MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

IWU and Olivet Nazarene played three varsity periods of 20 minutes each.  The Titans lost the first by 3 points, but won the second by 17 and the third by 8.  So cumulatively, IWU outscored the Tigers by 22 on the evening.

Hard to take much from a scrimmage, but at least a positive start for the Titans against an NAIA D1 team that's been practicing longer and has already participated in a scrimmage. 

The Titans played without 6-1 sophomore David Molinari (recovering from concussion), who is projected to be either the starting PG or the backup, as well as 6-4 junior SG Brady Zimmer (dealing with back spasms), who is projected to start at the 2.  IWU needs to get Zimmer healthy -- there is a good chance he'll be one the top 3 scorers on this team.  Ron Rose started sophomore Dylan Overstreet at the 1, with freshman Brian Nelms backing him up.  Transfer Pat Sodemann started at the 2, backed up by senior Dan Oswald.

6-9 junior Nick Anderson was IWU's leading scorer tonight with 14 pts.  Several players scored in the 8-11 point range.  The person I spoke with said that 6-3 junior "slasher" Eric Dortch looked good tonight on both ends of the floor. 

My "source" also said that, as expected, the Titans are a really strong and physical team.  One of ONU's assistant coaches was overheard telling Ron Rose after the game, "There is nothing to coach when you're manhandled."  Like last year's team, this is definitely not your prototypical finesse IWU team.  On the flip side, there are some legitimate questions to answer about perimeter shooting from the 1-3 positions.

[petemcb]

I'd like to go on record as being a big Brian Nelms fan.  He is a fun, pure PG to watch.

[Titan Q]

I'd like to go on record as being a big Brian Nelms fan.  He is a fun, pure PG to watch.

Some high school video of Nelms...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH9vibe6_GY

http://www.ncsasports.org/mens-basketball-recruiting/il/rolling-meadows/rolling-meadows-high-school/brian-nelms

It sounds like he is legitimately in the starting PG competition for the Titans.  They seem to like him a lot.  A few articles on Nelms from last year...

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120323/sports/703239615/

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120308/sports/703089576/print/

http://www.csnchicago.com/preps/news/Nelms-snow-job-defines-career?blockID=646128


I've heard Ron Rose call him a "Sean Dwyer/Eliud Gonzalez-type point guard" (aka pure PG who can defend).  I'm interested to see how this plays out.  IWU's perimeter situation is very much in flux right now.

[Gregory Sager]

Enjoyed the above banter between Titan Q and Greg Sager regarding new North Park players Cassita and Weaver, especially Greg's assertion that TQ was excessive in his use of adjectives to describe one of the players.

The 26 yr old Cassita has played at no less than 3 schools since his high school days, while the traditionally college aged Weaver has already gotten off the bus at 2 separate JUCO stops.

In an attempt to escape being labeled as too verbose, perhaps an applicable description of the twosome might be:

Have Gun............Will Travel      

That whole Kyle Julius episode has really scarred you, hasn't it, Mark?

I don't really know much about either Weaver or Cassita on a personal level, having only met them briefly. I don't know what prompted them to attend multiple schools earlier in their lives, and I'm not sure that it's even pertinent at this point. I'm certainly not going to make any assumptions about either one of them, or draw any conclusions from their past educational history.

They're both older students. While it's certainly not always true, "older" often means "wiser" as well. Absent any personal evidence either way, it's as valid a reading of them as the one to which you seem to be pointing.

Greg--

To answer your question, its the whole excessive transfer situation. That was one good example.

And when I read articles every off season about all these high school kids who transfer schools seemingly almost every season and end up attending at least 2 schools, and often 3, during their 4 years of high school, I become even more apprehensive. My investigator background kicks in, and questions arise. Is the transfer academically or athletically motivated (the answer is often obvious)? Who is behind it? If the kid is above board, why is he continually moving? Is the kid just gullible? Is he disruptive either during the academic day or in practice? Is he selfish--a me 1st player who cares little about team play and only about padding his stats? Is he really that skilled? If so, why aren't his numbers higher, and does he think a transfer will somehow make his numbers higher and thus make him a "better player"? And, if these questions are valid with regard to HS kids, why aren't they also applicable  to college kids?

