MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[hopefan]

How does Blackburn look?

Most underclassmen returning :
Sr - Brandon Hill
Jr - Jon Lowry
So - Matt chandler, Jon Griffel, Evan Wells, Diarra cropper, Jordan Gesner, Colin Gowin, and Tyler Moore

but what can be said about a team that was 2-23, and those wins were against 0-25 Principia.... 

BC has already announced one recruit..Tommy Ulinski  a 3rd team all state guard from North Mac.... I hope Coach Baribeau gets a bunch more recruits and starts over.... 6 or 7 years ago, Blackburn was one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the conference, good players, and a tremendous atmosphere in what may be the smallest D3 gym in the Midwest.... I loved going up there for games..

When Baribeau took over 2 years ago, I had high expectations.. I wrote after seeing Blackburn play SIUE tough in an exhibition game:
"New faces were senior transfer Steve White and freshman Billy Ray Wilridge.  Wilridge, an extremely quick 5'10" guard hit his first 3 point attempt and missed his next 10... he beat SIUE defenders off the dribble numerous times.. he just didn't put the ball in the hoop....he and Lott are just very quick and will be tough to stop by other SLIAC guards.
Steve White.. wow...  should be a dominant big man in the conference... He transferred from Robert Morris Springfield, and a quick study showed he averaged 20 ppg vs SLIAC teams last year in 5 games.... 6'7" goes to the basket with the ball with quickness....  he and Medley should dominate the inside area...  BUT... the big question is, will they see the ball enough to win games... that lies with New Coach Jason Barbereau... he'll have to tone down Lott and Wilridge"

Well White never played a game after that exhibition, Wildridge was gone after several games, Medly was always hurt, and Lott was awful no matter what his stats said...   then all the seniors graduated leaving BC with next to nothing last year....  Coach Baribeau knew a huge rebuilding effort was needed... it has to happen quickly or BC will be in the basement of the SLIAC.

[Denny McKinney]

You hit a nerve Hopefan. The Administration at Blackburn have let this program become an embarrassment to the Coaches and Players who proceeded them. Huge mistake letting Coach Ramsey go. He and Coach Kaneshario had this program in the hunt almost every year. With BC being able to basically give full rides there is NO excuse for the state of this program. I don't know if this is the Coach to turn it around, but someone does.

[hopefan]

Started looking around for schedules today... only two SLIAC schools have next year's schedules posted so far...  Webster and Iowa Wesleyan (the SLIAC's new member)

Interesting tidbit in Iowa Wesleyan's Schedule.... When they play Spalding, 450 miles away, neither team will make the full trip.....
When they play on Dec 7, they will play at neutral court Fontbonne in St Louis
When they play on Feb 6, they'll play at neutral court MacMurray in Jacksonville, Ill

Webster non league games are
St Joe's Calumet and Rust at Webster Tourney
Dominican at home
Elmhurst at home
Monmouth at home
at Wash U

There is room for one more non conference game....

[Denny McKinney]

That's a sweet non conference schedule for Webster. They don't even have to leave St. Louis.

[hopefan]

Another scheduling sidelight that I picked up is that Fontbonne is hosting Wash U on Dec 30...  a GREAT way to help celebrate the holiday season!!!!   That's one that gets me pumped for next year... I cheer for Wash U ....EXCEPT when they play SLIAC teams.. how can anyone but a WASH U loyalist not root for a SLIAC team to upset the Bears!!!!   Wash U has a great nucleus of returning players... they could be a Top Ten team next year  a great challenge for the still youthful Griffs....

[hopefan]

Yet ANOTHER tidbit worth mentioning....  Iowa Wesleyan plays home and away against Faith Baptist Bible next year...   you might remember that FBB is the squad that lost to Grinnell, 179-104, giving up 138 points to Jack Taylor.  Interesting, Iowa Wesleyan did not play Faith last year... is this bulking up the schedule?  (of course, I shouldn't condemn this totally.. I notice Faith Baptist beat St L Christian 63-38 last year, and Greenville usually plays them...)

[hopefan]

Forgive me, but another scheduling find that is different from the past.... 

Wash U and fontbonne are getting together to host Hendrix and Rhodes on the first weekend of the season.  Now usually, Hendrix and rhodes play Greenville and Westminster... and maybe that is happening again, though I don't have any of the four school's schedules yet..

But Wash U and Fontbonne hosting is seemingly a first... the  first night  Hendrix plays Fontbonne and Rhodes plays Wash U in a doubleheader at Wash U.
The second night Hendrix plays Wash U and Rhodes plays Fontbonne in a doubleheader at Fontbonne.

Great way (as a fan of Wash U and Fontbonne) to start out the season.....

[RFMichigan]

You hit a nerve Hopefan. The Administration at Blackburn have let this program become an embarrassment to the Coaches and Players who proceeded them. Huge mistake letting Coach Ramsey go. He and Coach Kaneshario had this program in the hunt almost every year. With BC being able to basically give full rides there is NO excuse for the state of this program. I don't know if this is the Coach to turn it around, but someone does.

