NESCAC Awards

Men's Basketball

With the regular season completed, this week NESCAC coaches are voting on the First Team, Second Team, and individual All-NESCAC honors. We have done the same here, based on conference play statistics and a fairly large sample of games watched. There were a lot of hard choices this year, but we came away believing that the awards should (i.e. not “will”) be allocated as follows:

First Team
Aaron Toomey, Amherst
Joey Kizel, Middlebury
Matt Hart, Hamilton
Duncan Robinson, Williams
Michael Mayer, Williams

Toomey and Robinson were no-brainers, as discussed below. Mayer came on strong late, finishing conference play with 19.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Kizel’s 16.9 points, 5.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game should earn him a third straight First-Team selection. Hart was somewhat one-dimensional, but that dimension (scoring) was good enough to earn a spot on the team: 21.0 points per game on 46/41/85 shooting.

Second Team
Tom Killian, Amherst
Andrew Madlinger, Bowdoin
Chris Hudnut, Colby
Hunter Sabety, Tufts
John Swords, Bowdoin

Killian was the closest to receiving a First Team nod, finishing in the top 10 in the conference in points and rebounds (14.8 and 7.0), playing the best defense in the conference, and finishing with an efficient shooting line of 48/36/80. Swords and Hudnut were both clearly deserving. Swords’ impact as the 7-footer in the middle of Bowdoin’s defense is not adequately captured by his 13.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. Hudnut is a step away from being a Sharry-like superstar down low, finishing the year with 17.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game on 48/32/84 shooting. The last two spots came down to Madlinger, Sabety, Dylan Sinnickson and Daniel Wohl. Madlinger earned the nod because of his excellent defense (a big part of Bowdoin’s conference-best 57.0 points allowed per game) and complete offense (13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 41/42/86 shooting). Sabety takes the final spot because of his 14.8 points and 2.9 blocks per game. Sinnickson surpassed all expectations this year (except maybe his own), finishing with 16.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, but his 1-10 showing against Trinity nudged him behind Madlinger and Sabety. Wohl did it all for Williams, putting up 11.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.0 steal per game, but his weaker scoring numbers kept him off.

Rookie of the Year: Duncan Robinson, Williams
The headliner recruiting class lived up to expectations. In addition to Robinson and Sabety, there were great rookie performances all around the conference. David George, Mike Greenman, Matt St. Amour, Harry Rafferty, Zuri Pavlin, Malcolm Delpeche, Jake Brown, Edward Ogundeko, Tarik Smith, and Dan Aronowitz were among those first-year players who were major parts of their rotation this season. The Class of ’17 will contribute to a lot of great teams, games, and moments for the next three years in this conference. But the one above the talented crowd is clearly Duncan Robinson. Robinson had an unbelievable season and is already one of the best all-around players in the country. He was arguably the best player in the conference, which we will discuss below, but for here, we should appreciate that this award will be unanimous and that this was a freshman season for the ages.

Coach of the Year: David Hixon, Amherst
The senior class that Amherst lost was one of the best classes to come through the NESCAC in the last four years. Willy Workman was one of the top 2-3 players in the conference last season, Peter Kaasila was an efficient monster in the paint, and Allen Williamson was the best player on the team during their postseason run to conference and national titles. That Coach Hixon hardly missed a beat (yes, this year’s Amherst team is worse than last year’s, but it’s still better than any other team in the conference) speaks to his ability to recruit, develop and maximize talent.

Defensive Player of the Year: Tom Killian, Amherst
This was a three-way race for us, though we had a hard time knowing if we missed any obvious candidates. Based on everything that we saw, the three best defenders in the conference were Killian, Madlinger, and Swords. Either of the two Polar Bears could make a strong case, but Killian put together a hard resume to beat. Playing 37 minutes per game, Killian—one of the most athletic players in the conference—guarded a variety of top offensive threats, often playing shutdown defense, while also being the best defensive playmaker in the conference at 2.5 steals per game.

