MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

Projections - Top 30 scorers in CCIW play in 2010:


1.   Steve Djurickovic (Carthage), 27.2
2.   Nick Williams (NPU), 15.9
3.   Doug Sexauer (IWU), 15.5
4.   Roshawn Russell (NPU), 15.0
5.   Sean Fendley (Carthage), 14.7
6.   Ben Panner (Wheaton), 14.6
7.   Aaron Garriott (Wheaton), 14.5
8.   Tim McCrary (Wheaton), 14.4
9.   John Koschnitzky (IWU), 14.1
10.   Kyle Nelson (Augustana), 13.1
11.   Sean Johnson (IWU), 13.1
12.   Phil Schneidermeier (NPU), 12.5
13.   Joscar Demby (Millikin), 12.4
14.   Travis Rosenkranz (IWU), 12.3
15.   Chris Childs (Elmhurst), 12.1
16.   Reid Barringer (NCC), 11.9
17.   David Twyman (NCC), 11.8
18.   Zack Boyd (Elmhurst), 11.5
19.   Brian DeSimone (Augustana), 10.8
20.   Robert Burton (Millikin), 10.1
21.   Jordan Zimmer (IWU), 10.0
22.   Shaun Collins (NPU), 9.9
23.   Adam Tolo (Carthage), 9.6
24.   Jake Carwell (Wheaton), 9.5
25.   Bryant Voiles (Augustana), 9.3
26.   Raul Guzman (Carthage), 9.2
27.   Corey Mitchell (Millikin), 9.0
28.   Joe Meyerhoff (NCC), 8.8
29.   Matt Pelton (Augustana), 8.7
30.   Andrew Jahns (Wheaton), 8.4

[Gregory Sager]

And keep in mind that a large percentage of Raridon's players throughout his years at Nebraska Wesleyan came right from Lincoln, where NWU is located, with all but a handful of the remainder of the players coming from very small Nebraska towns.

Lincoln has about the same population as the Naperville & Aurora area combined, rather than the millions in the Chicago metro area. The players from other Nebraska towns usually came from places that had microscopic populations compared with even the average size Chicago suburb or a town the size of Rock Island, Bloomington, or Kenosha. The NWU players weren't from hotbeds of basketball---especially in a state where football is the unquestioned king!

I don't really think that that burnishes Raridon's credentials any. His predecessor, Jerry Schmutte, took Nebraska Wesleyan to three Final Fours, so it's not as though the Plainsmen/Wolves were operating with figurative fifty-pound weights tied around their ankles prior to Raridon taking over the program. Raridon's credentials stand up just fine on their own without needing to be augmented by the "nobody plays basketball in Nebraska" argument.

Demographic and/or institutional arguments for or against a school's relative ability to compete can be a very tricky thing to gauge.

Projections - Top 30 scorers in CCIW play in 2010:


1.   Steve Djurickovic (Carthage), 27.2
2.   Nick Williams (NPU), 15.9
3.   Doug Sexauer (IWU), 15.5
4.   Roshawn Russell (NPU), 15.0
5.   Sean Fendley (Carthage), 14.7
6.   Ben Panner (Wheaton), 14.6
7.   Aaron Garriott (Wheaton), 14.5
8.   Tim McCrary (Wheaton), 14.4
9.   John Koschnitzky (IWU), 14.1
10.   Kyle Nelson (Augustana), 13.1
11.   Sean Johnson (IWU), 13.1
12.   Phil Schneidermeier (NPU), 12.5
13.   Joscar Demby (Millikin), 12.4
14.   Travis Rosenkranz (IWU), 12.3
15.   Chris Childs (Elmhurst), 12.1
16.   Reid Barringer (NCC), 11.9
17.   David Twyman (NCC), 11.8
18.   Zack Boyd (Elmhurst), 11.5
19.   Brian DeSimone (Augustana), 10.8
20.   Robert Burton (Millikin), 10.1
21.   Jordan Zimmer (IWU), 10.0
22.   Shaun Collins (NPU), 9.9
23.   Adam Tolo (Carthage), 9.6
24.   Jake Carwell (Wheaton), 9.5
25.   Bryant Voiles (Augustana), 9.3
26.   Raul Guzman (Carthage), 9.2
27.   Corey Mitchell (Millikin), 9.0
28.   Joe Meyerhoff (NCC), 8.8
29.   Matt Pelton (Augustana), 8.7
30.   Andrew Jahns (Wheaton), 8.4

How did you arrive at these figures, Bob?

