MBB: Midwest Conference

[LU_nut]

thanks for the input Pat.     The summer ball I have seen in the Wisconsin and Illinois areas is structured....officiated, etc. and it seems everyone is trying their best.  However, it just seems different in terms of intensity than the ball does during the season.  I cannot speak for the rest of the country.   You can tell which individuals are the most talented, but you cannot necessarily tell who will work the best within a system......I think that is the big difference.  Having said all of the above, I'd also say the defense is a bit different......unless the coach happens to be watching.

Nut

[Pat Coleman]

I don't really consider being officiated as being structured -- I think that's a basic definition of being called a "league." Otherwise it's just pickup ball.

What is lacking is what others have mentioned -- that you can't have your coaches on the bench. If you're lucky you have an alumnus who can coach the team and has some basic X's and O's ability and can try to run your playbook.

[AndOne]

I took a stroll into the CCIW board and read quite a bit on summer ball.

Do MWC schools allow summerball? The whole concept seems like it would be against NCAA rules, but clearly it is going on. Does it fall under the umbrella of not being mandatory?

Why would it seem like it's against NCAA rules when so many teams in D3 have been identified on Posting Up as taking part in some form or another of summer ball? Wouldn't that tip you off that it's quite obviously not illegal?

The D3 bylaws (17.02, pages 123-124 of the current online edition) very clearly lay out the guidelines for what is considered practice and what isn't. There's no coaching going on in summer ball -- coaches are restricted from providing instruction to their players except during the sport's specified season. The only thing that they can do during summer league games is sit in the stands and watch. Believe me, if one of them sat on the bench or attempted to instruct his players during a summer league game, his rivals would make sure that he got reported to the NCAA so fast that his head would spin. In fact, 17.02(k) covers this very topic: "A coach's observation of enrolled student-athletes in organized competition (e.g., summer league) is not considered an athletically related activity [in other words, a season-specific activity subject to NCAA regulation], provided the coach does not direct or supervise the organized activity." (p. 124)

Summer leagues are really only one step up from pickup ball. And there's nothing mandatory about it -- plenty of players don't take part in summer leagues, either because they're out of town or their work schedules won't allow it. Rosters sometimes have a mix-and-match quality to them; one of the teams in the Deerfield summer league has a point guard from Case playing alongside a bunch of Wash U guys. Coaches strongly encourage their players to participate in summer league play, for obvious reasons, and the more of your players you can get on your summer league team the better. But it's all very informal and not terribly structured basketball.

Lake Forest has a team in the Deerfield summer league, as is always the case, and I'm almost certain that Lawrence players have participated in that summer league as well.

In addition to MWC teams mentioned above--Lake Forest and Lawrence, Beloit is also playing in the Deerfield League this summer. Lawrence played in the league last year, but I don't believe Lake Forest did. Beloit is also in its 1st year.

There are about 5 mix and match teams playing which consist of players from 2 or more schools.

[d3bbfan]

here is an article in yesterdays beloit daily news about dowden leaving bc and heading to snc. it also mentions 2 recruits. both were recruited by the previous coaching staff. they sure need alot more than just those 2.

http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/2007/07/10/sports/sports01.txt

[fightintitan2006]

Isnt a "strong 13-13 team" kind of an oxymoron. 


I guess the team could have been dominate in the weight room

[Greek Tragedy]

I didn't see any York High School located in Wheaton, IL.

Illinois High School Association

Private school then?

York in Elmhurst!

[AndOne]

I didn't see any York High School located in Wheaton, IL.

Illinois High School Association

Private school then?

York in Elmhurst!

There is no York HS in Wheaton. York HS is in Elmhurst, IL (a few blks from Elmhurst College). The Elmhurst HS has always been called York which is confusing to some people. Elmhurst is the largest town in York Township. Back in the "good 'ol days, township governments were a big thing. Accordingly, when a HS was established in Elmhurst it was named York after the Township rather than being named after the town of Elmhurst.  Also, its officially York Community HS, and I imagine in the early days kids from surrounding township towns like Villa Park & Addison may have gone there.

The Beloit recruit mentioned in the article is PG Patrick Kenney, a young man I am familiar with. At 5'9" Patrick is somewhat vertically challenged. However, that may be his only shortcoming. Patrick is a very good ball handler and passer, and an above average shooter. On top of that, he gives 110% every minute he is on the floor. He is a leader and sees the whole floor. He has a head for the game of basketball and just "gets it." Part of his development is likely due to the fact that he had a great HS coach---Al Biancalana. Al used to be a college coach (Bradley among others) and is a master technician and teacher. I'm sure Patrick's natural skills were partially developed because he had the good fortune to play for Coach Biancalana.
I also believe if Patrick was taller, he would have been more widely recruited (especially by CCIW schools). Lastly, in my conversations with Patrick, he seems like the kind of kid that, if you had a daughter, you would want her to be associated with.

