MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[True Basketball Fan]

Anyway, how did Carthage blow that huge lead in the 2nd half?  Who was out on the floor when it started to go awry?

[True Basketball Fan]

Saw the K'zoo/Elmhurst score.  WOW!  I would've guessed going into the game that Elmhurst would win handily, considering they upended Hanover last saturday.  Like many others, I can't figure them out.  They did the same thing last year around this time.  I'm still not seeing Gershenzon in the boxscores, but I heard he seems to be walking around alright.  What the heck?

[Gregory Sager]

I'm still not seeing Gershenzon in the boxscores, but I heard he seems to be walking around alright.  What the heck?

Gershenzon has a bad back. He's expected to return to the lineup shortly.

One thing to keep in mind with Elmhurst is the fact that Mark Scherer is giving prominent roles to a couple of freshmen, center Brent Ruch and power forward Robert Strzemp. Both played 24 minutes tonight, and as I said on Saturday both played all the way down the stretch in the win over Hanover. They're both serious CCIW talents but, nevertheless, freshmen tend to add more inconsistency to a team's performance.

As noted earlier, Chris Martin scored 33 but had opportunities to score a lot more; he was 10-20 from the field (with only three of the attempts being from beyond the arc) and only 13-20 from the line. But the real puzzler is Nick Michael, who went 6-18 from the field. How does a 6'10" guy in a D3 game -- a 6'10 guy whose opposing counterpart (Kalamazoo center Mat Kellogg) is only 6'5" -- manage to miss twelve of his eighteen shots?

[Gregory Sager]

The only game I am not sure about is Buena Vista, I know they were good last year and lost some guys to grad. so I have no idea how they are this year. 

Buena Vista is experiencing growing pains this season. The Beavers lost their top six scorers from last season's team (five of whom were starters) to graduation. This year's starting lineup for the Beavers features two freshmen (who're actually their leading scorers: Andre Wagner at 13.8 and Brian Fogleman at 11.0) The Beavers lost their first three games, but their last win -- a 15-point victory over Central -- leads me to believe that they may be starting to come around.

[dansand]

But the real puzzler is Nick Michael, who went 6-18 from the field. How does a 6'10" guy in a D3 game -- a 6'10 guy whose opposing counterpart (Kalamazoo center Mat Kellogg) is only 6'5" -- manage to miss twelve of his eighteen shots?

Last year against Millikin, Michael had a game where he had 22 rebounds, but was 5-of-19 from the field. When I saw his line in the box score, I pictured him rebounding his own misses time after time. I don't know if that's what happened or not, but it looks similar to his line last night.

[Gregory Sager]

Last year against Millikin, Michael had a game where he had 22 rebounds, but was 5-of-19 from the field. When I saw his line in the box score, I pictured him rebounding his own misses time after time. I don't know if that's what happened or not, but it looks similar to his line last night.

Six of his 16 rebounds last night were of the offensive variety, and I too would not be surprised if they were rebounds of six of his own missed shots.

[True Basketball Fan]

According to the stats,  Michael's FG% is in the mid 30's.  So his 6-18 performance last night was AVERAGE.  Ouch! 

I'd also be willing to bet that he grabbed several of his misses en route to 16 rebounds last night.  He may end up leading the country in offensive rebounds in a negative manner if he's not more careful.

I also see that Elmhurst is off the road for the next 3 games (where they've struggled this year).  I'm sure they are relieved for the time being.

[Dark Knight]

Why are you guys so high on Elmhurst, anyway? They have only one win against a team with a winning record -- Hanover. And Hanover looks mediocre too. They also have only one win against a team with a winning record-- Wabash.

[augiedad]

"Wait a minute. Aren't you the one who was going on yesterday about what had happened to Iowa and Indiana in "road games against supposedly inferior opponents" as anecdotal proof that Augie had something to worry about in their game against Coe?"


No, that wasn't me.  Read the board more carefully.

[Stinger]

I was at the Kzoo/Elmhurst game last night.  Neither team played poorly, thought I think the Elmhurst team should look at their free throw shooting.  Martin completey put the team on his back in the 2nd. Martin's good, but I have a problem with his game. The kid is a serious flopper.  I was almost embarrassed to watch him. Like a european soccer player.

[iwumichigander]

Why are you guys so high on Elmhurst, anyway?

I don't think we get too excited about Elmhurst's non-conference record. Elmhurst had a little rebuilding/retooling to do.  And, Coach Mark Scherer very good at identifying freshmen talent and getting them minutes in non-conference play. See below.

One thing to keep in mind with Elmhurst is the fact that Mark Scherer is giving prominent roles to a couple of freshmen, center Brent Ruch and power forward Robert Strzemp. Both played 24 minutes tonight, and as I said on Saturday both played all the way down the stretch in the win over Hanover. They're both serious CCIW talents but, nevertheless, freshmen tend to add more inconsistency to a team's performance.

If Chris Martin had not returned this year, then I doubt as much interest would be shown in Elmhurst nor would Elmhurst have been rated (or, at least stayed in the Top 25).  An Elmhurst built up and around Chris Martin is a dangerous team.

