Columbia 37P6
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Posts: 2306
Reg: 02-14-06
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03-14-24 01:53 PM - Post#365187
Who do we see in the Columbia Men BB 2024-25 starting line-up?
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Chet Forte
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Reg: 03-02-08
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03-14-24 03:34 PM - Post#365207
In response to Columbia 37P6
DLR, Noland, Thompson, Bedri and Nweke.
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Columbia 37P6
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Posts: 2306
Reg: 02-14-06
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03-14-24 03:50 PM - Post#365211
In response to Chet Forte
I can agree with you on DLR and Thompson, but not sure about Noland, Bedri and Nweke. Noland has played behind Brown for two years and lacks his physicality. Bedri is iffy at best and Nweke missed his entire season due to injury.
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cc66
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Reg: 10-09-09
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03-14-24 04:20 PM - Post#365216
In response to Columbia 37P6
DLR and Thompson are certainties. Cobb could conceivably replace or share time with Brown, while the front line will hopefully consist of
a healthy Nweke and whichever center makes the most progress--Bedri, Tavroff, or even the newly recruited Mason Riggs. Let's hope too that Arop can contribute--he's not going to push people around, but he might add some scoring punch.
Plus we don't know whether any of the new recruits might develop early.
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SomeGuy
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Posts: 6586
Reg: 11-22-04
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03-14-24 04:22 PM - Post#365217
In response to Columbia 37P6
If not Bedri or Nweke, who plays center? I think Bedri gets first shot. My guess is that the lineup is Bedri, Thompson, DLR, Noland, and Brown. That’s small again, but it worked for a while this year, at least out of conference.
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Columbia 37P6
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Posts: 2306
Reg: 02-14-06
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03-14-24 05:03 PM - Post#365221
In response to SomeGuy
Unfortuately, our "small line-up" did not work this year as illustrated by our 4-10 Ivy League record. Swapping Noland for McLean would be an insignificant change that would probably result in Columbia falling back into the Ivy League cellar. With hindsight, I believe everyone understands now that Columbia has not had a respectable inside game for the last seven or eight seasons. Hopefully, that will change in the next go around, but none of the returning bigs (Tavroff, Bedri Thompson and Nweke) are sure answers. In fact, Nweke missed his entire first year so he his skill level is completely unknown. We also realize now that Columbia Men's Basketball Fans made a "big" mistake in thinking that 6-11" 185 lb Arop Arop was going to help us immediately inside. We made the wrong assumption that a 6'11" player would do that. It turned out that he's at best a promising big small forward. If he wants to match up with his Ivy League counterparts, he's going to have to gain plenty of muscle.
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SomeGuy
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Posts: 6586
Reg: 11-22-04
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03-15-24 07:53 AM - Post#365235
In response to Columbia 37P6
I thought there was a significant uptick in competitiveness this year. I think that will continue as the soph class becomes juniors. Columbia struggled for a while because of a talent deficit. I think the last two years it has been more an experience deficit. I think the current soph and junior classes will continue to make Columbia better.
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Chet Forte
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Posts: 3071
Reg: 03-02-08
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03-15-24 09:03 AM - Post#365237
In response to SomeGuy
Perhaps we will get an informative postmortem on the season from Coach Engles in one of his thorough and provocative emails to the hard core.
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Columbia 37P6
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Reg: 02-14-06
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03-15-24 10:26 AM - Post#365239
In response to Chet Forte
Very funny, Chet. Incidentally, I was recently in Hackensack and was surprised that none of the streets or monuments are named after you. That's ridiculous. You have to be the best athlete that ever graduated from Hackensack High School. Returning to the present, I trust the timeline will be something like this: (1) The President of the University, the President of Barnard College, the Athletic Director Peter Pilling, Jonathan Schiller, et al. and capacity crowd of about 2,500 will he in attendance tonight and tomorrow to support the Columbia Women's Basketball Team in their effort to win the Ivy League Tournament that is being held for the first time at Columbia; (2) Some of the Columbia Men's Team will be watching from the sidelines; (3) Pilling will not mention the Men's Team tonight and the week will go by without Pilling mentioning Engles, although it is possible that someone will ask him whether Engles is going to remain as Columbia's Head Coach. Pilling will then say that he has complete confidence in Engles and the team mad tremendous progress this year; (4) Once the current realize that Engles is returning they will each consider their own situation; (5) All of the current players will then have to decide whether its in their best interest to remain in the program, or transfer out; (6) Columbia doesn't have a great player like Dingle was at Penn, however, the Lion backcourt has several talented players so it is certainly possible that one or more of those players might be of interest to another school; (7) Hopefully, Engles will be successful retaining everyone who might be tempted to leave the program.
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Chet Forte
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Posts: 3071
Reg: 03-02-08
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 03-15-24 11:52 AM - Post#365247
In response to Columbia 37P6
Thank you; those were the days when I could stroll down Main Street in Hackensack, perhaps take in a flick at the old Oritani theatre, stop by the Y on the north side of Main Street, and then maybe shop at Packard’s Department Store. All the while I’d be asked if we were going to beat Englewood or Teaneck in the Bergen County Basketball Jamboree. O mores, o tempora, as we used to say in my Latin II class at Hackensack High.
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Chet Forte
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Posts: 3071
Reg: 03-02-08
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 03-15-24 11:55 AM - Post#365249
In response to Chet Forte
On a more serious note, is there a young male version of Meg Griffith at a successful IL program who can turn this ship around, somebody with enthusiasm, personality, recruiting skills, a sense for PR, and an ability not just to manage a game and work the refs but show some passion?
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Columbia 37P6
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Posts: 2306
Reg: 02-14-06
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03-15-24 03:38 PM - Post#365260
In response to Chet Forte
Wasn't there an expectation that Coach Bagnoli's role after retiring was to assist Pilling in finding that type of person for the men's basketball program?
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