Lafayette: We Love the 90's!

Lafayette appears to think that somehow they can compete in a league with scholarships, and it doesn't look like they see the light:

"'No, there's nothing new at all; it's not in the cards,' said Lafayette College spokesperson Roger Clow. 'This has been our position to stay true to the founding principles of the Patriot League, even though no one else has in basketball.' "

They should have gone D3 if they're going to keep this up. It's a school the size of a high school, and they're not going to remain competitive much longer if they maintain this outdated attitude.  @ 3:57 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard

 

Colgate Schedule

Colgate released it's 2004-05 schedule. Here's the rundown on the OOC games: 

Mohegan Sun Tournament w/Central Conn. (14-14) RPI 207, Samford (8-16) RPI 260, Cal St. Fullerton (10-17) RPI 241
Cornell - Ivy (10-16) RPI 269, Lost @ home to Colgate 84-77 in OT last year
Juniata - Very impressive
@ Buffalo - MAC (17-12) RPI 136 - Beat Colgate @ Hamilton 72-49 last year
Harvard - Ivy (4-23) RPI 308 - Lost 60-78 in Hamilton last year
Hobart - Another tough DIII contest.
Loyola Marymount - WCC (14-14) RPI 180 - Beat Colgate in CA 78-54 last year
Florida International Tournament w/FIU (3-22) RPI 311, Ohio U. (10-20) RPI 231, Binghamton (14-16) RPI 204
@ Florida Atlantic - A. Sun (7-19) RPI 297
Princeton - Ivy (19-7) RPI 121 - Beat Colgate in NJ 73-64 last year
@ Dartmouth - Ivy (2-24) RPI 324 - Was the third worst team in the NCAA last year according to RPI

Average RPI from last year of 262 (not including tourney opponents), 237 (incl. tourney participants).

  @ 2:18 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard

  AU finally makes the tournament (a headline I really would like to use)

AU will be playing in the preseason NIT against defending CAA champs Virginia Commonwealth. You will remember that AU used to be in the CAA, but we got tired of coming in 7th every year and being associated with schools that, and I'll put this nicely, aren't as academically oriented as those in the PL. There was also the fact that the schools in the CAA are much bigger, with much bigger budgets and often better facilities. But that's just old stuff that none of you care about.

An interesting thing here is that George Washington is also in the tournament, playing at Wake Forest. If both teams pull the upset, we'll see a rematch of this game, where AU beat their crosstown rivals for the first time since 1989. GW didn't schedule a return game last year, do you wonder why?  @ 9:13 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard

  "A Politics Major Attempts to Do Math" or "Numbers You May Not Care About"
 
So I've been adding up the RPI of the out of conference opponents that PL teams face.  I did it last year when I had all the schedules, and I've done it so far for LC and LU (see below).  But is it fair to judge the toughness of a team's schedule based on those numbers? 

Here's the order of OOC toughness that I predicted last year before the season started for the teams in the league:

PLBlog Predicted OOC Toughness for Last Year
1. HC - 157
2. Navy- 170
3. Lafayette - 176
4. Bucknell - 179
5. AU - 180
6. Colgate - 217
7. Lehigh - 220
8. Army - 256

And here's what the strength of schedule numbers ended up being (thanks to teamrankings.com):

Last year's SOS
232. Bucknell
239. Navy
249. American
253. Lafayette
276. Holy Cross
294. Army
299. Colgate
312. Lehigh

As you can see, all the numbers went down, mostly because all the teams had to play the lousy teams in the league twice.  Of note is that Lehigh's schedule strength was one of the worst in the nation last year-- maybe that's a reason that they ended up in the Play-In game?  Oh, and they had a similar lousy SOS two years ago too:

Two Years Ago SOS
206. American
227. Holy Cross
241. Navy
259. Bucknell
267. Lafayette
277. Army
285. Colgate
309. Lehigh

Looks like Lehigh has a tendency to have a weak out of conference schedule.  Is it because no one will come to Stabler (including their students, who couldn't fill it up when they were on ESPN), or is it for a reason? 

Hell, just to make things that much more confusing, and because it's a slow day at work, let's check out the average SOS for the league in the last two years.

