It was announced today by Bradley University that assistant coach Alvin Brooks, III, would leave the program. Due to employment laws Jim Les chose not to detail where he was going but some rudimentary research turns up that it's Sam Houston State-- closer to home for the coach colloquially known as AB3. For whatever its worth, it's rumored that this coach was a bit of a disappointment at BU, and my own interactions (or more accurately, lack there of) indicates that the rumors were right on, I'm not upset that AB3 has chosen to move on.
I've heard of five candidates to replace Coach Brooks and all are very encouraging candidates. I'd be happy to see any of them on the bench next season. The only media-confirmed candidate appears to be erstwhile DePaul interim head coach Tracy Webster. Relevant Peoria Journal Star article here. Reading that article in particular reveals a couple of interesting things: Interim Assistant Kyle Vogt and Interim Director of Basketball Ops Jeremy Crouch have had their "interim" titles removed. I personally wouldn't have minded to see Kyle Vogt move on and Bradley hire another assistant, but I have to believe this "official" "un-interiming" of Kyle Vogt means he's really joining our coaching staff. If so, I will support Kyle as I support any Bradley coach.
Also, this article, I was shocked to see, officially links big man Michael Ocherobia (ESPN Insider profile here) to Bradley University. This guy has been the Worst Kept 2011 Secret in the Bradley universe all off-season. Rumor has it that he's committed and that it's just a matter of some paperwork before he's announced a Brave. The phrasing of Dave Reynolds' article indicates that this is indeed the case. I've been hoping it's true, as Bradley has needed a 6'9" 265 lb player in the worst way for about as long as I can remember.
Ocherobia comes from an organization called the Canarias Basketball Academy (of the Canary Islands of Spain), which appears to be a sort of combine that tries to qualify European basketball players for NCAA Division I basketball. They've placed at least 15 players in Division I basketball in the last two years. Ocherobia is a 21 y/o Nigerian who came to Canarias from the UK and is an obvious physical specimen. Best case is he gives Bradley the presence they need at the "5" position for the near future (3-4 years) and Bradley makes it to the next level. Most probable case is that he follows a career not unlike illinois state's Dinma Odiakosa and takes a couple of years to realize his physical potential. Worst case is that he's Saihou Jassey and never makes an impact. We'll have to see, but at this point I really hope he's a Brave and I can't wait to see him on the court at Carver Arena.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Bears remove one safety from the mix
The Bears answered a small part of the roster question I posed regarding the safety position in my last Bears-related blog. They've traded safety Kevin Payne to the St. Louis Rams for a conditional 2011 7th round pick. The condition, as I understand it is that if Payne makes the Rams' roster then the Bears will get the Rams' 7th rounder. I think this is essentially the kind of "win-win-win" trade that benefits the player and both teams. Payne probably wasn't going to play for the Bears, and an extra 7th rounder is better than a sharp stick in the eye in return. I think the Bears will likely still remove at least one more safety from the roster before final cuts.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Bears trade for safety Chris Harris
News story here.
This feels like a very good move by the Chicago Bears. They resigned a safety they let get away, who immediately proved himself better than the man who replaced him (the incredibly disappointing Adam Archuleta). I remember Chris Harris as a hard-hitting and generally competent safety. I predict he'll be penciled in as the starter at strong safety and prove to be a major upgrade for us. To get safety the Bears had to surrender backup linebacker Jamar Williams. I think Jamar was a decent talent, but the Bears were deep at linebacker and disasterously thin at safety.
The question remains as to who will play the other half of the field for the Bears. In the mix at safety the Bears have: a player who showed a bit of promise as a rookie last season, Al Afalava, a trio of mediocre to bad players, Josh Bullocks, Craig Steltz, and Kevin Payne, an athletic guy who's never found a position in Danieal Manning, and a rookie, Major Wright.
As the Bears top pick (albeit a third-rounder) in this years draft, Major Wright is safe. Al Afalava had a sort of up and down season as a rookie, but I have to think he'll make the cut. Danieal Manning is a coach favorite, and if they left him off the roster they'd have nobody on defense to shuttle back and forth between safety and nickleback (all-the-while wondering why the guy can't settle into a position), so I have to think he's going to make it. I have to think this move probably spells doom for at least two of the mediocre-to-bad trio. If it were me, I think Kevin Payne shows the best play at the position, but I'd probably make my choice based on who was the best special teamer. Plus Kevin Payne likes to hit Bears instead of opponents, which is kind of a problem. A nice result would be for all the good things being said about Major Wright to be true and he takes the FS position by force and owns it.
One thing that sticks in my mind is that there's been a persistent rumor that CB Charles Tillman could possibly make an effective switch to the safety position at some point. If the Bears do find they have a couple of serviceable cornerbacks on the roster that could also turn out okay for the Bears. Problem is, I don't think any of their corners are worth very much either.
This feels like a very good move by the Chicago Bears. They resigned a safety they let get away, who immediately proved himself better than the man who replaced him (the incredibly disappointing Adam Archuleta). I remember Chris Harris as a hard-hitting and generally competent safety. I predict he'll be penciled in as the starter at strong safety and prove to be a major upgrade for us. To get safety the Bears had to surrender backup linebacker Jamar Williams. I think Jamar was a decent talent, but the Bears were deep at linebacker and disasterously thin at safety.
