Tag Archives: Dave McHugh

Dave’s Top 25 ballot: Week 7

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At this point, I am no longer surprised when I see countless losses to breakdown in the Top 25 this week. In the overall D3hoops.com Top 25, there were 13 total losses; in my Top 25 ballot, there were 11 – I consider myself lucky!

Clearly, parity is the name of the game this season. There simply isn’t a top tier that is impressing, there isn’t a middle group that is stepping up, and there are a number of those below that who are sending up flares to get recognized (only to sometimes have those flares snuffed out by a strange loss). It is hard to read the tea leaves this season and thus it is even harder to feel comfortable when compiling a Top 25 ballot.

This week, I removed one team – just one. However, I made a lot of moves inside the other 24 teams. When I was done, I wasn’t satisfied. I thought about blowing the entire thing up and starting over, but then realized I would probably still have the same teams in and out of the poll and I still wouldn’t be satisfied. So, I stuck with what I had and will wait to see what the next week brings.

Before showing you this week’s ballot, here is a reminder of last week’s:

1 – St. Thomas
2 – Augustana
3 – UW-Whitewater
4 – Washington U.
5 – Babson
6 – Emerson
7 – Randolph-Macon
8 – WPI
9 – Dickinson
10 – North Central (Ill.)
11 – Wooster
12 – Albertus Magnus
13 – Virginia Wesleyan
14 – Ohio Wesleyan
15 – Marietta
16 – Chicago
17 – Franklin & Marshall
18 – St. Olaf
19 – Richard Stockton
20 – St. Norbert
21 – Chapman
22 – UW-Stevens Point
23 – Husson
24 – Scranton
25 – Illinois Wesleyan

And now on to this week’s ballot with some explanations for some of the moves:

1 – St. Thomas (Unchanged)

2 – Augustana (Unchanged)

3 – UW-Whitewater (Unchanged)

4 – Washington U. (Unchanged)

5 – Randolph-Macon* (Up 2)
I cringed a little when I moved the Yellow Jackets up to number five. They just don’t seem like a Top 5 team, but then again who does?! RMC moves up thanks certainly to teams ahead of them losing, but also because they blew out their rivals Hampden-Sydney* on the road and then blew out Roanoke. Clearly, the Yellow Jackets are in sync right now.

6 – WPI* (Up 2)
Nice bounce back by the Engineers to brush off the loss to MIT and beat Babson the next game (and keeping from being the answer to a trivia question: what team lost back-to-back games to coaches who earned their 300th career wins in those games?). The NEWMAC is a really tough league this year, so maybe the Engineers take another loss or two before the end of the season making number six seem a bit high. However, I think WPI has more weapons than people give them credit, they play far better defense than others think, and they are well coached. I just like WPI – what can I say?

7 – Babson (Down 2)
Two spot drop for a loss to another Top 10 team seemed a bit harsh at first, but I needed to get the Beavers behind WPI who needed to stay behind RMC. So here we are. I am not reading too much into Babson’s loss other than it was against one of those favored to win the NEWMAC and the top of the conference is really, really good this season.

8 – Wooster (Up 3)
Yeah… this one makes me nervous. Nothing Wooster has done this season screams they are a Top 10 team to me. However, they blew out Hiram and won in an offensive slugfest with their rival Wittenberg proving they can put up points if they need. A frustrated DePauw squad is on the horizon, so who knows what happens this week, but for now the Fighting Scots are in my Top 10.

9 – Marietta (Up 6)
The biggest mover upward were the Pioneers this week – I even thought about moving them ahead of Wooster. Why? They are undefeated and that is a point I need to stop ignoring. They have also thoroughly handled their opponents recently as they should! Mount Union (who just beat John Carroll) is on the schedule for this week, so we can get a good sense of maybe how good Marietta is this season with that outcome.

10 – Virginia Wesleyan (Up 3)
I wouldn’t say the Marlins did anything specific to move into the Top 10. I would say that part of the movement was to fill in spots of teams who didn’t have a very good week last week. This could be short-lived as well as VWC plays Randolph-Macon (away) and Lynchburg* (home) this week. Or, Dave Macedo’s team will once again prove they are under-appreciated by many.

11 – Dickinson (Down 2)
This might come as a surprise that I didn’t move the Red Devils further down for their loss to Johns Hopkins, but there are several factors at play here. First, Hopkins has won ten straight and may finally be playing at pre-season expectations. Second, a number of teams in this section of the poll loss causing a bit of a cushion. Third, I wasn’t moving teams like Albertus Magnus ahead of them. Many have said this Dickinson team is ranked too high because they aren’t as good as last year’s team. While I might agree, someone has to fill in these slots and so far the Red Devils are playing good enough basketball to be this high on the ballot.

12 – Albertus Magnus (Unchanged)

13 – Chicago* (Up 3)
Home court is so important for everyone; it is even more important if you are in the UAA. Chicago held home-court very nicely this weekend with wins over Rochester and Emory and in the process may have shown they have figured out their point guard situation after their best player was lost to injury at the beginning of the season. The Maroons were picked to win the UAA this season and right now are undefeated with wins over Wash U., Rochester, and Emory all at home. The challenge ahead: not only Case Western Reserve who is playing very well, but the fact the Maroons still have to play Wash U., Rochester, and Emory on the road.

