MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

Speaking of coaching hires, my understanding is that NPU is going to announce its new head coach tomorrow morning. We'll see how that goes. I'm sitting on the name of the new coach until I get the green light to announce it (and NPU SID Kevin Shepke might beat me to it; depends upon who gets to the computer first, I guess).

North Park hasn't been idle in terms of recruiting, even without a head coach in place. The Vikings have landed three recruits thus far:

Jon Bogaard, 6'1, Santa Cruz, CA (Harbor)
Eric Dahl, 6'3, Poqueson, VA (Poqueson)
Trent Kucera, 5'10, Hutchinson, MN (Hutchinson)

[Mr. Ypsi]

Wow - California, Virginia, and Minnesota!  Who does NPU think they are - Williams or Wheaton?!

I thought NPU had the inside track on Chicago public schools?

[Titan Q]

On IWU recruit Drew Blumenshine...

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/basketball/men/article_1fde4268-6ae7-11e0-a7b8-001cc4c002e0.html

[Titan Q]

On the Tuesday men's games...

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/basketball/men/article_d7b84ffc-6aef-11e0-82dd-001cc4c002e0.html


BLOOMINGTON -- The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin has shifted the unenviable chore of playing on Tuesday nights to its men's basketball teams for the 2011-12 season.

CCIW commissioner Chris Martin confirmed Tuesday the league will schedule women's midweek games on Wednesday for the coming season with the men playing on Tuesdays. The reverse has been the case for the past several years.

"The women's coaches didn't like the fact that always having to play on Tuesday meant to have two days of practice (leading up to games) they had to practice Sunday," Illinois Wesleyan athletic director Dennie Bridges said. "The athletic directors decided to alternate years."

IWU women's coach Mia Smith agreed "that was the whole point of it. Now we'll figure out what it's like to have a Sunday off. We're excited about that. We never had a day off. We would take Wednesday off from practice, but the players have classes and I had classes to teach."

Titan men's coach Ron Rose isn't looking forward to playing on Tuesdays but understands the reason for the change.

"It's safe to say it's something we weren't lobbying for, but it's something we'll have to deal with," Rose said. "It presents challenges in terms of days off and practice and recruiting. But everybody is in the same boat."

[Mr. Ypsi]

Thanks, Q.

Alternating years sounds fair.

[AndOne]

Thanks, Q.

Alternating years sounds fair.

As with many other things, playing the men's games on Tuesday's may be "fair" but its also stupid.
As Devildog pointed out, after I initially reported the switch to Tuesdays, boys high school games are mainly played, at least in the Chicago area, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Most teams also play on Saturday night about 1/2 of the time. This is going to eliminate the possibility of recruiting more than 50% of the time as its already impossible to recruit on many if not most Saturdays during the season with most college teams playing on Sat. If a team really wants to see a kid on Tues what are they supposed to do---have one of the coaches skip the game to see the HS kid play?
This decision, while "fair," is right up there with the famously well regarded men's/women's doubleheaders. JMHO

[AndOne]

Speaking of coaching hires, my understanding is that NPU is going to announce its new head coach tomorrow morning. We'll see how that goes. I'm sitting on the name of the new coach until I get the green light to announce it (and NPU SID Kevin Shepke might beat me to it; depends upon who gets to the computer first, I guess)

I can't confirm this, but I recently heard the following are the mix for the North Park job...

* Matt Nadlehoffer (Head Coach, Eastern U.)
* Steve Schafer (Asst Coach, Benedictine U.)
* Tom Slyder (Head Coach, Anderson U.)
* Todd Kelly (Asst Coach, North Central)

I won't confirm or deny those names, but I will say that the number of applications is somewhere in the vicinity of 150 at last count.

While we now know Nadelhoffer is out of the mix due to his hire by Millikin, don't be surprised if none of the other three coaches listed above are  named as the next NPU head coach.

While I won't mention a specific name as I have not yet been able to confirm it, lets just say the final choice for the NPU top job, from the approximate 146 other applicants, may well be able to be identified as the "Show Me" candidate. 

[devildog29]

Thanks, Q.

Alternating years sounds fair.

As with many other things, playing the men's games on Tuesday's may be "fair" but its also stupid.
As Devildog pointed out, after I initially reported the switch to Tuesdays, boys high school games are mainly played, at least in the Chicago area, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Most teams also play on Saturday night about 1/2 of the time. This is going to eliminate the possibility of recruiting more than 50% of the time as its already impossible to recruit on many if not most Saturdays during the season with most college teams playing on Sat. If a team really wants to see a kid on Tues what are they supposed to do---have one of the coaches skip the game to see the HS kid play?
This decision, while "fair," is right up there with the famously well regarded men's/women's doubleheaders. JMHO

100% agree.  While technology has made film readily available for most any HS player, it can never replace watching a live game as far as observing demeanor, leadership traits, attitude, awareness, etc.  Perhaps we should start playing football games on Friday nights too so the FB coaches don't have to watch film on Sunday.  Dumb, dumb, dumb. 

