MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[dansand]

I'd love it if more Viking fans would chime in. I can only think of three or four who post even semi-regularly.

Perhaps some of the Augie broadcast listeners would join us if nudged to on the air.

Haha---Thanks Pat, I think you're waaaay overestimating my influence. We mention D3Hoops.com quite often (usually talking about the Top 25), but not necessarily the chat boards.

Well here's another Augie fan chiming in!!!

I am on the site daily but don't always have the time to chat.
I'm an alumni who follows the Vikes thru thick and thin.
I also enjoy the insight that DanSand shares with us about Augustana basketball!

Actually Mike, you were included in the three or four I could think of.

DanSand---Any ideas what Coach can do to kick start his offense?  is it a matter of lack of aggressive play or do we just not have the offense we thought we had.  Are they expending too much energy on defense and coming up short on the offensive side???

Jeez, if I had the answer I'd have let Coach G in on it by now. Seriously though, I think sometimes it's as simple as making shots. They've had games this year when they've struggled to get good looks--particularly at Carthage & down the stretch at LaCrosse--but many times they've gotten good shots and just not been able to knock them down. It seems like when that happens they get a little tentative, which compounds the problem. But, I'll guarantee you one thing--they ain't gonna go any softer on the defensive end to save themselves for offense.

[Gregory Sager]

Actually....this baseball talk has started to get me thinking....what CCIW school is most comparable to what MLB franchise!  

Interesting question. Are we talking CCIW men's basketball programs, CCIW athletics in general, or the characteristics of CCIW schools as a whole? Going on the premise that you meant CCIW men's basketball as your basis of comparison with MLB franchises, here's my thoughts:

Augustana = Boston Red Sox
Always successful, yet frequently the second banana over the years to the Titans/Yankees, Augustana and Boston are alike in that Augie and Red Sox fans share a pride of place that's almost matched by their sense of bonhomie -- Red Sox fans manage to extract more sheer pleasure out of their attachment to their team than any other fan base in baseball, which makes them a neat parallel to Augie fans, supporters of the CCIW's most notorious party school. Both teams play in venerable arenas that have seen recent upgrades, and both have been led over the years by some of the most notorious characters in the history of coaching/managing.

Carthage = Baltimore Orioles
Both the Red Men and the Orioles represent sad-sack traditions -- remember, the Orioles spent the first half of their existence as the hapless St. Louis Browns -- that were invigorated and taken to unprecedented heights for a brief period by the arrival of a singular (and highly colorful) genius. In the case of the Orioles, that man was Earl Weaver, who made the O's the team by which all others were measured back in the Nixon era. In the case of the Red Men, that man was Bosko Djurickovic, architect of three of the four CCIW titles in Carthage history (and the only ones since 1964), who in the early part of this decade made the Red Men one of the premier programs in the country. Like the O's, the Red Men have been unable to sustain that brief window of success, but hopes continue to blaze in the hearts of the faithful in those two blue-collar towns of Kenosha and Baltimore that lightning will someday strike the same place for the second time.

Elmhurst = Chicago White Sox
As ecdubb said, when comparing Elmhurst to a baseball team, you'd compare them to a team with a long and wretched history that has suddenly had recent success. That would be the White Sox, who endured decade after decade of utter futility and then suddenly won a historic and unexpected championship (Elmhurst in 2001, the Pale Hose in 2005). Since then, they've been competitive but have been unable to sustain that championship success. Elmhurst is also like the White Sox in that its fan support has waxed and waned over the years, but in spite of it all both have remained fixed Chicagoland institutions for what seems like forever.

Illinois Wesleyan = New York Yankees
Both the Titans and the Bronx Bombers have won their respective leagues a lot more than anyone else has, leading to a certain swagger among both sets of fans that is often seen as arrogance by opposing fans. Both teams insist upon a specific standard way of doing things; both are wildly popular at the gate both home and on the road; both have strongly-developed senses of history and their own pantheon of heroes; both have very high internal expectations every season ... and both seem to inspire an enormous amount of schadenfreude among opposing fans whenever they lose.

