What? A Division III post? I know, with February winding down it's about time!
Although I don't participate as much anymore, I still view volleytalk's forum daily to get the latest gossip/rumors on the season. Recently, a thread started talking about the potential 2010 D-III All-Americans. And I still haven't quite figured out how to respond, because some of the posts have been brain-numbing. There are so many different perspectives on who should get it and who shouldn't that you aren't always going to please everyone.
One of the gripes I always heard in numerous D-III circles about is Endicott always getting All-Americans, largely skewed by the fact that coach Tim Byram is on the committee. Before all the trolls come about and tell me how the process REALLY works and how it's unfair to say that, let me finish: I am not faulting Byram for simply doing what he can to promote his players in a positive manner. He's one of seven coaches on that board. So if Dan Coleman (A good libero but played for a team that never made it past the 2nd round of NECVA's) can be a three-time All-American, the system if flawed. Statistics are important, but it needs to go much deeper than that, as they can be skewed.
No worries though, because I have a fix. I present to you "Volleyballer4life's rules to a successful All-American selection process"!
THE "BIG THREE" RULE.
Juniata, UC-Santa Cruz, and Springfield automatically each get three All-Americans, with the 1 seed heading into Molten's getting a 4th. After each season, the teams are reviewed and the committee can veto this rule for the upcoming season with 5 votes against it.
If you look at the previous years, this is not that much of a stretch. Last year, these 3 teams combined for 6 of the 20 spots. Not a bad representation. However, who here watched the replay of the National Championship? Did anyone else see Anthony Damiano from Juniata? Are you going to tell me that he really pales in comparison to Leserman/Coleman? This was the biggest snub last season. All three of these teams year in and year out have players that would start at any other Division III school they were at and make an immediate impact. I don't like the lack of parity, but I can't deny it. So until these juggernauts show any signs of slowing down, they get half of the accolades.
THE NECVA RULES
NECVA champion gets a minimum of two players. Simple enough.
Down to 8 spots or less! Here's where it gets fun.
NECVA teams must make it to the second round of the tournament to have players considered.
Let's look at the teams that would have been eliminated from last year's voting from this:
Hunter, Medaille, SUNY NP, Elms, Newbury, Emmanuel, Eastern Mennonite, MIT.
If you look at the All-Americans from last year, this rule techincally worked out anyways. The year before, there would be four violations: Witofsky/Coleman from Endicott, Pamidimukkala from MIT, and Brubaker from PBU.
I'm not saying that these players aren't all very strong - nor am I saying there weren't players from last year that weren't deserving of the thought at least - Elms and Newbury had some standout players. However, when I think of All-Americans, we can review box scores all we want, but there are intangibles to be considered.
Take Newbury's loss to Philly Bible last year. We were the higher seed, probably were deeper talent-wise, and fell apart. People were yelling at each other on the court, no one was able to take the game over, and we lost in four, although it could have easily have been a sweep. If you can't will your team to win in the first round of a 16-team tournament that doesn't include the big 3, then all-conference is about as high as you should get. Poise is something that you can't necessarily chart on paper, but it should be one of the highest priorities when choosing someone as an AA.
Sometimes, the fact that you will your team to the playoffs is even a feat though. Hence:
THE BRUBAKER CLAUSE
With the unanimous vote by the AVCA committee, ONE player from a team that does not meet the prior rules may be voted as an All-American.
There are some players that thrive on mid-level teams where you aren't sure if they'd have the same success on a top team. Brubaker is an example of a guy that would be successful in just about any program. That being said, the committee can vote someone in that meets these standards.
And finally, my favorite rule:
THE "LETS HELP EVERYONE STOP CRYING ABOUT SNUBS" ALL-AMERICAN HONNORABLE MENTION AWARD.
Although a third-team would be unnecessary, certainly it'd be nice to know who just misses the cut. There are always 5-10 guys that a lot of people bring up that should have been on the list, and most of them really are only missing one or two pieces to the puzzle. Therefore, let the committee pick 10 players that just fell short. No criteria regarding their team. This gives credit to players that had a great season individually, and perhaps it helps push them to get to the next level the following year. It also gives a little credit to their schools, and perhaps that'll help bring in a recruit that wants to help build a program from being middle-tier into a contender.