[Gregory Sager]

North Park University will announce today that the eighth head coach in the history of Vikings men's varsity basketball will be Dylan Howard. (As an FYI to Dan Sand and any other broadcasters who may be reading this, Coach Howard pronounces his first name "Die-lan" rather than "Dill-un"). Currently an assistant coach at D1 Mississippi Valley State, Coach Howard has a pretty solid resume. I'm particularly impressed by what he managed to do with the Hardin-Simmons program when he was the head coach there. (I'm sure that Ralph Turner can provide some insights into Coach Howard's tenure down there in Abilene.)

Welcome to NPU, Coach Howard, and best of luck to you. You've never met me, but I've just become your biggest fan.

(The fact that Coach Howard bears such a striking physical resemblance to Mike Singletary, or at least he does in the picture posted on the Mississippi Valley State website, gets a thumbs-up from me, too. )

[pgkevin]

Thanks, Q.

Alternating years sounds fair.

As with many other things, playing the men's games on Tuesday's may be "fair" but its also stupid.
As Devildog pointed out, after I initially reported the switch to Tuesdays, boys high school games are mainly played, at least in the Chicago area, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Most teams also play on Saturday night about 1/2 of the time. This is going to eliminate the possibility of recruiting more than 50% of the time as its already impossible to recruit on many if not most Saturdays during the season with most college teams playing on Sat. If a team really wants to see a kid on Tues what are they supposed to do---have one of the coaches skip the game to see the HS kid play?
This decision, while "fair," is right up there with the famously well regarded men's/women's doubleheaders. JMHO

I have absolutely ZERO knowledge of women's high school basketball, but if the men play on Tuesday at the high school level, wouldn't it also make sense that the women do as well?  Perhaps now the women will not be in the bind of having to choose between having all of their assistant coaches at the game or missing valuable scouting opportunities on Tuesday nights.

I know this is a men's board and all of us are much more avid men's game watchers than female, but why should the men get preference year after year.

Now, having said that, I believe the coach quoted in the article comes off badly by saying that the reason she wanted this was so she could have a day off.  Far be it for me to judge someone else's work schedule, but it just seems like she could have presented herself well by saying it was about the missing recruiting opportunities.

Lastly, again if I am incorrect as to the arrangement of high school games I apologize for wasting your collective time.

[Gregory Sager]

Wow - California, Virginia, and Minnesota!  Who does NPU think they are - Williams or Wheaton?!

You apparently don't pay much attention to North Park, Chuck. NPU always has out-of-state players on the roster, just not in the quantity of Wheaton. The majority of North Park resident students are from out of state (although, overall, the majority of NPU undergraduates are Illinoisians, due to the commuter population). North Park has had a very large percentage of its students come from places other than the state of Illinois ever since the school was founded in 1891, mostly because it's the only school in the country that's affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church. (In fact, the school was located in Minneapolis until 1894.) The best illustration of NPU's large non-Illinois demographic is right here on CCIW Chat; of the five most regular NPU posters in this room, four of us are alumni who came to the Park from out of state. Dennis Prikkel and I are originally from New York, Mark Erickson is a Minnesotan by upbringing, and Rob Berki is a proud Bugeater (i.e., Nebraska native). Viking Blue is the only native son of the Land of Lincoln among us.

Most Vikings athletes in recent decades have been Chicagolanders (like Viking Blue), because it's both easier and more cost-effective to find good athletes locally and because most NPU coaches over the years have been local products who choose to recruit on familiar turf. This has especially been true of the men's basketball program. Even so, there has always been at least a sprinkling of out-of-staters on the NPU men's basketball team. (Case in point; last year's team had three of them: Clayton Cahill of Missouri, Brett Peterson of Massachusetts, and Sam Schwartz of Wisconsin.)

I thought NPU had the inside track on Chicago public schools?

I realize that you're kidding to some degree, but just for the sake of clarity I'll respond:

1. Why would bringing in three more out-of-state guys change anything?

2. NPU doesn't really recruit much in terms of Chicago Public League student-athletes. The sad fact is that the vast majority of CPL student-athletes have neither the academic background nor the financial resources to get into North Park. Most of NPU's basketball recruiting over the decades has been aimed at the Chicago Catholic League and the various suburban Chicagoland leagues, with a particular emphasis upon the inner-ring suburbs. There does seem to be a burgeoning population of Lincoln Park grads on the North Park roster -- and I think that the Vikings will get even more former Lions to join next year's team -- but Lincoln Park is one of the rare exceptions among Chicago Public League schools that produces players who have the academic tools and the basketball skills to play in the CCIW. Other CPL schools that produce student-athletes that meet those academic criteria would be Von Steuben, Morgan Park, Northside Prep, Lane Tech, Jones Prep, Payton, and Whitney Young. The fact that you don't see North Park players coming out of even those programs very often tells you how hard it is to find a CCIW player in the Chicago Public League in the current era.

