MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

Stat, I've seen a few dirty plays in the CCIW over the years, but possibly none dirtier than the sneak-up-from-behind full nelson you put on me, with the ensuing body blows administered by Kenosha Mark. 

I do appreciate your concern over my midsection.  I think it just "must have been the clothes" though.  I've got it back down to last year's pre-achilles tear "playing weight" of 192 after weighing in at 208 the day the cast came off on May 1...that wasn't good.  I've been running 4 miles a day 5 days a week, but for you I am going to step this up to 5 miles and throw in a crunch or two.  Maybe even a couple weeks of the South Beach.  At 34 now, I'm finding it difficult to keep that professional beach volleyball player physique you and K-Mark always sport.

Bob, in order to prevent Carthage's dynamic duo from ever assaulting you again like that, I would suggest that you abandon the running and take up tae kwon do.

In my opinion, the last thing Carthage needs is for a return of Bowens. Also, Bosko played 11 (I think) on Saturday, which is about 3 too many. It might be helpful if several other marginal players quit

Are you implying that Bowens is marginal?

It's not unheard-of for a team to improve after losing a talented player, for reasons of chemistry and better focus among the remaining members of the rotation, especially if that talented player is not a good fit for the coach's system. But I'd like to hear from the people who see Carthage more than once or twice a year as to whether or not they think Bowens and his 16.1 ppg is expendable.

Augiedad speculates that Hart and Hood might not be that big of a loss for Carthage. Well, I don't know what sort of funk Hart was in this season, or whether or not it related to his departure. But I don't think that anyone who saw his play during the last four games of the 2004-05 campaign, in which he averaged 15.8 ppg and 6.3 rpg (including a 23-point performance against Wesleyan), doubted that he was a strong candidate to be a force in the CCIW this season. As for Hood, he's not a scorer. He's a conventional, pass-first point guard, and a pretty good one. His A/TO ratio, always a very important category for a PG, is over 3:1 this season. He's shooting .571 from downtown, so he can score if he's left open, and he has always been a money FT shooter (.842 this season, .857 during his first two seasons), another vitally-important statistical category for a PG. Bosko has always been ambivalent about Hood, but the kid has always looked like a very solid floor general to me. He's certainly not the sort of dead weight that can be discarded without a second thought.

i actually saw bowens at the game talking to hood at half time on the bench. there were also some conversations in the crowd about bowens coming back to the team in a few weeks.

That's conceivable, I suppose. The downside to being a school that has a J-term (e.g., Carthage) is that it adversely affects your student section if some of the resident students choose to take January off from school. The upside is that it allows you to get your academic casualties to clear grades and have their eligibility reinstated while there's still a bunch of games left on the calendar.

[Gregory Sager]

I do not agree.  Why did Bosko bring up this exact topic when asked the simple question by Q on WJBC: "What did you make of IWU's loss Wednesday to North Central?" (I believe that is exactly the question as I recall from last night.)  In other words, if so blindingly obvious, why would a very successful coach in our league answer with the "IWU is going to take every team's best shot" topic and compare it to what his team went through during the Wiertel/Garnes/McDaniel days?

That's easily answered in one word: Coachspeak. Coachspeak is the art of stating the blindingly obvious in as bland a manner as possible.

Of course, Bosko's problem is that he's so inherently colorful that his coachspeak is not always as bland as it's supposed to be. 

[Gregory Sager]

It is not blindingly obvious actually.  There are a lot of people around the league or even country who will see that IWU beat 4-8 Carthage by 1 point and automatically assume IWU played poorly vs the same Carthage team that lost to Team A by so many points, Team B by so many points, etc.  Kind of like many assumed IWU must have played poorly at U. of Chicago in a ballgame I witnessed first hand just how hard Chicago played and how badly they wanted to win.   Many people do not understand that kids bring different levels of focus and intensity to the different games and just how much that affects the level of a team's play.  I saw it time and time again with my son's Augustana teams.  In the days leading up to the game, you can even feel it from talking to them - you know which games they are fired up for.  But from reading these boards, I do not get the sense that this fact is "obvious" at all.  Some people assume that a team ranked whatever must beat an "unranked" team by so many points and if not, something went wrong.

