MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

After doing a lot of work the last few weeks sorting through teams, I put together an initial preseason Top 25 ballot.  I have IWU #3, Carthage #4, and Augustana #21...

http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=4097.5700


I saw 3 of the 4 IWU/Carthage games last year...all but the regular season Carhage blowout of IWU in Kenosha.  I give the Titans the slight edge (ever so slight) just due to better balance and depth.  

Also, I think the presence of John Koschnitzky from day one this season will really help IWU.  Koschnitzky was injured (broken foot) in IWU's second game last year...he did not start again until the CCIW tournament game vs Wheaton.  With him as a starter, IWU beat Wheaton, lost in the final seconds to Carthage in Kenosha, beat Central, won @ Wash U, and beat Carthage before falling @ eventual champion UW-Stevens Point.

Bottom line, it is very hard to draw any separation between IWU and Carthage...it is a coin flip really.

With IWU, Carthage, St. Norbert, Anderson, Augustana, and Manchester leading the way, I believe the Midwest region will be really strong at the top in 2010-11.

[izzy stradlin]

Wheaton roster:

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/roster.aspx?path=mbball&

Pflederer is back.  Aaron Garriott is gone.  Michael Kvam (thought to be a possible impact freshman) is not listed.  I heard he just had knee surgery so I am guessing he will be a medical redshirt.   

[Titan Q]

IWU's roster is here...

http://www.iwusports.com/roster.aspx?path=mbball&

(Choose "2010-11" from drop down menu.)


All freshmen expected to be on the roster are, with the exception of Kyle Miklasz, of course (as discussed a few months back)...

http://www.goredbirds.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/miklasz_kyle00.html


I believe 6-9 center Eric McCullough's injuries have finally caused him to have to give it up...in two years on the roster he really wasn't healthy a single day.

[Titan Q]

With practice starting tomorrow, my best guess at IWU's top 10 heading in is...

PG - Travis Rosenkranz, 6-0 Sr (Eliud Gonzalez, 5-9 Jr)
SG - Sean Johnson, 6-1 Sr (Stephen Rudnicki, 6-3 Jr)
SF - Jordan Zimmer, 6-5 Jr (Matt Schick, 6-4 Sr)
PF - John Koschnitzky, 6-6 Jr (Kevin Reed, 6-7 So)
C - Doug Sexauer, 6-7 Sr (Ryan Connolly, 6-9 Jr)

(I'd probably have Dan Oswald included if healthy, but he's been dealing with knee problems.)


There is a talented group of players behind these guys ready to push for spots...especially at the PG, SG, SF, and PF reserve positions.  I'm interested to see how Ron Rose's rotation looks on November 15 (opener at Benedictine), and then on January 5 (first CCIW game, vs NCC).  

[Gregory Sager]

Happy First Practice Day, everybody!

[Gregory Sager]

Wheaton roster:

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/roster.aspx?path=mbball&

Pflederer is back.  Aaron Garriott is gone.  Michael Kvam (thought to be a possible impact freshman) is not listed.  I heard he just had knee surgery so I am guessing he well be a medical redshirt.   

Wheaton badly needs Pflederer to pick up where he left off as a freshman in 2008-09. It's an extraordinarily thin team in terms of experience; only six players return from last season's team that have any substantial varsity experience (Andrew Jahns, Tim McCrary, Stephen Pierotti, Spencer Schultze, John Shackelford, and Josh Kvam), and beyond them there's a couple of sophomore holdovers from the 2009-10 JV team (Nate Serenius and Chase Almen) who saw very limited varsity garbage duty last year.  Add in Pflederer, and that's it in terms of non-freshmen for Wheaton.

The good news for Mike Schauer, aside from the fact that he has the best big man in the Midwest Region, is that he has a very large (by Wheaton standards) freshman class of nine players. Given the numbers situation, one would almost have to think that a couple of those freshmen will be dressing for the varsity at the start of the season both home and away. Jon DeMoss would seem to be a likely candidate, given that he's a year removed from high school, but as always we know little or nothing about Wheaton's recruits, and it's thus hard to project which ones will get immediate varsity tick and which ones won't. If Almen's not ready to back up McCrary and Schultze at the two big-man spots, then it could be one of the three big men that Schauer and his staff brought in (Mickey DeVries, Phil James, and Nathan Haynes) who sees immediate varsity time.

