MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

North Central 117
RMU-Chicago 72

Millikin 89
Principia 72

[Gregory Sager]

Man, Willamette puts on a really professional-looking webcast.

[lmitzel]

Sorensen 54 pts for NCC today. School record.

Did it hitting a school record 25 field goals (out of 29 attempts). It was absurd.

[WUPHF]

Late correction to a previous post: offensive foul after the timeout was called correctly.

[all blues]

North Central 117
RMU-Chicago 72

Millikin 89
Principia 72

Zach Fisher was the biggest Big Blue today: 30 points on 11-16, 8-12.  Better yet? a double double-double!  DaVante Harrell with 12R, 13 points AND Elijah Henry 11R and 22 points    Harrell also was doling out Christmas candy with 6 assists.  Ref must've got new whistles for Christmas, with 31 fouls called, split nearly evenly 15-16.  Principia had less TO, and made MU pay: 19 points on 10 TOs, but Millikin outrebounded PC 2-1  The Big Blue continued to take and make good shots; 46% 3s and 55% 2s.  As 2017 ends on a happier note than 2016, Fisher and Tyler Pygon are shooting over 50% on 3s.  (Pygon 3-4 today)  Millikin seems capable of closing any lead, and just as capable of losing any lead....Fun's over; now begins the CCIW meatgrinder (coffeegrinder for vegans)

[all blues]

Sorensen 54 pts for NCC today. School record.

Did it hitting a school record 25 field goals (out of 29 attempts). It was absurd.

Congrats to Alex Sorenson! I watched Gobby tie Millikin's record vs UMSL years ago, so I well  understand the effort it took.  Good work!

[AndOne]

North Central  117
Robert Morris   72

* Alex Sorenson today set an all time North Central single game scoring record with 54 points.

Alex broke the previous record of 52 which was set by Mr. NCC Basketball, Bill Warden way back in 1955. In so doing, he hit 25 of the 29 shots he took from the field, including one of two from three, plus 3 of 4 from the line. For good measure, he added 14 rebounds.

Mike Pollack had 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting including 4 of 6 from distance.

Connor Raridon had a double-double of 10 points and 12 assists (2 TOs). With 8 rebounds, he narrowly missed a triple-double.

Max Farson had 9 off the bench with a perfect 3 of 3 from beyond the arc.

The Cardinals shot 62.7% for the game and out rebounded the opposition 59-22. 

[Gregory Sager]

Elmhurst 82
Willamette 80

Exciting finish out in the Pacific Northwest. The 'jays led almost the entire game, but couldn't put the Bearcats away. Willamette finally caught up and went ahead on a trey with 21 seconds left, but Elmhurst eschewed the typical timeout most teams would call in this situation, and Jake Rhode hit an open Ryan Patton in the corner who then made a trey with six seconds left that put EC back up by two points. Then, knowing that Willamette would inbound the ball in a hurry, Derek Dottlich jumped the inbounds pass, falling to the floor as he stole it, and was fouled. He made one of two FTs, and as Willamette crossed the timeline on the ensuing possession Rhode fouled the Bearcats PG with two seconds left so that the hosts wouldn't be able to get off a potential game-tying trey attempt. The Bearcats PG naturally made the first and deliberately missed the second, in order to give his teammates a chance to grab the rebound and hit a game-tying shot, but Jeremy Ireland grabbed it instead, and that was the ballgame.

[voxelmhurst]

Man, Willamette puts on a really professional-looking webcast.

It's sort of a shame that the cameras can't face the court in a way that the half court logo isn't upside down for the broadcast. Also the final Hail Mary three by willamette was completely missed by the camera operator, so those watching on mute like me had to judge the reaction of the Elmhurst bench to figure out if the miracle shot attempt went in. That being said the fixed cameras under each basket are a nice tough and rarely seen in D3 broadcasts.

Elmhurst 82
Willamette 80

Exciting finish out in the Pacific Northwest. The 'jays led almost the entire game, but couldn't put the Bearcats away. Willamette finally caught up and went ahead on a trey with 21 seconds left, but Elmhurst eschewed the typical timeout most teams would call in this situation, and Jake Rhode hit an open Ryan Patton in the corner who then made a trey with six seconds left that put EC back up by two points. Then, knowing that Willamette would inbound the ball in a hurry, Derek Dottlich jumped the inbounds pass, falling to the floor as he stole it, and was fouled. He made one of two FTs, and as Willamette crossed the timeline on the ensuing possession Rhode fouled the Bearcats PG with two seconds left so that the hosts wouldn't be able to get off a potential game-tying trey attempt. The Bearcats PG naturally made the first and deliberately missed the second, in order to give his teammates a chance to grab the rebound and hit a game-tying shot, but Jeremy Ireland grabbed it instead, and that was the ballgame.

