MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

As I indicated back in October, Pierce's weight began to balloon as early as this summer when he looked to be more like 250 rather than the 230 he is listed as being on the Carthage roster. With summer league, followed by the start of practice this fall, and now almost 1/2 way through the season, I assumed he would be at or close to his listed playing weight by now. However, it appears from TQ's post that he could possibly be even heavier than he was this summer.
Guzman is listed as being 280, and looked every bit of it this summer. Based on what I heard about his habits during the time he was being recruited in high school, I considered the possibility of his being in playing shape by the start of the season remote. I'm a bit more surprised about Pierce though.
If Pierce and Guzman are 250-260 and 280 respectively, among other things, how can they beat anyone back on defense? Also, once they do manage to lumber down the floor and get into position, who in the league won't be able to go right around them as if their feet were nailed to the floor?    

I think the impact of Pierce's physical condition has to go well beyond just the limitations it causes him on the floor.  Watching Tyler Piece waddle up and down the floor today, I thought to myself how pissed off Steve Djurickovic has to be.  Here is one of the best players ever to play in the CCIW, and the 2009-10 D3hoops.com Player of the Year, and his primary low-post threat obviously isn't real serious about becoming a better player.  (Other Red Men players who have worked hard also have to feel the same.)

I've seen a lot of great Division III teams over the years following IWU, the CCIW, and making trips to Salem...and none has had a player as physically out of shape as Tyler Pierce is right now.

Quite honestly, I'm surprised Bosko plays him.  It makes a not-so-flattering statement about the program in my opinion.

[Titan Q]

Final CCIW in-region report...

(records below are in-region only...not overall)

Augustana (10-0)
11/16, @ Simpson  W
11/22, vs Washington U W
11/27, vs Anderson  W
12/1, @ Monmouth  W
12/11, vs Buena Vista  W
12/15, vs UW-Whitewater  W
12/20, @ MacMurray  W
12/29, vs UW-Stout, at St. Norbert  W
12/30, @ St. Norbert  W
1/2, vs Chicago   W

Out of region:
12/8, vs St. Ambrose  W

Carthage (2-2)
11/19, vs Bethany Lutheran  W
11/24, vs Whitworth (in Hawaii) L
11/26, vs Pacific (in Hawaii)  W
1/2, @ Transylvania L

Out of region:
11/16, vs Calumet-St. Joseph  W  
11/20, vs John Carroll  L
12/3 vs Hope  W
12/4, vs Calvin  W
12/7, vs Silver Lake  W
12/11, vs Albion  L
12/12, vs Cardinal Stritch  W

Elmhurst (5-6)
11/16, @ Cornell  L
11/20, vs Hamline L
11/23, @ St. Norbert  L
12/1, @ Olivet  L
12/5, @ Westminster (Mo)  W
12/9, vs Kalamazoo  W
12/11, vs Loras  W
12/20, vs Aurora, in Las Vegas  L
12/21, vs UW-Oshkosh, in Las Vegas  W
12/29, vs DePauw  W
12/30, vs Benedictine  L

Illinois Wesleyan (8-2)
11/15, @ Benedictine  W
11/19, vs Aurora  W
11/20, vs Ripon  W
11/23, @ Monmouth  W
11/27, vs Dominican W
11/29, @ Webster  W
12/4, vs Chicago L
12/11, vs MacMurray  W
12/18, @ Washington U L
12/30, @ Cal Lutheran  W

Out of region:

12/29, vs Gettysburg, at Cal Lutheran  W

Millikin (0-6)
11/19, vs Nebraska Wesleyan  L
11/23, vs Franklin L
11/28, @ Rose-Hulman L
12/4, @ Aurora  L
12/20, @ Transyvania L
12/29, vs St. Mary's (MN), at Ill College  L


Out of region:
12/1, vs Robert Morris-Springfield  W
12/18, @ Adrian  L
12/21, vs Piedmont (GA),  L
12/30, vs Clarke at Illinois College  L

North Central (3-5)
11/19, vs Bluffton L
11/20 vs Edgewood  L
11/23, vs Aurora  L
11/27, @ Illinois College  L
11/28, @ Manchester W
12/7, vs Lake Forest  W
12/22, @ Benedictine L
12/27, @ Rockford  W

