MBB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[Jackets Backer]

Yep, Jackets actually outboarded Whitewater. Bet they wish they would've outrebounded them by one more though when Whitewater got like four shots down 6 and then Negri nailed a trey. DC gets the board there, its up six with the ball and about 1:30 left. It's pretty much on ice because Whitewater would've had to of fouled.

Fletcher is quite the character. He was highly recruited out of Milwaukee and went to D-1 Evansville before he was kicked out of there for stealing laptops. Then went to a couple junior colleges and had some more run-ins with the law I believe. He graduated high school in like 2004 but had something like a semester and a half left of eligibility and went to Whitewater. He's something else.

[Buzz]

This is a day late, but I was also fortunate enough to be at the Defiance/Whitewater game on Friday and while the loss was crushing, I left with my head held high. Defiance has nothing to be ashamed of and represented itself and the HCAC very well. Brumett and his staff had a great gameplan, the players weren't intimidated or satisfied to be on that stage and played their guts out against a much bigger, more physical and more athletic Warhawk squad, and DC had a very impressive and vocal backing, with a couple hundred fans making the 6-hour round trip.

The Jackets clearly deserved to win and if one of several bounces/rebounds woulda went DC's way, the outcome woulda been different. On several of UW-Whitewater's offensive boards down the stretch, DC had position but the ball bounced long and right to a Warhawk. To Whitewater's credit, it capitalized and pulled out the win in an incredible game.

Anyway, thanks to the Jackets for a very fun season. They exceeded many expectations and should really be proud of what they accomplished and how they improved in the last several weeks of the year.

[wooscotsfan]

Hopefully, Wooster can put together a balanced game and send the DI "wish-they-were" players back to the Badgerland playground with their tails clipped.

Clipping has been completed ...and the loooong bus ride back to Wisconsin has begun for the Warhawks.  Wooster wins 87-78.

[Buzz]

soooo with the hoops season over for HCAC teams...what now? i already miss the chatter and we're only 2-3 days removed from DC and AU's NCAA showings...

[altor]

Track season, dude.  Come out to Coressel Stadium on March 20 for the Dick Small Invitational.  (Bring your snowsuit.)

[Jackets Backer]

Agree with Buzz, nothing quite compares to college buckets. At least March Madness is in full swing for the next few weeks, but it's always a long spring, summer and fall before hoops starts back up. In my mind, there's nothing better than college basketball.

Interested in seeing how the success DC had this year helps the Jackets in recruiting. They're going to need some guys to come off the bench to back up the Tietjes next year in the post and backups on the perimeter as well. DC's been blessed with a Pettaway and Sales on the roster the last few years ... those kind of guys don't come along all the time. Would expect the twins start along with Brown, Wolfrum and Campbell. But after that, there's no experience at all coming back. Morris has played some, but not much in really huge conference games. Freshmen are going to have to contribute unless some of the guys that didn't play much this year really improve over the offseason. I think it'll be tough for the Jackets to stay at the level they've been at the last few years without any seniors next year and the league is going to be really tough. Hope I'm wrong, but Hanover, Anderson and Franklin return practically everyone and Transy had some good young guys this year. Plus I think Bluffton is going to be really good. I see Hanover and Anderson duking it out next year with three or four other teams in the next group back competing for third.

[dc_has_been]

Jackets Backer,  Essentially you would be starting four guards and one forward with that line up.  I know you can slide Kyle to a forward, but can he play the four and can Kevin play the 4/5?  They need to work on Morris and get him to put some weight on and be able to play 20+ minutes next year and get a freshman that can play big too.  Speaking of weight, Wolfrum needs to get on the McDonald's weight plan.  6'4" 165!  Put 15-20 pounds on that kid and he could be real dangerous on the court.
In regards to next year, I agree that DC will be a mid level team in HCAC play.  I think in two years DC could be potenially a real dangerous team.  They will have several players with tons of experience that have already showed their potential. 
Buzz, for me once bball ends I go and talk football.  There hasn't been much action lately, but I trying to get things going about the upcoming NFL draft. 

