MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[BunchTime]

My last comments regarding scheduling as I do beleive this is an open forum to discuss relevant issues regarding SLIAC basketball!  Thats my point exactly -- we have a commish who allows this mockery of scheduling! 

The last time the Seminary was on the Gorloks schedule was the 2002-2003 season when Coach Bunch had no control over his schedule since he took over in August and the schedule was already set.  Since then, they have been elimated along with chriropractic schools as well.  LCC was added last year for a non-conference game -- which makes sense since they have been deemed a worthy addition to the conference anyway (by who...I don't know).  But for our purposes, lets assume they are a "cupcake" team.  That makes 1 game in Bunch's 4 years of controlling the schedule that they have played a "cupcake" team.  I applaud there efforts in scheduling tougher opponents even if it does mean losing some close games that could of otherwise been an easy W over a bible school.  Conversely, the Seminary and the bible schools have been a mainstay on Fontbonne' schedule , which usually equals an inflated record!  And finally, I can tell you that you will NEVER see any of the aforementioned teams on the Gorloks schedule as long as Bunch is on the sidelines at Webster!

[fcnews]

Not that it matters, 03-04 WU had a 13 pt home win against Concordia.

[BunchTime]

My mistake!  2 "cupcake" games in 4 years that Bunch had control of the schedule.  Nevertheless, they have been dropped and will not return to the schedule.  Thus, they have taken the proper strides in developing a reputation for a solid and challenging non-conference schedule.

Should be an another interesting year of SLIAC hoops with unpredicted finishes as usual!  I am also anxious to see the results of the Maryville-Webster matchup tomorrow evening!

[Gregory Sager]

You know Greg, the bottom line is the SLIAC cannot be like the CCIW.   Plain and simple.  That is what you are saying.

No, that is not what I am saying. Bunch Time got it right -- the SLIAC doesn't need to be the CCIW to be a success story. But it should aspire to be at least taken seriously by the CCIW and the HCAC and by Wash U, just as are, say, other good local programs in inferior leagues such as Aurora, Coe, Loras, Benedictine, Lakeland, DePauw, etc.

Remember the words of Robert Browning: "A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" In other words, the thing to do in life is to strive to go beyond your capabilities. That's true for basketball players, basketball teams, and basketball conferences as well.

And as for your posting a picture of the crackerbox (NPU's gym) as some sort of ideal which SLIAC schools cannot hope to match ... are you serious? I mean, thank you very much, it's an amazing if baffling honor as a North Park alumnus to see my school's humble gym be envied by someone from another school. (Lots of people envy our banners hanging in said gym, but that's another matter entirely. ) But I don't think you quite realize what it is that you're envying. NPU's gym was built in 1958, Pride ... 1958! It seats 1,100 people! Four SLIAC schools have gyms that seat more people than North Park's ... and your alma mater is one of those four. Heck, NPU's gym even has a stage at one end! Even my middle school wasn't small-time enough to build a gym that has a stage.

North Central's gym, which is even older than NPU's (it dates back to the Depression) is a fieldhouse that only has seating on one side -- and most of it is in a cement balcony well removed from the floor, with obstructed-view poles in it to boot. Elmhurst's 1,800-capacity gym is put to shame by most of the high school gyms in the surrounding suburbs. Millikin's ancient monstrosity of a gym seats 4,000, but most of those seats are curtained off every game. It's a terrible place to watch a basketball game. And the Carthage gym of which you posted a picture as well? It was beautifully renovated a few years ago, but it's nevertheless a 41-year-old facility that seats a capacity of 2,440 people. It's quite nice-looking by D3 standards, but it's a much more modest facility than it appears in that photo.

You speak of hardships such as various varsity sports sharing locker rooms, officials being forced to dress in cramped offices, etc., as if these problems are alien to the CCIW. They're not. Yes, CCIW schools generally have nicer facilities and more money than do SLIAC schools, but the gulf isn't nearly as huge as you're making it out to be. We're a lot closer to you in terms of our setups than we are to most D2 schools; we're certainly much closer to you than we are to lower-level D1s.

I suspect that you've taken a gander at Illinois Wesleyan's Shirk Center and have deduced that it's representative of the rest of the CCIW in terms of facilities. Believe me, it isn't. It's a showcase arena that's matched by very, very few D3 schools (and the Illinois Wesleyan people would be the first to tell you that ), and it's certainly atypical as far as the CCIW is concerned.

