MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

Perhaps for that reason, it was particularly gratifying that he got his first career three last night.

I was only following the IWU game last night via live stats (was watching Wheaton vs NCC).  I saw "Good! 3 PTR by Chamernik, Brett" and thought the stat crew was drinking.

Can someone help me picture the Chamy 3-pointer?  Was this an end of shot clock situation?  Did it have as much arc as his FT's (10 feet, 1 inch at the top.)

[voxelmhurst]

As stated, a great crowd on hand for last night's Senior Night at Elmhurst and it ended up being a proper send off for Ruch, Burks, and Stzremp. 

I am really impressed how Elmhurst has handled Steve D in the two meetings this season.  When he hit his first shot and made the and one, I felt Elmhurst may have been in store for an explosion from him, but the Jays really kept him in check all night.  I agree...Carthage will be an exciting team to watch in the years to come.

Elmhurst has posted an impressive 10-4 CCIW record after starting 0-2.  I am really proud of what the guys have accomplished thus far this season and hope they have a lot left in them.

Finally, and most importanty...does anyone know of any hidden gems of restaurants around the Wheaton campus?  My friends and I had ours in Rock Island, and I've yet to find one around Wheaton in the regular season games I've attended there.  I appreciate any and all suggestions! 

[Late nite]

I, too, attended the Cardinal/Thunder game and would like to add my observations.  Both teams deserve congratulations on an excellent game and achieving the most important accomplishment, making the CCIW tournament.  Usee said it correctly, Kent Raymond was the difference in this game...at both ends of the court.  Also, IMHO, Coach Raridon came up short this evening in several ways.  First, when it was apparent that Wheaton was going to double-team down low and aggressively take away the low-post offense of both Drennan and Rodgers, he did not adjust offensively.  His son, who obviously has been around the game his whole life did....he kept the Cardinals in the game with 17 first-half points by confidently launching outside shots.  It was agonizing watching the Cardinals, specificly Twyman and Prince, pass up many 14-18 foot open shots to constantly look inside.  We all know an inside game opens up when outside shots start to fall.  It is obvious to me that the Cardinals absolutely fear the result...a bench view of the game...if they risk shooting against the Coach's directions.  Ironically, in the second half it took a freshman, Adams, to launch the open mid-range jump shots to keep them in the game.  Even as late as the final two minutes Coach Raridon was emphasizing to go inside first.  Unfortunately, I believe Coach Raridon's decision to keep Rodgers on the bench with four fouls was far longer than necessary.  The 26-36 deficit in rebounds hurt the Cardinals.  Even though Adams was scoring effectively, he made two out of three critical turnovers at crunch time resulting in Wheaton possessions and points.  Finally, I observed marginal clock-management by the Cardinals.  Several times in the last three minutes Mitch Raridon looked to the bench for direction to foul the the Thunder to stop the clock and make them earn the win at the line.  Unfortunately, stopping the clock by fouling did not occur until about 55 seconds left.  When the clock is against you and you are down, you better manage the time left in the best fashion possible.
Now for the dichotomy.  With this said, I believe Coach Raridon did the second best job in the CCIW this year preparing and motivating a team to play well-beyond their expected potential.  After watching the early NCC vs UW-Whitewater game I, as well as many others, thought it was going to be a low CCIW finish for the Cardinals.  It is going to be a wonderful rematch of two fine teams this Friday.  My only wish is for the Cardinals to use all their offensive potential, inside and out, to make it a great game.     

Are you saying that a healthy Raymond, playing 31 minutes, as opposed to 20 minutes, made a difference in the game?  Who would have ever thought.

[Late nite]

With this said, I believe Coach Raridon did the second best job in the CCIW this year preparing and motivating a team to play well-beyond their expected potential. 

The first Todd Raridon team I saw was in the 1997 national championship game, when his Nebraska Wesleyan Plainsmen took on IWU.  After that, I saw a couple more NWU/IWU games, and then several of his NCC teams of course.  He is an outsanding coach.  The word I always seem to use to describe his teams is "efficent."  Raridon teams just seem to get so much out of what they have on both ends of the floor.

