MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[AndOne]

There hasn't been an NCC update this year!  Does anyone know what has happened to AndOne?

You woke the sleeping giant.....

And even though I've only been up for a little bit, I've already pissed someone off enough to ding me. Of course it would be to much to ask the unknown manly man to dispute what I wrote and show me where I was wrong.

Are there any Naperville cops out there who have achieved the 200-post threshold?

Looks like a couple of the little a**holes have! 

[cardinalpride]

There hasn't been an NCC update this year!  Does anyone know what has happened to AndOne?

CP---

Thanks for your concern. Its nice to ne missed by someone other than the sneaky Karma grinch who steals in in the middle of the night to wack you.

I've needed more treatments lately as the Mad Cow has been acting up a bit more recently, and then there was that recent incident with Naperville's finest, but thanks to those who posted bail, I'm back now! Also, if you will scroll back, I'm sure you'll find some descriptions of some of NCC's games so far this season.

I was speaking of the 09 portion of the season! 

[AndOne]

Certainly cognizant of the fact that their predecessors had lost only 24 games in the friendly confines of the Shirk Center (where the visitors are conveniently seated immediately in front of the home team's pep band) since its opening in 1994, and likely licking their chops over the prospect of facing a team composed basically of the same cast of characters they bested in both contests last season, the 19th ranked Illinois Wesleyan Titans no doubt entered Saturday night's contest against the North Central Cardinals feeling fairly confident that yet another Shirk based victory was close at hand. 

However, incredulous as the prospect of defeat seemed at 7:30, the stunned looks on the faces of both some of the Titan legion, and the local citizenry told a different story when the final buzzer sounded. Truth be told, the Titans did not give this one away, but rather, by being out coached, out played, and out hustled, had victory taken from them by the inspired Cardinals.   

The 1st half was a seesaw affair with seemingly almost every possession resulting in a lead change or tie. Finally, with the score tied for the 7th time at 26-26, and about 5 minutes left, the Titans appeared to gain the upper hand, and outscored the Cards by an 8-3 margin heading to the locker room, having captured both a 34-29 lead as well as the momentum.

During the halftime break, NCC Coach Raridon and his staff made the necessary adjustments and laid down the revised plans in no uncertain terms. The fired up Cards then charged out of the locker room and blistered the Titans with an 18-4 run over the first 8 minutes of the second stanza. After a little more than 4 minutes had elapsed, and with the Cards having gained a slim 3 point lead, Cardinal point guard Dean Prince stole an entry pass into the post and fed forward David Twyman, streaking down the floor from the off wing. Twyman's throw down of a monstrous dunk seemed to really ignite the Cardinals who steadily built their lead to 11 with about 5 minutes remaining. From then on there was little the frustrated Titans could do but foul intentionally which, particularly against the likes of Reid Barringer, Mitch Raridon, and Chris Drennan is like asking to have your head handed to you. Among the trio, Drennan, at almost 86 percent, is the "worst" of the 3 from the line.

The Cards were led in scoring by Chris Drennan with 17 on 5/8 from the field and 7/8 from the line. Close behind was Matt Rogers who came off the bench to throw in 16, on 6/10 and 4/8 shooting, in only 18 minutes. Many of Rogers' baskets came with Titans draped all over him as he fought his way to the basket andf finished. David Twyman, who was impressive on both ends of the floor added 12 on 6/7 shooting, and Mitch Raridon, 3/6 and 4/4, contributed 11 including driving the final 2 nails in the Titan's coffin by calmly draining a pair from the line with 12 seconds remaining. The inspirational leader of the evening's battle was Dean Prince, the CCIW leader and 26th ranked player nationally in assist/turnover ratio, who provided steady floor generalship and set the table en route to the Cards very nice 57.8 FG percentage. Dean literally took one on the nose for the team, the result of which left the stain of victory both on his jersey and on the hallowed Titan hardwood. He was ably assisted in directing the offensive flow by junior Jonny Knapczyk. Dominique King came off the bench to hit both a 3 ball and a hard earned 2 at critical points in the struggle.         