I don't buy it, Augiedad. I think that the vast majority of fans do grasp this, just as do most coaches and media types (as Pat stated). Part of the reason is common sense -- human nature being what it is, you don't need to be an athlete to understand that playing the top dog will geek up a player more than playing just another opponent. It certainly carries over to the fans, for one thing; fans likewise tend to get more excited and vocal when the opponent visiting their gym is the reigning king of the hill. The other part of the reason is the fact that announcers and sportswriters constantly harp upon the "champions get everyone's best shot" meme.

FWIW, I agree with PS's addendum that getting more worked up to face the top dog doesn't always translate into a better performance, since sometimes the underdog gets wound up a little too tight. Also, giving a top-rated team your best shot doesn't necessarily mean playing harder against them. Sometimes it's a matter of focus, playing smarter. I saw both the Wesleyan @ Chicago game and the Chicago @ Wheaton game that took place three days previous. The Maroons played just as hard against the Wheaties (who beat them by 11) as they did against the Titans (who beat them by four). The difference was in the Maroons' mental approach, and that focus had a lot to do with their physical execution as well ... less wasted effort, more efficiency on offense. Against Wheaton the Maroons looked aimless and disoriented on offense and shot the ball like they were wearing oven mitts. Against Wesleyan it was obvious that they had a game plan, and they zeroed in on it like a laser.

Then again, maybe heightened mental focus rather than mere heightened physical effort in the face of a #1-ranked opponent is just something that's peculiar to Brainiac U. 

[dansand]

Did anyone else see when Martin tried to lean into and listen to the Augie huddle before he was to shoot free throws?  I was on the other side of the gym so I didn't see it clearly but was he just being bush-league or just trying to joke around?

augie_superfan,

I was sitting behind the scorers' table and early in the game heard Giovanine give the officials the heads-up to watch for that, so apparently it's not the first time he's done it. I'm kinda old school, so it's not the type of thing I go for, but let's be diplomatic and just call it "gamesmanship."

[Gregory Sager]

I was sitting behind the scorers' table and early in the game heard Giovanine give the officials the heads-up to watch for that, so apparently it's not the first time he's done it. I'm kinda old school, so it's not the type of thing I go for, but let's be diplomatic and just call it "gamesmanship."

It begs the question, though: Do referees ever pay any attention to a Grey Giovanine heads-up? I have to wonder if a coach who routinely makes their lives as miserable as he does would ever get much consideration from the refs in terms of their heeding such a complaint -- whereas a less obstreperous coach who isn't wandering ten feet out onto the court to give them an earful at the slightest provocation might be more apt to get refs to actually watch for a specific infraction.

[Titan Q]

Greg, I'm the one who interviewed Bosko Saturday as he was answering that question and explained this "unique pressure" that Scott Trost and IWU have been under this season.  It wasn't "coach speak" at all.  It was obvious by his comments and the way he made them that he a) genuinely meant every word he said and, b) felt like people not on the locker room side of the situation probably didn't truly understand what it was like to go through that.

I view "coach speak" as things like "We have to just take things one game at a game..." -- statements a coach means, but that are said so automatically that they don't have a ton of thought behind them.   Bosko's comments in our pregame show Saturday were a lot different that that.

[Gregory Sager]

Nobody ever said that coachspeak was insincere, Bob. In fact, I said the opposite -- coachspeak regurgitates truisms, statements that are blindingly obvious. Coaches sincerely mean what they say when they utter coachspeak. They also sincerely mean it when they assert that the sky is blue and the grass is green. Sincerity does not necessarily indicate an incisive or profound observation.

Bosko's punctuating his point by saying that Carthage had been through it a few years ago is a nice little bit of elaboration on his part, but it doesn't really change the banality of his statement.

The fact that "people not on the locker room side of the situation probably don't truly understand" is likewise true, but it's also meaningless in the broad sense. Unless you've been a player or a coach, the listener (or reader) will by definition not "truly understand what it was like" as far as anything regarding the psychology of a basketball player or team is concerned. In other words, any observations made by a coach fall under that general description.

