SLIAC Legend:

I think it is bit presumptuous to say the SLIAC is the worst conference in the country, at least as far as women's basketball is concerned. 

If I am not mistaken, I recall posters on this board discussing recent victories over quality teams from the "power" conferences including: WashU, Millikin, IWU, etc.  (I don't remember exactly)

Further, I believe at least 3 teams in the past 5-6 years have won NCAA tournament games and at least 2 (maybe 3) have advanced as far as the Sweet 16.  Granted the SLIAC top-bottom is not at strong as the CCIW, UAA, MWC, but let's at the very least give credit to those top squads before dismissing the entire conference.

Afterall, even the "best" conferences have their own dogs!


As for the Coach Ellis debate, I think it is unfair to criticize his coaching decisions.  None of us are in the gym during practices, so maybe he had a good reason for giving those kids only a few minutes of playing time.  In addition, I would imagine this time of the year, his main focus MUST be on preparing the team for the SLIAC/NCAA tournaments.  In that light, maybe he felt he needed to give his top 8-10 players more minutes from a conditioning standpoint.  Given the number of lopsided victories Maryville has this season, a real concern might be keeping his players in "game condition."  I am not saying he made the right decision, but I think before everyone dismisses his actions as being a "jerk move," we need to consider it from all angles.

Additionally, I think there is a huge difference between high school and college basketball, so comparing him to that coach is unwarranted.  The high school coaches must deal with the players given them, however if college coaches dont enjoy being beaten by 40 pts. then as Coach Dubb put it, "Do a better job recruiting."  It's not fair to tell kids who work hard all weak in practice to not play hard because the other team is bad.  That said, I acknowledge there is some consideration for sportsmanship necessary.

No disrespect to Hopefan or FC, but the official at MacMurray made an incorrect call.  The rule was changed several years ago so that the five-second count ends when the inbounder releases the basketball.  See NCAA Rule Section 67 Article 5:

"A thrower-in shall have five seconds from receiving disposal of the ball
to release the throw-in. The throw-in count shall end when the ball is released by
the thrower-in so that the ball goes directly into the playing court."

I heard a rumor that Webster's coach is leaving? Can anyone confirm or deny this?  If this is the case, the timing could not be worse with practice right around the corner. Might be another long year for the Gorlocks.

Not to begin what will be a hotly contested debate on scheduling practices but...

It makes complete sense for Webster to schedule a tough, D3 non-conference schedule, especially in light of the conference tournament winner receiving the AQ.

Follow the logic here...If Webster (or any conference team for that matter) runs the table in the league and loses in the conference tournament, the ONLY way they receive an at-large bid is if they had scheduled and beat other quality non-conference D3 opponents.  If on the other hand, Webster schedules only non-conference "cupcakes," there is ABSOLUTELY zero chance of receiving an at-large bid.

So, why would a coach not schedule those teams, especially if they believed they were going to be number one or two in the league?  It may provide an insurance policy against the kind of upsets we have seen in the conference tourney over the past couple of years. (Obviously, if your team is not going to be in the top of the league, then there is room for debate on whether scheduling a bunch of "heavy hitters" is worthwhile.)

But to say Webster did not win the conference tournament because they played a tough non-conference schedule and Fontbonne won the conference tournament because they did not, is well, ABSURD!

As I have read this board throughout the year, the attitude of many posters is..."the SLIAC will never receive an at-large bid."  Well folks, that is going to be true until the conference coaches schedule and beat other quality D3 non-conference opponents.  I say kudos to Coach Bunch for scheduling the tough games and challenging his players and coaching staff.  

Laughable. Maryville's average margin of victory is +26 over conference opponents including 35 & 42 point wins over the #4 team Blackburn, 21 & 41 point wins over #3 Fontbonne and 14 & 19 point wins over #2 Greenville, and yet Coach Dubb you do not think they have a single player worthy of your top 5 list? 

In addition, let's take a look at how your selections did against the top team in the conference, I believe a fairly strong measure of a player's POY worthiness:

Banal - 5-17 fg's (29%) 5 to's
Gardner - 8-31 fg's (26%)  18 to's
Lowe - 6-20 fg's (30%) 7 to's
Speers - 6-17 fg's (35%) (although did have 10 rebs)
Shipley - 12-31 (39%) 13 to's
Fisher - 16-22 (73%) 21 rebs

Based on these numbers, perhaps Fisher is a legitimate or the only candidate, but I do not see any numbers posted by the other players which make them worthy of POY.  I am not proposing Wilhelm or Wemlinger deserve the POY award, but given the teams dominance, surely they are worthy of top 5 consideration.