I agree 100%---An outstanding coach---Can't imagine where his team would be if he had a bench---

[dansand]

Perhaps for that reason, it was particularly gratifying that he got his first career three last night.

I was only following the IWU game last night via live stats (was watching Wheaton vs NCC).  I saw "Good! 3 PTR by Chamernik, Brett" and thought the stat crew was drinking.

Can someone help me picture the Chamy 3-pointer?  Was this an end of shot clock situation?  Did it have as much arc as his FT's (10 feet, 1 inch at the top.)

First half...wide open...right wing...I can't recall for sure, but I think the shot clock was winding down but not yet critical...definitely not much arch on it--maybe 10'3" at the apex.

[Late nite]

Let me also congratulate Wheaton on winning the CCIW championship and ending Augie's three-year reign at the top of the league. The Thunder persevered through injuries to their top two players and have had a great season. It should be quite a tournament next weekend. The second semifinal should be another war between North Central and Wheaton. I still haven't figured out how the Cardinals give the Thunder such trouble, but I'm guessing they wouldn't be Wheaton's first preference for a first round opponent. Augie and Elmhurst get a rubber match after splitting a one-point Viking win at Augie and a 2-point Bluejay win at Elmhurst. That game could have huge NCAA implications.

Augie put in a nice workman-like performance at the Shirk Center last night. Defense and rebounding were again the keys. The Vikings had a 42-33 edge on the boards, but had 12 offensive rebounds in the second half and did a good job converting them into points, including three-pointers on multiple occasions. Defensively, Augie held the Titans' top four scorers (Sexauer, Johnson, Rosenkranz and Koschnitzky) to just 7-of-29 from the field and 1-of-10 from three-point range, with that lone three-pointer being a 55-foot heave by Rosenkranz at the end of the first half.

Individually, Alex Washington was the offensive leader, finishing with a game high 18 points on a very efficient 5-of-6 from the field and 8-of-10 at the line. Matt Pelton scored all 10 of his points in the second half including 3-for-3 from downtown. Kyle Nelson had a very nice game of the bench with nine points and seven boards (including five offensive rebounds in the second half) and Jeff Becker continues to be extremely productive in limited minutes (8 points on perfect shooting and a steal in seven minutes).

Also, I'll take this chance to push Chandlor Collins' all-conference credentials. Everyone, understandably, looks at scoring and Chandlor doesn't put up big offensive numbers, but he led the league in rebounding and blocked shots by a considerable margin and anyone at the Shirk last night got a good look at the impact he has on a game (even on a night when he struggled offensively).

Welcome to my world---I've been on his bandwagon all season---As I have stated before, not the pretty choice, but certainly the most deserving Vike---Quietly consistent

[79jaybird]

Just a great atmosphere at Elmhurst yesterday.  Bosko's quote is pretty accurate in that Carthage had a chance to run away with the game early but some missed opportunities cost Carthage.  Speaking of missed opportuniites, I feel really bad that the 5-6 minutes of sluggish play cost Elmhurst 2 wins (and the CCIW title) against Augie on the road and Millikin at home. 

I do want say congratulations to Millikin and Marc Smith's staff who appear to have Millikin back on the map and playing well. 

Titan Q- While I think Elmhurst chances of making the NCAA Tournament are higher, I would feel more comfortable with at least 1 more (if not 2) wins in the CCIW tourney.  I would hate to see a repeat of what happened 2 years ago. 

Should be a great CCIW Tournament where everybody has a chance.

[Dennis_Prikkel]

http://www.carthage.edu/athleticspages/mens/basketball/release.html

Quoting Coach Bosko Djurickovic on the Feb. 21 Elmhurst Game:  "The first 10 minutes of the game was the key," said Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic.  "We played with such a good idea of what to do, that we should have been 15 points ahead.  We missed layup after layup and opportunity after opportunity early on.  We've managed to make Elmhurst look like national-championship contenders twice this year.  They share the basketball well, and they're a very well-coached team.  They have a chance to do very well in the CCIW tournament.  Elmhurst was better, they earned it, and we have a lot of work to do.  Going 7-7 is a good year for a lot of teams but not for us.  We'll be better next year.  We have the best-returning player and a lot of other returning players.  We should be picked as one of the top teams in the league next year.  This was a good group to coach.  They were hard workers and resilient.  They gave me what they had.  The results are my fault.  The name of the game is recruiting, and that's what we have to do every day from now until August."


