MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[AndOne]

You can bet Bosko has a few irons in the fire, and there will be additional recruits at Carthage this year besides the 2 on TQ's list.

I've heard a couple of things about some possible incoming newbies including that before specific names are announced, Bosko needs to "make sure all the t's are crossed, all the i's are dotted, and all the papers are in order."  The italicized portion of that sentence brings up a myriad of possibilities.

While I've just heard tidbits concerning some possible newcomers, I know there are one or two of our faithful posters who have or will soon have more concrete information. I believe its best to defer to their superior knowledge of the subject which I'm sure will be forthcoming once they have received Bosko's blessing with regard to publicizing the information.

With the addition of Steve D last season,  the Red Men's obvious need is something (big) to go under the tree basket.

[Gregory Sager]

I've heard a couple of things about some possible incoming newbies including that before specific names are announced, Bosko needs to "make sure all the t's are crossed, all the i's are dotted, and all the papers are in order."  The italicized portion of that sentence brings up a myriad of possibilities.

While I've just heard tidbits concerning some possible newcomers, I know there are one or two of our faithful posters who have or will soon have more concrete information. I believe its best to defer to their superior knowledge of the subject which I'm sure will be forthcoming once they have received Bosko's blessing with regard to publicizing the information.

It's important to note at this point that not all of us who have inside information regarding various CCIW programs will choose to divulge on CCIW Chat what we know without getting the green light to do so from the particular coaching staff in question. Some of us simply choose not to be in a race to see who can scoop everyone else the quickest. It's more important, in my estimation and that of some of the others with inside info, to maintain access to that inside info by being judicious about where and when we share it. That's especially important with regard to recruiting, since -- as AO accurately outlined above in the case of Carthage -- anything can happen to a recruit between the time that he tells a school that he's enrolling there and the receipt of a tuition deposit that actually secures his place in the student body for the coming semester.

It's even more important for someone like Rob to maintain discretion, since for him it's a job-related matter. To a certain degree, folks like Joe Hakes and Mr. B have the same restrictions. For me, it's a desire to not only have the facts in order before I share something, but also a matter of avoiding becoming a "leak" -- the sort of person around whom nobody in the know is ever going to want to say anything substantive.

So I have no qualms about sitting on what I've known about NPU's recruiting over the past four or five months.

With the addition of Steve D last season,  the Red Men's obvious need is something (big) to go under the tree basket.

I would expect Kyle Jeffery to fulfill that role to some degree. Although, as Bob said last month, Jeffery was more of a small forward during his earlier stint with the Red Men, he's now substantially bigger than he was before and was a more inside-oriented player during his stint at UW-Parkside. He was the first big man off the bench for the Rangers last season and was their third-leading rebounder in spite of the fact that he only played 16 mpg.

[markerickson]

I got assigned a case today - actually one of three that was given to me while on vacation.   The complaint includes a series of mid-July emails where the head coach of a D2 program has four student athletes at different phases of the recruiting process, and all four have scholarship offers.  The coach explains that she's waiting for academic clearance and/or final commitment.  In one student's case, the coach knew the athlete would not qualify academically for the first semester, but depending on other decisions, the offer may go to the student anyway.

[kenoshamark]

Bob,

Wish I could add more insight but what I have been able to gather needs to stay off line for now until it is posted on the website.   I can tell you that I probably check the website a couple of times a day to see if there is anything new so I should be able to pass it along as soon as it happens.

[Gregory Sager]

With New Student Orientation looming less than 48 hours away at North Park, here's the freshmen who will constitute NPU's hoops Class of '12:

Issa Avery	SF/SG	6'4, 175	St. Gregory
Ryan Beigie	SG	6'1, ?	Littleton CO Chatfield
Joel Benson	PF	6'5, 225	Westminster Christian
D.J. Cooper	SG	6'0, 170	Mount Carmel
Emmanuel Crosby	C	6'6, 240	St. Rita
Dawon Mitchell	SF	6'5, 190	St. Joseph
Clint Mixon	PF/SF	6'5, 190	Luther North
Roshawn Russell	PG	5'11, ?	St. Rita

I think, although I'm not 100% sure, that Phil Schniedermeier's brother Peter will be playing as well. I'm not sure about his size, although I suspect that he's a big man like his brother.

There are three transfers currently in the fold as well: 6'3 junior swingman Lewis Wilson from Von Steuben, via Kennedy-King; 6'2, 175 sophomore shooting guard Sean McNamee from Rochelle, via Lake Forest; and a sophomore swingman named Jamal from Evergreen Park, via Moraine Valley CC, whose last name escapes me at the moment. There's still a possibility of an addition or additions to this list, even at this late hour, but those are the three that I know for sure will be at open gym this week. Perhaps as important as any transfer could be is the strong likelihood that Stephano Jones will be back in a Vikings uniform this coming season. His inside presence could prove to be crucial to NPU's fortunes in 2008-09.

