Roop would have been at the Grinnell-Beloit game to watch his team (the Bucs) beat his secret passion (the Pioneers).

Somewhere today, The Roop is smiling.

My God, what awful news. I can't believe The Roop is gone. JeffP I'll see you later this week, I hope.

Scottie, I think when you are put down by Pat Coleman it should be called a "Pat down." Won't be the first pat down you ever experienced, would it, The Roop? 

RTF, thanks for the heads up on Leverance (NOT Levenger) from LU. It's been 14 or 15 years since then and my memory isn't getting better. I do remember he could play the game.

Yeah, I never expected Maher to WIN player of the year. But he's a first teamer IMHO. He lead the league in assists/game, second in A/TO ratio, 5th in scoring, and he was a leader on the floor. Yes, he was GC's best player this year. A couple MWC first teamers didn't match him.

And the headband? Think Nate Levenger, former MWC POY from LU!

Congratulations to the Knights on their first NCAA tourney win of the year.

   

I thought that Grinnell's Patrick Maher was a strong candidate for MWC Player of the Year. To see that the 4 TIME player of the week didn't even make the first team is a shock. I am beyond surprised. What's a guy gotta do?

I agree on Cerroni's late 3. Could not have been bigger, aand you have to have guts to shoot it. If he misses, it's still anyone's game and Grinnell doesn't have to foul. Pretty darned entertaining game.

St Norbert is very tough. They never buckled under pressure, hit big shots late, and make almost all their free throws as Grinnell fouled late. I hope they get a great draw in the NCAAs.

WHY would it be embarrassing to think of Grinnell representing the MWC in the tournament? Because they finished second in the regular season and won every game they had to win in order to reach the championship game? Because 18 kids play their hearts out? I am tired of hearing "Grinnell had a better record than my team, and they don't play the way I like basketball to be played so they're an embarrassment." A genuine embarrassment is denigrating someone different than yourself.   

St Norbert wins 99-86 in a game that was tied at 86. Valiant effort by Grinnell. I would say they gave the Knights everything they could handle today.

Vis a vis the Grinnell shooting this afternoon: WOW!

As much as i would like to see the Grinnell version of the Pioneers win the MWC tournament (an all-Pios final would be OK with me). I believe the best thing St. Norbert could to do FOR the conference would be to win out, get a great seed, host a game (or two) and then win 4 or 5 games in the NCAA.

While GC could still win the MWC Tourney, I can't envision a deep run for them in the NCAA. How many teams in our conference could be expected to lose one of their top 5 players this late in the season and still win at that level? And Aaron Levin is not a guard whose loss could be hidden somewhat. He was the main inside presence, especially on D.

I enjoyed watching the Grinnell victory over Lawrence this past weekend. A nice way to close out the season at Darby. It was a close contest almost the whole way. I was appreciative of how well Lawrence shot the 3 ball, and how prepared they were to take those shots. Grinnell was just a little better on their home floor and that was the difference.

The 3 Pioneer seniors, will all be missed next year. Particular kudos to Pat Maher who really supplies a lot of leadership and "glue" to the team and the system. Coach A announced in the senior day program that Maher has the highest winning percentage of any player in Grinnell history in games in which he has played. Pretty impressive considering some of the guys who have gone before him.

Maher will have to be at his best, as will Taylor and Marx if Grinnell is to make any noise in the MWC tournament.

There are a couple of players who could be X factors next weekend. Right at the top of the list is Luke Yeager. He is a terrific player who sometimes gets overlooked, but he can score on the drive or the 3, defends pretty well, and gets others involved. Stay out of foul trouble Luke, and make a difference. Another guy who can be a difference maker is Tague Zachary. He has size, jumps reasonably well and can shoot on occasion. But his defense (IMO) is where he could impact. If he can keep from playing with his head under the cylinder, and look for the box out on the defensive boards his game will improve, as will Grinnell's chances.

I'm not sure GC can beat a northern team in the north this year. The venue is tough, and the competition in the first game is sound. Still, I'm looking for a breakthrough performance in frozen tundra country. Grinnell 119 - Ripon 101. :-)

I am going to predict that Grinnell's hot shooting in the second half against Beloit will continue in Wisconsin, that someone will magically decide to cover Cerroni at the arc, and the Pioneers win 100-99 on 3 Marx foul shots with 0.4 left on the clock. This really would be miraculous, as Schuldes(?) is a really tough venue for GC. The gym is cold, the opponent always prepared,and the refs come directly from calling the hockey game earlier in the day. Also, does anyone really imagine there would be a foul call against the home team with less than a second left in a game?

Seriously, I might as well call this one for Grinnell. If the Pioneers win, I can say I told you so. If St Norbert wins, well, everyone knows they're supposed to and I don't lose too much cred for the call (can you have negative cred?). The Knights are really good.

On another note, this month's issue of the Cowboy Chronicle has a detailed write up of the Nevada SASS state championship for cowboy action shooting. The event is called "ROOP COUNTY DAYS." Not sure The Roop would want to be associated with cowboys, but it's good to know there is a county named for him.