As has been the case for the past couple of seasons, this looks like a Wheaton team that'll have a solid starting five but a huge dropoff once Schauer has to go to his bench. And I'm curious to see how Wheaton compensates for the loss of Ben Panner, who contributed so much at both ends of the floor (including intangibles such as leadership and hustle) that his assets may have to be replaced by collective effort rather than by any one individual -- unless Wheaton's got some backcourt superstar ready to emerge who isn't on our radar yet.

[Titan Q]

I was in Bloomington-Normal this weekend for Art Kimball's visitation and funeral, and also got to see the Titans practice Friday and Saturday.  

It was good to finally see the freshmen play.  Here are the ones who seemed to catch my eye the most in those 2 practices...


Victor Davis (6-5 PF, Galesburg H.S.)
Davis looks like an upperclassman on the floor – he is a powerfully built young man.  I'm trying to think of another IWU freshman post player over the years as physically developed as Davis and can't really come up with one...Davis is bigger and stronger than Cory Jones ('06) was coming in.  

Victor is more polished offensively than I thought he'd be.  He has nice low-post skills (which will need to keep improving in college), and he can also put the ball on the floor from the perimeter and score in a variety of ways near the basket, including a nice, soft half hook from 5 feet or so.  He has good touch out to maybe 15 feet or so (he is not a 3-point shooter.)  

Davis brings a couple things that IWU does not have a ton of in the returning nucleus - pure strength and athleticism.   He also brings an intensity level that IWU fans are going to love.  I can see Victor developing into a fan favorite at the Shirk Center.

If the Titans played a game today, Davis would not be ready to play (obviously 3 days in he doesn't even know the offense), but I have to believe by November 15 he will be right in the middle of the varsity power forward playing time discussion.  He is going to push JR John Koschnitzky, SO Kevin Reed, SR Duncan Lawson and anyone else in that picture.  Victor is going to be a very good player for the Titans...I won't be surprised if that happens sooner than later.


Eric Dortch (6-3 SF, Wilbraham & Monson Academy/Evanston H.S.)
I'm excited about Eric's future at IWU.  He is pretty raw right now, but extremely talented.  Dortch has Darius Gant's frame and athletic ability, and is also what you would call a "combo forward", but he is much more 3 than 4 (where Darius was much more 4 than 3).  Dortch can handle the ball on the perimeter, which Darius really could not, and is a better jump shooter (out to 15 feet or so...he is not a 3-point shooter).  Dortch is your prototypical "slasher"-type 3, but he also has a solid back-to-the-basket game (which he was known most for in high school).  I think he will be a good player down the road for the Titans.  I'm really looking forward to seeing Dortch and Davis on the floor together someday...that will be quite an athletic and talented forward duo.


Nick Anderson (6-9 C, Edwardsville H.S.)
I now see why strong Division III programs like Williams, Wash U, and Wheaton recruited Nick Anderson aggressively.  Anderson is not ready to play in a CCIW varsity game, and is definitely going to need JV time, but I love his upside.  He is a very legitimate 6-9 (some think closer to 6-10), with a wingspan that must be 7 feet.  Right now, the kid looks like a baby giraffe, with elbows and knees and arms and legs all going in different directions, but he has a very nice offensive skill set, and he knows what he is doing around the basket.  

Anderson was not used very effectively in high school (they played him away from the basket, and he is just not a 3 or 4), and just needs time to learn how to play the low post.   He will get that chance on the JV team this season.  

I was impressed by Nick Anderson.  I assumed this kid was kind of a "project", but I don't think that is the case at all.  I think this is a very talented kid with tremendous height for Division III who just needs time.


Brady Zimmer (6-4 G, Delavan H.S.)
Brady (6-4) looks exactly like his older brother Jordan (6-5) did two years ago – he is long and lanky and rail thin.  Like Jordan, adding muscle is just going to be a matter of hard work and time...it has taken Jordan 2 years just to get to 190 lbs...Brady is probably 180 now.  (And Jordan, while still very thin, is starting to fill out nicely with muscle as a JR.)  I'm pretty sure the Zimmer brothers could lift weights for 2 hours a day and eat McDonald's extra value meal #1 (supersized) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and only gain about 5 pounds over a 6 month period.  (They'll love this in their 30's!)