Elmhurst found a balanced attack in these two games this weekend. No starter scored more than 20 or less than 10 in both contests. Ryan Patton and Lavon Thomas really stepped up this weekend as both players scored above their season averages. I'm very encouraged to see this still very young team pull off these close victories.

[lmitzel]

North Central  117
Robert Morris   72

* Alex Sorenson today set an all time North Central single game scoring record with 54 points.

Alex broke the previous record of 52 which was set by Mr. NCC Basketball, Bill Warden way back in 1955. In so doing, he hit 25 of the 29 shots he took from the field, including one of two from three, plus 3 of 4 from the line. For good measure, he added 14 rebounds.

Mike Pollack had 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting including 4 of 6 from distance.

Connor Raridon had a double-double of 10 points and 12 assists (2 TOs). With 8 rebounds, he narrowly missed a triple-double.

Max Farson had 9 off the bench with a perfect 3 of 3 from beyond the arc.

The Cardinals shot 62.7% for the game and out rebounded the opposition 59-22.

A couple team records fell as well: total rebounds (the aforementioned 59) and assists (36). Those 36 assists came on 47 field goals, which is absurd.

[jaybird44]

Micah was very impressive, especially in the first half vs. Wash-U.  Good nimble feet, soft touch around the basket and at the free throw line.  Very tough to handle.

[AndOne]

A really nice win last night for Augie. Nice enough that it brought out the Coach G haters and has a Wash U fan complaining about the refs at a WU home game. Coach G aka The Stomper aka Gene Keady Jr. may be a jerk in the minds of most non Augie CCIW fans, but isn't that the lot of most really successful college coaches? Coach K, Knight, Calipari etc. I just know we Augiefan fans are glad to have him on our bench. 

Couldn't have said it better augiefan.  Others can make their snide little comments about Coach G, and he will just keep on winning!

Augiefan & Augie 6,

You need to keep in mind that NO one has ever said Giovanine isn't a good/great coach. The pages on this board are replete with praise as far as his coaching abilities are concerned. You can look it up. The other thing you need to keep in mind is that not a few, but MANY posters have criticized his abusive and buffoonish behavior. Furthermore, that such behavior has not been confined to a few isolated cases, but has been consistently demonstrated with regularity over the course of many seasons. You may classify comments deriding his actions as "snide," but those comments are also an accurate description of his behavior. You may think that only non Augie fans feel he is a "jerk," and thats probably true. However, if Augie fans would overlook his credible results, and give an honest assessment of his actions, they would agree with the non Augie fans that he indeed often behaves as a jerk. As recently as this season, I've heard even some Augie fans agree. And, again, that is NOT to say he isn't a great coach. His results from a win-loss perspective speak for themselves. Also, newsflash, when you compare Giovanine's behavior to that of guys like Knight and Calipari, you're not really paying him a compliment in the behavioral department. The fact is Giovanine trumps all others in boorish, abusive, and obnoxious manner, and he has been doing so for quite some time. The guy is so over the top he even complains when he GETS the call.   

[AndOne]

A really nice win last night for Augie. Nice enough that it brought out the Coach G haters and has a Wash U fan complaining about the refs at a WU home game. Coach G aka The Stomper aka Gene Keady Jr. may be a jerk in the minds of most non Augie CCIW fans, but isn't that the lot of most really successful college coaches? Coach K, Knight, Calipari etc. I just know we Augiefan fans are glad to have him on our bench. 

I think that you're overstating the matter in my case, and I'm the one who brought up the subject of Giovanine bellowing during last night's game in the first place. I brought it up because I was amused by it, not because I was offended by it. It's a question of whose ox is being gored, and mine certainly isn't by anything that goes on in a game between Augustana and Wash U. And, frankly, there was no indication that he was yelling anything untoward or embarrassing. I didn't hear anything of that sort, and I didn't imply in my post that I had. All I said was that his voice cut through the audio portion of the webstream like a knife. When you think about it, that's actually kind of a compliment. A healthy set of lungs and a durable larynx are certainly assets for a college basketball coach.