Come on, Mark. You should know better than that. High school and college are two very different levels, in terms of both academics and maturity. It makes as much sense to compare college players and pro players as it does to compare high school players and college players.

There are valid questions to be raised about players who attend multiple schools. But bringing high school into the equation is not the way to do it.

You just have to wonder what the hell is going on behind the scenes? Be mindful that we're not talking about a kid who goes into the military for several years before beginning his college career. Or, even a kid who goes to (the same) junior college for 2 yrs and then transfers to a 4 yr school to complete his last 2 years of classes and athletic eligibility.

Doesn't sound to me like you're wondering what the hell is going on behind the scenes. Sounds to me like you've reached a conclusion and pronounced judgment already.

I'm not saying there is or will be any problem with either of these NPU kids.

That's not at all the impression that you've given us already, with that "have gun ... will travel" bit.

However, in his several years since HS, Cassita has attended no less than THREE different schools.

Once again, Mark, Zach Cassita is 26 years old. He has not attended school in three years. Instead, he's been in the work force, supporting himself. He's not a Kyle Julius, drifting from one school to the next sequentially. I don't know Zach Cassita well (although I do know more about him than you do). I'm not going to go to the mat to vouch for his character, or his intentions, or his maturity, or his persistence. Maybe he is lacking in seriousness about his education. Maybe he isn't. But it seems to me that someone who is already well into manhood -- someone who has supported himself and who therefore knows the meaning of a dollar, and who has been out of school long enough to get some perspective on the value of a college education -- is quite likely a very different person than a 21-year-old malcontent like Julius who switches schools from one semester to the next, the sort of stereotype with which you're trying to tar both Cassita and Weaver.

In his two years since HS,

Four years, Mark. He's been out of high school for four years. Like Cassita, Aaron Weaver's not a kid. He's most likely 22 years old.

Weaver has attended the same number of JUCOs. Just seems those situations would cause a yellow light to go on if not a red one. Correspondingly, it would seem to indicate that such effusive praise, prior to the demonstration of any actual success at this level, might best be restrained if not withheld for at least the time being.     

"Effusive praise"? I've said that Cassita might end up being NPU's leading scorer this year. That comes straight from the coach's mouth. I also said that he's a strong shooter who can also take it to the hole. Again, straight from the coach's mouth. You and I apparently have pretty different views of what constitutes "effusive praise", since I made absolutely no claims as to how he compares to other CCIW guards, or projected any numbers that he's likely to post this season.

As I said, I'm not going to go to bat for either Weaver or Cassita on a personal level, because I hardly know them. But you've never met them at all, and yet you still consider yourself qualified to stand as both judge and jury for the both of them. One or both of them might turn out to be from the "I'm just here to play ball, not to get a degree" camp. Or they both might be serious about getting bachelor's degrees from NPU. Given the fact that they're both older (and are clearly paying for school on their own dime), I think that they deserve the benefit of the doubt. You don't. That's the difference between us, I guess. That, and the fact that I don't judge everybody based upon somebody with a similar background who happened to have come down the pike in some previous year (i.e., Kyle Julius).

And here's the thing: You've shown a frequent tendency to malign players in the past for stuff that has nothing to do with basketball, players ranging from Kameron Norton to Tyler Pierce (among others), and it's often hearsay or rumor that you're passing along. You've made some very questionable CCIW Chat posts in the past in this vein. I think that ultimately this conversation says more about your tendency to drag players through the mud than it does about either Aaron Weaver or Zach Cassita.

[AndOne]

IWU and Olivet Nazarene played three varsity periods of 20 minutes each.  The Titans lost the first by 3 points, but won the second by 17 and the third by 8.  So cumulatively, IWU outscored the Tigers by 22 on the evening.

Hard to take much from a scrimmage, but at least a positive start for the Titans against an NAIA D1 team that's been practicing longer and has already participated in a scrimmage. 

