MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

Greg, you are right, Ypsi did call me out pretty good.  But, then again, I'm used to that from Ypsi, from other good friends and classmates of our "era" at IWU.   Our class was just that way -- with each other, with IWU's President and faculty, or with LBJ or Tricky Dick.  Just say'in.  Nothing new!

And, further in my own defense, you will be delighted to know that I have visited Charcoal Delights each and every time I attended a IWU-NP football game and visited your campus for other purposes.  Enjoyed the burgers there very much.   I wandered all around and enjoyed the campus.  I asked students or passers-by to direct me to the CrackerBox, so I did stick my head in to have a look.  I could easily see how it would be a wild and raucous environment for a good DIII game when filled with Crazies.  Some day I'll make it, and see a game, relieve Chuck of his anguish at my misfortune.  At first, I have to admit, I thought it was the practice gym, not the "performance arena"  . . . as you know we are very spoiled at The Shirk, very proud of "our house."  Actually, totally spoiled.  Bless the Shirk family and all those Beer Nuts eaters.  The next time NP hosts a sectional tournament game, perhaps all of us on the CCIW DIII board should have an in person reunion and break bread together at Charcoal Delights.  What a scene that would be -- green pea soup to start, then good Charcoal Delights, and finally April provides the cookies for dessert.  Sing Kum Ba Ya, to close.   I'm waiting.  I promise not to repeat my same Titan cheer and chant over and over and over again.

Still no comment, evaluation in this room on the regional rankings?  I think we're losing our edge.

IWU70

[iwu70]

Greg, at least I've been an avid follower of CCIW/Titans sports through all the decades, all the eras, since 1966 or so, even when following from the Far Side, the Far East, when living in Asia for 30+ years.  Chuck is clearly an Ypsi-come-lately to our fan hobby and chat habits, by his own admission.  We all have holes in our CCIW resumes I'm sure, and one of mine is never attending a game in the CrackerBox.  I'm sure my time will come.  Never been to the Carthage gym either.  But, did go to Salem for the Final four at least twice.   Great times, great memories.  Best memories are still the great games played by the Gramkow-Fred Evans-Sheldon Thompson teams in the late 60s in the full, jumping, and very hot Fred Young Fieldhouse.  CrackerBox must really be something like that when the NP house is full and rocking.  Of course, we all cherish the last game, last shot, victory over ISU in 1970.

IWU70

[AndOne]

Greg, in partial defense of Mark, I confess to never having been to Charcoal Delights - being a group of impoverished college students, we just came and left.  After your tales of ecstasy, someday I will have to make 'The Pit'!

We'll grant you a special dispensation since you refer to it as "The Pit".

Since I went to and follow Wheaton, I'm mostly ambivalent toward North Park, except in soccer maybe, but I'm definitely a fan of Charcoal Delights.  As a wrestler at Wheaton, most of the time I didn't have time to travel to away basketball games, but I always went to the Pit/Charcoal Delights (not sure what it was called in 92-96) and the Crackerbox, with the importance in that order.

Where is Charcoal Delights? It sounds just like the type of place my son would like to try.
Matblake: what weight in wrestling (some of the bigger guys never have to cut weight-much to the hatred of the lower weight wrestlers) and did you also play football? My son gave up wrestling in college because of the overlap with football.

New---

The NPU gym is at the SW corner of Foster & Kedzie. There is a parking lot on the SE corner of the intersection, directly east across Kedzie from the gym. Charcoal Delights is the 1st building east of the parking lot on the south side of Foster. I already know I'll be having some "delights" for dinner next Tues. 

[NCF]

Greg, in partial defense of Mark, I confess to never having been to Charcoal Delights - being a group of impoverished college students, we just came and left.  After your tales of ecstasy, someday I will have to make 'The Pit'!

We'll grant you a special dispensation since you refer to it as "The Pit".

