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Saturday, September 30, 2006
Reading this brought back memories of this site's roots.
Back in the day, the original incarnation of Hoop Time was weekly Central Pa. basketball tabloid. It was the old-fashioned dinosaur fossils on dead trees deal. It covered Penn State, Bucknell, Division II Bloomsburg and two D-III schools -- Susquehanna and Lycoming.
Our first season was barely started when we encountered a minor crisis-- a stretch over the Holidays when all five teams were either off or on the road, leaving us with nothing to cover for that week's publication.
The answer ended up being a drive up I-81 to Scranton to watch what was then being called the Atlantic Basketball Association. The ABA was the idea of some oldtimers who had been around during the last days of the old Eastern Basketball League.
That league, in its heyday, was a pretty high caliber league, probably second to only the NBA. The NBA was small back then. There were nowhere near the number of jobs there are today. That left a lot of talent for the weekend league based in the mid-atlantic.
That league, and the ABA incarnation that has morphed through a number of names and alignments, are entirely different creatures these days. The , which actually does send some player to the NBA from time to time. The is strictly semi-professional.
Haven't seen one of the new league's games in years, but I from what I recall, the only word in their vocabulary that starts with a D is Dunk. To this day, it is the only league, at any level, where we have witnessed a player fall out of bounds and land in the concession stand.
That night in Scranton, we snapped pictures of a kid shooting free throws with a grocery bag over his head during a between period promotion, then ran one on the cover of the next issue with a headline "The Unknown Basketball League." For you youngsters, it was a reference to a very bad comic on the old Gong Show who wore a paper bag over his head.
If these new computers came with floppy drives, we'd dig for a copy of that old story to post. Best recollection was that it was not a real favorable review.
But I do remember being impressed by the Scranton team's undersized point guard. A little 5-11 white kid who seemed very out of place in a league where most of the players are signed out of NYC's summer Pro-Am playground league.
The guy hustled all over the floor, even played a little defense. And he could shoot. Boy could he shoot.
Houston, who was inducted into Army's Hall of fame Saturday, is still No. 1 on the Black Knights all-time scoring list (2,325 points in 113 games). His senior season he led the nation in scoring (32.9 ppg), free-throw percentage (91.2).
We'd tell you more about Houston, but he played at Army in the pre Patriot League days, so we don't know much more, other than what we read in the Journal News story. It's worth a click to be reminded that things have not always been so dreary in West Point.
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Back in the day, the original incarnation of Hoop Time was weekly Central Pa. basketball tabloid. It was the old-fashioned dinosaur fossils on dead trees deal. It covered Penn State, Bucknell, Division II Bloomsburg and two D-III schools -- Susquehanna and Lycoming.
Our first season was barely started when we encountered a minor crisis-- a stretch over the Holidays when all five teams were either off or on the road, leaving us with nothing to cover for that week's publication.
The answer ended up being a drive up I-81 to Scranton to watch what was then being called the Atlantic Basketball Association. The ABA was the idea of some oldtimers who had been around during the last days of the old Eastern Basketball League.
That league, in its heyday, was a pretty high caliber league, probably second to only the NBA. The NBA was small back then. There were nowhere near the number of jobs there are today. That left a lot of talent for the weekend league based in the mid-atlantic.
That league, and the ABA incarnation that has morphed through a number of names and alignments, are entirely different creatures these days. The , which actually does send some player to the NBA from time to time. The is strictly semi-professional.
Haven't seen one of the new league's games in years, but I from what I recall, the only word in their vocabulary that starts with a D is Dunk. To this day, it is the only league, at any level, where we have witnessed a player fall out of bounds and land in the concession stand.
That night in Scranton, we snapped pictures of a kid shooting free throws with a grocery bag over his head during a between period promotion, then ran one on the cover of the next issue with a headline "The Unknown Basketball League." For you youngsters, it was a reference to a very bad comic on the old Gong Show who wore a paper bag over his head.
If these new computers came with floppy drives, we'd dig for a copy of that old story to post. Best recollection was that it was not a real favorable review.
But I do remember being impressed by the Scranton team's undersized point guard. A little 5-11 white kid who seemed very out of place in a league where most of the players are signed out of NYC's summer Pro-Am playground league.
The guy hustled all over the floor, even played a little defense. And he could shoot. Boy could he shoot.
Houston, who was inducted into Army's Hall of fame Saturday, is still No. 1 on the Black Knights all-time scoring list (2,325 points in 113 games). His senior season he led the nation in scoring (32.9 ppg), free-throw percentage (91.2).