[AndOne]

And keep in mind that a large percentage of Raridon's players throughout his years at Nebraska Wesleyan came right from Lincoln, where NWU is located, with all but a handful of the remainder of the players coming from very small Nebraska towns.

Lincoln has about the same population as the Naperville & Aurora area combined, rather than the millions in the Chicago metro area. The players from other Nebraska towns usually came from places that had microscopic populations compared with even the average size Chicago suburb or a town the size of Rock Island, Bloomington, or Kenosha. The NWU players weren't from hotbeds of basketball---especially in a state where football is the unquestioned king!

I don't really think that that burnishes Raridon's credentials any. His predecessor, Jerry Schmutte, took Nebraska Wesleyan to three Final Fours, so it's not as though the Plainsmen/Wolves were operating with figurative fifty-pound weights tied around their ankles prior to Raridon taking over the program. Raridon's credentials stand up just fine on their own without needing to be augmented by the "nobody plays basketball in Nebraska" argument.

Demographic and/or institutional arguments for or against a school's relative ability to compete can be a very tricky thing to gauge.

Gee Greg, what do you think the size of the talent base is in Lincoln and the rest of the state of Nebraska compared with the Chicago Metroplex and Illinois? As a city guy, I'd think you would recognize and appreciate the demographics more readily  than most.  
And, sure there are thousands who play BB in NE, but the number pales in comparison to the number of kids whose 1st Christmas and birthday presents are a helmet and a pair of shoulder pads. Why do you think Memorial Stadium in Lincoln has been sold out for every game since 11/3/62, the longest consecutive streak in college football history.

[Mr. Ypsi]

And keep in mind that a large percentage of Raridon's players throughout his years at Nebraska Wesleyan came right from Lincoln, where NWU is located, with all but a handful of the remainder of the players coming from very small Nebraska towns.

Lincoln has about the same population as the Naperville & Aurora area combined, rather than the millions in the Chicago metro area. The players from other Nebraska towns usually came from places that had microscopic populations compared with even the average size Chicago suburb or a town the size of Rock Island, Bloomington, or Kenosha. The NWU players weren't from hotbeds of basketball---especially in a state where football is the unquestioned king!

I don't really think that that burnishes Raridon's credentials any. His predecessor, Jerry Schmutte, took Nebraska Wesleyan to three Final Fours, so it's not as though the Plainsmen/Wolves were operating with figurative fifty-pound weights tied around their ankles prior to Raridon taking over the program. Raridon's credentials stand up just fine on their own without needing to be augmented by the "nobody plays basketball in Nebraska" argument.

Demographic and/or institutional arguments for or against a school's relative ability to compete can be a very tricky thing to gauge.

Gee Greg, what do you think the size of the talent base is in Lincoln and the rest of the state of Nebraska compared with the Chicago Metroplex and Illinois? As a city guy, I'd think you would recognize and appreciate the demographics more readily  than most.  
And, sure there are thousands who play BB in NE, but the number pales in comparison to the number of kids whose 1st Christmas and birthday presents are a helmet and a pair of shoulder pads. Why do you think Memorial Stadium in Lincoln has been sold out for every game since 11/3/62, the longest consecutive streak in college football history.

On the other hand, how many d3 schools are in Nebraska, compared with Chicagoland?

[Titan Q]

IWU will host the annual Green/White scrimmage tomorrow (Thursday) at 7:00pm.  (The women play at 6:15.)  Rosters will be...

