MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[AndOne]

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).  

IWU suffered a pretty big blow yesterday in practice.  6-5 junior G/F Jordan Zimmer, a returning starter, broke his foot.  It sounds to me like the same break the caused John Koschnitzky to miss about 2 months last year, and also the same one that cost Sean Dwyer his entire freshman season.

Zimmer averaged 9.6 ppg last year and made 54 of 132 (.409) 3's.  He was huge in NCAA tournament wins over Central and Wash U (rounds 1 & 2).  It's definitely a significant setback for the Titans.  From watching 3 practices a couple weeks ago, I really felt like Jordan Zimmer was poised for a big junior year.

The good news is that IWU still has 3 returning all-CCIW players (Sexauer, Johnson, Rosenkranz) and some good options for replacing Zimmer in the starting lineup.  My best guess is that Ron Rose will move John Koschnitzky back to the 3 (where he is very comfortable) and insert another 4 (the 4 is where IWU has the most depth).  That is completely a guess though.

I have not heard when Zimmer is expected back, but having seen this same kind of injury several times, I'd guess mid-January.  The problem, though, is that it takes a long time to get back in shape and into the flow after something like this.  John Koschnitzky was really never quite right last season after he returned.

I've been thinking the last few days as I've processed this... could there be something about the Shirk's floor that makes players more prone to foot and ankle injuries?

Maybe I'm off base, but it seems like IWU has had its share of these types of injuries over the years.

And maybe it's just pure coincidence... and I don't know that there's any way to prove it conclusively either way (unless 4 or 5 guys end up going down).  Never having had the chance to play there, I'm not going off of any past experience or anything... but it just seems like there has been a higher-than-average occurance of these (and they typically seem to be of the season-ending variety).

Is the composition of the Shirk floor that different from that of the majority of other arenas?

Say what you want about NCC's "hanger," but over the years I've heard players from several different opposing schools comment on the fact that they appreciate the fact that the floor there plays "soft" and seems to have an extra degree of "spring" in it as opposed to giving the feeling of playing on concrete which is often something players criticize about a playing surface.

[Titan Q]

Got a text from someone at the scrimmage today...

1st 20 minutes:

IWU 34
St. Norbert 24

2nd 20...

IWU 34
St. Norbert 30


Will probably get a few more details later.

[Titan Q]

Got a text from someone at the scrimmage today...

1st 20 minutes:

IWU 34
St. Norbert 24

2nd 20...

IWU 34
St. Norbert 30


Will probably get a few more details later.

No big surprises it sounds like today for the Titans - the 3 returning all-CCIW players led the way.  Doug Sexauer had 17, Sean Johnson 15, and Travis Rosenkranz had a bunch of assists.

Sounds like IWU's size caused a lot of problems for St. Norbert.  The person I talked to said that IWU was just simply a lot bigger in the low post and that St. Norbert had a lot of trouble handling Doug Sexauer.

As far key returners go, the Titans were without Jordan Zimmer (foot) and 6-9 backup C Ryan Connolly (back - should return soon).

[izzy stradlin]

A season preview type video blog for Wheaton.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLdaAEFoqn0

Based on Schauer's comments in the video, I would guess Wheaton goes:
1. Pflederer
2. Jahns
3. DeMoss
4. McCrary
5. Schultze

[John Gleich]

I caught most of the UWSP/Carthage scrimmage tonight.

Point won the first half 41-40, Carthage won the second half 51-39.  I didn't stay for the 10 minute period.

I'll provide some comments later if I have a chance.  I'd love to hear what others thought if they were there too!

[Titan Q]

A season preview type video blog for Wheaton.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLdaAEFoqn0

"They better beat us now."

The league is warned!

[kenoshamark]

Well, I see PointSpecial already put the scores up so I will proceed with some other nuggets.   

I got to the gym just in time to see the starters walk out for the jump and I have to admit, I didn't recognize Steve.   He has gone with a Tom Brady"esque" look.   Okay, a bit of an exaggeration but certainly a change from what we all have been used to.   Malcom Kelly was also sporting a full beard so their starting backcourt really did have a "new" look. 

