MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

Zach Freeman's team (Louis Perry & Associates) is now 1-1 at the Collegiate Basketball Invitational after a win this morning.  Zach has started both games and is 9-12 from the field.  After scoring 8 in the first game (3-5 FG) he scored 13 today (6-7) in 20 minutes of action. 

Zach was matched up against a familiar foe today -- Virginia Wesleyan's Brandon Adair. 

http://www.mccarthysports.com/


This event features some tremendous small college players.

[veterancciwfan]

Hoops Fan: Regarding Duncan Lawson's failure to secure a D1 scholarship: There have been many CCIW stars who weren't offered a D-1 scholarship. I remember sitting next to a low level D-1 asst. coach in Santa Barbara when Keelan A'ovich (his senior season at IWU) torched Puget Sound and Westmont on 2 consecutive nights. He said something like this: What kind of b'ball talent do you have in IL when this kid can't get a D1 scholarship from an IL college? He not only could start for UCSB ( a low-level D1 school) but he would be one of their best players.

The D1 game is run, jump and bang with an emphasis on quickness, especially on defense, and one on one-create your own shot with the dribble drive as we saw time after time in the recently concluded Final Four. D3 is more of a finesse game with emphasis on passing and shooting, especially the 3 pointer. Would Korey Coon have been a star at D1? Probably not. But he and many others were a ton in the CCIW where their skills can be best utilized.

I haven't seen Lawson play, but I imagine he will eventually be an impact player in the CCIW.

[onlooker]

Looks IWU is stocking up How many more do you think they have lined up Any inside big men. Edmund seems to prefer playing outside also

[Titan Q]

Looks IWU is stocking up How many more do you think they have lined up Any inside big men. Edmund seems to prefer playing outside also

Edmond O'Callaghan is actually a low post player.  He shot zero 3's this past year as a senior.  He can step out and make a 15-17 footer, but most of his points come right around the basket.

O'Callaghan is not Zach Freeman, but he'll be a good CCIW big guy.  Maybe a 10-12 pts/6-7 rebounds per game kind of player eventually.  As good as IWU's perimeter game, ball-handling, and distrubuting should be with some of these recruits, they'll just need an inside presence good enough to keep the defense honest.  The Titans of the next few years will be the complete opposite of what they were in 2006-07...much more outside/in than the inside/out they were this past year.  Don't get me wrong though, I'd still like to see them find that next IWU All-American low post player.

Ron Rose is still after a couple more good low post guys...we'll see how it turns out.  I think 6-5 junior-to-be Brett Chamernik will become a decent low post contributor the next two seasons.  6-6 Brian Nussbaum should be healthy and ready to compete for a job his senior year.  Darius Gant had an inconsistent first year as a starter, but he had a few big games...he'll be back for his senior year in 2007-08.

[titanfan]

I know that Wesleyan is also supposedly close to landing F/C John Koschnitzky of Oak Forest ... except that Koschnitzky's not quite that big.



Sager reported this about a week ago.  Does anybody have any updates on where John Koschnitzky is going?  I haven't seen him play, but I've checked him out, and this guy looks like he'd be a great CCIW player.  He would also fit in really nicely with this Titan class.

1--Rosenkrantz
2--Sean Johnson
2/3--Matt Schick
3/4--Duncan Lawson
5--Edmond O'Callaghan

If you add in another 3/4 guy like Koschnitsky, this class becomes really well rounded...of course, the Titans can always use more 6'7" guys!

[Late nite]

Mike Avallone has committed to Augie---Neuqua played an 11 man rotation so he did not compile the stats of some of the previous recruits that were mentioned, but another great shooter from Neuqua in the tradition of Amelianovich and Brusveen---Back-to-back recruiting seasons have produced the top two big, 6'4" shooting guards from the Upstate 8---Waller from DeKalb and Avallone from Neuqua---Critical componenets in the system that Augie runs

[north central]

Does anybody have any info on any Millikin recruits. It sounds like Weslyan has a great class coming in (as usual). Hopefully for Millikins sake they dont pan out.   And i seriously doubt many recruits will not go to Millikin just because Littrell is not there. By the way congrats to Marc Smith on being named the new coach at Millikin. I am sure he will turn it around.

[AndOne]

Mike Avallone has committed to Augie---Neuqua played an 11 man rotation so he did not compile the stats of some of the previous recruits that were mentioned, but another great shooter from Neuqua in the tradition of Amelianovich and Brusveen---Back-to-back recruiting seasons have produced the top two big, 6'4" shooting guards from the Upstate 8---Waller from DeKalb and Avallone from Neuqua---Critical componenets in the system that Augie runs

First of all, Avallone played forward, not guard for Neuqua.

Secondly, I don't believe he even made all conference in the Upstate 8. Players who are not all conference in high school often do not make much of a contribution in the highly competitive CCIW.

