MBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Greek Tragedy]

I think because the Pointers lost all of those seniors, everyone has dismissed them when it comes to the WIAC.  I mean, I think they are still a member of the conference.  Let me check on that! 

Anyway, I think that's actually what the Pointers need.  Let the posters, fans, coaches, SIDs and everyone else put the perverbial target on OSHKOSH!  You'd think the target would be on the Pointers, considering they are the two-time defending national champions, or even the Pioneers, considering it was THEY who won the WIAC last year. 

So, I'm not predicting anything or guaranteeing anything except that the WIAC will produce surprises like it does every year. 

Of course, after River Falls won the league with Melzer, everyone dismissed them the following year as well, so I can understand why people who just blow off the Pointers.

LONG LIVE THE DAWGS! 25 days until opening night...at least for the Pointers! 

[badgerwarhawk]

You are correct Old School.  I checked the WIAC website just now and Point is still a member of the conference.  Assuming they've updated the site since last season that is.  I even heard they got a new coach. 

It should be a great season like always.  The WARHAWKS[/color] should be very competitive. 

[P-Ville Hoops Man]

Rebuilding?  No, Combs isn't the sort of guy to just rebuild.  Recruit class is a little short for my liking, all guards but for Tetschlag @ 6'5''.  Skemp and Gossens will see all the minutes they can handle.  Not 100% sure on starting 5 yet.  5th spot up for graps, but starters so far look like Skemp, Gossens, Crawford, and Krause.  I'm confident with that nucleus and we definently aren't lacking smart and talented guards.  We go about 4 deep at either point or shooting.  I'd just look to the post game and substitutions.  But I see no reason we can't repeat.  Points down and Dub-Dub is the usual assembly of individual superstars.  Team is spelt P-L-A-T-T-E-V-I-L-L-E.

[P-Ville Hoops Man]

ADD: Season is less than 2 weeks old and already WIAC fans are conceeding the league title to Oshkosh?  What's that?  We all know what the WIAC can do to teams.  Think Point.  Won back to back national titles and last year lost by 20 to us Pioneers in Platteville.  Also managed losses to Dub-Dub and UW-O.  Now if the national champs can still lose 3 conference games and only get a 2 seeding in the tourney what does that say about the WIAC.  It's not the Lake Michigan Conference.  I'm confident Oshkosh will invent ways to lose be in academic discipline, rolled ankles, or bone-headed plays down the stretch of a game.  I'm not buying into the hype.  Oshkosh still needs to beat the champs (Platteville) to be the champs.  GO PIONEERS!

[Winneconne_Legend]

I'll be the first to get these up for the year...Preseason Rankings!!!

1- Oshkosh...too much coming back, plus they get a legit PG in Miller
2- Stout...Run, Eddie, Run
3- LaCrosse...Werner and Fehrenbach may be best inside-outside combo in WIAC
4- Whitewater...the talent is there, just like last year, and they year before, and the one before that...etc
5- Stevens Point...The King is dead...long live the king
6- Platteville...Platteville finishing 6th shows how tight the conference is this year, I just don't know where Reitzners points will come from
7- River Falls..will score at least 2 big road upsets, and will win thier 1st rd tourney game, maybe best wings (Hoeg & Kossoris) in conference, but too inconsistant with no inside game
8- Superior...they beat EC because of Cobb
9- Eau Claire...I got nothing, and neither does Gibby

POY - Joe Werner LaX...Best inside offensive player in WIAC (could easliy go to Capelle but Werner will put better #'s up because Oshy has more offensive options)

COY - TVD...the next two years should be VERY good to Oshkosh

[Cardinalboy]

Wow, Stout that high? I guess I don't really know a lot abot them...I take it that they are really good fast breaking type of team where as most of the league is smashmouth in your face physical half court teams?  I really like Oshkosh...Capelle has always been good since his freshmen year. He has grown into very good player.

[laxeagles1]

just to give you an idea cardinal.  Last year when stout was at Lax the score was something like 18-13 with 14 minutes left in the first half, Lax was winning.  Coach Koelbl decided to slow the game down for Lax, had Coach Andrist had his way it would have been in the 100's.  If you have time to look it up sometime look at Coach Andrist's scores when he was at Mount Senario(don't know if you can find them)....To say he likes to fastbreak is an understatement........