For a second there, I thought Bosko was going to go Lee Elia in that quote.  "The name of the game is, shoot the ball, defend the ball, and get the #$%&$'n job done."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv23pqH9iG0

Without adding a single player, I think Carthage will be the CCIW favorite next season.  The Red Men finished 7-7 - two games better than IWU and 7 games better than North Park (the two other teams that return almost everyone).  The 4 conference tournament teams from this season lose so much that I can't see any being the 2010 favorite.  If Carthage finds two good big guys, ready to step in and play next year, they will be scary.  Maybe even with just one good big guy.  

Of course, that is easier said than done - for whatever reason, Bosko has not been able to find a good big guy on the recruiting trail in recent years.  And most of the time, it takes even a good low post prospect two years to develop.  

Carthage may have the best player in Division III next year, and several other good perimeter complements.  With a couple key additions in the low post, they could be a legitimate national powerhouse next year.  My money is on Carthage going the transfer route.  

I really don't like Bosko.

In the grand scheme of things, t2K, I'm sure Bosko doesn't give a damn.

dgp 

[Gregory Sager]

http://www.carthage.edu/athleticspages/mens/basketball/release.html

Quoting Coach Bosko Djurickovic on the Feb. 21 Elmhurst Game:  "The first 10 minutes of the game was the key," said Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic.  "We played with such a good idea of what to do, that we should have been 15 points ahead.  We missed layup after layup and opportunity after opportunity early on.  We've managed to make Elmhurst look like national-championship contenders twice this year.  They share the basketball well, and they're a very well-coached team.  They have a chance to do very well in the CCIW tournament.  Elmhurst was better, they earned it, and we have a lot of work to do.  Going 7-7 is a good year for a lot of teams but not for us.  We'll be better next year.  We have the best-returning player and a lot of other returning players.  We should be picked as one of the top teams in the league next year.  This was a good group to coach.  They were hard workers and resilient.  They gave me what they had.  The results are my fault.  The name of the game is recruiting, and that's what we have to do every day from now until August."


For a second there, I thought Bosko was going to go Lee Elia in that quote.  "The name of the game is, shoot the ball, defend the ball, and get the #$%&$'n job done."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv23pqH9iG0

Without adding a single player, I think Carthage will be the CCIW favorite next season.  The Red Men finished 7-7 - two games better than IWU and 7 games better than North Park (the two other teams that return almost everyone).  The 4 conference tournament teams from this season lose so much that I can't see any being the 2010 favorite.  If Carthage finds two good big guys, ready to step in and play next year, they will be scary.  Maybe even with just one good big guy.  

Of course, that is easier said than done - for whatever reason, Bosko has not been able to find a good big guy on the recruiting trail in recent years.  And most of the time, it takes even a good low post prospect two years to develop.  

Carthage may have the best player in Division III next year, and several other good perimeter complements.  With a couple key additions in the low post, they could be a legitimate national powerhouse next year.  My money is on Carthage going the transfer route.  

For two years now, knowing that Steve D. was coming to Carthage in the fall of '07 and that he would be a stud on this level (although I had no idea that he'd be an immediate All-American-level player starting with the very first game of his career), I've been thinking that Bosko and his recruiting crew were going to scare up a good juco big man from somewhere, or else find a Schlemm type from among the disaffected flotsam and jetsam of four-year scholarship schools. It's a basketball truism that big men develop more slowly than perimeter players, so in order to complement Steve D. right away with a big man who was already physically mature and had the skills in place to immediately provide a CCIW-level inside game to match Steve's outside game, I figured that Bosko would go the transfer route.

It's not said much, but there's a bit of an art to coaching transfers. Not every transfer arrives with baggage, but enough do to make it apparent to coaches that they have to approach a transfer a little bit differently than a player who arrives as a freshman. At the very least, there's the whole issue of, "I've heard this before from my former coach. This is old hat," that can lead to a transfer being somewhat more difficult to coach than someone who has come up through the program.

