MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

Hard to get much more "armpit"-ish than Decatur.

Nothing wrong with a little walk down sports memory lane, in quieter weeks of summer, especially when the memories are of championship or world series season, heh?  Just say'in.  Sad to see Sabathia and Pettite go out with injuries all in one day.  Who would think that the Yankees season will come down to Freddy Garcia having a few good starts??  We'll see. 

Was at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival last eve, at the lovely Ewing Castle in Bloomington, and saw the entire ISU football team there, soaking up a little culture.  Nothing like a little cultural-sports cross dressing . . .

Guess John Roberts surprised everyone today, heh?

Good summer to all the CCIW sportsters, chatsters.

IWU70

[dansand]

More recruits:

Millikin
Braxton Lanier, 6-1, Pleasant Plains - had 18 points in last Saturday's IBCA 1A/2A All-Star Game

Elmhurst
Alex Morgunov 6-9, 250, C, Sacramento (CA) American Christian Academy/College of Lake County
Joe Jugovic, 6-10, 235, F/C, Lewiston/Illinois Central CC  - 12.6 ppg as a senior at Lewiston HS
Alex DeBack, 6-8, C, Charlotte (MI)/Lansing Community College

...I've also heard that Tyler Thurston will be playing the "3" rather than the point. Erik Crittenden will be a "4", not a G/F and they're planning on Bryant Ackerman swinging between guard and forward.

Updated list:

Augustana
Jake Gylten, 6-6, 220, Iowa City (IA) West (8.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, .586 fg%, .533 3p%, .542 ft%)
Hunter Hill, 5-9, 165, Byron (10.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.9 apg, 2.9 spg, 77% ft)
Nic Hoepfner, 6-6, So, United Township/Parkland JC (2.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, .419 fg%, .607 ft%)
Tayvian Johnson, 6-5, 190, United Township (17.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, .569 fg%, .311 3p%, .661 ft%)
Brandon Motzel, 6-6, 200, Carmel (14.0 ppg, 9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.5 spg, 3 bpg, 58% fg)
Jake Norcia, 6-1, 168, Highland Park (14.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, .503 2p%, 58 3pfg, .758 ft%)
Griffin Pils, 6-4, 195, Libertyville (17 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 6.8 apg, 2 spg, .862 ft%)
Ben Ryan, 6-5, 205, Washington (17.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.2 spg, .563 fg%, .200 3p%, .687 ft%)

Carthage
Sean Valentine, 6-3, Prairie Ridge

Elmhurst
Bryant Ackerman, 6-2, Loogootee (IN) (20.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.4 apg, .526 fg%, 49% 3p, 79% ft)
Taylor Baxter, 6-5, Jr, Fieldcrest/NDSU/Loras (5.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg 1.8 apg, .391 fg%, .346 3p%, .649 ft%)
Erik Crittenden, 6-5, Marian Catholic (7.3 ppg)
Alex DeBack, 6-8, Jr, Charlotte (MI)/Lansing Community College (5.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, .533 fg%, .680 ft%)
John Dodson, 6-1, Hammond (IN) Bishop Noll (10.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, .448 fg%, .295 3p%, .630 ft%)
Joe Jugovic, 6-10, Jr, Lewiston/Illinois Central CC (2.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.7 bpg, .605 fg%, .765 ft%)
Eric Leonard, 6-0, Sangamon Valley (23.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 6.8 apg, 47% fg, 74 3pfg, 3.7 spg) 
Alex Morgunov, 6-9, Jr, Sacramento (CA) American Christian Academy/College of Lake County (13.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.7 bpg, .577 fg%, .745 ft%)
Ken Payonk, 6-6, Sandburg (9.7 ppg)
Nathan Ropp, 5-11, Jr, Fieldcrest/Illinois Valley CC (13.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.0 apg, .438 fg%, .419 3p%, .867 ft%)
Tyler Thurston, 6-4, Chatham-Glenwood (6.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.8 apg, .510 fg% 4-13 3p, .622 ft%)
Kyle Wuest, 6-2, Edinburgh (IN) (18.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.7 spg)
Peyton Wyatt, 6-2, Newton (20.8 ppg, 53% fg)