The question remains as to who will play the other half of the field for the Bears. In the mix at safety the Bears have: a player who showed a bit of promise as a rookie last season, Al Afalava, a trio of mediocre to bad players, Josh Bullocks, Craig Steltz, and Kevin Payne, an athletic guy who's never found a position in Danieal Manning, and a rookie, Major Wright.
As the Bears top pick (albeit a third-rounder) in this years draft, Major Wright is safe. Al Afalava had a sort of up and down season as a rookie, but I have to think he'll make the cut. Danieal Manning is a coach favorite, and if they left him off the roster they'd have nobody on defense to shuttle back and forth between safety and nickleback (all-the-while wondering why the guy can't settle into a position), so I have to think he's going to make it. I have to think this move probably spells doom for at least two of the mediocre-to-bad trio. If it were me, I think Kevin Payne shows the best play at the position, but I'd probably make my choice based on who was the best special teamer. Plus Kevin Payne likes to hit Bears instead of opponents, which is kind of a problem. A nice result would be for all the good things being said about Major Wright to be true and he takes the FS position by force and owns it.
One thing that sticks in my mind is that there's been a persistent rumor that CB Charles Tillman could possibly make an effective switch to the safety position at some point. If the Bears do find they have a couple of serviceable cornerbacks on the roster that could also turn out okay for the Bears. Problem is, I don't think any of their corners are worth very much either.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
2010 NFL Draft
First football post. Yay.
Anyway, I'm a Chicago Bears fan... Morale is low this off-season after another monumentally disappointing season. The situation is kind of made worse by the fact that the Bears did not have a first or second-round pick this year. The first rounder was sent off in return for Jay Cutler, the second rounder sent for Gaines Adams (who tragically died of a heart ailment)-- a very puzzling trade that never seemed likely to yield much return. So, with virtually no interest in the draft this year, I didn't watch. They also dramatically changed the format of the draft, with it falling on Thursday (round 1), Friday (rounds 2-3), and Saturday (rounds 4-7) which ruined the old first day draft party/garage sale crawl that I used to do with my brother.
The Bears went into the draft with glaring needs on o-line and in the secondary. They took all-name-team candidate safety Major Wright out of Florida. Sounds like he's a very heavy hitter and a big-time intangibles guy. We'll have to see. I'd imagine he could come out of the gate starting as the Bears have almost nothing at all on the roster as far as safety goes.
In the fourth they took DE Corey Wootton from Northwestern. This guy is large for an end. The Bears usually draft little guys so this leads to some speculation that he's going to be asked to move inside to tackle. I kind of hope not, because this player was once a top pick sort of talent who blew up an ACL in a bowl game in his junior season. It would be nice if the Bears lucked out and picked up a guy just hitting his stride in recovering from ACL surgery. Worst case is that they overreached on a guy who's never going to recover the spark he once had or be injury prone.
On the third day they took CB Joshua Moore of K-State, QB Dan LeFevour from Central Michigan, and OT J'Marcus Webb out of West Texas A&M, in the fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds respectively. The presence of a QB pick indicates the Bears were drafting for value instead of need, which is find by me. If any of these players make an impact in the 2010-2011 season it's a bonus.
In other news, OG star Alan Faneca was released by the New York Jets. GET HIM! GET HIM NOW!
Anyway, I'm a Chicago Bears fan... Morale is low this off-season after another monumentally disappointing season. The situation is kind of made worse by the fact that the Bears did not have a first or second-round pick this year. The first rounder was sent off in return for Jay Cutler, the second rounder sent for Gaines Adams (who tragically died of a heart ailment)-- a very puzzling trade that never seemed likely to yield much return. So, with virtually no interest in the draft this year, I didn't watch. They also dramatically changed the format of the draft, with it falling on Thursday (round 1), Friday (rounds 2-3), and Saturday (rounds 4-7) which ruined the old first day draft party/garage sale crawl that I used to do with my brother.
The Bears went into the draft with glaring needs on o-line and in the secondary. They took all-name-team candidate safety Major Wright out of Florida. Sounds like he's a very heavy hitter and a big-time intangibles guy. We'll have to see. I'd imagine he could come out of the gate starting as the Bears have almost nothing at all on the roster as far as safety goes.
In the fourth they took DE Corey Wootton from Northwestern. This guy is large for an end. The Bears usually draft little guys so this leads to some speculation that he's going to be asked to move inside to tackle. I kind of hope not, because this player was once a top pick sort of talent who blew up an ACL in a bowl game in his junior season. It would be nice if the Bears lucked out and picked up a guy just hitting his stride in recovering from ACL surgery. Worst case is that they overreached on a guy who's never going to recover the spark he once had or be injury prone.
On the third day they took CB Joshua Moore of K-State, QB Dan LeFevour from Central Michigan, and OT J'Marcus Webb out of West Texas A&M, in the fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds respectively. The presence of a QB pick indicates the Bears were drafting for value instead of need, which is find by me. If any of these players make an impact in the 2010-2011 season it's a bonus.
In other news, OG star Alan Faneca was released by the New York Jets. GET HIM! GET HIM NOW!
Mets Report for Period 1 Delayed
Sorry, sorry. I'm obviously late on the report out on the Mets for my defined first period. My inability to take full advantage of the wonderful information on baseball-reference.com is keeping me from organizing all the information I'd like to use. I'm either going to give up on 2-week periods and focus on months, or overcome the tech hurdle and start reporting as I promised. I'll let you know within a few days.
