Untitled Document
Brown Columbia Cornell Dartmouth Harvard Penn Princeton Yale



 Page 1 of 3 ALL123
Username Post: Weisz/Cook -- POY Nominee        (Topic#20072)
bradley 
PhD Student
Posts: 1842

Age: 74
Reg: 01-15-16
03-05-17 09:50 AM - Post#224939    

I was curious to see if Mitch would tip his hand as to the player that he would advance as POY -- Spencer or Steven. At first, I thought that it was telling that Cook was introduced after Weisz for senior night awards yet Spencer was the last guy pulled by Mitch when they were reintroduced towards the end of the game.

It is a very difficult call. Both players bring different skills to the table that mesh with the Henderson team concept. The stats are not gaudy but collectively, they were the two best players in the IL. The W/L differential between the Tigers and Harvard is one of the largest in recent league history, 4 games, and they are the most significant contributors although Stephens is very close.

Henderson's call if he is really the one that makes the call may be dependent as to who is the strongest leader -- would not want to be in his shoes.

 
1LotteryPick1969 
Postdoc
Posts: 2261
1LotteryPick1969
Age: 73
Loc: Sandy, Utah
Reg: 11-21-04
Re: Weisz/Cook -- POY Nominee
03-05-17 10:33 AM - Post#224952    
    In response to bradley

Based on all he has said, I would suspect he chooses Weisz.

 
Tiger81 
Masters Student
Posts: 409
Tiger81
Loc: Montclair, NJ
Reg: 11-21-04
03-05-17 11:24 AM - Post#224963    
    In response to 1LotteryPick1969

Yes, this will be a tough one. Although I usually hate split-the-difference solutions, co-POY would reflect the reality that Princeton's success this year was inseparable from their partnership. Weisz was the unquestioned leader of the Ivy's dominant team but Cook was the league's most dangerous player who could hurt you at the rim and 3-point line, by pulling down critical rebounds and by sparking the Tigers' shutdown defense. Stephens established himself among the league's elite players at both ends of the floor but I think the nod must go to the seniors who steered and steadied this special team.

 
whitakk 
Masters Student
Posts: 523

Age: 32
Reg: 11-11-14
03-05-17 03:30 PM - Post#225042    
    In response to Tiger81

Stephens is very much in the mix, and probably had the most impact on the 14-game season.

I lean toward Cook, based on his impact throughout the full season and on both sides of the ball. But I've always struggled to figure out exactly how to value everything Weisz does.

 
Tiger69 
Postdoc
Posts: 2801

Reg: 11-23-04
03-05-17 03:37 PM - Post#225046    
    In response to whitakk

I like them all. How about all 5 as Players of the Year? Why is it necessary to single out one from the others? Teamwork is the very essence of this team's success.

 
joe nassau 
Sophomore
Posts: 150

Reg: 02-13-05
03-05-17 03:39 PM - Post#225047    
    In response to whitakk

I agree with Cook being the POY. Weisz has made a lot of solid contributions but his mistakes can be catastrophic? Last the bad pas in the VT game last year?

 
SRP 
Postdoc
Posts: 4894

Reg: 02-04-06
03-05-17 04:27 PM - Post#225071    
    In response to joe nassau

Many of Weisz's best passes don't lead to an assist but get the ball to the other side of the floor and put the defense a step behind. Hard to measure that with current data capabilities. And he contributed in some important way in every game.

But if Cook got it for consistent two-way excellence and being the best overall scoring threat in the league that would be fine. It's harder to pile up stats and usage when you play with good teammates and move the ball to whomever has the best shot, so Cook had some low-scoring games.

 
bradley 
PhD Student
Posts: 1842

Age: 74
Reg: 01-15-16
03-07-17 02:42 PM - Post#225426    
    In response to whitakk

As to Weisz, if you look at his stats -- FG%, 3pt FG%, FT% and scoring average has declined over the past two years. His rebounding, assists, assists/TOs and steals have improved over the past two years. As per Coach Henderson, he may be the least athletic guy on the team and he plays power forward at 6'4". He was a two star recruit, local kid, who started from Day 1.

He is the first Tiger player to have over 1,000 pts, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 3 pointers yet he is not a statistics accumulator as he is a leader by example as to being unselfish and the ultimate team player. Of all the IL players, you could make an argument in a pick up game that you would want Weisz and Chambers as the two opposing captains as they fit the description of winners.