14 – Emory (Down 8)
I didn’t want to knock the Eagles that much for losing on the road to Wash U. and Chicago since all three teams plus Case Western Reserve are clearly the best in this conference this season. However, I had to move Emory behind Chicago and there was only so high I was willing to move the Maroons. Call it bad luck to have to be on the road your first three games at some of the toughest places to play in the conference, but Emory now has visits to Rochester, Wash U., and Chicago behind them. They do have a big challenge at home against Case Western Reserve (who voters can gauge as well this weekend), but I am confident the Eagles will regain their mojo at home in the coming weeks.

15 – North Central (Ill.) (Down 5)
When I moved the Cardinals up swiftly last week and knew they had Augustana and Elmhurst on the schedule for the week ahead, I would be lying if I didn’t say I was nervous I was too bold in my move. Boy did that come true. The loss to Augustana could be considered expected since they were behind Augie in both the D3hoops.com poll and my own ballot. However, I thought they would prove themselves against Elmhurst but instead lost both games at home. Tough week to be sure and while Carthage and North Park don’t seem like world beaters in the week ahead, another tough week could all but sink North Central at a very important stretch of the season.

16 – St. Olaf (Up 2)

17 – St. Norbert (Up 3)

18 – Chapman (Up 3)

19 – Ohio Wesleyan (Down 5)
The enigma that is the Battling Bishops continues. They lost to Wabash on Wednesday and then beat DePauw handily on Saturday. I just can’t get a good read on Ohio Wesleyan. We all know Mike DeWitt is a good coach. We all know that Ohio Wesleyan has proven themselves with their wins this season. We just don’t know how to read into their losses and thus the rest of the NCAC or Great Lakes Region. Oberlin and Denison are ahead and any loss here will mean to me this team can’t put 40 minutes together every night and are not a Top 25 team. Two wins? Not sure what that means, yet.

20 – UW-Stevens Point (Up 2)

21 – Franklin & Marshall* (Down 4)
No, I am not surprised the Diplomats finally lost a game. No, I am not surprised they lost at McDaniel* (many saw this coming). No, I didn’t consider dropping F&M out of my Top 25 (despite the fact I wasn’t sold on them at 17, either). The trick here is this… who ever watches the game tape to see what Kevin Curley and his Green Terror squad did to the Diplomats is going to have a very good game plan to work with. I am not sure F&M is seasoned or experienced enough to adjust to what clearly worked and they will probably see a lot more of defensively. Also, F&M has got to figure out how to win outside of the Mayser Center. Those who know the Diplomats program know they are tough to beat at home, but when you get them on the road especially in conference play they are vulnerable. This week they are on the road at Dickinson and a tough Haverford squad… time will tell.

22 – Husson* (Up 1)

23 – Illinois Wesleyan (Up 2)

24 – St. John Fisher (Unranked)
What is in the water in Pittsford, New York? I had a coach in the East Region tell me a few weeks back that the Cardinals were the best team he had seen in New York. Maybe that isn’t saying a whole lot since this isn’t exactly the season of stellar play anywhere in the country, but it stuck with me. I focused a bit on St. John Fisher to see what come of that statement. SJF has pretty much handled any team they have seen on the court. The Cardinals are winning by double-figures usually and just put up 102 points on Hartwick beating them by 37! Who knows what is in the water, but right now it as the Cardinals flying high.

25 – Case Western Reserve (Unranked)
I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I think the Spartans are on my ballot just a little bit early. Call it the NYU affect: play really well in the non-conference part of your season while not playing too many good teams and start the season on a roll only to jump into conference play and fall apart. The difference so far in this plan: Case Western Reserve is 3-0 in UAA action. Now granted, the Spartans have played Carnegie Mellon, NYU, and Brandeis – not exactly the top of the conference – and needed overtime to beat the Judges, but I do like what I am seeing so far. Of course, Emory and Rochester this weekend before Chicago and Wash U the following weekend ALL on the road. This could either be a very brief visit on my ballot or could be confirmation of a really special team at CWR this season.

Dropped out:

Richard Stockton* (Previously 19)
When I first submitted my ballot, Richard Stockton was 24. While writing this blog, I got to the Osprey and was nearly done writing when something changed my mind. The result: I dropped them. Why? The high-wire act is not something a Top 25 team should be performing. Last Monday, that act finally caught up to Richard Stockton when I watched them lose to Ramapo at home in a rather uninspired performance. How did the Osprey respond? By barely getting passed Montclair State two days later. I know the NJAC likes to talk about how difficult the conference is especially that the bottom teams are better than people know. However, the top of this conference is not as good as those in the NJAC would like you to believe and Stockton is proving that right now. They have been on a high-wire for a while and have not looked good in the last few weeks. They have escaped time and time again with wins before Ramapo got them. If Stockton is truly a Top 25 team, they would handle teams they should be head-and-shoulders above. Otherwise, they are a good team but not a Top 25 squad.