Incidentally, any baseball fan should get acquainted with baseball-reference.com, it is a wonderful collection of baseball information dating back to the very beginning and kept up to date with play-by-play for each game. Take a look, you can literally find almost anything you could be looking for.
Incidentally, any baseball fan should get acquainted with baseball-reference.com, it is a wonderful collection of baseball information dating back to the very beginning and kept up to date with play-by-play for each game. Take a look, you can literally find almost anything you could be looking for.
Dana Altman Moves on from the MVC, Again.
Dean of Valley Basketball Coaches, Dana Altman, long-time coach of the usually very successful Creighton Blue Jays has apparently taken the extremely lucrative Oregon Ducks head-coaching job. ESPN's online report is here. Altman coached at Creighton for 16 years, compiling a record of 327-126, and prior to going 18-16 this year, he'd been on an 11-year 20-win streak. He took the Jays to the NCAA Tournament seven times, and won the MVC regular season title three times. The Bluejays were always well-coached while he was there and it's a blow to the Valley to see him go.
Just a couple of years ago, he'd accepted a job offer to Arkansas which he eventually backed out of for a variety of reasons before being welcomed back to Creighton. I kind of thought he might get black-balled out of new job offers because of that, but I guess not. He was apparently Oregon's seventh choice, but that didn't stop them from apparently agreeing to a rumored 7-year contract at 2 to 2.5 million dollars per year. Oregon should be a sweet job backed by an absolute ton of Nike money. The facilities are evidently state-of-the-art and beautiful.
Altman always had Bradley's number so I won't be totally sad to see him go, but I do believe it weakens the conference. An interesting side-affect is that it leaves (often disrespected) Jim Les the Dean of Coaches in the MVC entering his ninth season at Bradley. Rumored replacements at Creighton include Indiana State's Kevin McKenna, who played and was an assistant coach at Creighton. That could really set Indiana State back, as I believe he had them on the right track.
Just a couple of years ago, he'd accepted a job offer to Arkansas which he eventually backed out of for a variety of reasons before being welcomed back to Creighton. I kind of thought he might get black-balled out of new job offers because of that, but I guess not. He was apparently Oregon's seventh choice, but that didn't stop them from apparently agreeing to a rumored 7-year contract at 2 to 2.5 million dollars per year. Oregon should be a sweet job backed by an absolute ton of Nike money. The facilities are evidently state-of-the-art and beautiful.
Altman always had Bradley's number so I won't be totally sad to see him go, but I do believe it weakens the conference. An interesting side-affect is that it leaves (often disrespected) Jim Les the Dean of Coaches in the MVC entering his ninth season at Bradley. Rumored replacements at Creighton include Indiana State's Kevin McKenna, who played and was an assistant coach at Creighton. That could really set Indiana State back, as I believe he had them on the right track.
Tournament Expansion Decision: 68 teams.
First, The NCAA tournament expansion debate appears to be concluded for the near-term. Most people were convinced that the NCAA would use their "out" this year in their contract with CBS to jump over to the ESPN family of networks and at the same time, kill off the historic NIT and expand the NCAA tourney to 96 teams. Surprisingly, the NCAA has recommended to their board of directors that the tournament expand from 65 to 68 teams... Which in effect will likely add a play-in game to define all four regional #16 seeds. They will also stay with CBS, though they've come to an agreement which will see all games televised through the use of the Turner family of cable channels.
I think this is a very reasonable decision and quite a bit better than the 96-team scenario. I set out to do some research on NCAA Division I Basketball expansion versus NCAA Tournament expansion with the thesis that D1 has expanded more quickly than the tournament has and that some expansion was overdue... And that even 96 teams would be reasonable in that frame of reference. Well, my thesis was completely wrong. Since 1979 or so the number of tournament invites has hovered at right around 20% of the number of teams playing D1 basketball. The tourney in 1979 invited 40 teams, and since has expanded five times (to 48, 52, 53, 64, and 65 teams respectively). Expanding from 65-68 takes us from 19% back to 20% and therefore seems to follow the precedent. 96 would have indeed be a little ridiculous, taking us to nearly 1/3 of all D1 programs making the tourney.
I think this is a very reasonable decision and quite a bit better than the 96-team scenario. I set out to do some research on NCAA Division I Basketball expansion versus NCAA Tournament expansion with the thesis that D1 has expanded more quickly than the tournament has and that some expansion was overdue... And that even 96 teams would be reasonable in that frame of reference. Well, my thesis was completely wrong. Since 1979 or so the number of tournament invites has hovered at right around 20% of the number of teams playing D1 basketball. The tourney in 1979 invited 40 teams, and since has expanded five times (to 48, 52, 53, 64, and 65 teams respectively). Expanding from 65-68 takes us from 19% back to 20% and therefore seems to follow the precedent. 96 would have indeed be a little ridiculous, taking us to nearly 1/3 of all D1 programs making the tourney.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Bradley Signs One and Fills Coaching Vacancy
Here is the promised update to the state of Bradley basketball now that the regular signing period for 2010-2011 season has begun. Bradley has, thus far, received one Letter of Intent (on the first day of the signing period) from shooting guard Walter Lemon as expected. I hear some rumblings that this kid is very very good, but I'm going to try to keep any personal excitement in check for two reasons. One: Bradley is absolutely stacked with good Senior guards (Maniscalco, Warren, and Dodie Dunson) this upcoming season, so even a very good freshman may have trouble getting time. The other reason is that I have a tendency to get overexcited in the off-season every year and it makes the summer feel interminably longer. For what it's worth, Lemon has been getting some good press in the summer all-star season... On the other hand, the only video I found was a YouTube video where he kinda tin cups a dunk he can't make, over and over. Seems like the kind of thing you'd just edit out of your workout video. Scouting information out there indicates he's a plus jumper with a strong mid-range game.
