MBB: Midwest Conference

[titan2000]

Good to see that Gillespie was able to keep all these guys academically eligible.  At the MWC tourney last year I heard there were several troubled students in the starying lineup for the Red Hawks.  Must have studied hard last Spring after getting bounced from the tournament by LU. 

[The Roop]

Their roster at the end of the season isn't always the same one that they started with. I remember lots of "Where's Waldvogel" banners in Beloit one year when he was conspicuous by his absence for the second meeting between the two teams. It seems you have also discovered this trend.

[cubs]

Ripon 12-4
Carroll 11-5
Lawrence 10-6
Lake Forest and Knox 9-7
Beloit 8-8
Grinnell and Monmouth 7-9
St. Norbert 4-12
Illinois College 3-13

You really think Ripon has enough talent to win the league this season?  I will admit that I don't know as much about the MWC as the rest of you do, but I wouldn't have put Ripon in the running for a title, even though they are consistently a Conference Tournament team.

[Greek Tragedy]

Ripon 12-4
Carroll 11-5
Lawrence 10-6
Lake Forest and Knox 9-7
Beloit 8-8
Grinnell and Monmouth 7-9
St. Norbert 4-12
Illinois College 3-13

Did Lawrence lose that much?  I mean, they still have Braier!

[mwc4life]

Why don't you think they can?

[tps040580]

It was just a prediction. Lawrence is going to be a top team, but I think given that they lost some good seniors, it might take some time for them to get going. It was a two game difference from what they had last year. Carroll, I think, is bringing everyone back except for Hickethier so I think they will be as good, if not better. I just think Bo Johnson is going to win the player of the year, and Ripon is going to take down the league this year. It is more a hunch than anything else, but the two teams went down to the wire last year in the conference title game so I don't think it is so far-fetched. 

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I don't think Ripon winning is too far fetched.  Larry will be there, but I'm not so sure they are 'the hunted' any longer.

[cubs]

Why don't you think they can?

I was thinking that the loss of Becker may be a little too much to overcome.  Even though they return their other three top scorers (Johnson, McMullen, and Schmitting,) they don't seem to have a floor leader.  I don't know if I would want to count on someone who led the team in TO's last season, (and will arguably face more pressure this season) as a guy to get the offense started.

Like I said, I DO NOT claim to know a lot about this league.  I was just curious on what the "insiders" thought.

[LU 05]

I think Lawrence, Ripon, Lake Forest, and Carroll will be the top four  teams.  I still feel like LU is the top team until someone proves that they can beat them consistently.  I concede that Ripon returns a lot of talent.  Im not sold that they can recover the loss of becker as easily as some people on this board realize.  He was a dominant player who carried Ripon through many games last year.  Bo Johnson turned out to be a good compliment to becker in the sense that he woud get open looks due to the attention Becker recieved from opposing defenses.  Without a player like Becker to draw and kick, I don't see Bo Johnson having as good a year. I know for a fact that McMullen will not be the player that Becker was.  Everyone who is being honest with themselves knows that.  I also concede that Schmitting is a very good player who will probably be better than he was last season.  I am not worried about this because I have never seen a post player in this conference get the best of bopper.     
Carroll College relied on Hickethier in every close game I've seen them play.  I belive carroll also lost their PGs in Juus and James Johnson.  They will be still be a talented team.  But can the other guys step up and make this a conference contender? Im not sold.  Some of those other players always came off as looking like mental midgets.
Lake Forest is my biggest worry as an LU fan.  They return a team that has made the conference tourney for two years in a row.  They've played a long time together and they have always had an abundance of talent.  Klos and Beckford are two potential 1st teamers this year in my opinion.  However this team still has to prove that they can win the BIG games. 

should be a great season.

[mwc4life]

Cubs,

If my memory serves me correctly, i don't believe the coaches had Ripon as one of the top 4 teams last year because they lost a 1st team all-conference player in Scott Landish and a quality scorer in Kieck.  And sure enough Ripon came a bad call away (monmouth game) from winning the conference last year...finishing one game behind LU.  Now that Ripon has lost another great player in Becker i can see where people might think Ripon will be worse.  But they do return 3/4 top scorers which is always a plus and the only under classmen who was on 2nd team all-conference in Bo Johnson (18.0 pts/g).  Plus, i personally don't worry about the PG situation because I know McMullen will do an extrodinary job at point.  I know he was around the league leaders in assists and steals last year and he is only a sophomore.  In fact Johnson, Schmitting, and Mcmullen were all Soph. last year...and from my experience, transitioning from soph. to Junior is a big step in not only ability, but leadership.  So i look for all those guys to really step up both in the score books and in practice.  They also have a tough guard in Murphy who can play physical and rebound.  He scored over 20 something against Augustana when they played there last year....so he definately has the ability to step up.  But you are definately right that the PG position needs to be filled, but i just think it is in good hands with McMullen.