Could you explain this for me - I'm just curious what allows them to do this. (My dad and uncle taught in Carlinville for a short time, so I pricked my ears up at this a little.)

[hopefan]

You hit a nerve Hopefan. The Administration at Blackburn have let this program become an embarrassment to the Coaches and Players who proceeded them. Huge mistake letting Coach Ramsey go. He and Coach Kaneshario had this program in the hunt almost every year. With BC being able to basically give full rides there is NO excuse for the state of this program. I don't know if this is the Coach to turn it around, but someone does.

Could you explain this for me - I'm just curious what allows them to do this. (My dad and uncle taught in Carlinville for a short time, so I pricked my ears up at this a little.)

Several others can explain better than I, but it has something to do with an abundance of Work - Study opportunities...  low level admin and clerical work, various campus labor,  is put out to students, who get paid for the work....  but again, I don't know the detail... Denny or Yjak can give far more accurate details.....

[hopefan]

from Blackburn.edu regarding their work program.....


The Work Program was first instituted at Blackburn College in 1913 in order to provide access to higher education for students who had academic ability but were lacking financial means. And while cost reduction remains an essential aspect, in the last 100 years the Work Program has grown and evolved into much more.

Students receive a tuition credit of $2640 their first year of participation, $2970 their second year, and $3300 each following year. Some students are also hired for additional hours for which they receive a paycheck. Student work helps keep administrative costs down, and the College's commitment to frugality and wise use of resources means that Blackburn is the least expensive, private four-year residential institution in the state of Illinois!

The opportunities the Work Program provides for student learning and development are just as important as the monetary savings. The Work Program is a vehicle for personal growth, with outstanding opportunities for leadership and community involvement. Blackburn College is the only nationally recognized Work College whose Work Program is student-managed: that means students are responsible for the administration of the program. Students just like you make major decisions about resource allocation, policy formulation, and direct supervision of their fellow students.

All resident students are required to work a minimum of 160 hours each semester to help provide virtually all services essential to college operations. Students are also involved in community service work in the local community. Non-resident students may petition for approval to participate in the work program and, if approved, are held to the same requirements as resident students.

By sharing, belonging, and contributing through their work, Blackburn students develop valuable personal skills and competencies that employers truly appreciate. They also make lifelong friendships and enjoy an added sense of community and individual responsibility and achievement.

Blackburn's unique combination of academic preparation and work-learning-service experience uniquely prepares students to be responsible and productive citizens better able to meet the challenges of post-graduate work, careers, and life in general.

[hopefan]

I know, I know... these scheduling tidbits I'm coming up with are elicting zero interest.... but SOMEONE out there probably finds it readable....

I found another, on Millikin's schedule

Next year will be the first CCIW-SLIAC Challenge!!!!  Nov. 15 and 16   Elmhurst and Millikin are hosting Greenville and Westminster... at Elmhurst....   First weekend will now be a tough decision as to which games to see with the Wash U Fontbonne doubleheaders opposite the CCIW-Sliac matchups..... 

The next invention necessary is how to DVR Streamed games off the computer!!!! Attend one doublehader, catch the other one later on the computer!!

[y_jack_lok]

Okay, here's a scheduling tidbit. I count 26 games on the Iowa Wesleyan schedule.

[hopefan]

Okay, here's a scheduling tidbit. I count 26 games on the Iowa Wesleyan schedule.

My best guess... the game with Truman State is an exhibition game and doesn't count for Iowa Wesleyan.

[jaybird44]

Just a note to relay the top 10 finalists in the Stretch Internet "Call of the Year" contest (out of 34 entries):

(ranking based on the number of fan votes via Facebook)

1. Kevin Strauss, Cal State-Northridge
2. Scott Leo, Wittenberg University
3. Jim Mitchell & Paul Van Scott, Florida Tech
4. Adam Cavalier, Carson-Newman
5. Andy Zweber & Max Timm, Carleton College
6. Jay Murry, Washington University in St. Louis
7. Kale Beers, LaSalle University
8. Russ Eisenstein, Ohio University
9. Jim Plummer & Allen Grisham, Post (TX) High School
10. Mike Mancini, Oberlin College

Here is the Facebook link to the list of entries:  https://www.facebook.com/stretchinternet?hc_location=stream

After it released information about the finalists on Monday, Stretch Internet will announce next week who will make the final 5 list; and it will announce the winner at the CoSIDA 13 convention during a reception conducted by Stretch on June 13th in Orlando, Florida.

--Jay Murry, Washington University in St. Louis

[hopefan]

The wife of a very good friend and an avid reader of this site suffered a bad injury last week (bicycle - car, and she was on the bicycle) and went through successful surgery yesterday...  things are going to be tough the next couple of months...  Willy, you take good care of Joannie.. Casey and I are thinking of you...