Illinois Wesleyan
Ryan Coyle, 6-6, Wheaton St. Francis (15.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 30 3pfg, 33 ast, 20 blk, 28 stl)
Bryce Dolan, 6-0, Borgia (MO) (17.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 3.0 apg, .436 fg%, .433 3p%, .892 ft%)
Conor Hart, 6-2, Maine West (19.4 ppg, 56% fg, 4.7 rpg, 2.2 apg)
Rob Mahlke, 6-7, Downers Grove North (15.2 ppg)
Mike Marietti, 6-7, Providence (14.6 ppg, 64% fg, 8.0 rpg, 1.6 bpg)
Brian Nelms, 5-10, Rolling Meadows (14.1 ppg, 6 apg)
Joel Pennington, 6-0, Ballwin (MO) Lafayette (14.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5.1 apg, .411 fg%, .362 3p%, .895 ft%)
Patrick Sodemann, 6-3, So, Chesterfield (MO) Parkway West/Truman State (4.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.0 apg, .462 fg%, .333 3p%, .857 ft%)

Millikin
David Babb, 6-1, Pontiac
Nate Bennett, 6-1, Pekin (3.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
Drew Bollier, 6-0, So, Dacula (GA) Mountain View/Oglethorpe (1.6 ppg, 0.1 rpg, 0.3 apg, 4-9 fg, 3-7 3p)
Brennan Coltrane, 6-2, Webster Groves (6.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.1 apg, .414 fg%, .337 3p%, .667 ft%)
Tives Gardner, 5-10, Springfield Southeast (12.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, .406 fg%, 38 3p, .809 ft%)
Deavis Johnson, 6-5, East St. Louis (3.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.9 bpg, .377 fg%, 1-12 3p, .300 ft%)
Elijah Kinmon, 6-5, O'Fallon (8.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.6 apg, .327 fg%, .264 3p%, .602 ft%)
Braxton Lanier, 6-1, Pleasant Plains (15.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, .456 fg%, .409 3p%, .753 ft%)
Jaylon Owens, 6-5, Belleville West (11.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.8 apg, .539 fg%, 7-18 3p, .540 ft%)
Tommy Pilackas, 6-2, Lebanon (19.3 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.5 apg, .470 fg%, .343 3p%, .728 ft%)
Chase Robbins, 6-1, Normal Community (12.1 ppg, 49 3pfg)
Mitchell Wilfer, 6-8, Holt (8.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.1 bpg, .519 fg%, .395 ft%)
Trent Windemuller, 6-2, Holland (MI) (16.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.2 apg, 45% fg, 42% 3p, 78% ft)

North Central
Ben Heide, 6-3, Minooka (10.0 ppg, 78% ft)
Kevin Honn, 6-5, Downers Grove South (11.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.4 apg)
D.J. Morris, 5-10, St. Viator (9.5 ppg, 4.9 apg)
Adam Reynolds, 6-5, Minooka (11.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 54% fg)
Christian Spandiary, 6-3, Schaumburg (15.9 ppg, 5 rpg, 57% fg)
Tyler Sutton, 6-2, Neuqua Valley (16.4 ppg, .416 3p% , 3.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.0 spg)

North Park
Rodney Clarke, 5-11, Memphis (TN) St. Benedict of Auburndale (16 ppg, 6 apg)
Ryan Hyrn, 6-0, San Ramon (CA) California (15.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.6 apg, .424 fg%, .428 3p%, .774 ft%)
David Johansson, 6-1, Norrkoping (Sweden) (1.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, .000 fg%, .000 3p%, .700 ft%)
Per Magnus Muren, 6-3, Asker (Norway) Aliens (0.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.2 apg, .400 fg%, .000 3p%, .667 ft%)
Craig Welch, 6-0, Grand Rapids (MI) Northpointe Christian

Wheaton
Michael Berg, 6-6, Midwest Central (27.9 ppg, 12.8 rpg, and 2.4 bpg)
Jonathan Berntsen, 6-2, Chatham (NJ) (17.2 ppg)
Luis Miller, 6-3, Miami (FL) Westminster Christian (19.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.6 spg)
Joel Smith, 6-6, Indianapolis (IN) Heritage Christian (18.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
Brayden Teuscher, 6-3, So, Rockford Christian/Washington U. (7.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, .455 fg%, .389 3p%, .873 ft%)
Riley Teuscher, 6-1 Rockford Christian (11.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.7 apg, 41% 3p)
Drew Wikelius, 6-6, Austin (TX) Westlake (12.4 ppg, 8.0 rpg)

[sac]

Alex DeBack, 6-8, C, Charlotte (MI)/Lansing Community College

I actually saw Alex play a couple years ago against my high school (the local rivals, 9 miles apart).  Alex is a big boy and that is about all I remember, wish I had more to offer but I wasn't there to see him.  At the time I was told he was off to play football somewhere so I was pretty surprised to see him on the Lansing CC roster last year.  So I'm doubly surprised to see his name resurface at a CCIW school.