Starters were Thompson, Guzman, Cary, Kelly and Steve.   Carthage started out red hot for the first 5 minutes and you would have thought they were in mid-season form.   They were hitting from everyone and getting everyone involved.  After that, SP really played well and I thought their quickness bothered Carthage.   They really hit the boards well and attacked the basket.  Pierce was the first player off the bench and yes, he still is quite heavy.  Maybe a few more lbs than last year.  Unfortunately, they didn't work it inside to Tyler so the offense didn't click as well.  Thankfully, when you have Steve, he will hit big shots or make big plays to prevent the other team from really taking control.   I would say SP looked like the better team in the first session but Carthage had a chance to win it but couldn't get a decent look.   The only other two players who saw any real minutes were two freshmen, Bauch and Senior.

In the second stanza, Carthage again started out well and this time, they were able to build a comfortable lead and kept it between 8 - 12 points for the majority of the session.  Pierce was much more effective and Carthage used him to play the inside out game to their advantage.   Carthage also got scoring from Cary and some good contribution from Thompson and Kelly.   Again, the rotation was tight only going with seven including Bauch.

The third session was 10 minutes with just the reserves...not much scoring and a bit ragged but SP won that one.

SP looks very good and they have the size up front, quickness and shooting on the perimeter and overall experience to be ranked where they are.   Their PG - Harris is extremely quick and their shooting guard, Giordana can fill it up.   I would say their overall size in the backcourt is lacking (both players are at best 5'10") but they are talented.   Plus, they won't have to guard many players like Steve anyway. 

No reason to believe both teams aren't truly top 10 teams and if they both stay healthy, they should make a nice run in the tournament.   

[kenoshamark]

One other player for SP I forgot to mention was forward, Dan Tillema.   This kid really competes on the floor and can really jump.   He had a number of offensive boards and threw down a nice dunk on a fast break.   He along with Hurd and Krull make for a strong frontcourt. 

[Drake Palmer]

One other player for SP I forgot to mention was forward, Dan Tillema.   This kid really competes on the floor and can really jump.   He had a number of offensive boards and threw down a nice dunk on a fast break.   He along with Hurd and Krull make for a strong frontcourt. 

The word of Dan Tillema's leaping abilities even reached next door in Minnesota's MIAC country. Last winter this video from a UWSP Elmhurst game circulated around the message boards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmzA5Mn1t0k&feature=related

[markerickson]

No charging OR traveling?

[Titan Q]

No charging OR traveling?

As far as charging, I don't think the Elmhurst defender was in position for long enough to get that call.  And as far as traveling, it's really hard to say in my opinion.  It's kind of like a bang-bang play at 1B...when you watch it at regular speed, it all happens too quick to tell.

Bottom line, it's a crazy dunk.  You just don't see something like this very often at the D3 level.  It must have been shocking to those in the gym because as he brings the ball up the floor, you just don't see the dunk coming at all.

[Gregory Sager]

I watched NPU's second intrasquad scrimmage last night. It had its moments, but on balance it was pretty sloppy. Overall, there seems to be a predictable sense of restlessness among the players; I think that they're pretty eager to play against people wearing different-colored uniforms. They'll get their chance next Saturday morning at Lake Forest.

Junior swingman Issa Avery was the star of last night's scrimmage. He knocked down all four treys that he attempted and made a number of terrific interior passes. He's always had superlative athletic ability, but the finer points of the game that seemed to elude him over the past two years are now beginning to fall into place in terms of his game. If he continues to play at the level he demonstrated last night he will be difficult, if not impossible, to keep out of the starting lineup.

The team's lone transfer, sophomore guard Brett Peterson from Westfield State, is solid if not spectacular. He'll more than adequately fill the blue-collar backup role that Ryan Beigie had last season.