Millikin = Texas Rangers
These (relatively) deep south outposts are rarely heard from in terms of their fans, and they never seem to make any noise on the court/field, frequently prompting the question: Are they still in the league?

North Central = Los Angeles Dodgers
Two venerable programs that saw their best days in the '60s and the '80s but have had long periods in which success was not forthcoming, NCC and the Dodgers have several things in common. Both have dowager-queen arenas that could use a facelift; both have upstart near neighbors in other leagues whose existence they'd prefer to ignore (NCC has Benedictine, the Dodgers have the Angels); both have fitfully-committed fan bases; and both have in recent years been the beneficiaries of larger-than-life players whose prodigious talents sometimes seemed almost matched by their personal troubles (Anthony Simmons and Manny Ramirez).

North Park = Chicago Cubs
Here's a couple of once-proud teams that dominated their leagues long ago, but which have taken their fans to hell and back through prolonged (and, alas, current) title droughts that continue to test the faithfulness of their fan bases. Both have lots of Hall of Fame quality players, most of whom are now viewed in sepia tones. Both play in small and antiquated homes that have overwhelming atmospheres of personality and history, but few amenities and an overall shoddy appearance that makes even the most diehard supporter consider the idea that a drastic facelift -- or even relocation -- is in order. And both sustain a lot more passion among their followers (and, thus, a lot more arguments) than teams with such dismal recent histories would seem to warrant.

Wheaton = St. Louis Cardinals
They're the inoffensive winners, the team that's always been successful but doesn't go out of its way to rub your face in it. Nobody would ever mistake Wheaton fans for BoSox fans or Yankees fans, two tribes that take as much pleasure in puffing themselves up at your expense as they do in the actual on-the-field exploits of their teams. Wheaton fans, like St. Louisans, are salt-of-the-earth midwestern types who take pride in the hard work and crisp execution of their teams, win or lose ... and, more often than not over the years, it's been win rather than lose. Paradoxically, it's that inoffensive-winners stance of theirs that makes opposing fans hate them even more, even as they respect them.

[Titan Q]

Brent Ruch for MOP, 1st team All-American??
I think he has slipped ahead of Steve D, and is just a tad behind Raymond.  If Brent and EC sweep Wheaton and Carthage, that award is his. 

Lots of big games left, but I'm in the Brent Ruch for M.O.P. corner right now.  If the vote was taking today, he would deserve to win it.

[Titan Q]

Illinois Wesleyan = New York Yankees
Both the Titans and the Bronx Bombers have won their respective leagues a lot more than anyone else has, leading to a certain swagger among both sets of fans that is often seen as arrogance by opposing fans. Both teams insist upon a specific standard way of doing things; both are wildly popular at the gate both home and on the road; both have strongly-developed senses of history and their own pantheon of heroes; both have very high internal expectations every season ... and both seem to inspire an enormous amount of schadenfreude among opposing fans whenever they lose.

A Dunk Only Counts Two Points = The Yankee Years ?

Korey Coon = Derek Jeter ?

Coach Steinbrueck = George Steinbrenner ?

[Mr. Ypsi]

Greg,

I loved the comparisons, but are you alleging that the Titan try to buy championships?!

[AndOne]

Greg,

I loved the comparisons, but are you alleging that the Titans try to buy championships?!

Well, you see, each of the players is assigned an alumni "sponsor." The sponsors mentor the young men, and act as their surrogate fathers while they are away from home. Now everyone knows one of the primary roles of the "father" of a college student is to provide a never ending supply of money and goods. To that end, a "support system" has been established according to the players hierarchy within the team. A starter receives a $200.00 "support" payment from his sponsor each week.
A 2nd string player receives $150.00, 3rd string varsity and JV starters get $100.00 weekly, and all remaining freshman and non JV starters $50.00. All payments are, of course, made in cash and delivered in a plain white envelope at a place of the sponsor's choosing. The exception being the player who attains All-American status, in which case he receives a set of keys to a current year car for his unlimited use during the school year with an option to buy from his sponsor for $1.00 upon the termination of the academic year.   