There was some other significant news this last week as Bradley filled the coaching position left vacant by Eric Buescher by hiring an assistant from Army's basketball program named Jim Platt (profile at Army's website). I'm not the kind of basketball fan who knows really anything about the coaching community, but this seems like a very solid hire. Coach Platt has 30+ years of coaching experience, with some of it as a head coach. His head coaching record is nothing too impressive with his time split between two schools: Arkansas - Little Rock and Charleston Southern. However, he has a reputation as a very strong defensive mind and teacher as well as kind of a hard-ass taskmaster. I think the consensus among Bradley fans is that both aspects of the program have been a little soft ever since Chuck Buescher (Eric's dad and Peoria coaching legend) retired. I'm excited about the hire, and I hope Coach Les and the players embrace what Coach Platt has to offer.
Bradley still has two open scholarships for 2010-2011. There's a rumor about a player that kind of feels like the worst kept secret in Peoria as I'm pretty sure everyone's heard it. As yet, the player in question hasn't signed, so here's to hoping he does. Bradley also recently offered a 7-footer from Wisconsin named Ben Mills, and you can never have to many 7-footers around. Mills was originally committed to Boise State but asked for and was granted a release when they got rid of their head coach. I would expect Bradley to fill at least one of the open scholarships, but if Wilkins doesn't take the final schollie they may hold it open for the following season.
There was some other significant news this last week as Bradley filled the coaching position left vacant by Eric Buescher by hiring an assistant from Army's basketball program named Jim Platt (profile at Army's website). I'm not the kind of basketball fan who knows really anything about the coaching community, but this seems like a very solid hire. Coach Platt has 30+ years of coaching experience, with some of it as a head coach. His head coaching record is nothing too impressive with his time split between two schools: Arkansas - Little Rock and Charleston Southern. However, he has a reputation as a very strong defensive mind and teacher as well as kind of a hard-ass taskmaster. I think the consensus among Bradley fans is that both aspects of the program have been a little soft ever since Chuck Buescher (Eric's dad and Peoria coaching legend) retired. I'm excited about the hire, and I hope Coach Les and the players embrace what Coach Platt has to offer.
Bradley still has two open scholarships for 2010-2011. There's a rumor about a player that kind of feels like the worst kept secret in Peoria as I'm pretty sure everyone's heard it. As yet, the player in question hasn't signed, so here's to hoping he does. Bradley also recently offered a 7-footer from Wisconsin named Ben Mills, and you can never have to many 7-footers around. Mills was originally committed to Boise State but asked for and was granted a release when they got rid of their head coach. I would expect Bradley to fill at least one of the open scholarships, but if Wilkins doesn't take the final schollie they may hold it open for the following season.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Signing Day Tomorrow
Tomorrow is the first day that recruits for the 2010-2011 season can sign their National Letters of Intent (NLI hereafter) in what's apparently referred to as the Regular Period, which remains open May 19, 2010. The NLI is essentially an agreement between a school and a student-athlete recruit... It locks the recruiting process for the student-athlete in question, putting an end to calls and contact with coaching from other schools (though a lot of people suspect that such contact continues in certain cases and with certain coaches). The school is then obligated to award a scholarship to that player for at least one year, and the coaches can now publicly comment on the player in question. The NCAA has a website explaining the process here. But in simple terms, the NLI is the method by which a recruit becomes "official" before he actually enrolls at the school.
Bradley, in particular, has three (of the maximum thirteen) scholarships open for the 2010-2011 season, and has one verbal commitment to date. A "verbal" happens when a player releases that they have selected a school-- a school can mention that they have offered a scholarship to a player, but cannot comment on players who have verballed. A verbal is completely non-binding in the eyes of the NCAA (and many of its member institutions), though fans tend to look unfavorably on players who verbally commit but don't end up at the school in question... Even if it's not all that uncommon.
Bradley's verbal came from (great name here) Walter Lemon, a 6'2" shooting guard out of the Chicago Public League. This seems to be a strong commitment and was announced just about three weeks ago so I think Bradley will receive an NLI from him tomorrow.
Then there's the question of the never ending John Wilkins saga... As usual the rumors rampant on this player who once signed an NLI to Bradley, but did not qualify academically. He's apparently completed his education at his Juco in Iowa, which would make him a qualified sophomore at the Division I level... And he's recently visited Iowa State, Indiana, and evil illinois state. I have no idea where this kid is going. I'd be happy if he ended up a Brave, and absolutely furious if he ended up at isu. Otherwise, I'm not sure I care anymore... Current rumors have him waiting into the middle of the signing period before making his decision. If I were in Coach Les' shoes, and Wilkins was making me wait this long, I'd sign someone else.
