MBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[thrunt01]

I went to UWO's Midnight Madness over the weekend and this season will be nothing if not entertaining for the Titans.  Transfers abound on this year's roster including PG Mario Johnson.  Not in attendance were TJ Kellner, Brian Washington, Paul Wojahnn and Bryan Gregory, who's absence gives good reason to believe are not on the team anymore.  Also not in attendance were Nate Wara and Chad Mathwig who are also on the football team.  Not sure if those two will join the team once football is over much like Wara did last year but it is worth keeping an eye on.  Needless to say the Titans lost a lot of depth up front but did get 3 new comers ( I didn't catch names sorry) who can man the post pretty well.  The question for this team is who will be able to play the 3 spot in the line up.  The back court should be deep with Greg Schimpf, Sam Magelund, Johnson and the return of Jade Royston.  This team has a larger number of athletes than I've seen in the past 4 years as well.  UWO is just one of many teams in this conference with a lot of questions that will need to get answered this season.  In my opinion this aught to be one of the wildest and most competitive seasons in the past few years in the WIAC and I'm looking forward to it.

[frodotwo]

 Several WIAC teams have strong non-conference schedules this year. Oshkosh plays the most teams that made the NCAA's (*) last year (4).

WW   -   Whitworth* in Texas, (H) IWU*

SUP   -   @DII - Minn-Duluth

Stout   -   (H) DII –Bemidji State and @ DII Winona State (#25 pre-season); @ Mary-Hardin Baylor* and      @ Concordia TX in a Texas tourney; @ Gustavus Adolphus

UWSP   -   Richard Stockton and York or Elizabethtown in York, PA tourney; @ St. Johns's; (H) vs defending national champ St. Thomas*; and @ Augustana*

Platt   -   @North Park; @North Central(IL); and at Otterbein tourney

Osh   -   @ St. Norbert*; (H) vs Augustana*;Benedictine*, Loras and Mt. St. Joseph in Las Vegas tourney; Concordia (WI)* in Wis. Dells; and (H) vs Carroll

LX   -   @ Concordia (WI)*; @ Gustavus Adolphus; @ Carleton

EC   -   North Park and Concordia (WI)* @ Platteville tourney;  Judson and Bethany Lutheran or Simpson in EC tourney

[Gregory Sager]

UW-LaCrosse is also hosting North Park.

[cubs]

I went to UWO's Midnight Madness over the weekend and this season will be nothing if not entertaining for the Titans.  Transfers abound on this year's roster including PG Mario Johnson.  Not in attendance were TJ Kellner, Brian Washington, Paul Wojahnn and Bryan Gregory, who's absence gives good reason to believe are not on the team anymore.   Also not in attendance were Nate Wara and Chad Mathwig who are also on the football team.  Not sure if those two will join the team once football is over much like Wara did last year but it is worth keeping an eye on.  Needless to say the Titans lost a lot of depth up front but did get 3 new comers ( I didn't catch names sorry) who can man the post pretty well.  The question for this team is who will be able to play the 3 spot in the line up.  The back court should be deep with Greg Schimpf, Sam Magelund, Johnson and the return of Jade Royston.  This team has a larger number of athletes than I've seen in the past 4 years as well.  UWO is just one of many teams in this conference with a lot of questions that will need to get answered this season.  In my opinion this aught to be one of the wildest and most competitive seasons in the past few years in the WIAC and I'm looking forward to it.

As I had posted earlier, both Washington and Kellner left the team already last year.  As far as Wojahn goes, he is still with the team.  Why he was not at Midnight Madness, I am not sure.  Wara is not playing basketball this season, and Mathwig is pulling double duty, practicing with both the football team and the basketball team.

If I was to guess, the starting line-up would look like:
PG-Mario Johnson (Transfer from Rockingham Community College)
SG-Schrimpf
SF-?? Likely Wojahn
PF-Martell Hutchinson (Transfer from Elgin Community College)
C-Flanagan

[John Gleich]

RF's Shane Manor D3Hoops preseason honorable mention All-American  LINK


Nobody else mentioned

[John Gleich]

Preseason Top 25 is out


River Falls comes in at #21 on the preseason top 25.

