MBB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Nites]

****Sum...if what you say is true, then the source of the weak recruiting has been discovered.  In a place as remote as CORD, the players will not fall in your lap.  If were in charge of recruiting, I would be on the heels of Mr. Horan.

"Remote" may be a relative term.  Fargo-Moorhead may be considered remote to most of the country, but I'm not sure I would characterize it as remote to the region as a whole.  How far north, south and west of there do you have to go to find a larger metropolitan area.  East obviously is the Twin Cities some 200 or so miles away. 

Drake makes some excellent suggestions.  North Dakota traditionally has some very good high school basketball.  Granted the population, is small, but there sure seem to be a lot of those 6'4", 6'5" and 6'6" kids out there that are the staple of Division III basketball. 

Consider also some other schools in the area that recruit well in various sports.  Successful programs are run at NDSU, UND and Moorhead State, and as Drake pointed out, look at the success NDSSS has had in basketball in recent years.  Fargo-Moorhead is big, big city compared to Wahpeton.

In some ways, Concordia has an advantage in MIAC recruiting because it is the lone MIAC in its immediate area and it's better known to the kids in the area. 

All that being said, I would think that Concordia should be able to compete better head to head against some of the other MIAC schools.  It sounds to me like recruiting just may not be a Siverson strong suit.

[abominable_snowman]

****Sum...if what you say is true, then the source of the weak recruiting has been discovered.  In a place as remote as CORD, the players will not fall in your lap.  If were in charge of recruiting, I would be on the heels of Mr. Horan.

"Remote" may be a relative term.  Fargo-Moorhead may be considered remote to most of the country, but I'm not sure I would characterize it as remote to the region as a whole.  How far north, south and west of there do you have to go to find a larger metropolitan area.  East obviously is the Twin Cities some 200 or so miles away. 

Drake makes some excellent suggestions.  North Dakota traditionally has some very good high school basketball.  Granted the population, is small, but there sure seem to be a lot of those 6'4", 6'5" and 6'6" kids out there that are the staple of Division III basketball. 

Consider also some other schools in the area that recruit well in various sports.  Successful programs are run at NDSU, UND and Moorhead State, and as Drake pointed out, look at the success NDSSS has had in basketball in recent years.  Fargo-Moorhead is big, big city compared to Wahpeton.

In some ways, Concordia has an advantage in MIAC recruiting because it is the lone MIAC in its immediate area and it's better known to the kids in the area. 

All that being said, I would think that Concordia should be able to compete better head to head against some of the other MIAC schools.  It sounds to me like recruiting just may not be a Siverson strong suit.

I did mean remote in a very relative sense.  The same way SMU is remote in the MIAC.  Also I am in total agreement with Drake.  Note my first suggestion was to farm the Dakotas more.  The general consesus that is becoming clear is your last point.

[Willy Wonka]

Before we delve too deep into a topic we are all simply speculating on and before I forget, I need to throw this out there...

Jamal Abu Shamala would have fit in nicely with the 05-06 Tommies, with snowman's and Keating's roof-raising antics. His air punches while his teammates looked at him like he's crazy were classic on Wednesday night (not that anyone should have been watching, with all the other options to choose from).

watch - I have football eligibility remaining, not basketball. I'm not sure how long I can keep playing that card tho...three straight days of hooping with the local high schoolers has my back hurting something fierce.

[Nites]

The general consesus that is becoming clear is your last point.

Agreed!  Good discussion. 

In terms of quality of athletic facilities and campus, any thoughts as to the schools that would have the biggest recruiting advantage in that area?

