MBB: American Rivers Conference

[Floyd in Iowa City]

2013-2014 All-Iowa Conference Men's Basketball

Most Valuable Player - Matt Greenfield, Central

Defensive Player of the Year - Nick Wuebker, Buena Vista

Coach of the Year - Craig Douma, Central

First Team
Cole Darrow # Buena Vista Jr.
Kevin Kaerwer Central Sr.
Andrew Wirth £ & Coe Sr.
Andre Norris # Dubuque So.
Aaron Schueller Loras Jr.
John Androus £ $ Luther Sr.
Eddie Diemer # Wartburg Sr.

Second Team
Nick Wuebker Buena Vista Jr.
Chris Frazier ¥ % Dubuque Sr.
Gage Heffernan Dubuque Jr.
Alex Cline Loras Sr. 
Nathaniel Smith # Loras Jr. 
Jake Martin Luther Jr.
Charles Swain & Simpson Jr.

Honorable Mention
Nick Clark Buena Vista So.
Nile Eckermann Central So. 
Colby Taylor Central Fr.
Thomas Perkins Wartburg Sr.

Previous Honors
$ — 2012-2013 IIAC Defensive Player of the Year
% — 2012-2013 All-Conference First Team
# — 2012-2013 All-Conference Second Team
& — 2012-2013 Honorable Mention
£ — 2011-2012 All-Conference Second Team
¥ — 2011-2012 Honorable Mention

[Fannosaurus Rex]

Central was smokin in the first half of their first round play-off game.  45-28 Dutch at the break.  Keep it up!

[Klompen]

I am sorry I have not been posting much this season, but sometimes you just don't want to open your mouth too much when your team was picked to finish last in the conference.  Do not want to jinx the magic.  All the teams in the conference could have won on any given night, that is how close the conference was from top to bottom this year.  Last year the Dutch seemed to lose so many really close games, this year we won the majority of the close ones and almost every game was way too close.  All the teams should be really proud that they gave such good games, or beat, Central who made it through the first round of the playoffs.  I never would have believed it with one of the first guys off the bench not dressing due to injury.
 
DD, tell your wife that Mitch B. Is dressing as a replacement for Yaw.  He didn't get in tonight, but we may need more bench play tomorrow night.

Luther fans, I thought it was a 3 pt attempt also.  That said, if you were at the game or had audio, I am sure you heard the "conservative" Central students yelling bull ____ pucky a number of times in the first half leading to the reading of the good sportsmanship mantra at the half.  That was a bad call, but they went both ways.  The timing of that one just made it stand out.

Very proud of this Central squad picked to finish dead last and beating very good BV and Luther teams 3 times to get to the playoffs.  That was no small accomplishment.  Marion is giving Stevens Point a good game, whoever we play tomorrow we will have our work cut out for us.  Never ranked, no votes Central going up against the #1team or the team that knocks them off.  We have about as much chance as a team picked to finish last winning in the first round game, maybe less.   

[Klompen]

Dutch down by 4 at the half.  Very loud Pointers crowd and band.  Sounds like the drums are right behind the dutch radio announcers.  Impressed that Central has played with them as well as they have.  Not sure if it is just the announcers or if it is that bad, but sounds like refs could be intimidated by home crowd.  They have way more free throws even though announcers talk abonut Dutch plzayers being knockecd down with no  fouls called on Pointers.  If streaming worked for me, I could see or myself, but I have to go only on announcers.

Pointers come out hot early in 2nd half, Dutch down by 9 now, hope it doesn't get ugly!

[John Gleich]

Dutch down by 4 at the half.  Very loud Pointers crowd and band.  Sounds like the drums are right behind the dutch radio announcers.  Impressed that Central has played with them as well as they have.  Not sure if it is just the announcers or if it is that bad, but sounds like refs could be intimidated by home crowd.  They have way more free throws even though announcers talk abonut Dutch plzayers being knockecd down with no  fouls called on Pointers.  If streaming worked for me, I could see or myself, but I have to go only on announcers.

Pointers come out hot early in 2nd half, Dutch down by 9 now, hope it doesn't get ugly!

Stevens Point's band is behind the baseline on SP's bench's side. The Central radio guys are at midcourt at the scorer's table (it extends the full length between the two benches and has room for media).

When Quandt gets loud, it gets loud... likely close to 2300 there I'd say from what I can see on the video, near the capacity of about 2750.

[Klompen]

Pointers have shot 16 free throw attempts, Central 4 attempts.  Things that make you go huh...

[Klompen]

Dutch down by 4 at the half.  Very loud Pointers crowd and band.  Sounds like the drums are right behind the dutch radio announcers.  Impressed that Central has played with them as well as they have.  Not sure if it is just the announcers or if it is that bad, but sounds like refs could be intimidated by home crowd.  They have way more free throws even though announcers talk abonut Dutch plzayers being knockecd down with no  fouls called on Pointers.  If streaming worked for me, I could see or myself, but I have to go only on announcers.

Pointers come out hot early in 2nd half, Dutch down by 9 now, hope it doesn't get ugly!

Stevens Point's band is behind the baseline on SP's bench's side. The Central radio guys are at midcourt at the scorer's table (it extends the full length between the two benches and has room for media).

When Quandt gets loud, it gets loud... likely close to 2300 there I'd say from what I can see on the video, near the capacity of about 2750.

Thanks for passing that on.  Sounds like a great band, just makes it hard to hear.  Then again, maybe I don't want tp.   Things are heading south real fast.  But still not bad for a team picked to finish last in our conference and with the sixth man injured.  Nice job by Central seniors to make it a year to remember.