Other than that, Bradley NEEDS a big man. Hopefully we'll get one tomorrow. I'd be absolutely ecstatic if we finish tomorrow with Lemon, Wilkins, and a big. Either way, I'm sure I'll be letting you know.
Bradley, in particular, has three (of the maximum thirteen) scholarships open for the 2010-2011 season, and has one verbal commitment to date. A "verbal" happens when a player releases that they have selected a school-- a school can mention that they have offered a scholarship to a player, but cannot comment on players who have verballed. A verbal is completely non-binding in the eyes of the NCAA (and many of its member institutions), though fans tend to look unfavorably on players who verbally commit but don't end up at the school in question... Even if it's not all that uncommon.
Bradley's verbal came from (great name here) Walter Lemon, a 6'2" shooting guard out of the Chicago Public League. This seems to be a strong commitment and was announced just about three weeks ago so I think Bradley will receive an NLI from him tomorrow.
Then there's the question of the never ending John Wilkins saga... As usual the rumors rampant on this player who once signed an NLI to Bradley, but did not qualify academically. He's apparently completed his education at his Juco in Iowa, which would make him a qualified sophomore at the Division I level... And he's recently visited Iowa State, Indiana, and evil illinois state. I have no idea where this kid is going. I'd be happy if he ended up a Brave, and absolutely furious if he ended up at isu. Otherwise, I'm not sure I care anymore... Current rumors have him waiting into the middle of the signing period before making his decision. If I were in Coach Les' shoes, and Wilkins was making me wait this long, I'd sign someone else.
Other than that, Bradley NEEDS a big man. Hopefully we'll get one tomorrow. I'd be absolutely ecstatic if we finish tomorrow with Lemon, Wilkins, and a big. Either way, I'm sure I'll be letting you know.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Conference Realignment: Mid-Majors and Conference Rankings
Before I can discuss the reasons why I think there is a likely to be a major wave of conference realignment and how I think this could be good news for fans of certain programs, it makes some sense to explain how the conferences stand today. As I mentioned before, I spent some time putting some data together from a variety of sources to study Division I basketball conferences and I've used that analysis below. I learned a few things.
Let's explore the concept of the term "mid-major." It's one you'll have heard if you follow college basketball, and it's thrown around a great deal without much definition. In reality it's an expression used to represent the "have-nots" of basketball. The most accepted definition of mid-major is simply the program of any school that does not belong to one of the six BCS (stands Bowl Championship Series and represents the conferences that have automatic bowl appearances in college football), or Power, conferences. There's a little bit of variability here... Nobody considers Memphis to be a mid-major, despite the fact that they are in the non-BCS Conference USA. On the other hand, Gonzaga is still considered a mid-major despite competing year after year with the country's top programs. Strangely enough, there are a handful of teams (Cincinnati and South Florida come to mind) that I think people consider mid-majors, but who are members of power conferences (in this case, the Big East).
I decided I didn't like this simplified definition, and set about looking through conference rankings. I settled on Ken Pomeroy's ratings... Preferring them over RPI as more accurate, and over Sagarin ratings, because the data was more readily available. The interesting thing I found was that there were clear demarcations between "levels." I took Pomeroy's information from 2004-2009 and calculated the average conference rating for each conference over that period. The interesting observation is that there tend to be very clear gaps between conference groups, so defined that a new group would form every time there was a difference of at least 2 in average ranking between two conferences. That resulted in the following:
Group (Conference Count) - Conference (Avg. Ranking)
Power Conferences (6) - ACC (1.83), Big East (3.17), SEC (3.67), Big XII (3.83), Pac 10 (4.5), Big 10 (4.5)
High Major Conferences (4) - Mountain West (7.5), Missouri Valley (8.33), C-USA (9.33), A10 (9.83)
Mid Major Conferences (5) - WAC (12), WCC (12.33), Horizon (12.83), MAC (13.83), CAA (14.33)
Low Major Conferences (4) - Big West (17.17), Metro Atlantic (18), Sun Belt (18.5), Summit (19)
Minor Conferences (10) - Southern (20.67), Big Sky (21.83), America East (22.33), Southland (23), Ivy League (24.17), Patriot (24.67), Ohio Valley (24.83), Big South (25.67), Northeast (26.5), Atlantic Sun (26.83)
WTF Conferences (2) - MEAC (30.17), SWAC (30.83)
Unrated Conference (1) - Great West (created just this season)
Regarding the (in)appropriately titled WTF Conferences... I hated to be rude but the MEAC and the SWAC finished either last or second to last EVERY year of this study. I don't really understand why people agitate for contraction in college basketball... More teams don't really hurt anyone, but these two conferences are very bad and maybe it should be considered as they never compete. That being said they're both comprised entirely of HBCU's so that may be deemed insensitive or politically incorrect.
Let's explore the concept of the term "mid-major." It's one you'll have heard if you follow college basketball, and it's thrown around a great deal without much definition. In reality it's an expression used to represent the "have-nots" of basketball. The most accepted definition of mid-major is simply the program of any school that does not belong to one of the six BCS (stands Bowl Championship Series and represents the conferences that have automatic bowl appearances in college football), or Power, conferences. There's a little bit of variability here... Nobody considers Memphis to be a mid-major, despite the fact that they are in the non-BCS Conference USA. On the other hand, Gonzaga is still considered a mid-major despite competing year after year with the country's top programs. Strangely enough, there are a handful of teams (Cincinnati and South Florida come to mind) that I think people consider mid-majors, but who are members of power conferences (in this case, the Big East).