[devildog29]

Women's HS basketball is typically played on Monday and Thursday, while the men's games are Tuesday and Friday.  

[Gregory Sager]

Thanks, Q.

Alternating years sounds fair.

I figured that that was the reason why the move was being made. And, yes, it does seem more fair to do it that way.

Doesn't matter one way or the other to me, since I'm always in the crackerbox for both men's and women's games.

As with many other things, playing the men's games on Tuesday's may be "fair" but its also stupid.
As Devildog pointed out, after I initially reported the switch to Tuesdays, boys high school games are mainly played, at least in the Chicago area, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Most teams also play on Saturday night about 1/2 of the time. This is going to eliminate the possibility of recruiting more than 50% of the time as its already impossible to recruit on many if not most Saturdays during the season with most college teams playing on Sat. If a team really wants to see a kid on Tues what are they supposed to do---have one of the coaches skip the game to see the HS kid play?
This decision, while "fair," is right up there with the famously well regarded men's/women's doubleheaders. JMHO

Why is it stupid? Don't you realize that Chicagoland high school girls play on Tuesday nights, too? CCIW women's basketball coaches have had the exact same problem with recruiting that the men's basketball coaches will now have. Turnabout is fair play.

Women's HS basketball is typically played on Monday and Thursday, while the men's games are Tuesday and Friday. 

No, in Chicagoland they play quite a bit on Tuesdays.

[AndOne]

Speaking of coaching hires, my understanding is that NPU is going to announce its new head coach tomorrow morning. We'll see how that goes. I'm sitting on the name of the new coach until I get the green light to announce it (and NPU SID Kevin Shepke might beat me to it; depends upon who gets to the computer first, I guess)

I can't confirm this, but I recently heard the following are the mix for the North Park job...

* Matt Nadlehoffer (Head Coach, Eastern U.)
* Steve Schafer (Asst Coach, Benedictine U.)
* Tom Slyder (Head Coach, Anderson U.)
* Todd Kelly (Asst Coach, North Central)

I won't confirm or deny those names, but I will say that the number of applications is somewhere in the vicinity of 150 at last count.

While we now know Nadelhoffer is out of the mix due to his hire by Millikin, don't be surprised if none of the other three coaches listed above are  named as the next NPU head coach.

While I won't mention a specific name as I have not yet been able to confirm it, lets just say the final choice for the NPU top job, from the approximate 146 other applicants, may well be able to be identified as the "Show Me" candidate. 

North Park University will announce today that the eighth head coach in the history of Vikings men's varsity basketball will be Dylan Howard. (As an FYI to Dan Sand and any other broadcasters who may be reading this, Coach Howard pronounces his first name "Die-lan" rather than "Dill-un". Currently an assistant coach at D1 Mississippi Valley State, Coach Howard has a pretty solid resume. I'm particularly impressed by what he managed to do with the Hardin-Simmons program when he was the head coach there. (I'm sure that Ralph Turner can provide some insights into Coach Howard's tenure down there in Abilene.)

Welcome to NPU, Coach Howard, and best of luck to you. You've never met me, but I've just become your biggest fan.

I had heard the new NPU coach might be from a Missouri school. Obviously, it was Mississippi rather than Missouri. I only knew it wasn't going to be one of the candidates previously mentioned.

Congrats to coaches Nadelhoffer and Howard and welcome to the CCIW.

[Gregory Sager]

Speaking of coaching hires, my understanding is that NPU is going to announce its new head coach tomorrow morning. We'll see how that goes. I'm sitting on the name of the new coach until I get the green light to announce it (and NPU SID Kevin Shepke might beat me to it; depends upon who gets to the computer first, I guess)

I can't confirm this, but I recently heard the following are the mix for the North Park job...

* Matt Nadlehoffer (Head Coach, Eastern U.)
* Steve Schafer (Asst Coach, Benedictine U.)
* Tom Slyder (Head Coach, Anderson U.)
* Todd Kelly (Asst Coach, North Central)

I won't confirm or deny those names, but I will say that the number of applications is somewhere in the vicinity of 150 at last count.

While we now know Nadelhoffer is out of the mix due to his hire by Millikin, don't be surprised if none of the other three coaches listed above are  named as the next NPU head coach.

I don't think that Bob meant anything by "in the mix," other than the fact that they had applied for the NPU job (and he was correct about those four, by the way). But one of Jack Surridge's priorities was to find a coach who had had previous head coaching experience on the college level, so it's my understanding that neither Schafer nor Kelly got much consideration. Also, the job prospectus posted on the NPU website listed five years of collegiate coaching experience as an essential qualification, and Kelly only has four years (two at Keystone and two at North Central).

While I won't mention a specific name as I have not yet been able to confirm it, lets just say the final choice for the NPU top job, from the approximate 146 other applicants, may well be able to be identified as the "Show Me" candidate.

You need to find a better NPU source, Mark. Dylan Howard has coached in a lot of different places, but Missouri isn't one of them.