MBB: Midwest Conference

[viking68]

Large sigh... It was a disappointing weekend for Lawrence, but I want to congratulate them for a GREAT season. Thanks to the seniors for bringing some pride to the LU program and giving this alum something great to follow. Thanks for playing hard and playing with class. You will be missed!!

Went to the Wesleyan-UPS game on Saturday night. After seeing them play two times this weekend, I am truly shocked at how Wesleyan could have lost 6 games this year. They have great outside shooters and some great post players too. Definitely a complete team. It was very interesting seeing them play two completely different styles (LU - slow-down, hard-nosed defensive game / UPS - almost Grinnell-esque) and be successful at both.

On Saturday, I sat in an Illinois Wesleyan section (well, I suppose that applies to the entire gym) and was getting really ticked off because every other thing out of their mouths was a complaint about a call that went against the Titans that they thought was bad. I understand rooting for your team, but it ticks me off when there are so many complaints about the officiating.

I felt somewhat superior to those fans because I know that LU fans wouldn't do that. Of course, I forgot this board and the most frequent topic of conversation this year. Were their missed calls on Friday - yes! Did they go both ways - YES!! I would agree that the general way the game was called (not very closely) did favor Wesleyan as the more physical and athletic team. However, to say that the refs were the reason LU lost is crazy. Take a look at the shooting percentages (1st and 2nd half) and the rebounding margin to see where the problem was.

LU is a great team and had a great season, but, in my opinion, they lost to a better team on Friday. I'm rooting for Wesleyan all the way so we can have the ignominious distinction of losing to the eventual champion 3 years in a row...

Finally, LU has a very, VERY full cupboard coming back. For those of you giddy that Braier is gone, LU is not going to be an easy out next year! Kroeger, Rosenblatt, Hurley and the rest of the Vikings in 2007!!

[hjmphelp]

OK, now that the conference is slumbering, the lurkers are gone, and the one post wonders have disappeared, it is time for me to write some (possibly) insufferable stuff-kinda as a reward (to me) for being quiet most of the season. Bear with me or don't read; it is your choice. I would like to introduce you to the 2005-06 Grinnell College Pioneers as best I can.

1st YEARS:
Ahmed Idrissa-Ahmed comes from Oklahoma and is without doubt the biggest surprise on this years team. Why? Because he walked on! Apparently someone saw him goofin around with a Basketball and told him to give it a rip. Ahmed has tremendous leaping ability-plays like he is 6'4"- and is quick to the ball. As he develops he will be a great contibutor to this team!

R.J.Roewe-this kid plays with more intensity than anyone on the team and has developed into a great defensive player. Smart and quick, he has the ability to get to his man with the best of 'em and can shoot the trey as well. With his work ethic he will be a team leader before he is through. Pronounce it Ravey!

Armando Guzman-man, what a shooter! Armando has the purest 3 pt shot on the team. When he gets hot it pays to feed him over and over, cause he will drill 'em all. He didn't get the chance to show it much this year-it wasn't his role-but his time will come. He also developed into one of the best defenders on the team as he began to understand the defensive goals. Still too many fouls, but with time will come body control. Armando transfered in at the semester last year and will still have 3 years eligibility. Boy, are we glad!

Bobby Long-This guy could be amazing at the D3 level! He can shoot with the best of 'em, has the fastest hands in the conference, and runs the court with complete abandon. When given the green light he didn't always respond-frosh jitters or whatever-but late in the season he began to understand it was already part of his role to shoot. And shoot he did! Bobby exemplifies the speed, quickness, talent and work ethic of this Freshman Class!

John Grotberg-Absolutely Amazing! Watch his head and he'll kill you with his footwork. Watch his feet and he will kill you with his speed. Watch his belly button and you miss the shot! Possessor of head fakes, shoulder fakes, body fakes, eye fakes, quick hands, quick release, streaky but deadly accuracy from 3 pt range, ability to drive left, right, or center-John is the best 1st year in the conference and possibly one of the best in the country. If he continues to learn he will be
All -Everything by the end of next year. One great player!