These rules really only make the committee pick 5-6 players, as well as the Honorable Mention team. Although I'd like to say Division III has enough parity to say this wouldn't work... it doesn't. Juniata and Springfield are the only two teams that have won D-III titles that haven't moved up or dropped their program. The gap is getting closer, but still has a long way to go.
Perhaps Baruch will alter that this year. Time will tell.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
2/20 Tourney Recap and Looking Forward
Well, my first tournament with Northside Shockers came and went and it certainly had its ups and downs. We lost a nailbiter to McLuvin 15-13 in the third for the finals, which was disappointing but I don't plan on dwelling on it. The tournament itself was incredibly balanced - 2 teams went 5-3, one went 4-4, and the last 2 went 3-5. Talk about parity! Was fun to play in.
The ups were I couldn't be happier with my team. Great players, great attitudes, and very patient with me (we'll get to that later). We played iron man (6 guys, no libero) - and I was pretty impressed with our 6'7-6'8 middles playing backrow! We certainly had our spurts where teams made runs on us, but for our first tournament of the year there's a lot to be positive about.
As for me personally, it was a tournament of ups and downs. The first match I played outside and felt pretty comfortable - a few unforced hitting errors that had me shaking my head afterwards, but overall a decent start. Afterwards, they switched me and the opposite, and I got off to a great start by having the opponent's outside (Rob Housing I believe, pretty good player out of NIU) destroy my left thumb on a block. I played through it, but my serve receive never fully recovered from it, as I was struggling to set a standard ball even while peppering.
Aside from that, my hitting just wasn't as crisp on the rightside. Kwon is the best setter I've stepped on a court with, I just need to work on taking a sharper approach as I'm sittin on the pin, while most the sets were more like back 2's. It's been awhile since I've played in a fast-tempo system, so I'm just gettin rid of the cobwebs and working on my approach. Still, I'm getting a lot of solo blocks, I should be terminating those balls. In the finals I started to connect better, and I think I'll do fine with time. However, my blocking needs to be a little stronger, which I'm sure will come with repetition.
Despite what I felt wasn't my best first impression with the team, everyone was cool and Kwon made sure to tell me not to be so hard on myself. He's a great player/coach, and I look forward to improving under his wing! It reminds me of the first season I played USAV with Bada Bing, and although I didn't start every match, I learned a lot and used that with a good off-season to move up to a go-to hitter for them the following season. Hope I can do the same for this squad!
Went to the doctor about my thumb, he said it was a pretty good sprain. Thought there might be a slight tear to the ligament/muscle, but after I did his rehab/icing for a few days, he felt like that most likely wasn't the case. The swelling's already down quite a bit, but the pain's still pretty strong. I'm testing it out at a setter's clinic I run on Thursdays tonight, and with a little tape I should have no problem this weekend.
Looking forward to this weekend - Windy City Invitational in Vernon Hills. We have an incredibly tough pool, running into Summit and Lights Out, two of the stronger Chicagoland teams. I'm very excited to play against them, Summit is a 2-time AA USAV National Champion, with a few 5th's in the Open Division. Lights Out played in Open last year as well. This tournament we're bringing 8, including a libero (my boy Kyle Due who I've always wanted to play alongside) and a lefty opposite, which hopefully opens me up for a little more outside work. Regardless, I'll play whatever position the team needs, and am fired up to have a strong second tournament with the team!
The ups were I couldn't be happier with my team. Great players, great attitudes, and very patient with me (we'll get to that later). We played iron man (6 guys, no libero) - and I was pretty impressed with our 6'7-6'8 middles playing backrow! We certainly had our spurts where teams made runs on us, but for our first tournament of the year there's a lot to be positive about.
As for me personally, it was a tournament of ups and downs. The first match I played outside and felt pretty comfortable - a few unforced hitting errors that had me shaking my head afterwards, but overall a decent start. Afterwards, they switched me and the opposite, and I got off to a great start by having the opponent's outside (Rob Housing I believe, pretty good player out of NIU) destroy my left thumb on a block. I played through it, but my serve receive never fully recovered from it, as I was struggling to set a standard ball even while peppering.
Aside from that, my hitting just wasn't as crisp on the rightside. Kwon is the best setter I've stepped on a court with, I just need to work on taking a sharper approach as I'm sittin on the pin, while most the sets were more like back 2's. It's been awhile since I've played in a fast-tempo system, so I'm just gettin rid of the cobwebs and working on my approach. Still, I'm getting a lot of solo blocks, I should be terminating those balls. In the finals I started to connect better, and I think I'll do fine with time. However, my blocking needs to be a little stronger, which I'm sure will come with repetition.