[augiedad]

"Classes start on January 9. With only one semester left, all of the seniors are approaching the finale of our academic and athletic careers. We will make sure to make the best of our opportunities! Also, it is a lot easier to not complain about classes because it appears to be better than working a full time job!"

http://www.iwuhoops.com/JOURN06.HTM


Amen to that Keelan!

[David Collinge]

"Classes start on January 9. With only one semester left, all of the seniors are approaching the finale of our academic and athletic careers. "

That's interesting; I would think that Amelianovich will have opportunities to extend his athletic career that he can take advantage of if he chooses.  Should this quote be read to say that he doesn't intend to pursue those opportunities?

[Titan Q]

David, I'm pretty sure he didn't intend it that way.  I think Amelianovich is referring to his senior class collectively.

Keelan is going to have opportunities to play professional basketball.  At 6-6 and with the way he can shoot it (46% 3-pt shooter last year, 49% so far this year), he'll get a lot of interest.  I know Scott Trost has received some calls already this season.  I've never really asked him if he plans to pursue those opportunities or just go to work in accounting (which is what his major at IWU is), but I suspect he will play somewhere next season.

[Titan Q]

The Scott Trost Show, hosted by Art Kimball, is on WJBC tonight from 6:00pm to 7:00 (CST).  Anyone interested in listening can do so online...

http://www.wjbc.com/

[Titan Q]

Final from Decatur:

North Park 61
Millikin 59

NPU up and the half and never trailed in the 2nd Half.

[Jim Matson]

Hey North Park!  Now can Wheaton follow-up with a CCIW win of their own?!

[Gregory Sager]

NPU 61, Millikin 59

Brett Mathisen, 23 pts, 6 rebs
Jason Gordon, 17 pts, 10 rebs
Ed Whitaker, 14 pts

Korte Long, 13 pts, 13 rebs
Drew Gensler, 13 pts

NPU finally breaks a horrific number of losing streaks, leading almost the entire distance as the Vikings notch a road win at the Griz.

The Vikings led by as much as ten in the first half, but couldn't pull away. They led at the half, 30-25, and carried that lead throughout the entire second half. Interesingly, they never got that lead back up into double digits; it was basically a trading-baskets sort of game. Millikin did manage to tie the game briefly at 56 apiece at the 3:41 mark on a Mike Gavic jumper, but the Big Blue immediately fouled Jason Gordon, who sank two FTs and re-established a North Park lead that they would never relinquish. Millikin had three chances to retake the lead in the last minute, but couldn't knock down a shot.

Neither team shot well, but both took good care of the ball (NPU uncharacteristically, but promisingly, so) -- only seven turnovers for each team. NPU won the rebounding battle, 30-28.

A big win for the Vikes, not just to snap all those bad losing streaks but to give a huge boost to the morale of this young team.

[kenoshamark]

Regarding a few comments from this weekend....as much as I would like to see the players such as Evan Guay, Billy Jacklin and Casanova Brown continue to get minutes, I think the team could really use Trey Bowens.  There was mention in the Kenosha News right after he became ineligible that he might be back before the end of the season.  The reason I would like to see him back is not because I think we need his points but rather his ability to play defense.  I don't think people realize how good a defensive player he is.  Everyone sees his 16 points a game and thinks we can't make that up but there was plenty of evidence the other night that Jeffery, Imani and Schlemm can provide the scoring.  Bowens really gives you the quickness and size to play against a two guard such as Harrigan.  I'd like to see him back.

As far as Hood, Greg made some great points about how he handles the ball and runs the team.  Bosko had just appointed him the starting point guard so his injury really came at a bad time.  Nonetheless, both Nav Thompson and Casanova Brown can fill in while he is out.

Hart is really a tough loss due to his size and potential.  He made such great strides last year and just couldn't get it going before he left.  As far as being missed, he was leading the league in blocked shots so its not like you find someone to make up those types of numbers.

The game against Elmhurt on Wednesday will really set the stage for the rest of the year as I think many believe Carthage will have a letdown especially playing on the road.  I'll be anxious to see how they respond.