David Arseneault-probably the slowest kid in the Freshman Class, you sure wouldn't know it to watch him play. He is literally everywhere! Drives to the basket well, handles the ball well, can hit the trey and has improved his freethrow shooting markedly from high school-the one area some were worried about. And can this kid ever throw a pass! Good God, his hands are just a blur at times! He led the Nation in assists as a FRESHMAN! Davey also knows the System inside out (I wonder why?)
It is hard to separate Davey and John-other than to say they usually play on different lines. Each has something to learn, each has a different role outside of the point, but they give GC two true points. They will be so much fun to watch develop in the next few years.

Up next-Grinnell's 2nd Years.

[scottie]

Hey, Scottie! You got finally got the top story coverage from d3hoops for Larry and the MWC that you have wanted! Cool, huh?

Yeah it sure looks like he finally did get that coverage jeff!  And I'm sure whoever was putting "Lawrence ousted" there on the front page was simply loving it.   Also jeff, I walked past a Starbucks on Saturday afternoon and thought of you.

Nice lead in for Scottie's Monday Morning Ramblings.

1. Could the font for LAWRENCE OUSTED have been any bigger?  My goodness!  

2. I enjoyed listening to the broadcast by Pat Cummings on Friday.  Nice job, Pat!  And I was especially impressed with the D3sports empire's ability to cut into other games across the country.  Several exciting finishes.  KUDOS

3. Again, congrats to Lawrence on a GREAT season.  I won't be bending over backwards to follow IWU the rest of the way, but they obviously are obviously peaking at the right time - the "right time" beginning during the last 5 minutes of the LU game.  

4. Will likely be slowing down my posts on this board (before I get kicked off by the commish, ha ha), and am hoping to work on my haikus over on the blogspot.  Sam?

5. Good luck to the Fighting Scots' collective pursuit of a second straight All-Sports trophy.  

6. JeffP, Don't be surprised if you hear from me later this summer/fall.  

Cheers!

     Scottie

p.s.

"Monmouth Basketball in 2006-2007!" [/color]  
 

   

[Pat Coleman]

1. Could the font for LAWRENCE OUSTED have been any bigger?  My goodness!   

Nope. that's our standard headline font which we use on 95% of front-page stories. Same size font Braier's name was in when he got Jostens.

I can tell it's really bugging you guys. It bugged Wittenberg fans too -- they complained on the blog about not getting enough attention. But when the last unbeaten loses, it's news. Ask the Mary Washington women.

[Greek Tragedy]

So, LU fans, what does LU have in the cupboards?

Obviously they lose Braier, MacGillis and Bradley, three senior starters and three of the top four scorers on the team. 

Is there a "Ripon" effect here when they lost Tommy Becker.  I mean, Braier, like Becker, seemed like the heart and soul of Lawrence, as did MacGillis.

I thought Ripon would be pretty good with a solid nucleus back in Bo Johnson, Brian Schmitting and David McMullen.  Luckily for them, they all return and hope to do better in 2006-2007.

Obviously Lawrence and Ripon aren't the same, but convince me that Braier's career ending isn't the end of Lawrence as well.  Just curious.

[hjmphelp]

Installment # 2:

Grinnell College's 2nd year class is down to 4 but it is a strong 4. When the 2nd year point transfered at the end of last year and the big man decided not to play this year, a lot of people wondered if the class would continue to be a contributing factor for the team. Oh boy, do they!

Brock Martinez-I have almost more respect for Brock than anyone on the team for one big reason: he had to completely change his role and focus to fit in this year. He has transformed himself from a shooter/ballhandler to an inside man in one season, and he is doing it at the height of 6'2"!! Brock played such a huge unsung role this year that he could be overlooked-less ball contact, way fewer points, much more defensively oriented-just a huge change. To his credit he pulled it off playing against much bigger opponents. Some things he just couldn't do but that didn't stop him from trying. Truly a gutsy, strong, team oriented kid who has become very important to the success of the program. Hopefully he will get some help in that role from the new class next year.

