Hoopsville

Suddenly the end of January is upon us! Where has the season gone? We are past the halfway point, conference action is now in it's second go-around (for most), and the matter of regional rankings and conference tournaments is becoming more real.

Teams who have had unbelievable starts, but have not faltered, are now in the spotlight. The question is no longer "can they keep this up?" But rather, the question has become, "how did they get this good?" Tonight, we ask versions of that last question.

We will hear from St. Thomas who hasn't been the MIAC dominator the last few years, but is back on top in a far more competitive conference. Oswego men have already knocked the SUNYAC boss, Plattsburgh off the pedestal. And Southern Virginia women have startled the entire conference. We find out how a first-year coach with no Division III experience has shocked everyone.

Plus, we chat with Oberlin's women's coach who has not only preached diversity, but created an environment for his program and the conference that reiterates open and safe environments. It has also thrust the team high into the NCAC race.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. Thursday's edition is available On Demand in the video boxes above or you can listen to the audio-only podcast to the right (available shortly after the show goes off air).

If you have questions about Division III basketball, feel free to send them and we will answer them on a the show. Email them to [email protected] or use any of the social media options to the right.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):

- John Tauer, No. 7 St. Thomas men's coach (Part 1)

- Jason Leone, Oswego State men's coach (Part 1)

- Kerry Jenkins, Oberlin women's coach (WBCA Center Court) (Part 2)

- aDAM Wardenburg, Southern Virginia women's coach (Part 2)

- James Wagner, CSAC Assistant Commissioner (NCAA Convention report) (Part 2)

Milestones, upsets, underdogs, under the radar, and giving back ... that's what's on tap for Sunday's Hoopsville.

While in the conference grind, there are always results people don't expect. Whether an upset or a team flying under the radar finally pops up on everyone's radar, there are games and teams worth paying attention to outside the usual suspects. But even the top teams in the country have a story to tell.

On Sunday's episode, we will learn what it's like to be on the top team in the country, how a team can still fly under the radar with big results in on a difficult conference, how another team has emerged that no one was expecting on top of another competitive conference, how one of the top conferences in the county ticks and how the races there may turn out, and the importance of giving back to the community especially in honor of one of the country's greatest leaders.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):

- Hillary Scott, No. 17 Lynchburg men's coach

- Joe Crispin, Rowan men's coach

- Tim McDonald, Cabrini men's coach (NABC Coach's Corner)

- Chris Martin, CCIW Commissioner

- Abby Kelly, No. 1 Bowdoin senior guard

- Ryan Scott, D3hoops.com lead columnist (Top 25 Double-Take)

To interact with Hoopsville

We welcome questions of us and our guests, so please interact with us! 

Twitter: @d3hoopsville or use #hoopsville (which you can see streaming to the right).

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Hoopsville.

Email: [email protected].

Or comment in the area below the video player.

Audio Podcast

Each show is available as an audio-only podcast shortly after the show goes off the air. Click below to listen or download the show from SoundCloud (once available).

 

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Hope you didn't decide to take a night off or two from games? You would have missed some important results. While Wednesdays and Saturdays tend to be the big "nights" of any week in Division III, games on any night could have major ramifications.

The algebra this time of year is both simple and complicated. Conference schedules, for the most part, have moved into the second half and teams seeing teams a second time sometimes have an advantage. Rivals, of course, have an advantage. There are also distractions as some teams have been sitting on mostly empty campuses for several weeks and may be bored. Or second semester classes are beginning and changes to schedules can be an abrupt adjustment. There are also long road trips that can take a team's focus. Plus, the weather. Yeah, Mother Nature loves changing things around.

All of it can lead to upsets or strange outcomes. From blowouts to close battles. On any night, you are bound to see something you will be chatting about the next day.

Speaking of which, are you on the "Posting Up" chat boards? Head on over to D3boards.com and check out the "Posting Up" section. Find your favorite regions, conferences, or topics and join the chat. Register if you need. The more the merrier!