[Jackets Backer]

They'd be taller with both Tietjes starting than they were this year in their frontline and really quick, but not as thick. Jackets may have to go back to the run-n-gun they used early this year with that kind of lineup. Both Tietjes like to get up and down and they play better IMO when they're on the floor together. Logan likes to get it and go and he's going to give us a bigger scoring threat at the point spot. I'd like to see a good PG like Floyd come in as a freshman and take over and put Logan at the shooting guard spot just because I think he's more of a scorer than distributor. We were in this same kind of spot four or five years ago and Floyd and Sales came in. Never know, maybe there's two more guys like that on the way. I think someone like a Sales would be a big addition. That way you could go with a Sales-type and the Tietje's inside along with Brown and Wolfrum on the perimeter. Asking to find a lot with a Sales-type but that would give you five dangerous scoring threats. Not sure Campbell, Conley and Floyd were major scoring threats all the time this year. Brown and Sales were counted on a lot in the starting five to produce offense.

[Buzz]

Brumett needs to find at least one impact freshman to continue DC's recent tradition of impact rookies (CJ Johnson, Anthony Pettaway, Nick Sales/Mike Floyd, Anthony Brown, Logan Wolfrum) in the past five years. So it isn't a stretch to bank on getting at least one of those types. If that player is a forward/center who happens to have an immediate impact like Franklin's Conoley did in his freshman year, or Nick Sales in his rookie year, or even Hanover's Mike Case two years ago, then they'll have a shot to be dangerous....but you gotta think Hanover/Anderson are the cream of the crop next season barring some DI transfers coming to Defiance, Franklin, Transy, Bluffton, Manchester and changing the landscape.

[mike.hawke82]

Congrats to AU & DC on their fine seasons. Good to see HCAC represented nationally. Also congrats to Coach Miller & his Panthers at Hanover. My opinion, best coach in HCAC.
But what I really want to talk about is the debacle in Bluffton and the men's basketball program. In particular the head coach. Being an Alum and having played there 4 years under GN I can say without reservation that it is time for a change. I am not a disgruntled player because I played alot and was an All league player during my time there. But in my opinion, that basketball program needs new life and will not compete for a league title or NCAA birth until GN is gone. He has been there over 20 years with 0 league titles, 0 NCAA tourneys. he is the alltime losingest coach in school history, has the most 20 loss seasons in school history, and tied a school record for losses with a 2-23 record this year. If the administration is serious about winning it's time for some new blood to run that program. If they think building a new field house will help them win they better think again. A new building will not make him a better coach. There has been precedence set at Bluffton with the removal of Greg Brooks as the football coach for not winning enough. Unfortunately the new coach has won less than Brooks, but the intention was correct, probably the wrong hire. Time for the AD & President to take a hard look at the basketball and say 20+ years is enough time to prove yourself. This University deserves better from the basketball program. Maybe at least 1 title now and then instead of being consistently below ave. or terrible as in this past season. The guys that have played for GN know what I'm talking about. Love my school, loved my time there, loved my teammates, but time for some new blood to run the program. I'd be interested to know how many former players feel the same or have different opinion of the past 20 years of mediocrity. Look forward to your replies

[altor]

Always a tough subject to approach...   What I'm about to say might be construed, at first, to be flippant.  Please understand that this is not my intent and read to the end.

With the exception of the women's softball and volleyball teams, there is not a lot of recent success in Bluffton athletics.  Neither soccer program has had a winning season since at least 1998.  The track programs were in the top 3 in the conference for 3-4 years (the women even won a championship in 2004) before they dropped off to place 7th and 8th the last three years.  The football team hasn't had a winning season since they won a co-championship in 2000 (and they only have 2 wins in the last 3 years).  The women's cross county team has never finished above 5th in the HCAC, the men never better than 4th (and the men haven't fielded a full 5-man team in the past two years).  The baseball team hasn't had a winning record since at least 2000.  And the women's basketball team has had 1 winning season since 1998-99 (never winning more than 7 conference games).  The men's basketball team has had as much success as any of them with 5 straight winning seasons before this year's 2-23 debacle.  (All these came from the Bluffton webpage.  So, some of these strings may go back further than what's on there.)

Now, what's my point?  I'm not big on pushing D-III coaches to consistently have winning programs.  This isn't a professional league nor is it D-I.  We were/are students first and athletes second.  The important part is that we get a good education and athletics can be very instrumental in receiving that education (even when we lose).  To me, winning is an bonus.

Now, I've met exactly 1 Bluffton coach in my life (of any sport), so I'm not going to pass judgement on any of them.  You'd probably me much better able to tell us.  Have the coaches been consistently turning 18 year-olds into professional adults over the course of 4 years?  To me, that is the mark of a good D-III coach.