I decided I didn't like this simplified definition, and set about looking through conference rankings. I settled on Ken Pomeroy's ratings... Preferring them over RPI as more accurate, and over Sagarin ratings, because the data was more readily available. The interesting thing I found was that there were clear demarcations between "levels." I took Pomeroy's information from 2004-2009 and calculated the average conference rating for each conference over that period. The interesting observation is that there tend to be very clear gaps between conference groups, so defined that a new group would form every time there was a difference of at least 2 in average ranking between two conferences. That resulted in the following:
Group (Conference Count) - Conference (Avg. Ranking)
Power Conferences (6) - ACC (1.83), Big East (3.17), SEC (3.67), Big XII (3.83), Pac 10 (4.5), Big 10 (4.5)
High Major Conferences (4) - Mountain West (7.5), Missouri Valley (8.33), C-USA (9.33), A10 (9.83)
Mid Major Conferences (5) - WAC (12), WCC (12.33), Horizon (12.83), MAC (13.83), CAA (14.33)
Low Major Conferences (4) - Big West (17.17), Metro Atlantic (18), Sun Belt (18.5), Summit (19)
Minor Conferences (10) - Southern (20.67), Big Sky (21.83), America East (22.33), Southland (23), Ivy League (24.17), Patriot (24.67), Ohio Valley (24.83), Big South (25.67), Northeast (26.5), Atlantic Sun (26.83)
WTF Conferences (2) - MEAC (30.17), SWAC (30.83)
Unrated Conference (1) - Great West (created just this season)
Regarding the (in)appropriately titled WTF Conferences... I hated to be rude but the MEAC and the SWAC finished either last or second to last EVERY year of this study. I don't really understand why people agitate for contraction in college basketball... More teams don't really hurt anyone, but these two conferences are very bad and maybe it should be considered as they never compete. That being said they're both comprised entirely of HBCU's so that may be deemed insensitive or politically incorrect.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Introduction: NCAA Division I Conference Realignment
Over the preceding few months I've found myself more and more interested in (and maybe even totally captivated by) conference alignment, as it relates to football and basketball, in Division I of the NCAA. I'm not sure where it came from, other than that I'm sure some poster's musings on Bradleyfans had to be related. I started off innocently enough, imagining a conference of basketball-focused private universities in the Midwest striking out and forming a basketball (and soccer) focused power conference. The interest had become something more when I unleashed a rambling drunken rampage on my brother and Dusty in Des Moines. Then it proceeded straight into the obsession phase when I spent some great many hours creating a spreadsheet including all basketball teams that will compete at the Division I level for the 2010-2011 season.
Now I will begin a series of posts/articles that will hopefully clearly convey my thoughts on scenarios for how this could occur and what some of the ramifications could be for college basketball in general and Bradley in particular.
Now I will begin a series of posts/articles that will hopefully clearly convey my thoughts on scenarios for how this could occur and what some of the ramifications could be for college basketball in general and Bradley in particular.
Following Baseball
If it was those halcyon days of 1999 and you looked me in the eye and sternly said, "John Dwyer, you're going to one day start a blog and nearly half of your posts are going to be about basketball." I would have laughed and told you just what you had coming. As it happens, I grew up a baseball player, and that means I grew up a baseball fan. My least favorite sport in my early years was basketball.
Sure, I'm from the Peoria area, and that means I was aware of Bradley basketball and nominally a fan. Sure, I grew up with the Bulls owning NBA championship after championship behind His Airness and was a nominal fan... But my limited talents and all of my love were focused on baseball, with a healthy sprinkling of Chicago Bears and a minor obsession with CART racing thrown in for flavor. But my first love was the New York Mets. Mets? Yeah, I dunno either. I should have been a Cubs or Cardinals fan like everyone else. My best theory is that it was a form of childish rebellion against the 'rents who were Yankees fans. Or maybe it was because they were kickass during my formative years. I honestly don't remember, but am positive that I've been a Mets fan my whole life.
Well, lucky you. That means you get to enjoy baseball with me. I've been trying to figure out how best to "cover" baseball. Basketball has been easier than maybe I thought it'd be. The games are dramatic, and at least in college, each one is incredibly important. Baseball can certainly be dramatic, but with a 162-game season, the games are essentially unimportant and anything you see in any given game could be extremely misleading. So, what I've decided to do is "report" on the season in two week chunks. Try to study each two week period and see what it is I find. I've never paid attention to baseball in this way and maybe I'll learn something. That's not to say I won't post here and there about significant happenings in baseball or whatever, but there will be some structure.
So... Period 1 has begun. Apr 4-17. Mets are already 1-1, by the way. They're old and they're expensive. I think it's going to be a tough year, but it's the beginning of a new season so I'm hopeful anyway.
Sure, I'm from the Peoria area, and that means I was aware of Bradley basketball and nominally a fan. Sure, I grew up with the Bulls owning NBA championship after championship behind His Airness and was a nominal fan... But my limited talents and all of my love were focused on baseball, with a healthy sprinkling of Chicago Bears and a minor obsession with CART racing thrown in for flavor. But my first love was the New York Mets. Mets? Yeah, I dunno either. I should have been a Cubs or Cardinals fan like everyone else. My best theory is that it was a form of childish rebellion against the 'rents who were Yankees fans. Or maybe it was because they were kickass during my formative years. I honestly don't remember, but am positive that I've been a Mets fan my whole life.