Point is #24 and Whitewater is the 4th highest team in the "Others receiving votes" list.


This is by far the lowest that the top WIAC team has been ranked in the preseason, I believe.


More on that in a bit...

[John Gleich]

The "Preseason" polls from previous years aren't all up... a few dead links, I think... but by going from the "week 1" poll, we can see where the top was (by looking at the previous ranking).

... This was originally just going to be a recap of the preseason polls, but it became so much more...



05-06 - Preseason - Oshkosh #2, Whitewater #13, Platteville #20, Stout ORV  (Interestingly, all three lost in the first week and dropped to #7, #20, and ORV respectively... Stout and Point rec'd votes after 1 week of play)

Final rankings - Whitewater #15, Stout #17, La Crosse ORV

One of the most volitile years  in recent seasons... Oshkosh was riding high off of their victory over UWSP the previous year before SP won the second of 2 national championships... but they started the year 3-3. They then rattled off a nice stretch... going 12-1 until late January where they were 15-4, where they again faltered and ended the year and ended up 17-9, tied for 4th in the league and out of the rankings and the NCAA tournament.  This was La Crosse's first and only trip to the NCAA tournament and tied for the second highest win total in a season.  It was also Stout's first and only trip to the NCAA tournament and tied for the highest win total in a season.


06-07 - Preseason - Whitewater #4, Point #25, after 1 week, Oshkosh #19 @ 3-0, LaX and Stout ORV (all three might have been ORV in the preseason... that link is dead so I can't see it).

Final Rankings - Point #6, Oshkosh #13, LaX # 18, WW ORV. 

Point won the league by 3 games and lost just once to a D-III team in the regular season (also lost at D-II Northern Michigan) and was ranked #1 for 7 weeks during the season, including the last 3 rankings prior to the NCAA tournament.  Oshy and LaX were ranked really high in the final rankings despite not making the NCAA tournament.  Interestingly, for the second year in a row, a preseason national top-5 WIAC team was not ranked at the end of the season and didn't even make the NCAA tournament.  Whitewater ended up 4th in the WIAC... the same spot Oshkosh was in the previous year.  Oshkosh did climb as high as 12th in the poll... when they jumped into the rankings in Week 1, they stayed ranked until week 13... the last week before the NCAA tournament.


07-08 - Preseason - Point #3, Whitewater #25, after one week, Platteville ORV

Final rankings - Whitewater #8, Point #10, Platteville ORV. 

Whitewater won the league by a game over Pville and Point... SP and WW were tied going into the final contest and Platteville pasted Point in SW WI by 19.  WW squeaked by RF by 5 and won the league. WW won the rubber match in the WIAC final and earned NCAA hosting rights... but lost in the first round by 1 to Loras.  The IIAC were WIAC killers that year... as Point lost in round 2 to Buena Vista by 1 as well, at St. Thomas.  Point and WW both were as highly ranked as #2... with WW being #4 in the final poll before the NCAA tournament.  This was WW's 4th highest win total in program history... after their 2 national championships and their 4th place finishing teams from the 80s.  I think this showed that their high ranking from the year before wasn't so much a fluke... they had the talent, just couldn't put it together.  Well, they did here even though they bowed out of the tournament early.


08-09 - Preseason - Whitewater #4, Point #6, Platteville #7 (WW and Pville both wrest a 1st place vote from defending champ Wash U)

Final Rankings - Point #4, Platte #6, WW #7

Pretty crazy, if you ask me, how closely the top 3 ended up compared to where they started.  Point lost for the second year in a row at St. Thomas... this time to the #1 ranked hosts by just 3.  All three teams ended up in the 16 team "Bracket of Death" that included the #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #7, #8, #14, #19, #20, and #21 teams.  All three WIAC teams bowed out in the second round... #4 (as of the final reg season poll) Point, as mentioned, at top ranked and undefeated St. Thomas, #8 Whitewater to #2 Wash U at Elmhurst, and #5 Platteville at #3 Wheaton... a game that I saw and that went to OT... Skemp played the game of his life, going for 38... but it just wasn't enough as Wheaton pulled it out.  Whitewater lost to Wash U by 3... They had been down 11 at the half and by as many as 18 in the second half, but they took a momentary lead with 5 minutes to go.  They were down one and were shooting 2 FT's with :08 left to tie or take the lead but missed both... and Wash U was subsequently fouled and hit their two to seal the win.  Wash U would go on to win their second consecutive national title.