Thursday's show includes guests from a couple of the hottest teams in men's basketball: Capital and Swarthmore. We also hear from an island squad and find out if the Whitman women's upset of George Fox should have been a surprise. And Springfield's Naomi Graves chats about her push for diversity and experiences and how it's affected her program and Springfield as a whole.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can watch Thursday's show On Demand in the video player above or listen to the audio-only podcast to the right (available shortly after the show goes off air).

If you have questions about Division III basketball, feel free to send them and we will answer them on a the show. Email them to [email protected] or use any of the social media options to the right.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):

- Damon Goodwin, No. 20 Capital men's coach

- Michelle Ferenz, No. 24 Whitman women's coach

- Naomi Graves, Springfield women's coach (WBCA Center Court)

- Landry Kosmalski, No. 10 Swarthmore men's coach

The risk with basketball (and other sports) season? Weather. One or two storms can throw a monkey wrench into a well thought out schedule and travel plans.

The same can be said about trying to play with within a conference. Programs know each other so well that games can suddenly become rockier than anyone thought looking at the matchup on paper.

On Sunday's Hoopsville, Dave will take a look at the "stormy weather" that both Mother Nature and conference schedules seem to have brought us. From postponements and travel challenges to head-scratching results and season-turning outcomes.

Tonight's highlights include a Williams men's team off to the best start in program history, a DeSales women's program that is blowing the doors off of games, and a Greenville men's squad that seems to have mastered the "System" pretty darn fast.

We will also debut the "NABC Coach's Corner" with a former DIII coach, turned administrator. Schreiner Athletics Director Bill Raleigh talks about his former days coaching and why being an athletic director is what drives him now. He also talks about his work on the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee and his continued work with the NABC in support of Division III.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can watch Sunday's episode On Demand in the video player above or listen to the audio-only podcast to the right (available shortly after the show goes off air).

If you have questions about Division III basketball, feel free to send them and we will answer them on a the show. Email them to [email protected] or use any of the social media options to the right.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):

- Kevin App, No. 3 Williams men's head coach

- Morgan Birmelin, No. 22 DeSales women's senior guard

- Bill Raleigh, Schreiner Athletics Director (NABC Coach's Corner)

- George Barber, Greenville men's coach

- Ryan Scott, D3hoops.com lead columnist

The grind of conference play is in full gear. Nothing beats a team up or reveals how good one is like the grind of conference play.

Thursday night on Hoopsville we take a look at the grind and how teams are surviving, surprising, and even impressing as the holidays and the break quickly become a distant memory in the rear view mirror.

The first of the season's "WBCA Center Court" segments also debuts with the dedication of one coach off the court and with her family. UW-Platteville women's coach Megan Wilson talks about her daughter's battle with cancer and the decision to step away from coaching to help her daughter fight.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):

- Pat McKenzie, No. 11 St. John's men's coach

- Ben Stachowski, No. 20 Wabash men's senior guard

- Alyssa Polosky, No. 14 SUNY Geneseo women's head coach

- Megan Willson, UW-Platteville women's head coach (WBCA Center Court)

FYI - the Trevor Woodruff (Scranton) interview never aired. Listen to the podcast and you will find out why. Stupid technology. SMH

The holidays are over and for many Division III basketball teams, the conference schedules are already in full swing. It doesn't take much time before a casual break ramps up into high-pressure games.

Hoopsville is also back from it's holiday "break" on Sunday evening. Dave tries to get caught up after a couple of weeks of action and wild results. Who impressed during the holidays? Who (re)started conference play with a bang? What does the final two months of the regular season have in store? What will the new year's first Top 25 ballots look like?

Plus, there is a new wins leader in Division III women's basketball. It's not Mike Strong. It's Andy Yosinoff of Emmanuel. We chat with the all-time winningest coach in DIII history.

Sunday's episode of Hoopsville has guests primarily from the Atlantic, Central Northeast, and South Regions, but we try and talk about anything news worthy.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):

- Andy Yosinoff, Emmanuel women's coach

- Greg Mason, Centre men's coach

- Greg Giovanine, No. 3 Augustana men's coach

- Ryan Scott, D3hoops.com columnist

Finals are done. Teams are getting a break, short or long. Everyone is taking a moment to slow down, enjoy time with family (hopefully), and take a breather.