Bosko is an excellent coach of transfers. It was an art that he perfected at North Park, where he won a national championship in '87 with two transfers as his studs. At Carthage he's managed to squeeze productive role-player minutes out of a juco guy whom I was convinced was nothing more than a misplaced football lineman (Big Bill Garner); he's turned apparently-uncoachable scholarship headcases into integral parts of the team, at least for awhile (Jarobi Kemp, Jake Olsen, Brian Schlemm, Kyle Jeffery); and he's found diamonds in the rough who were either sitting on the end of a D1 bench somewhere or playing intramurals at a D1 school (Greg Ktistou, Kevin Menard). This year he's helped turn a transfer who didn't really impress anyone coming in into a fairly useful CCIW-level player (Adam Tolo).

Two years of Steve's career have now passed without Bosko landing that big-man transfer -- two years that I had dreaded, knowing that if Bosko ever got his hands on an Anthony Lenoir or a Brian Schlemm or a Rob Berki to pair with Steve, he'd wreak havoc in the CCIW. It hasn't happened yet ... but I wouldn't count on the other seven programs in the CCIW having their luck hold out. Something tells me that it's going to be "third time's the charm" for the Carthage coaching staff and its recruiting efforts.

[Dennis_Prikkel]

I really don't like Bosko.

I recently heard that Bosko does not like you either.

That would explain all that negative karma.

I bet that Bosko come on here and posts me -K daily. Right after lunch.   

Well I gave you my daily +K to you, but I doubt that Bosko even knows, or cares, that you exist.

If nobody zaps you in the future, I'll have you back to zero Karma, by the time next season starts.   

[Titan Q]

A significant in-region result today in St. Louis...

Rochester 70
Wash U 69

The Midwest regional rankings release this past Tuesday were (records through Sunday, 2/15)...

Midwest Region
1. Washington U. 21-1 20-1
2. Wheaton (Ill.) 20-3 16-3
3. Elmhurst 17-6 17-6
4. Transylvania 17-5 14-3
5. North Central (Ill.) 16-7 14-5
6. Lawrence 15-6 15-6
7. Augustana 17-7 16-7
8. St. Norbert 18-4 17-4


Wheaton vs Wash U, primary criteria:

1) In-region record: Wash U is 21-2 (.913), Wheaton is 18-3 (.857). 
2) In-region strength of schedule (OWP): Wheaton .591, Wash U .540 (through 2/15)
3) In-region head-to-head: n/a
4) In-region common opponents:
- vs Elmhurst: Wash U 0-1, Wheaton 1-1 (Wheaton and Elmhurst could play in conf tourn.)
- vs North Park: Wash U 1-0, Wheaton 2-0
- vs Augustana: Wash U 1-0, Wheaton 2-0 (Wheaton and Augie could play in conf tourn.)
- vs IWU: Wash U 1-0, Wheaton 2-0
- vs Chicago: Wash U 1-0, Wheaton 1-0 (Wash U plays Chicago next weekend)
5) In-region results vs regionally ranked teams:
- Wheaton is 4-2 vs the teams ranked in the MW region currently.
- Wash U is 6-2 vs ranked teams that count as in-region for them: Midwest: 1-1, East 1-1 (Rochester), Great Lakes 2-0 (Carnegie Mellon), NE 2-0 (Brandies)


If the Calvin game counted for Wheaton, the Thunder would not only have another in-region win, they'd also have another countable win over a regionally ranked team.

Wash U has a big advantage in that all of their UAA conference games are in-region, and since the regions some of those other UAA teams play in are so thin, it is easier for them to be ranked - like Brandeis in the NE and Rochester in the East. 

I think Wheaton has a chance to take over the Midwest #1 seed with 2 wins in the CCIW conference tournament.  Maybe even when the new regional rankings come out Tuesday.

This is not the old days, when the Midwest teams were all put in one bracket - Wheaton and Wash U could end up in different brackets.  But where Wheaton and Wash U end up ranked in the region in still significant, because they certainly could end up in the same bracket...and the higher seed would host the Sectional.