Paul Brenegan and Steve Schafer like this freshman class a lot. NPU did suffer some big hits in the late spring and into the summer as prospects whom they had thought had snuck under the radar and become potential Vikings were snapped up by scholarship schools making late roster fills (and, in one case, by a potential recruit electing to walk on at a mid-major D1 instead). But that's water under the bridge. In Russell and Benson they believe they have a pair of potential CCIW stars; Cooper is a strong shooter who has the handles and the quicks to manufacture his own shot on the perimeter (and he can defend as well); and Crosby, Avery, and Mixon represent sleepers with a lot of upside. The latter two were simply unknowns as far as local recruiting goes, due to the obscurity of their small city-based high schools, while Crosby -- a big but athletic kid who apparently has soft hands, quick feet, and a lot of coachability -- went unnoticed in large part because he didn't get many touches on a guard-oriented team. Although raw, with a year of JV seasoning (and in the case of Avery and Mixon, likely continued physical growth) these three could be ready to make some noise down the line. Benson and Cooper will play JV as well, although their games are a little more polished than those of Avery, Mixon, and Crosby at this point. I don't know much about Beigie, the kid from Colorado, other than that he's supposed to be a heady blue-collar type. The Mitchell kid is more of a project -- athletic but raw.

What's refreshing about all this is that NPU's program has progressed far enough to where Brenegan no longer needs to rely upon freshmen to step in right away and fill holes. They can instead be properly developed within the JV context -- although the coaches are strongly hinting that Russell is so good right now that it may be impossible to keep him out of the varsity rotation, if not the starting lineup.

Of course, it's the beginning of the school year, and everyone is in love with his team's freshmen. That's the nature of college sports fandom. We'll see how it all shakes out. But from everything I've heard, I really like the potential of NPU's incoming freshmen.

[mr_b]

...and a sophomore swingman named Jamal from Evergreen Park, via Moraine Valley CC, whose last name escapes me at the moment.

On the Moraine Valley CC website, there is a 6'2" guard/forward from Evergreen Park named D'Ron Walker.  Would that be the player you are thinking of?

[Gregory Sager]

...and a sophomore swingman named Jamal from Evergreen Park, via Moraine Valley CC, whose last name escapes me at the moment.

On the Moraine Valley CC website, there is a 6'2" guard/forward from Evergreen Park named D'Ron Walker.  Would that be the player you are thinking of?

No, this guy's name is definitely Jamal something. He played a year at Moraine Valley and then went to Kirkwood CC out in Iowa for a year, but he didn't play at Kirkwood.

[robberki]

Jamal Devine

[Gotberg]

With New Student Orientation looming less than 48 hours away at North Park, here's the freshmen who will constitute NPU's hoops Class of '12:

Issa Avery	SF/SG	6'4, 175	St. Gregory
Ryan Beigie	SG	6'1, ?	Littleton CO Chatfield
Joel Benson	PF	6'5, 225	Westminster Christian
D.J. Cooper	SG	6'0, 170	Mount Carmel
Emmanuel Crosby	C	6'6, 240	St. Rita
Dawon Mitchell	SF	6'5, 190	St. Joseph
Clint Mixon	PF/SF	6'5, 190	Luther North
Roshawn Russell	PG	5'11, ?	St. Rita

Greg,

Thanks for the recruiting update.

Also, I think Issa Avery went to St. Benedict and not St. Gregory.

[Dennis_Prikkel]

With New Student Orientation looming less than 48 hours away at North Park, here's the freshmen who will constitute NPU's hoops Class of '12:

Issa Avery	SF/SG	6'4, 175	St. Gregory
Ryan Beigie	SG	6'1, ?	Littleton CO Chatfield
Joel Benson	PF	6'5, 225	Westminster Christian
D.J. Cooper	SG	6'0, 170	Mount Carmel
Emmanuel Crosby	C	6'6, 240	St. Rita
Dawon Mitchell	SF	6'5, 190	St. Joseph
Clint Mixon	PF/SF	6'5, 190	Luther North
Roshawn Russell	PG	5'11, ?	St. Rita

Greg,

Thanks for the recruiting update.

Also, I think Issa Avery went to St. Benedict and not St. Gregory.

Greg, Rob & Gotberg:

Thank you all for keeping us informed about North Park.

MW

[cardinalpride]

1. The annual NCC Tip-Off Tourney on 11/21 & 22----teams TBD

Pleasepleasepleaseplease no Bible schools this year. I know that it was not Todd Raridon's fault, because he had to replace a late cancellation, but that game against the Bible school in last season's NCC Tip-Off Tourney was an embarrassment.

Enough said!

The other 3 teams in this years NCC tip off tourny are: TENTATIVELY Mount Vernon Nazarene (23-8) a NAIA div II school out of Ohio, St. Mary's (2-23) a NCAA Div III school out of Minnesota, and MacMurray (3-22) a NCAA Div III school out of Jacksonville, IL.  No Bible colleges this year, but as you can see two of the schools were a bit down last year.

[mr_b]

... St. Mary's (2-23) a NCAA Div III school out of Minnesota, and MacMurray (3-22) a NCAA Div III school out of Jacksonville, IL.  No Bible colleges this year, but as you can see two of the schools were a bit down last year.

My vote for understatement of the pre-season.

[Pat Coleman]

You mean non-confer... oh wait, no, preseason will work fine.

[Gregory Sager]

Greg,

Thanks for the recruiting update.

Also, I think Issa Avery went to St. Benedict and not St. Gregory.

You're right. Brain cramp on my part. Nice catch, Gotberg.

Jamal Devine

That's it. His name is similar to that of another prospect NPU was pursuing, which was what had me thinking yesterday, "No, it's not Devine, it's gotta be something else."

[AndOne]

Saw NPU recruit D.J. Cooper, a 2 guard from Mt. Carmel, play a couple of times last season. He possesses very good quickness, and is a good shooter. Can use his quickness to create space and shoot off the dribble. Doesn't really do anything spectacularly, but is a steady player who makes good decisions/takes good shots, and limits his mistakes. Also, if I remember correctly, I believe he is a pretty good student.