I also think that you're overreaching with your statement that most successful college basketball coaches are considered to be jerks by opposing fans. I don't think that that's the case at all. Let's look at some pertinent examples. Bosko Djurickovic has won two national titles as a head coach and is one of only two coaches in D3 history to have taken two different programs to the Final Four. I don't recall anyone ever calling him a "jerk", or words to that effect. Granted, he's hardly universally beloved (AndOne, for instance, isn't fond of him), but there's absolutely no comparison between how Bosko is regarded by opposing fans and how Grey is regarded.

Speaking of AndOne, Todd Raridon is another highly-successful D3 coach; he's the other coach besides Bosko who has taken two different programs to the Final Four. Raridon's occasionally heated behavior on the sidelines has been noted before on CCIW Chat, but, again, there's no comparison between how he is regarded by opposing fans and how Grey is regarded. Ron Rose? Highly successful coach who has taken IWU to the Final Four twice. The next opposing fan who says anything bad whatsoever about Ron Rose will be the first. He is, even by the lights of those who loathe Illinois Wesleyan, someone for whom the description "gentleman" is apt.

Mark Edwards of Wash U? One of the most successful head coaches in D3 men's basketball history, and generally regarded as a class act by everyone. Greg Mitchell of Hope and Kevin VandeStreek of Calvin? The only people who ever complain about them are their own teams' fans. Pete Moran of John Carroll, Keith Bunkenberg of Benedictine, Dick Peth of Wartburg, Steve Moore of Wooster, Johnny Tauer of St. Thomas ... nobody ever badmouths those guys for their comportment on the sidelines, and they run highly-successful programs. I could go on all day, but you get the point.

The success that Grey Giovanine has had at Augustana is blindingly obvious. If Augie fans aren't bothered by his behavior, or are willing to overlook it as long as his teams keep winning, then that's their business. But to connect boorishness to on-court success is a false equation.

In as much as my name has been involked with regard to this subject, I feel some clarification and explanation is merited.

With regard to Bosko not being my favorite, my problem with him is that he just strikes me as "I am the Great Bosko, and you should bow down in front of me." But, maybe thats just me. However, as to his coaching "style," while I would classify him as a bellower, his behavior, as Greg said, is nowhere near the level of Giovanine. I wouldn't call him a jerk. He merely behaves as many other coaches do.

Todd Raridon certainly does get heated at times. Most of the time I would classify him as a master complainer-he is good at it. Just like most good coaches. But what he doesn't do is run back and forth in front of the bench like a sprinter while screaming at the refs, stomp his foot, throw his hands up in the air, do the wave-off, punch the air repeatedly, or rip off his suit/sport coat and fling it up into the stands. All things the wild man from Rock Island has been doing for years. Moves he has been doing so long that they now have names.

And speaking of wild men, while Giovanine has a clear lead, I think the occupants of the second and third CCIW chairs, in either order, are Mike Schauer of Wheaton, and NPU's Tom Slyder. These two guys are perpetual motion personified. And, they are loudly verbose in the comments they aim at the officials. Again, however, none of their verbal comments or physical actions sink to the level usually displayed by Giovanine.

[Gregory Sager]

And speaking of wild men, while Giovanine has a clear lead, I think the occupants of the second and third CCIW chairs, in either order, are Mike Schauer of Wheaton, and NPU's Tom Slyder. These two guys are perpetual motion personified. And, they are loudly verbose in the comments they aim at the officials. Again, however, none of their verbal comments or physical actions sink to the level usually displayed by Giovanine.

For what it's worth (which is, admittedly, not much at all), if I were to rank the Intrusive Coach Sweepstakes of the CCIW coaching fraternity, it'd go like this:

1. Grey Giovanine, AC
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
2. Todd Raridon, NCC
3. Paul Combs, CU
4. Mike Schauer, WC
5. Tom Slyder, NPU
6. Bosko Djurickovic, CC
7. John Baines, EC
8. Mark Scherer, MU
9. Ron Rose, IWU