We'd tell you more about Houston, but he played at Army in the pre Patriot League days, so we don't know much more, other than what we read in the Journal News story. It's worth a click to be reminded that things have not always been so dreary in West Point.
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Thursday, September 28, 2006
Found a couple Patriot League hoops related clips on You Tube. The first, from Sojka Pavilion, shows the Bucknell students working themselves into a pregame frenzy.
The second is Kevin Bettencourt draining a long trey against Northern Iowa in last season's BracketBusters matchup.
Let us know if you post any fan video this season and we'll be sure to post a link.
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The second is Kevin Bettencourt draining a long trey against Northern Iowa in last season's BracketBusters matchup.
Let us know if you post any fan video this season and we'll be sure to post a link.
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Wrapping up his , ESPN's Andy Katz breaks down a bunch of team's slates and suggests:
Katz also points to the Bison's back-to-back games Dec. 2-3 against Northern Iowa and George Mason as one "of the wierdest matchups/trips of the season."
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Two bids for the Patriot?Sure it is way to soon to talk about anybody in the Patriot getting an at-large bid. But it doesn't hurt the league's image for someone like Katz to be putting that thought out there.
It's possible if Bucknell is good enough again and doesn't win the Patriot League tournament. Provided they play it well, the Bison have the schedule to be an at-large candidate. Highlights include playing Wake Forest and Northern Iowa at home, Saint Joseph's, Penn State, Xavier and Texas Tech on the road and George Mason in D.C.
Katz also points to the Bison's back-to-back games Dec. 2-3 against Northern Iowa and George Mason as one "of the wierdest matchups/trips of the season."
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As part of a story on NCAA graduation rates, USA Today reshuffled last season's final Top 25 to rank the teams by graduation rate.No surprise, with its 100 percent grad rate. A slight surprise is that the Bison share the top spot with Florida, which also had a 100 percent grad rate.
The story didn't break graduation rates down by conference, but it would be a big surprise if any conference ranked higher than the Patriot League. The league's eight schools average grad rate was around 87.5 percent (We say around because lacking raw numbers, the best we could do was average the school's percentages. Obviously if the schools that graduated 100 percent graduated more or less athletes than the ones who had lower percentages, the actual league graduation rate would be slightly higher or lower). That is almost 30 points higher than the national average of 59 percent. And that number skews low because of American's woeful 18 percent grad rate during the years (1996-1999) in the latest study. Take AU out of the mix, and the seven schools actually in the league in the reporting period had a 97.4 percent graduation rate. AU's performance is expected to improve now that it is complying with the Patriot League's academic standards.
Here's a breakdown of league schools and grad rates:
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The story didn't break graduation rates down by conference, but it would be a big surprise if any conference ranked higher than the Patriot League. The league's eight schools average grad rate was around 87.5 percent (We say around because lacking raw numbers, the best we could do was average the school's percentages. Obviously if the schools that graduated 100 percent graduated more or less athletes than the ones who had lower percentages, the actual league graduation rate would be slightly higher or lower). That is almost 30 points higher than the national average of 59 percent. And that number skews low because of American's woeful 18 percent grad rate during the years (1996-1999) in the latest study. Take AU out of the mix, and the seven schools actually in the league in the reporting period had a 97.4 percent graduation rate. AU's performance is expected to improve now that it is complying with the Patriot League's academic standards.
Here's a breakdown of league schools and grad rates:
- Bucknell 100 percent
Holy Cross 100 percent
Lafayette 100 percent
Navy 100 percent - Army 97 percent
- Lehigh 93 percent
- Colgate 92 percent
- American 18 percent
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Wednesday, September 27, 2006
He was not there to recruit the top player of Bucknell alum Mike Joseph's varsity hoops squad. And he was certainly not helping city officials .
So what was Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon doing in Hazleton last night? O'Hanlon was there to pay tribute to former Lafayette player and coach Pat Brogan, last night.
, who played at Lafayette as a freshman and later spent eight seasons as an assistant to O'Hanlon.
Brogan is also one of the "stars" of a new independent film a documentary about people who live with the neurological disorder, dystonia (Click Brogan's name above for more on his battle with the disease).
"Twisted" is set to be shown in 2007 on PBS.
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So what was Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon doing in Hazleton last night? O'Hanlon was there to pay tribute to former Lafayette player and coach Pat Brogan, last night.
, who played at Lafayette as a freshman and later spent eight seasons as an assistant to O'Hanlon.