[Titan Q]

For two years now, knowing that Steve D. was coming to Carthage in the fall of '07 and that he would be a stud on this level (although I had no idea that he'd be an immediate All-American-level player starting with the very first game of his career), I've been thinking that Bosko and his recruiting crew were going to scare up a good juco big man from somewhere, or else find a Schlemm type from among the disaffected flotsam and jetsam of four-year scholarship schools. It's a basketball truism that big men develop more slowly than perimeter players, so in order to complement Steve D. right away with a big man who was already physically mature and had the skills in place to immediately provide a CCIW-level inside game to match Steve's outside game, I figured that Bosko would go the transfer route.

It's not said much, but there's a bit of an art to coaching transfers. Not every transfer arrives with baggage, but enough do to make it apparent to coaches that they have to approach a transfer a little bit differently than a player who arrives as a freshman. At the very least, there's the whole issue of, "I've heard this before from my former coach. This is old hat," that can lead to a transfer being somewhat more difficult to coach than someone who has come up through the program.

Bosko is an excellent coach of transfers. It was an art that he perfected at North Park, where he won a national championship in '87 with two transfers as his studs. At Carthage he's managed to squeeze productive role-player minutes out of a juco guy whom I was convinced was nothing more than a misplaced football lineman (Big Bill Garner); he's turned apparently-uncoachable scholarship headcases into integral parts of the team, at least for awhile (Jarobi Kemp, Jake Olsen, Brian Schlemm, Kyle Jeffery); and he's found diamonds in the rough who were either sitting on the end of a D1 bench somewhere or playing intramurals at a D1 school (Greg Ktistou, Kevin Menard). This year he's helped turn a transfer who didn't really impress anyone coming in into a fairly useful CCIW-level player (Adam Tolo).

Two years of Steve's career have now passed without Bosko landing that big-man transfer -- two years that I had dreaded, knowing that if Bosko ever got his hands on an Anthony Lenoir or a Brian Schlemm or a Rob Berki to pair with Steve, he'd wreak havoc in the CCIW. It hasn't happened yet ... but I wouldn't count on the other seven programs in the CCIW having their luck hold out. Something tells me that it's going to be "third time's the charm" for the Carthage coaching staff and its recruiting efforts.

This may be true, but the fact is that Bosko and staff have not been getting it done on the recruiting trail the last several years now.  Imagine where the Carthage program would be without Steve Djurickovic, a D1 player who happens to be Bosko's son (no recruiting necessary). 

After Bosko came out of the gates in Kenosha with Wiertel, Garnes, McDaniel, and Powell, I figured he'd be loaded every year up there.  That has not been the case.  Bosko needs to have a successful recruiting year to take advantage of the opportunity he has been handed with Steve. 

[kenoshamark]

http://www.carthage.edu/athleticspages/mens/basketball/release.html

Quoting Coach Bosko Djurickovic on the Feb. 21 Elmhurst Game:  "The first 10 minutes of the game was the key," said Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic.  "We played with such a good idea of what to do, that we should have been 15 points ahead.  We missed layup after layup and opportunity after opportunity early on.  We've managed to make Elmhurst look like national-championship contenders twice this year.  They share the basketball well, and they're a very well-coached team.  They have a chance to do very well in the CCIW tournament.  Elmhurst was better, they earned it, and we have a lot of work to do.  Going 7-7 is a good year for a lot of teams but not for us.  We'll be better next year.  We have the best-returning player and a lot of other returning players.  We should be picked as one of the top teams in the league next year.  This was a good group to coach.  They were hard workers and resilient.  They gave me what they had.  The results are my fault.  The name of the game is recruiting, and that's what we have to do every day from now until August."


For a second there, I thought Bosko was going to go Lee Elia in that quote.  "The name of the game is, shoot the ball, defend the ball, and get the #$%&$'n job done."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv23pqH9iG0

Without adding a single player, I think Carthage will be the CCIW favorite next season.  The Red Men finished 7-7 - two games better than IWU and 7 games better than North Park (the two other teams that return almost everyone).  The 4 conference tournament teams from this season lose so much that I can't see any being the 2010 favorite.  If Carthage finds two good big guys, ready to step in and play next year, they will be scary.  Maybe even with just one good big guy.  

Of course, that is easier said than done - for whatever reason, Bosko has not been able to find a good big guy on the recruiting trail in recent years.  And most of the time, it takes even a good low post prospect two years to develop.  