[John Gleich]

Dutch down by 4 at the half.  Very loud Pointers crowd and band.  Sounds like the drums are right behind the dutch radio announcers.  Impressed that Central has played with them as well as they have.  Not sure if it is just the announcers or if it is that bad, but sounds like refs could be intimidated by home crowd.  They have way more free throws even though announcers talk abonut Dutch plzayers being knockecd down with no  fouls called on Pointers.  If streaming worked for me, I could see or myself, but I have to go only on announcers.

Pointers come out hot early in 2nd half, Dutch down by 9 now, hope it doesn't get ugly!

Stevens Point's band is behind the baseline on SP's bench's side. The Central radio guys are at midcourt at the scorer's table (it extends the full length between the two benches and has room for media).

When Quandt gets loud, it gets loud... likely close to 2300 there I'd say from what I can see on the video, near the capacity of about 2750.

Thanks for passing that on.  Sounds like a great band, just makes it hard to hear.  Then again, maybe I don't want tp.   Things are heading south real fast.  But still not bad for a team picked to finish last in our conference and with the sixth man injured.  Nice job by Central seniors to make it a year to remember.

Amen to that... that's just a great story. Central played really well and shot better than UWSP. Point hasn't shot that poorly all season... they only shot < 40% twice until this game, and Central's D has lots to do with that.

Great game by the Dutch

[Klompen]

AllI can say is WOW, what a season!  Could not be more proud of this dutch team.  They hang with the #1 team, falling by 6 on their floor.  Incredible job Dutch!  Way to step it up and show the naysayers.  Bet they don't pick us for last next year.  Nile and Colby had great examples for providing future leadership.  Greenfield had an amazing year and congratulations on 1000 pts.  Nice thing about this team is that they really played as a team, and you never knew which player was going to step up on any given night.  Unselfish play all season, whoever was hot got the ball.  Great way to be successful!

I am one proud Dutch fan tonight, falling behind and that loud crowd, you battled back and never stopped giving your best.  Man I hate to see this season over.

[Klompen]

John, thanks for the kind words about the Dutch.  From last place last year to first place this year was a real Cinderella season, but made that way by a lot of hard work.  It was fun to watch this year.  I was glad to see the Pointers not crush us, per the playoffs preview.  A year ago it would have happened, that we hung that well was a testament to how hard these players and coaches have worked.  I am glad they can hold their heads high.

Good luck to the Pointers the rest of the way.

[frodotwo]

John, thanks for the kind words about the Dutch.  From last place last year to first place this year was a real Cinderella season, but made that way by a lot of hard work.  It was fun to watch this year.  I was glad to see the Pointers not crush us, per the playoffs preview.  A year ago it would have happened, that we hung that well was a testament to how hard these players and coaches have worked.  I am glad they can hold their heads high.

Good luck to the Pointers the rest of the way.

I've seen all but 4 of the Pointers games in person this year and no one shut down their inside game like Central did tonight. Their length made penetration extremely difficult and took Tyler Tillema out of the game, as did the defense on Hass by Eckermann. I was impressed with Greenfield, for a tall skinny kid he played very well and held his own against a more physical player in Heuer.  The defense Point played on Kaerwer was a key, but he still managed NINE assists, wow!  Kudos to the Dutch on giving #1 all it could handle on our home court, where we beat visitors by an average of 17 per game and only the second time below 10 all year.

[John Gleich]

Kudos to the Dutch on giving #1 all it could handle on our home court, where we beat visitors by an average of 17 per game and only the second time below 10 all year.

... The other time being Friday night...

[Klompen]

Thanks Pointers fans, nobody outside of Central fans expected much this year.  Not even us dedicated Central fans really believed what we got from this team.  I still fear waking up to find I just dreamed this year up.  I knew the Dutch seemed to keep getting better as the season progressed, but even with that I wasn't sure the UWSP game wouldn't be a blowout.  I think Central played their best two games of the year on your floor.  I am so glad they got the chance to play you.  Only one team gets to finish the playoffs with a win, so if you have to lose, Central and Marion can both go out with their heads held high.  How much better can a loss be than to the #1 ranked team, on their floor, against a really loud and huge fan base and band making a dynamic playing environment and going down to the wire losing by 5pts or less.  Just win it all and make our men feel even better.

Greenfield is a tall skinny kid, but he has been holding his own for the better part of the last 4 years against more physical players.  Central seems to have a knack for attracting the tall skinny guys, Central fans will remember Zach Cooper and Clint Driftmeier being a couple of beanpoles ahead of him, but dang if they didn't all hold their own against the bigger guys.

This team gave the younger players such a great example of what can be accomplished.  I don't know that I have ever been so satisfied after a loss.  Way to go Dutch.

Sorry to see the Pointers are not on the football schedule, those were some great games.

[badgerwarhawk]

Pat Brown is an outstanding basketball official and you guys are really lucky to have him working in your league.  He calls a good game and his demeanor is cool, calm and collected under any circumstances.  I really like him and wish he was working in our league. 

[Klompen]

WOW.  All I can say is WOW, WOW, WOW.

Okay that isn't all I can say.  Central graduates two leading scorers from last year's team with Kevin K. and Matt G. gone.  Colby Taylor spends most of the first game on the bench with foul trouble, two other players from last year's team were still playing football today and the Dutch not just set a new school record for points scored in a single game.  They SHATTERED it.  Dutch win 132-118 against what appeared to be a pretty decent Nebraska Wesleyan team.  Holy smokes, is this going to be a fun season or what!  Well it is for the only Dutch fan on the board anyway.