You're welcome to your opinion of what the SLIAC ought to be and who its teams ought to schedule, of course, but it saddens me a bit to see someone who has your passion for the game and such obvious loyalty to his school settle for a level well below mediocrity. As the Webster guys are telling you, SLIAC schools can and should expect more from themselves.

[fcnews]

I have just spent the last few minutes reading the three previous pages of posts. On the morning of the start of the most exciting portion of SLIAC basketball, this poster has reached a point of resignation with this depressing chat. While you guys wish in one hand and aspire in the other. I'll get ready for our annual trip to Greenville for what I'm sure will be another evening of exciting basketball (It always is). I look forword to seeing PantherPride and a packed house in the little gym in Greenville.

As the elder statesmen of the SLIAC board I'll chose this time to bid farewell to a spot on the web that has become a mainstay in my basketball season.  While you all fret over the state of non-conference competition between small colleges. I choose to look at as an oppurtunity to enjoy another season of the game I love.

Good Luck to All SLIAC teams and safe travels. FCNews out.

[pantherpride06]

I will agree and I appologize for dragging it out.  I won't even comment about other post after mine.


SLIAC Basketball opens Conference Play tonight.

BIG GAME: Fontbonne at Greenville (which can be heard via streaming radio at www.wgrn.net)

FCNews, I know you will be sitting behind me yelling your ass off and I will be on the mic getting the crowd crazy.  Great times for SLIAC basketball!

[hopefan]

I have also refrained from the prior conversations so as not to temper the enthusiasm and aspirations of my fellow SLIAC fans.

The best thing about the SLIAC is that most teams each year are so competitive within the conference, so I look at tonite's openers with real excitement.
Maryville is coming off a game vs MSOE that showed some very real problems 10 days ago - can they challenge Webster - if anyone can get things turned around to get Maryville to a competitive level, it's Coach Matt Rogers - but Coach can't put the ball in the hoop for them.  This is one poor shooting perimeter team.  I'd love to see a competitve game tonite, but I'm not so sure.....
Fontbonne takes on a Greenville squad that should be sky high after beating Blackburn - The perimeter games are pretty equal here, but if Fontbonne takes advantage of its size and the youthful Grifs don't turn the ball over too much, they should get a win.  On the other hand Gville's experience and the homecourt advantage really makes this game a tossup.
       Mac must beat LCC tonite or I'll never again believe a word that Buddy Mac Attack writes.
And mystery team Blackburn travels to Eureka....  what in the world gives with Blackburn?  2 bad losses at home to Rose and Greenville - how can we expect them to compete up at Eureka?  Hang in there crazies, I feel for you..

Also looking forward to Saturday games - hope to take in Eureka at Fontbonne.....

[Mac Attack]

I echo pantherpirde's comments. Let's get back to SLIAC conference play, which has a number of interesting and meaningful games tonight, including:

Maryville @ Webster
Defending champs vs. this season's favorites. Will Webster hold their home court? Will it be an early season test? Will Hoggatt, Turk, and Company be too much for the Saints? All four "Pick 'em" experts went with Webster. Will this be the upset of the night?

Fontbonne @ Greenville
Could be the game of the night. Is Greenville's early success for real? Can Fontbonne win one on the road most folks thought they should? FU has a lot of weapons (White, Parker, Fogerty) but Simmons and the Panthers have been hotter than a stolen pistol. Pick 'em crowd is split. One game does not a season make, but I'm sure this is a game we'll be talking about tomorrow.

Principia @ Wheaton
Tough assignment for Principia. Enough said.

Blackburn @ Eureka
Like most SLIAC teams, Eureka is tough to beat in their own gym. Underline that twice for Eureka. Tarpley, Richard, and Pieffer may be too much for the Battlin' Beavers.  Judging by early results, the Devils should roll, and with a win, equal last season's win total (4). Here's your frontrunner, basketball fans.

MacMurray @ Lincoln Christian
Must win for MacMurray. Everyone is picking the Highlanders, but this one will probably be a lot closer than last season's 96-67 MacMurray win. Mac is undersized, but are quick and they lead the SLIAC in points per game (93 ppg). If Robertson and Greene play well and stay out of foul trouble, Highlanders should post their first win of the season - and with a trip to Webster right around the corner, they need to get it tonight.

Be careful on the roads tpnight and post updates, results, and comments (you too fcnews) later this evening or tomorrow. We've built some enthusiasm and thoughtful momentum on this board in the last two months. Let's keep it up.

