MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[y_jack_lok]

D3hoops.com 2014 men's All-Midwest Region team
http://www.d3hoops.com/awards/all-region/2013-14/midwest-men
Congratulations to: Coach of the Year: Christopher Bunch, Webster

Congratulations, indeed! I looked at the first, second, and third teams but didn't look at the three special awards at the top of the page.

[BunchTime]

Congrats to my man, Coach Bunch, on the award!  A credit to him and his program.

A little birdie told me Webster has the following teams scheduled for non-conference next year: Central (Iowa), Loras, Milliken, Knox, Monmouth, and Wash U.

My thoughts...

Milliken - their coach's third year there and looking to take the next step...has made progress since his arrival...will be a team of lots of juniors and sophs now.

Knox - not a good program.

Monmouth - 6-17 last year...relatively new coach...will have lots of frosh and soph's who will now be sophs and juniors...we'll probably be improved from last year.

Wash U. - obviously always a good program...will be Webster's toughest non-conference game and a good benchmark to see where this Webster team is at early in the year.

WU also has 1 game to fill.  Would nice to see another top tier team, perhaps from the CCIW fill that slot.

Anyone else who knows these teams, feel free to chime in on WU's non-conference schedule and/or additional info on the above-mentioned teams.

[y_jack_lok]

Since Webster hosted Monmouth in a game on December 20th this season, the game next year might be at Monmouth and thus part of a two year agreement for each team to host once. I don't know anything about Central and Loras.

I must say, the one point win against Monmouth on 12/20 was one of the most unreal games I have ever seen at Webster. My 26 year old son was in the stands with me and it was the first time he'd ever come to a game. Webster trailed the entire game and was behind by 15 deep into the 2nd half. My son was really bored and constantly doing stuff on his phone. Slowly Webster began to cut into the lead and as it got closer and closer he stopped paying attention to his phone and began to watch the game. On Webster's last play of the game Aaron Griffin snagged an offensive rebound off a miss by, I think, Ahmad Smith, turned and swished an 8 foot jumper from the baseline with right around 3 seconds left. A last ditch in bounds play and shot by Monmouth was unsuccessful and Webster won, taking its only lead of the game on that hoop by Griffin. I still remember walking past Coach Bunch after the game as he stood outside the locker room smiling and shaking his head.

[WUPHF]

D3hoops.com 2014 men's All-Midwest Region team
http://www.d3hoops.com/awards/all-region/2013-14/midwest-men
Congratulations to: Coach of the Year: Christopher Bunch, Webster

And, of course Brady Slagle from MacMurray on the third team.

The Coach of the Year accolades must be a first for a SLIAC team, right?

[y_jack_lok]

D3hoops.com 2014 men's All-Midwest Region team
http://www.d3hoops.com/awards/all-region/2013-14/midwest-men
Congratulations to: Coach of the Year: Christopher Bunch, Webster

And, of course Brady Slagle from MacMurray on the third team.

The Coach of the Year accolades must be a first for a SLIAC team, right?

Since this season was the 13th season I have been following Webster and the SLIAC and since the article on the d3hoops home page says it is the thirteenth season they have done their own awards, I feel pretty safe in saying that your statement regarding this being the first CoY for a SLIAC coach is correct.

[Pat Coleman]

We started naming a coach of the year in 2005-06 and indeed, this is the first time a SLIAC coach has won it. Mark Edwards at Wash U has won it three times in those nine years.

[hopefan]

Congrats to my man, Coach Bunch, on the award!  A credit to him and his program.

A little birdie told me Webster has the following teams scheduled for non-conference next year: Central (Iowa), Loras, Milliken, Knox, Monmouth, and Wash U.

My thoughts...

Milliken - their coach's third year there and looking to take the next step...has made progress since his arrival...will be a team of lots of juniors and sophs now.

Knox - not a good program.

Monmouth - 6-17 last year...relatively new coach...will have lots of frosh and soph's who will now be sophs and juniors...we'll probably be improved from last year.

Wash U. - obviously always a good program...will be Webster's toughest non-conference game and a good benchmark to see where this Webster team is at early in the year.

WU also has 1 game to fill.  Would nice to see another top tier team, perhaps from the CCIW fill that slot.

Anyone else who knows these teams, feel free to chime in on WU's non-conference schedule and/or additional info on the above-mentioned teams.

Buncher:

Central won the Iowa conference bid to the tourney, won their first Tourney game winning neutral court over St Olaf in a 2-3 game, then lost by only 5 to Stevens Point, who at that time was the number 1 team in the nation...

Loras received great early season 'notoriety' when they beat both Wheaton and Illinois Wesleyan, but lost in the same period of time to Rockford and Milikin... They beat Greenville at Greenville 73-64..

Not sure about graduation losses for either Central or Loras.. wonder if they might be coming down for a tourney?

Milikin opened their season beating both Westminster and Greenville, but faltered badly against the tough CCIW competition, picking up only 2 conference wins... They were very young.. they'll be solid next year....

Wash U, assuming Chris Klimek doesn't return for a fifth year, will definitely face a rebuilding year... returning only 2 starters, Nick Burt and Matt Palucki.... Little came from the Wash U Bench this year, so there will be many relatively inexperienced faces on the court for the Bears next year...Wash U fan WUH liked a couple of these reserves, but to me, there was a BIG drop off when Wash U was forced to go to the bench....

I like the mix of schools shown... some big challenges, but if Webster returns all their underclassmen, I think they can be competitive with any of them....  I'd like to see another mid level HCAC/MWC team and get a win...