[Gregory Sager]

Elmhurst is the largest town in York Township. Back in the "good 'ol days, township governments were a big thing. Accordingly, when a HS was established in Elmhurst it was named York after the Township rather than being named after the town of Elmhurst.  Also, its officially York Community HS, and I imagine in the early days kids from surrounding township towns like Villa Park & Addison may have gone there.

Actually, Elmhurst and Villa Park aren't towns. Villa Park is a village, and Elmhurst is a city. For suburban purposes, there's no difference between a city and a village, except that a city must have at least 2,500 residents and be governed by a city council and a mayor rather than a village board of trustees and a village president. York is a town (well, a township). The name "Addison" belongs to two distinct geographic entities: The village of Addison, and the township of Addison. The former is located within the latter. York and Addison townships are two of the nine townships that comprise DuPage County.

In Illinois and many other states, villages are incorporated municipalities that provide a specific set of services to their constituents, while towns/townships are generally larger geographic entities that are comprised of one or more villages/cities together with unincorporated areas and which provide services that require greater economies of scale than are generally possible within villages. F'rinstance, Downers Grove Township in DuPage County consists of seven cities -- Downers Grove, Darien, Hinsdale, Burr Ridge, Westmont, Clarendon Hills, and Willowbrook -- and numerous tracts of unincorporated land.

In Illinois, cities and villages are considered to be dependent entities of townships, which are in turn dependent entities of counties, which are in turn dependent entities of the state of Illinois. The lone exception is Chicago, which is in Cook County but has an independent polity -- which is why Mayor Richard Daley wields more power than does Cook County Board President Todd Stroger.

While the use and function of townships varies from state to state, there's generally two types: Survey townships (used for deeds and grants) that are quadrangles of 36 square miles apiece and transcend all political boundaries within a state (including cities), and civil townships (like York Township) that are units of local government. In northern Illinois, townships tend to provide services such as snow removal, road maintenance, senior services, etc., that in southern Illinois are provided for by county government. Villages and smaller cities (e.g., Elmhurst) in northern Illinois tend to provide services such as libraries, parks, water and sanitation, etc.

city or village < township < county or borough < state

[Greek Tragedy]

Not sure if I missed the post, but just to update the released schedules

Beloit Schedule

Previously released

Lawrence Schedule

Ripon Schedule

St. Norbert schedule

Lake Forest schedule

Knox schedule

Grzesk for PRESIDENT!
Carroll, Grinnell, Illinois College and Monmouth have yet to submit schedules.

[The Roop]

Looking at Beloits new schedule it seems to me they dropped Augustana and Carthage in order  to play in the Clarke Tournament. Not sure I see the point in giving up a home game to do that as Augie would have been @Beloit this season.

[Greek Tragedy]

I don't see any problem with that.  Maybe they just postponed that home date with Augie.  Point played at Northern Michigan last year and I was surprised I didn't see them coming to Point this year, but I heard from my people that they will be coming to central Wisconsin next year.  Plus, Beloit actually adds a game because they usually play three at the Clarke Holiday Tourney, while dropping just two games (Augie and Carthage).

[Buc Fan]

Looks to me like they needed too, after all they have to make the Athletic Dept. look good in their choice of getting a new coach so why not drop the stronger teams (UW-Whitewater, JUDSON COLLEGE, Elmhurst College, Aurora University), in an effort of having a winning record.  So after they beat up on Rockford College and MSOE they should be ready to take on the MWC.  I for one am looking forward to the Feb. 13th game at the Flood. 

[Gregory Sager]

In what alternate universe is Judson considered a "stronger team"? The Eagles finished 6-23 last season.

And I wouldn't be so quick to chalk up MSOE as a win for Beloit in 2007-08 if I were you. Last year the Raiders beat the Bucs by seven points. Over the past four years MSOE has recorded a winning percentage that's vastly better than Beloit's (.467 to .359).

[The Roop]

I looked at the Clarke website to see if their schedule is posted, it is, and also to see if they list the teams in their tournament, they don't. Of particular interest however was the fact that the NAIA Logo adorned their website. It would appear they have given up on joining the MWC any time soon.

[Pat Coleman]

Clarke to leave for NAIA: http://www.d3hoops.com/news.php?date=2006-10-18