MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[GU1999]

EC has an alumni game Friday...word is there may be some talented recent basketball alumni on the court.  Will be interesting.  Sunday journey to Naperville to scrimmage a highly touted North Central team that is ranked 3rd nationally and picked to win the CCIW.

https://cciw.org/news/2019/10/30/north-central-picked-to-win-2019-20-cciw-mens-basketball-title.aspx

If you get to Naperville, or hear word of results afterwards, please let us know...  EC is my dark horse pick to vie for SLIAC No 1 if guards and a bench player come through... I think Bennington, Dehm, and Juergens are really good.... I think they can match well with Webster, and EC proved last year they can play with Greenville.... Definitely a 3 horse race in my mind......

No firsthand report, but several sources tell me scrimmage was competitive.  After a 10-0 NCU run to start, things equaled out, am told 12 point 1st half margin, 4 point 2nd half margin for NCU. 

EC has to be considered a clear conference contender.  After seeing platoon on Friday I'll speculate on a starting lineup:

Jalen Hosea 5' 9" Soph
Dakota Bennington 6' 3" Senior
Austin Juergens 6' 4" Senior
Jordan Dehm 6' 5" Senior
Jaedon Banks 6' 9" Junior

Off the bench contributors:  Ian Milsteadt 6' 2" Junior, Chris Daniels 6' 2" Junior, Kyle Henderson 6' 2" Junior.  J'Len Crawford, Kyler Stork, Austyn Ellison also factoring in.   

This is a great report.  Thank you.  If this was a best on best game which resulted in a 16 point difference, there is no doubt that EU is a top of the table level team in the SLIAC

[Friend of the Program]

MacMurray over Illinois College Saturday Night 82-76. I know nothing but the score. And that it always feels good to beat Illinois College, even if it is just an exhibition.

[GU1999]

Below is a link to IWU's statement re the post season ban.  Interestingly it says that they were 5 over the limit.  That is a number not reflected in the statistics posted on the SLIAC website, but it could be a simple inconsistency in record keeping.  They also noted that they appealed the decision this morning and lost. 

https://twitter.com/IWTigers/status/1191412937711333376/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Eprofile%3AIWTigers&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwtigers.com%2Fsport%2F0%2F7

The NCAA stat site says that 26 teams have 35+ yellow cards this year and 73 were 30+.  If your are interested 6 teams had 40+, with Rowan leading the way with 48.

[y_jack_lok]

I have not been bashful when expressing my feelings about the arbitrary "sportsmanship policy"  rule.  At the time of the discussion earlier this year, the board seemed very much in favor of the new direction.  This was despite there being no blue print from other conferences and little feel for where the lines should be drawn.  So, here we are.  One soccer/volleyball season into the new rule and we have our first disqualification.  It just so happens to be that the eliminated team is a first place team which just barley got over the arbitrary number of yellow cards.  Having not watched much SLIAC soccer I am curious was there a big issue with player discipline in SLIAC soccer play this year?  Was IWU egregiously bad; so bad that you want to penalize your best team from post season participation?   In soccer can't you can get yellows for a slight jersey pull during play, lining up too close to a free kick, or even missing the ball and getting only a man on a tackle among many other routine things that happen in the course of play?   

A quick look at the CCIW to provide some context shows a conference which had 5 30+ YC teams.    Again, I don't know if that is terribly bad or not.  I do know that the SLIAC brain trust thinks that 35 is the magic number.   

My query is that for those who support the rule, which may have included Iowa Wesleyan's leadership (Hope may have the vote totals), is, "After the soccer/volleyball season, did the league get it right this summer?"

Since you note that there is no blue print for this policy elsewhere, we are in uncharted territory. I suppose you can say that the SLIAC is a leader in this area -- assuming other conference pass similar sportsmanship policies at some point. Otherwise the conference will be an outlier.

No doubt the conference will review this at the end of the academic year. It will be interesting to see if they keep it in place, tweak it in some ways, or abandon it.