Brogan is also one of the "stars" of a new independent film a documentary about people who live with the neurological disorder, dystonia (Click Brogan's name above for more on his battle with the disease).
"Twisted" is set to be shown in 2007 on PBS.
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Andy Katz checks in today with of the WWLIS' three-parter on scheduling.
Think some Patriot League teams had a tough time getting home games? Take a look at the Colonial Athletic Conference. George Mason has only four non-conference home dates this season, Drexel just three and Hofstra only has two, including a BracketBusters game in February.
Teams in the Missouri Valley are also having problems getting home games, at least against major conference teams.
Bottom line, the major conference teams, for the most part, simply won't play a mid-major on its own floor. As Tom Pecora, Hofstra's coach, points out in the article, major conference teams are playing 18 home games while mid-majors are playing 10 or 12 at home.
MVC commissioner Doug Elgin sums the situation up pretty accurately in the final three words of the story; "It's not right."
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Think some Patriot League teams had a tough time getting home games? Take a look at the Colonial Athletic Conference. George Mason has only four non-conference home dates this season, Drexel just three and Hofstra only has two, including a BracketBusters game in February.
Teams in the Missouri Valley are also having problems getting home games, at least against major conference teams.
Bottom line, the major conference teams, for the most part, simply won't play a mid-major on its own floor. As Tom Pecora, Hofstra's coach, points out in the article, major conference teams are playing 18 home games while mid-majors are playing 10 or 12 at home.
MVC commissioner Doug Elgin sums the situation up pretty accurately in the final three words of the story; "It's not right."
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Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Today kicks off a on scheduling over at the WWLIS.
Not a lot of specific Patriot League stuff in Andy Katz's series opener, other than mentions of Bucknell and Holy Cross in the section dealing with Syracuse. But it is still a very interesting read. The story really does a nice job of illustrating the differences between a 'Cuse, which won't leave the state of New York until conference play begins, and the mid-majors, who struggle to get decent home games.
One big key (no surprise here) is money. Even after paying a guarantee in the range of $45,000 to $50,000, Syracuse still grosses over $400,000 from a game in the Carrier Dome.
Nobody is suggesting Patriot League teams could begin to get close to that revenue for home games. Syracuse has in excess of 15,000 more seats to sell than any league school (other than if HC plays at the DCU) and has a Big East conference schedule to help it sell those extra season tickets. It's like NFL teams with exhibition games included in the season package -- you might not want to buy them, but you are stuck with them if you want the big games.
Nonetheless, it seems time that schools like Bucknell reexamine their policy of absolutely free tickets for all students and staff (including staff family members). Generating some ticket sales revenue could help the scheduling situation by giving the school some "buy game" money.
Sell 1,000 student season tickets for a modest price of $50 and you have the money to bring in an extra home game. Staff and faculty family passes could generate additional revenue. Plus, by knowing at the start of the season how many student and staff seats are gone for each game, you also generate more money from individual game sales because you now can sell advance tickets instead of forcing folks from out of town to take a chance on standing on line the day of the game hoping there might be a few tickets left over.
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Not a lot of specific Patriot League stuff in Andy Katz's series opener, other than mentions of Bucknell and Holy Cross in the section dealing with Syracuse. But it is still a very interesting read. The story really does a nice job of illustrating the differences between a 'Cuse, which won't leave the state of New York until conference play begins, and the mid-majors, who struggle to get decent home games.
One big key (no surprise here) is money. Even after paying a guarantee in the range of $45,000 to $50,000, Syracuse still grosses over $400,000 from a game in the Carrier Dome.
Nobody is suggesting Patriot League teams could begin to get close to that revenue for home games. Syracuse has in excess of 15,000 more seats to sell than any league school (other than if HC plays at the DCU) and has a Big East conference schedule to help it sell those extra season tickets. It's like NFL teams with exhibition games included in the season package -- you might not want to buy them, but you are stuck with them if you want the big games.
Nonetheless, it seems time that schools like Bucknell reexamine their policy of absolutely free tickets for all students and staff (including staff family members). Generating some ticket sales revenue could help the scheduling situation by giving the school some "buy game" money.
Sell 1,000 student season tickets for a modest price of $50 and you have the money to bring in an extra home game. Staff and faculty family passes could generate additional revenue. Plus, by knowing at the start of the season how many student and staff seats are gone for each game, you also generate more money from individual game sales because you now can sell advance tickets instead of forcing folks from out of town to take a chance on standing on line the day of the game hoping there might be a few tickets left over.