Platteville reached the #1 ranking for the first time since 1999 (not 100% sure on the year, but it's close) in Week 4.  Whitewater got as high as #2 and Point was as high as #3.


09-10 - Preseason - Point #10, WW #13, Pville #17, Oshy #24

Final - Point #1, WW #9, La Crosse ORV

After week 1, Point and WW jumped into the top 10... where they stayed the whole year.  Whitewater secured the league title on the last night of the year... as La Crosse knocked Point off in LaX to deny Point a share of the conference title.  WW swept Point during the regular season but Point won the conference title... and though Whitewater won the league, Point had a better over-all record and other better wins, including victories over St. Thomas and Whitworth, who had both won their respective leagues.  Thus Point got to stay home and Whitewater was shipped out to Wooster, OH where they squeaked by Defiance before falling to the hosts.  Point had to make a defensive stand to get out of round 1 against Carleton before beating a good St. Norbert team.  They then were selected to host the regional, where they gound our a victory against a very athletic Texas-Dallas team and then took down Illinois Wesleyan in impressive fashion.  In the final 4, Point jumped out to a 20 point half time lead against Randolph Macon and had to hold on to a hard Randy Mac charge before securing the 12 point win and facing Williams in the final... battling back from a 10 point deficit to beat Williams in the National Championship game.


10-11 - Preseason - Point #1, Whitewater # 21, RF ORV

Final Rankings - Point #6, RF ORV

River Falls was severely underrated to begin the season last year... in the nation and in the league.  I'm still scratching my head at being tagged #8 in the preseason WIAC poll... they were just so dang talented.  As I said last week, they had a pretty monumental collapse... but I think that it will serve to motivate them for the coming season (... past tense, of course... I'm thinking more along the lines of off-season motivation).  They lost at St. Thomas to Illinois Wesleyan... who in turn lost to the Tommies... before Point lost to the Tommies at Augustana.

RF got 4 preseason votes... and though I tried to explain to people on the Top 25 page (including voters) that they were much much better than they had performed the previous year, it didn't seem to help.  They jumped into the poll but didn't get any higher than #9... and they were probably playing at the level of a top 5 team for much of the first 3/4 of the year.  As I chronicled last week, they fell apart at the end... but I think that they're going to be really good this year if they can find somebody to bring the ball up the court!

[frodotwo]

UWSP roster as of 10/24/11:

Seniors      -   6'4" Dan Tillema  -  6'8" Jordan Brezinski
Juniors      -   6'3" Tyler Tillema  -  5'10" Jordan Giordana  -  6'4" Matt Resch
Sophomores -  6'6" Adam Abbeglen - 6'4" Trevor Hass - 6'4" Jason Ziemer  (Fr eligibility)
Freshmen  -  6'6" Tyler Forsythe  -  6'6"Nick Kacala  -  6'4" Jordan Lutz  -  6'6" Micah Parlow  - 
6'4" Alex Richard  -  6'3" Joe Ritchay  -  6'0" Austin Ryf  - 6'8" Nate Van Handel

No sign of Kurt Kincaid and he wasn't on the practice roster available for Backcourt Club appreciation day practice. Perhaps he's not eligible until the second semester, I'm not sure of the transfer rule. Assistant Coach Kent Dernbach was introduced, as well as grad assistant coach Dane Sekar-Anderson (Yes, Oshkosh Titan grad)

Point will scrimmage D2 Michigan Tech on Friday, I hope to make that and have more info on who and how they play.