He is simply one of those basketball guys that you cannot measure by stats alone, body type and vertical leap. As Cook and him were walking off the court Saturday night, you could see a smile on his face as to what they have accomplished as being the best in the IL. It would be absolutely understandable and justified if Henderson puts Weisz up for POY vs. Cook --- simply brutal choice.

 
JadwinGeorge 
Senior
Posts: 357

Age: 75
Reg: 12-04-15
03-07-17 04:50 PM - Post#225447    
    In response to bradley

I think Cook punched his POY ticket with the 30 point effort against Harvard. Cook, Weisz and Stephens are all first team All-Ivy players, while Cannady is a second teamer. Stephens is DPOY. Henderson is COY. ROY---toughest call but I think Towns gets it based on play during the Ivy season. He is a future POY for sure.

 
SRP 
Postdoc
Posts: 4894

Reg: 02-04-06
03-07-17 07:08 PM - Post#225465    
    In response to JadwinGeorge

While not at all a candidate for POY (or probably first-team all Ivy although you could stretch to make a case), I think that Devin Cannady deserves a ton of credit for how he subordinated some of his instincts in taking over as PG and in improving his defensive play while still exploding offensively at critical junctures.

You could see last year (and early this year) that he is a natural play-loose-and-have-fun kind of guy, back when the Tigers were playing faster and he didn't have to be the PG. It must be hard not to gun when you know that maybe every other night you could get hot and pile up the points. Imagine the usage rate he would have if he played for Penn or Dartmouth. But that would have screwed up the winning formula the Tigers discovered around the Bucknell game, creating too many fast-break opportunities for opponents while probably lowering offensive efficiency, given the scoring and passing ability of the whole team. Cannady did a great job of making his talent flow into the stream of what Princeton was trying to do.

 
Tiger84 
Senior
Posts: 376

Age: 61
Reg: 03-06-17
03-07-17 08:02 PM - Post#225474    
    In response to SRP

I went into the last weekend thinking Stephens for POTY, but I think Cook just did too much against Harvard (both games) not to give it to him. That despite scoring zero points at the Palestra earlier this year.

If Cook shares the honor with Weisz or Stephens, all good by me.

 
Tiger69 
Postdoc
Posts: 2801

Reg: 11-23-04
03-07-17 09:18 PM - Post#225486    
    In response to Tiger84

Choosing between these players is a problem everyone would like to have Plus, we shouldn't forget what a fine comeback Amir Bell had once the IL schedule kicked in. We'll miss Cook, Weisz and Miller next season. But, we have a great base on which to build. With a strong class coming in, and a hungry, talented bench from this season, Harvard better not take anything for granted next season. If it's possible to predict anything this soon, we should be right back on or near the top in 2018-19.

 
Tiger84 
Senior
Posts: 376

Age: 61
Reg: 03-06-17
03-07-17 09:24 PM - Post#225490    
    In response to Tiger69

Cannady, Stephens and Bell is a good base to start with. Brennan and Young can add some depth. But to stay in the top tier,
(a) Gladson is going to have to shoot better and get more into the rhythm of the offense; and
(b) one of the incoming freshmen (Desrosiers? Much?) will need to make an immediate impact.

 
Tiger69 
Postdoc
Posts: 2801

Reg: 11-23-04
03-07-17 11:36 PM - Post#225508    
    In response to Tiger84

Given past experiences, the strength of the coaching and our recent focus on defense, I will not be surprised by anything. I expect us to qualify for the stupid tournament.

 
mrjames 
Professor
Posts: 6062

Loc: Montclair, NJ
Reg: 11-21-04
03-08-17 08:11 AM - Post#225519    
    In response to Tiger69

I'd be stunned if Weisz isn't POY. Cook's been great, but I just feel like Weisz is where the votes will go.

 
bradley 
PhD Student
Posts: 1842

Age: 74
Reg: 01-15-16
03-08-17 08:33 AM - Post#225521    
    In response to Tiger69

I like the optimism but the reality is that the Tigers have a 50/50 chance of winning the IL Tournament. Penn will probably not be an easy out playing at the Palestra with their improved play vs. game 6 of the season. Even with Spring Break, it will still be a Penn crowd but more importantly, the Penn players are familiar with every inch of the court and more importantly, the rims. I am going with a friend to the ACC tournament in Brooklyn this evening and he had a few chuckles at my expense that Princeton is playing an away game on Saturday.