Scranton* (Previously 24)
Speaking of another team that has been performing on the high-wire, it’s the Royals. Scranton has also apparently been playing without a net. According to what I learned, they lost their number one guy Ross Danzig to a severe ankle injury (severity unconfirmed) seconds into their overtime loss to Ithaca though he was back against Catholic*. If Scranton is a Top 25 team, they should have easily handled Ithaca and then beat the Cardinals. It marked just the third time in the last 18 games CUA has beaten Scranton. If Danzig’s injury plagues him, Scranton is in a lot of trouble. While they don’t necessarily have a true point guard, Danzig is their leader and can be dangerous from outside. I liked Scranton for a while this season, but once again I don’t think the Royals are capable of putting it together for an entire season.
(Edit: I have since been told Ross Danzig did NOT get injured this past week. I apologize for any confusion to the contrary. This is an example of how hard it is to follow teams night in and night out. His alleged injury wasn’t the reason Scranton came out of the poll – two losses were the reasons – but the concern over his injury I thought was something that could be a challenge down the road. Since he isn’t injured, the fact they are struggling and have been playing on a high-wire is more concerning from a team point of view.)

Previous ballots:
Week 5
Week 6

* – seen in person this season.

Hoopsville: We need your help

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Hoopsville LogoTo be honest, this is hard for me to do. I am not great at asking for help, but enough people have come to me wondering why I don’t do just that. And here we are: Hoopsville Fundraising Campaign.

Hoopsville is a passion of mine. It started off as simply a “why not?” and turned into so much more. I have those at D3hoops.com, coaches, administrators, fans, and of course the viewers (both die-hard and occasional) to thank for that. I never imagined back in November 2000 that in January 2014 the show would be such a part of my life and a part of the Division III landscape. I am still humbled by coaches and others who say how important the show (along with D3hoops.com and D3sports.com as a network) is to basketball and Division III. I am humbled when the Vice President for Division III at the NCAA always takes the time to respond to my questions and eagerly agrees to sit-down for an interview (we have now done several “State of Division III” interviews over the years). But more importantly, I am humbled by the support I received from so many people including my wife and children who know Daddy has to be in his office and work on his show and eagerly watch the show from just ten feet above my head.

So it is hard to say I need help.

Hoopsville deserves to be so much better and the viewers who watch the show deserve my best effort. I have huge plans, but have no ability to make those plans happen without help. We would love to take the show on the road more often during the season to places we have never traveled and to places and events that deserve to have a spotlight shined on them. There are computer, technology, and equipment upgrades we must do to keep Hoopsville not only progressing forward, but on the air. And if we want to travel, there are expenses in doubling-up our equipment and gear and with traveling in general.

Over the years we have gotten generous contributions from D3hoops.com and the National Association of Basketball Coaches that are more than financial. We have stretched these contributions as far as we could even bank some to keep in reserve if needed. Both entities continue to support the show and we are more than humbled by their generosity of whatever kind. But the time has come to see if those who say people want to help the show are actually right.

We have started a crowdfunding effort for the show. We have a lofty goal I think can be reached, but it is not an all-or-nothing campaign. We plan to use the money along with other contributions to buy a new production computer, replace aging equipment, upgrade technological needs, look for a better streaming partner for the viewers, have the ability to travel on occasion with the show (outside of the final fours and championships), and improve the overall experience of Hoopsville. Not all of these changes will take place by the end of the season, but we can implement many of them. It will depend on whether we meet our goal or even exceed it (nothing wrong with that).

Hoopsville is a regular sight in Salem.

Hoopsville is a regular sight in Salem.

There are perks for those of you who contribute. They include:
– Contribute at least $10 and we will recognize you on our special contributors’ page on our website (www.d3hoopsville.com).
– Contribute at least $25 and we will recognize you on our contributors’ page and publicly thank you on a future Hoopsville show.
– The first 15 to contribute at least $50: we will recognize you on our contributors’ page, publicly thank you on a future show, and send you a Hoopsville t-shirt by the end of the basketball season.
– The first 15 to contribute at least $100: we will recognize you on our contributors’ page, publicly thank you on a future show, send you a Hoopsville t-shirt, and I will wear your school’s shirt on the show while also interviewing the men’s or women’s coach of your choosing.
– The first 10 to contribute at least $250: we will recognize you on our contributors’ page, publicly thank you on a future show, send you a Hoopsville t-shirt, I will wear your school’s shirt on the show while also interviewing the men’s or women’s coach of your choosing, and give you the chance to appear on Hoopsville to talk about your team and why you love Division III basketball.

hoopsvillephoto2012The campaign runs through Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014, but this isn’t just something we will talk about. Coming up on Thursday, Jan. 30 we will do a super-sized show — 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET — to celebrate Division III basketball. It will be the perfect way to gear up for the last month of the regular season and start looking ahead to the NCAA tournaments. We will have guests on from around the country and schools we may not normally talk with. We will hear from those who care passionately about Division III basketball and those who may have moved up in their careers, but have strong roots in Division III. It is a daunting show to pull off, but because we are asking something from you it is only fitting we give you something like this show in return.

So pass on this fundraising effort and let us know how much this show means to you. We certainly understand if you cannot contribute financially, but if you are able to spread the word to others that could be just as rewarding. If you have something you think you can donate to the show (there are many ideas and ways), then let us know as well.

And as we kick off this four-week campaign I want to make sure I say thank you. Just the support this show as received from the NCAA offices to conference offices to head coach and athletics offices to the fans and viewers who tune in has gotten us – and me – to this point. We have been on the air since 2000 and for 11 seasons (unofficially) and with your help I suspect we will be on the air for a long time to come.

