MBB: American Rivers Conference

[Greek Tragedy]

So...looking at next year, as NWU graduates everyone and their mother, who's taking the reigns?

[rlgyank]

So...looking at next year, as NWU graduates everyone and their mother, who's taking the reigns?

That is an interesting question. Not counting any transfers that may come in, there will be 0 seniors on the team next year. No one will have started a game for NWU. The most minutes this year of any returning player is 190, and the next highest is 79.

When the current 4 year run started, the Garver/Cook class were sophomores and the Schimonitz/Hiller/Dirks/Bahe/Hall class were freshmen. Cook played quite a bit as a freshman, but Garver only played a total of 138 minutes. They were young, but they also had some seniors on the team, along with junior transfer Wells-Ross, who gave them some good guidance and direction.

Next years team will not have that senior leadership and guidance, so the young players will have to figure it out. Hopefully, the last 2 years of seniors left them with some knowledge and guidance on how to proceed as a team. There is some good talent returning, and from what I hear some talented newcomers, but it will be young. They will be learning on the fly.

Coach Wellman and the rest of the coaching staff will definitely earn their money next year. I know they will be up to the task, and will have the team be as competitive as it can be.

 

[Greek Tragedy]

Thanks. Good post about NWU. However, I meant in terms of conference foes. The usual suspects, BVU, Wartburg? Loras or even Coe?

[rlgyank]

Thanks. Good post about NWU. However, I meant in terms of conference foes. The usual suspects, BVU, Wartburg? Loras or even Coe?

I really don't know about any recruits anyone has, but based on returning players, I would say Loras has the most returning. NWU loses almost everyone, Coe loses a lot, BVU loses their best player in Jeffries, Simpson loses a lot. It should be pretty wide open. Wartburg has some good returnees, but they will need to get better.

[Goldy97]

In these wild times, coaches keep recruiting! Loras has recently received the commitments from a really impressive trio via the players' Twitter accounts: Jacob Schockemoehl, a G from local Wahlert Catholic. Loras seems to have beaten out a handful of D2 schools for the local kid. He was also a PrepHoops Class 3A Iowa Mr. Basketball candidate. Juan Avila, a SF from Oak Forest who led his squad to a 28-4 record against some impressive Chicago competition. And finally, just tonight, the Duhawks got a commitment from 6'2 JUCO G Brayden Hennis. A lights out shooter at Rock Valley, Hennis was named 1st Team NJCAA Region 4.

[AndOne]

Basketball (and football) news in the off- (and COVID-19) season.........

I sense regular former IIAC, and now ARC posters, may have had a better initial understanding of the conference's new name, but when the name was first publicized, the reaction of many of us outsiders was that the name American Rivers was terrible, and just plain dumb at best. The only connection that could be surmised by many was that the Iowa schools lie between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, thus the name American Rivers.

As a NWU Plainsman grad, and basketball player back in the GPAC/NAIA era, I receive the NWU Alumni magazine Archways. The current edition has a story on the origin of the conference name which details the fact that while NWU was built further from the banks of any river, American rivers are still the key to the identity of the conference due to the fact that all the Iowa schools are situated on or near riverbanks.

West to East;

Buena Vista University — Storm Lake/North Raccoon River
Simpson College — Indianola/South River
Central College — Pella/Des Moines River
Wartburg College — Waverly/Cedar River
Luther College — Decorah/Upper Iowa River
Coe College — Cedar Rapids/Cedar River
Loras College — Dubuque/Mississippi River
Univ of Dubuque — Dubuque/Mississippi River

[doolittledog]

Basketball (and football) news in the off- (and COVID-19) season.........

I sense regular former IIAC, and now ARC posters, may have had a better initial understanding of the conference's new name, but when the name was first publicized, the reaction of many of us outsiders was that the name American Rivers was terrible, and just plain dumb at best. The only connection that could be surmised by many was that the Iowa schools lie between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, thus the name American Rivers.

As a NWU Plainsman grad, and basketball player back in the GPAC/NAIA era, I receive the NWU Alumni magazine Archways. The current edition has a story on the origin of the conference name which details the fact that while NWU was built further from the banks of any river, American rivers are still the key to the identity of the conference due to the fact that all the Iowa schools are situated on or near riverbanks.

