New bellarmine thread

[KnightStalker]

Re: New bellarmine thread

Yeah, I've been looking at that new team photo and am wondering if my man Cook and Younker are just clowning around on their tip-toes.

If they really wanted to even things out height-wise, it seems Eberhard and Penn should've switched places.

Guess one can tell it's the off-season, and we're desperate for stuff to talk about.

I do think they have Eberhard sitting because all the seniors are sitting around Davenport. They stick the two shortest underclassmen at the end of the sitting row to even it out. (You would be amazed how much time Moves and I wasted studying that picture.... anything to distract from doing real work!)

[BellarmineGrad]

Re: New bellarmine thread

I hear ya -- I wasted too much time looking at that team photo as well, particularly trying to determine if Cook and Younker are on tip-toes.

Think it would've balanced things out slightly better if Penn and Chitty switched places; seems that would've made for less of a drop-off in height from Palombizio.

[Knightmoves]

Re: New bellarmine thread

There really is no reason to measure the top of player's heads. The relevant measurement is to the finger tips with arms raised straight up. They never give us that measurment. To that end, when looking at a group picture, the most useful comparison is the height of the shoulders. Again, knowing that Weyer is a legit 6'7", comparing his shoulder height to Younker's, the 6'10" height of Younker looks to be accurate and maybe even low. It seems entirely possible that Younker has grown 2-3 inches since the beginning of his senior year in high school. Probably not that unusual for such extraordinarily tall men. His continued growth may mean that he is still developing coordination and athleticism.

Younker may be a George Suggs reboot. Which would be great. He is not just a tall potted plant. He was a good three point shooter in high school and a very high percentage shooter from the field on a team that he was not even the first or second offensive option. Fans always want to see a freshman big guy get substantial playing time, hoping he will develop into a dominating presence. If Younker gets anything other than mop up time, it will speak well of his potential.

[TSU_Mike59]

Re: New bellarmine thread

Didn't know if you BU guys saw this, but Parker Chitty was BU's representative for the newest "GLVC is Me" campaign:
https://youtu.be/QjCO5FnmfcI

[BellarmineGrad]

Re: New bellarmine thread

Again, knowing that Weyer is a legit 6'7", comparing his shoulder height to Younker's, the 6'10" height of Younker looks to be accurate and maybe even low.

I saw Younker up close this summer while he was helping at Scotty's camps, and he definitely is a "tall drink of water."

[#1KnightFan]

Re: New bellarmine thread

Street & Smith's Pre-Season Rankings (2018-19 Season)
1. West Liberty 26-4
2. Bellarmine 29-3
3. Indiana (Pa.) 22-8
4. Lincoln Memorial 32-2
5. West Texas A&M 32-4
6. Saint Anselm 22-9
7. Virginia State 25-5
8. Southern Nazarene 27-3
9. St. Cloud State 24-9
10.Cal Poly Pomona 23-7

[Knightmoves]

Re: New bellarmine thread

We all make fun of these rankings every year so insert the usual criticism. No problem with BU's #2, but there is no logic in WLU being #1. They lost three of their last four games last season, losing in the first round of the NCAA by about 30 points. Even if they had their whole team back, there would not be a reason to rank them #1 in the country, and they don't have their whole team back. Additionally their coach is not a proven winner, so they should not be getting a lot of credit for their previous success. You would think that people who cover basketball for a living would know putting up a ton of points, does not in of itself make a team a championship contender. (Would love to hear a defense of WLU being #1 by any of the WLU people who occasionally drift over here. Maybe I'll go trolling over there.)

On the other hand, I always enjoy the rekindling of basketball fever when these polls get published, even if they are uninformed.

[DUPanther]

Re: New bellarmine thread

We all make fun of these rankings every year so insert the usual criticism. No problem with BU's #2, but there is no logic in WLU being #1. They lost three of their last four games last season, losing in the first round of the NCAA by about 30 points. Even if they had their whole team back, there would not be a reason to rank them #1 in the country, and they don't have their whole team back. Additionally their coach is not a proven winner, so they should not be getting a lot of credit for their previous success. You would think that people who cover basketball for a living would know putting up a ton of points, does not in of itself make a team a championship contender. (Would love to hear a defense of WLU being #1 by any of the WLU people who occasionally drift over here. Maybe I'll go trolling over there.)