Walid Mouzaoui is still getting into shape, and he can only play a limited number of consecutive minutes at this point, but his ability to contribute even in that limited capacity at a CCIW level really opens up some options for NPU. Phil Schniedermeier and Emanuel Crosby are both more mobile now and have expanded their games to the point where it's conceivable that they can play side-by-side rather than share the center position between them, and Mouzaoui's presence gives the Vikings the center depth to use that kind of dual-big-man look. Since Jorge Gonzalez, Christian Alsing, and Nick Hoekstra can each play either forward position, Kendall Greer and Issa Avery can play either shooting guard or small forward, and two of the guards in the rotation, D.A. Robinson and Clayton Cahill, can play either guard spot, the sky's the limit for Paul Brenegan in terms of what sort of team he wants to put out on the floor at any one time. He can go big, he can go small, he can go defense-first, he can go conventional, he can go shooter-heavy, he can go slasher-heavy, etc. It's a unique situation that I don't ever recall seeing North Park have; the Vikings have had deep teams before, but never deep at every position the way that they are this year. And, as I said earlier, it's depth with experience, as nine players (of whom Gonzalez is not one) have started at least seven games and logged 300 minutes of varsity time.

But it's just hard to get a read on the Vikings right now when they're only playing themselves. I'm eager to see how they look against the Foresters next weekend.

[Titan Q]

A stab at CCIW starting lineups at the start of the non-conference season.  Some projections based on opinions posted here, others via best guess.

Let me know where I'm off.

* returning all-CCIW player


Augustana
G – Brian DeSimone, 6-1 Jr
G – Chris Anderson, 6-4 Jr
F – Bryant Voilles, 6-9 Jr
F – Brandon Kunz, 6-7 So
F – Kyle Nelson, 6-9 Sr* (1st Team)

Carthage
G – Steve Djurickovic, 6-3 Sr* (1st Team) (1st Team All-American, national "Player of the Year")
G – Malcolm Kelly, 6-0 So
G – Max Cary, 6-4 Jr
F – Mitch Thompson, 6-6 So* (3rd Team)
C – Tyler Pierce, 6-5 So* (2nd Team)

Elmhurst
G – Mike McCurdy, 6-0 Jr
G – Sean Fendley, 6-1 Sr
G – Zack Boyd, 6-3 Jr
F – Steve Crane, 6-9 Jr
C – Jahbril Scott, 6-7 Jr

Illinois Wesleyan
G – Travis Rosenkranz, 6-0 Sr* (3rd Team)
G – Sean Johnson, 6-1 Sr* (2nd Team)
F – John Koschnitzky, 6-6 Jr
F - Kevin Reed, 6-7 So
F – Doug Sexauer, 6-7 Sr* (1st Team)

Millikin
No freakin' clue

North Central
G – Kevin Gillespie, 5-11 Jr
G – Brian Evans, 6-3 Sr
F - Derek Raridon, 6-6 So* (2nd Team) (national "Rookie of the Year")
F – Brad Hallstein, 6-8 Fr
F - Landon Gamble, 6-6 Fr

North Park
G – Roshawn Russell, 5-9 Jr
G - Davone Robinson, 6-1 Jr
G – Shaun Collins, 6-2 Sr
F – Jorge Gonzalez, 6-5 Sr
C – Emmanuel Crosby, 6-7 Jr* (2nd Team)

Wheaton
G – Jeremy Pflederer, 6-0 Jr
G – Andrew Jahns, 6-2 Sr
G – Jon DeMoss, 6-3 Fr
F – Tim McCrary, 6-6 Jr* (1st Team) (2nd Team All-American)
F – Spencer Schultze, 6-6 Jr

[izzy stradlin]

Full Wheaton preview:

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2010/11/1/MBB_seasonpreview.aspx?path=mbball

[Gregory Sager]

A stab at CCIW starting lineups at the start of the non-conference season.  Some projections based on opinions posted here, others via best guess.

NPU's starting lineup is a roll of the dice, and I wouldn't even want to hazard a guess as to which five Vikings will be in it. I'm not even 100% sure that Paul Brenegan knows yet what it's going to look like, either. Most years it's a pretty obvious choice for him, but it's anything but obvious this year -- and that's a good thing, I think.

One thing that I'm pretty sure of, though, is that Shaun Collins will most likely not be a starter. As I said, there's nothing guaranteed about what the starting five of the Vikings will look like on November 17 against Concordia (IL), but the probability is high that it'll be a more conventional lineup with a center, two forwards, and two guards rather than a center, a forward, and three guards -- and I don't see Collins being the starter at the shooting guard position.

Also, Jorge Gonzalez is a senior, not a junior.