[tomt4525]

UWSP roster as of 10/24/11:

Seniors      -   6'4" Dan Tillema  -  6'8" Jordan Brezinski
Juniors      -   6'3" Tyler Tillema  -  5'10" Jordan Giordana  -  6'4" Matt Resch
Sophomores -  6'6" Adam Abbeglen - 6'4" Trevor Hass - 6'4" Jason Ziemer  (Fr eligibility)
Freshmen  -  6'6" Tyler Forsythe  -  6'6"Nick Kacala  -  6'4" Jordan Lutz  -  6'6" Micah Parlow  - 
6'4" Alex Richard  -  6'3" Joe Ritchay  -  6'0" Austin Ryf  - 6'8" Nate Van Handel

No sign of Kurt Kincaid and he wasn't on the practice roster available for Backcourt Club appreciation day practice. Perhaps he's not eligible until the second semester, I'm not sure of the transfer rule. Assistant Coach Kent Dernbach was introduced, as well as grad assistant coach Dane Sekar-Anderson (Yes, Oshkosh Titan grad)

Point will scrimmage D2 Michigan Tech on Friday, I hope to make that and have more info on who and how they play.

My guess is Kincaid must be eligible for second semester, he is enrolled and comes up in the student directory if you search his name. 

Also, I knew this would happen but that is a huge turnover on the roster from last year.  The only freshman that stuck around from last year is Abegglen.  My guess is the Tillemas, Giordana and Brezinski will start...who takes the 5th spot??  Ziemer or Hass?  Any guesses on which freshman are going to contribute??

[frodotwo]

UWSP roster as of 10/24/11:

Seniors      -   6'4" Dan Tillema  -  6'8" Jordan Brezinski
Juniors      -   6'3" Tyler Tillema  -  5'10" Jordan Giordana  -  6'4" Matt Resch
Sophomores -  6'6" Adam Abbeglen - 6'4" Trevor Hass - 6'4" Jason Ziemer  (Fr eligibility)
Freshmen  -  6'6" Tyler Forsythe  -  6'6"Nick Kacala  -  6'4" Jordan Lutz  -  6'6" Micah Parlow  - 
6'4" Alex Richard  -  6'3" Joe Ritchay  -  6'0" Austin Ryf  - 6'8" Nate Van Handel

No sign of Kurt Kincaid and he wasn't on the practice roster available for Backcourt Club appreciation day practice. Perhaps he's not eligible until the second semester, I'm not sure of the transfer rule. Assistant Coach Kent Dernbach was introduced, as well as grad assistant coach Dane Sekar-Anderson (Yes, Oshkosh Titan grad)

Point will scrimmage D2 Michigan Tech on Friday, I hope to make that and have more info on who and how they play.

My guess is Kincaid must be eligible for second semester, he is enrolled and comes up in the student directory if you search his name. 

Also, I knew this would happen but that is a huge turnover on the roster from last year.  The only freshman that stuck around from last year is Abegglen.  My guess is the Tillemas, Giordana and Brezinski will start...who takes the 5th spot??  Ziemer or Hass?  Any guesses on which freshman are going to contribute??

Eleven players gone from last years squad (and a 12th - Resch likely to be mainly a practice squad player). Tough to tell who is going to contribute this early from a 30 minute controlled practice session, but Ziemer, Kacala, Ryf and Ritchay showed up best at the practice. Abbeglen and Ryf were the fastest players up & down the court, but despite being 6'6" 215# Abbeglen looks more content to fire it up from the outside than mix it up inside.

[John Gleich]

UWSP roster as of 10/24/11:

Seniors      -   6'4" Dan Tillema  -  6'8" Jordan Brezinski
Juniors      -   6'3" Tyler Tillema  -  5'10" Jordan Giordana  -  6'4" Matt Resch
Sophomores -  6'6" Adam Abbeglen - 6'4" Trevor Hass - 6'4" Jason Ziemer  (Fr eligibility)
Freshmen  -  6'6" Tyler Forsythe  -  6'6"Nick Kacala  -  6'4" Jordan Lutz  -  6'6" Micah Parlow  - 
6'4" Alex Richard  -  6'3" Joe Ritchay  -  6'0" Austin Ryf  - 6'8" Nate Van Handel

No sign of Kurt Kincaid and he wasn't on the practice roster available for Backcourt Club appreciation day practice. Perhaps he's not eligible until the second semester, I'm not sure of the transfer rule. Assistant Coach Kent Dernbach was introduced, as well as grad assistant coach Dane Sekar-Anderson (Yes, Oshkosh Titan grad)

Point will scrimmage D2 Michigan Tech on Friday, I hope to make that and have more info on who and how they play.