Here's a sweet photo of Alex from high school and his Larry Birdish hair


the young man guarding him is Alex Gauna from my high school who will be Sophomore eligible at Michigan State next season, also 6-8.  The young man in the foreground is Travis Wells who would be a perfect representation of me if I'd played high school basketball.....5-8 about 135 lbs.  One of the best ball handlers I've ever seen, currently wowing the crowds at Michigan State IM's I believe.


Meet Alex DeBack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jOw6cANaEM

and he can shoot free throws, a free throw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuEM12gc8G0

LCC's highlight reel, Alex makes a couple cameo's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MueGZ6fbEx4&feature=related

From LCC's stats he avg'd 5 pts and slightly under 5 rebounds per game, my familiarity with some of the other names on the roster leads me to believe he was not a starter and probably played about 15 to 20 minutes per game.  He was the 7th leading scorer on a team that won their JUCO division....whatever that means.  Probably not a lot to be wowed about other than having a large man playing D3 basketball.



Alex's younger brother Chase is a Sr to be at Charlotte and is being recruited by Wisconsin, Michigan State and Iowa as an offensive lineman.  (also Michigan until Michigan wrapped up its offensive line recruiting a few weeks ago)

[newCCIWfan]

IWU70 ... how did Millikin's Braxton Lanier look in the IBCA allstar game last week?

[AndOne]

Investment Opportunity?        

Now that, as of 6/22, the NCAA has permitted Division I basketball coaches/recruiters to make as many calls and/or send as many texts as they desire to HS players who have completed their soph year, it may be time to invest in some T-Mobile, AT&T, or Sprint stock. Thumbs are flying.   

[USee]

Investment Opportunity?        

Now that, as of 6/22, the NCAA has permitted Division I basketball coaches/recruiters to make as many calls and/or send as many texts as they desire to HS players who have completed their soph year, it may be time to invest in some T-Mobile, AT&T, or Sprint stock. Thumbs are flying.   

Actually the officials date was 6/15 which only makes the thumbs a week more sore.

[iwu70]

Sorry, newCCIW, didn't really have a full program or keep copious and full notes on that All-State game visit to The Shirk.  Perhaps you'all have to check out the stats, box score on the ICBA site?  Press accounts?   Not sure.  Guy that totally impressed me was Augie recruit Tayvian Johnson.  We'll see.  Berg was good, and played rather cautious . . . so I can see how good a player he might become, but I was just not that super impressed with him, though he had a strong game.  Tayvian Johnson, IMHO, is the real deal of that event . . .   at least for the CCIW recruits.  Of course, some other impressive DI and mostly DII recruits in the game too. 

Happy summer all . . . heat waves on the way now.  We need the rain . . .

IWU70

[USee]

The Thunder have a replacement for Owen Handy. A familiar face on the bench.....

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2012/7/9/MBB_0709121843.aspx?path=mbball

[newCCIWfan]

The Thunder have a replacement for Owen Handy. A familiar face on the bench.....

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2012/7/9/MBB_0709121843.aspx?path=mbball

Great hire for the Thunder

[newCCIWfan]

The Thunder have a replacement for Owen Handy. A familiar face on the bench.....

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2012/7/9/MBB_0709121843.aspx?path=mbball

Great hire for the Thunder

Also will make for an interesting brother v. brother matchup.

Tony (Wheaton Coach) v. Drew (Millikin Sophomore Transfer)

[Gregory Sager]

The Thunder have a replacement for Owen Handy. A familiar face on the bench.....

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2012/7/9/MBB_0709121843.aspx?path=mbball

Great hire for the Thunder

Agreed. Tony Bollier always struck me as a player who had a high basketball IQ, so it didn't surprise me when I learned that Georgia State had hired him as its dobo last year. Moving on from Georgia State to be Mike Schauer's second chair seems to be a logical move for him.

Also will make for an interesting brother v. brother matchup.

Tony (Wheaton Coach) v. Drew (Millikin Sophomore Transfer)

That will be a CCIW first, as far as I'm aware. I can't recall any other situation in which a coach for one CCIW team faced a brother who played for another CCIW team.

Given that the Bollier family is Georgia-based, and that Millikin is the type of school that recruits locally rather than nationally for athletics -- which means that student-athletes from the Peach State are as rare as hen's teeth on Big Blue rosters -- I am led to suspect that Matt Nadelhoffer is using his Wheaton connections to land players. And to that I say, "Good work, Matt. Keep it up."