Third,  I don't know how much court time he will see at Augie as they are already well stocked at the forward position with Rorer, Collins, Bertrand, and Carleton plus a couple of other forwards who were on the JV team. He will be buried deep down on the depth chart and will see little playing time at the varsity level. Chances are that he will get to enjoy whatever academic and social aspects that Augie affords moreso than the athletic experience. 

[scacbbfan]

..."and I seriously doubt many recruits would not go to Millikin just because Littrell is not there."

Then you would be mistaken.  Several of the recruits mentioned in the last 3-4 pages of CCIW threads had Millikin at the top of their list until Littrell was let go.  When he was fired, they went and are continuing to go elsewhere.  From everything I have heard, Mark Smith, who was Littrell's assistant for four years, is a good man who could be a good coach.  However, don't expect him to be able to land any significant recruits this year under the circumstances.  As I have mentioned before, whoever made the decision to let Littrell go made a big mistake.

[petemcb]

today's daily herald

announces that John Camardella is the new varsity boys basketball coach at Prospect High School.

Prospect has had 5 straight losing seasons - and is really hurt by the lack of minority players in its basketball program.  Prospect draws its students from 'lily white' middle schools in Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights and Prospect Heights.

And while the village of Mount Prospect has become the midwest gateway for Hispanic immigrants, they all live on the south end of the village and their feeder schools feed Rolling Meadows or Elk Grove high schools.

MW 70:3

and sorried if i butchered the speeling of his name.

The spelling was fine.  The content was what I found interesting.  I must have missed the masses of minority players that Glenbrook North (2005 Class AA) and Schaumburg (2001 Class AA) were loaded with when they won their Illinois state championships.  I also missed the connection between Rolling Meadows' and Elk Grove's Hispanic immigration populations and the discussion of basketball success in the northwest suburbs.

[titanfan]

I found this article about the Titans recruiting class.  It doesn't really have any new information, but I thought it was cool!

http://ilprepbullseye.com/page36.html

[Titan Q]

Mike Avallone has committed to Augie---Neuqua played an 11 man rotation so he did not compile the stats of some of the previous recruits that were mentioned, but another great shooter from Neuqua in the tradition of Amelianovich and Brusveen---Back-to-back recruiting seasons have produced the top two big, 6'4" shooting guards from the Upstate 8---Waller from DeKalb and Avallone from Neuqua---Critical componenets in the system that Augie runs

Secondly, I don't believe he even made all conference in the Upstate 8. Players who are not all conference in high school often do not make much of a contribution in the highly competitive CCIW.

I don't agree.  I'm sure we could all think of plenty of good CCIW players who did not make an all-conference team in high school.  Off the top of my head, Cory Jones comes to mind.  Cory was a good, solid CCIW player and he certainly wasn't on the All-SICA team as a senior...not to mention his brother Chris, who didn't even start for Thornwood.

Also, AndOne, you agree with me that Duncan Lawson is going to be a good CCIW player, and he was certainly pursued heavily by good D3 schools.  Lawson did not make the All-West Suburban team.  That league is loaded with great players.

North Park recruit Christian Alsing also comes to mind.  I am almost positive Alsing did not make the All-Catholic League South team, yet I think he has a chance to be a good CCIW player.

I have seen Mike Avallone play and think he will contribute at Augie...certainly not a star, but he'll help his junior and senior years, ala Pat Brusveen.  I don't think it is fair to suggest that since he did not make the All-Upstate Eight squad that he is not going to contribute at Augustana.

Now, a Class A player that doesn't make his all-conference team...that's another story.  But in AA, there are just so many great leagues and great players in the state of Illinois.  There are plenty of quality D3 prospects that don't make their all-conference team.  Maybe not the 1st/2nd Team All-CCIW types, but contributors...sure.

[north central]

mu big blue fan there may have been one or two recruits that may have went to millikin because of  Lit  but  if they were going there because he was the coach I want to know why.

And Millikin did not make a mistake by letting Lit go. If in 10 years you were only above 500. in conference ONCE then there is a problem.  He never finished higher than third in conference, anyone else with those credentials would have been gone a long time ago. Matter fact I commend the athletic director for finally letting him go even though he was alumni and has had a 35 year relationship with the school.
Go Blue!

[north central]

Great point titanq.
Andone :There are many kids who were not all conference in high school but were very good cciw players. You have to keep in mind that the top 3 or 4 conferences in the state probably have better players than that were in the cciw. For example I played in the chicago catholic league and in a two year period there were at least 15 players that went d 1 or d2   and I am sure the all conference team would have beat the CCIW all conference team.  Think Maggette(duke), Chris williams(ball state), Taverus Hardy (northwestern) Beronti Simms(central florida) and Kevin Frey( Xavier).

[Titan Q]

Here is the Pantagraph's article on IWU recruit Matt Schick...

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/04/23/sports/125633.txt