Scheduling addition

[FrazierFanatic]

I was listening to a radio interview with the AD at Albany State (NY) of the America East conference yesterday and he stated that they would be playing 2 Big East teams on the road, Villanova and Georgetown.

[FrazierFanatic]

had to go check the RPI for last year - Albany was 309, which sucks, but they had a bunch of injuries and atransfer, played much of the season with only 4 scholarship players and 4 walk-ons. Conference champ Vermont had a 115 RPI, so there is some talent in the conference.

[Grandpa]

FrazierFanatic said:

had to go check the RPI for last year - Albany was 309, which sucks, but they had a bunch of injuries and atransfer, played much of the season with only 4 scholarship players and 4 walk-ons. Conference champ Vermont had a 115 RPI, so there is some talent in the conference.

Prior years weren't much better:

2003: 294
2002: 299
2001: 317
2000: 292

At least they're consistent...

[EasyEd]

That's awful news: MEAC North.

[millerj9]

unbelievable...JTIII has about 4 games to fill and he does so with Albany State ...looks like some things wont change....

[BeantownHoya]

Miller, saying that things aren't going to change after 1 opponent is announced is ridiculous. Hey I am far from saying that Albany is a solid squad, but if this opponent is followed up by 3 solid ooc matchups I could care less about this announcement. The rainbow classic is going to already improve are recent ooc opponents no matter who we play out there.

As for whos available out there for them to play maybe someone with better knowledge than myself could inform us. I mean how is JTIII hindered by what has already been set for the upcoming season.

[FromTheBeginning]

Also consider that the Wizards / Caps schedules are surely not done yet and this turns into a "we'll show up whenever you tell us" type deal where Albany has agreed to play and doesn't even know the date yet.

[SFHoya99]

Hey, maybe they are playing Georgetown (Ky).

Then again, maybe not. I think we can't even judge JT completely on this year's schedule. During his press conference, I think he hinted strongly at a weak schedule this year (or maybe in interviews), especially early. The players are going to need quite a bit of time to adjust to the new offense, and JT seems to want easy opponents early to help with that.

That may disappoint some, but it doesn't mean he won't have a real schedule once the team is settled.

[Deleted]

Not to mention the fact that most teams fill up the "tougher" end of their OOC's a year sometimes two in advance. Look how far in advance we had scheduled our recent home-and-home's with UCLA and Duke. To get a team of that caliber on the schedule usually requires some planning way ahead of time. The empty spots teams fill by playing the Albany's, Georgia Southern's and Grambling's of the world. I can't imagine III would have much success adding big name OOC opponents for the upcomming season, but I would think he will likely have more success with the 2005-2006, and 2006-2007 seasons and soon.

GO HOYAS!!!

[DFW HOYA]

There's no good reason for Georgetown to play 300-level schools. None.

It's not like that's all there is left either. If Duke, UNC, Arizona, etc. are booked up, fine, but how many 50-125 level RPI teams would provide a better test for this team when it absolutely needs it--last year's December "exhibitions" exposed this team in a big way in January, and the national media would be right to criticize the Hoyas that they would go softer on the schedule.

This team needs a tougher early schedule, not a softer one.

[SFHoya99]

DFW said:

There's no good reason for Georgetown to play 300-level schools. None.

It's not like that's all there is left either. If Duke, UNC, Arizona, etc. are booked up, fine, but how many 50-125 level RPI teams would provide a better test for this team when it absolutely needs it--last year's December "exhibitions" exposed this team in a big way in January, and the national media would be right to criticize the Hoyas that they would go softer on the schedule.

This team needs a tougher early schedule, not a softer one.

I don't entirely disagree, DFW. What I was meaning to say is that I do not think we can necessarily apply this choice to all future years of 3's coaching. I think it is an awful choice. But I think 3's reasoning is that the team will struggle with the new O, possibly two frosh starting and three at least getting big minutes. Not saying it is right, but not sure that this means he'll never have a tough sked.

[SirSaxa]

DFW said:

There's no good reason for Georgetown to play 300-level schools. None.

It's not like that's all there is left either. If Duke, UNC, Arizona, etc. are booked up, fine, but how many 50-125 level RPI teams would provide a better test for this team when it absolutely needs it--last year's December "exhibitions" exposed this team in a big way in January, and the national media would be right to criticize the Hoyas that they would go softer on the schedule.