[hopefan]

I heartily congratulate Chris Bunch as COY in the region, and Kevin Gray as COY for the SLIAC....

BUT

my choice... Todd Creal, Mac....  and the pure why?   He has done at Mac over the last 3 years what no other coach at Mac has even come close to.. that is, field a winning program that can compete with any team in the conference... he's done it with getting local small H.S. kids that fit in perfectly with Mac's small school environment, gets them to stay eligible and play for four years, and instills in them the same aggressive, hard working , no quit attitude that he shows on the bench.

Just look at the conference records of the major team sports at Mac over the past 3 seasons:
Men's Soccer  4-19-2
Football     4-22
Baseball   11-58
Women's Soccer  1-23-1
Women's Volleyball  10-40
Softball     8-39
Women's Basketball  13-37

Men's Basketball   35-15

Todd Creal took a program that was in shambles and has turned it into a consistent winner, at a school that has failed to produced anywhere near even a .500 record in recent years in any other team sport.    THAT is Coaching!!!

[y_jack_lok]

Your choice for what?

[hopefan]

    Good question Y Jack.. I guess because the COY of region came AFTER Webster's game with IWU, and COY of Conference comes BEFORE conf tourney, I'll go with COY of Conference.. Creal made the gutsy decision of pushing a kid who was named a preseason All American candidate to the bench when that player didn't fit into the hard pressing man to man defense Mac Employed to come within one game of the conference championship....

My point is that I believe Mac's track record in All sports shows that Creal has overcome recruiting handicaps  that no other Mac coaches have been able to, and is winning using a talent pool that,  coming from small outstate schools from Illinois, many might consider don't compare to the talent pools of many of the other WINNING SLIAC schools...

[WUPHF]

Wash U, assuming Chris Klimek doesn't return for a fifth year, will definitely face a rebuilding year...

Chris Klimek is not coming back leaving only Matt Palucki, Nick Burt from the starting line-up along with reserves David Fatoki, Brandon Staffeil and Luke Silverman-Lloyd.  The reserves played well in the conference, but will have big shoes to fill.  Coach Edwards is going to need a big recruiting class.

It is hard to imagine that Washington University will be a good win next season, should it go that way, but will see.

The game will be at Webster as well, so we may see 2010-2011 all over again.

[y_jack_lok]

Wash U, assuming Chris Klimek doesn't return for a fifth year, will definitely face a rebuilding year...

Chris Klimek is not coming back leaving only Matt Palucki, Nick Burt from the starting line-up along with reserves David Fatoki, Brandon Staffeil and Luke Silverman-Lloyd.  The reserves played well in the conference, but will have big shoes to fill.  Coach Edwards is going to need a big recruiting class.

It is hard to imagine that Washington University will be a good win next season, should it go that way, but will see.

The game will be at Webster as well, so we may see 2010-2011 all over again.

Wash U is still Wash U and Palucki feasted on the Webster zone in January. Every year is different, every team is different. While I hope you are right, games are not decided in the minds of spectators.

[y_jack_lok]

  Good question Y Jack.. I guess because the COY of region came AFTER Webster's game with IWU, and COY of Conference comes BEFORE conf tourney, I'll go with COY of Conference.. Creal made the gutsy decision of pushing a kid who was named a preseason All American candidate to the bench when that player didn't fit into the hard pressing man to man defense Mac Employed to come within one game of the conference championship....

My point is that I believe Mac's track record in All sports shows that Creal has overcome recruiting handicaps  that no other Mac coaches have been able to, and is winning using a talent pool that,  coming from small outstate schools from Illinois, many might consider don't compare to the talent pools of many of the other WINNING SLIAC schools...

I wasn't asking you to choose one or both of those CoY awards. It just wasn't clear to me if you meant on of those or something entirely different. Thanks for the explanation.

[WUPHF]

Wash U is still Wash U and Palucki feasted on the Webster zone in January. Every year is different, every team is different. While I hope you are right, games are not decided in the minds of spectators.

Deep!

I am definitely not handing over the game to Webster, just as I am not handing over the conference to Chicago.  Matt Palucki is Matt Palucki.  And, depending on how the off season goes, Nick Burt may have to be the 5 next season, though I think he will have a first team, all conference season regardless of his position.  Fatoki and Silverman-Lloyd would have been career reserves had they started four seasons ago, but played well late in the season. 

My only point is that rather than reloading as Coach Edwards did three, four and five years ago, he is truly in rebuilding mode, in my opinion.  And, that this may be the best chance the Gorloks will have to beat the Bears since 2010-2011.

[y_jack_lok]

Wash U is still Wash U and Palucki feasted on the Webster zone in January. Every year is different, every team is different. While I hope you are right, games are not decided in the minds of spectators.

Deep!

I am definitely not handing over the game to Webster, just as I am not handing over the conference to Chicago.  Matt Palucki is Matt Palucki.  And, depending on how the off season goes, Nick Burt may have to be the 5 next season, though I think he will have a first team, all conference season regardless of his position.  Fatoki and Silverman-Lloyd would have been career reserves had they started four seasons ago, but played well late in the season. 

My only point is that rather than reloading as Coach Edwards did three, four and five years ago, he is truly in rebuilding mode, in my opinion.  And, that this may be the best chance the Gorloks will have to beat the Bears since 2010-2011.

I can't tell if you are being sarcastic or not, but if you are it's fine because I deserved that.  While Webster will hopefully have plenty of it's current players returning, I think it will take some time for the young guards to settle in to their new starting roles. All these questions will begin to get answered come November.