In the couple practices I saw, it was clear Brady has an adjustment ahead of him from IHSA Class 1A to the CCIW...both from a strength standpoint and "speed of the game."  Jordan had the same adjustment to make two years ago.

Brady seems to shoot the ball about as well as his brother, who is one of the best shooters in the CCIW, and he handles it better.  It is going to take Brady time to adjust to the college level, but he has all the tools to be a very good player.


Mike Mayberger (6-5 G/F, St. Louis University High)
Nothing flashy here, but this kid is really solid.  Of all the freshmen, Mayberger looked the most comfortable on the floor in his first two days of college basketball practice.  Mayberger just handles himself like a player – seems like one of those "high basketball I.Q." kind of players.  I also noticed he was the last player to leave the gym both days.

Definitely a JV player this year, but I can see Mayberger being a solid contributor down the road.



Of the 10 freshmen, these are simply the 5 that caught my eye the most in two days.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Re: Nick Anderson.  You suppose Coach Bridges will be called upon to teach "the Sikma move"?

[AndOne]

North Central opened practice tonight with the stampede going to the post at 6:00 and being put through their paces by the coaching staff over a marathon 3 1/2 hour session.

Lots to sort out with 33 bodies in camp at this time. Its no secret that this year's version of the Cardinals could easily be referred to as the baby birds given the number of rookies in camp. 

Led by top assistant coach and recruiting guru Todd Kelly, the NCC staff has assembled not only the largest incoming contingent in the last 6 years, but also the most talented. Kelly and his talented team of associates worked hard in winning several battles to assemble what could well prove to be a very good class. It will now be up to the coaching staff to harness the raw potential of many of the newbies and mold them into a cohesive unit. One of last year's primary problem spots, namely lack of height, was conscientiously addressed.

While I'd like to be more specific about several members of the roster, the NCC intelligence unit has placed a "top secret" stamp on their files for the time being. 
It will be interesting to see what the final makeup of the varsity turns out to be. At this time many of the slots are anyone's guess.

[Gregory Sager]

While I'd like to be more specific about several members of the roster, the NCC intelligence unit has placed a "top secret" stamp on their files for the time being.  

That's too bad, since, as Bob demonstrated yesterday, this is the time of the year in which everybody is in love with their freshmen. This would've been a golden opportunity for you to rouse the North Central faithful from their slumber (or their focus upon football) with descriptions of the newbies and the possibilities that they hold in store for Raridon's program.

Perhaps you could use initials -- or even pseudonyms, such as "John Doe, a 6'5 power forward, has a wealth of athleticism and a real nose for the ball around the basket ..." or "John Q. Public, an electric 5'11 point guard with silky-smooth moves and great handles, is going to be hard to keep out of the varsity rotation this year ..." or "Arch Stanton is definitely a big part of the future of the Cardinals and a potential All-CCIW performer at the small forward position ...".

Hey, anything to stir up the chatter in here. We're three days into preseason now, and the only team we've heard about thus far is Wesleyan. Has anybody else caught a glimpse of a practice yet around the league?

(I'll report from NPU first chance I get, of course.)

[Titan Q]

A few other observations and thoughts from the Friday and Saturday practices I caught...


* It's amazing how different it looks and feels to have a SR/JR dominated team after the last few seasons of IWU basketball.  Behind upperclassmen like Travis Rosenkranz, Sean Johnson, Doug Sexauer, Jordan Zimmer, and John Koschnitzky, the Titans have a bit of a confidence and swagger that has been missing from Titan basketball during the first four years of the Ron Rose era.  Things definitely feel different around the team this year.

* The 2010-11 Titans are incredibly deep.  IWU has 2 players at most positions who are good enough to start in the CCIW this year.  At some positions, like both forward spots, they have more than that.  While this is a good thing, I think it's also going to be a real challenge to figure out what the perfect mix is for the varsity rotation.  The coaching staff has a lot to figure out, personnel-wise, as the preseason plays out.

* 6-5 JR G/F Jordan Zimmer, while still thin, has added a lot of muscle in two years.  I've seen a lot of IWU players over the years turn the corner from their SO year to JR, and I kind of see that coming from Zimmer.  I think he is going to have a big season.  He was very good at the Wash U sectional last year as a soph and I see a lot more games coming like those...

http://bearsports.wustl.edu/Stats/TeamStats/basketball-mens/2009-2010/ncaa3.htm

http://www.iwusports.com/custompages/MBB/MBB2010/HTML/ncaam1.htm

* 6-9 JR C Ryan Connolly looks a lot more mobile this season to me.  I'll have to get a better look in game action, but he looked good in practice.

