What In The MIAA Is Going On?
We’re still in the very early stages, but the 2019-20 season in the MIAA A Conference has been nothing but…confusion. Prior to every season, you try and sort out how the league will take shape by the time the playoffs…
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Continue ReadingWe’re still in the very early stages, but the 2019-20 season in the MIAA A Conference has been nothing but…confusion. Prior to every season, you try and sort out how the league will take shape by the time the playoffs come around. Usually, the early weeks of the season give good indication as to who are the truly top-tier teams. Well…this season, there’s none of that.
For this article, we take a look at some takeaways from the first few weeks of MIAA play.
St. Frances is sending a statement to the area
The Panthers were the heavy favorite to repeat as MIAA champs this season and if there were any reasons why you weren’t a believer, they’re reassuring you with their dominant play. They stand with a 10-0 overall record and 3-0 in league play. Dominant isn’t the word to use for their league wins. It’s more like dismantling. They’ve won their three MIAA A Conference match ups by an average of 46.6 points. Their latest win came against St. Maria Goretti, who the Panthers beat in buzzer-beating fashion in the BCL title game last season. This time, there was no late-game heroics needed. The scoreboard read 102-35. Goretti is a good team with solid pieces, but this wins speaks more of just how much firepower and talent head coach Nick Myles is working with this season. The Panthers are out to send a statement. Everyone is becoming well aware.
John Carroll hitting stride earlier than expected
I was higher than most on the Patriots coming into this season, but they’ve even outplayed my expectations as they boast a current 5-0 record. Filled with freshman and sophomores last year, John Carroll accepted that 2018-19 would be a season full of taking punches and learning from them for the future. That turnaround has happened quickly with a combination of great coaching and players buying into the high-speed system that best suits their roster. The Patriots are loaded with long range shooters, but also have slashers and bigs who can man the paint. It’s a perfect formula for a really good team. Plus their discipline and willingness to help/take charges on the defensive end adds another wrinkle into why their success has been so rapid.
The middle of the pack is confusing
When you look at team’s besides St. Frances and John Carroll, it’s difficult to get a grasp on where to place teams. Sure, Mount St. Joseph will always be a team that’s hanging around in the 2-3 seed and are coached by one of the best in Pat Clatchey to help their chances in playoff play, but others such as Glenelg Country, McDonogh, Gilman, Loyola, Spalding, and Mt. Carmel have all made it difficult to measure just how good they will be. Each team has a couple of impressive wins, but they also sport some losses that make you scratch your head. A lot of these teams have drastically new rosters or have experienced some coaching changes, so these next 4-6 weeks will be huge in terms of setting themselves up for where they want to be when the postseason arrives.