[sliaccommish]

While I agree that the time has come to get off of the scheduling topic and focus on the games, especially since conference play begins tonight, I can't help but reply to FCNews' gratuitous shot at my former scheduling practices. So, Hopefan, "once in a blue moon" time has come. Perhaps I did play "my share of cupcakes", but that's a time-honored tradition in college basketball. During UCLA's run of ten NCAA championships in twelve years, Coach Wooden rarely had to pack a suitcase until mid-January when the conference season began. Everybody plays some cupcakes and it benefits the cupcakes by giving their kids a chance to play in a nicer gym against better competition, maybe get a guarantee check for the program, and it gives the stronger team a chance to get a "W", gain some confidence, and play some of its lesser players. It shouldn't be overdone such as Mizzou football this year, but it's OK in limited doses. What FCNews didn't say is that while I was playing a cupcake or two, I was also playing Ohio State (twice), Iowa (when they were ranked third in the nation and had three NBA players), Oklahoma, Oregon, Indiana State (with Larry Bird the year they reached the NCAA Championship Game) Kansas State, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Stanford, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Dayton, UNC-Charlotte, South Carolina, etc.

And Bunchtime, I am not "allowing this mockery of a schedule". Who each school plays is up to its AD and head coach. Further, there is no reason upgrade our schedules until we can be successful playing the schedules we play now. What's the point? The MVC schools upgraded their schedules because they had a real opportunity to get at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. It will be a long time before one of our basketball teams is even considered for a Pool C (at large) bid to the NCAA Tournament. Even in the sports in which we do well, we have not even been under consideration for Pool C. Playing strong schedules, such as Webster and Maryville have done in recent years, helps the image of the conference, but so does winning and we haven't done enough of that. Our schools simply do not have the resources now to compete, on any consistant basis, with the CCIWs, UAAs, WIACs, and even the MWCs and IACs of the D3 world. We focus on giving our student-athletes the best possible experience we can, and if that means they play a Bible school or two, then so be it.

That's it for me for a long time, but I enjoy reading everyone's thoughts.   

[hopefan]

chuckle chuckle  -   throw some water on those flames  -  well said commish.

Until the talent arrives......  until.......until.....until    ad infinitum

Like I said before, enjoy the great parity within the conference and all the excitement a game between evenly matched teams brings..... 

[BunchTime]

Yep, because we sure wouldn't want to offend anyone on this board or something that sparks a debate!  Cause then people might leave the board!  What a joke!

[y_jack_lok]

Thanks to the commissioner for that candid and thoughtful response. I think the dialogues/debates that have been going on the past few weeks are perfectly acceptable content for this venue. What is not acceptible is the kind of stuff that "redrum" was posting recently, and that someone else like "redrum" was posting last season.

I also share everyone's feelings about the start of conference play. Maybe we just needed something to talk about and speculate about until the real action began.

[pantherpride06]

Thanks Rich.

[Beaver_SID]

Sorry for being absent the last few days. Finals have hit the boy pretty hard. I was just wondering if any other of the leagues SID's got a repremanding and degrading e-mail from good ole' Rich Meckfessel. Our's here at BC was rather uncalled for.
"
Kevin and Curtis,
It's a real advantage, although it didn't seem to hurt Greenville's Men
Saturday, if two teams are playing and one has the other's stats and the
other doesn't.
Therefore I'm asking you to have someone send your cumulative stats, either by fax or email, to the head coach of the next conference team you play no later than two days prior to the game, and do this until your stats are on the conference website and therefore available to your next opponent.
Rich Meckfessel"

On top of that has any other team been required to send in their Team Cumes to the conference. BC has never had this responsibility since I hve been in the office, I was just wondering....

[pantherpride06]

Beaver_SID:

I think this is because there was no updated stats made available for us.  All I could find was the stats from the first to games on your site and no stats on SLIAC.org.  I think that is what Rich was communicating to the conference.  I believe SID work has become so much latele that it's bares down on us.  I handle alot of the Men and Women's basketball SID work (as I have the last 4 years.)  I do get stressed sometimes because it's alot of work.  But, people need this info for scouting reports and programs and whatnot.  He is just getting everyone in the confrence on the same playing level.  Don't take it personal.  I have had some emails sent our geared towards me.  Don't sweat it Beaver_SID.

Pride