WBB: Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference

[auballer]

Well, all things aside, what are the thoughts on the final four teams. I really think the NIIC tourney is up for grabs.  Will home court advantage be the the determining factor?  In 2003-2004 AU beat Eureka at home, RC at Rockford, and BU at Lisle.  Could we have a 2005-2006 repeat? 

[Warrior_Fish]

any predictions for Saturday's game at LC? 

Any predictions for POY, ROY, All Conf? 

ROY will probably be Schielle from EC.  WLC has a lot of freshman on their team and will probably round out the rest of the All-Rookie team. 

POY will be either Thill of LC or Mayyou from CUW.  It all depends on who will win the tourney. 

I will not make any predictions on the game.  At this time, I feel it is to close to call. 

PEACE

[featheredfriend]

I think RC is really tough at home.  It seems like they  have good crowd support and a lot will depend on if everyone is healthy for them.  But, I also think AU's Guise and Plucinski (hope I spelled it close!) are outstandng players who can take over the game...one way or another.  That should be a great game.  All things considered - AU has been hot & RC has not - lately, the Spartans should be favored.

Concordia does have a split with Benedictine and has that mental thing about beating a team (Clarke) that just knocked of the league's #1 team (RC). a couple days before...so I'd think you could toss out the previous scores in this game.  I think Concordia's Coach Tills is a real program-builder and, from what I've seen, is very good at managing a game.  Also, Sinclair is a real hard worker and does some nice things for the Cougars.  Bottom line:  If Benedictine's threes are dropping and if Curtis has a typical all-around good game, then BU is going to be tough to beat.

So, that was a long way of agreeing with you, auballer, on an AU-BU final for the women!   

Do you realize how young both BU's and AU's rosters are?  There should be some great games in the future from those teams alone.

[sportsguru90]

I am going with Rockford over Aurora and
Benedictine over Concordia.

Should be two good games.

I think the home-court will prove to be very important in both games, close games but home team prevails.

[shingle]

Interesting that you think Mayyou could be a Poy candidate but not a Roy candidate.  She is a freshman right?    Scheele has had a great season, but I still think you have to honor Mayyou for leading her team to the # 2 seed after being picked 5th in the preseason poll while averaging 16.8 ppg and 5.6 rpg in conf.  Though Scheele did ave 15.8 and 9.8 in conf.  I guess it is tough to ignore nearly averaging a double double. 

In either case it will be great to watch the careers of these two over the next few years.  If EC can keep their team harmonious and add a couple recruits they'll be on top soon.  I'm sure CUW has something to look forward too if they can land a couple top prospects as well.  They've got a great young team who works so hard.  Hats off to both coaches for turning it up a notch the past two seasons.

Next year will be a very interesting year as this message board dies and gives way to the nac or what ever it finally becomes.  CUW, EC, WLC, and LC are all in the same boat next year.  LC probably has the most questions to answer with the departure of Thill.  But all four are teams who with 1-3 impact recruits can compete with the other teams joining the league regardless of what the overall record was between the LMC and what's left of the NIIC this year. 

I would agree with an LC win, Thill could garner POY.  It would be tough to pass up the best player on the best team if LC would seal the deal.  Mayyou supporters would have an argument if CUW could pull off the win on Saturday, but I think some out there would still vote for a senior 1000 pt scorer over the frosh at the end of the day. 
I think some folks in Milwaukee also may be rooting for the engineering candidate, Chappell who only averaged 21 and 7.5.  Not bad stats.  Though she doesn't get much help on the scoring end from her own team, teams still double team her, put their best defender on her, push her around, and she still catches, elevates and finishes everytime she touches the ball.   

Can Brunner win the COY?  Is there another option besides Arvan and Brunner?

[shingle]

CURF @ RC for the Championship.

I might be jumping in on your conversation late, but RC coach must be a pretty crumby coach to go 20-6, win the regular season, and guide their team to the conference tournament championship game.   

They did stumble a bit at the end, but respect the "season at hand." 

Is there more behind the scenes that would make someone be so critical of Coach A?

[hoopin]

I want to wish RC good luck this Saturday against Concordia.
Being a RC alum and former assistant under Bob I support him fully.  He is an outstanding coach who has a great deal of integrity.  Does everything go perfect in a life as a coach?  I was first with him when he had to rebuild a 70 game loser who could barely field a five person team his first year.  In his second season we played and won a game with 3 players at the end of overtime.   I remember the frustrations from a loss at home in overtime where the team committed forty plus turnovers.  I remember the jubiliation we felt when we crushed Clarke College the reining champ in his third season.  Now all he has done is win 20 plus games every year.  Do you think he really wanted to lose Dorman after recruiting her so hard?  I know he thoroughly enjoyed watching her play and spoke highly of her.  I feel badly for them both.  Things happen and it is over.  Bob is a class coach and individual who has a great deal of integrity.    He deserves better from RC.   If he were given the tools other coaches were he would be able to concentrate even more on coaching.  I would like to commend him for a terrific job and I hope everyone at RC truly appreciates the job he has done.  I do not get the chance to speak with him about basketball any more and I miss our great give and take of the game in general. 