[mike.hawke82]

In my opinion, what you have at Bluffton is basically a glorified intramural program. There really isn't that big of an emphasis on athletics. The administration wants to field teams, but to fund them appropriately to make them competative year in & year out is out of the question. The athletic program as a whole is a joke. look at the All-Sports standings in the HCAC for the past decade and look who has finished last. You guessed it, Bluffton. It looked like they were making progress when President Snyder was at the helm, but seem to have taken steps backward with President Harder running the show. I digress...

My specific beef is with the basketball program because I guess that's what I've invested most of my time there as a former player and had to deal with GN on a daily basis. My opinion, not a good coach, not a good person. Is in it for himself and wouldn't want my kid playing for him. I could site several examples but those would be my personal experiences, which no one really cares to hear I'm sure. Wonder what other former players think... Maybe 20+ years of mediocrity is Ok with men's basketball. Seems like it's OK with the entire athletic program. Need new blood to revive the program in my opinion, otherwise were looking at another below average year again!

[Jackets Backer]

Guess you couldn't argue if Bluffton decided to go in a different direction. I agree with Altor, at the same time, if the program's numbers are still good, which is a big thing at the Division III level, and kids are making careers for themselves after leaving, that's part of this level too.

A coach is as good as the recruits he brings in. College basketball, no matter what level, it's all about recruiting.

I don't know, but maybe Bluffton is handcuffed by where it can recruit. Someone with knowledge from Bluffton would have to fill me in there. Just looking at the roster, there's not a lot of guys from outside of this immediate area, most are local kids. Don't get me wrong, local products can help you win, but a major part of Defiance's recent success has been getting a few local kids and then kids from programs that played major competition in the big cities.

Pettaway (Toledo), CJ Johnson (Toledo) Sales (Cleveland area), Floyd (Toledo), Brown (Chicago) have really been the catalyst for Defiance's resurgance over the past few years and they all played against big-time competition during their prep days. Right there you have two HCAC MVPs, another one that could've been and a tremendous point guard. Most of those kids were playing with or against guys that went on to play at Division I colleges.

Bluffton hasn't competed for league titles, but they've been consistently competitive for the most part and right around the middle of the pack along with a few really good years sprinkled in. It's just been hard for them to consistently stay near the top 3 or 4. I think Bluffton has a lot of really good young players back for next year, but I don't think they'll be at the level of Anderson, Hanover, Franklin or Transy.

IMO Bluffton is a bit different than other teams in the league, not the greatest facilities which is kind of like Defiance as well. Those two probably have the worst two gyms in the league.

Can't speak for Bluffton, but at DC it's more about keeping your numbers up in the program than wins and losses. Although I think that philosophy is changing a bit with our new prez, I think he wants to win. I'm not sure Transy and Hanover, just for example, would be real thrilled with being middle of the road for long stretches on the court.

Agree that new facilities don't make someone a better coach, but they do make that coach a better recruiter.

[mike.hawke82]

You make some very good points Jackets Backer. You are as good as your recruits. It actually helps when you do recruit, which is not a strong suit of GN. I know for a fact he spends very little time recruiting, that is left to his assistants primarily. At least that's the way it was when I was there. From what I hear it's still that way. When he has had good assistants the talent level has improved and team has faired well. When he has had below par assistants the team has struggled. In GN's defense he has gone thru alot of assistants in his time there. They do not have a full time asst. position. He gets a new asst. every couple of years. That makes it alot tougher to recruit consistently.  But, he doesn't recruit much and it's hard to get the top players if the head coach won't leave the immediate area. But come on, after 20+ years you think he could find a way to win at least 1 title somewhere. The sun shines on every dogs butt sooner or later.

I don't think Hanover or Transy would be happy to be mediocre consistently either. But those schools actually care about winning.

[Buzz]

Having only seen Bluffton play one time this year, I'm not the most qualified voice here by any stretch, but I certainly think Bluffton was far better than its 2-23 record would suggest. They rarely got blown out and played well as a team. I actually think the Beavers have a pretty good season or two on the horizon if the youngsters on the roster stick around and continue to develop as they should.

The problem is, there are alot of good young squads in the HCAC, so the road won't be easy at all. I really think the HCAC is on the rise.