NC

[Ship69]

Of course you need good players. But it’s also hard to ignore that the last four national championship games have all involved at least one team that plays Jim Crutchfield’s brand of basketball and only a Minnesota State buzzer beater has stopped those teams from winning four straight national championships.

Saying that makes me wonder just how the West Liberty fans feel today. Seeing another team win a natty with the style made famous at your school with a HC from outside “the family” who was handed the keys, I have to say I’d feel a little raw personally. Heck, as an IUP fan who has watched them knock on the door for more than 30 years, I know I’m in the minority but I don’t love seeing another PSAC team win it. I mean, hats off to Gannon, they absolutely deserved it, but I’d be fibbing if I said I felt all warm and fuzzy. I’m sure I’d feel different if IUP had finished the deal at least one of those times.

I think this Gannon team could have won playing basically any style. They had that much talent. Cal actually finished the deal on them twice, but did it in the conference tourney rather than the regional. Looking at the competition in the Elite 8, I think either Cal or maybe even IUP could have had a shot at the title.

[Scrub]

Of course you need good players. But it’s also hard to ignore that the last four national championship games have all involved at least one team that plays Jim Crutchfield’s brand of basketball and only a Minnesota State buzzer beater has stopped those teams from winning four straight national championships.

Saying that makes me wonder just how the West Liberty fans feel today. Seeing another team win a natty with the style made famous at your school with a HC from outside “the family” who was handed the keys, I have to say I’d feel a little raw personally. Heck, as an IUP fan who has watched them knock on the door for more than 30 years, I know I’m in the minority but I don’t love seeing another PSAC team win it. I mean, hats off to Gannon, they absolutely deserved it, but I’d be fibbing if I said I felt all warm and fuzzy. I’m sure I’d feel different if IUP had finished the deal at least one of those times.

You nailed it, Chuck. I'm trying really hard not to be salty about it. We "invented" the system only to see schools with better locations/resources/recruiting advantages take it all the way to the finish. Hard to swallow over here on the Hilltop.

[bballfan03]

I thought this was a cool note... Lathan Coleman (2 GU) is redshirting this year, which is why he played a few games early on (in which he did great) and then never left the bench again. Easton assured with Gannon/NCAA that Lathan was still eligible for the redshirt, so that, if it occurred, Lathan could play in the NC game.

Stories you like to hear about to see when coaches truly care.

[Chuck Norris]

I think this Gannon team could have won playing basically any style. They had that much talent. Cal actually finished the deal on them twice, but did it in the conference tourney rather than the regional. Looking at the competition in the Elite 8, I think either Cal or maybe even IUP could have had a shot at the title.

Sure they had the talent to be very good, but I think the constant pressure they applied absolutely put them over the top. You could see how much it affected all their Elite 8 opponents.

As for Cal or IUP being serious NC contenders, I’d respectfully disagree. There was similar conversation around the women’s championship. Grand Valley got a few stiff challenges from conference foes because those teams knew them. Their coaches knew them. Same with Gannon. It took IUP four tries to come anywhere close to beating them. It was oft discussed that Cal was very inconsistent. They matched up reasonably well with Gannon. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’d match up as well with Oklahoma Baptist or Lander.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Sure they had the talent to be very good, but I think the constant pressure they applied absolutely put them over the top. You could see how much it affected all their Elite 8 opponents.

As for Cal or IUP being serious NC contenders, I’d respectfully disagree. There was similar conversation around the women’s championship. Grand Valley got a few stiff challenges from conference foes because those teams knew them. Their coaches knew them. Same with Gannon. It took IUP four tries to come anywhere close to beating them. It was oft discussed that Cal was very inconsistent. They matched up reasonably well with Gannon. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’d match up as well with Oklahoma Baptist or Lander.

Bazolli built a near-perfect roster.

He had his stars. He had dirty work guys. He had size. They could play fast or slow.

That was the best team in the Atlantic Region in 40 years (or longer).

To Ship69's point, yes, IUP had a really good team this year. They were just unfortunately stuck with playing a generational team four times. But, Joe winning two tournament games against Fairmont State and Virginia Union was pretty impressive. In the NCAA loss to Gannon, they played as good as they could. On that day, I think IUP would have beat the vast majority of teams not named Gannon. The West was just brutal this season. Even the basement teams were tough. The West had the best team in the country, IUP made the Sweet 16 and Cal was very strong.