If they get by Penn, the winner of the other game will be a competitive game for sure. Nothing is ever easy particularly in post-season tournaments.

The Tigers are athletic, experienced and skilled which is a big plus. Let's hope that the Basketball Gods are kind. Hopefully, Weisz/Cook are enjoying victory vs. laying on the floor wondering why 2017 was their senior year in the IL.

 
SomeGuy 
Professor
Posts: 6391

Reg: 11-22-04
03-08-17 09:38 AM - Post#225526    
    In response to bradley

The problem Princeton presents for us is having 4 guys (Weisz, Cook, Stephens, Bell) who present a size challenge with guard skills. If we play 2 of Donahue, Foreman, and Goodman at a time, somebody will be guarding a bigger guy. If we play both Brodeur and Rothschild, we fix the size issue but then have a speed issue where a big has to chase guys away from the basket. So even without Brase and Caruso, to me Princeton's biggest advantage is depth, in the sense that you have 5 different guys (adding Cannady to the 4 I mentioned above) who could go off and carry you. At Jadwin, we took out Cook and Weisz, so Cannady and Bell killed us. At the Palestra, we still stopped Cook, and put the clamps on Cannady and Bell. So Weisz and Stephens killed us. We kind of pick our poison.

 
Tiger81 
Masters Student
Posts: 409
Tiger81
Loc: Montclair, NJ
Reg: 11-21-04
03-08-17 10:02 AM - Post#225534    
    In response to SomeGuy

You have nicely captured Princeton's "secret sauce" this year: many ways to win because 2-3 of their 5 scoring threats have been able to lead their offense even when 3-balls have not been falling. And when the long balls have been on target and more than 2-3 of their studs have had good games then the Tigers have won comfortably.

The constants have been defense, forcing turnovers and sticking with their game plan even when they are behind or it gets to crunch time.

For Penn to win they will need to present more offensive problems than they did in the two previous P-P meetings, hope Princeton has a poor shooting game and probably create foul/depth challenges that the Tigers have managed to avoid so far this season. Princeton has won several close games this year where they did not play their best but if they play with the urgency and tenacity they have shown over the past few weeks I like their chances.

 
westphillywarrior 
Sophomore
Posts: 196

Age: 43
Reg: 01-08-11
03-08-17 01:09 PM - Post#225594    
    In response to Tiger81

You can analyze the strategies, the match ups, etc. all you want but the end of this story was written a year ago.

This was my post from 3/10/16:

"Here's the reason to be optimistic: All we have to do next year is finish fourth in the league and then win two games in the Palestra."

I don't think we win this one at Jadwin and I don't think we win this one on a neutral court. We are going to win this one at the Palestra.

Princeton is a terrific team. I wish them luck in the NIT.

 
PennFan10 
Postdoc
Posts: 3578

Reg: 02-15-15
03-08-17 01:27 PM - Post#225598    
    In response to mrjames

  • mrjames Said:
I'd be stunned if Weisz isn't POY. Cook's been great, but I just feel like Weisz is where the votes will go.



I think "stunned" given the choice beetween Cook and Weisz (and Stephens) is overly dramatic. I wouldn't be anything close to stunned to see any of these three win it.

I don't know the exact process but I though each coach has to nominate his players that are up for consideration? If that's the case I would expect Mitch to nominate the player/players he believes should be POY and the coaches will vote for that player. Whomever Mitch nominates would be the likely winner. He could nominate Weisz and Cook but then runs a bit of a risk of diluting those two to the benefit of a Boudreaux.

Again, I don't have any insight into the process just going off what I know from history.


 
 Page 1 of 3 ALL123
Icon Legend Permissions Topic Options
Report Post

Quote Post

Quick Reply

Print Topic

Email Topic

8348 Views




Copyright © 2004-2012 Basketball U. Terms of Use for our Site and Privacy Policy are applicable to you. All rights reserved.
Basketball U. and its subsidiaries are not affiliated in any way with any NCAA athletic conference or member institution.
FusionBB™ Version 2.1 | ©2003-2007 InteractivePHP, Inc.
Execution time: 0.347 seconds.   Total Queries: 16   Zlib Compression is on.
All times are (GMT -0500) Eastern. Current time is 04:00 PM
Top