MBB: Midwest Conference

[fightingscots13]

Scots open their season tonight v. Central, one of their two wins last year.  Central picked to finish near the bottom of the IIAC even though they have four starters back and finished tied for fourth in their conf. last year. 
Will give a report tomorrow...

[John Gleich]

Larry U @ UWSP starts at the top of the hour

Live Stats

UWSP broadcast

I'll provide updates on the WIAC update page HERE

[fightingscots13]

Scots lose 70-56 to Central last night.  New faces and a new system, and it looked like our first game of the year.  We didn't shoot, rebound or defend well and, probably most disappointing, I didn't think our attitude is where it needs to be - yet.  Hopefully as the season progresses that will get better.  I did see that Coach Skrivseth addressed it to one of our players during a substitution late in the first half, and that player didn't start in the 2nd half - I don't think that happened in any of the last four years. 

I won't make any predictions on the season after watching one game, however.  I'll wait until the Scots have some games under their belt and a full team (since we have a couple of guys still playing fb).

[larry_u]

LU tries to bounce back after a loss to UWSP by hosing Wisconsin Lutheran tonight at Alex.

[The Roop]

Wheaton 81 Beloit 44. Ouch...........

[larry_u]

LU tries to bounce back after a loss to UWSP by hosing Wisconsin Lutheran tonight at Alex.

LU wins 72-64. 
http://blogs.lawrence.edu/highlights/2011/11/siebert-pours-in-26-points-as-vikings-top-wisconsin-lutheran.html

Lawrence hosts Marian Wednesday night.

[Titan Q]

From the frontpage...

Usually even the best Grinnell players don't play more than 20-25 minutes per game, but on Saturday Griffin Lentsch played for 36 and went off for 89 points in the Pioneers' 145-97 crushing of Principia.

Lentsch shot 27-for-55 from the floor, including 15-for-33 from three-point range in the win. He was 20-for-22 from the foul line.

The 89 points is the third-best in NCAA men's basketball history and the best since 1954.


Three weeks ago I was at a work meeting and I met a guy from Grinnell, IA who follows the GC basketball team.  We got to talking about D3 and Grinnell and he told me he heard head coach David Arsenault speak at a local event about the upcoming season (Rotary Club or something like that). 

Arsenault told his audience that day (to paraphrase what the guy I met told me), "It's been a long time since we've set an individual record.  We're going to try to have a guy score 100 in our opening game."  Arsenault went into the X's and O's of how they planned to pull it off, but I don't really remember them.  (I think he said they were going to have someone stay on the offensive side of the floor in "permanent cherry pick" status.)

I've come to understand and respect the philosophy of the Grinnell "system" over the years (the idea of maximum participation, etc), but something about what happened today really rubs me the wrong way.  Grinnell took the floor today trying to set an individual record.  And I'm sure they picked today because of how weak their opponent (Principia) was.  Both things just don't seem to jive with what Division III is all about.

I'm interested to hear what MWC fans think.  Again, the whole thing just does not sit well with me.

[John Gleich]

I've come to understand and respect the philosophy of the Grinnell "system" over the years (the idea of maximum participation, etc), but something about what happened today really rubs me the wrong way.  Grinnell took the floor today trying to set an individual record.  And I'm sure they picked today because of how weak their opponent (Principia) was.  Both things just don't seem to jive with what Division III is all about.

This was my thought exactly.  ... And it's interesting that the system is supposedly being run in the guise of participation... but in a game that Grinnell won by 48, there were 8 players who played less than 10 minutes and 5 who played 6 minutes or less.

I wonder how they feel about this...

[OBC]

I am sure that the 17 other Grinnell players who scored 56 points, and who set the screens and made the assists for Lentsch feel pretty darned good about it. Going to your "go to guy" and making the opponent play defense against your offensive sets sounds like a positive game plan.

If you say "I'm going to get as many shots as possible for my best shooter" that's OK; but if you say "I want my best shooter to set  a record" that's not OK?

I believe such attempts by players, and predictive statements by their coaches are legitimate motivational tools. But hey, that's just me.

[Mr. Ypsi]

^^^

In a close game, sure.  But in a game you're leading by 50 (and 'knew' going in that you would win by 50+)?  Not so sure.

I thought it was bush league.

[Mr. Ypsi]

A game on Tuesday that could get really ugly, score-wise: 0-1 Monmouth @ 3-0 IWU!

Titans, Remember the Football Team!

[OK, it ain't exactly "Remember the Alamo", but can you spell R E V E N G E?! ]

[dahlby]

My Father coached for 3 decades, and I NEVER witnessed him doing anything as disgraceful as what the Grinnell coach did
against Principa. To me it was not in the sprit of D3 athletics. IMHO.

[John Gleich]

I am sure that the 17 other Grinnell players who scored 56 points, and who set the screens and made the assists for Lentsch feel pretty darned good about it. Going to your "go to guy" and making the opponent play defense against your offensive sets sounds like a positive game plan.

If you say "I'm going to get as many shots as possible for my best shooter" that's OK; but if you say "I want my best shooter to set  a record" that's not OK?

I believe such attempts by players, and predictive statements by their coaches are legitimate motivational tools. But hey, that's just me.

How many screens did the guy who played 1 minute set?  How many assists did he get?  How about the guy who played 2 minutes?