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Friday, September 22, 2006
While other NBA players make off court headlines for , , , , and a , the Patriot League's lone representaive in the NBA, Colgate grad Adonal Foyle, is making headlines for
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Wednesday, September 20, 2006
We told you, back in July, who Holy Cross' opponents would be this season. Yesterday, the school finally told us .
By the way, the Providence game mentioned in yesterday's post is the one game to be added that was mentioned in that July post.
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By the way, the Providence game mentioned in yesterday's post is the one game to be added that was mentioned in that July post.
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Tuesday, September 19, 2006
It comes at the very end of , but this quote, from Friars coach Tim Welsh, is an interesting look at how some coaches view playing mid-majors:
A sensible decision would have been a home-and-home with the Crusaders, with the Worcester date in the DCI Center. Heck, Ralph Willard might even have been willing to consider a two-for-one like Bucknell has done in recent seasons with schools like Saint Joe's, Villanova and Wake Forest. But like so many big time program coaches, Welsh lacks the courage to play a quality mid-major on the road.
Here's a tip to Tim, though: If you can't beat mid-majors on the road, you are not likely to fare to well in a conference like the Big East, let alone in the post season. We're no RPI experts, but we are pretty certain a road game against a quality mid-major will do as much for the RPI as home games against the likes of Longwood and Fairleigh Dickinson. And while we understand playing Brown. a crosstown rival, is it really helping a Big East team to play three Ivy League opponents, none of whom have names that start with a P?
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"You can get Holy Cross but you could also wait it out and go to Wichita State. I've seen more high-major schools going on the road now to so-called mid-majors, and adding the extra games is the reason why."Welsh was referring to Providence's decision to pay the Crusaders for a guarantee game at home. As the story points out, it is hardly a sound economic decision for a school like Providence, which does not have big time football to help fund its athletics department, to pay in the neighborhood of $90,000 to buy this game. But they are so scared to play mid-majors on the road, they will shell out the bucks anyhow.
A sensible decision would have been a home-and-home with the Crusaders, with the Worcester date in the DCI Center. Heck, Ralph Willard might even have been willing to consider a two-for-one like Bucknell has done in recent seasons with schools like Saint Joe's, Villanova and Wake Forest. But like so many big time program coaches, Welsh lacks the courage to play a quality mid-major on the road.
Here's a tip to Tim, though: If you can't beat mid-majors on the road, you are not likely to fare to well in a conference like the Big East, let alone in the post season. We're no RPI experts, but we are pretty certain a road game against a quality mid-major will do as much for the RPI as home games against the likes of Longwood and Fairleigh Dickinson. And while we understand playing Brown. a crosstown rival, is it really helping a Big East team to play three Ivy League opponents, none of whom have names that start with a P?
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Sunday, September 17, 2006
Bucknell grad Charles Lee only appeared in three games with the San Antonio Spurs summer league team, but apparently that was enough to make a favorable impression. The Spurs to a free agent contract.
Lee averaged only 4.7 points, 2.0 steals and 12.0 minutes in those three games at the Rocky Mountain Revue. But after spending much of the week on the bench, Lee put up 10 points and four steals in over 18 minutes of action in the of the summer league event, apparently opening a few eyes.
The Spurs roster is currently at 19, with one more free agent signing expected before camp opens. NBA teams can carry five players in the regular season. Since four Spurs have guaranteed contracts, that likely means Lee will be one of five competing for the final roster spot.
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Lee averaged only 4.7 points, 2.0 steals and 12.0 minutes in those three games at the Rocky Mountain Revue. But after spending much of the week on the bench, Lee put up 10 points and four steals in over 18 minutes of action in the of the summer league event, apparently opening a few eyes.
The Spurs roster is currently at 19, with one more free agent signing expected before camp opens. NBA teams can carry five players in the regular season. Since four Spurs have guaranteed contracts, that likely means Lee will be one of five competing for the final roster spot.
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Friday, September 15, 2006
A pair of commits for league schools announced this week.
Lehigh has landed who is currently doing a post graduate year at the New Hampton School in New Hampshire.
Howlett averaged 21 points and 16 rebounds per game at St. John's Prep in Mass. last season.
Bucknell has added more size up front, getting a of Garden Spot H.S. in New Holland, Pa. (near Lancaster).
As a junior, O'Brien averaged 15.3 points and scored in double figures in 22 of 23 games. St. Joseph’s, La Salle, St. John’s and West Virginia reportedly also expressed interest in O'Brien.