Carthage may have the best player in Division III next year, and several other good perimeter complements.  With a couple key additions in the low post, they could be a legitimate national powerhouse next year.  My money is on Carthage going the transfer route.  

Bob, 

Good points, and I guess I would agree that "on paper" if they don't add anyone they would still be the favorites but I feel the reality would be they wouldn't win the conference without at least one major addition in the post.   I also would agree that the transfer route is probably the most obvious move to make in terms of a ready made player but hoping that they can get a freshman big man too.

I don't think you can discount your Titans quite yet as they will have all five starters back and they will only get bigger and better.   At least you have players at each position that can compete to make for a more complete team.   And you can't discount NP either as they have a fine point guard, a very talented (but inconsistent) player in Williams and a center who is everything Carthage needs.  Millikin sure made a turnaround in one year...I'm not so sure NP won't be that team next year.  If both IWU and NP learn to play better defense, they both will be in the mix for the conference tournament next year.   And, I'm not so sure Wheaton won't be a problem for teams.   They certainly lose the best player but they have some nice parts to fill with.

Plus, if Carthage didn't add anyone, everyone else will and that could mean some difference makers that might change the conference around quicker than we think.   

[kenoshamark]

For two years now, knowing that Steve D. was coming to Carthage in the fall of '07 and that he would be a stud on this level (although I had no idea that he'd be an immediate All-American-level player starting with the very first game of his career), I've been thinking that Bosko and his recruiting crew were going to scare up a good juco big man from somewhere, or else find a Schlemm type from among the disaffected flotsam and jetsam of four-year scholarship schools. It's a basketball truism that big men develop more slowly than perimeter players, so in order to complement Steve D. right away with a big man who was already physically mature and had the skills in place to immediately provide a CCIW-level inside game to match Steve's outside game, I figured that Bosko would go the transfer route.

It's not said much, but there's a bit of an art to coaching transfers. Not every transfer arrives with baggage, but enough do to make it apparent to coaches that they have to approach a transfer a little bit differently than a player who arrives as a freshman. At the very least, there's the whole issue of, "I've heard this before from my former coach. This is old hat," that can lead to a transfer being somewhat more difficult to coach than someone who has come up through the program.

Bosko is an excellent coach of transfers. It was an art that he perfected at North Park, where he won a national championship in '87 with two transfers as his studs. At Carthage he's managed to squeeze productive role-player minutes out of a juco guy whom I was convinced was nothing more than a misplaced football lineman (Big Bill Garner); he's turned apparently-uncoachable scholarship headcases into integral parts of the team, at least for awhile (Jarobi Kemp, Jake Olsen, Brian Schlemm, Kyle Jeffery); and he's found diamonds in the rough who were either sitting on the end of a D1 bench somewhere or playing intramurals at a D1 school (Greg Ktistou, Kevin Menard). This year he's helped turn a transfer who didn't really impress anyone coming in into a fairly useful CCIW-level player (Adam Tolo).

Two years of Steve's career have now passed without Bosko landing that big-man transfer -- two years that I had dreaded, knowing that if Bosko ever got his hands on an Anthony Lenoir or a Brian Schlemm or a Rob Berki to pair with Steve, he'd wreak havoc in the CCIW. It hasn't happened yet ... but I wouldn't count on the other seven programs in the CCIW having their luck hold out. Something tells me that it's going to be "third time's the charm" for the Carthage coaching staff and its recruiting efforts.

This may be true, but the fact is that Bosko and staff have not been getting it done on the recruiting trail the last several years now.  Imagine where the Carthage program would be without Steve Djurickovic, a D1 player who happens to be Bosko's son (no recruiting necessary). 

After Bosko came out of the gates in Kenosha with Wiertel, Garnes, McDaniel, and Powell, I figured he'd be loaded every year up there.  That has not been the case.  Bosko needs to have a successful recruiting year to take advantage of the opportunity he has been handed with Steve. 

Amen to that !!!!

I would have bet money he was going to bring in the big guys this year so they could have been seasoned in time for Steve's next two years....now it will be a work in progress....very disappointing.

[huckleberry]

Sssshhhh!  Andone is still sleeping!!!!!