Oh wait. Thats DI. I got confused there for a minute. The DIII benefits are somewhat less.       

[petemcb]

Greg, +k.  That was great.  Better thought out and better presented than anything I'll be reading in the Trib or Sun-Times today.  You may have missed your calling.

[cardinalpride]

Three - In the world of underachieving Chicago baseball, the best both sets of fans can do is have crutches to lean on.   The Cubbies have their attandance and "friendly confines" to lean on....whereas at least we Sox fans have a championship.   

No argument there ... although, properly speaking, you had a championship. You don't have a championship; Phillies fans are the only people who can crow about that at the moment. Your last one is three years old already; granted, it's a heck of a lot more recent than the Cubs' last world championship, but it didn't happen yesterday, either.

And, yes, I'd trade any attendance record out there for a World Series championship on the North Side.
[

Did the White Sox give their championship back to MLB?
Greg, once you've won something it's yours forever unless you give or throw it away but you must have forgotten that being a cubs fan because it's been so long since they've won one!

[Titan Q]

What kind of season is Derek Raridon (Todd's son) having at Neuqua Valley?  I saw him play twice last year - seems like he will be a good CCIW player. (I assume he will be a NCC Cardinal next year?)

[REDMENFAN]

Here's the preview of the Carthage/Augie game tonight from the Kenosha News. Go Redmen!

http://www.kenoshanews.com/sports/carthage_augustana_meet_again_4329292.html

[AndOne]

What kind of season is Derek Raridon (Todd's son) having at Neuqua Valley?  I saw him play twice last year - seems like he will be a good CCIW player. (I assume he will be a NCC Cardinal next year?)

Derek, a 6'6" forward, has indeed committed to North Central for next year. He is currently the 2nd leading scorer (the leader is a likely D1 junior) for 23-1 Neuqua Valley HS in Naperville. I believe Neuqua regularly plays 10 players with the starters rarely playing close to the entire game. In 23 games played, he is averaging 14 ppg. Don't have his FG percentage, but he is hitting 85 percent of his FTs. He has made 54 3 point shots so far this season.

*TQ---Yes. You are correct.

[Titan Q]

What kind of season is Derek Raridon (Todd's son) having at Neuqua Valley?  I saw him play twice last year - seems like he will be a good CCIW player. (I assume he will be a NCC Cardinal next year?)

Derek, a 6'6" forward, has indeed committed to North Central for next year. He is currently the 2nd leading scorer (the leader is a likely D1 junior) for 23-1 Neuqua Valley HS in Naperville. I believe Neuqua regularly plays 10 players with the starters rarely playing close to the entire game. In 23 games played, he is averaging 14 ppg. Don't have his FG percentage, but he is hitting 85 percent of his FTs. He has made 54 3 point shots so far this season.

Thanks.  I remember him as a wing forward, who primarily faces the basket...is that correct?

[Gregory Sager]

Three - In the world of underachieving Chicago baseball, the best both sets of fans can do is have crutches to lean on.   The Cubbies have their attandance and "friendly confines" to lean on....whereas at least we Sox fans have a championship.   

No argument there ... although, properly speaking, you had a championship. You don't have a championship; Phillies fans are the only people who can crow about that at the moment. Your last one is three years old already; granted, it's a heck of a lot more recent than the Cubs' last world championship, but it didn't happen yesterday, either.

And, yes, I'd trade any attendance record out there for a World Series championship on the North Side.
[

Did the White Sox give their championship back to MLB?
Greg, once you've won something it's yours forever unless you give or throw it away but you must have forgotten that being a cubs fan because it's been so long since they've won one!