Despite what I felt wasn't my best first impression with the team, everyone was cool and Kwon made sure to tell me not to be so hard on myself. He's a great player/coach, and I look forward to improving under his wing! It reminds me of the first season I played USAV with Bada Bing, and although I didn't start every match, I learned a lot and used that with a good off-season to move up to a go-to hitter for them the following season. Hope I can do the same for this squad!
Went to the doctor about my thumb, he said it was a pretty good sprain. Thought there might be a slight tear to the ligament/muscle, but after I did his rehab/icing for a few days, he felt like that most likely wasn't the case. The swelling's already down quite a bit, but the pain's still pretty strong. I'm testing it out at a setter's clinic I run on Thursdays tonight, and with a little tape I should have no problem this weekend.
Looking forward to this weekend - Windy City Invitational in Vernon Hills. We have an incredibly tough pool, running into Summit and Lights Out, two of the stronger Chicagoland teams. I'm very excited to play against them, Summit is a 2-time AA USAV National Champion, with a few 5th's in the Open Division. Lights Out played in Open last year as well. This tournament we're bringing 8, including a libero (my boy Kyle Due who I've always wanted to play alongside) and a lefty opposite, which hopefully opens me up for a little more outside work. Regardless, I'll play whatever position the team needs, and am fired up to have a strong second tournament with the team!
Friday, February 19, 2010
A fresh start...
Well, as usual this blog comes months after my last post, but luckily I have actual things in the now to talk about, rather than simply talking about what could be!
Before we get to me, I'd just like to say that it's nice to see Newbury starting to hit its stride. After starting the season 0-3, they have won 10 of their last 11 and from the former teammates I've talked to, everyone seems to be on the same page. Credit most of that to Assistant Coach Mike Houlihan. Sounds like he came in and decided to hold players accountable for their actions, and the players have responded. Rob Mullowney was a good volleyball mind, and I'm glad to see him doing well at Wentworth, but from the few talks I had with Houlihan we had a very similar philosophy about the game, and I wish I would have had a year to play for him! Hope they can continue with their recent success!
For me as a worker - it has not been pretty in regards to finding a full-time job, but I've slowly started to find small jobs here and there - I'll do some marketing for a company about 10 hours a week, I'm running a few clinics, I am slated to start reffing at a few local leagues, and a few other potential jobs are in the mix. It's nice to finally see some progress on all the resumes that have been sent out!
The crucial part about the jobs is that it'll allow me to move closer to paying off my final bill at Newbury, which is the final piece to the puzzle in regards to me applying for Grad School. I will not name the one that I will end up at, but I have verbally committed (as well as gotten a verbal commitment from them) to be their Graduate Assistant Coach.
I visited at the end of January and could not have been happier. The coaches were great, the players said all the right things and seem self-motivated, and the facilities were gorgeous. I walked into their arena and couldn't hide my smile, as it's a long way from playing at a school that didn't even have a gym! Everyone seemed extremely polite that I met, and I think it's an opportunity of a lifetime for someone in my position.
I would serve as a First Assistant as they don't have a paid coach in place, which may intimidate others, but I welcome the role. I was lucky in my first assistant jobs that my coaches gave me more than the typical workload, and although I have plenty to learn, the coach and I share similar philosophies, and I have no doubt that she'll help me along the way when I need it. I think I can learn a lot, but also bring my experience to the table to leave the program better than it was when I first arrived. I look forward to the Challenge.
In the meantime, I've finally broken out of my off-season, and find myself back at the level I was before I took my first break in quite some time! I hopped on with Northside Shockers, one of the top AA USAV teams in the Chicagoland area. I have played with/against most of these guys in the last few years, and look forward to being a part of their squad.
I remember the first time I saw them play, when AA was having a tournament at the Sky High facility in Crystal Lake. BB had one on a separate court, but I was able to catch their games when we had breaks. It's crazy to step on the court with guys that 5 years ago you looked up to almost as role models in regards to your play. Tony Jachera was about my height, but had an absolute CANNON of an arm, and I remember watching in awe as he made smart play after smart play, helped out by great setting by Kevin Kwon as his middle Ollie Tan was drawing blocks left and right. Now? I go to work with them in our first tournament of the 2010 season tomorrow.