[b23-baller]

being a rc alum on the basketball team too, i can see what the girls are going through. he is a great "basketball" coach, but i wouldn't go as far as saying he is a great coach overall. i have heard some of the things the current team players say and it is pretty negative. i can list at least 8 alums who have played for him in the past that feel the same way..... good basketball coach, but not so good with the individuals on the team. we all wanted to quit before the season was over. yes, recruit talent and that makes you a better coach, but can you keep the team interested in you respectfully? hasnt happened yet...
rc has a strong team and they will play strong even though there are "problems" with this year's team.  good luck!

[auballer]

Maybe you wanted to quit because you were a bunch of whiny girls.  Just think of what players have to go through in Pat Summits program.  Things she says or does would make a d3 player cry for mommy.  But hey, she is the best coach in the history of womens basketball.

[hoopsville 2006]

So, the meaner and nastier the coach is, the better the coach is?  I don't get it.  Where is the respect these days?  So let me get this straight:  It is the coach's right nowadays to belittle, scream, and yell at his/her player?  And then the player, in return, is supposed to idolize and respect this person who is screaming and yelling at them?  If a player disrespects his/her coach in return, I don't ask "why", I ask "why not"?  Respect is earned, not demanded!!!!

[hoopsville 2006]

OH, and one last thing........hoopin wrote a very nice message regarding Coach A and I have to agree with most of what she said.  My question is:
When Coach spoke very highly of Dorman, was Dorman anywhere around to hear him say those things?  People tend to compliment people to OTHER people, but not to the person themselves.  I want to know, hat did Coach A say to Dorman  behind closed doors when no one else was around to hear him  say  it?

[hoopin]

Mean and nasty do not go in the same sentence with Bob.  In fact I thought when I first started coaching with him he was TOO nice.  I was the yeller and screamer.  I know some girls didn't like me.  That's life not everybody is going to like you or the way you do things.  Thick skin is a great ingredient of every coach.  Geno, Pat, Coach K I guarantee you will find disgruntled former players from their past.  All these coaches care for their players including Bob.  Bob wants his players to like him and he is the first one to give players the credit.  Coaches lay out a game plan, players either follow, lead or become disgruntled like bb23.  A coach has roles for everyone on the team whether they like it or not.  I once thought I was a superstar too but their are lead actors and supporting ones as well.  It took me awhile to figure that one out too.  Critisicm is sometimes deserved and whether one takes it well obviously plays a huge factor in his/her success.  I wish I could take my knowledge now and rewind my playing days.  It gives you great perspective as a coach to see all these people trying to swallow pride at an age where emotions swell on a daily basis.  Everyone is entitled to opinion.  I once hated my high school coach who is in the top 20 in all time wins in Illinois basketball.  He berated, screamed and hollered his way in my earhole.  You will find plenty of players who disliked him.  As I have grown as a person I now realize he was the greatest coach I have ever known.  He pushed me to achieve my very best which I know thats what Bob wants from everyone of his players albeit his own coaching philosophy.

[hoopsville 2006]

Let me clarify--When I said "mean and nasty" I was replying to the posting before mine; au baller calling b23baller "whiney".
I wasn't referring to any coach in particular at all, until my second posting.

Here is my problem with athletics in general.  The communication skills between coach and  player are PATHETIC.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, needs to read a book on how to communicate effectively
and learn how to LISTEN instead of talk.  No one is listening at all!!!!

Let's go back to b23baller and her comments.  What she said is very important.  A coach needs to do 2 things  1)  be the best basketball coach he/she can be and ultimately, win as many games as possible and 2)  deal with each and every player on an individual basis.  What she then went on to say was that Coach A was
very effective at point #1, but point #2 needed work.

Immediately, auballer came back and called her "whiney", which is what happens when players complain about the treatment they receive from the coach.  Does the player have no rights at all?  I have seen players be verbally abused by their coach time and time again, and somehow over the years this has become totally acceptable.  The player is told to
"suck it up and take it", when in reality, this is verbal abuse.  Does the coach go home and talk to his wife and kids this way?  I certainly hope not.  So why does a coach get away with this type of behavior?  Because he/she can.  No player is going to speak up because of fear of 1)being benched or kicked off the team or 2)being called whiney or 3)feeling like it is a waste of time because the coach isn't going to understand what the player is trying to say because he/she is NOT listening. 

Idea:  What is that old saying?  There is strength in numbers?  If one player takes a stand, it may not change anything, but if the WHOLE team speaks up as a unit, maybe, just maybe, the coach will listen.

The fans are out of control, the parents are out of control, the coach, and yes, the players get attitudes also.  I'm tired of it.  I thought Div 3 would be better then Div 1, but it isn't, it is the same old, same old, and it is getting worse. 

I am not going to change the world of sports here, but what I can do is try and communicate my thoughts and feelings effectively.  Take it or leave it.

I'm glad that Coach A was a great influence on you, I really am, but not everyone  has that same warm, fuzzy feeling.  Are you right and they are wrong?  Beats the heck out of me!!!

[RCSID]

And now, for something relevant for our conference to celebrate...

Rockford College won a Pool B bid to the NCAA Tournament!

[hoopin]

Awesome job coaches and players at RC.  Congrats on your tourney selection!  Good luck at Wheaton!