West to East;

Buena Vista University — Storm Lake/North Raccoon River
Simpson College — Indianola/South River
Central College — Pella/Des Moines River
Wartburg College — Waverly/Cedar River
Luther College — Decorah/Upper Iowa River
Coe College — Cedar Rapids/Cedar River
Loras College — Dubuque/Mississippi River
Univ of Dubuque — Dubuque/Mississippi River

I can assure you us insiders thought the new name was terrible as well.  Their original slogan of "rivers rise" was even worse.  The fact they paid a consulting firm to come up with all that didn't play well either. 

I was told by multiple parties, a questionnaire was sent to conference coaches asking their opinion of a name change, and it came back overwhelmingly against the change.  Replies came back that the IIAC had name recognition and should be kept.  When that happened the college presidents were consulted and told a name change really needed to happen and they signed off on it.  No confirmation, but I was told NWU was promised a conference name change as a condition of joining. 

It's all river water under the bridge now.  If you go back a few podcasts you can find an interview Pat did with the current commissioner and they talked a bit about the name change. 

[AndOne]

Ya, what comes to mind is that when "rivers rise" flooding can result. Not good. The Conference definitely should have asked for a refund on that one. 😧 👎

[WUPHF]

In one of more forgettable d3boards.com posts, I made the case that the SLIAC should be named the Western Rivers Conference.  American Rivers and Western Rivers are both commonly used to describe the Missouri-Mississippi-Illinois River system.

If you could travel to every SLIAC institution by steamboat as long as you had a train or horse and carriages to get you from the river to the final destination.  The rivers get you very close.  And the SLIAC is in much greater need of a rebrand.

[AndOne]

What's going on at Loras? First Jordan Boyd leaves, then Jalen Boyd, and now Ocean Johnson. Additionally, Coach Chris Martin seems to perhaps be the early leading candidate for the recently vacated head position at Augustana. Any indications that any other departures might occur?

[Titan Q]

Additionally, Coach Chris Martin seems to perhaps be the early leading candidate for the recently vacated head position at Augustana.

Just to be clear, that is 100% speculation at this point.  There is nothing factual that points to Chris Martin being interested in that job, or Augustana being interested in Chris Martin.

[AndOne]

Additionally, Coach Chris Martin seems to perhaps be the early leading candidate for the recently vacated head position at Augustana.

Just to be clear, that is 100% speculation at this point.  There is nothing factual that points to Chris Martin being interested in that job, or Augustana being interested in Chris Martin.

Of course Coach Martin probably has not actually uttered the words "I am interested in the Augustana job," nor has Augie stated "We want Chris Martin." 

However, with regard to any degree of speculation, my post appears to run on a parallel track with what you posted in the CCIW room earlier today. 

Here is my lead candidate for the Augie job...

https://duhawks.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-martin/1808

Successful D3 head coach who has very successfully recruited within key parts of Augie's recruiting footprint at two D3 schools (Loras, Elmhurst).

I have no idea if Chris would be interested in the job (I'm guessing he would), but he seems like a strong candidate.

[Gregory Sager]

I think that Bob's just spitballing, just as I did this morning with my own list, based upon Chris Martin's success at Loras, his CCIW background, and the fact that his Loras recruiting footprint is a near-match for Augustana's. There's a world of difference between that kind of speculation, which lacks any hard evidence of actual interest, and invoking the word "candidate," which denotes someone who is actively pursuing the job and is being considered by the institution in question.

[AndOne]

I think that Bob's just spitballing, just as I did this morning with my own list, based upon Chris Martin's success at Loras, his CCIW background, and the fact that his Loras recruiting footprint is a near-match for Augustana's. There's a world of difference between that kind of speculation, which lacks any hard evidence of actual interest, and invoking the word "candidate," which denotes someone who is actively pursuing the job and is being considered by the institution in question.

You did, of course, notice that Bob did also, in fact, use the word candidate. Accordingly, it seems he may indeed have crossed over from mere "spitballing" and entered the speculative realm. 

[Titan Q]

I think that Bob's just spitballing, just as I did this morning with my own list, based upon Chris Martin's success at Loras, his CCIW background, and the fact that his Loras recruiting footprint is a near-match for Augustana's. There's a world of difference between that kind of speculation, which lacks any hard evidence of actual interest, and invoking the word "candidate," which denotes someone who is actively pursuing the job and is being considered by the institution in question.

Yes, I was very clear that I was just throwing out a name -- my opinion.

I think that is a lot different than what you said:

What's going on at Loras? First Jordan Boyd leaves, then Jalen Boyd, and now Ocean Johnson. Additionally, Coach Chris Martin seems to perhaps be the early leading candidate for the recently vacated head position at Augustana. Any indications that any other departures might occur?