* 6-1 SG Sean Johnson (17.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.1 apg) and 6-7 C Doug Sexauer (15.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, .621 FG) had big JR seasons and look ready to build on that.  Both look a little stronger and lot more confident.

* Coach Stein is poised to have a big season on the sidelines.

[Titan Q]

http://athletics.carthage.edu/news/2010/10/15/Mens_Basketball_1015100632.aspx

"I don't think I would trade this roster for any roster in the nation," concludes Djurickovic. "The real challenge this year might well be within our own league. The CCIW is going to make the jump this season from being pretty good to being incredibly good. You have three other teams in the conference who think they are every bit as good as we think we are. Furthermore, the other four teams all have solid returning players and are all going to be very tough. From top to bottom, the CCIW may be as good this year as any year that I can remember."

[Titan Q]

I assume the "three other teams" Bosko referred to are Illinois Wesleyan, Augustana, and North Park.  It would seem to me the league's preseason top 4 picks are pretty clear.

From 1-8, right now I'd probably go...

T1. Carthage
T1. Illinois Wesleyan
3. Augustana
4. North Park
5. Wheaton
6. Elmhurst
7. North Central
8. Millikin

You know the league is pretty strong when you have...

* Two probable preseason Top 10 teams (Carthage, IWU)

* A third probable preseason Top 25 team (Augustana)

* A #4 pick that returns as much talent and depth as North Park

* A #5 pick has a 1st Team All-American candidate (Wheaton - Tim McCrary)

* A #6 with an NCAA D2 transfer big man (Steve Crane - Elmhurst) and a former all-CCIW transfer guard (Sean Fendley) to go along with several returning good perimeter players

* #7 that has last season's national "Rookie of the Year" (North Central - Derek Raridon)


Year in and year out, the WIAC is the top conference in the nation.  But every few years another league lays a strong claim to being the #1 conference in NCAA Division III -- I felt 2005-06 was one of those seasons for the CCIW, for example.  This is a season where the CCIW or ODAC (Eastern Mennonite, Randolph-Macon, Virginia Wesleyan) could end up being the best league in the country...even with the WIAC having the probable preseason #1 (UW-Stevens Point).  

We'll see how it plays out.

[Gregory Sager]

I'm not sold on the idea that the coaches are going to pick North Park ahead of Wheaton. Combine the fact that Wheaton still has Tim McCrary while NPU lost Nick Williams at the same position with NPU's inability to demonstrate in over a decade and a half that it has what it takes to be a first-division team, and I think that it'll add up to Wheaton being picked fourth while NPU is picked fifth.

I find Carthage's schedule to be pretty interesting. Bosko's really not one to concern himself much with the whole in-region thing, but this year the Red Men are really playing an exotic schedule. Carthage has the likes of Cal St. Joe, Cardinal Stritch, and Silver Lake on the schedule. It's not a bad itinerary as far as competition is concerned -- no slate that includes probable OAC preseason favorite John Carroll, perennial powers Whitworth, Hope, and Calvin, and a couple of annual don't-take-them-lightly teams in Albion and Transylvania, plus a Cardinal Stritch team that's coming off of a 27-6 season, can be called easy. But it only has four in-region non-conference games: Bethany Lutheran, Whitworth, Pacific, and Transylvania. That means that the Red Men could be cutting it close if they need to rely upon a Pool C bid, particularly in light of the fact that it should be tougher for them to go 12-2 in the league again this coming season.

[markerickson]

Nobody bit on Sager's statement that Elmhurst has the midwest's best big man.  Crane, a 6'8" D2 transter, did not play last year and rarely found the bucket in 08-09.  Given Crane's lack of productivity over the last two years, I'll go with the proven Sexaur instead.

I perused the Carthage roster.  Yes, Malcolm Kelly made NP's guards look lost when Carthage visited Foster and Kedzie.  Yes, Stevie D cannot be stopped by anyone except the refs, but that never happens.  Yes, Max Cary can create matchup problems.  Yes, Pierce and Guzman have girth.  However, I don't see this roster warranting such a lofty preseason slot.  But they do have a might fine head coach!