On the other hand, I always enjoy the rekindling of basketball fever when these polls get published, even if they are uninformed.

I'd be shocked if any of these people who do the preseason D2 rankings even watch a D2 game in person all year.

[JDonAB92]

Re: New bellarmine thread

West Lib lost a darn good player in Monteroso. I realize Boswell transferred in from Wheeling but he has to sit out this season. And as was mentioned, West Lib got bounced in their last two games. The Shipp game looked like a train wreck. And I thought against UC that Osborne made the adjustments at halftime while Howlett didn't. I don't think the MEC is very strong either.

I believe whoever contributed to this has an Atlantic Region bias but not much research. I thought IUP lost Anthony Glover who was a tremendous player. Unless he found another year of eligibility, then that is a big loss.

Virginia State in the Top Ten? They lost their top two scorers and the CIAA rep hasn't done a whole in that region in years. Why a top ten ranking?

I actually think the Elite Eight representative from the Atlantic Region would be the team to rank, if you were going to rank one. East Stroudsburg returns 5 of their top 8 scorers from a pretty balanced lineup. It appears they return their 2nd, 3rd and 4th leading scorers from a team that lost by eight points to Northern. Fairmont State has recruited well the last few years, but are probably a year away from an Elite 8 appearance.

I haven't looked at Street and Smith for years. I don't plan on this year. I am just trying to see how the Atlantic got 3 teams in the top ten. I see no justification.

[glvcpro]

[KnightStalker]

Re: New bellarmine thread

We all make fun of these rankings every year so insert the usual criticism. No problem with BU's #2, but there is no logic in WLU being #1. They lost three of their last four games last season, losing in the first round of the NCAA by about 30 points. Even if they had their whole team back, there would not be a reason to rank them #1 in the country, and they don't have their whole team back. Additionally their coach is not a proven winner, so they should not be getting a lot of credit for their previous success. You would think that people who cover basketball for a living would know putting up a ton of points, does not in of itself make a team a championship contender. (Would love to hear a defense of WLU being #1 by any of the WLU people who occasionally drift over here. Maybe I'll go trolling over there.)

On the other hand, I always enjoy the rekindling of basketball fever when these polls get published, even if they are uninformed.

I can't say I have done any research on it but if I had to pick a #1 team right now and had to excuse BU due to my bias, I would go with Lincoln Memorial. I'm not sure who they lost and who they picked up but I just get a sense that their program is on a roll and they are getting really good talent.

[Knightmoves]

Re: New bellarmine thread

I can't say I have done any research on it but if I had to pick a #1 team right now and had to excuse BU due to my bias, I would go with Lincoln Memorial. I'm not sure who they lost and who they picked up but I just get a sense that their program is on a roll and they are getting really good talent.

I do agree that LMU looks to be getting talent, however, they did use up the eligibility of 4 of 5 starters from last season and they really did not get a lot of quality minutes from their bench last year.

[Knightmoves]

Re: New bellarmine thread

Looking across the country, a team that returns their top 7 players in minutes played and was a very tough out in the final four is West Texas A&M. Drury is starting the season against them.

[BellarmineGrad]

Re: New bellarmine thread

More off-season fodder, in case any of my fellow Knights fans haven't seen it:
https://athletics.bellarmine.edu/new...-american.aspx

[KnightStalker]

Re: New bellarmine thread

More off-season fodder, in case any of my fellow Knights fans haven't seen it:
https://athletics.bellarmine.edu/new...-american.aspx

It is good to see Eberhard get the recognition. It's hard sometimes for people who make such decisions to know all about D2 players, so scoring average gets too much attention. Adam does so much more and it just does not show up in the stats. They need the hockey stat of assist of a assist to really show what he does on offense.