Out of region:
12/1, vs Albion  W
12/17, @ Hawaii-Hilo  L
12/30, @ Adrian  L

North Park (5-4)
11/17, vs Concordia  L
11/23, vs Edgewood  W
11/27, @ Fontbonne  W
11/30, @ Carroll W
12/4, vs Trine L
12/11, @ Spalding  W
12/13, vs Milwaukee Engineering  W
12/19, @ Coe  L
12/20, @ Loras  L

Out of region:
12/28, vs Williams, at Salem State  L
12/29, vs Regis, at Salem State  W

Wheaton (4-2)
11/16, @ Manchester  L
11/19, vs UW-Whitewater  W
11,23, vs Loras  W
12/1, @ Chicago  W
12/4, vs Hope L
12/11, vs Washington U  W

Out of region:
11/19, vs Covenant  W
12/3, vs Calvin  W
12/9, vs Trinity Intl  W
12/30, vs Messiah, in Phoenix  W
12/31, vs Husson, in Phoenix  W


CCIW non-conference totals (88 games)
In-region games: 64 (73%)
Out-of-region games: 24 (27%)


Final CCIW in-region, non-conference record
37-27 (.578)

[Titan Q]

I've heard from a reliable source that North Dakota State U. transfer Taylor Baxter is going to Loras.

[dansand]

Bryant Voiles is this week's CCIW Player of the Week.

http://www.cciw.org/news/2011/1/3/MBB_0103112732.aspx

He was MVP of the St. Norbert tournament and then had 19 points and 9 rebounds in Augie's win over Chicago. It's not hard to see why Augie missed Voiles so much last year.  

The Vikes' 11-0 start is their best since the 1935-36 team won its first 16. Brian DeSimone has been fighting a cold/flu for a week or so and Brandon Kunz was sick and missed the Chicago game also. Hopefully they'll be ready to go at North Park. Drew Croegaert (six of Augie's first eight points), Eric Safranski, Sam Calcagno and Luke Scarlata (seven rebounds and five points in seven minutes) gave the Vikes nice minutes filling in against the Maroons.

[Titan Q]

Well, this Chicago native never thought he'd live in Bloomington, IL...or Columbia, MO...or Lincoln, NE!

People keep looking at me funny when I tell them I'm not all that excited about going to Cornhusker football games, but will enjoy a Nebraska Wesleyan basketball game every now and then.

We leave Saturday for our house hunting trip in Lincoln.  I assume some bar in town will have the IWU/Carthage video stream up?

-------------------------------------

To:      Central Zone Associates

Re:      Announcement – Bob and Rosemary Quillman

We are pleased to announce that Assistant Marketing Manager Bob Quillman has been selected as the Zone Marketing Manager in Heartland Zone.

Bob will assume his new role Feb 19, 2011.

Bob started his career with State Farm in 1993 as a Commercial Fire underwriter at the Illinois Regional Office, and was later promoted to field underwriter and team manager.  In 2003, he moved to Corporate Agency, where he was tasked with creating and leading the "Franchise Relations" marketing program.  In five years, Bob's team secured over 50 "Preferred Provider Agreements" with companies such as Mrs. Fields Famous Brands, Great Clips and Blimpie; his team also helped agents across the Enterprise secure Small Business sales with the franchisees.  Bob assumed his current role in 2008.

Bob graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a degree in Risk Management & Insurance. He has completed his CPCU, CLU, ChFC and FLMI designations.

We are also excited to announce that Auto Underwriting Section Manager Rosemary Quillman has accepted an Auto Operations position in Heartland Zone. She will be moving with Bob to Lincoln, Neb.

Rosemary has been with State Farm for 21 years. She began her career as a Commercial Fire underwriter in the Great Lakes Zone. Rosemary has held many different positions in Fire Underwriting and Public Affairs and has worked in several zones and Corporate. Rosemary assumed her most recent role in 2007.

Please help us wish Rosemary and Bob well in their new roles in the Heartland Zone!

[sac]

Good luck Q

[Mr. Ypsi]

Congratulations, Bob, but you're getting farther and farther from the Shirk!

What's next - a state with no d3 presence whatsoever?!

[At least you can reminisce about 1997 with the Neb Wes guys! ]

[dansand]

[At least you can reminisce about 1997 with the Neb Wes guys! ]

Maybe when AndOne comes out to visit, you guys can settle who actually canceled the JV games.  