Team 1*
G – Travis Rosenkranz, 6-0 (Jr)
G – Sean Johnson, 6-1 (Jr)
F – John Koschnitzky, 6-6 (So)
F – Doug Sexauer, 6-7 (Jr)
C – Edmond O'Callaghan, 6-6 (Jr)

Bench: Stephen Rudnicki, 6-3 (So), Dan Schouten, 6-5 (So), Bradley Ghere, 5-11 (Fr), Luke Radliff, 6-6 (Fr)


Team 2*
G – Sean Dwyer, 5-10 (Sr)
G – Jordan Zimmer, 6-5 (So)
F – Matt Schick, 6-4 (Jr)
F – Duncan Lawson, 6-7 (Jr)
C – Ryan Connolly, 6-9 (So)

Bench: Eliud Gonzalez, 5-9 (So), Dan Oswald, 6-2 (Fr), Sean Seibring, 6-2 (So), Kevin Reed, 6-7 (So), Tyler Bontemps, 6-4 (So)


Out due to injury: Eric McCullough, Dexter Walker


* not sure which will be called "Green" and which "White"

[Gregory Sager]

And keep in mind that a large percentage of Raridon's players throughout his years at Nebraska Wesleyan came right from Lincoln, where NWU is located, with all but a handful of the remainder of the players coming from very small Nebraska towns.

Lincoln has about the same population as the Naperville & Aurora area combined, rather than the millions in the Chicago metro area. The players from other Nebraska towns usually came from places that had microscopic populations compared with even the average size Chicago suburb or a town the size of Rock Island, Bloomington, or Kenosha. The NWU players weren't from hotbeds of basketball---especially in a state where football is the unquestioned king!

I don't really think that that burnishes Raridon's credentials any. His predecessor, Jerry Schmutte, took Nebraska Wesleyan to three Final Fours, so it's not as though the Plainsmen/Wolves were operating with figurative fifty-pound weights tied around their ankles prior to Raridon taking over the program. Raridon's credentials stand up just fine on their own without needing to be augmented by the "nobody plays basketball in Nebraska" argument.

Demographic and/or institutional arguments for or against a school's relative ability to compete can be a very tricky thing to gauge.

Gee Greg, what do you think the size of the talent base is in Lincoln and the rest of the state of Nebraska compared with the Chicago Metroplex and Illinois? As a city guy, I'd think you would recognize and appreciate the demographics more readily  than most.  
And, sure there are thousands who play BB in NE, but the number pales in comparison to the number of kids whose 1st Christmas and birthday presents are a helmet and a pair of shoulder pads. Why do you think Memorial Stadium in Lincoln has been sold out for every game since 11/3/62, the longest consecutive streak in college football history.

On the other hand, how many d3 schools are in Nebraska, compared with Chicagoland?

That's my point, Chuck, except I'd word it to read, "How many small colleges (D3 and NAIA) are in Nebraska, compared with Chicagoland?" Also, a lot of out-of-town small schools recruit in Chicagoland (and I'm not just talking about downstate schools such as Augie, IWU, Millikin, etc. -- think of Lawrence, Wash U, several of the WIAC schools, Loras, Dubuque, ad infinitum). By contrast, it's a rare bird indeed who follows the Rob Berki path of enlightenment and leaves Huskerland to play small-college hoops somewhere else.

[robberki]

The impact of coaching skill is kind of subjective, but I think we know Augie, Carthage, Wheaton, Elmhurst and probably IWU have excellent coaches, but the other 3 coaches are not exactly losers. No dramatic edge for any team in this category, if you don't have relatively equal or better players than the other guy.

Agreed, with the caveat that only three head coaches in this league have really proved themselves on the CCIW level: Bosko Djurickovic, Grey Giovanine, and Mark Scherer. They're the only three coaches that have: a) won CCIW titles; and b) currently have winning CCIW career records. Paul Brenegan, Todd Raridon, Ron Rose, and Marc Smith have neither CCIW titles nor winning CCIW career records, while Mike Schauer, although a highly-successful coach in two lesser D3 leagues, has yet to dip his toe into the turbulent rapids of head-coaching CCIW games. It should be noted, though, that Raridon did coach a Nebraska Wesleyan team that made it to the D3 national championship game, so he's undoubtedly got head-coaching bona-fides that match anybody's but Bosko's and possibly Grey's.

