MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[blue_jays]

I made it to the 2nd half of the NCC-UWP game last night.  AndOne is correct, the officiating was inconsistent.  It was frustrating to watch.  I'm sure the players were frustrated. I'm still trying to figure out what coach Raridon did to get a technical foul.

Last evening's T was not called on the mild mannered Coach Raridon---either of them!   

I assume you're being ironic when you called Raridon mild-mannered... dude gets plenty of techs because he complains (albeit not loudly) to refs non-stop. Don't believe me? Sit by his bench some time.

Holy crapolly blue_jays. Do you want a coach that doesn't complain? To me, complaining to the refs is part of being a good coach. You get royally screwed on a call, and you had better complain or the same bad call will bite you in the ass over and over.

As far as "non-stop," lets do some comparison shopping. If you want to see some continuous complaining watch a game coached by, among others, "Bellering" Bosko Djurickovic of Carthage or Grey "The Stomper" Giovanine, the scorer's table to end line sideline running, foot stomping, arm whirling, toss the sport coat leader of the Augie quintet. While the NCC coach may oft complain, "albeit not loudly" in your words, the aforementioned twosome are truly the mouths that roar in CCIWland.

And, 2 other points:
1. Your own Mark Scherer is no slouch when it comes to complaining. 
2. I've been sitting by the NCC bench for eight years. 

No doubt, the CCIW is full of demonstrative coaches, with Grey being an unbearable example. I just wanted to be clear that Raridon rides the official as much as any I've seen, that's all. Just cuz he doesn't lose control doesn't mean he's not doing it was my point.

[Gregory Sager]

1. EC is Baxter's 3rd school. He also previously underachieved at North Dakota State prior to his Loras experience.

That's not true, Mark. Baxter left the Bison in preseason as a freshman and never played a game for them, although he was around long enough to get into the team picture. He transferred from NDSU to Loras at semester break and played in ten games for the Duhawks that January and February.

He certainly underachieved at Loras, but he didn't at NDSU. You can't underachieve when you're not even on the team.

Thats not true, Greg. While he did leave the Bison, it was not in the "preseason," but rather at the end of the 1st semester. Not only did he appear in the team picture, he participated in two exhibition games for NDSU in the "preseason," and continued to be a member of the team for the first nine games of the regular season. He just never played in any of those nine games, and then transfered to Loras at the semester break.

As evidence your honor, I present prosecution Exhibit A, a NDSU Media Relations release dated 12/13/10. 

http://www.gobison.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=2400&ATCLID=205054587

http://www.gobison.com//pdf8/728558.pdf

"Taylor's efforts through the first half of the season are appreciated"   

OK, I stand corrected.

I suppose that it is possible to be considered an underachiever in a non-playing situation, if the player's inability to get into a game is a result of a lackluster practice ethic. But, since I don't know how Baxter stacked up in terms of talent as compared to the other 2010-11 Bison -- or if anything was expected from him as a freshman at all -- I'd still hesitate to call him an underachiever, based upon a lack of evidence or any insight into the NDSU coach's thinking.

As far as "non-stop," lets do some comparison shopping. If you want to see some continuous complaining watch a game coached by, among others, "Bellering" Bosko Djurickovic of Carthage or Grey "The Stomper" Giovanine, the scorer's table to end line sideline running, foot stomping, arm whirling, toss the sport coat leader of the Augie quintet. While the NCC coach may oft complain, "albeit not loudly" in your words, the aforementioned twosome are truly the mouths that roar in CCIWland.

I disagree. First, Giovanine is in a class all his own among CCIW coaches in terms of demonstrative behavior vis-a-vis working the refs. Second, I'd say that Raridon has a more belligerent demeanor when it comes to working the refs than does Bosko. Bosko does a lot of yapping to the refs, but he's more of a politicking type. He's known all of the refs in the CCIW for decades -- the regulars who work CCIW games are a pretty veteran crew -- and I think that his method is to try to play on his familiarity with them. It's an extension of Bosko's basic personality; the man is a schmoozer.

Bosko's been a head coach for a quarter-century now, and I'm pretty sure that he can count the number of times he's been T'd up on one hand. I know that it only happened once during his ten-year stint as North Park's head coach. I doubt that that's true for Raridon. Not that I'm being critical of Raridon, mind you; as you said, it's part of the head coach's job to plead his case with the refs, or else run the risk of not having close calls go his way, and Raridon doesn't strike me as out-and-out nasty or embarrassing on a regular basis the way that Giovanine does.

[kiko]

As you implied, there's a difference between beef and skilled beef.

Would that be Kobe beef?

[iwu70]

As expected, Augie all over Fontbonne tonight:  79-65 FINAL.

IWU70

P.S.  Good one, kiko.  ms

[Gregory Sager]

Steve Schafer's Griffins probably did about as well as could be expected against his alma mater tonight. Fontbonne even cut the Augie lead to twelve with a minute and a half to go, which for this very young Fontbonne team is a pretty significant achievement.