Joe Fox- what a great attitude! Joe is one of two team members who gets little playing time, but it doesn't seem to phase him! His contribution in practice is invaluable, and he knows the system well enough to give a minute or two at the end of a game. A true croud favorite - he has been honored by the fans with a T shirt! No one else on the team has that honor!

Kieth Chamberlain- Good Grief! Kieth came back this year about 300 pounds of muscle heavier, a bit faster, and ready to romp! About halfway through the season, he decided it would be fun to score a few more points, so with help from the guards, he went to work! Along with scoring more, he began to rebound more. MAN, this guy is gonna be huge in this conference. Paul Nordy took him under his wing and taught him how to deal with the post in system style ball. That is invaluable and will help make him a premier player by the time he graduates. Keep in mind that Kieth is ONLY 19! He should be graduating from HIGH SCHOOL this year!! Look out, everyone! When he breaks out...well, it will not be pretty for the rest of the league.

Mike Schmidt- this guy has gone from being the best shooter on the team to being the most complete player on the team in one short year. Not only has his shot improved-his release is MUCH quicker, he is rapidly learning HOW to get open more-but he is also contributing more by driving the basket, grabbing boards and playing great defense. His hustle is second to none on the team, and his desire is unmatched. What a great player to build a team around! Oh, and he is a nice kid, too!

The 1st and 2nd years are the core of this years success.They have all contributed and grown considerably. I think that if all 10 of them return, Grinnell will be right at the top of the conference again...and again!

[thevicar]

Old School:

I would say that Braier's loss is going to be the only one that we truly feel next year. MacGillis and Bradley were great players, but we have the manpower in place to replace everything that both of them brought to the table next year. Yes, I do include MacGillis's defense - don't underestimate his ability to teach guys in practice how, to put it simply, to hustle.

I would be interested to know what other LU posters have to say about the Braier situation - I think, oddly enough, the thing we'll miss most of all is simply his rebounding. It will be very difficult for Hurley to gain the mass to make up for Braier's inside presence, but I will say that Hurley could turn into one of the school's great, great inside scorers if he bulks up a bit. His touch when he gets it down low is awesome - much better than Bopper's.

The team will suffer most from the lack of leadership the seniors brought, for sure. I can't hope to deny that. It's really up to Tharp and whomever emerges as the team leader next year (Kroeger anyone? Braier did it his sophmore year...) to ensure that a team with the talent and discipline that this team possesses wins as many games as it should. I predict anywhere from a first to fourth place finish next year. I think we would be overachieving if we took the conference for a fourth time, but Lawrence knows a thing or two about overacheiving and playing beyond our basketball talent. I would be happy with second or third and a NCAA pool C look next year.

Last but not least...I would love to hear what anyone has heard about recruiting - this and next year are crucial recruiting years for the Lawrence "program."

It was fun while it lasted
Vicar

[hjmphelp]

3rd installment:
from the time the 3rd years first hit the floor to now marks a light year's improvement. Some of the bleacher birds didn't think these guys would contribute much of anything; ie, kind of a wasted recruiting class. Nothing could be farther from the truth, as it turns out.

Sean Pfalzer-the football quarterback was injured in the next to  last game of the (football) season and never played a lick this year because of the injury. Same thing happened his 1st year except the injury was in the first football game 3 snaps in. We know he can shoot and play defense and we all hope Sean gives it another try next year. Truly one of the nicest people  I have the pleasure to interact with.

David Rein- Jeez, I like this kid! David is the other player who gets very little time. He has a fine outside shot, and the best attitude of anyone on the team. He loves being part of the program and fully accepts his role and understands its importance. He broke a foot during winter break which kept him from seeing any time in the second half of the season, but he was on the bench for EVERY game. He does show some lack of judgement though, in that he chose one jeffp to be his partner in the shooting contest at Grinnell's version of Midnight Madness.