Since I went to and follow Wheaton, I'm mostly ambivalent toward North Park, except in soccer maybe, but I'm definitely a fan of Charcoal Delights.  As a wrestler at Wheaton, most of the time I didn't have time to travel to away basketball games, but I always went to the Pit/Charcoal Delights (not sure what it was called in 92-96) and the Crackerbox, with the importance in that order.

Where is Charcoal Delights? It sounds just like the type of place my son would like to try.
Matblake: what weight in wrestling (some of the bigger guys never have to cut weight-much to the hatred of the lower weight wrestlers) and did you also play football? My son gave up wrestling in college because of the overlap with football.

New---

The NPU gym is at the SW corner of Foster & Kedzie. There is a parking lot on the SE corner of the intersection, directly east across Kedzie from the gym. Charcoal Delights is the 1st building east of the parking lot on the south side of Foster. I already know I'll be having some "delights" for dinner next Tues. 

Thanks for the info-a trip is in order soon

[matblake]

Matblake: what weight in wrestling (some of the bigger guys never have to cut weight-much to the hatred of the lower weight wrestlers) and did you also play football?

newcard: I wrestled at 150. I usually had a cut of about 8 pounds or so.  I didn't play football, but my brother did, and overall it's my favorite sport. 

[NCF]

Matblake: what weight in wrestling (some of the bigger guys never have to cut weight-much to the hatred of the lower weight wrestlers) and did you also play football?

newcard: I wrestled at 150. I usually had a cut of about 8 pounds or so.  I didn't play football, but my brother did, and overall it's my favorite sport.

Finally, another wrestling fan! My son wrestled 152 as a freahman 171 as a soph and jr and 189 as a senior. He was always about 5-8 lbs underweight  and could stuff his face whenever.he actuallt had to drink 4 (32 oz) gatorade before  dual team regionals so he could weigh enough to wrestle.. needless to say it didn't stay down long. LOL

[NCF]

Sorry bball guys-back to bball talk. I am at a bball game watching youngest daughter cheer. Not as much fun as watching her when she was playing-but at  least I'm getting to watch a game.

[iwu70]

Congrats to Dave Kindred, IWU '63, on receiving the Dick Schapp Award for Excellence in Journalism.  More details on the iwu.edu sports page/section, if interested.

Nasty, cold, windy, snowy night out there tonight in BloNo.   

IWU70

[diehardfan]

(Yeah, I know that you simply meant "my guy" in the sense that he's the guy whom I first identified. But, still ... the whole thought of me adopting a Wheatie as some sort of [shudder] favorite student fan or something gives me a serious case of the squicks.

Don't lie, once upon a time in a galaxy far far away your fav student fan was totally me. 

On a more serious note, I am surprised that it is legal to wear a basketball hoop into a basketball game.

Mark, I am truly shocked!  You NEVER made it to the crackerbox in 4 years??!  I was there twice.  (And depending on the year, I drove a bunch of guys in either a '60 or '63 Corvair [i.e. Unsafe at any Speed]!)  Is it too late to recount the ballots for your Presidential runs?

Dunno if you realize this, '70, but you've just been seriously shamed. Chuck's notorious on CCIW Chat for being the guy who never sees any D3 basketball games (even though everyone who dispenses the jocularity is well aware that he's quite a distance away from any D3 schools), but at least he's been to the crackerbox. Twice. For him to call you out like that ... wow.

Seriously, the crackerbox is one of the most historic and unique D3 basketball venues in the country. The fact that it's the home floor of a CCIW team makes it even more shocking that you've never been there. So you've been to a football game at NPU? Pffft. Big deal. No atmosphere, and nothing memorable has happened there since 1968. But for someone who claims to be a serious fan of a CCIW team to say that he's never been to the crackerbox ... well, I just don't get that.

Next, you'll be telling us that you've never been here, either:

For what it's worth, the cracker box is pretty awesome, though not as awesome as the Holland Civic Center. I think I liked Schooners better than Charcoal Delights too, though I think it's partially because I was brainwashed listening to the IWU game commercials 100s of times. (Pat, Gulbranson insurance... bahaha). The crazies are very special though, I had a profound love-hate relationship for them that was honestly mostly love. But that's because I am a smug Wheatie that doesn't acknowledge that there's a rivalry with our school and anyone except Harvard. Hahaha...