[Drake Palmer]

Strictly facilities I'd go with - 

STO - Overall, I'd say they have the best looking facilities & most scenic campus.
GAC
SJU would be 2nd if they were coed.
CORD - they've done amazing things up in the tundra
Best landscaping - Hamline

Favorite gym - Bethel
Best gym - GAC
Best atmosphere - GAC
Best celebrity sighting - UST

[Nites]

Strictly facilities I'd go with - 

STO - Overall, I'd say they have the best looking facilities & most scenic campus.
GAC
SJU would be 2nd if they were coed.
CORD - they've done amazing things up in the tundra
Best landscaping - Hamline

Favorite gym - Bethel
Best gym - GAC
Best atmosphere - GAC
Best celebrity sighting - UST

Another strike on Siverson.  He's got the physical facilities to help sell the school.

I like the SJU assessment.  When I asked the question I hadn't considered it in terms of the lack of female amenities. 

[miacwatchmen]

SJU facts

- SJU's classes are coed
- The only thing that isn't coed is dorm arrangements
- SJU 150 years? There are some old buildings in Collegeville.


I like UST's campus. They have a pretty nice look for being centered in the inner city.
Plus Schonecker may be the nicest gym in the league.


Drake: GAC's gym is nasty. Its a multi-purpose gym with a large divider on one end of the court. I think it is the toughest gym to shoot in in the MIAC but it isn't the nicest gym.

[sumander]

Saturday's results:

Augsburg 76 @ Macalester 90
Hamline 65 @ Concordia 84
Gustavus 77 @ Saint Mary's 70
St. Thomas 91 @ Bethel 86 (2OT)
St. Olaf 66 @ Saint John's 82

Can't wait to hear the details on the Tomcat Royals game! More on the Johnnies reserves victory later!

[TommieHoops4Life]

Wasn't at Bethel today, but I have been watching the high school shootout at the Target Center on FSN most of the day. Cretin Derham Hall is taking on Westbury Christian from Texas, and as they pan down the Raiders bench during a stoppage, I see none other than Nick Schader (Tommie alum and Totino alum) sitting calmly on the bench. Apparently he landed an assistant coaching job there at some point this year. Good to see he's still involved with hoops after college.

[bleednavyblue_GoBU]

Was in attendance today for the BU - UST battle...

Awesome game today in the Robertson Center.  The stars came out to play.  Ike played a solid game around the rim and had a somewhat quiet 30.  But playing 41 minutes after being sick had to be tough.

Two huge offensive rebounds at the end of regulation and the 1st overtime really kept Bethel in it. 

At the end of regulation Strom gets a rebound off a Moberg free throw miss...gives it up...and gets it right back for an athletic reverse lay-up. 

At the end of the first overtime Keating hits a three with about 50 second left.  Laugen gets fouled and misses two freethrows.  The rebound goes off of Ike...Bethel ball out of bounds under the basket.  Cory then calmly hits a monster three to match keating's with about 25 seconds left.  I thought he played a great game...hitting big shots when they were open...reminded me of a young Jesse Peterson back in the day.  Although he did have his hands full with Dwyer, who I thought played great defense all game. 

UST had the upper hand the entire second overtime.  Bethel worked it to only down two with 40 seconds left.  But a 15 foot bank shot by Meadowcroft was too hard off the glass.  UST made their freethrows down the stretch and that was the ballgame. 

I thought Strom made it impossible for Schnettler all day and he still managed 18 points.  But 2-5 from down town is a big improvement from last year for the Royals.  Madson was awesome early, but lost his legs down the stretch.  He didn't shoot an uncontested shot all day and still went 11-20.  He is going to be awesome... especially if he takes advantage of a 5th year.  Bethel still needs to get it to moberg more down low.  He needs 15 shots a game from the block. 

UST played like Champs today, but I would watch out for Bethel.  4 conference losses by a total of 14 points.  They now face the 5 teams that didn't make the playoffs last year.  I think they will be 5-5 or 6-4 at the half way point... and I wouldn't want to play them in the playoffs if they make it...which I think they will.   Their young players will only keep getting better.  They just need to keep the spirits up during a this tough stretch.  The best thing that could happen for them is having a full week next week. 

Any thoughts from others on whether or not they will make the playoffs after starting 1-4???

Sorry for the long post...but a overtime thriller deserves it. 