The Wheaton and NPU coaches do move around in the box more than does Raridon -- and Mike's got a patent on that I'm-so-disgusted-that-I-need-to-walk-halfway-out-the-door-of-the-gym maneuver -- but Todd's griping is a lot more constant and persistent. He's like running water on a stone as far as the refs are concerned, with a clear game plan to wear you down by crunch time if you're wearing a striped shirt and a whistle. Tom's got a lot more to worry about on the sidelines these days with a lineup loaded with freshmen than with what the refs are calling or not calling. Bosko has seriously mellowed over the years. Time was when he would be right up near the top of this ranking, although he's always been such an adept diplomat that he's rarely ever been T'ed up over the course of his long career. You don't even hear his patented booming and indecipherable (to most of us) monosyllables all that much anymore during a Carthage game. Another year or two and he'll be right there in safe-enough-for-grandma Ron Rose territory. I have had less exposure to Paul Combs (whom I think is a really solid coach) than to the others, but, man, I've seen him get seriously worked up a couple of times already just in the short period that Carroll's been back in the league. That towel-related fit he pitched last season in the airplane hangar was epic. He's the up-and-comer in this ranking.

But, as Mark said, none of the other eight are fit to hold Grey's blazer in any crazed-coach category.

[lmitzel]

And speaking of wild men, while Giovanine has a clear lead, I think the occupants of the second and third CCIW chairs, in either order, are Mike Schauer of Wheaton, and NPU's Tom Slyder. These two guys are perpetual motion personified. And, they are loudly verbose in the comments they aim at the officials. Again, however, none of their verbal comments or physical actions sink to the level usually displayed by Giovanine.

For what it's worth (which is, admittedly, not much at all), if I were to rank the Intrusive Coach Sweepstakes of the CCIW coaching fraternity, it'd go like this:

1. Grey Giovanine, AC
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
2. Todd Raridon, NCC
3. Paul Combs, CU
4. Mike Schauer, WC
5. Tom Slyder, NPU
6. Bosko Djurickovic, CC
7. John Baines, EC
8. Mark Scherer, MU
9. Ron Rose, IWU

The Wheaton and NPU coaches do move around in the box more than does Raridon -- and Mike's got a patent on that I'm-so-disgusted-that-I-need-to-walk-halfway-out-the-door-of-the-gym maneuver -- but Todd's griping is a lot more constant and persistent. He's like running water on a stone as far as the refs are concerned, with a clear game plan to wear you down by crunch time if you're wearing a striped shirt and a whistle. Tom's got a lot more to worry about on the sidelines these days with a lineup loaded with freshmen than with what the refs are calling or not calling. Bosko has seriously mellowed over the years. Time was when he would be right up near the top of this ranking, although he's always been such an adept diplomat that he's rarely ever been T'ed up over the course of his long career. You don't even hear his patented booming and indecipherable (to most of us) monosyllables all that much anymore during a Carthage game. Another year or two and he'll be right there in safe-enough-for-grandma Ron Rose territory. I have had less exposure to Paul Combs (whom I think is a really solid coach) than to the others, but, man, I've seen him get seriously worked up a couple of times already just in the short period that Carroll's been back in the league. That towel-related fit he pitched last season in the airplane hangar was epic. He's the up-and-comer in this ranking.

But, as Mark said, none of the other eight are fit to hold Grey's blazer in any crazed-coach category.

I've only seen Combs the once, and I'd completely forgotten about the towel thing.

Highlight of the night so far: Bosko Djurickovic and John Baines yelling at each other nose-to-nose at the scorer's table.

I'm going to have to pull that video up. Here I thought the Paul Combs-Todd Raridon exchange last night was the highlight. Raridon was unhappy about a call at the same time as the officials found a wet spot on the floor and wanted a towel to wipe it up. Carroll's manager went out to wipe it, as did Raridon, at which point Combs took a shot at Raridon along the lines of "3000 students at your school and you don't even have a manager!" Raridon fired back something about his manager filming the game upstairs. After the floor was wiped, Combs thanked his manager, and Raridon chirped at him, "I was out here too, are you going to thank me?" Combs answered in the negative, and there a brief moment where I thought I'd have our first coach fight. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, but it was pretty chippy last night.

I'll have to go back and rewatch that in between rewatching Alex Sorenson completely destroying Robert Morris yesterday.

Other underrated one that could make a case for pushing Schauer up a notch: his demand for (and receipt of) an out of the box warning when Wheaton came to North Central last year because he just wanted to get the refs to listen to him.

I feel like most good college basketball coaches have to have a screw or two loose, as evidenced by most of the names on this list. Or in Grey's case, maybe 10-12 screws loose.