I'd also like to point out that the loss of Becker was huge for Ripon.  No one can tell me that Ripon won't miss him and his ability.  But why i think Ripon will step up and challenge for the championship is because everyone else loss a lot too.  CC by far lost its best player in Hicketheir (he was so under-rated), LU lost 3 great starters including Hollinbeck (who was all-conference as a freshman a long time ago) Lake Forest lost McDonald and Knox lost Kelly ( who was so tough to guard @ knox). So everyone lost a lot, but Gillespie does a great job recuiting and just reloading.  They have a lot of young talent and probably the best center in the league (maybe other then Beckford).  He has done that his whole career which is why it will show Ripon with the most success in the MWC in the last 20 years (unless you feel LU's run two years ago makes up for all those championships).

[mwc4life]

LU 05

Without trying to jump down your throat, what you said about Bo Johnson was so Cliche.  A dominant PG like becker and of course that was the reason Bo scored so much.  There is no doubt that Becker's greatness helped Johnson get some looks.  But Ripon runs a motion offense with a lot of screens and cuts and Bo Johnson runs off screens very, very, well.  I don't know if you saw the box score, but Johnson shot 5-9 from 3pt. against UW-GB and probably had two or three rattle out.  He had about 4 or 5 different people try and guard him and he still managed to score 24 pts. and 6 boards with only shooting one FT.  Bo had two or three games where he made 7 threes or more including 9 @ knox.  He can play....and I don't believe the Bobber has ever really had to guard Schmitting when they play.  Normally Olson Guarded him or whatever other Big was in the game when he was.  I know that one on one, Bopper can't stop Schmitting...not this year.   I heard that the coach from UW-GB said Schmitting would start on his team...Schmitting was obviously the best Big out on the from in that game.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I love that Jeff is keeping quiet when I know he's dying to tell you all he thinks Grinnell will be top three.

[LU 05]

"I know that one on one, Bopper can't stop Schmitting...not this year."

Thats a bold claim.  I don't think hes shown to be that dominant on the offensive end.  And not to jump down your throat, sir, but without Becker, Ripon doesn't come within 20 pts of any game with LU last season.  Bo Johnson had a terrific game at Ripon when they won.  Did you notice who was gaurding him?  LU had Briar chasing him around screens on the perimeter.(obviously not his strength).  How did Bo do the next two times when LU had a wing guard him? Hes a very good shooter, but shooters can be taken away.  Players like Becker can't be taken away as easily.  I think Bo Jonson benefited by playing with Becker.     

[mwc4life]

"And not to jump down your throat, sir, but without Becker, Ripon doesn't come within 20 pts of any game with LU last season."

You can't be serious with that quote.  Obviously Ripon doesn't play LU for the conference championship without Becker, but if LU doen't have Evans, Falls, Olson, and Hollenbeck then how would they have beaten Ripon's team last year?  The point is that both those teams DID have them and the final score of the conference championship game was a direct result of all those players.  Now both teams lost a signifcant amount of talent from last years teams.  But Ripon returns 3 starters, that were all SOPHOMORES last year, that averaged over 10 points a game.  I know Becker was an amazing player and will be missed.  I stated that in my last post, but you are crazy if you think the loss of those four guys won't be equal to or more of a void to fill then Ripon's team.  I don't know if you realize how tough Falls, Evans, and Hollenbeck were defensively for LU.  They were in every right spot, so to speak, on the help side, rebounding, and guarding their man.  With all those guys' height they had they could guard multiple positions.  They were so key to LU's success as a team.  Not to mention, I'm not sure I've seen a group of guys that could knock down the pressure shot like those guys.  I saw LU's bench first hand and they didn't look very good comfortable when they came into games.  Now they have to come in and fill sooo many differnt parts that made LU so successful.  That's not to say none of them are going to step up, but it's not like they have three players like those guys that left just ready to jump in and be the dominant LU team that has been for 3 years. 

As far as Schmitting goes, Steve Kohl will back me up cause he saw him play against a D1 6'9 center and abuse him.  Believe it or not, players that work hard in the off-season get extremly better, especially after your Soph. year.  I know Schmitting put in a lot of time in the weight room and in the gym and his confidence level is very high.  He had a play last year at the end of the year when he got fouled and dunked the ball on a Beliot player.  He has endless potential and i wasn't just saying that the UW-GB coach said that about him.  He really said he could/would start fo GB. 

Bo, scored 30 against @ Augie, around 30 against Hanover, around 30 against LU.  These are away, neutral and home games....not to mention his 9 threes at Knox.  It's not a fluke.  Just aske UW-GB when he had fans coming up to him after the game and saying how raw he is.  I'm not saying he's unstoppable by any means, but he averaged 18 pts/game as a soph and is still getting BETTER.

[hjmphelp]

Jeffp is keeping quiet because Jeffp still thinks crapshoot. Total and complete CRAPSHOOT!