MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[npcballboy]

Didn't NP switch the colors up during the 88 season? That blue was definitely not royal.

[PoppersMacsLive]

Not that much more confirmation was needed, but NCC released their schedule on Twitter and Matt Helwig is on the graphic—Helwig retweeted it too.

[Gregory Sager]

Didn't NP switch the colors up during the 88 season? That blue was definitely not royal.

The NPU administration (including the various ADs) has never instituted any sort of an enforcement policy whatsoever regarding the colors worn by Vikings teams. The head coaches always order the uniforms for their players, and the head coaches have always had a wide degree of latitude in picking whatever uni choices they like -- including color.

As you noted, the men's basketball Vikings wore light blue (aka Carolina blue) back in the early days of the Bosko era. That's 'cause Bosko was a Dean Smith fan, and he liked North Carolina. Believe me, there were plenty of North Park alumni who groused about those uniforms (I called those complainers old fuddy-duddies at the time, heedless of the fact that one day I'd be the one wearing the fuddy-duddy sweater vest and sensible Thom McAns ... ah, the blithe ignorance of youth). But, since the North Park administration wasn't going to stop Bosko from pretending that the corner of Foster & Kedzie was Chapel Hill, then the old fuddy-duddy alumni certainly couldn't do it, either.

(My favorite fuddy-duddy quote from that era was, "Why does our coach want our team to look like they play for Elmhurst? Is this some sort of plan to lull North Central or Illinois Wesleyan into a sense of complacency because they think that they're going to play the Bluejays instead of us?")

A better and more widespread example is the trend of wearing black unis. That was the previous (somewhat more benign) pandemic that swept through college athletics about 10-15 years ago; suddenly, because Millennials all seemed to think that wearing black made them look cool and gangsta, every college coach and/or AD in America was ordering black uniforms and making black the de facto secondary school color (which must've amused schools such as Wooster, Gustavus Adolphus, and Ohio Northern that have black as a primary school color). This trend rampaged through the NPU athletic department as well, and at least half of the school's teams still have black unis among their road/home options. Part of the reason for this, especially among the coaches of the men's teams, is their dislike of the gold that is one of North Park's two school colors. In their eyes, gold is just a fancy shade of yellow, and yellow represents cowardice/effeminacy/weakness/daisy-picking/whatever. NPU baseball coach Luke Johnson, whose teams were the first on campus to adopt black unis, would sooner distribute a team-snack sign-up sheet to his players' parents than allow even the merest hint of gold in the North Park baseball uniform on his watch.

Last year Tom Slyder had as one of the MBB team's three uniform options a royal blue road uniform with gold and white trim that is the best-looking and truest-to-NPU uni that the men's basketball team has had since the glory days of the home golds. The fact that they didn't play well in them last year aside, I'd love it if Sean Smith were to show a preference for royal blue in his upcoming uniform choices. Of course, he's got bigger things on his mind right now than that.

I just think we're fortunate that no iconoclastic NPU head coach has ever ordered uniforms that are red, purple, orange, or ... yecch ... green.

[Gregory Sager]

In terms of Helwig being a student-athlete, I wonder how many academic credits he has earned since leaving HS.  Since a student must be a FT student while playing a sport, and hoops covers both fall and spring semesters, how many times has he changed his major without earning an undergraduate degree?

"Seven years of college down the drain!"

[iwu70]

The Titans have won one, lost one, in their exhibition games so far on their Greece tour.  One more game on the 16th.  Twelve players on the tour.  Lots of three-point shooting . . .  soon touring Athens area.   Looks like a great time . . . for basketball and for international learnings and adventures.

IWU'70

[Next Man Up]

The Titans have won one, lost one, in their exhibition games so far on their Greece tour.  One more game on the 16th.  Twelve players on the tour.  Lots of three-point shooting . . .  soon touring Athens area.   Looks like a great time . . . for basketball and for international learnings and adventures.

IWU'70

Titans likely touring the historic areas including the Acropolis and Parthenon———The second most significant antiquities they'll visit this year following Merner Fieldhouse in Naperville.   

[kiko]

The Titans have won one, lost one, in their exhibition games so far on their Greece tour.  One more game on the 16th.  Twelve players on the tour.  Lots of three-point shooting . . .  soon touring Athens area.   Looks like a great time . . . for basketball and for international learnings and adventures.

IWU'70

Titans likely touring the historic areas including the Acropolis and Parthenon———The second most significant antiquities they'll visit this year following Merner Fieldhouse in Naperville.   

Now, let's be fair here... a large swath of the Titans' fanbase falls into that same category as well. 

[WUPHF]

I just want to know if the locals find the portrayal of the team as Greek Gods as curious or if they are so aware of the use of the Titans mascot that they did not even notice.

[Gregory Sager]

I just want to know if the locals find the portrayal of the team as Greek Gods as curious or if they are so aware of the use of the Titans mascot that they did not even notice.

GEORGE: What is this American team we're watching? The Titans?

SPIRO: Yes! American universities know that Greece is the fountain from which pours all Western learning. That is why they have names for all of their sports teams that they took from Greek culture. The Titans, the Spartans, the Thebans, the Athenians, the Stoics, the Minotaurs, the Philosophers ...

GEORGE: Feh! There are no teams called the Minotaurs!

SPIRO: Yes, there are! The Texas-El Paso Minotaurs!

GEORGE: Ridiculous!

