MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[AndOne]

MY hand is way up, Mr. In fact, BOTH of my hands are up. I'm primarily interested in the tight CCIW race right now as I would bet the majority of the "regular" posters in the CCIW room are.

You really have a problem with me posting a link to a video stream for an interesting game involving #16 vs #2 - on a night with no CCIW action - just for any CCIW fans who might be interested in watching but for whatever reason aren't aware of the the game?  Or like this...

Video for a big UAA game getting ready to tip.  3-1 New York U @ 4-0 Wash U...

http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/wustl.portal#

You think posts like those two are inappropriate here on the board?

Q, how dare you think that D3 posters would be interested in a great match-up of D3 teams?

And I just bet a million bucks that you spent the evening watching the game in question, didn't you?

[Mr. Ypsi]

Ooh, snarkiness quotient WAY up!

Siince the CCIW and WIAC have been battling for three+ decades for the top conference (with some interludes for NESCAC, ODAC, UAA, etc.) my apologies for assuming many CCIW regulars might be interested in a top WIAC game.  Clearly I was out of line in assuming CCIW people might be interested in a WIAC game.   Obviously this board cannot handle both CCIW AND WIAC games.

Carry on, oh arbiter of CCIW Chat.  (BTW, UWSP beat UWW, 71-60.)

Arbiter of CCIW Chat. You flatter me, Mr. However, the fact is I'm the arbiter of nothing. I'll just leave it at that.
OK, you can spank me again now. That seems to be your answer to a difference of opinion. Peace.

If by spank, you meant 'smite', I didn't do it.  I just found your objection rather silly and puerile. 

Just saw your later post to Q.  No one is likely to keep up with EVERY game that may be of interest.  Personally I greatly appreciate it if someone notifies me of an interesting game I may have overlooked.  (I especially appreciate it when someone notes a game which has become extremely interesting in its late minutes that I may have dismissed as a 'snooze'.)

And now just saw your 'riposte' to CCIWFan6 - you really are a piece of work!   If you don't like a post, scroll down.  Don't be a total ass, especially when you have now CLEARLY lost the majority on CCIW Chat.

[Mr. Ypsi]

AndOne, I didn't smite before - now I will.

[Gregory Sager]

Let's move along, people.

In keeping with our tradition that anyone who complains about a current thread needs to suggest a new one as an alternative, here goes:

Anyone think that there's any doubt at this point that Tim McCrary is going to win the MOP?

[Mr. Ypsi]

Greg, with key emphasis on 'at this point', no.  He leads (by a fairly wide margin) on both the 'glamor' stats: points and rebounds.

But still a long way to go, and several players (esp. Zimmer and Tiknis) are still within shouting distance.  IF Wheaton falls out of the race (GO Titans on Saturday!), his candidacy may falter if others on contenders are even close to his stats (and plenty of time for someone to even exceed his stats).

Oh, and good save before I said something to AndOne I might regret - he was starting to get on my nerves (and I've defended him here before!).

[Pat Coleman]

Check out the brutal missed shot clock violation call at the end of the NYU @ Wash U women's game...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEgn-L8MKZQ&feature=youtu.be


What a tough way to lose a game!

Wow, there is just no excuse for missing that.

That's the worst blown call I've seen in years.


Actually, I think it was the right call.  Check the scoreboard in the background when the player shoots the ball from outside---there were more than three second left on the clock when she shoots and the red light on the backboard lights up (but the horn does not sound) when the ball hits the rim.  It appears to be a mistake from the scorer's bench.  The winning shot was made as the horn was going off.

There is clearly only 1 second left on the shot clock when the first shot from 3 pt is taken so it was definitely a shot clock violation.  There were about 4 seconds on the game clock when she took the 3 pointer.

Horn sounds. You just can't make it out right away because of the compressed audio in the video clip.

[AndOne]

Landon Gamble (18 pts) led North Central last night. The reason why he's the best center in the league is because he's the quickest center in the league, as time and again he was able to get off his patented six-foot lefty baby hook by using that lightning-quick first step of his. Derek Raridon (15 pts) found his sweet spot -- the fourteen-footer coming off a screen while drifting left -- time and time again down the stretch, and C.J. Goldthree (15 pts) was effective as well. Charlie Rosenberg (10 pts) played well off the bench, and, although Tiknis and Kevin Gillespie didn't have strong shooting nights, NCC had more than enough clicking to pull away from the outmanned visitors.

NPU played hard last night, but, to repeat myself for the umpteenth time, it's simply a team that has too many holes to hang with a first-division CCIW team for forty minutes.

Another reason the right-handed Landon Gamble is good is his ability "to get off his patented six-foot lefty baby hook."

[Gregory Sager]

Exactly. A low-post player who can use either hand well is a tremendous asset to his team. I realize that a lot of low-post players simply make do with a spin move in order to get their dominant hand into the alternate shooting position (e.g., Doug Sexauer and Mike Gabriel), but if you've developed enough shooting ambidexterity to be able to go one way or the other without having to turn your body completely around, you've got a pretty special weapon. You can gain the edge on your defender much more quickly and accurately if you go straight to it rather than rotating your body 180 degrees -- and you're less likely to be called for traveling as well. Same principle holds if you're shooting a hook, except that you're moving in the opposite direction from a layup so that you can interpose your body between the ball and the defender.