For more on the fundraising campaign, click here: http://igg.me/at/Hoopsville/x/6029509.

Sincerely,
Dave McHugh
Creator and Host, Hoopsville

Dave’s Top 25 ballot: Week 5

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Well the holidays are over and the second part of the basketball season is starting. All of that combined makes this Top 225 ballot and the next few the most interesting. First off, voters end up learning a bit more about the teams when we have a couple weeks of games to consider over the holiday break. Secondly, when conference schedules really ramp up those teams that looked good in the first two months plus will either continue to excel or show their true flaws. This can be very rewarding to Top 25 voters when teams they think are good prove they are or very demoralizing when a voter has to feel like they have to blow their ballot up and start over (which happens to me at least twice a year).

This week’s ballot was full of questions and second-guessing for me. The bounty of games since the last vote helped me understand some teams better while at the same time revealed a major “hole” in the middle of by ballot. I have teams sitting in the 10-15 slot that I just don’t feel should be there, but someone has to occupy those ballot positions. Furthermore, I always find it hard to move teams up when they have lost a game, but this is the type of week where a loss can be easily outweighed by three or four wins or by what other teams are doing around them on my ballot. At least three teams moved up despite losing a game while another didn’t move at all. At the same time, some teams who lost a game feel further down than others and one team that didn’t lose any games still slide down.

Before we get to this week’s ballot, here is a look at what my Top 25 looked like for Week 4 which was posted on December 16:

1 – UW-Stevens Point
2 – Illinois Wesleyan
3 – Williams
4 – Cabrini
5 – Wooster
6 – Amherst
7 – St. Thomas
8 – WPI
9 – Calvin
10 – UW-Whitewater
11 – St. Mary’s
12 – Middlebury
13 – Wittenberg
14 – Wheaton (Ill.)
15 – Augustana
16 – Guilford
17 – Wash U.
18 – Virginia Wesleyan
19 – Wesley
20 – St. Norbert
21 – Eastern Connecticut St.
22 – Whitworth
23 – Stevenson
24 – Christopher Newport
25 – UW-Stout

Now to this week’s ballot:

1 – UW-Stevens Point (Unchanged)
Having now seen the Pointers in person, I am more convinced they are the number one team in the country. They have had battles against UW-Whitewater, St. Thomas, Whitworth, Whitman, North Central and UW-La Crosse in six of the last seven games and found a way to win. Even when Tillema isn’t playing well, Haas is. They have incredible role players that can step out when needed and they don’t panic (heck, Coach Semling stands during most games with his hands in his pockets even if the team is trailing late). This team kind of reminds me of the back-to-back championship teams who were lead by Jason Kalsow and Nick Bennett and that should give everyone pause.

2 – Illinois Wesleyan (Unchanged)
The Titans continue to win. They have a lunch pail mentality and blew through some teams during the holidays. This Titan squad looks better than last year’s team that nearly went undefeated in the CCIW.

3 – Cabrini (Up 1)
The Cavaliers just keep winning and they have one of the best players in the country in Aaron Walton-Moss who is playing the entire season this year. The Mid-Atlantic is also talking about the fact Cabrini may have once again brought in a key player during the semester break which could make a difference in the last three months (remember Walton-Moss’ impact two years ago?). The Cavaliers now enter a part of the season where they may not lose another game before entering the NCAA tournament. They do have a game to make-up, we hope, with Wesley which could be the only real challenge they see along with two games against Keystone.

4 – Wooster (Up 1)
I am not sure why Wooster decided to go to Arizona and play two NAIA schools, but they did and came out of the trip 1-1. I struggle to gauge a team that loses to an NAIA team because no matter how much research I do (and maybe waste) on NAIA teams, I don’t really trust what I am reading or understanding. Did the loss by two to Arizona Christian who is 13-1 show Wooster is that good? Or is Arizona Christian overrated? Ask ten people you will probably get ten different points of view. I moved Wooster up one spot because Arizona Christian is 13-1 after all and the Scots where playing them on the second of back-to-back days. Wooster looks good this season, but with two games against Wittenberg looming and a conference that includes Ohio Wesleyan looking to knock the Scots off… their season is really only beginning.

5 – WPI (Up 3)
The Engineers continue to win despite not having their best player the entire season, but I am nervous with them this high in my poll. The win after the break against cross-town rival Becker was a good way to get back into things, but their next five games are against the top of the NEWMAC (Springfield, MIT, Babson, Emerson, and Clark. I think the Engineers are going to be just as good as last year, if not better, but they have to get through these next five as unscathed as possible. Win all of them and my concern with them being this high will ease.

6 – Williams (Down 3)
Not the start I was looking for from the Ephs coming out of their holiday break. They won all of the games during the break, but they didn’t show me they are in sync. Only beating Washington College (3-7) by eight, Washington & Lee (4-7) by two and Hampden-Sydney (7-4) by two is not what I expect from a Top 5 or a Top 10 team. However, they didn’t lose so I didn’t slide them down too far. However, I now wonder if the Ephs are bit overrated.