ARI: I'll tell you what's ridiculous! I was told that this American team's best player was named Lambesis. Here is the roster sheet. Tell me, where is Lambesis? There is no Lambesis! This was just a marketing ploy to get people in the seats! "Oh, come see this American team! Worth every euro! Their best player is a Greek!" But they have no Greeks at all!

GEORGE: No, I'll tell you what's ridiculous. These Americans clearly have no idea what a Titan is. Titans were fearsome gods that Zeus was forced to vanquish, but the mascot for these Titans is just some man in a helmet.

SPIRO: No, I'll tell you what's worse. What's worse is that the logo of a man in a helmet is not even original. They stole that logo from Michigan State.

GEORGE: Michigan State?

SPIRO: Yes, one of the greatest of the American universities! Many famous scholars come from Michigan State. I think that the man who invented the atomic bomb came from Michigan State! That is why the other schools, like this Illinois Western, steal their logo from Michigan State! They even stole their color from Michigan State!

GEORGE: Feh! What do you know about Illinois Western?

SPIRO: It is in the western part of the city of Illinois. Tell us all of the many things that you know, George!

ARI: I'll tell you what I know. They have ladokoulora at the concession stand! Indeed, they have the best ladokouloura that this sorry town has ever tasted!

GEORGE: Ladokoulora from a concession stand? Feh! You have a tongue made of tin!

ARI: I have a tongue made of tin? You're the one who says that the Papadopoulous brothers make the best gyros in town!

GEORGE: Well, they do! I'll match the Papadopolous gyros with any sorry excuse for a gyro that you ...

SPIRO: You're both wrong! The best gyros in this town are ...

NICK: Will you idiots stop waving your arms around? I can't see the cheerleaders!

[kiko]

We really need to make Illinois Western a thing.

[Next Man Up]

Congratulations to Illinois Western!

[lmitzel]

We really need to make Illinois Western a thing.

Congratulations to Illinois Western!

[WUPHF]

GEORGE: What is this American team we're watching? The Titans?

SPIRO: Yes! American universities know that Greece is the fountain from which pours all Western learning. That is why they have names for all of their sports teams that they took from Greek culture. The Titans, the Spartans, the Thebans, the Athenians, the Stoics, the Minotaurs, the Philosophers ...

GEORGE: Feh! There are no teams called the Minotaurs!

SPIRO: Yes, there are! The Texas-El Paso Minotaurs!

GEORGE: Ridiculous!

ARI: I'll tell you what's ridiculous! I was told that this American team's best player was named Lambesis. Here is the roster sheet. Tell me, where is Lambesis? There is no Lambesis! This was just a marketing ploy to get people in the seats! "Oh, come see this American team! Worth every euro! Their best player is a Greek!" But they have no Greeks at all!

GEORGE: No, I'll tell you what's ridiculous. These Americans clearly have no idea what a Titan is. Titans were fearsome gods that Zeus was forced to vanquish, but the mascot for these Titans is just some man in a helmet.

SPIRO: No, I'll tell you what's worse. What's worse is that the logo of a man in a helmet is not even original. They stole that logo from Michigan State.

GEORGE: Michigan State?

SPIRO: Yes, one of the greatest of the American universities! Many famous scholars come from Michigan State. I think that the man who invented the atomic bomb came from Michigan State! That is why the other schools, like this Illinois Western, steal their logo from Michigan State! They even stole their color from Michigan State!

GEORGE: Feh! What do you know about Illinois Western?

SPIRO: It is in the western part of the city of Illinois. Tell us all of the many things that you know, George!

ARI: I'll tell you what I know. They have ladokoulora at the concession stand! Indeed, they have the best ladokouloura that this sorry town has ever tasted!

GEORGE: Ladokoulora from a concession stand? Feh! You have a tongue made of tin!

ARI: I have a tongue made of tin? You're the one who says that the Papadopoulous brothers make the best gyros in town!

GEORGE: Well, they do! I'll match the Papadopolous gyros with any sorry excuse for a gyro that you ...

SPIRO: You're both wrong! The best gyros in this town are ...

NICK: Will you idiots stop waving your arms around? I can't see the cheerleaders!

Occasionally, I think about creating a thread entitled Sagerisms so that I can save these from the dustbin of posts gone by.

[kiko]

We really need to make Illinois Western a thing.

Congratulations to Illinois Western!

Nicely done 

[iwu70]

IWU finishes 2-1 vs. professional teams in Greece.   A nice trip, some good-looking scrimmages . . . a nice trip for the boys.   Rose seems happy with the developments so far . . .  still looks to me like a starting line-up of Wilmsen, Roper, Mitchell, Sroka, and Heflen . .  not sure of the rest of the rotation as yet.  Some experimentation going on during this three-game Greek fortnight.  I think a long way from the rotation being finalized or settled. 

Yes, Illinois Western looks pretty good so far.   The Titans open their season vs. Yeshiva on the opening night of the Sikma Invitational on November 12th.

IWU 70

P.S.  Yes, Greg, IWU has various sized vehicles for team travel allowing the men's and women's teams to travel separately, avoiding long delays and waits.  Same is true for golf, soccer, cross-country and all the rest -- Fall, Winter and Spring. 

P.S.S.  Esports big at IWU now too -- in place, up and running for at least 4-5 years.  Surely not something I support, but there it is . . .  most often talked about as an admissions' recruitment plus . . . but a hugely expensive conversion of an old mail room and printing building to have an Esports "arena."   ISU now doing the same . . . converting their bowling/activities building next to Bone Student Center into a massive Esports arena.  Hard to imagine the cost . . .     '70