That's a valid line of reasoning, but it's not the one that voxelmhurst used. This is what he said:

Three - In the world of underachieving Chicago baseball, the best both sets of fans can do is have crutches to lean on.   The Cubbies have their attandance and "friendly confines" to lean on....whereas at least we Sox fans have a championship.

In other words, he was using a present-day qualifier to distinguish between the White Sox and the Cubs; i.e., the White Sox have recently won a championship, and the Cubs haven't. I responded in kind, by saying that the White Sox championship wasn't nearly as recent as he's making it out to be by using the word "have a championship" to distinguish between them and the Cubs. Of course, using your line of reasoning, the Cubs have two world championships -- one won in 1907, the other won in 1908.

[cardinalpride]

Just thought I'd needle you a little bit since us sox fans are always teasing you poor cubs fans!   

[AndOne]

With regard to tonight's Wesleyan vs North Central game, here are some----
COMPARATIVE TEAM STATISTICS

                                NCC                   IWU
Overall Record ....... 14-6                     11-9
CCIW Record .........  6-3                       3-6
Scoring Avg ........... 73.8                     77.8
Def. Scoring Avg ..... 66.0                      74.6
Scoring Margin ....... +7.8                      +3.2
FG Pct .................. .494                     .501
Def. FG Pct ............ .477                     .449
3FG Pct ................ .358                     .388
3FG Per Game .......   4.9                        7.0
3FG Att/Game ......... 13.6                      18.1
FT Pct ................... .704                     .707
Reb. Avg ................ 28.9                     34.2
Opp. Reb. Avg ....... . 30.2                      32.0
Reb. Margin ........... -1.3                      +2.2
Assists Avg ............ 14.9                      15.2
Turnover Avg .......... 11.7                      14.0
Blocks Avg ............. 1.2                         2.3
Steals Avg .............. 8.2                         5.6 

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL LEADERS
Scoring Avg
Chris Drennan, NCC 16.3
Reid Barringer, NCC 14.4
Doug Sexauer, IWU 13.4
Sean Johnson, IWU 12.6
Matt Rogers, NCC 12.5
Travis Rosenkranz, IWU 11.7

Rebounds Avg
Doug Sexauer, IWU 5.8
Chris Drennan, NCC 4.6
John Koschnitzky, IWU 4.6
Brett Chamernik, IWU 4.4
Mitch Raridon, NCC 4.1
David Twyman, NCC 3.9

Assists Avg
Travis Rosenkranz, IWU 4.4
Dean Prince, NCC 3.8
Sean Dwyer, IWU 3.7
Sean Johnson, IWU 2.9
Mitch Raridon, NCC 2.8
Chris Drennan, NCC 2.6

Steals Avg
Travis Rosenkranz, IWU 1.8
Mitch Raridon, NCC 1.6
David Twyman, NCC 1.2
Sean Dwyer, IWU 1.0

Blocks Avg
Doug Sexauer, IWU 1.2
Chris Drennan, NCC 0.3

FG Shooting Pct.
Chris Drennan, NCC .607
Doug Sexauer, IWU .575
Brett Chamernik, IWU .565
David Twyman, NCC .533

3FG Shooting Pct.
Jordan Zimmer, IWU .513
Sean Johnson, IWU .396
Reid Barringer, NCC .392
Mitch Raridon, NCC .383

FT Shooting Pct.
Mitch Raridon, NCC .880
Reid Barringer, NCC .862
John Koschnitzky, IWU .780
Sean Johnson, IWU .773

Wesleyan has the leader in the majority of the statistical categories. Does this make them tonight's favorite in Naperville?

NCC will need to:
1. Score > 70 pts
2. Limit IWU's 3 attempts to < 13
3. Limit IWUs inside touches
4. Not let IWU outrebound them by more than 4
5. Hit at least 75 percent of their FTs