[iwu70]

Q, congrats on the new job with The Farm.  Hope it is agreeable and meets with your wishes.  You are getting further and further away from the heart of Midwest DIII roundball!  But, the Farm's empire is widespread, so you have to expect assignments to the far reaches.  I'm expecting to see more "signs of the Farm" in Hong Kong one of these days, though AIG, AIA, Prudential, ManuLife and China Life seem to have the landscape pretty well covered out this way. 

Good luck with the house hunting.  Yes, you can check out the traditions and current bball quality of Nebraska Wesleyan , another good United Methodist-affiliated liberal arts institution.

Looking forward to the CCIW race now. 

Was interesting in your comments about the out-of-shape players surrounding Stevie D.  Compare that to the fitness, improvements and overall quality of play of Ryan Connolly from last year to this.  He's really making good progress and playing at a high level.  If this continues in the coming years, he's going to be a major force in the post-Sexauer post for the Titans.  I love his energy and his strength. and his good passing and above average FT shooting. 

More later.

[Titan Q]

Was interesting in your comments about the out-of-shape players surrounding Stevie D.  Compare that to the fitness, improvements and overall quality of play of Ryan Connolly from last year to this.  He's really making good progress and playing at a high level.  If this continues in the coming years, he's going to be a major force in the post-Sexauer post for the Titans.  I love his energy and his strength. and his good passing and above average FT shooting.  

Here is a picture of Ryan Connolly from last week in California...

http://www.iwuhoops.com/bccallu.jpg


Here is a picture from last March (the Carthage game @ Stevens Point)...

http://www.iwuhoops.com/bc10.jpg


Connolly lost about 25 pounds in the off-season (after losing a bunch between his FR and SO seasons) and his frame is just totally different.  He's running the floor much better than he did last season.  

I like the fact that he's obviously worked hard to become a better player.  His combination of size (he is just an enormous kid) and soft shooting touch makes him a big factor when he's in there.  To play him though, the matchups have to be right...he can't chase a 6-5 forward around on the perimeter.  There are 12-15 minutes per game available for either Connolly or 6-7 Duncan Lawson (two very different players), depending on matchups and needs.

If Connolly plays with the poise and maturity he did vs Cal Lutheran, he'll help IWU win games during the CCIW season.  

[AndOne]

[At least you can reminisce about 1997 with the Neb Wes guys! ]

Maybe when AndOne comes out to visit, you guys can settle who actually canceled the JV games.  

And explore the Haymarket district of downtown Lincoln, and go for a pizza at Valentino's. Two things TQ and his better half should definitely do after establishing their new domicile.   

[AndOne]

AndOne, North Central recently cancelled both of its scheduled JV games with IWU.  Any idea why?  With 18 freshmen, it can't be a numbers thing.

Any idea?

I believe you have some erroneous information.
At the beginning of the season, North Central had 18 JV games scheduled. None were against Wesleyan. The schedule still shows an 18 game schedule, leading me to believe that no JV games which were scheduled to be played this season have been canceled.

In past seasons, I heard NCC and Wesleyan did not play JV games because Wesleyan did not want to transport that many players to Naperville due to the cost involved. By bringing just the varsity north, IWU was able to do so either in university or rental vans as opposed to the large cash outlay involved in renting a motor coach. As no JV games were able to be played in Naperville, no games were played in Bloomington either.      

Here is IWU's (unrevised) 2010-11 JV schedule...

http://www.iwusports.com/sports/2010/11/4/MBB_1104100637.aspx?path=mbball

Games with NCC scheduled on 1/5 and 2/2 (before the varsity games).  Someone from NCC's basketball program (not sure who) called IWU associate AD Mike Wagner last week and cancelled both games.  

As far as what you heard on IWU not playing NCC due to cost, that is just not accurate.  A few years ago (2006-07, Ron Rose's first season) IWU had to cancel part of its JV season due to lack of numbers in the program (8 seniors graduated and there was just one freshman, Sean Dwyer, and then a few injuries).  But since then IWU has played a full JV schedule each season...including playing JV-only games on the road at places like Parkland CC, Lincoln College, Olivet Nazarene, and others.  It doesn't make any common sense to be willing to take the JV team on the road on its own, but not to NCC with the varsity, does it?

The only CCIW JV games IWU has not played since 2006-07, to my knowledge, are those where a) the opponent cancelled all of part its JV season, or b) there is a women's/men's doubleheader.