But, as they say: when one season ends another begins. The West -- nearly top to bottom -- starts a MAJOR rebuilding process. These teams were gutted.

[Columbuseer]

You nailed it, Chuck. I'm trying really hard not to be salty about it. We "invented" the system only to see schools with better locations/resources/recruiting advantages take it all the way to the finish. Hard to swallow over here on the Hilltop.

I have a somewhat different take. I was happy for Gannon because it will bring more visibility to "the system", which could increase the pool of talented players that are interested in all the schools that play the system, including WLU.

IMHO, WLU lucked into the stye. Crutchfield, a former high school coach, elite WLU tennis coach and an assistant coach at WLU , was somehow chosen after the existing coach left. Technically, it is his system, not WLU's.

IMHO, to get to the national finals, regardless of style, one needs at least one All-American level player on the team, as well as avoiding an off-shooting night, while avoiding bad team matchups.

If WLU alums want to overcome your correctly stated advantages that other schools possess, then they should contribute to a WLU NIL collective and/or earmark funds for the men's basketball recruiting budget are perhaps the best countermeasures.

[Ship69]

Bazolli built a near-perfect roster.

He had his stars. He had dirty work guys. He had size. They could play fast or slow.

That was the best team in the Atlantic Region in 40 years (or longer).

To Ship69's point, yes, IUP had a really good team this year. They were just unfortunately stuck with playing a generational team four times. But, Joe winning two tournament games against Fairmont State and Virginia Union was pretty impressive. In the NCAA loss to Gannon, they played as good as they could. On that day, I think IUP would have beat the vast majority of teams not named Gannon. The West was just brutal this season. Even the basement teams were tough. The West had the best team in the country, IUP made the Sweet 16 and Cal was very strong.

But, as they say: when one season ends another begins. The West -- nearly top to bottom -- starts a MAJOR rebuilding process. These teams were gutted.

You need quality forwards who can hit the boards to have a really good team. Those are probably the hardest guys to find in D2 right now. As I know you've posted in the past, Ship had a great one in Dustin Sleva a few years back, but it would be very hard to hold onto a guy like that for four years in today's portal atmosphere. There are plenty of good guards in the PSAC in an average year, but the teams that separate themselves are usually the ones that can rough-house on the boards. Gannon has some good ones this year, and that relentless attack set them apart from the other teams in the league. Cal, when it was playing its best, was one of the few teams that could contest them in that respect.

[Chuck Norris]

Bazolli built a near-perfect roster.

He had his stars. He had dirty work guys. He had size. They could play fast or slow.

That was the best team in the Atlantic Region in 40 years (or longer).

To Ship69's point, yes, IUP had a really good team this year. They were just unfortunately stuck with playing a generational team four times. But, Joe winning two tournament games against Fairmont State and Virginia Union was pretty impressive. In the NCAA loss to Gannon, they played as good as they could. On that day, I think IUP would have beat the vast majority of teams not named Gannon. The West was just brutal this season. Even the basement teams were tough. The West had the best team in the country, IUP made the Sweet 16 and Cal was very strong.

But, as they say: when one season ends another begins. The West -- nearly top to bottom -- starts a MAJOR rebuilding process. These teams were gutted.

He did that for sure. It’s well established you’re not going to score 100 points per game in the NCAA tournament. You have to win gritty games. Nova did it. Now Gannon has. Getting that right mix of players and then unleashing constant pressure is lethal at this level. Even in a game played in the 60s or 70s, constant pressure takes a toll.

I don’t know about the best Atlantic Region team in 40 years. That’s a long time. Gannon cut the nets down so it’s tough to argue, but some awfully good teams have won the Atlantic/East region in that time. Unfortunately they’ve ran into some incredible teams in the Elite 8. I truly don’t want to discredit Gannon’s win, but in all honesty based on what I saw of the Elite 8, Gannon picked the right year to have a great team.

[IUPNation]

How did Joe not recruit that Prosser kid playing at a high school straight down 219….its like when Frank didn’t snap up McKavish from Ebensburg.

[IUPNation]

Of course you need good players. But it’s also hard to ignore that the last four national championship games have all involved at least one team that plays Jim Crutchfield’s brand of basketball and only a Minnesota State buzzer beater has stopped those teams from winning four straight national championships.