This team needs a tougher early schedule, not a softer one.

Here here!
I agree completely and I enjoy seeing DFWHoya taking such a strong stand on a key issue.
It IS important that we start to upgrade our schedule -- the sooner the better. JT3 knows. he even joked about "Pops and St. Leo's" at his press conference.

[jerseyhoya34]

I think most college teams have one or two questionable opponents. Wake Forest has an annual match-up with NC A&T, which is among the Albany States of the world. NC A&T, incidentally, had an RPI of 323 last season. UCONN played two teams with RPIs worse than 300th in the country in Army (319) and Quinnipiac (301).

My point is that I don't believe that DFW's argument is necessarily sound to the extent that playing teams with RPIs better than 300 is the key to GU's preparation for a BE schedule. It helps to schedule tougher teams, but scheduling them top to bottom does not determine the on-the-court product. It hasn't been the panacea for others in the sense that UCONN schedules some pretty junky teams and still does well when the BE schedule rolls around.

What is important, however, is not to schedule cupcakes from top to bottom, and that is where Esherick went awry. He scheduled a who's who of miserable basketball last season save for Temple, Duke, and arguably, Penn State. I have no problems with putting Albany State on there, just do not, under any circumstances, also put Citadel, Grambling, Norfolk State, and all of the others whose names escape me at the moment.

More important than scheduling, however, is coaching. My comments on the previous era need not be repeated, but, if we win in the Big East, Duke Vitale won't cry about our scheduling ceteris paribus. If we continue to lose, well... all bets are off as well they should be.

[Madgesdiq]

Hear, Hear!

I was disappointed with III's evasive answer to the scheduling question at his introductory press conference, and, even as a matter of principle, if the first school he adds to the OOC schedule is Albany State, that is an ABSOLUTE disgrace.

III should use this opportunity to turn the page on Georgetown's notoriously soft OOC schedule.

If the average RPI of Georgetown's OOC schedule winds up being lower than Princeton's, III should explain why.

DFW said:

There's no good reason for Georgetown to play 300-level schools. None.

It's not like that's all there is left either. If Duke, UNC, Arizona, etc. are booked up, fine, but how many 50-125 level RPI teams would provide a better test for this team when it absolutely needs it--last year's December "exhibitions" exposed this team in a big way in January, and the national media would be right to criticize the Hoyas that they would go softer on the schedule.

This team needs a tougher early schedule, not a softer one.

[HoyaLawya]

UConn can use the proximity of Quinnipiac (in Connecticut, after all) and West Point to argue that it's a "local fans thing" for the Huskies to be playing these lower RPI teams.

But for GU to schedule Albany State? Huh?

Glancing through the list of CollegeRPI's list of teams ranked 50 to 150, there are a decent number that GU could have considered in trying to set schedule.

52 UVA
54 VCU
74 GW
98 Niagara
99 ODU
101 Drexel
116 Monmouth
118 Davidson
121 Princeton
124 Penn
125 Fairfield
130 U of Delaware
135 UNC – Wilmington
140 Hofstra
148 Lafayette

(This website carries GU at an RPI of 142, btw.)

Other than (possibly) UNC-W and Davidson, all the rest would be do-able by team bus if last-minute plane arrangements to accomodate the lack of a firm date at MCI were a problem.

I would hope that any games with lesser-than-200 RPI teams are, in the future, confined to purely local teams and done solely on the basis of fostering "subway series" fan attendance for locals. (E.g., Howard ... it makes sense to schedule them or any other immediate-area team in the same way that Quinnipiac makes sense for UConn.)

But otherwise ........ DFW is right.

[hoyalove4ever]

I have a couple of points on this issue:

1. Albany is not a good addition to the schedule. We can all agree to that.

2. Nonetheless, we are talking about one game only, and merely the first game that JT III has had a chance to schedule (that we know about). This is not a trend, and in and of itself it is not a big deal.

3. Most of us are aware of the scheduling issues related to MCI and the athletic program that, at least to some extent, hinder the staff from constructing an ideal schedule. In light of that situation, it should not by surprising that Albany is the latest addition to our schedule. Disappointing? Yes. Surprising or reason for alarm? No.