I was at the Kzoo/Elmhurst game last night.  Neither team played poorly, thought I think the Elmhurst team should look at their free throw shooting.  Martin completey put the team on his back in the 2nd. Martin's good, but I have a problem with his game. The kid is a serious flopper.  I was almost embarrassed to watch him. Like a european soccer player.

Chris has that rare set of skills and ability to carry his team on his back.  Does he flop? Sure. Every team in the CCIW knows it.  Makes a game entertaining, frustrating and a challenge to find a way to beat Chris and Elmhurst.

However,

I'm still not seeing Gershenzon in the boxscores, but I heard he seems to be walking around alright.  What the heck?

Gershenzon has a bad back. He's expected to return to the lineup shortly. But the real puzzler is Nick Michael, who went 6-18 from the field. How does a 6'10" guy in a D3 game -- a 6'10 guy whose opposing counterpart (Kalamazoo center Mat Kellogg) is only 6'5" -- manage to miss twelve of his eighteen shots?

... the real pieces to the Elmhurst puzzle maybe in Greshenzon and Nick Michael. Greshenzon is a solid player, can put the ball in the hoop and take it to the hoop.  Michael is the puzzler.  He has shown flashes of true ability to contribute in a big way.  He is just not consistent. But if Elmhurst can get the four surrounding Chris Martin contributing a both ends of the court for 40 minutes, then Chris Martin becomes an even bigger problem for any opponent.  He can handle the ball, play inside & out, and plays terrific defense.   Accomplish that, I think Elmhurst will be a tournament team whether or not it wins the CCIW tournament.

[sac]

Anyone from MIAA country will tell you that Kzoo almost always plays tough at home.  There's a lot of pride in what the Hornets do.  They are not the most talented team in the MIAA but you'll almost always get one very tough game against Kzoo every year out of the two games in the round-robin schedule.

[Gregory Sager]

Yep, you're right, Augiedad. My bad.

Still, my points about Elmhurst, comparative scores, etc., stand.

People are speculating as to why Elmhurst seems up one game and down the next. Missing Gershenzon certainly explains part of it, as he's one more perimeter weapon that opens up the interior of the opposing defense for the big men such as Michael, Ruch, and Strzemp. But, having seen two Bluejays games now, I'd say that an important missing element is consistent defense. The trademark of Mark Scherer's teams has been that they always get after you on the defensive end of the floor for forty minutes, and in both the Simpson and Hanover games there were considerable stretches in which the Bluejays' concentration and intensity level on defense was nowhere near where it has traditionally been in January and February.

It's why I tend to be a little more reluctant to write off Elmhurst as a rollercoaster team whose prospects for success are suspect. A lack of defensive concentration and intensity are correctable problems, and I suspect that Scherer will correct them by chewing on the tails of his players in practice.

[Titan Q]

"Why are you guys so high on Elmhurst, anyway?"


1. They have one of the best Division 3 players in the country.   Chris Martin, a 6-6 player who can score inside and outside, and handle the basketball well in transition, can take over a basketball game.  Martin has scored over 30 points 3 times already in just 6 games - 40 vs Simpson, 31 vs Platteville, 33 vs Kalamazoo.  He is the kind of player that opposing teams have to structure an entire defensive gameplan around, which creates a ton of opportunities for others to score.  I will leave the "dirty vs not dirty" and "flopper vs no flopper" debates to the experts, but the kid is a great player.

2.  They have a 6-10/230 center who has potential to become an excellent Division III post player.  I'm guessing Nick Michael grew up as a kid who played exclusively away from the basket, shooting jumpshots.  Elmhurst has him where his body dictates that he belongs now - under the basket.  He continues to improve...I think Michael is the key to EC's season.

3.  They have two very good freshmen who pose problems for a lot of teams - 6-9/255 Brent Ruch and 6-4/230 Robert Strzemp.   Not only is Ruch 6/9/255, but he actually has a fairly polished low post game for a freshman.  Had he not suffered two ACL tears in H.S., he might have had a chance to play basketball at a higher level.  Strzemp is a good defender and a very athletic player.

4.  David Gershenzon (who has only played in one game so far due to injury) has potential to be a very good CCIW 2-guard.   As a junior he averaged 11.8 per game.

5. They're way better at the point than they've been in recent years.   Brian Lee has 27 assists to just 9 turnovers through 6 games.  The point-guard position has killed this team the last few years.



This is the time of year when teams figure out what they're all about.  With the schedule Elmhurst is playing, I think they will go a long way towards accomplishing that.  For now, there are a lot of reasons to think they'll end up being a very good team this year.

[Gregory Sager]

Bob makes a great point that I was going to mention in my earlier post but forgot. Namely, that the PG position appears to have been solidified by the Bluejays. As he mentioned, Brian Lee has done very well thus far as Elmhurst's floor general, and I'd add that Pat Bacon and Aaron Gowell now give them some depth at that spot. Point guard has been a chronic problem of recent Elmhurst teams, and with that problem solved it makes the Bluejays that much more dangerous.