It's utterly shameful.  These guys put in JUST as much work during practice and in a 48 point game, and they only hop off the bench for a couple of short rotations?

And what did they accomplish?  They embarrassed a team that's not very good by intentionally setting an individual record against them... because they could.  How many other teams and/or players could choose to do that?

I can tell you this... in my college career, we went 103-18 over 4 years and 36 victories of 20+ points.  We had 9 victories of 35+ points. 

Of those 9 victories, in 8 of the games, there were only 2 instances where a starter played 26 minutes, and 1 instance where a starter played 25 minutes (and all the other starters played less than 25).  These are the minute MAXIMUMS for those games (there was one game where 3 starters played 26 minutes... the game was sandwiched between 3 losses and the team had things we needed to work on).

The point is that there's no point for a program to play starters that much... for one, it's an opportunity for them to rest a bit, but more importantly, it's a great opportunity to give the players who bust their tails day in and day out to get some playing time.  You know, those guys on the 3rd team who run the opposing team's offense all week and who get beat up by the starters every day out... the freshmen and sophomores who have to pay their dues to get playing time.

And furthermore, what's the point in trying to run up the stats of an individual like that?  It's inauthentic and cheap... there are players who are playing the game of basketball against quality opponents who are earning statistics that should be in record books... not games like this that are artificial in nature.

It makes me want Grinnell to play a good team and watch them get pasted... like when they played Whitewater two years ago and lost 134-95 or in 2001 when they played IWU and lost 132-91.

Their gimmick doesn't work against good teams... it only works against bad teams.  And it's disgraceful that they'd intentionally try to humiliate another team like that, just because they can.

[AndOne]

I am sure that the 17 other Grinnell players who scored 56 points, and who set the screens and made the assists for Lentsch feel pretty darned good about it. Going to your "go to guy" and making the opponent play defense against your offensive sets sounds like a positive game plan.

If you say "I'm going to get as many shots as possible for my best shooter" that's OK; but if you say "I want my best shooter to set  a record" that's not OK?

I believe such attempts by players, and predictive statements by their coaches are legitimate motivational tools. But hey, that's just me.

Yes, the team that surrendered 145 points certainly was made to play a hell of a lot of defense!            

[Titan Q]

Griffin Lentsch was Grinnell's leading scorer last season (18.3 ppg).  Within "The System" in 2010-11 he averaged 17 field goal attempts per game, and 16.2 minutes per game.  2010-11 stats...

http://wm.grinnell.edu/athletics/mbasketball/statistics/MBK1011/teamcume.htm

Yesterday vs Principia (last year 6-18 overall, 2-14 SLIAC) Lentsch had 55 field goal attempts and played 36 minutes in Grinnell's 48-point win...

http://wm.grinnell.edu/athletics/mbasketball/statistics/MBK1112/1119prin.htm

With 10 minutes to play in the game, Grinnell led by 42 points.  Here is some play-by-play from the final 10 minutes:

09:01  74-116 V 42 GOOD! FT SHOT by Griffin Lentsch
09:01  74-117 V 43 GOOD! FT SHOT by Griffin Lentsch
08:17  MISSED JUMPER by Griffin Lentsch
08:09  80-120 V 40 GOOD! FT SHOT by Griffin Lentsch
08:09  80-121 V 41 GOOD! FT SHOT by Griffin Lentsch
07:43  MISSED 3 PTR by Griffin Lentsch
06:56 MISSED JUMPER by Griffin Lentsch
06:28  85-126 V 41 GOOD! 3 PTR by Griffin Lentsch
05:56  85-128 V 43 GOOD! JUMPER by Griffin Lentsch
05:29  MISSED 3 PTR by Griffin Lentsch
05:23  86-130 V 44 GOOD! JUMPER by Griffin Lentsch
04:41  86-131 V 45 GOOD! FT SHOT by Griffin Lentsch
04:37  86-132 V 46 GOOD! FT SHOT by Griffin Lentsch
04:06  86-133 V 47 GOOD! FT SHOT by Griffin Lentsch
04:03  MISSED FT SHOT by Griffin Lentsch
04:02  MISSED JUMPER by Griffin Lentsch
03:32  86-135 V 49 GOOD! JUMPER by Griffin Lentsch
02:42  88-136 V 48 GOOD! FT SHOT by Griffin Lentsch
02:42  88-137 V 49 GOOD! FT SHOT by Griffin Lentsch
02:18  89-139 V 50 GOOD! JUMPER by Griffin Lentsch
02:16  91-141 V 50 GOOD! JUMPER by Griffin Lentsch
01:10  93-143 V 50 GOOD! JUMPER by Griffin Lentsch
00:43  MISSED JUMPER by Griffin Lentsch
00:19  97-145 V 48 GOOD! JUMPER by Griffin Lentsch


Grinnell's returning leading scorer had 26 points in the final 10 minutes against Principia...with his team up 40+ the entire time.

If you say "I'm going to get as many shots as possible for my best shooter" that's OK; but if you say "I want my best shooter to set  a record" that's not OK?

So we will see this same gameplan when Grinnell plays good teams too then, right?  On December 2 vs St. Norbert we can expect another 36 minutes and 55 FGA from Lentsch?