Although the first couple weeks back were rough in regards to conditioning, I upped the amount I was playing, and this week I played 5 days straight with virtually no fatigue. Wednesday went to a strong open gym and felt about as good as it gets. Pep on the swing, smooth passing, anticipating the hitter and filling the lanes appropriately. Gonna stay up to listen to the UCLA/CSUN match online, then get some rest for an early rise tomorrow. Co-ed games have been fun, but I'm excited to let loose some of the "killer instinct" mentality that you just can't replicate in rec leagues/open gyms.
One final update: Made a highlight video from my last season playing - follow the link to take a look. I'll let others critique the actual footage, but as for choreography, I felt it was much stronger than my other videos, if nothing else because youtube didn't compress the quality as it did previous times! Hope you enjoy!
I will try to post in the next few days with a recap of my Chicago AA debut!
Before we get to me, I'd just like to say that it's nice to see Newbury starting to hit its stride. After starting the season 0-3, they have won 10 of their last 11 and from the former teammates I've talked to, everyone seems to be on the same page. Credit most of that to Assistant Coach Mike Houlihan. Sounds like he came in and decided to hold players accountable for their actions, and the players have responded. Rob Mullowney was a good volleyball mind, and I'm glad to see him doing well at Wentworth, but from the few talks I had with Houlihan we had a very similar philosophy about the game, and I wish I would have had a year to play for him! Hope they can continue with their recent success!
For me as a worker - it has not been pretty in regards to finding a full-time job, but I've slowly started to find small jobs here and there - I'll do some marketing for a company about 10 hours a week, I'm running a few clinics, I am slated to start reffing at a few local leagues, and a few other potential jobs are in the mix. It's nice to finally see some progress on all the resumes that have been sent out!
The crucial part about the jobs is that it'll allow me to move closer to paying off my final bill at Newbury, which is the final piece to the puzzle in regards to me applying for Grad School. I will not name the one that I will end up at, but I have verbally committed (as well as gotten a verbal commitment from them) to be their Graduate Assistant Coach.
I visited at the end of January and could not have been happier. The coaches were great, the players said all the right things and seem self-motivated, and the facilities were gorgeous. I walked into their arena and couldn't hide my smile, as it's a long way from playing at a school that didn't even have a gym! Everyone seemed extremely polite that I met, and I think it's an opportunity of a lifetime for someone in my position.
I would serve as a First Assistant as they don't have a paid coach in place, which may intimidate others, but I welcome the role. I was lucky in my first assistant jobs that my coaches gave me more than the typical workload, and although I have plenty to learn, the coach and I share similar philosophies, and I have no doubt that she'll help me along the way when I need it. I think I can learn a lot, but also bring my experience to the table to leave the program better than it was when I first arrived. I look forward to the Challenge.
In the meantime, I've finally broken out of my off-season, and find myself back at the level I was before I took my first break in quite some time! I hopped on with Northside Shockers, one of the top AA USAV teams in the Chicagoland area. I have played with/against most of these guys in the last few years, and look forward to being a part of their squad.
I remember the first time I saw them play, when AA was having a tournament at the Sky High facility in Crystal Lake. BB had one on a separate court, but I was able to catch their games when we had breaks. It's crazy to step on the court with guys that 5 years ago you looked up to almost as role models in regards to your play. Tony Jachera was about my height, but had an absolute CANNON of an arm, and I remember watching in awe as he made smart play after smart play, helped out by great setting by Kevin Kwon as his middle Ollie Tan was drawing blocks left and right. Now? I go to work with them in our first tournament of the 2010 season tomorrow.
Although the first couple weeks back were rough in regards to conditioning, I upped the amount I was playing, and this week I played 5 days straight with virtually no fatigue. Wednesday went to a strong open gym and felt about as good as it gets. Pep on the swing, smooth passing, anticipating the hitter and filling the lanes appropriately. Gonna stay up to listen to the UCLA/CSUN match online, then get some rest for an early rise tomorrow. Co-ed games have been fun, but I'm excited to let loose some of the "killer instinct" mentality that you just can't replicate in rec leagues/open gyms.
One final update: Made a highlight video from my last season playing - follow the link to take a look. I'll let others critique the actual footage, but as for choreography, I felt it was much stronger than my other videos, if nothing else because youtube didn't compress the quality as it did previous times! Hope you enjoy!
I will try to post in the next few days with a recap of my Chicago AA debut!
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