Player of the Year: Aaron Toomey, Amherst
If we were in the business of giving co-PoY’s, it would have been hard not to split this one between Toomey and Robinson. The Jeff and the Eph put together two distinct but dominant seasons. Toomey’s 21.0 points per game and 6.6 assists per game reflect truly elite offensive production. He shot an impressive 65% on 2-point field goals, and a decent 38% on 3-point field goals, to go along with 90% free throw shooting, second-best in the conference. Though he is a subpar man defender, Toomey’s 1.3 steals per game tied for 8th in the conference. His 5.2 rebounds per game was among the best in the conference among guards. He also deserves a lot of the credit for Amherst’s sustained excellence despite losing the senior trio. That said, Duncan Robinson put together a gem of a season himself. Robinson scored 18.9 points per game, shooting 75% on 2-point field goals and 53% on 3-point fields goals, making him the best pure scorer in the conference. Robinson led the conference in both 2-point and 3-point percentage. As in, the best three-point shooter in the conference had a higher field goal percentage inside of the arc than John Swords and Hunter Sabety — and it wasn’t even close. The 6’7″ versatile wingman is also a plus defender, and finished conference play with 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He added 2.1 assists and 5.2 rebounds per contest. If you can have a flawless season as the top scorer on a top team nationally, it would look a lot like Duncan Robinson’s 2013-14. But Robinson missed one game out of ten in conference play, and Toomey’s points plus assists might surpass his efficiency deficiency, so we think the award should go to the Amherst senior. However, both should be remembered as deserving candidates.

Starting the NESCAC POY Discussion

Men's Basketball

With one week remaining in the NESCAC regular season, we wanted to start to analyze the top candidates for NESCAC Player of the Year. This is a good time to gauge what has been accomplished thus far from an individual standpoint, and position ourselves to assess the final weekend of play appropriately. In order to do that, we ranked the top 13 players in the conference by their statistical outputs. Limiting the discussion to stats alone is a good and instructive way to generate an idea of where each player stands, but it clearly does not comprehensively capture value. For example, John Swords’ interior presence and its effect on Bowdoin’s smothering defense is probably not conveyed by his 1.9 blocks per game, alone. Likewise, Aaron Toomey’s creation of opportunities within Amherst’s conference-leading offense goes beyond his 6.4 assists per game. But for now, and for what it’s worth, here are the top 13 players in the NESCAC through five weekends of play, based only on statistical output.

PPG

APG

RPG

BPG

SPG

FG

3FG

FT

TOPG

MPG

1.

Robinson

18.1

2.1

5.4

1.0

0.9

60

52

86

1.3

36

2.

Toomey

21.1

6.4

5.2

0.2

1.2

46

37

92

2.7

34

3.

Kizel

17.2

6.1

4.4

0.3

1.5

43

46

81

2.6

37

4.

Mayer

18.9

1.8

8.8

0.5

0.6

51

20

81

1.0

28

5.

Sinnickson

17.5

0.5

6.6

0.9

0.6

48

45

66

0.9

28

6.

Lopez

16.6

1.9

2.0

0.1

1.6

46

46

74

0.8

30

7.

Hart

20.5

2.0

3.6

0.1

0.6

44

40

87

1.9

34

8.

Hudnut

16.9

4.0

8.2

0.6

0.4

46

32

81

2.5

34

9.

Sabety

14.4

0.0

4.9

2.9

0.1

67

0

46

1.4

24

10.

Killian

14.4

1.7

6.4

0.2

2.7

45

35

80

1.2

37

11.

Swords

12.9

1.5

9.1

1.9

0.1

67

0

51

1.3

29

12.

Boornazien

17.1

1.9

7.2

0.6

0.4

41

41

82

2.0

34

13.

Edmonds

15.1

1.1

3.5

0.0

0.6

46

42

77

2.3

34

Robinson and Toomey are 1a and 1b right now. Robinson’s efficiency statistics are in another stratosphere, while Toomey leads this group in scoring and assists, and is first among guards in rebounds. Lopez’s placement at six might seem surprising, but it is hard to argue with his scoring efficiency numbers. Hart’s prolific scoring is offset by his weak peripheral numbers. Hudnut’s 4.0 assists per game and Killian’s 2.7 steals per game are two of the more impressive and surprising numbers on this list. Sabety is tied with Swords in field goal percentage (67), but his points per game and blocks per game are higher, and come in fewer minutes. Following this weekend, we will undertake a more comprehensive analysis of the question.

Williams

Men's Basketball
First year Duncan Robinson will cause problems for the Panthers

First year Duncan Robinson will cause problems for the Panthers

Friday, January 31, 2014, 8pm
Williams (15-3, 4-1) at Middlebury (12-5, 3-1)

Before this season started, we pegged Williams as the team to beat in the conference, and likely the nation. Halfway through the conference schedule, though ranked 11th in the nation and second in the conference, the Ephs have to feel like they are playing well below their potential. After pushing Amherst to the last possession in the NESCAC Championship last season, then making a run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament, Williams returned senior superstars Michael mayer and Taylor Epley and brought in the most highly-touted freshman in the country, Duncan Robinson. Amherst however, despite losing an extremely talented and accomplished senior class, has not given up their spot at the top of the conference. Two matchups with Williams earlier this month produced 11- and 12-point victories for the Lord Jeffs. Entering tonight’s contest at Pepin, Williams needs a convincing win to re-establish itself as the powerhouse it set out to be heading into this season.