Trek Langenhan-I know it was a frustrating season for Trek, but he is one great contributor, hard worker and very serious about his sport. When left alone, he is game stopping deadly, and his defense has improved significantly. Even though it may have been an off year for him, I see Trek making  huge strides his senior year.

Max Brauer- Max really came on as the season progressed and actually got to see some significant playing time later in the year. Capable of drilling the trey and strong enough to play solid defense against the league's best guards, Max just needs a little more time in the system to be a rotation player.

Doug Ticus-what a player Doug has become! When he first showed up, I used to make fun of his size-about 6'5" and maybe 90 lbs-but no more! Doug has to be the most improved player on the team and is contributing in unforseen ways. He has become a great ball stealer (top 50 nationally)  and intimidating defense man. His arms have to be 90 inches long and his hands are extremely quick. Don't let the rail-thin body fool you, either. Doug is one of the strongest kids on the team.

more later...

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Kroeger is a fantastic player and I've been hearing a lot of impressed fans who first got a glimpse at him last weekend.  I think he can definately be a team leader.  If he continues to improve, he will have to be in consideration among the best guards in the region next year.

When I saw Lawrence play, Megow was another young guard off the bench who seemed like he had leadership qualities and good toughness.  Of course, the game I saw was at Grinnell, but he seemed to be everywhere on defense, with quick hands and good body control.  Defensively, he was essential to keeping the score close while LU got their legs under them.  He might not be a stat star, but he can be a solid contributor in the future.

[BBGUY]

Yeah, the LU-IW game was physical but I think IW plays a tougher type of game than LU and it wore LU down. Surely no ticky-tack fouls!

[diehardfan]

Maverick-
Key words in your post:
"I walked PAST a Starbucks..."
Bless you for that!
DHF-take note above!

Hey, if you're not going to give me blueberry scones, I'm just gonna have to get them somewhere else. 

Seriously though, I coworker left a Hot apple cider and a blueberry scone one morning on my desk recently, as a random act of kindness. I took one bite of the scone, realized it was blueberry, and just started laughing my head off. Needless to say my coworker was a little confused! 

[hjmphelp]

Finally- The senior class at Grinnell was small, but very important to the character of the team.

Jack Kennedy- Jack didn't even join the team until his 2nd year and didn't have much of an impact at that time. Luckily for all of us Coach stuck with him, and Jack stuck with the team! Jack had one of the most important roles on the team this year as the man who could come off the bench and light up one or two treys before anyone even noticed he was in! He also played great perimeter defense and was responsible for several clutch plays that led to big wins. Jack played with such vigor and joy that it was impossible not to enjoy watching him. How many times didn't we see him sneak in and cause a TO at a critical time or drop a trey at a turning point in the game! Jack would make some game altering play and then drop that huge Mexican Death Mask smile of his on the opposing player! What a hoot! Leadership and style will be lost here. Best of luck to you, sir! It has been a pleasure!

Toby Carlson- Toby transfered in after the 1st semester of his Freshman year and had an immediate impact on a team that could have contended were it not for untimely injuries to other players. Toby was part of one of the brother acts at Grinnell that year along with older sibling Zack. Toby brought so much to this team: leadership, defense, fine 3 point shooting, the ability to run the baseline and make something happen, Toby is just a complete player that will be sorely missed - as will his parents, BTW. I don't think they ever missed a game in 7 years! Thanks for all the enjoyment, Toby!

Paul Nordlund - Wow! Paul is without doubt the best player of recent Grinnell history INCLUDING the great guards. Paul could run the court like a guard, shoot treys like a guard, play intense defense like a guard, dribble like a guard, penitrate like a guard...all at 6'7"! When Paul ran the back of the press, it was a thing of beauty! How many times didn't we see Paul handle a 2 on 1 or even a 3 on 1 break with a 2 stride lope to the basket and a switch to the ball that spelled disaster for the opponent! Hinz felt it, Schepper felt it, Schmitting felt it, and yes, even Braier felt it. And talk about leadership! Paul constantly helped out the youngin's with his ability to communicate what had to be done. It was especially pleasing to watch Paul and Brother Steve play together his first two years here. What a huge blow to the team when Paul tore his ACL and meniscus in january, yet Paul continued to provide the leadership the 1st years needed from his spot on the bench. Paul Nordlund is without doubt the most underrated player in MWC history. He cannot be replaced. Thank you, Paul, for everything!

thank you folks, for letting me pay tribute to a team and players who have brought so much to our community! This is a great bunch!