The Titans played without 6-1 sophomore David Molinari (recovering from concussion), who is projected to be either the starting PG or the backup, as well as 6-4 junior SG Brady Zimmer (dealing with back spasms), who is projected to start at the 2.  IWU needs to get Zimmer healthy -- there is a good chance he'll be one the top 3 scorers on this team.  Ron Rose started sophomore Dylan Overstreet at the 1, with freshman Brian Nelms backing him up.  Transfer Pat Sodemann started at the 2, backed up by senior Dan Oswald.

6-9 junior Nick Anderson was IWU's leading scorer tonight with 14 pts.  Several players scored in the 8-11 point range.  The person I spoke with said that 6-3 junior "slasher" Eric Dortch looked good tonight on both ends of the floor. 

My "source" also said that, as expected, the Titans are a really strong and physical team.  One of ONU's assistant coaches was overheard telling Ron Rose after the game, "There is nothing to coach when you're manhandled."  Like last year's team, this is definitely not your prototypical finesse IWU team.  On the flip side, there are some legitimate questions to answer about perimeter shooting from the 1-3 positions.

The 2nd period win by 18, and the 3rd by 8 would seem to be a testament to IWU's depth

[Titan Q]

AndOne, who are the players in the mix for NCC at the 1 and 2 spots?  Obviously the Cardinals are tremendous at the 3-5 spots, just wondering how the 1/2 looks?  Thanks.

[Dennis_Prikkel]

back spasms are really nasty - i was hospitalized for 3 days - and walked with a cane for 2 weeks - hope Zimmer's aren't as bad.

dgp

[iwu70]

Yes, hope Zimmer and Molinari are healthy soon.

Injuries to Titan's perimeter players a concern.  Zimmer needs to be healthy to answer the questions about the 2, and Molinari now 10+ plus months? from his concussion injury, and still a concern?  That sounds rather serious.  I've felt for some time that key to Titans season will be how well these new perimeter players, playing the PG and the 2 come into their own.  This will be especially so for those that are healthy and can play major minutes in the rotation = Overstreet, Sodemann, now perhaps Oswald and Nelms too, right?  Titans are deep with their big strong  experienced bigs, but that won't be enough in the longer term, esp. for perimeter D and needed ball-handling, play-making, and trey shooting.  Then, again, it's a rare Titan team that can't score from the perimeter if the ball comes out of the post area and the shots are there and reasonably open.  Let's hope Zimmer, Sodemann and Oswald are there ready to take those perimeter shots.  I said earlier that I gave the PG spot chance to Overstreet over Molinari for this reason, that I thought he was a better trey shooter, with better range than Molinari.  Yes, I know there's much more to the PG spot than just trey shooting.  Would be nice to have them all healthy so that the competition for these minutes, starting positions could be an even competition throughout pre-season prep.

Glad to hear Eric Dotch is playing well . . . not surprised at that, as I know how hard he works, how much he works at improving.  Hoping for a real big year out of all the IWU bigs, but especially big jumps in improvement, production by Dortch and Anderson. 

IWU70

[Titan Q]

and Molinari now 10+ plus months? from his concussion injury, and still a concern?  That sounds rather serious. 

Molinari was OK after his 2011-12 concussion sometime late-last season...by the time he got healthy though, Ron Rose had moved on with the rotation (using Rudnicki as the backup PG).  Molinari not playing down the stretch in the CCIW and NCAA tournament had nothing to do with that injury as far as I know.

Unfortunately he sufferered another concussion during the first couple weeks of practice this year.  I think I heard he's expected to be cleared to play soon though.

I sense that IWU's PG situation is very much up for grabs between sophomores Dylan Overstreet and David Molinari and freshman Brian Nelms...slight advantage to Overstreet right now.  This should continue to remain a competition through the remainder of the preseason and probably even into the early non-conference.

[Dennis_Prikkel]

WOW !!!  GS on the warpath (tom, tom, tom, etc.) - he's in mid-season form already.  Must be testy from watching all that NPU football.

All we need now is someone to call the non-conference part of the schedule pre-season and Mount Sager will really erupt. 

DGP

[iwu70]

Watched the Nelms tapes.  He seems like an active, hard-nose, tough competitor to be sure.  His offensive game is rather similar to that of Molinari, with a lot of penetration and intermediate range jump shots, pull ups.  If he can defend anything like Eliud, then sign me up.  I still think Overstreet has the best shot at being the starting PG come mid-November. 