Though the lows for the Ephs have certainly not matched those of Middlebury in 2013-14, the parallel is noteworthy. Two national powerhouses, with four combined trips to Salem in the past three years, underperforming relative to expectations. While we have discussed in depth the sources of Middlebury’s problems, we want to take a look at what’s gone right and what’s gone wrong for this year’s Ephs.

What’s gone right is simple: Duncan Robinson is one of the best players in the country as a freshman. The 6’7″ wingman is a rich man’s Willy Workman, an all-around superstar who can score from anywhere and excels on both sides of the court. Robinson leads the Ephs in scoring at 15.9 points per game. His peripheral statistics are even more impressive, shooting an incredible 64% on 2-point field goals, 48% on 3-point field goals, and a conference-best 90% from the line. His 6.7 rebounds per game, 1.7 assists per game, 1.4 blocks per game, and 1.0 steals per game round out his pristine resume. Robinson could very well be the best player in the conference as a freshman. Two key complimentary players, Daniel Wohl and Ryan Kilcullen, have also been big bright spots this season. Wohl’s 13.5 points per game, 51/35/69 shooting, 5.9 rebounds per game, 2.7 assists per game, 0.9 blocks per game, and 1.3 steals per game make him a bit of a Duncan Robinson Lite. Kilcullen would start at center for most teams in the conference, shooting 49/50/81 at 6’7,” 225 pounds.

What’s gone wrong is a bit more nuanced. The two returning seniors have regressed, to different degrees. All-American center Michael Mayer has dropped from 17.7 to 15.6 points per game, while losing a bit of efficiency with a 54/17/75 shooting line (57/37/76 last year). He is recovering from injury and seems to be back to his old self at this point. Taylor Epley, meanwhile, has lost 5.4 points per game, dropping from 18.5 to 13.4, and is shooting just 43% from the field after a 50% 2012-13. Starting point guard Hayden Rooke-Ley, after missing last season to injury, has gone down again and will miss tonight’s game. Notably, Rooke-Ley was in foul trouble in Williams’ first two losses this season, and out with injury in the third. Freshman Mike Greenman has filled in for Rooke-Ley,  averaging 7.7 points and 3.5 assists in 30 minutes per game since the injury.

As a result of these ups and downs, Williams stands about where it did last year in terms of overall team caliber. In order to win the conference, or make a national title run, Epley will need to step up and Rooke-Ley will likely need to return near full strength. What that means for Middlebury is that this game is winnable, but not much more. Williams is still clearly a tier above the Panthers in terms of star power, consistency, and execution. Matt Daley’s absence is a major blow to Middlebury’s upset hopes. While his numbers have been strong (21 points per 40 minutes, 58% field goal shooting), they do not begin to reflect his effect on Middlebury’s performance. The 6’8″ Daley is an excellent passer, spacer, and defender, and this team has played on a different level with him on the court.

Without Daley, Middlebury will need to win the outside shooting game in order to keep it close. In their three losses this season, Williams has shot just 27% from the field (compare to 39% on the season). Sticking tight to Epley, Robinson, and Wohl on the perimeter will be a priority. Meanwhile, Williams is likely to play a fair amount of zone defense, and Middlebury’s outside scorers must take advantage. Joey Kizel, Dylan Sinnickson, Hunter Merryman, and Matt St. Amour are all strong outside shooters, but none can afford an off-game tonight. Finally, Middlebury will need to stop Michael Mayer, as interior defense has been a major problem at times this season. Some combination of Jack Roberts and James Jensen will take that assignment, and they need to establish a physical presence early, or else there could be a lot of easy buckets for the highly skilled Mayer.

Ultimately, we think that is too much to ask of this Middlebury team, and Williams will come away with the win. 78-70.

Finally, tonight is our last radio broadcast ever, so if you can’t make Pepin, hopefully you can listen here (radio icon). If you want to watch the live video, you can always mute it and turn on the radio stream in the background.

Panthers and Tigers

Men's Basketball

Before tonight’s Williams game, we asked Peter Lindholm ‘17.5 to share his Middlebury basketball story. Game preview to follow. 