And here is NCC's (unrevised) 18 game 2010-11 JV schedule as it was originally posted.

http://www.northcentralcardinals.com/sports/2009/12/11/MBB_1211094020.aspx?path=mbball

Note the absence of any games with IWU.  

Additionally, I spoke with the coaching staff after practice today, and was advised neither head coach Todd Raridon, JV head coach Todd Kelly, nor ass't JV coach Mitch Raridon called anyone at IWU to cancel games which were never scheduled. These are the only coaches that would be involved in any discussion of the NCC JV schedule as Nate Riley and Chris Drennan do not work with the JV team. They also advised AD Jim Miller was likewise not involved in any form of contact with IWU regarding this subject. Perhaps another member of the NCC staff such as the ass't AD or the dept. secy called to confirm there would not be any games (as opposed to canceling games which were never scheduled) after seeing the games mistakenly listed on the Wesleyan web site.

Furthermore, with regard to the question of IWU of taking only the JV team to places like Parkland CC and Lincoln College, but not to NCC with the varsity, it actually does make sense as IWU would be able to use university or rental van(s) to make these JV only trips--especially considering Parkland in Champaign is only about 45 miles from Bloomington, and Lincoln College is only about 30 miles as opposed to the approximately 97 mile trip to Naperville which could still be made in a van(s) if only the varsity made the trip as opposed to having to rent a motor coach if both the JV and varsity teams made the trip together.

Lastly, the statement that "the only JV games IWU has not played since 2006-07 (to my knowledge) are those where a) the opponent cancelled all or part of its JV seaso, or b) there is a men's/women's doubleheader" is incorrect as evidenced by the fact that Wesleyan has not played a JV game against NCC during the Raridon era, with I believe all, or almost all of the IWU-NCC games scheduled on Wednesdays over the last several years rather than on Saturdays which feature the men's/women's doubleheaders.  
Also, I'm not sure if Wheaton has a JV team this year, but, if so, they do not appear on the IWU JV schedule either.

Perhaps this is a case of wishful thinking by the IWU athletic dept webmaster.  

[Mr. Ypsi]

The new poll is out.

Augie rises from #10 to #9.  IWU holds steady at #18.  Wheaton gets 39 points for (#26).  Carthage plummets all the way from #24 to zero points (Transy gets 4 points).

[Mugsy]

Well, this Chicago native never thought he'd live in Bloomington, IL...or Columbia, MO...or Lincoln, NE!

People keep looking at me funny when I tell them I'm not all that excited about going to Cornhusker football games, but will enjoy a Nebraska Wesleyan basketball game every now and then.

We leave Saturday for our house hunting trip in Lincoln.  I assume some bar in town will have the IWU/Carthage video stream up?

First football game I ever saw was a Cornhusker game (a long, long time ago).  Used to spend a week in Holdrege, NE (45 minutes outside Lincoln) every summer at my relatives farm.

Congrats on the promotion and all the best on the new job and location.

[Titan Q]

Furthermore, with regard to the question of IWU of taking only the JV team to places like Parkland CC and Lincoln College, but not to NCC with the varsity, it actually does make sense as IWU would be able to use university or rental van(s) to make these JV only trips--especially considering Parkland in Champaign is only about 45 miles from Bloomington, and Lincoln College is only about 30 miles as opposed to the approximately 97 mile trip to Naperville which could still be made in a van(s) if only the varsity made the trip as opposed to having to rent a motor coach if both the JV and varsity teams made the trip together.

Mark, you have had several intersting theories about my alma mater, and other CCIW schools, over the years.  For example, there was the one where the "big donors" ran off Scott Trost a few years ago.  Now there is the van shortage theory of 2011.  (Incidentally, the two theories are kind of at odds - as an alum, I'd hope donors influential enough to run off Coach Trost would be willing to provide the school with as many vans as needed...but that's for another post I suppose.)

But let me get this straight...

IWU opened the 2010-11 season with a JV/Varsity doubleheader @ Benedictine (114 miles away) on Nov 15, for which university-owned transportation was taken.  On Nov 23 there was also a doubleheader at Monmouth (110 miles), and then on Nov 29 one at Webster (172 miles)...again, both using university-owned transportation.  But Illinois Wesleyan won't take both the JV and the Varsity to North Central (111 miles) in university-owned transportation? A "motor coach" is needed to get to NCC?

Is that really what you're suggesting?

(Since they did get to Benedictine, but won't go to NCC, I will have to find out where on Maple Avenue the IWU cutoff is.)