227.5 American
240    Navy
245.5 Bucknell
251.5 Holy Cross
260    Lafayette
285.5 Army
292    Colgate
310.5 Lehigh

Any thoughts?  It looks like BU, HC, Navy and AU's ability to schedule games with nearby schools improves their schedule strength.  But who knows, my head hurts from all this math.

  @ 2:54 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard

  LC

Here's the rundown on Lafayette's out of conference schedule:

@  Duquesne - A10 - (12-17) - RPI 162
@ St. Peter's - MAC - (17-12) - RPI 103 - Lost @ LC last year, 71-54
vs. Princeton - SmartGuys - (19-7) - RPI 121 - Lost @ home vs LC last year, 47-44
vs. Drexel - CAA - (18-10) - RPI 101 - Lost @ home vs LC last year, 69-68
vs. Swarthmore - Effete DII - RPI 3,000
@ Cornell - Ivy - (10-16) - RPI 269 (Beat Lehigh last year)
@ Marist - MAAAAC - (6-22) - RPI 288 (Beat HC last year)
vs. Cal State Northridge  - Big West - (13-16) - RPI 186 - Won @ home vs LC last year, 99-76
vs. Moravian - Obscure Religious League - DIII
@ Georgia Tech - ACC - (23-9) - RPI 16 - Beat UL-Lafayette last year, did not play LC
vs. Columbia - Ivy - (9-17) - RPI 286 - Lost in NYC vs LC last year, 82-73, also beaten by LU
@ St. Francis (NY) - NEC - (15-13) - RPI 226 - Beat Army last year

So, there are four good mid majors on their schedule, four more than Lehigh has.  It's a little dangerous to schedule that GTech game so late in the OOC schedule, especially with a young team that might have confidence issues.  Also, you heard it here first: they could lose to Swarthmore.

The average RPI of their opponents from last year is 176, which was Morehead State's RPI last year.  It should be noted, however, that such a comparison isn't neccessarily fair, since the quality of teams is bound to change from year to year.  St. Peters, for instance, is unlikely to have such a good season as last year, while Marist could rebound.  More on that sort of thing later...

  @ 2:06 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard

  Lafayette Schedule Released: Sucks less than Lehigh's

Lafayette released their schedule yesterday. Check it out here. Analysis coming later in the day...  @ 10:37 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard

  CU Recruit Peter Minchella: Is he Adonal Foyle or Neil Fingleton?

Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
June 26, 2004 Saturday
SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. 12B
WELL VERSED

Brendan Murphy, Staff, bmurphy@journalandcourier.com

Minchella's talents extend beyond basketball court

INDIANAPOLIS - Juggling is a hobby Peter Minchella likes to spend his spare time perfecting. Over the next four years, the Harrison graduate will see just how adept he is at handling multiple tasks at the same time.

As Minchella concludes his high school career tonight when the Indiana All-Stars host the Kentucky All-Stars at Conseco Fieldhouse, the next stop for the 6-foot-10 center is the challenge of balancing basketball with academics at Colgate University.

Raiders coach Emmett Davis, who is bringing Minchella to the Hamilton, N.Y., school under a full athletic scholarship, said there will be a lot of eyes on this incoming group of freshmen.

"Peter is coming into a program where there will be a lot of scrutiny of the first class with recruiting scholarships," Davis said. "A lot of people will want to see how they perform in the classroom and on the court. Peter will do very well in both areas. But he needs to be patient."

This fall, Colgate is joining most of the other Patriot League schools by offering athletic funding for incoming freshmen. Minchella, as a member of the Raiders' class of 2008, was one of the first players Davis offered a scholarship.

Widely known as an extraordinarily intelligent person, the straight-A student doesn't believe the added pressure of playing for a Division I school - and all the extra requirements which come with that - will be a deterrent in his ability to continue to be a successful student.

"I've taken some difficult classes at Harrison and managed to balance athletics with academics," said Minchella, who has earned recognition from the University of Rochester in humanities and Manchester College in writing.

"I know both are going to be more challenging at Colgate, but I think I have prepared myself pretty well. Basketball comes on the side. You have to have the grades to stay on the team."

Away from the classroom and basketball court, people will find a side of Minchella they may not have known existed.

Most only see Minchella the basketball player, dunking and blocking shots in front of thousands of people. Not many get the opportunity to see the other side of the nearly 7-foot Minchella when he's being a regular 18-year-old kid playing ultimate Frisbee with his friends.