[The Roop]

Do I think Lawrence lost the game, no. IWU won the game. I'm not sure officiating had anything to do with it.

Were you watching the same game I was?

Yes, I was watching the same game but I was watching with neutral eyes. Sure I wanted LU to win and I cheered for them accordingly, but when it was over I wasn't feeling bad because LU isn't my team. I know exactly how you are feeling right now because 25 years ago I was in the same position. Almost the exact same position. Here are a few similarities...........

Beloit 1981. Ranked #1 undefeated in D3 and hosting a tournament. Their only loss was to Oklahoma Christian, a scholarship No Academics In Athletics school, in Chaminades Holiday Tournament that season. In the round of 16 Beloit played and lost to Augustana, a ranked team from the CCIW by 3 points.

Lawrence 2006. Ranked #1 undefeated and hosting a tournament. In the round of 16 they too played and lost to a ranked team from the CCIW, IWU, by 3 points.

25 years ago I was 15. Add those numbers together and you get 40, which is my current age (unless I'm on campus then I say 28) and it's also the exact number of minutes in a regulation basketball game. Freaked out yet 25 - 15 = 10. There are 10 letters in D3hoops.com when you don't count the "." and there are also 10 letters in Pat Coleman.

What does all this mean......... It means it's my fault that Beloit and LU lost those games because I saw both of them. Probably a pretty short list of people that can say that. There are also 10 letters in Terminator. What do Terminators do ?? they go back in time to alter the future. It's pretty obvious to me now that Pat Coleman and D3hoops.com will become SkyNet and take over. For that reason I have never, nor will I ever, play Frisbee Golf because that's where the Terminator will start looking for the people on that list.

Why did I bother mentioning the team that handed Beloit it's first loss that year ?  It just so happens that they were from Oklahoma, guess where I saw the first Terminator movie....................... Strange that I had 3 lay overs on that flight to get to Oklahoma to visit my friend and both Beloit and LU lost by 3 points.

What nails everything is that there were 2 CCIW teams in the tournament Beloit hosted. 1 lost in the first game, North Park and the other CCIW team won it, Augustana. Just like this year. So since history obviously repeats I predict IWU will lose the National Championship game in over time. They would win it in regulation but a half court shot will tie it and that will take the wind out of their sails. 1981 Augustana trailed all game long, took a late lead, but Potsdam St. tied it with a shot from half court at the buzzer.

[iwumichigander]

Kroeger is a fantastic player and I've been hearing a lot of impressed fans who first got a glimpse at him last weekend.  I think he can definately be a team leader.  If he continues to improve, he will have to be in consideration among the best guards in the region next year.

  I had not seen Lawrence play prior to the sectional game.  Going into the game just on the basis of analyzing Lawrence stats, I felt Kroeger could be the "X" factor. 

He did not disappoint and came close to doing IWU in.  He can really shoot, does the fundamentals well and going to get better as time goes on.  Kroeger  has done a great job all season contributing from the bench.  I would expect him to be a starter next year. He has a lot of skills and talent.  Lawrence fans should really enjoy watching him the next three years.

And, speaking of fans, I would like to thank the many Lawrence fans who were so gracious.  One neat thing about a split tournament, you get to meet and talk with a lot of really nice folks.  You just do not always get those opportunites in other tournament venues.

[gobucs]

"The Roop"  loved your analogy of the game, and the predictions at Salem-im still laughing. 
Jeff P. nice breakdown of the Grinnell boys!  Your a true fan!