As for why yellow cards are issued, I've never seen one issued for lining up too close to a free kick. Usually the ref paces off the distance from the ball that defensive players must be. I suppose if they then move closer a yellow card could be issued. As for the other two, it usually depends on how egregious it is in the case of the pulled jersey and how dangerous and potentially injury producing it is in the case of a tackle. Also, multiple minor instances of the same infraction by a player can draw a yellow card. In such a case the ref has usually spoken about it with the player first and warned him/her.

[GU1999]

Would it be acceptable for a front running team with respect on yo spare in the standings who finds themselves on the precipice of violating the Good Sportsmanship rule to forfeit a game or two at the end of the season to ensure they have a chance at playing in the conference tournament and possibly the NCAA tournament?  Especially if it were a late season non-con game, like GU's late season volleyball game with Wash U tomorrow.

There maybe a forfeit you tourney spot if you forfeit rule I guess. 

Still an arbitrary rule, albeit one that works.  Teams are getting banned and points about sportsmanship(?) are being made. 

[Greek Tragedy]

Yellow cards are real subjective, unfortunately. But, to simply forfeit games because you are on the fence is completely out of the question. If you use the excuse that you're naturally aggressive and that's your nature to fly into tackles etc, then a change in the environment needs to happen, otherwise, it's your own fault. You're putting yourself into that position.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I talked with SLIAC commish Dick Kaiser and Greenville HC George Barber about the sportsmanship rules this summer.  Just finished the first draft this morning.  Look for the final product as the season gets underway!

[hopefan]

I talked with SLIAC commish Dick Kaiser and Greenville HC George Barber about the sportsmanship rules this summer.  Just finished the first draft this morning.  Look for the final product as the season gets underway!

Anxious to read... I would think that Mr. Kaiser's and Coach Barber's view-points may be on different ends of the spectrum... would also be interested in any editorializing from Ryan, Pat, Gordon, or Dave.  I'm a basketball guy only, so it is impossible for me to understand the happenings in soccer or volleyball.  But I'm in accordance with the rule as far as Basketball is concerned... my old school feeling is keep your mouth shut and play the game...would also be happy to see more taunting situations be penalized too... but yes, I know.. I've become one of the old guys....

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I talked with SLIAC commish Dick Kaiser and Greenville HC George Barber about the sportsmanship rules this summer.  Just finished the first draft this morning.  Look for the final product as the season gets underway!

Anxious to read... I would think that Mr. Kaiser's and Coach Barber's view-points may be on different ends of the spectrum... would also be interested in any editorializing from Ryan, Pat, Gordon, or Dave.  I'm a basketball guy only, so it is impossible for me to understand the happenings in soccer or volleyball.  But I'm in accordance with the rule as far as Basketball is concerned... my old school feeling is keep your mouth shut and play the game...would also be happy to see more taunting situations be penalized too... but yes, I know.. I've become one of the old guys....

I'll wait until Ryan's story is posted and I can read it, but I am a bit old school myself. I never earned a card in my soccer career which included a few years in college. I could have earned a few, but stopped short. I just didn't feel that is how I was supposed to be in a game physically or verbally.

I felt the same about all sports I played. However, I will wait to express more of an opinion probably on Hoopsville.

[GU1999]

A brief look at the seven game slate for the SLIAC over the weekend.

GU v. Centre @ Case Western Reserve
Centre won 23 games last year in route to winning the SAA (12-2 in conference).  Last year Centre beat Blackburn by 14 and Spaulding by 26.  This will be a very difficult test for GU.  Given the pace that Centre likes to play, it is possible that GU will be able to take advantage of a slower styled team, but given that there will likely be 4 or 5 new faces in the top two shifts for GU, this has to be advantage Centre.