Even if Kincaid isn't eligible until second semester, he'd still be able to practice with the team...

[AO]

Several WIAC teams have strong non-conference schedules this year. Oshkosh plays the most teams that made the NCAA's (*) last year (4).

WW   -   Whitworth* in Texas, (H) IWU*

SUP   -   @DII - Minn-Duluth

Stout   -   (H) DII –Bemidji State and @ DII Winona State (#25 pre-season); @ Mary-Hardin Baylor* and      @ Concordia TX in a Texas tourney; @ Gustavus Adolphus

UWSP   -   Richard Stockton and York or Elizabethtown in York, PA tourney; @ St. Johns's; (H) vs defending national champ St. Thomas*; and @ Augustana*

Platt   -   @North Park; @North Central(IL); and at Otterbein tourney

Osh   -   @ St. Norbert*; (H) vs Augustana*;Benedictine*, Loras and Mt. St. Joseph in Las Vegas tourney; Concordia (WI)* in Wis. Dells; and (H) vs Carroll

LX   -   @ Concordia (WI)*; @ Gustavus Adolphus; @ Carleton

EC   -   North Park and Concordia (WI)* @ Platteville tourney;  Judson and Bethany Lutheran or Simpson in EC tourney

Lacrosse is playing in the St. Norbert* tourney and travels to Northwestern*---I'd also give non-conf. credit to Point for playing Bucky.  very impressive slate for the WIAC

[cubs]

UWSP roster as of 10/24/11:

Seniors      -   6'4" Dan Tillema  -  6'8" Jordan Brezinski
Juniors      -   6'3" Tyler Tillema  -  5'10" Jordan Giordana  -  6'4" Matt Resch
Sophomores -  6'6" Adam Abbeglen - 6'4" Trevor Hass - 6'4" Jason Ziemer  (Fr eligibility)
Freshmen  -  6'6" Tyler Forsythe  -  6'6"Nick Kacala  -  6'4" Jordan Lutz  -  6'6" Micah Parlow  - 
6'4" Alex Richard  -  6'3" Joe Ritchay  -  6'0" Austin Ryf  - 6'8" Nate Van Handel

No sign of Kurt Kincaid and he wasn't on the practice roster available for Backcourt Club appreciation day practice. Perhaps he's not eligible until the second semester, I'm not sure of the transfer rule. Assistant Coach Kent Dernbach was introduced, as well as grad assistant coach Dane Sekar-Anderson (Yes, Oshkosh Titan grad)

Point will scrimmage D2 Michigan Tech on Friday, I hope to make that and have more info on who and how they play.

My guess is Kincaid must be eligible for second semester, he is enrolled and comes up in the student directory if you search his name. 

Also, I knew this would happen but that is a huge turnover on the roster from last year.  The only freshman that stuck around from last year is Abegglen.  My guess is the Tillemas, Giordana and Brezinski will start...who takes the 5th spot??  Ziemer or Hass?  Any guesses on which freshman are going to contribute??

While I haven't seen them play yet this season, I would venture to say Hass finds the starting line-up at the start of the season, and Ryf sees significant playing time as well.....  Who knows though, I could be wrong as usual....

[badgerwarhawk]

The BADGERS have played a WIAC team in an exhibition game every year for the past few years.  Point didn't schedule the game per se.  This year it was their turn.  Next year it will be someone else. 

[badgerwarhawk]

The WARHAWKS have posted their roster.....http://www.uwwsports.com/roster.aspx?roster=244&path=mbball

New members of the team include:

Jake Jarnigo...Lakeside Lutheran  decided not to play collegiately
Charlie Fischer...Arrowhead
Quardell Young...Kenosha Bradford
Tyrone Shepard...Milwaukee Washington
Spencer Koepp...Yuma, Az.
Travis Clayton...Burlington
Kevin Priebe...Glenbard East Ill.
Justin Scanlan...Plainfield, Ill.
Jack Herum...River Falls
Creed Knutson...Janesville Parker
Ben Landry...Pewaukee
Steve Egan...Omro

12 of 20 are new to the program.