7 – St. Thomas (Unchanged)
The Tommies only played one game in the last few weeks and it was against UW-Stevens Point… a game they lost by 13. Considering how well UWSP is playing and that at the time it was the second closest game the Pointers had played actually tells me more about St. Thomas. This is a group that has been playing very well for a number of years including knocking on the door of a championship game last season. St. Thomas may have lost a number of key guys from that squad, but they continue to find talent and play good basketball night in and night out. St. Thomas may surprise some people come the end of the season.

8 – UW-Whitewater (Up 2)
The Warhawks are up two spots thanks to their loss to UW-Stevens Point not looking too shabby and the fact they went 5-0 during the break though none of the teams jumps out on paper – Warhawks did dominate most of the games. UW-Whitewater is going to be a handful this season and after watching three WIAC schools in Vegas I am now very comfortable considering them a Top 10 team.

9 – Amherst (Down 3)
How do you read into a loss to Nova Southeastern which is a Division II school especially when the score is 105-101. Knocking the Lord Jeffs down three spots is hard when they are playing a higher division opponent, but the move down isn’t really about the Lord Jeffs as it is about the teams ahead and around them. I moved Williams down who I think is even or slightly better than Amherst and the teams around them I think have proven they are playing better basketball. Also, where was the defense for Amherst against Nova Southeastern? I still think Amherst is a Top 10 team, but I expected a better result against a 3-9 opponent.

10 – St. Mary’s (Md.) (Up 1)
Talk about a rough first half of the season. The Seahawks played some very difficult opponents and loss more than I expected, but they also showed they are going to be a tough team to beat. I think so voters knocked them too hard for their loss to Mary Washington, though the loss to DeSales is inexcusable. They recovered with a win in conference against a tough Marymount squad. I moved them up, though, based more on those who fell around them.

11 – Wittenberg (Up 2)
The Tigers just can’t be beat right now. They are steal rolling through opponents which you would expect considering their opponents’ records are not that great. However, I have said before that these are the kind of results voters are looking for when you play sub-par teams. Wittenberg looks good so far this season and will give Wooster a run for their money, but first they will have to deal with a resurgent Ohio Wesleyan squad.

12 – Augustana (Up 3)
I am worried I am buying in a little too much with the Vikings. 11-1 is a terrific start to the year and their wins over two WIAC schools was very good. Then they beat Carthage who is always tough. I like how Augustana is playing and making sure to finish games, but I will really get better answers when they face Illinois Wesleyan this week.

13 – Wash U. (Up 4)
I haven’t been that convinced about Wash U. this season, but they continue to win except for Illinois Wesleyan and Carthage. During the break they even beat Wheaton (Ill.) showing me they came back ready for the rest of the season. Of course, the UAA schedule lays ahead with a test against Chicago this week. Are the Bears for real? I don’t feel comfortable with the Bears this far up my poll, but this is also right in the area where I have teams far higher than I would like… because someone has to fill in these spots.

14 – Calvin (Down 5)
What is going on in Grand Rapids, Michigan? I know it has been brutally cold and very snowy, but to lose to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and by 16 just doesn’t add. I am not saying CMS isn’t a good team and yes the Knights were on the road, but if you are a Top 10 team… or even a Top 25 team… that is a game you must win. It was even a tight game against Redlands two days beforehand. Let’s see how the team responds against Alma as they enter conference action.

15 – St. Norbert (Up 5)
Honestly, St. Norbert is too high in my poll right now… but again, someone has to fill this spot on the ballot. The team hasn’t really played and beaten anyone of note except they played Whitewater and lost. Their conference isn’t going to really challenge them (except a team I am not going to mention), so I am going to have to be careful not to move St. Norbert up the poll in the coming weeks just because they are winning.

16 – Wesley (Up 3)
I would have moved the Wolverines further up the poll if they had a) played and beaten Cabrini (game was postponed) and b) I felt comfortable doing so. Wesley is having a surprisingly good season after losing one of the best players in program history… but that may be the reason they are playing so well. However, with a couple of games postponed and entering a tough CAC schedule… I want to see more from Wesley before I even feel comfortable saying they are a Top 16 team.

17 – Christopher Newport (Up 7)
The Captains make a major move up the polls thanks in part to who else entered my poll and how Christopher Newport’s opponents have panned out. The Captains have one loss to Emory and while John Krikorian says they need to still work on a number of things, they have beaten Randolph-Macon and Virginia Wesleyan while playing very well in their first ever games in the CAC. They do have Wesley looming thisd week, but at least their first battle with the Wolvernies this season will be in Newport News.

18 – Oglethorpe (Unranked)
I can’t keep ignoring the Stormy Petrels. While they haven’t beaten any big names most of the season, a hard fought victory over an underrated Stevenson squad certainly eliminated any excuses I had to keep them out of my poll. Now they enter conference play with the travel and two-games-a-weekend schedule. What I can say with certainty is that Oglethorpe has changed the complexion of the SAA. Most eyes have been on last year’s champion Centre and a resurgent Birmingham-Southern. Should those two teams continue to play well along with Oglethorpe… the SAA could have three teams in the NCAA tournament since all will be picked as Pool B selections.