4. JT III seems aware that the schedule is an issue and we are to assume that he is working to create what he feels is the best schedule for the program. It is not inconceivable that Albany is part of such a schedule. We have always played cupcake game and we will continue to do so. The issue is how many of these games we play and who we play them against. Unfortunately, the new regime will not be able to answer these questions immediately.

It will be several years before the schedule is completely in JT III's hands. I would much rather play ten cupcake games than to break any sort of written or oral agreement with any of those smalll schools. We may be set into some of these games already for several years to come. Moreover, it takes time for coaches to create new matchups with worthy teams, especially in light of the prevailing issues with our home court and program in general. It is unreasonable to expect that JT III will suddenly add a bunch of sexy opponents. We all hope that is in the future, but it will take time.

5. RPI is not the only issue in relation to the schedule. Coaches also consider when and where the games are played and how these games will help the team prepare for all-important league play. I reject the sentiment that we lost Big East games last season because our early schedule was inadequate. We lost those games because we were overmatched by superior opponents. If we play a bunch of good teams early, then perhaps we end up 8-20 instead of 13-15-- wow, sorry I missed that. Yes, even games against the Citadel can be constructive. It is important to give inexperienced players a chance to play, and it is good at times to give our starters a chance to build up some stats and get some confidence. The difficulty is achieving a balance of all these concerns (including RPI and post-season resume).

6. For goodness sake, let's cut JT III some slack. I give new coaches a few grace YEARS to really see what they can do; I would hope that everyone would give them at least a few months. While this development is not ideal, in the grand scheme of things this is a blip on the Hoya radar. The crucial thing is that we show JT III steadfast support and try to do our part as fans to bring excitement back to the program.

[AggyPryd]

JerseyHoya34 said:

I think most college teams have one or two questionable opponents. Wake Forest has an annual match-up with NC A&T, which is among the Albany States of the world. NC A&T, incidentally, had an RPI of 323 last season.

careful with that A&T bashing...

[jerseyhoya34]

HoyaLawya said:

UConn can use the proximity of Quinnipiac (in Connecticut, after all) and West Point to argue that it's a "local fans thing" for the Huskies to be playing these lower RPI teams.

But for GU to schedule Albany State? Huh?

Glancing through the list of CollegeRPI's list of teams ranked 50 to 150, there are a decent number that GU could have considered in trying to set schedule.

52 UVA
54 VCU
74 GW
98 Niagara
99 ODU
101 Drexel
116 Monmouth
118 Davidson
121 Princeton
124 Penn
125 Fairfield
130 U of Delaware
135 UNC – Wilmington
140 Hofstra
148 Lafayette

(This website carries GU at an RPI of 142, btw.)

Other than (possibly) UNC-W and Davidson, all the rest would be do-able by team bus if last-minute plane arrangements to accomodate the lack of a firm date at MCI were a problem.

I would hope that any games with lesser-than-200 RPI teams are, in the future, confined to purely local teams and done solely on the basis of fostering "subway series" fan attendance for locals. (E.g., Howard ... it makes sense to schedule them or any other immediate-area team in the same way that Quinnipiac makes sense for UConn.)

But otherwise ........ DFW is right.

I agree with your point that, if we are to schedule a bottom team (below 300), let's go with Howard and leave it at that. My basic point was to say that scheduling a team with an RPI below 300 is not horrible as long as it is one or two games, not an entire schedule.

[millerj9]

any official announcement on this scheduling addition?
Beantown, I will reserve my judgment until the other 3 ooc teams are announced. However, if this scheduling addition is indeed true, it doesn't make much sense to me. Your point about the rainbow classic is a relatively good one. My point was more that JT3 had 4 (i think) schools to add to the schedule....although it doesn't necessarily mean that the remaining 3 ooc schools will be cup cakes, selecting Albany doesn't appear to be a step in the direction of beefing up the ooc competition. Echoing the comments of several others, I would have liked to see a school with a respectable RPI or solid tradition instead of the Great Danes (bet you didnt know U Albany's mascot)

[Gold Hoya]

millerj9 said:

any official announcement on this scheduling addition?

Typically Georgetown doesn't announce schedules piecemeal; rather, once the whole thing is completed, they send out a press release, usually in September. DFW has usually pieced most of the schedule together for display on the front page by then, based on the earlier release of opponents' schedules.