[Drake Palmer]

Excellent post Bleed Navy BU!  Despite your Bethel loyalties, I thought your post was very fair & even in your analysis.  I'd agree with practically every point you made.

**Madson was absolutely on fire! His turnaround J is sick!

**I thought the Bethel coaching staff had an excellent defensive game plan in place.  If not for the 2 OTs, the final game score would have been in the low 70s. 

**Strom did an excellent job defending Schnettler. I would guess the bulk of Schnettler's points came during a nice defensive stretch by the Tommies in the 2nd half where they were able to strip the ball, or get a board & pitch the ball out to Schnettler in transition.

**Moberg's baby face allows him to get by with a bit of larceny on the interior & used his body & arms well against Rosefelt. 

**I liked the physical play by the Royals with Moberg, Reck, Mcroft, Rolando, etc.  If the Royals keep playing like this they should be definite playoff contenders.

**Like BU Navy said, it was a quiet 30 points for Ike.  (Meadowcroft also had a quiet double-double 13pts 11 Rs) I was very surprised to read he scored that many points.  You could tell he still had not regained his explosiveness or quick 1st step.  That was most noticeable on those 2 missed rebounds that BU Navy referred to that could have ended the game for the Toms in either regulation or the 1st OT.

**Nonetheless, a good team win for the Tommies & solid defensive play.
**I also liked how smartly the Tommies played on offense & didn't try to force the ball to their "Big 3" & kept moving the ball around until they got a good look. 

**Lonnie R. continues to display a knack for making big plays & had a cold blooded, twisting drive thru traffic & finished a layup with his left hand.

**Viau, & McCoy were solid contributors off the bench.

**In spite of being closely guarded most of the game, Bryan Schnettler kept working & was solid; Dwyer scared me but did a good job, & Mike Keating played the type of game that many of us who've seen him play since high school days knew he was capable of.

Fun ball game!

[sumander]

BleedNavy & Drake,

Thanks for the analysis. I can't get into the Bethel website to look at the box score. I hope the game was well attended. It sounds like it should have been great atomosphere!

Johnnies came away with another W despite their starting 5 not playing up to expectations. J's got off to a quick 6-0 start and coach K called a TO. With the ship righted the Knights came back and took a 2 pt lead. At about the 13:00 minute mark, Coach Smith sent in the second line of Johnson, Veurink, Brink, Fogt & Kincaide. This group was energized and in about 5 minutes of time had taken a 6 point lead. The starters returned and built the lead to 13 at half time.

Second half began with the regulars back on the floor, 5 minutes in and STOLAF had cut the lead to 3. Smith inserted line #2. By the time Lieser and Westman subbed back in at the 8 minute mark the lead was back to 11. Once again the #2 line played with energy and passion.

The combined player of the game award should go to Brink, Fogt and Kincaide. Their combined stat line was:

14-20 fg, 5-6 ft, 34 points 11 reb, 6 Asst. All in 38 minute of playing time. Brady Brink in particular had a good game. His length surprises people and his ability to close quickly. He had the play of the game (in my mind) with a steal at half court and a nifty behind the back dribble that split two defenders with a finishing finger roll!

Westman, of the starters, had the best game. His shot selection has improved significantly. He has had 12 reb in the last two games. He also had 5 asst yesterday. It would be great if he would continue this trend and develop into a complete player, not just a scorer. Outside of Lieser and C. Shafer getting thier point not alot could be said for the rest of the J's starters.

On the STOLAF side, I was impressed with Haugen's game. He had some nice moves on the offensive end of the floor. He seemed to work hard on the defensive end of the floor as well. Butala had a good game for the Knight as well. I was surprised when I found out he only shot 50% from the floor. I could have sworn he didn't miss. He had 8 reb and 4 A to go along with his 11 points. Bain picked up 2 quick fouls in the first half and was never a factor in the game.

It was nice to see the reserves put together some real quality minutes. With a trip to MAC looming on Monday and Auggie Tech on Wednesday the J's starters better get their heads screwed on straight in short order.