Or when he's tossing several objects in the air, trying to use his deft hand-eye coordination to keep them aloft. Or how about magic? While Minchella will never become the next David Blaine or David Copperfield, that's also an area in which he likes to dabble.

Reading is another passion. Throughout his Harrison career, Minchella passed the time on the bus turning pages in a novel. Then there's poetry. An advanced bard, Minchella would recite a self-written poem during the team's annual sectional dinner at a Pizza Hut.

The requirement was Minchella had to compose a poem from the items on the menu. According to Raiders coach Jeff VanArsdel, he did so with remarkable expertise.

"Peter is such a gifted writer," VanArsdel said. "He wrote poems for some people on the team after the season, and with him gone, I don't know what we are going to do now at the team dinner. There are a lot of different sides to him than just basketball.

"Peter is truly a success story in today's world. He had the likes of Harvard and Yale talking with him. A quiet person by nature, Peter has changed a lot in the last year. He is becoming more confident and more sure of who he is."

Without the benefit of a redshirt year available - the Patriot League does not allow an extra year for athletic purposes - Minchella will be tossed right into the mix this fall when Colgate convenes for its opening practice in October.

That means Davis expects Minchella, who is undecided on a major, to devote time to the Raiders' extensive weight and conditioning program as soon as he arrives on campus.

With a frame VanArsdel and Davis believe has room for growth, Minchella's body has the potential to add considerable muscle.

"Our program has done some great things for players in the past," Davis said. "Some of that is the commitment of the player. Peter has to commit himself to do that. We will provide the tools, but in the end, there has to be some self-motivation. You can't teach size, you can only help to enhance it.

"It won't happen overnight for him. We'll give him every opportunity to advance his skills and strength early in his career at Colgate."

Over the past two weeks Minchella, Harrison's first boys All-Star, has been treated like royalty as a member of the Indiana team.

Free meals. A bag full of basketball gear. New sneakers. All-expenses paid lodging. A trip to meet the governor of Indiana. Banquets. And, of course, the notoriety of being selected one of the best players in the state.

"It's been a great experience," said Minchella, who averaged 12.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.1 blocks as a senior despite being continually double- or triple-teamed. "To have the opportunity to play with the top players has been a learning experience, too."

Throughout the past 14 days, Indiana All-Stars coach Cliff Hawkins has had daily contact with Minchella. Hawkins, who while at DeKalb also coached former All-Stars Luke Recker and Adam Liddell, has seen Minchella improve drastically in those two weeks.

"I've seen Peter become much more assertive, both on offense and defense," Hawkins said. "Early last week, I felt like we never saw a shot blocked, but now he has become more intense and has more confidence. Peter is the type of guy who needs time to warm up to things.

"He is a young man with a lot of intelligence, and that is required to go to and play at a school like Colgate. With his size, he will continue to develop. He can become a very dominating player."

That's exactly what Davis hopes transpires. Minchella will be the tallest player the seven-year coach has had during his tenure and is looking to parlay that fact, along with the belief Minchella is only going to improve, into an impressive college career.

"Certainly, having someone who is 6-10 with his skill level is very exciting," Davis said. "My hope is that a day comes when he is double-teamed just like high school. That means other teams consider him a real threat."

Which also would mean Minchella was able to meld basketball and academics throughout his college career.  @ 10:23 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard

  Deja LU

So Lehigh released their schedule before everyone else-- wondering how they did it? They just made a photocopy of last year's OOC schedule. 10 of their 13 games are return engagements. Looking at their OOC from last year, it's not a shock that they didn't fare well against tougher competition (Fl. A&M)-- they were a team that did very well in league competition, but was mediocre against non-league talent. Why? One might credit the excellent scouting of the LU coaching staff.