19 – Whitworth (Up 3)
Here is another team that lost, but moved up. Of course the loss for Whitworth came against the number one team in the country in a game that was nip and tuck for the first 34 minutes. If the Pirates had been better managing fouls and their key players understood the officiating better, Whitworth would have been the first to push Stevens Point the full 40 and not their NWC brethren Whitman. Whitworth does suffer from a short bench especially in the paint, but I like what Coach Logie has going there and their game against UW-Platteville was masterful. The NWC is going to change the complexion of the West Region this year and in years to come just as the women have already done.

20 – Mary Washington (Unranked)
Admittedly, I have been very leery of any good start from the Eagles this century. They just never live up to the hype, expectations and start. However, Mary Washington doesn’t look like they are going away. Certainly I would love to have held out another week to see how they do this week in the CAC (Salisbury and Wesley followed by Christopher Newport), but when you beat two teams ranked at the time in the Top 10 (overall poll) you can’t keep ignoring one of the best starts in program history. Again, the CAC has turned into a surprising battle this year thanks to the play of Mary Washington and others. I look forward to see how this all plays out in the coming weeks.

21 – Stevenson (Up 2)
Another team with a loss who moves up… but they lost to Oglethorpe who I know have ranked ahead of them. I quietly inserted the Mustangs into my poll after they beat Alvernia to start MAC Commonwealth play. I see a lot of the Mustangs and think they are far better than advertised. However, I am not the only one starting to notice their play. They did blow a 20-point lead to Widener the other night before eventually winning the game 105-100… but it was the fact they scored 100+ plus in two of the last three games that made me take note. If Stevenson can win away from their own gym, the MAC Commonwealth and Mid-Atlantic Region are in for a major change.

22 – Virginia Wesleyan (Down 4)
Yeah, I know I am being harsh with the Marlins by moving them down four spots with a 2-1 record during the break. I am also very aware I moved other teams like Stevenson up despite losses. In fact, I am so aware of these facts that I nearly wore through an entire eraser because I was constantly moving Virginia Wesleyan and others around. The short answer is this: the Marlins are victims of other teams entering the poll and other teams shifting. Mary Washington beat VWC and moved into my poll this week – I can’t keep VWC head of UMW. Christpher Newport beat VWC and moved up, but I couldn’t find a spot higher up for Mary Washington. The Marlins are a good team, maybe surprisingly good considering how much they lost from last year. Are they better than 22nd in the country? Maybe… I would be hard pressed to argue against that line of thinking. However, there are a lot of teams in this area of my poll that can move around and I would have different answers depending on what decisions I make. For now… the Marlins are down to 22nd.

23 – Messiah (Unranked)
I told a Messiah supporter the other day I probably wasn’t going to put the Falcons on my ballot until they got through at least part of the next five games… and then they beat Guilford by ten (it wasn’t that close) on the road in North Carolina. This is the best start in program history and they have won some good games so far. The real test and the reason I wanted to wait is because they play Lycoming (home), Alvernia (home), Stevenson (away) and Widener (away) in four of the next five games. That is going to be a tough stretch, so I would lying if I told you I am nervous to put Messiah in my poll this week – but they are undefeated with a team that a few years ago everyone knew was too young.

24 – Middlebury (Down 12)
Even as I write this I worry I have treated the Panthers too harshly. Like many teams they only lost one game during the break. However, they go a month between games in which they barely beat Skidmore and then lose by 7 to Salve Regina (not a bad team, mind you) and I stated last month I was already fearful Middlebury was a bit too much smoke and mirrors. The loss to Salve Regina gives me more pause that I have been overrating this team despite watching them in two games at the beginning of the season. I still think they battle for the NESCAC, but I don’t think they have the pieces to win the conference.

25 – Wheaton (Ill.) (Down 11)
Another team where the reaction is I treated them too harshly. But, let’s be real… Wheaton has lost four games this season and while they are almost all against Top 25 teams… they are starting to prove they can’t win the big games. Of their wins, none are to Top 25 teams and their losses, albeit close, indicate they can’t close games out. Sure, there is something to be said that they are playing tough opponents, but to be honest they are losing to their tough opponents and beating the easy ones. That alone doesn’t qualify as a Top 25 team in many books. For now, Wheaton stays in my Top 25… but there are a number of teams on my pad for consideration that I will drop Wheaton for in a second.

Dropped out:
Guilford (Ranked 16)
I know it is their first losses of the season, but you can’t lose three in a row and expect to stay ranked. Virginia Wesleyan went through nearly this exact same scenario last season at this time. Guilford may right the ship and head into ODAC play as one of the better teams in the conference, but when you lose at on a neutral court twice and at home… I just can’t keep the Quakers in my Top 25.

Eastern Connecticut State (Ranked 21)
The Warriors traveled to Orlando and lost to both CCIW teams they faced: North Central and Carthage. Certainly, those are tough opponents and Eastern Connecticut lost by a total of four points, but with so many teams deserving a place on my ballot I have to make decisions some place. There isn’t much room to fall when you started 21st on my ballot. I will keep my eye on the Warriors especially in conference play.

UW-Stout (Ranked 25)
Another team that makes the trip to Florida and comes away with two losses. However, this squad losses by 12 to a Milikin team and by 22 to Plattsburgh State! Despite responding with a win against UW-Eau Claire, those losses are not what a Top 25 caliber team should be doing.