Q, is one of your concerns this year how well the Titans will play perimeter defense?  Is Sodemann a good defender?  If it is Molinari and Nelms out there, we'd be a bit undersized for the CCIW, it seems to me.  And, Oswald can shoot lights out, but he's not known as a very tough defender.  Might we see Dortch on the floor defending the other team's 2?  Some strange and perplexing (perhaps advantageous) combinations to consider.

IWU70

[iwu70]

According to an IWU FB posting, the annual Green/White scrimmage for IWU basketball will be this Saturday, November 3rd, at 4:30 p.m. @Shirk.  So come for the Augie Football game, then stay around Shirk after the game for the G/W basketball scrimmage. 

Should be interesting.

IWU70

[Titan Q]

Q, is one of your concerns this year how well the Titans will play perimeter defense?  Is Sodemann a good defender?  If it is Molinari and Nelms out there, we'd be a bit undersized for the CCIW, it seems to me.  And, Oswald can shoot lights out, but he's not known as a very tough defender.  Might we see Dortch on the floor defending the other team's 2?  Some strange and perplexing (perhaps advantageous) combinations to consider.

IWU70

Molinari is listed at 6-1 and Nelms at 5-11.  The starting PGs in the CCIW last year were...

- Brian DeSimone (Augustana), 6-1
- Donte Logan (Carthage), 5-11
- D'Ante Foster (Elmhurst), 5-11
- Eliud Gonzalez (IWU), 5-9
- Rodney Clark (Millikin), 6-0
- Kevin Gillespie (NCC), 5-11
- Roshawn Russell (North Park), 5-9
- Jeremy Pflederer (Wheaton), 6-0

So...

1) I don't think 6-1 and 5-11 are really undersized for the CCIW, or for a D3 PG in general (even if Nelms is 5-9 or 5-10, it's not like the average CCIW PG will tower over him), and

2) The only PG to make the all-CCIW team last year was Eliud Gonzalez (3rd Team), tied for shortest at 5-9.  The other guy in the discussion of "best PG" last year was 5-11 Kevin Gillespie.  While it's very nice to have a big PG like 6-3 Adam Dauksas, I think it's safe to say that this is the position on the floor where height matters the least.  If a 5-9 guy can get the ball up the floor efficiently, take care of the ball, run the offense, serve as a great "floor general", etc (like Gonzalez did last year), he can play in the D3. 

Bottom line, I wouldn't consider a starting backcourt of 5-10, 6-3 to be undersized in the CCIW.

If 6-3 Dylan Overstreet wins the job, it will be nice to have that size at the 1...but he has to be able to handle all the duties well to be the starting PG.  You can't just put him there because having a tall PG sounds good.  From everything I have heard, he has the skill set to play the 1 in the CCIW...even though I believe he played the 2 more at PBL.

[Titan Q]

Q, is one of your concerns this year how well the Titans will play perimeter defense?  Is Sodemann a good defender?  If it is Molinari and Nelms out there, we'd be a bit undersized for the CCIW, it seems to me.  And, Oswald can shoot lights out, but he's not known as a very tough defender.  Might we see Dortch on the floor defending the other team's 2?  Some strange and perplexing (perhaps advantageous) combinations to consider.

IWU70

I do think perimeter defense will be a question mark for the Titans until we get into games and see what these new guys can do.  I don't know much about Sodemann's defensive abilities -- when I saw him in HS his team extensively played zone.  I assume (hope) at D2 Truman State he played man.

Eric Dortch is definitely an option to guard the other team's best perimeter player.  He has to enter 2012-13 as one of the top 2-3 perimeter defenders in the CCIW. 

[iwu70]

Q, I take your points about the size of PGs and 2s in the CCIW.  And, I agree with your totally about Dortch and his defensive skills . . . look forward to seeing him play this year and to his continued development, improvement as a key to Titan basketball success this year.  Love his tenacious, unrelenting D. 

Looking forward to the G/W game on Saturday . . . and to seeing something of the JV group, freshmen group for the first time in game-like action.

Sure hope our football Titans regroup and get a win vs. Augie on Senior day this weekend.


IWU70