Here's the skinny on their pre-league opponents:

RPI at Penn State (University Park, Pa.) Big 10(+1) (9-19) RPI 189
at Long Island (Brooklyn, N.Y.) NEC (8-19) RPI 289 - Beat LU last year - return game
Sacred Heart (Stabler Arena) NEC (12-15) RPI 251 - Beat LU last year - return game
Dartmouth (Stabler Arena) Ivy (2-24) RPI 324 - Lost to LU last year - return game
Albany (Stabler Arena) AmEast (5-23) RPI 309 - Beat LU last year in OT - return game
at Stony Brook (Stony Brook, N.Y.) AmEast (10-20) RPI 226 - Lost to LU last year - return game
Columbia (Stabler Arena) Ivy (9-17) RPI 286 - Lost to LU last year - return game
Delaware Valley (Stabler Arena) - DIII - Lost to LU last year
at Harvard (Cambridge, Mass.) Ivy (4-23) RPI 308 - Lost to LU last year- return game
at Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) A10 (23-10) RPI 35
at Towson (Towson, Md.) CAA (8-21) RPI 278
at Wagner (Staten Island, N.Y.) NEC (12-16) RPI 219 - Lost to LU last year - return game
Cornell (Stabler Arena) Ivy (10-16) RPI 269 - Beat LU last year - return game

Avg. RPI: 248 -- as if they were playing Appalachain State 12 times.  @ 3:16 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard

  Lehigh 2004-05 Schedule

Lehigh has released its schedule for next year. The defending PL champs will start off the season against Penn State, and host a bunch of lousy schools at home (with Albany as the highlight). Thanks to BreakinBison for the heads up.

More analysis shortly. (By the way, all these games aren't really on ESPN radio, are they?)

Winter 2004-2005 Season
Date Opponent Time/Result Media Coverage
11/19/2004 at Penn State (University Park, Pa.) 7:30 PM ESPN Radio

11/21/2004 at Long Island (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

11/24/2004 Sacred Heart (Stabler Arena) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

11/27/2004 Dartmouth (Stabler Arena) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

11/30/2004 Albany (Stabler Arena) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

12/3/2004 at Stony Brook (Stony Brook, N.Y.) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

12/6/2004 Columbia (Stabler Arena) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

12/15/2004 Delaware Valley (Stabler Arena) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

12/18/2004 at Harvard (Cambridge, Mass.) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

12/21/2004 at Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) TBA ESPN Radio

12/30/2004 at Towson (Towson, Md.) 3:00 PM ESPN Radio

1/2/2005 at Wagner (Staten Island, N.Y.) 2:00 PM ESPN Radio

1/4/2005 Cornell (Stabler Arena) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

1/8/2005 at AMERICAN (WASHINGTON, DC) 1:00 PM ESPN Radio

1/12/2005 LAFAYETTE (STABLER ARENA) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

1/15/2005 at NAVY (ANNAPOLIS, MD) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

1/21/2005 at COLGATE (HAMILTON, NY) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

1/23/2005 at BUCKNELL (LEWISBURG, PA) 1:00 PM ESPN Radio

1/28/2005 ARMY (STABLER ARENA) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

1/30/2005 HOLY CROSS (STABLER ARENA) 2:00 PM ESPN Radio

2/2/2005 COLGATE (STABLER ARENA) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

2/6/2005 BUCKNELL (STABLER ARENA) 2:00 PM ESPN Radio

2/11/2005 at ARMY (WEST POINT, NY) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

2/13/2005 at HOLY CROSS (WORCESTER, MA) 1:00 PM ESPN Radio

2/19/2005 NAVY (STABLER ARENA) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

2/23/2005 AMERICAN (STABLER ARENA) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

2/26/2005 at LAFAYETTE (EASTON, PA) 7:00 PM ESPN Radio

3/4/2005 at Patriot League Tournament (TBD) TBA ESPN Radio

3/13/2005 at PL Championship (TBD) TBA ESPN

  @ 3:10 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard

  Best Player in Patriot League History Update

Somehow Adonal Foyle just signed for 41.6 MILLION DOLLARS to stay with Golden State. Note to HS kids considering the Patriot League: you could be this rich too, and maybe be the smartest player in the NBA like Adonal Foyle is.  @ 12:56 PM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard

 

JARION CHILDS DEAD AT 27

Former standout AU PG Jarion Childs died Monday morning in Groton, NH. He was 27.


Articles here and here.

Sad day.  @ 9:51 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard

  Back in the day

Since there's not too much offseason news, enjoy this link:

ESPN.com - Mens College Basketball - Preview 2000  @ 9:42 AM 0 HC Alums are angry about this post | Bitch about it on the PL hoops messageboard