[markerickson]

D3Hoops has a headline about "Transy men"...as in Chaz Bono?  (Just kidding)

[Gregory Sager]

There have been some coaching changes at North Park. Allen Odum left last month to take an assistant coaching job at Grambling. This looks like a good move for him, since Grambling's a D1 school and Allen's from that part of the country.

The bigger news is that chief assistant coach Chris Edquist has left the program. I want to stress that he wasn't forced out by Tom Slyder, nor did he depart out of dissatisfaction with the new head coach, or with the program, or with NPU in general. For the past couple of years, Chris has been mulling over the idea of applying to medical schools. As a former biology major at North Park, and as the son of a physician and the husband of a nurse, med school seems like a sensible change for Chris. This transition in head coaches appeared to be a good time for Chris to make the move, so when Tom Slyder was hired Chris alerted him to the fact that he was planning to make a career change. Chris did agree to stay on during the transitional phase until the new coach could hire a replacement to fill the second chair. That has now been accomplished, and so Chris has left the program. He's now looking for work in the medical field while beginning the process of sending in applications to med schools.

As a former NPU player and then an NPU admissions counselor prior to being hired as Paul Brenegan's chief assistant three years ago, Chris is about as loyal a son of North Park as one can get. He went through a difficult period with the program, but he always kept a positive attitude, and he has the respect of all of his associates, players, and opponents. He's still a Viking; that's never gonna change. We'll be seeing him sitting in the stands at the crackerbox, and perhaps Rob and I will rope him into doing a halftime interview with us so that Rob can ask him some of his patented embarrassing questions on the air.

His replacement as chief assistant coach and recruiting coordinator is a name that every serious Chicago basketball fan should recognize: Cordell Henry. After a brilliant career as Whitney Young's point guard, in which he and Quentin Richardson led the Dolphins to the state title in '98, Cordell went on to have an equally great four seasons at Marquette, finishing his stint there with over 1,300 points and 400 assists. After graduating from Marquette, he then spent the next decade playing professionally in Europe. He retired in 2011 and spent last season as an assistant coach at Whitney Young. Although his coaching experience is scant, he has a strong reputation as far as his work ethic and his knowledge of the game are concerned. And, as Chris said to me, Cordell has a very important asset as a recruiter: He can walk into any gym in Chicago and have everyone know who he is.

He's also got the coolest personal website in CCIW coaching history.

I haven't had the chance to meet Cordell and welcome him to NPU yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

[AndOne]

There have been some coaching changes at North Park. Allen Odum left last month to take an assistant coaching job at Grambling. This looks like a good move for him, since Grambling's a D1 school and Allen's from that part of the country.

The bigger news is that chief assistant coach Chris Edquist has left the program. I want to stress that he wasn't forced out by Tom Slyder, nor did he depart out of dissatisfaction with the new head coach, or with the program, or with NPU in general. For the past couple of years, Chris has been mulling over the idea of applying to medical schools. As a former biology major at North Park, and as the son of a physician and the husband of a nurse, med school seems like a sensible change for Chris. This transition in head coaches appeared to be a good time for Chris to make the move, so when Tom Slyder was hired Chris alerted him to the fact that he was planning to make a career change. Chris did agree to stay on during the transitional phase until the new coach could hire a replacement to fill the second chair. That has now been accomplished, and so Chris has left the program. He's now looking for work in the medical field while beginning the process of sending in applications to med schools.

As a former NPU player and then an NPU admissions counselor prior to being hired as Paul Brenegan's chief assistant three years ago, Chris is about as loyal a son of North Park as one can get. He went through a difficult period with the program, but he always kept a positive attitude, and he has the respect of all of his associates, players, and opponents. He's still a Viking; that's never gonna change. We'll be seeing him sitting in the stands at the crackerbox, and perhaps Rob and I will rope him into doing a halftime interview with us so that Rob can ask him some of his patented embarrassing questions on the air.

I second that notion

[AndOne]

Recently graduated North Central PG Kevin Gillespie, NCC starting 2G Vince Kmiec, and Wheaton backup center Chase Almen have been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court for the just completed 2011-2012 season.

The Honors Court salutes varsity student-athletes who have maintained at least a 3.2 GPA after at least 2 years of study. Nationally, 429 men's basketball players qualified for inclusion on the Court, including only 162 from Division III.

Gillespie, Kmiec, and Almen were the only CCIW players so honored. Congrats.

http://northcentralcardinals.com/news/2012/7/12/MBB_0712122956.aspx