[Drake Palmer]

Watch – Mebbe I should have re-stated my criteria when selecting best gyms.  Every time I've been to St. Pete's for a Gusties game, the place is packed in a sea of yellow shirts, & some would say inebriated Gusties, cheering like crazy!  If I'm a recruit, why wouldn't I want to play an atmosphere like that?!?  No other place like it in the  league.  Thus my pick for GAC for best gym & best atmosphere.

On the other hand, sure Schoenecker is a nice looking arena, occasionally populated with nice looking co-eds, but it's a fairly laid back crowd.  The student fans seemed to be more interested in post game festivities & being seen for the fashion show, then exhibiting a little fan enthusiasm.

One other comment.  You should take a 1 day class & tour the east side of St. Paul, the Franklin neighborhood in Mpls, or the Broadway & Penn area in north Mpls if you wanna see the twin cities version of "inner city."  Yet even those areas are relatively tame compared to some areas in Chicago, & other major urban areas back east.

Where UST is located hardly qualifies as being "inner city."  Some of the most expensive, historic old homes & mansions are located within 4 square miles of the campus.  The surrounding areas around UST of Merriam Park, Mac-Groveland & Highland Park also has one of the highest median family income levels in the entire twin cities area, if not state.

End of today's history, architecture, sociology & the dirty, sordid world of D3 recruiting lesson.   

[Drake Palmer]

Sum - according to the boxscore there were 1479 fans in attendance at the UST-Bethel clash.  Where was Mark Bergstrom for the Oles yesterday? 

All of a sudden, if I'm a Johnnie fan, or any other MIAC team supporter, I'd be a little wary of playing Mac on their home court now.  Back in December, they absolutely scared the mess out of the Tommies at UST, before finally going down in defeat.  But since then, they've throttled Cord while shooting lights out, & spanked this year's darling, Augsburg, while being out shot & out rebounded.

MAC questions - How the heck does this happen?? How can they play run–n-gun with only one quick player AND only go 7 deep in the rotation?  How can they press one of the best handling young PGs in the league?  Gasp, sputter, choke? The scheduling bone the MIAC gave Mac of 11 straight games at home might all of a sudden thrust them into -- playoff contention?     

My scouting report on Abe W. was that he can't finish his waterbug quick forays up the court & at the rim because of his size, yet reading the game report, that's exactly what he did against the Dawgs.  Earlier in the week he tried the same thing against the Cobbs, but he would stop just short of the hoop & kick it out to one of the wings who would knock down a 3.  Also, Jesse Hollander & Lars Johnson are having career years & are certainly trying to make their senior seasons something to remember.

On the flip side, I'm wondering if fatigue might be setting in already with Augsburg's Jon Cassens or an injury?  I commented earlier in the season how Coach Griess seemed to be playing the FY a lot of heavy minutes & he was averaging close to 38 minutes a game.  In yesterday's contest I noticed he only played 29 minutes & the other FY wunderkind, Zach Krumwiede played even fewer minutes.  Also, Krumwiede's effectiveness seems to have been diminishing in the last 2-3 games.  These might be possible reasons for concerns or areas to watch as the season continues to unfold. 

Beware Johnnies, beware.  Beware  the Abes of Mac,  err... Ides of Mac!  

EDIT:  Upon further review, it appears Abe caused Cassens to foul out in 29 minutes.  I believe that's the first time Cassens has fouled out all season.  The other item to note - Justin Koslowski, another smallish guard, didn't play for the Dawgs yesterday.

[sumander]

Et Tu Brute?

Drake, not sure where Bergstrom was. If Honest Abe is as quick as you say he is, it may be a matchup problem for the J's. I think Lieser or Johnson are the only two quick enough to guard him! Sounds like the Johnnies need to control the tempo on Monday night. It will be a good test to see if the Johnnies are ready to take a spot next to the Tomcats as one of the elite teams in the league league.