And keep in mind that a large percentage of Raridon's players throughout his years at Nebraska Wesleyan came right from Lincoln, where NWU is located, with all but a handful of the remainder of the players coming from very small Nebraska towns.

Lincoln has about the same population as the Naperville & Aurora area combined, rather than the millions in the Chicago metro area. The players from other Nebraska towns usually came from places that had microscopic populations compared with even the average size Chicago suburb or a town the size of Rock Island, Bloomington, or Kenosha. The NWU players weren't from hotbeds of basketball---especially in a state where football is the unquestioned king!

I think you can put Raridon's coaching skills right up there with anyone's.
If you doubt that, you have only to look as far back as last season. Raridon's NCC team was picked to finish 6th, but made the conference tourney despite having to compete twice against:
1. A team that had a 1st team All-American, and 3 all conference players.
2. A team that had a 2nd team, All-American, and 3 all conference platers
3. A historically strong team that had 5 or 6 guys taller than the tallest NCC player, including 3 all conference players.
4. A team with a 3rd team All-American guard who might be the best DIII guard in the country this year.
I rest my case. 
 

another impressive thing about Raridon' NWU teams is that he was in D3 but in a conference full of NAIA schools meaning his immediate competitors could all offer athletic scholarships and he could not. He also benefited from nome UNL transfers, one of the most notable was Chad Ideaus, I was a junior in high school I believe when they made a run for the national title. I played against Chad a few times in pickup games and he has the highest arching shot I've ever seen, he would almost hit the wire on the way to the basket...quite impressive.

[Titan Q]

The Pantagraph's article after IWU's media day yesterday...

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/illinois-wesleyan/article_73223102-c9bf-11de-8f5f-001cc4c03286.html

[clemac]

[
Team 1*
G – Travis Rosenkranz, 6-0 (Jr)
G – Sean Johnson, 6-1 (Jr)
F – John Koschnitzky, 6-6 (So)
F – Doug Sexauer, 6-7 (Jr)
C – Edmond O'Callaghan, 6-6 (Jr)

Bench: Stephen Rudnicki, 6-3 (So), Dan Schouten, 6-5 (So), Bradley Ghere, 5-11 (Fr), Luke Radliff, 6-6 (Fr)


Team 2*
G – Sean Dwyer, 5-10 (Sr)
G – Jordan Zimmer, 6-5 (So)
F – Matt Schick, 6-4 (Jr)
F – Duncan Lawson, 6-7 (Jr)
C – Ryan Connolly, 6-9 (So)

Bench: Eliud Gonzalez, 5-9 (So), Dan Oswald, 6-2 (Fr), Sean Seibring, 6-2 (So), Kevin Reed, 6-7 (So), Tyler Bontemps, 6-4 (So)

This game could go either way.

[Titan Q]

This game could go either way.

I agree -  if I'm setting a spread for a 40-minute scrimmage, I probably go with: Team Rosenkranz -8.  

Seeing as the starting lineups basically pit the "first team" vs the "second team", the fact the two are so close is either a good thing as far as the 2009-10 season is concerned, or a bad thing.  We'll know more in February.

[AndOne]

And keep in mind that a large percentage of Raridon's players throughout his years at Nebraska Wesleyan came right from Lincoln, where NWU is located, with all but a handful of the remainder of the players coming from very small Nebraska towns.

Lincoln has about the same population as the Naperville & Aurora area combined, rather than the millions in the Chicago metro area. The players from other Nebraska towns usually came from places that had microscopic populations compared with even the average size Chicago suburb or a town the size of Rock Island, Bloomington, or Kenosha. The NWU players weren't from hotbeds of basketball---especially in a state where football is the unquestioned king!

I don't really think that that burnishes Raridon's credentials any. His predecessor, Jerry Schmutte, took Nebraska Wesleyan to three Final Fours, so it's not as though the Plainsmen/Wolves were operating with figurative fifty-pound weights tied around their ankles prior to Raridon taking over the program. Raridon's credentials stand up just fine on their own without needing to be augmented by the "nobody plays basketball in Nebraska" argument.