The primary keys to victory for the Cardinals were:
1. The cohesiveness and TEAM play of the senior dominated and experienced unit.
2. DEFENSE, highlighted by a well executed and very efficient chase and recover scheme as well as strong perimeter defense, particularly in the 2nd half, with rendered Titan SG Sean Johnson virtually invisible after hitting 4 threes and tallying 14 points in the 1st half. He finished with 16.
3. Forcing 16 Totan turnovers which were converted into 22 points.
4. NCC's bench scoring of 25 points compared to only 5 from the Titan subs.
5. Hitting 15 of 18 free throws, all in the game's final 2 minutes.   
   

[wheels81]

As to all you mooks  who complain that K Ray whines to refs stick a sock in it.  A lot of good it did at NP as he only shot 4 free throws.  So much for working the refs.  He is a target by every opponent who usually sends their "brute"squad after him to hammer the crap out of him.  When he doesn't get the calls that just encourages them more to play with what they can get away with.  A little elbow here, fingernail rake there, undercut here,  shove there, and they play the refs too.  So as much as Raymond knows what he can get away with his opponents know what they can get away with it's a two way street.   He doesn't "whine" after the first "contacts"  it's usually when he's been "mugged" a couple of times before he gets to protesting.
Come on GS that's the only thing you can find to blemish this guy, not to mention other than he plays for the SAD and not your barbarians.  At least it would be a little more entertaining for some if he used the colorful language of a certain viking coach to get his point across either. 

[markerickson]

In my posts concerning Raymond, I have been complimentary, no doubt.  I raised the issue about chatter because the official chastised Raymond for it directly in front of me.  I'm somewhat surprised no one mentioned the flops.  Raymond is a good actor too - he had at least two flops - both arms waving as he "stumbled" w/o getting off a shot.  I don't recall if he shot free throws after the Viking defenders got whistled for fouls.  True, if it works, add it to the repertoire.

[Viking Blue]

As to all you mooks  who complain that K Ray whines to refs stick a sock in it.  A lot of good it did at NP as he only shot 4 free throws.  So much for working the refs.  He is a target by every opponent who usually sends their "brute"squad after him to hammer the crap out of him.  When he doesn't get the calls that just encourages them more to play with what they can get away with.  A little elbow here, fingernail rake there, undercut here,  shove there, and they play the refs too.  So as much as Raymond knows what he can get away with his opponents know what they can get away with it's a two way street.   He doesn't "whine" after the first "contacts"  it's usually when he's been "mugged" a couple of times before he gets to protesting.
Come on GS that's the only thing you can find to blemish this guy, not to mention other than he plays for the SAD and not your barbarians.  At least it would be a little more entertaining for some if he used the colorful language of a certain viking coach to get his point across either. 

Is it possible to get a +k for grammar?  Hello, stream of consciousness.....!

[Gregory Sager]

As to all you mooks  who complain that K Ray whines to refs stick a sock in it.  A lot of good it did at NP as he only shot 4 free throws.  So much for working the refs.  He is a target by every opponent who usually sends their "brute"squad after him to hammer the crap out of him.  When he doesn't get the calls that just encourages them more to play with what they can get away with.  A little elbow here, fingernail rake there, undercut here,  shove there, and they play the refs too.  So as much as Raymond knows what he can get away with his opponents know what they can get away with it's a two way street.   He doesn't "whine" after the first "contacts"  it's usually when he's been "mugged" a couple of times before he gets to protesting.
Come on GS that's the only thing you can find to blemish this guy, not to mention other than he plays for the SAD and not your barbarians.  At least it would be a little more entertaining for some if he used the colorful language of a certain viking coach to get his point across either. 

Now that is a whine worthy of Raymond.