Well, lucky you. That means you get to enjoy baseball with me. I've been trying to figure out how best to "cover" baseball. Basketball has been easier than maybe I thought it'd be. The games are dramatic, and at least in college, each one is incredibly important. Baseball can certainly be dramatic, but with a 162-game season, the games are essentially unimportant and anything you see in any given game could be extremely misleading. So, what I've decided to do is "report" on the season in two week chunks. Try to study each two week period and see what it is I find. I've never paid attention to baseball in this way and maybe I'll learn something. That's not to say I won't post here and there about significant happenings in baseball or whatever, but there will be some structure.
So... Period 1 has begun. Apr 4-17. Mets are already 1-1, by the way. They're old and they're expensive. I think it's going to be a tough year, but it's the beginning of a new season so I'm hopeful anyway.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Not The Outcome I Wanted, but a Great Game!
Well, I think David might have shattered Goliath's eye... But when he moved in to cut off the head, Goliath reached up, vitreous humor flowing, and smashed David right in the mouth.
What a great NCAA Championship. Would I have loved it a bit more if Butler won? Oh yeah, absolutely. But the refs called it pretty straight up, Duke played some tough-ass defense, and Butler didn't convert on some critical opportunities. The man Butler wants to take the last shot, took the last two shots. The half-court shot that ALMOST banked in would have been the stuff of legends. Just a great game, and a joy to watch. Best part is, there's a good chance there's another run in Butler. They lose only one starter, Willie Veasley, and one key role-player in the form of sweet playing and All Name Team candidate Avery Jukes. There is some question if sophomore Gordon Hayward couldn't jump to the NBA after this run, which would alter the game... But provided he sticks around, Butler ought to be able to secure a preseason top 10 or top 5 ranking.
Well, that concludes the 2009-2010 college basketball season... A purely frustrating year for a Bradley fan, but Butler's run was a nice poultice to be able to put on the wound. Incidentally, just because the season is over doesn't mean you get to escape my basketball musings. Oh, no. Ohhhh, no. Now you get to hear about all my favorite basketball fantasies for Bradley University. Buckle up!
What a great NCAA Championship. Would I have loved it a bit more if Butler won? Oh yeah, absolutely. But the refs called it pretty straight up, Duke played some tough-ass defense, and Butler didn't convert on some critical opportunities. The man Butler wants to take the last shot, took the last two shots. The half-court shot that ALMOST banked in would have been the stuff of legends. Just a great game, and a joy to watch. Best part is, there's a good chance there's another run in Butler. They lose only one starter, Willie Veasley, and one key role-player in the form of sweet playing and All Name Team candidate Avery Jukes. There is some question if sophomore Gordon Hayward couldn't jump to the NBA after this run, which would alter the game... But provided he sticks around, Butler ought to be able to secure a preseason top 10 or top 5 ranking.
Well, that concludes the 2009-2010 college basketball season... A purely frustrating year for a Bradley fan, but Butler's run was a nice poultice to be able to put on the wound. Incidentally, just because the season is over doesn't mean you get to escape my basketball musings. Oh, no. Ohhhh, no. Now you get to hear about all my favorite basketball fantasies for Bradley University. Buckle up!
The Die is Cast
Butler v. Duke
David v. Goliath
This is it, people. The type of matchup I've been waiting for. A very "mid" major program... Butler's been dominating the Horizon League for a few years. The Horizon League is the epitome of what I think of a mid-major conference as... They're right in the middle of the conference ratings year after year. They aren't like the MVC, the A10, or the MWC, all conferences that challenge the "power" conferences every year. Without Butler they'd look more like the Patriot League. Butler's got talent though. Like a good mid-major they're constructed around a few very good players with reasonable mid-level talent to make their depth. Their bench has some talent, and plays hard, but they don't have a line of McDonald's All-Americans riding the pine waiting for their minutes. The Bulldogs will depend on names like Hayward, Mack. 3 stars. 2 stars.
Duke. Goliath. The perfect embodiment of everything a mid-major fan believes of "power conference" arrogance. Their Emperor Palpatine-like Coach K. He's brooding on the sidelines shrewishly. He's turning his evil laser eyes on the refs should a call dare go the way of any of his opponents. Actual coaching? I think he's above that, don't you? A roster full of blue-chip, 5-star, high school All-Americans. The unflinching, unquestioning, and disgusting love of Dick Vitale, Digger Phelps, and Jay Bilas. Fans who just assume that you shouldn't bother showing up because Duke is so amazingly wonderful that their mere aura will turn the bowels of their opponents to water and mush. They've even got the size of the biblical giant. Butler, for a mid, isn't small, but on the court they look like mere mice for Duke's big men to tread upon. Zoubek. Goliath. The Plumlees. The Brothers Goliath.
So, for every underdog in the world, get that sling a-wound Butler. Kill Goliath. Shatter his eye with your slingstone. Cut off his head when you're done.