Saying that makes me wonder just how the West Liberty fans feel today. Seeing another team win a natty with the style made famous at your school with a HC from outside “the family” who was handed the keys, I have to say I’d feel a little raw personally. Heck, as an IUP fan who has watched them knock on the door for more than 30 years, I know I’m in the minority but I don’t love seeing another PSAC team win it. I mean, hats off to Gannon, they absolutely deserved it, but I’d be fibbing if I said I felt all warm and fuzzy. I’m sure I’d feel different if IUP had finished the deal at least one of those times.

I was okay watching LIT AF win the title mainly because they weren’t the first Pee Sack school to win it..Cheyney took that honor 48 years ago.

Now foosball..only IUP can be the first to win the NC because of the IUP Rule..nobody else should be allowed to win it until IUP does…they sabotaged us.

[ctrabs74]

Which of course is tampering, but nobody seems to want to do anything about it.

On another note, anybody catch how Gene Steratore butchered the name of the PSAC? I think he said "Presidential" instead of Pennsylvania. He is a western PA guy so I am sure he knew what it meant at one point in time.

Probably had a brain cramp and confused the PSAC with the Presidents Athletic Conference (PAC), which last I checked has a pretty significant presence in Western PA as well.

Also, Gene Steratore is a Cal U guy...

[ctrabs74]

Great job by Gannon. PSAC champs in the men, runner-up for the woman. Great look for the Presidents Athletic Conference. Lol

Shades of 2015 when the Cal women won the national title and the IUP men lost their title game.

[IUPHawks24]

Bazolli built a near-perfect roster.

He had his stars. He had dirty work guys. He had size. They could play fast or slow.

That was the best team in the Atlantic Region in 40 years (or longer).

To Ship69's point, yes, IUP had a really good team this year. They were just unfortunately stuck with playing a generational team four times. But, Joe winning two tournament games against Fairmont State and Virginia Union was pretty impressive. In the NCAA loss to Gannon, they played as good as they could. On that day, I think IUP would have beat the vast majority of teams not named Gannon. The West was just brutal this season. Even the basement teams were tough. The West had the best team in the country, IUP made the Sweet 16 and Cal was very strong.

But, as they say: when one season ends another begins. The West -- nearly top to bottom -- starts a MAJOR rebuilding process. These teams were gutted.

I don’t know about that. Gannon had a great team, but the Top of Division II is down from even 4-5 years ago. The no sit out for lateral Division I transfers and Division II to Division I transfers has weakened the top of Division II considerably. The NW MO State teams were 10-15 points better than this iteration of Gannon. I even think the best IUP and Hurst teams from 2019-2022 could easily give this Gannon team a run for their money.

Take nothing away from Gannon though. They are playing by the same rules as everyone else. Prosser is a special, special player, and they surrounded him with good pieces.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I don’t know about that. Gannon had a great team, but the Top of Division II is down from even 4-5 years ago. The no sit out for lateral Division I transfers and Division II to Division I transfers has weakened the top of Division II considerably. The NW MO State teams were 10-15 points better than this iteration of Gannon. I even think the best IUP and Hurst teams from 2019-2022 could easily give this Gannon team a run for their money.

Take nothing away from Gannon though. They are playing by the same rules as everyone else. Prosser is a special, special player, and they surrounded him with good pieces.

Do you mean that IUP team from 4-5 years ago that got blown out at home in the Regional final by a system team?

[IUPHawks24]

Do you mean that IUP team from 4-5 years ago that got blown out at home in the Regional final by a system team?

Nope. That was 3 years ago. I’m thinking the 2022 or the 2020 team, that each had 4-5 low major to mid major players on the roster.

Or a Mercyhurst team in 2019 that beat a system team by double digits in the Sweet 16 and then took a NW MO St team which had the MIAA POY (Witthus), a future All Big East Forward (Hawkins) and a multiple time NPOY who played in the NBA (Hudgins) to the final minute.

Again, Gannon is a great team- I was at their Final Four game in Pittsburgh- they were 10-15 points better than Nova SE on that particular night- more athletic and stronger. I think they would’ve handled Nova, had Nova made the final.

But there’s no way constant player movement, the transfer rules, and the ability to pay players isn’t hurting the highest level of Division II basketball.