Demographic and/or institutional arguments for or against a school's relative ability to compete can be a very tricky thing to gauge.

Gee Greg, what do you think the size of the talent base is in Lincoln and the rest of the state of Nebraska compared with the Chicago Metroplex and Illinois? As a city guy, I'd think you would recognize and appreciate the demographics more readily  than most.  
And, sure there are thousands who play BB in NE, but the number pales in comparison to the number of kids whose 1st Christmas and birthday presents are a helmet and a pair of shoulder pads. Why do you think Memorial Stadium in Lincoln has been sold out for every game since 11/3/62, the longest consecutive streak in college football history.

On the other hand, how many d3 schools are in Nebraska, compared with Chicagoland?

That's my point, Chuck, except I'd word it to read, "How many small colleges (D3 and NAIA) are in Nebraska, compared with Chicagoland?" Also, a lot of out-of-town small schools recruit in Chicagoland (and I'm not just talking about downstate schools such as Augie, IWU, Millikin, etc. -- think of Lawrence, Wash U, several of the WIAC schools, Loras, Dubuque, ad infinitum). By contrast, it's a rare bird indeed who follows the Rob Berki path of enlightenment and leaves Huskerland to play small-college hoops somewhere else.

There are 8 NAIA schools in NE. Nebraska Wesleyan is the only NCAA member in the state. 5 of the 8 schools are in NWU's conference. NWU is in a 13 team conference, and is the only team in the conference that does not give athletic scholarships as all the other schools are NAIA members! The other 7 schools are in SD and Iowa. This is what Raridon was recruiting and playing against while drawing from a rather shallow pool of basketball talent as compared to the legions of players in the Chicago metro area alone. 

[CCIWFAN3]

How about those CUBS:)

[CCIWFAN3]

I'd still start Zimmer.  Mark my word...quickness and athleticsim will win the conference....not big and thick.

[Dennis_Prikkel]

I'd still start Zimmer.  Mark my word...quickness and athleticsim will win the conference....not big and thick.

Who's "Mark"?  I thought is name was Jordan. 

[Gregory Sager]

another impressive thing about Raridon' NWU teams is that he was in D3 but in a conference full of NAIA schools meaning his immediate competitors could all offer athletic scholarships and he could not.

There are 8 NAIA schools in NE. Nebraska Wesleyan is the only NCAA member in the state.

I'm aware of this and I've always been impressed by NWU's relative success within what is now called the Great Plains Athletic Conference, but, again: a) Schmutte had that same sort of success; and b) the D3 vs. NAIA thing doesn't really apply to the demographic argument. Eight schools recruiting a thinly-populated state isn't really all that different from three dozen or so schools recruiting a heavily-populated metro area. That's especially true when you consider that kids out on the prairie are acculturated to long distances and are thus naturally reconciled to the idea that they may have to go to college three hours' drive from home, whereas Chicagoland kids are more likely to balk at being that far from home because there are plenty of schools closer than that.

Also, unlike Nebraska a large percentage of the Chicagoland high-school population is, sadly, written off as potential student-athlete material for a four-year college right from the start, because those young people come from the dire economic and academic environment of the inner city. The vast majority of Chicago Public Schools student-athletes can't aspire to play for an Augustana or a Dominican or a Lawrence or a St. Francis, no matter how good at the game those student-athletes may be.

I get into these demographic discussions all the time on the other boards with Northeast Region advocates, only they come at it from the opposite angle. They attempt to defend the low caliber of D3 play in New England with the argument that there's too many small colleges in too concentrated a geographic area in their neighborhood, which dilutes the player pool. But that argument falls apart when you look at the fact that the parts of New England where those D3 colleges are mostly located -- southern Maine, southern New Hampshire, and all of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island -- are among the most densely populated parts of the entire country. In terms of demographics it all evens out, roughly speaking.

How about those CUBS:)

Lilly just had shoulder surgery and is going to miss spring training. He's supposed to be ready by April, but I'm already expecting the worst -- especially since I don't foresee the Ricketts family handing Jim Hendry a checkbook filled with signed blank checks.