That's what happens when the first semester comes to a close. Before long, the pressure will increase and games will be in full throat. This break will seem like a distant memory.

In an ode to those leaving work, campus early for the holidays - maybe hitting the road in the afternoon instead of evening, Hoopsville wraps up the finale to the first semester with an early show on Thursday. Dave talks with a couple of programs who have captured his attention. He also chats with a conference commissioner who not only has had a direct impact on the evolution of Division IIII basketball, but is also hanging up his commissioner's hat at the end of the academic year.

And who wants to "buy or sell" women's programs? Gordon Mann joins Davee with his take on the first six weeks of the season. There isn't anyone better to break down DIIII women's hoops, than Gordon.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):

- Michelle Filander, No. 25 Austin women's coach (Part 1)

- Gordon Mann, D3hoops.com Deputy Editor ("Buy or Sell") (Part 2 & 3)

- Steve Ulrich, Centennial Conference commissioner (Part 3)

- Shanan Rosenberg, Linfield men's coach (Part 3)

The first semester is coming to a close. With it comes an opportunity to look back and evaluate what we've seen throughout Division III basketball so far. Did we get any early Christmas gifts? Or did some teams get some coal?

This is also the time of the year one starts to look around to see if any teams are flying a little under the radar. Off to good starts that maybe haven't been noticed or a big win or two here and there have people scratching their heads.

Sunday on Hoopsville, we not only shine a light on some programs off the radar, but also start ponder the opening, nearly, six weeks of the season. Be sure to tune in as we take the new "Buy or Sell" up a few notches.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. Sunday's episode is available to watch, in two parts, On Demand in the video player(s) above. You can also listen to the show, in it's entirity, via the audio-only podcast to the right (available shortly after the show goes off air).

If you have questions about Division III basketball, feel free to send them and we will answer them on a the show. Email them to [email protected] or use any of the social media options to the right.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):

- Charlie Mason, New England men's coach

- Kate Vlahakis, Manhattanville women's coach

- Alex Richey, Oglethorpe women's coach

- Ryan Scott, Around the Nation Columnist, & Bob Quillman, DIII basketball aficionado ("Buy or Sell")

We've entered the part of the season when teams are either off the court for an extended period of time or they are still practicing and playing occasional games leading up to a break around Christmas. It is an odd time of the season. You look away one night and forget there is a big game happening. You try and focus in another night only to realize there isn't much to watch (if anything).

Some schools are still wrapping up finals as well!

These few weeks can also be challenging to teams. Staying fresh even though there could be up to a month between games. Staying focused, even though academics are a much higher priority that what's happening on the court. And staying healthy despite travel to different parts of the country or back home to be with family.

Thursday night on Hoopsville, Dave tries to work his way through the distractions to talk to a few teams all of which still have games this December and seem to be off to pretty good starts. We'll even hear from a student-athlete's perspective. How are finals, the holidays, and travel affecting these programs?

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio. You can watch Thursday's episode On Demand in the video player above or listen to the audio-only podcast to the right (available shortly after the show goes off air).

If you have questions about Division III basketball, feel free to send them and we will answer them on a the show. Email them to [email protected] or use any of the social media options to the right.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):

- Charles Katsiaficas, Pomona-Pitzer men's coach

- Ron Rohn, Muhlenberg women's coach

- Madison Temple, No. 4 Thomas More Senior guard

- Matt Lewis, No. 6 UW-Oshkosh men's interim coach

There is plenty to distract this time of the season. Finals, holidays, even weather. Staying focused on each practice and game is just a bit more challenging in December.

Sunday on Hoopsville, we chat about those distractions with teams that are helping shake up not only their conferences, but also the national landscape. However, how do they stay focused? Especially when expectations start to increase each game. Also, how do they take advantage of opponents possibly losing focus?

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCA/NABC Studio.

Guests Schedule (order subject to change):

- Jon VanderWal, No. 13 Marietta men's coach

- Alisa Kintner, Widener women's coach

- Marlon Sears, Montclair State men's coach

- Ryan Scott, Around the Nation Columnist ("Top 25 Double-Take")