Rob Berki and I talked a bit on our last NPU broadcast about all of the tricks of the trade for low-post players that seem to be fading from the general repertoire, such as the up-and-under. I don't know if this stuff isn't being taught anymore by coaches, or if today's young players simply don't have the patience or the desire to develop it, but just because something isn't popular anymore doesn't mean it no longer works. This is not the two-handed set shot of WWII-era Bobby McDermott that we're talking about.

Using a baby hook with the off hand is a classic example of a player developing a time-honored offensive tool that you don't see much these days -- and which, therefore, defenders are even less apt to be able to stop because it's unfamiliar to them (Gamble's is hard enough to stop because he's so much quicker than other CCIW centers).

This is not me letting loose with a "Kids, get off my lawn!" rant. I blame this negligence on coaches as much as current players. And anytime I see a young player who is using skills that have grown dusty in the modern college basketball arsenal, I applaud it ... even if he's playing for the wrong team.

[pylorus]

As a former high school coach on the freshman and sophomore level I have noticed the same decline of back to the basket moves you describe. Many of the better 'bigs' are encouraged to work on the face up game, especially if they have their goals at the lower levels of college basketball (DI and DII). Another factor that I have seen is the fact that many of the offenses used at the high school level do not include a strong post presence, especially at the smaller schools. Those schools cannot guarantee having a 'big' year after year, due to the fluctuations in school populations (I work at a school of over 800 students and we haven't have a basketball player over 6'3" in 5 years, although we have a wrestler that's 6'6"). One more cause in the decline is the tendency for the better basketball players to spend time on the AAU circuit in the offseason. I have watched entire AAU games in which a post entry pass was not even attempted. It is a very drive and kick oriented offensive game in the summer. Many of these post players learn that it's wasted energy to post up when they aren't getting the ball and their 'coach' yells at them for clogging the lane! 

[CCIWFAN6]

MY hand is way up, Mr. In fact, BOTH of my hands are up. I'm primarily interested in the tight CCIW race right now as I would bet the majority of the "regular" posters in the CCIW room are.

You really have a problem with me posting a link to a video stream for an interesting game involving #16 vs #2 - on a night with no CCIW action - just for any CCIW fans who might be interested in watching but for whatever reason aren't aware of the the game?  Or like this...

Video for a big UAA game getting ready to tip.  3-1 New York U @ 4-0 Wash U...

http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/wustl.portal#

You think posts like those two are inappropriate here on the board?

Q, how dare you think that D3 posters would be interested in a great match-up of D3 teams?

And I just bet a million bucks that you spent the evening watching the game in question, didn't you?

Take it easy Mitt.  I think your initial post was an opening to take a shot at someone you dont get along with on that board. Nothing more or nothing less. 

[Pat Coleman]

Ding-ding! +1

[The Thundertaker]

Greg, with key emphasis on 'at this point', no.  He leads (by a fairly wide margin) on both the 'glamor' stats: points and rebounds.

But still a long way to go, and several players (esp. Zimmer and Tiknis) are still within shouting distance.  IF Wheaton falls out of the race (GO Titans on Saturday!), his candidacy may falter if others on contenders are even close to his stats (and plenty of time for someone to even exceed his stats).

I don't think that can be your determining factor in deciding the MOP.  Tim McCrary is the best player in the conference and maybe the best big man in the country.  Statistics are not everything in determining that, but Tim McCrary is the complete package.  Considering the fact that Steve Djurkovic won the award last year when his team didn't even make the conference tounrnament, even IF Wheaton faltered, Tim McCrary should get the award. I am a firm believer in giving it to the best player in the conference given that his team finished in the top to middle.  I don't think they should give it to someone "less deserving" (for lack of a better phrase) just because their team finished a spot or two higher in conference.  That is not to take anything away from Tiknis or Zimmer at all.  They are both First Team players and playing well, but Tim McCrary is a level above right now. But that IF doesn't seem relevant because Wheaton is a contender and should be a contender all the way through to the end of the season.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I agree that team record should not be the 'determining' factor, but if players are otherwise close it is (and IMO should be) 'a' factor.  Steve D was a special case - no one else was even close.  If another player had had even nearly as good a resume, Carthage not even making the tourney just might have cost him the prize.

[iwu70]

McCrary is surely way up there, putting up a great season on many fronts.  But, I think the game tomorrow vs. IWU is a big one for him and the MOP consideration.  If IWU wins and McCrary has a poor game, and the Titans go on to win the league, well, I think some doubts and other considerations may come in when the voting takes place.  Voiles could have a huge second half and get the Doggies back into the race, too.  Raridon?  Zimmer?  Tiknis?  Still alot of basketball to be played, before the all-conference selections, league MOP and coach of the year are voted.

Big two road games upcoming for the Titans.  These are the key contests now to determine the conference race. 

GO TITANS . . . win @Wheaton, win @ Augie!!!

IWU70

[CCIWchamps]

Go Wheaton!