First of all, Bully, as several posters have already pointed out I wasn't trying to "blemish this guy." I was complimenting him on his gamesmanship. Go back and read the posts again. Second, the number of free throws that Raymond got against NPU is irrelevant, because the subject at hand was his complaining, not whether or not he deserved to go to the line more in that particular game. Third, your griping about Raymond getting mugged on Saturday night is just plain silly. Half the time, the NPU defenders couldn't even keep up with him, much less foul him. And he definitely dished out more physical play than he took; as I said before, he was pretty consistently hooking his off arm around McNamee or Greer, whichever was guarding him, when he drove to the basket, and he uses the forearm pushoff as well as any ballhandler in the league since Drew Carstens was wearing an Augie uni. Lastly, one of the keys to Raymond's success is his physical strength. Pound for pound, I'd say that he is the strongest player in the entire league. It's a big part of his offensive game, as it allows him to maintain body control when he's getting off a shot and draws contact (it also allowed him to hold the bigger Nick Williams at bay at the defensive end of the floor; as I said on Saturday night, he very effectively neutralized Williams defensively). Raymond's strength also allows him to get the better of any guard in this league who is locked up with him for a loose ball, for driving leverage, etc. The smaller McNamee and the gangly Greer were certainly no match for Raymond in the physicality department. It was a man-against-boys situation.

You seem to forget that I watch a lot more of Wheaton than just its two games against NPU every season. I see the orange brigade pretty regularly every November and December in King Arena. Raymond is a chronic complainer -- and, as I said, I think it's an effective policy on his part -- and he definitely dishes out more than he takes in terms of physical play.

Kent Raymond is easily the best player in the league, and it's in part due to the fact that he is the, you'll pardon the expression, bully in his head-to-head encounters with his opponents. If you're expecting us all to feel sorry for Kent Raymond, then you are definitely barking up the wrong tree.

[andrewmp]

I'll agree that Raymond acts sometimes.  There are a few times where he acts and I thnk just looks silly.  But as a whole, I think he is one of the most physically defended guards in the CCIW.  He moves great without the ball, and other teams know that.  Part of their gameplan is to slow Raymond down by putting a body on him as he cuts through the lane.  It is a team effort, and at times effective.  Last year I saw him frustrated a few times because of how physical a team as a whole would play against him.  The teams that are particularly physical with him are IWU, Augie, and Elmhurst, as I recall (from the last two years, and the one IWU game this year).  Yes, Greg, he does dish it out (especially when they put a smaller guard on him), but against these teams, I think he does take more abuse than he gives.  And again, that is from the whole team, and not just the man who is guarding him.
I think that this past week's CCIW Player of the Week is Raymond's third of the year, but by far the one he deserves the most.  Most of the year he has been very good, but the last two games I think he has been outstanding, and has carried his team.  In the IWU game, their toughest of the year, something clicked when they were down by 13, and it seemd like Raymond decided to take over in that game.  In the NPU game, he was the one who really kept the score where it was in the first half, and really opened it up in the second half.  It seems to me that he is playing on a different level in the conference season than he did in the non-conference in he games I saw.  It may be that he sees the need with Wiele out to take on more of the offense, or it might be that the competition is better, and he needs to step it up for Wheaton to win.  Before IWU, all their wins were double digit win.

[andrewmp]

I am also intrigued by the match up with Augie tomorrow for Wheaton after what happened against Carthage.  If they try and double up Raymond like they did Steve D, it will result in Wheaton being able to put up some good numbers.  Panner and Jahns will hit the outside shots, and Raymond will find McCrary and Carwell inside when they are open.  Wheaton as a team passes the ball too well for that strategy to work, so I don't think it will happen. 
I expect Augie to instead play their usual tough defense, and grind it out with Wheaton.  Without Wiele (probably), they should look to test the inside strength of Wheaton.  I haven't seen Augie play this year, so I am not totally sure what to expect.  I would love to hear the take of those who have seen both play.

[Dennis_Prikkel]

As to all you mooks  who complain that K Ray whines to refs stick a sock in it.  A lot of good it did at NP as he only shot 4 free throws.  So much for working the refs.  He is a target by every opponent who usually sends their "brute"squad after him to hammer the crap out of him.  When he doesn't get the calls that just encourages them more to play with what they can get away with.  A little elbow here, fingernail rake there, undercut here,  shove there, and they play the refs too.  So as much as Raymond knows what he can get away with his opponents know what they can get away with it's a two way street.   He doesn't "whine" after the first "contacts"  it's usually when he's been "mugged" a couple of times before he gets to protesting.
Come on GS that's the only thing you can find to blemish this guy, not to mention other than he plays for the SAD and not your barbarians.  At least it would be a little more entertaining for some if he used the colorful language of a certain viking coach to get his point across either. 

Now that is a whine worthy of Raymond.