David v. Goliath
This is it, people. The type of matchup I've been waiting for. A very "mid" major program... Butler's been dominating the Horizon League for a few years. The Horizon League is the epitome of what I think of a mid-major conference as... They're right in the middle of the conference ratings year after year. They aren't like the MVC, the A10, or the MWC, all conferences that challenge the "power" conferences every year. Without Butler they'd look more like the Patriot League. Butler's got talent though. Like a good mid-major they're constructed around a few very good players with reasonable mid-level talent to make their depth. Their bench has some talent, and plays hard, but they don't have a line of McDonald's All-Americans riding the pine waiting for their minutes. The Bulldogs will depend on names like Hayward, Mack. 3 stars. 2 stars.
Duke. Goliath. The perfect embodiment of everything a mid-major fan believes of "power conference" arrogance. Their Emperor Palpatine-like Coach K. He's brooding on the sidelines shrewishly. He's turning his evil laser eyes on the refs should a call dare go the way of any of his opponents. Actual coaching? I think he's above that, don't you? A roster full of blue-chip, 5-star, high school All-Americans. The unflinching, unquestioning, and disgusting love of Dick Vitale, Digger Phelps, and Jay Bilas. Fans who just assume that you shouldn't bother showing up because Duke is so amazingly wonderful that their mere aura will turn the bowels of their opponents to water and mush. They've even got the size of the biblical giant. Butler, for a mid, isn't small, but on the court they look like mere mice for Duke's big men to tread upon. Zoubek. Goliath. The Plumlees. The Brothers Goliath.
So, for every underdog in the world, get that sling a-wound Butler. Kill Goliath. Shatter his eye with your slingstone. Cut off his head when you're done.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Butler advances to the NCAA Finals!!
The Butler Bulldogs have advanced to the NCAA Finals! I think it's the first time a mid-major not named Memphis has made the championship game since Indiana State (with Larry Bird) in 1979. It's an incredible achievement, and I have to think that no matter who they play (Duke or West Virginia) Butler will be America's team that night.
The game itself was a good on. Both teams were tied at the half, with Butler pulling out to an early 2nd half lead. Tom Izzo's Michigan State teams will never disappear on you and despite foul trouble for most of their front court they held Butler without a field goal for what felt like 37 years. As it happens, though, Butler isn't exactly a poor defending team and they held MSU to a similar interminably long no-FG stretch. That brought it right down to the wire with Butler winning 52-50. MSU attempted the missed FT and didn't get it in. I would have preferred this to be the Finals, as I like both teams considerably more than Duke or WVU... But this way, I guess, I won't have to feel that little pang of regret to see MSU eliminated.
A couple of other game notes, Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack combined for 25 of Butler's 28 first half points. In the second half, Mack was mostly sidelined with muscle spasms in his thighs and only played 8 or 9 minutes. The duo only had 8 points in the second half and Butler only 24. Hayward came up with some monster plays in the last couple of minutes in the game however to decide the contest. Another interesting thing happened with Tom Izzo getting very very fired up during the last play of the game, with Draymond Green (who'd just fouled out) pushing Izzo away from the ref and giving him a giant bearhug to keep him from getting T'd up. It was a little humorous, but I thought it was also an illustration of just how much Izzo's players trust and respect him.
I almost don't want to mention it, since Butler pulled it out, but the only thing that detracted a bit for me was in the last four minutes, the refs really started calling a lot of very very questionable calls against Butler. It didn't end up affecting the outcome, but it helped get things a little closer for MSU. It may have just been a coincedence, as so far it hasn't seemed like the refs have dogged Butler very often earlier in the tournament. I've always got my eyes open to this kind of thing, but refs need to be consistent-- whether a school is from a BCS conference or not... And maybe they were. Butler did have a sizeable "foul lead," but it just seemed to go one way suddenly.
The game itself was a good on. Both teams were tied at the half, with Butler pulling out to an early 2nd half lead. Tom Izzo's Michigan State teams will never disappear on you and despite foul trouble for most of their front court they held Butler without a field goal for what felt like 37 years. As it happens, though, Butler isn't exactly a poor defending team and they held MSU to a similar interminably long no-FG stretch. That brought it right down to the wire with Butler winning 52-50. MSU attempted the missed FT and didn't get it in. I would have preferred this to be the Finals, as I like both teams considerably more than Duke or WVU... But this way, I guess, I won't have to feel that little pang of regret to see MSU eliminated.
A couple of other game notes, Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack combined for 25 of Butler's 28 first half points. In the second half, Mack was mostly sidelined with muscle spasms in his thighs and only played 8 or 9 minutes. The duo only had 8 points in the second half and Butler only 24. Hayward came up with some monster plays in the last couple of minutes in the game however to decide the contest. Another interesting thing happened with Tom Izzo getting very very fired up during the last play of the game, with Draymond Green (who'd just fouled out) pushing Izzo away from the ref and giving him a giant bearhug to keep him from getting T'd up. It was a little humorous, but I thought it was also an illustration of just how much Izzo's players trust and respect him.
I almost don't want to mention it, since Butler pulled it out, but the only thing that detracted a bit for me was in the last four minutes, the refs really started calling a lot of very very questionable calls against Butler. It didn't end up affecting the outcome, but it helped get things a little closer for MSU. It may have just been a coincedence, as so far it hasn't seemed like the refs have dogged Butler very often earlier in the tournament. I've always got my eyes open to this kind of thing, but refs need to be consistent-- whether a school is from a BCS conference or not... And maybe they were. Butler did have a sizeable "foul lead," but it just seemed to go one way suddenly.
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