Teams I am consider:
I can’t get every team I want into my Top 25 and I won’t tell you this list every week, but with a break for the holidays and starting into conference play, here are the teams I have my eye on and thought about adding to my ballot:

– Babson
– Birmingham-Southern
– Brockport State
– Dickinson
– Marietta
– MIT
– Ohio Wesleyan
– Richard Stockton
– Springfield
– St. Vincent
– SUNY Purchase
– William Paterson

Hoopsville Rant: 138 points – What was the point?

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Forgive me if this seems a bit late in coming, but I wanted to give myself time to think before just putting my thoughts immediately to a keyboard. I was worried that if I wrote immediately afterward, emotions may get the best of me. I also worried that in light of allowing my emotions to carry me, I might actually hold back my thoughts. Now I am here… and ready to rant.

I was not even all that sure that writing about Grinnell’s Jack Taylor’s record 138-point night is a great idea. Why would I want to give even more attention to something I have so many problems with? Why should Grinnell get any more attention than they have by being featured on ESPN, Today Show, Nightly News, and elsewhere? But with those questions in mind, why shouldn’t we in the Division III community take the time to give our two cents? Why should only the major media outlets, which only seem to cover Division III when something like this happens, be the ones that dictate the content? I have already read some very good opinions from many including some in the D3 family like coach Bob Walsh of Rhode Island College, so I am writing about the game … and I hope to keep my emotions in check.

Simply put, the game makes me sick to my stomach. Not because Taylor scored 138 points. I am sick to my stomach because this isn’t how records are made to be broken. This isn’t the way you represent your school. This isn’t the way you garner respect for a school, program or division. And this isn’t the way Division III athletes and programs should be recognized. Not for a gimmick. Not for embarrassing an opponent. Not for something that seems to fly right in the face of the NCAA’s sportsmanship initiative.

You know, something that “demonstrates one or more of the ideals of sportsmanship, including fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect and responsibility.” We’ll get back to that.

I should say now that I was impressed with Taylor’s effort. He did score 138 points in a 40 minute game, after all. He did shoot the ball 108 times without his arms collapsing at his sides. He did accomplish an incredible feat. However, that is where my congratulations and being impressed stops.

This isn’t Taylor’s fault. This wasn’t necessarily his doing. This was clearly the brain-child of Grinnell head coach David Arseneault and this isn’t the first time we have seen this gimmick from him and his program. Remember, his son “broke” the assist record for a game a few years ago. And remember current senior Griffin Lentsch “broke” the Division III scoring record with 89 points almost exactly a year before Taylor’s 138-point night.

Arseneault runs and touts the infamous “System” which allows teams to score plenty of points in games while playing upwards of 15 players, subbing them in and out of a game every 30 to 90 seconds. Many other schools have implemented the system in the past for all kinds of reasons (Redlands, Muhlenberg, North Central). Some want their players to enjoy the game when they aren’t competitive, some because their coaches believe in the system, and others for other reasons. It has resulted in records for points in a game and it has garnered national attention. That’s fine. It works for the coaches and teams that implement it. I have no problem with it. But those other programs didn’t target games or opponents just to break records.

This wasn’t the prototypical “system.” Grinnell rigged the system, as they have in the past, simply to rig a record. Sure, people will claim that coaches can change their game plans per the game and the opponent. I understand that. But this is specifically changing the game plan not because of the opponent, not because of the game, and not because it might help you win… this is to break a record and in the process embarrass the opponent.

But there are other fish to fry here and questions to be raised like why in the world would an institution like Grinnell keep letting this happen? If you don’t know, Grinnell is one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. U.S. News and World Report’s annual Best Colleges issue has Grinnell ranked 22nd in the list of National Liberal Arts Colleges. The college prides itself on the quality of their academics and their institution. In fact their mission statement reads “to educate its students ‘for the different professions and for the honorable discharge of their duties of life.’” It goes on to state, “the College aims to graduate women and men … who are prepared in life and work to use their knowledge and their abilities to serve the common good.”

So how does telling your team the goal is to take advantage of the fact the coaches scheduled a weak out-of-conference opponent that won’t be able to stop a record-breaking attempt educate students so they can honorably discharge their duties in life or help them serve the common good?

It started out, according to several reports, as emails from the coaching staff the weekend before the game, according to several interviews and reports. Then at Monday’s practice, under the guidance of the coaches who put in a scheme to achieve this goal, the team decided to elect Jack Taylor as the man to set the record. Mind you, they did NOT select last year’s honoree, senior Griffin Lentsch.

Here is some food for thought:
– Jack Taylor has claimed in several interviews that the team and the coaches wanted to get him out of his shooting slump. Going into the game against Faith Baptist he was shooting 11-for-41 from the floor, just under 29 percent, and 6-for-34 from beyond the arc, 17.6 percent. In the record-setting game, he shot over 48-percent from the floor and 38-percent from beyond the arc. Then in the last two games, where he has only scored an average of 19.5 points, he has shot over 36-percent from the floor and over 29-percent from downtown.