I notice that Kevin Schlitter didn't play again tonight. What's his injury status, anyway? Or is it something else that's keeping him off the floor?

Apropos of today's conversation about CCIW coaches riding refs, there was a bench tech called on Augie tonight. Oh, that leather-lunged Tom Jessee. When will he learn to control his potty mouth?

[newCCIWfan]

Seems MU took some steps backwards.  Any word on TJ Griffin? He is a key player, as PG and a key scorer, for Millikin this year.

I don't think it's necessarily true that Millikin "took some steps backwards" last night. Rose-Hulman is very solid this season. The Engineers are currently 8-1, 3-0 and have to be seen as one of the favorites in the HCAC. A more plausible explanation for MU's misfortune in Terre Haute is that the Big Blue simply ran into better competition than the SLIAC and NAIA foes it had been facing as of late.

The absence of Griffin is a big question mark, though. Given the perennial silence of Decaturites vis-a-vis this board, I wonder if we'll get any information as to his current status and his non-appearance in last night's contest.
[/quote]

I would agree. MU struggles last night had to do with the quality of opponent. RHIT returned all but 1 from a team that lost to NCC by 3 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. I could not attend the game but I'm told Griffin did not play due to some sort of injury. I'll see if I can find out more info.

[Gregory Sager]

I could not attend the game but I'm told Griffin did not play due to some sort of injury. I'll see if I can find out more info.

Thanks, newCCIWfan.

[D-3 watcher]

Give them all quick T's , then maybe we can watch the game. I understand they need to try and get a good whistle, but to raise up and complain in the first possession, that's just foolish. Coaches grade officials after the game, I believe most refs let the antics go, fearing a bad grade, thus resulting in less work. Plus, it more than likely just runs off their back. More than half the CCIW coaches fall under the if that coach is complaining, I had better as well. I sometimes think that it leads to the players complaining also.
To be fair to all the coaches, I'm a pretty good ref from my seat as well.

[petemcb]

+K and I agree with every sentence......and confess the last one myself!

[realist]

Interesting discussion on coaches getting t'd.  Was at a game, and saw a coach get t'd for "glowering" a ref.  The coach never said a word, and the ref. did not talk to the coach.  Simply said to the scorer's table "glowering", and pointed at the "offending" coach.

"intr.v.  glow·er·ing,  To look or stare angrily or sullenly"

[iwu70]

I love ref-ing from the bleachers at Shirk, even 10-11 rows deep.   Guess I'm too far away from the action to get T-d up, for glowering or otherwise.  As has been indicated in this room before, guess there are alot of amateur refs amongst the crowd of regulars at the Shirk, especially under the west-end basket.  And, always shall it likely be.

Titans vs. U Chicago, tomorrow at 3 p.m. @ Shirk.  Hope the Titans are ready for a more consistent, complete and break-out type of game.

IWU70

[AO]

down go the Thunder.  Probably the highest ranked team to come to the Ericksen Center since the 2003 Thunder and this time my squad pulls the upset.  Hopefully they archive the video because I wrote them off to watch football.  Hopefully North Central can put up a similar fight tomorrow in Minneapolis.

[Titan Q]

down go the Thunder.  Probably the highest ranked team to come to the Ericksen Center since the 2003 Thunder and this time my squad pulls the upset.  Hopefully they archive the video because I wrote them off to watch football.  Hopefully North Central can put up a similar fight tomorrow in Minneapolis.

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/boxscore.aspx?id=2919&path=mbball

Maybe Wheaton played the Big Ten Northwestern?

[Titan Q]

Pantagraph article on the IWU/Chicago game tomorrow...

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/illinois-wesleyan/guard-duo-back-for-injury-plagued-titan-men/article_5126dd0c-4651-11e2-8d45-001a4bcf887a.html


The Titans get PG David Molinari and SG Pat Sodemann back.  Both could really help IWU.  Molinari is an extremely talented, pure PG who is a good player on both ends of the floor.  Sodemann, a transfer from Division II Truman State, brings good size to the perimeter and just does a lot of things well.  He's a little bit like Stephen Rudnicki from last year's IWU team - can play both guard spots (was a PG in HS) and is a good leader on the floor.

Unfortunately IWU has lost leading scorer Mike Mayberger to a foot injury and third leading scorer Brady Zimmer to a concussion.  Ron Rose just can't quite get his key personnel all on the floor together so far in 2012-13.

[Mr. Ypsi]

down go the Thunder.  Probably the highest ranked team to come to the Ericksen Center since the 2003 Thunder and this time my squad pulls the upset.  Hopefully they archive the video because I wrote them off to watch football.  Hopefully North Central can put up a similar fight tomorrow in Minneapolis.

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/boxscore.aspx?id=2919&path=mbball

Maybe Wheaton played the Big Ten Northwestern?

Nah - Kent Raymond's Wheaton squad only lost to Big Ten Northwestern by 1!

If there has been a bigger upset in d3 so far this season, I'm blanking on it.