you!

The school is a natural fit for the North Atlantic Conference, although the Great Northeast Athletic Conference is possible as well.

And for those insanely curious, the other six schools slated to start their D-III transition this year? Bethany Lutheran (Minn.), La Sierra (Calif.), North Central University (Minn.), Northwestern (Minn.), SUNY-Purchase (N.Y.) and Salem (N.C.). This means the entire UMAC will be either D-III members or in the pipeline, and we will track UMAC basketball standings.

Yeah, thrilling, I know!

Pemper talked to Maine

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When the Maine women’s head coaching job opened up earlier this offseason, we at D3hoops.com figured we had at least two good finalists in the state’s Division III ranks already: Stefanie Pemper at Bowdoin and Gary Fifield at Southern Maine.

When Pemper didn’t get the job, we had to figure it was because she didn’t want it.

That’s true, according to Kevin Thomas’ column in today’s Portland Press Herald.

One telling quote: “Sure, there is a kick to (coaching Division I-type athletes). But that is not the be-all and end-all, to work with a higher caliber of athlete. As long as I can recruit athletes here who are going to buy in and be passionate about basketball and about what we’re doing . . .”

She gets it. Anyone who can’t understand why a successful coach would want to stay in Division III doesn’t.

Chandler still pouring in points

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Willie Chandler finished his Division III career at Misericordia just 42 points short of the all-time scoring record (2,940, Andre Foreman, Salisbury State). And in his third season in the USBL, he is scoring at about the same pace. Chandler is third in the league in scoring at 25.0 points per game. He’s also tied for fifth in the eight-team league at 1.9 steals per game.

Schoetz mug shotHe’s not the only Division III alumnus in the league, of course. Badou Gaye, drafted this season out of Gwynedd-Mercy, is third in the USBL in rebounds (10.1 per game) and second in blocked shots (3.3 per game). He’s recorded five double-doubles in 10 games. And there’s a brand-new player in the league as well, Dshamal Schoetz.

Haven’t heard of Schoetz? Neither had we, but he (at right) was listed at 7-0 at center for Greensboro, averaging 8.8 points per game and shooting 47% from the floor in 2003-04. He joins Chandler on the roster of the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs.

Last night in their most recent head-to-head meeting (or as head-to-head as a power forward and a shooting guard can get), Chandler scored 11 points but shot just 3-for-16, while Gaye shot 4-for-14 from the floor, 2-for-10 from the line, but had nine rebounds and four blocks. (Schoetz played in his first game, committed four fouls, had four rebounds and scored three points in 13 minutes.) Westchester won 90-84.

Stevens Point reloading

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Bryan Beamish, a 6-5½ swing player from Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln HS and Jerome Wotachek, a 6-7 power forward from Mishicot HS, both plan to take their talents to UW-Stevens Point, according to a press release.

Beamish was the Wisconsin Valley Conference co-Player of the Year after posting 18.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game this past season. He shot 56.3% from the field, including a league-best 46.5 percent from three-point range. Beamish led the Red Raiders to a 25-1 record and the WIAA Division 1 state semifinals.

“Bryan is one of the finest collegiate prospects in the state and we are very pleased to have him join the Pointer basketball program,” Pointers’ coach Jack Bennett said. “His ability, feel for the game and desire to improve are exactly the ingredients we look for. Bryan’s been superbly coached and raised the right way. He will be a terrific addition at UW-Stevens Point.”

Wotachek was the Olympian Conference Player of the Year after averaging 17.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game as a senior. He had 35 points and 20 rebounds in a win over Manitowoc Lutheran this year as the Indians avenged a 36-point loss from earlier in the season. Wotachek also was one of the Indians’ top players as a junior when they finished as the WIAA Division 3 state runner-up.

“We are very pleased to have a player of Jerome’s ability and potential join our Pointer program,” Bennett said. “He’s an outstanding young man, well-coached and hungry to get better. We’re pleased to have him at UW-Stevens Point.”

The rest of our regular look at Division III recruiting:

Frankfort (Ind.) HS senior Jared Catron is headed to Franklin.

“At our level, the recruiting is an inexact science as to who will continue to develop,” Franklin coach Kerry Prather told the Frankfort Times. “The best indication of that is a player’s work ethic. He is a great kid and we put more emphasis on that.”

Waynesburg (Pa.) Central forward Nate Stoner has decided to attend Bethany.

Women’s recruits
A recent Minneapolis Star Tribune piece stated as fact the assertion that Macalester had nine incoming freshmen for its women’s basketball program, whose season was cut short due to lack of bodies. However, it didn’t name any of the players, nor did it cite its source.

Rachel Grove, Monroe Central (Ind.), to attend Tri-State.

Julia Martini, Brownsville (Pa.), to attend Carnegie Mellon.

Lia Cronenwett, Saline (Mich.) HS forward, committed to Albion

Talia Mondalto, Amesville (Maine), to attend Thomas

Williams leads director’s cup… again

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Despite not getting any points from basketball, Williams holds a comfortable lead in the NACDA Director’s Cup standings, 142.25 points ahead of UW-La Crosse.

The standings, which are based on national finishes in various sports, major and minor, are as follows:

1 Williams 739.75
2 UW-La Crosse 597.5
3 UW-Stevens Point 582.75
4 Washington U. 508.75
5 Middlebury 499
6 Trinity (Texas) 482
7 Calvin 456
8 New Jersey 443.5
9 Springfield 407
10 Wartburg 395
11 Amherst 379.5
12 Wheaton (Ill.) 355.5
13 Emory 345
14 Geneseo State 334
15 Messiah 330

Williams gained its winter points from fourth-place finishes nationally in women’s track and men’s and women’s swimming. The Ephs finished 12th in wrestling and 14th in the ever-popular women’s skiing, though that accounts for just 24 points. UW-Stevens Point got 100 for its repeat performance in Salem, but also placed in women’s track, wrestling, men’s swimming, men’s track, women’s swimming and women’s ice hockey.

Millikin, which won the Division III women’s basketball title, is ranked No. 51 with 184 points — 100 from women’s basketball and the rest from wrestling and women’s swimming.

Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 18 sports: nine women’s and nine men’s.