Two thoughts here: maybe Taylor needs to figure something out with his shooting overall; or Grinnell should have Taylor shoot 100-plus times a game all the time if they want any hope of him actually shooting well.
– Taylor played 36 minutes in the game; about the same amount his teammate Lentsch did last year when he broke the D3 record. The rest of Taylor’s 19 teammates played no more than 15 minutes each and combined for 28 shots and 41 points. As for Lentsch? He had seven points on three shots.
– Taylor played 36 minutes in a game that ended up being a 75-point blowout. He was still shooting the ball with less than two minutes remaining and the score 169 to 101! He had already shattered the record by 23 points!
– Faith Baptist did indeed have a player score 70 points in the loss, but I could do that in a pick-up game if the defense is going to let me have a layup every time down the court.
– Oh, and by the way, Taylor has only started two of the team’s five games so far this season. Though his best shooting performances have come when he has started. So, maybe just starting Taylor will help with his shooting slump, not having him try and score more than 113 points.

Last January, when Grinnell was having a good season, we had assistant coach and former player David Arseneault Jr. on Hoopsville. Arseneault Jr. was the interim head coach while his dad was on sabbatical working a book about the “system.” But Arseneault Sr. was the head coach during the Lentsch’s record breaking night two months prior. When asked about the game, the younger Arseneault stated that they had no intent to break any record that night against Principia in the season opener. Arseneault Jr. said on the show that they looked at the box score at halftime and saw that Lentsch had 40 points so they decided to go for the record. Of course, Lentsch had played 17 of the 20 minutes so far in the game (no teammate had more than nine minutes) and he had taken 27 shots, 21 of them from beyond the arc.

Sure, there was no intent to break the record at the start of the game? Why would we think that? He had only played nearly the entire half and fired off 23 more shots than any of his teammates!

Let’s also consider the opponents: Principia played just seven guys in that game and finished the season 0-25. Faith Baptist? They played their entire 10-man roster and are currently 0-5.

Combined, Principia and Faith Baptist played 17 men in those two games – Grinnell played 20 just in this year’s game alone. And the two teams have a record of 0-29 against Grinnell – in fact Principia has lost 27 games in a row overall and Faith Baptist has won just one in the last two seasons.

Which gets me back to the NCAA sportsmanship point; do you remember the quote? “Demonstrates one or more of the ideals of sportsmanship, including fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect and responsibility.”

How does picking Faith Baptist to set a scoring record against demonstrate ANY of those sportsmanship ideals? Furthermore, how does continuing to pour it on when a) you have already broken the record and b) you are leading by 70-plus points demonstrate ANY of those sportsmanship ideals?

You aren’t being fair by picking teams that can’t do anything about it and making a mockery of them and the game. You risk civility if any of the opposing players decide enough is enough (and I wouldn’t blame them!). You are not being honest when you can’t break a record in the spirit or normal flow of a game; you have to rig your own system to get what you want. Unselfishness? Sure, for the other 19 guys who turned down wide-open layups and just kept passing to Taylor for more three-point shots.

This might explain why Grinnell was posting several times over the offseason looking to fill open dates for men’s basketball. Who wants to be a party to this kind of display?

This gets me to the last two ideals of sportsmanship: respect and responsibility. You haven’t earned anyone’s respect for the shenanigans being pulled in any of the record attempts. Many people would argue that the assist “rules” were actually circumvented or stretched just so Arseneault Jr. could break the record. And in the two record scoring games, you didn’t earn anyone’s respect … you in fact may have lost respect.

And responsibility … that lies in the following.

I hear from coaches all the time about “teachable moments” for their athletes. Grinnell is not only a nationally recognized liberal arts college, U.S. News and World Report ranks it as the third best undergraduate teaching college. So, how is rigging a game against an inferior opponent a teachable moment? What in the world do gimmicks like these actually teach the young minds of this team and the rest of the college? If you want to go out there and get national attention by embarrassing your opponent and scoring as many points as you can despite the fact almost every other coach in the country would have called off the dogs in a blowout … you can do it here and this will prepare you for your future in life?

What makes it worse? The college is still touting the achievement on its main website. I’m not talking about the athletic website; I am talking about the college’s main site.

There are plenty of responsibilities for coaches and programs, especially as the competition levels go higher. In Division III, I feel the most responsible thing is to consider that while many schools are putting their best foot forward and bringing in students to help win conference and maybe national championships, it isn’t the only thing that is important to these student-athletes. There are also institutions that may not compete for titles, but feel it is in their best interest for a variety of reasons, including making their students better people, to field teams and teach student-athletes the values of being part of a team and a bigger purpose than individual aspirations.

You don’t see the Amherst’s, Williams’, St. Thomas’, Wash U.’s, Johns Hopkins’, MIT’s, etc. of Division III or any division decide that, against what could be called an inferior opponent, destroying that team and those players just to break a record is acceptable. You also don’t see those teams putting just one player ahead of the entire rest of the team and applauding them for a ridiculous individual achievement in something that is considered a team sport.

So I congratulate Jack Taylor for an impressive 138-point night, but I ask one simple question: What was the point? To quote a very good sports information director at Washington College on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Phil Ticknor, Cory Weissman (whose incredible story from last season is being made into a movie) scored one point in his career. Jack Taylor scored 138 in a game. Weissman’s was more impressive.”

This is Division III. If we get on ESPN or the Today Show or any national media, we should be happy because it was a story like Cory Weissman’s and not Jack Taylor’s. This was clearly a moment that was NOT “why D3.”