The first Middlebury basketball game I ever went to, I only saw five minutes of action.  I was a bookish 8 year old, in fact, maybe the most obviously unathletic 8 year old in the state.  Harry Potter book in hand, I had been dragged to the game by my dad, an alumni and huge fan.  Looking back, I can see how much he wanted me to share in his passion for the team, but I just wasn’t there yet.  I followed his motions in preparing for the game, standing for the national anthem, clapping during the starting lineups, clapping with more passion when the loud bearded guy announcing the lineups raised his voice.  Then the game started, and I was finally able to read Harry Potter uninterrupted.  Five minutes passed, and Harry was just about to come face to face with the infamous Sirius Black, when the timeout buzzer sounded.  The sound jolted me out of my reverie like a Stunning Spell, and reverberated in my head, making further focus difficult.  Fed up, I took my book and stormed off to Lawson Lounge, favoring the peace and quiet and leaving the game to continue without me.

My attitude about Middlebury basketball did eventually change, but not right away.  I went to several more games, enough to get me through the third, fourth and fifth Harry Potter books.  My dad tried several times to get me interested in the game, but, as tends to be the case, it was my mom who finally got my head in the game.  She basically marched me at gunpoint to sign up for intramural basketball in middle school, which doubled as the tryouts for the travel team.  Once I was playing the game, I fell in love immediately.  Not because of any great skill, trust me.  Average would still be a great compliment to my skills on the court.  No, I fell in love with basketball’s flow.  Basketball is a very liquid game, one play flows into the next seamlessly, and the movement is constant.  When it is played well, it seems like each player is tied to each other with a rope, and depends on their teammates to move the unit.  I finally began to understand what my dad saw at Middlebury games.

To my complete shock, I made the travel team out of those intramurals, and there began my relationship with Middlebury basketball, both high school and college.  On the travel team, I met my teammates, who remain to this day my best friends.  We were able to keep that core group together as we advanced through the Middlebury’s basketball ranks, getting separated briefly in the JV and Varsity schism, but reunited by my junior year.  We were able to grow together, both as players and as people, and that was the main reason for our success as a team.

Another huge contributor to our basketball learning was Middlebury College basketball.  I don’t know what I did to deserve such a great formative basketball experience, but to have Middlebury College become a dominant team in Division Three as soon as I became interested in basketball was nothing short of a blessing.  From eighth grade until Christmas Break of this year, my teammates and I went to the vast majority of home games at Pepin Gym, soaking up all we could.  And that was quite a bit.  We’d watch how those Panther teams seemed to be all one player at times, each cut pulling the string for another player to fill his spot.  They played hard, together, and with a passion that was visible to even our immature basketball minds.  We were also big fans of Andrew Locke swatting balls into the fifth row.   At halftime we’d play rigorous games of three on three in Nelson, with an intensity that rivaled any of our school practices.  Whenever someone would conjure a shot out of thin air and make it, we’d call out “Hey, is that Ben Rudin?”

Those college games were woven into our formative years.  The scrimmages in Nelson got better and better, as we did the same.  Soon we were driving ourselves to games, both home and away, and cheering in the fan sections, previously a not-feared-but-respected domain of college students.  The best road trip my friends and I ever took was down to Williamstown with my dad, to see Middlebury beat Williams and Amherst back to back to win NESCAC.  And the second best was when the same crew drove down to Amherst to watch Middlebury lose in overtime on a deep three by Taylor “Bleeping” Barrisse.  As my dad says, “The best thing in sports is winning.  The second best thing is losing.”

Today my teammates and I are spread across the country, from Elon in North Carolina to Drexel in Pennsylvania.  Our college allegiances have shifted to fit our respective schools, but I like to think that the Middlebury Panthers will always hold a place in our hearts as the team that first taught us how basketball can and should be played.

This year’s Middlebury team has been frustrating at times, but inspiring at other times.  They play hard, and they’re beginning to play for each other, the hallmark of the teams of my youth.  The biggest game of the season, this Friday’s home matchup with the rival Williams College, has potential to be the turning point of the season.  A win would be the adrenaline shot this team needs to make the NESCAC run that they are capable of.   But more than that, it would be the reward for not giving up on this trying season.  And that reward would be for the fans as well as the players.

My two best friends from high school are coming down for the game, as it falls during their “dead week” after J-Terms.  One of them goes to Elon in North Carolina, and the other is from Williams.  It would be a fascinating case study for a Psych. major to chart his internal struggle between his two allegiances.  Formative Influences Versus Adult Choices. A make or break rivalry game with my two best friends in Pepin Gym?  Let’s just say that I’m looking forward to it.  And that Harry Potter will stay on the shelf.