First of all, Bully, as several posters have already pointed out I wasn't trying to "blemish this guy." I was complimenting him on his gamesmanship. Go back and read the posts again. Second, the number of free throws that Raymond got against NPU is irrelevant, because the subject at hand was his complaining, not whether or not he deserved to go to the line more in that particular game. Third, your griping about Raymond getting mugged on Saturday night is just plain silly. Half the time, the NPU defenders couldn't even keep up with him, much less foul him. And he definitely dished out more physical play than he took; as I said before, he was pretty consistently hooking his off arm around McNamee or Greer, whichever was guarding him, when he drove to the basket, and he uses the forearm pushoff as well as any ballhandler in the league since Drew Carstens was wearing an Augie uni. Lastly, one of the keys to Raymond's success is his physical strength. Pound for pound, I'd say that he is the strongest player in the entire league. It's a big part of his offensive game, as it allows him to maintain body control when he's getting off a shot and draws contact (it also allowed him to hold the bigger Nick Williams at bay at the defensive end of the floor; as I said on Saturday night, he very effectively neutralized Williams defensively). Raymond's strength also allows him to get the better of any guard in this league who is locked up with him for a loose ball, for driving leverage, etc. The smaller McNamee and the gangly Greer were certainly no match for Raymond in the physicality department. It was a man-against-boys situation.

You seem to forget that I watch a lot more of Wheaton than just its two games against NPU every season. I see the orange brigade pretty regularly every November and December in King Arena. Raymond is a chronic complainer -- and, as I said, I think it's an effective policy on his part -- and he definitely dishes out more than he takes in terms of physical play.

Kent Raymond is easily the best player in the league, and it's in part due to the fact that he is the, you'll pardon the expression, bully in his head-to-head encounters with his opponents. If you're expecting us all to feel sorry for Kent Raymond, then you are definitely barking up the wrong tree.

ooooooooooh, somebody struck an HoF nerve...   

dgp

[Dennis_Prikkel]

Ah, whiner or winner, or probably a lot of both.

This league has seen its fair share of prima-donna whiner/winners over the years and the coaches that protect them as well.

It's all part of the show.

As long as someone's not laying out blind-side halfcourt blocks or consistently submarining the guy let him "B and M" all he wants.  It's up to the refs to control that kind of crop.  The good ones know when not to listen and know when to tell the guy to shut up.  The bad ones.... well most of them are downstate anyway and there's not much you can do about the town milkman officiating the games (oh, sorry, I was reminiscing about Rock Island forty years ago).  Its the big "A" getting to me I guess.

Whether it be Lutz, Dykstra, Pfund (pick your favorite), Blaise B, Thomas, Stevie DJ, or any one of a dozen more exciting CCIW players they all knew how to work the refs and their coaches recited the same litany of woe - a great show.  Enjoy.

dgp

[Scots4]

A "Blaise B" shoutout!

I was named after the guy. My parents were big fans of him.

[Gregory Sager]

A "Blaise B" shoutout!

I was named after the guy. My parents were big fans of him.

For your sake, I hope that your first name is "Blaise" and not "Bugajski".

[usee]

As a side note, I watched the Carthage/Cal Lu game today on the weblink provided in the Top 25 discussion. The only thing more entertaining than watching Steve D score at will en route to 38 pts was watching Bosko pull up his pants every 5 seconds and work the refs unabashedly throughout the game. His sidebars with whatever official is closest to the Redmen bench are works of art and plain as day to watch.

I would say Cal Lu and Carthage are pretty equal based on that game IMO.

[Gregory Sager]

As a side note, I watched the Carthage/Cal Lu game today on the weblink provided in the Top 25 discussion. The only thing more entertaining than watching Steve D score at will en route to 38 pts was watching Bosko pull up his pants every 5 seconds and work the refs unabashedly throughout the game. His sidebars with whatever official is closest to the Redmen bench are works of art and plain as day to watch.

Watching Bosko work the refs is like watching Billy Mays pitch a product on a television infomercial. You don't know whether to get caught up in the aesthetics of the presentation itself, the chutzpah behind it, or the awareness that he's doing a masterful job of selling his product to his target audience in spite of that audience's built-in resistance.