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Lehigh has landed who is currently doing a post graduate year at the New Hampton School in New Hampshire.
Howlett averaged 21 points and 16 rebounds per game at St. John's Prep in Mass. last season.
Bucknell has added more size up front, getting a of Garden Spot H.S. in New Holland, Pa. (near Lancaster).
As a junior, O'Brien averaged 15.3 points and scored in double figures in 22 of 23 games. St. Joseph’s, La Salle, St. John’s and West Virginia reportedly also expressed interest in O'Brien.
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Sunday, September 10, 2006
Stephen Miller of the Allentown Morning Call did a with Lafayette coach Fran O'Hanlon in Friday's paper.
A lot of the interview covered familiar ground for hard core Patriot League fans. But if you didn't bother reading through to the third page, you missed O'Hanlon's best comments. Asked about the latest league tournament format, O'Hanlon responds:
As O'Hanlon points out, there will be no tournament feel to the thing. It will be more like a bunch of extra home games. Sort of what you'd expect from a Division III conference.
At a time when the league is enjoying its highest profile ever, when the quality of the league is on the upswing, the image of the conference takes a hit with a step backwards with its tournament.
Kudos to Fran for having the courage to say so.
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A lot of the interview covered familiar ground for hard core Patriot League fans. But if you didn't bother reading through to the third page, you missed O'Hanlon's best comments. Asked about the latest league tournament format, O'Hanlon responds:
"You should have a tournament. There should be a tournament, and if Carolyn [Femovich] called me up, I'd tell her the same thing. There should be a tournament where we're going someplace.The tournament site issue has been a bone of contention since the league began. The latest incarnation, going back to the previously tried site of the highest seeds concept, is not the solution. If it were, it would have worked the first time it was tried.
A neutral, centralized site would be great."
As O'Hanlon points out, there will be no tournament feel to the thing. It will be more like a bunch of extra home games. Sort of what you'd expect from a Division III conference.
At a time when the league is enjoying its highest profile ever, when the quality of the league is on the upswing, the image of the conference takes a hit with a step backwards with its tournament.
Kudos to Fran for having the courage to say so.
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Thursday, September 07, 2006
A few notes from an interview yesterday with Ralph Willard for the upcoming :
Last season's injury woes are still a worry. Pat Doherty's foot problems seem better, but until practice starts, Willard is not sure how he will hold up to the constant pounding.
Torey Thomas had knee surgery in the offseason to remove the bone chip suffered in the league final. Despite his showing in the Empire State Games, where Thomas led Hudson Valley to gold, he is not fully recovered. Willard would have preferred Thomas skip the Empire games, which actually set back his rehab.
A new doc and new meds for Lawrence Dixon have Willard optimistic about being able to control Dixon's asthma problems that severely limited him last season.
Colin Cunningham's nose is healed, but he came back to school with a severe ankle sprain suffered in a pickup game back home in Memphis. Cunningham probably will not be back on the floor until November.
Keister and Meister are being counted on for minutes up front, but if they have to play more than 5-10 minutes each, "we are in trouble," Willard said.
Like every coach we have spoked to thus far (still need to interview Billy Taylor), Willard expects the league to be stronger and more balanced this season. "The bottom half will be better," Willard said.
Thus far, the consensus of the coaches we have interviewed is that Bucknell remains the favorite as long as they have Chris McNaughton, but nobody expects the Bison to dominate the way they did last season.
Everybody points to American as a team that could be much better ("They have about 100 seniors on that team," Willard said.") Most also agree that Colgate has the talent to contend ("If they can put it together, they will have the opportunity to be pretty good," Willard said.)
To be the first on your block to read our full previews of all eight league teams, of the Blue Ribbon Yearbook now. The book will ship in October.
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Like every coach we have spoked to thus far (still need to interview Billy Taylor), Willard expects the league to be stronger and more balanced this season. "The bottom half will be better," Willard said.
Thus far, the consensus of the coaches we have interviewed is that Bucknell remains the favorite as long as they have Chris McNaughton, but nobody expects the Bison to dominate the way they did last season.
Everybody points to American as a team that could be much better ("They have about 100 seniors on that team," Willard said.") Most also agree that Colgate has the talent to contend ("If they can put it together, they will have the opportunity to be pretty good," Willard said.)
To be the first on your block to read our full previews of all eight league teams, of the Blue Ribbon Yearbook now. The book will ship in October.
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