With that being said he is no Paul Westhead at Loyola Marymount in the early 1990's but he likes to run....

[playdefense]

Who ever thinks Stout will finish second in the conference hasn't watched Eddit's teams that closley in the past.  On paper they look athletic, with great size and ability.  But............I can almost see it now..............in late January the Blue Devils will be near the top of the league and like every other year, around Valentine's Day, they'll become an also ran.  Mainly because they're not that TEAM oriented and, Eddie runs them in the ground.  That pressing, run and gun game plan that works so well in November, has depleted the Blue Devil regulars of any energy by February.  That is if the regulars stay regulars.

[playdefense]

Predicted Order of Finish

1.  Oshkosh
2.  Whitewater
3.  Platteville
4.  Stevens Point
5.  La Crosse
6.  Stout
7.  River Falls
8.  EC
9.  Superior

[zorro]

For those that seem to want to dwell on the notion that WW fades at the end of the year I think the fact that they have been in the Championship Game 3 of the past 4 years and have won 20 or more games the past 4 years speaks volumes...

[voice]

I sometimes wonder why WW is continually criticized for playing "me" instead of "we" basketball.  My wonderment sent my to season statistics over the past 5 years to check out assist totals.  In four of the five years, a WW player has been among the top-6 in season assist averages.  One of those years, Aubrey Lewis-Byers, one of the great WIAC players over the past decade, actually led his team in assists, along with leading his team in scoring. 

After broadcasting Warhawk basketball for 16 years (until 2 years ago), I sometimes wonder if all the comments about WW not playing "team basketball"  has racial overtones.  One of the most memorable occurred when a fan sitting right behind my broadcast location stood up and yelled "Hey c--n, go back to Milwaukee where you belong."   I could give you several other instances. 

Being the team that annually has the greatest number of minority athletes, I certainly wish those kinds of comments would stop.  These are just young men playing Division-three basketball - just like the young men from your school.

Pat Miller and his staff have done a wonderful job into making WW an annual contender for the WIAC title.  When they win the WIAC title this year, willl it be because they have quote, "great athletes," or will it be because they are one damn good basketball TEAM?

[mab]

1.  Oshkosh - A lot like Stevens Point two years ago, and we all know what they did.
2.  Whitewater - Griffin's inside scoring will be tough to replace, but give the coach credit.  They have outstanding young players like the past, but now they are a well coached team.
3.  Stout - Team on the rise.  This might be the break through year.
4.  Platteville - Back to earth after last years surprise or a perennial contender?
5.  Stevens Point - Krull is a POY candidate, but too many changes to contend.
6.  La Crosse - Building toward a breakthrough, but this is a tough conference to get over the hump.
7.  River Falls - Tough times at RF.
8.  Eau Claire - Real tough times at EC.  It might be time to try a new coach.
9.  Superior - A whole new team.  That might be good or bad.

COY - Ted Van Dellen - A league full of good coaches.  Give it to the champions.
POY - Kerry Gibson - This year he is option #1.

[P-Ville Hoops Man]

Figured I'd weigh in on these pre-season rankings as the first voice involved with Platteville hoops.  I acknowledge now that the WIAC will be tight and the eventual champ might only win by a game.  With that being said, my irrational and overly-emotional rankings:

1. Platteville- As Coach Carter said,"We'll have new leading scorers this year."  The offense will come from somewhere (Krause?) and COY Paul Combs is still at the reigns of the defending WIAC champs.  Why not Platteville?
2. Oshkosh-Great personal is hard to argue against for sure.  Counting on a massive off-court problem to gum things up for UWO, watch for it.  They'll invent a way to not win the WIAC.  You're all on notice.
3. Stout-Starting to think those Nonemacher boys will never pan out after never seeing a basketball before getting to Menomonie.  Like the supporting cast of Farmer, Chaisson, and Chandler though.  They'll win their fair share of games.
4. Whitewater-I won't blame the AND 1 style of ball they run.  I'll blame the perennial lack of defense and guarding against the drive for the finish this year.  I believe Levon Crawford of Platteville scored his career high @ UWW last year almost exclusively on lay-ups and dunks.  They'll have to score 80+ points a game to win.
5. La Crosse-I'll buy into the Werner hype and they did play Platteville to the final whistle last year @ LC.  I was mildly impressed and upset they missed the tourney last year.  Thought they were better than River Falls...they'll prove it this year.
6. Stevens Point-Can the Pointers dogs lose their head coach and their six best players all at once and still contend?  Sort of, if by contend you mean beat Superior, Eau Claire, and River Falls.
7. River Falls-Never quite the same without Melzer.  Guard play is there, but "post" is a forgotten term in River Falls.  They'll start dunking when it's worth three points.
8. Eau Claire-They won 6 games last year in league.  Looking at 5 this year.  Why, no real reason.  Going with the gut.
9. Superior-Travel fatigue (it's WAY up there) and the fact that no one in Superior cares about it if it doesn't involve a puck will conspire to sink Superior to the bottom of the league.

[P-Ville Hoops Man]

Hey now, Platteville a flash in the pan or a perennial contender?  I think history proves for itself.  Anytime a program wins 19 conference championships, wins 93% of their games over a 10-year span and four national championships there's always an expectation of winning.  And I forgot my COY and POY the year.  I'll look for Paul Combs to win again (HOMER!) since he's that brilliant and POY goes to, ready for it, Sean Krause!  I know, who?  Platteville's other starting guard from last year.  Someone's going to have to fill in for Reitzner.  This is the guy, but quicker, tougher, and just as smart.  Plus he's the only returning Pioneer to hit a 3-point basket in a game in the U.S. (Mark Gossens hit one in Europe this summer).  If not POY he'll be a pleasent surprise for 1st team conference.  You're all on notice.

[titan2000]

Let's see--an off court event will cause Oshkosh to not win the WIAC--let's think what it could be:

I suppose the Oshkosh players could attend a sorority party at Platteville on the weekend after their game and all go blind !!

In LaCrosse they could get a series of diseases at a similar party.

Who knows, you may be right.

titan2000

Figured I'd weigh in on these pre-season rankings as the first voice involved with Platteville hoops.  I acknowledge now that the WIAC will be tight and the eventual champ might only win by a game.  With that being said, my irrational and overly-emotional rankings:

1. Platteville- As Coach Carter said,"We'll have new leading scorers this year."  The offense will come from somewhere (Krause?) and COY Paul Combs is still at the reigns of the defending WIAC champs.  Why not Platteville?
2. Oshkosh-Great personal is hard to argue against for sure.  Counting on a massive off-court problem to gum things up for UWO, watch for it.  They'll invent a way to not win the WIAC.  You're all on notice.
3. Stout-Starting to think those Nonemacher boys will never pan out after never seeing a basketball before getting to Menomonie.  Like the supporting cast of Farmer, Chaisson, and Chandler though.  They'll win their fair share of games.
4. Whitewater-I won't blame the AND 1 style of ball they run.  I'll blame the perennial lack of defense and guarding against the drive for the finish this year.  I believe Levon Crawford of Platteville scored his career high @ UWW last year almost exclusively on lay-ups and dunks.  They'll have to score 80+ points a game to win.
5. La Crosse-I'll buy into the Werner hype and they did play Platteville to the final whistle last year @ LC.  I was mildly impressed and upset they missed the tourney last year.  Thought they were better than River Falls...they'll prove it this year.
6. Stevens Point-Can the Pointers dogs lose their head coach and their six best players all at once and still contend?  Sort of, if by contend you mean beat Superior, Eau Claire, and River Falls.
7. River Falls-Never quite the same without Melzer.  Guard play is there, but "post" is a forgotten term in River Falls.  They'll start dunking when it's worth three points.
8. Eau Claire-They won 6 games last year in league.  Looking at 5 this year.  Why, no real reason.  Going with the gut.
9. Superior-Travel fatigue (it's WAY up there) and the fact that no one in Superior cares about it if it doesn't involve a puck will conspire to sink Superior to the bottom of the league.