Berea v. Eureka - A rematch of Eureka's 2018/19, 2 point loss to Berea.  Berea also be Spaulding last year by 6.  That said, SLIAC teams accounted for two of Berea's 11 total wins.  Berea brings back its top three scores in Carter, Claudill and Doty.  Last year this trio averaged 49.8 p/pg.  Even knowing that Eureka held up admirable against North Central last weekend, I have to think that Berea will again be a tough test for Eureka and will likely prevail. 

Illinois College v. Webster - The Blueboys are, uh, not good.  Webster is the preseason conference favorite.  WU returnes most of its fire power.  This one will be a double digit win for WU. 

GU v. ? =   I think that any of the other teams in the weekend pool are quite beatable by GU.   It is possible that the two best teams at CWR this weekend are playing in the Centre v. GU game.

Berea v. Prin - Should be a lopsided Berea win. 

Central Christian (MO) v. Mac - I don't know much about Central Christian from Missouri other than they lost to Mac on their home floor last year by 15.  And Mac beat them by 19 the previous year.  I would expect this trend to continue. 

Iowa Wesleyan v. Culver Stockton - IWU is going to get crushed.  25+ point loss. 

Best case scenario is 5-2.  Likely scenario is 3 -4.  Worst case is 0 - 7 (still the SLIAC). 

I did not look at the exhibition game.

[hopefan]

yikes GU... absolutely fantastic.. +1... and + every time you are able to write things up like this...

Just don't get upset if I write something in disagreement

Only one of the weekend picks I would debate would be the Eureka - Berea game.. I think I'd give Eureka the slight advantage as Berea is making the long trip this year...

Again... great work!!

[GU1999]

Thank you Hope.  I had 15 mins and thought I'd take a run at the first weekend.  I would not be surprised to see Eureka pull off a win, but that Berea trio was very young last year (two freshmen), I'm guessing they will be better this year.  That said, Eureka did look great during the last quarter of the season and they do have a strong MOP candidate in Bennington.  I would love to be wrong about this one as this is the kind of game a upper tier team needs to win in order for the league to have even a modestly respectful non-con season.

[Greek Tragedy]

Nice work GU +1

[GU1999]

The countdown clock to GU v. Centre shows that the broadcast will launch at  4:30p//3:30C with a tip at 5:00p/4:00 C per the Tournament Information Sheet.   

Link to feed:
https://athletics.case.edu/sports/mbkb/live  (same as previously posted by Hope)

Tournament information Sheet:
https://athletics.case.edu/sports/mbkb/2019-20/releases/20191105nemlcj

Cool note about Coach Sukeck after whom the Bill Sudeck Tournament is named:

The annual Bill Sudeck tournament is played in honor of the late, great coach Bill Sudeck, who served Case Institute of Technology and Case Western Reserve for a combined 46 years before his passing in 2000.  Sudeck won 329 games in a combined 37 years as head basketball coach at Case Institute of Technology and Case Western Reserve University. He also led the cross country and track & field team for 46 years. In 1993-94, Sudeck was named North Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in all three sports – basketball, cross country and track & field.

Sudeck coached his cross country teams to 12 conference titles, including a 10-year period from the late 1960s to the late 70s where the program went undefeated in 66 straight dual meets.  His track & field teams won 14 conference titles, and during his career, he coached four individual NCAA Champions.  During Sudeck's 46 years of coaching, he recruited, coached and mentored more than 30 All-Americans. He was inducted into the Spartan Club Hall of Fame in 1997.

[Pat Coleman]

I talked with SLIAC commish Dick Kaiser and Greenville HC George Barber about the sportsmanship rules this summer.  Just finished the first draft this morning.  Look for the final product as the season gets underway!

This piece is posted:

https://www.d3hoops.com/columns/around-the-nation/index

I don't mind something being done to add a sportsmanship layer into the mix of sports, but I think I fall with Barber in that I would like to see whether this is the right number before we go into enforcement. Perhaps there could have been a year with lighter sanctions before ramping up into conference tournament ineligibility.