Free fact: Though I have been to dozens and dozens of DIII basketball arenas and football stadiums a llll over the US (most of them multiple times), I have never once been to Millikin. At this point it will probably never happen.

[diehardfan]

By the way, since I am rusty at this, I assume Wheaton's regional ranking doesn't include their loss to Carthage from the night before?

[matblake]

Free fact: Though I have been to dozens and dozens of DIII basketball arenas and football stadiums a llll over the US (most of them multiple times), I have never once been to Millikin. At this point it will probably never happen.

You're not missing anything.  There is nothing special about the Griswold Center.  Plus, there is the mind numbing drive to get there.

[Titan Q]

Sounds like Jordan Zimmer is probable for tonights IWU game @ Carthage...

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/basketball/men/zimmer-or-not-iwu-men-need-mojo-back/article_cbe53cc2-5468-11e1-a3cc-0019bb2963f4.html


That's great news for the Titans. 

After seeing Travis Rosenkranz's career end at King Arena last year on February 12 in that extremely scary moment, I feared Tuesday that Jordan Zimmer's career had ended in similar fashion.  It's hard to see young men with the character of Travis Rosenkranz and Jordan Zimmer sitting there on the sidelines.

[Titan Q]

Jordan Zimmer has moved into IWU's top 5 list in 3-point FG made...

1. 252 - Keelan Amelianovich (104 games) - 2002-06
2. 245 - Korey Coon (109 games) - 1996-00
3. 238 - Sean Johnson (111 games) - 2007-11
4. 235 - Mark Edmundson (113 games) - 1986-90
5. 233 - Jordan Zimmer (98 games) - 2008-12


In a program that has had some great pure shooters, Zimmer is right in the middle of discussion of the best.

Looking at that list, the really impressive thing about that Keelan Amelianovich total is that he was purely a JV player his freshman year at IWU - he only made 6 3-pointers in 2002-03.  Keelan shot an amazing .476 from beyond the arc in his career.

Good to see the pride of Arthur, Illinois - Mark Edmundson - hanging strong in the top 5.  Watching Eddy, Jeff Kuehl and the rest of the 1989-90 cast play is what got me hooked on IWU basketball my freshman year.

[Pat Coleman]

By the way, since I am rusty at this, I assume Wheaton's regional ranking doesn't include their loss to Carthage from the night before?

Yeah, they're through Sunday's games. And I had successfully banished Gulbranson insurance from my head!

[iwu70]

So very delighted to hear Jordan Zimmer is better, may play tonight.  Q, I agree with you re:  his awesome stats in the pure shooting, treyville realm.  Looks like Jordan has a very good chance of finishing up 3rd all time, a great achievement.  Catching Korey or Keelan seems a stretch, unless the Titans get into the tournament and have a long run at several more games in the dance. We'll see.  Really gotta win tonight and win out, have a good run in the CCIW tourney.  In any case, just a tremendous career of living beyond the arc, great shooting for Jordan.  I love watching those bombs of his go down from 2-3 steps beyond the curved line.  Has a special way of bringing the Shirk Center crowds to life!!!

April, a very good move passing up the Griz and Decatur.  I got criticized for never making it to the CrackerBox for a loud, raucous game with the NPU Crazies.  Now I'm commending, complimenting you on your good judgement in never making it to the Griz and Millikin!  Not much reason to go there these days for basketball, unless of course you are more a fan of the women's game.  Just say'in.  (But Wheaton and Haaarvard?  Come on!!!).  When are Kent Raymond or Mr. McCrary joining the Knicks?  Gotta love (Harvard) Linsanity.  Did you see what Lin and the Knicks did to the Kobe and the Lakers last eve? 

Titans really need this road win tonight @Kenosha. 

GO TITANS!!!

IWU70