MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

The Titans (8-2) play their final non-conference game this afternoon @ Franklin College (3:00 Eastern/2:00 Central).  Ron Rose gets 6-4 SG Brady Zimmer (concussion) and 6-6 G/F Mike Mayberger (foot) back...

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/illinois-wesleyan/iwu-men-to-have-zimmer-mayberger-back-vs-franklin-college/article_1fe72b98-5213-11e2-9b2d-001a4bcf887a.html

It will be interesting to see how Coach Rose works those very important perimeter players back in.  Against Hope he basically went with an 8-man rotation - Overstreet/Sodemann/Ziemnik/Davis/Reed with Dolan, Dortch, and Anderson coming off the bench.

Franklin is 6-4 with wins over Albion, Millikin, Bluffton, Earlham, Trine, and Wabash...and losses to Centre, DePauw, Hanover and Defiance.  Their key players are:

Starters
G - Trae Washington, 5-7/160 Fr (5.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 11-30 3-point, .367)
G - Bailey Howard, 5-11/180 Jr (19.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.1 apg, 24-47 3-point, .511)
G - Terry Sargent, 6-0/165 Jr (4.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.9 apg, 3-13 3-point, .231)
F - Troy Porter, 6-3/185 Jr (8.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 10-18 3-point, .556)
F - Gunner Erwin, 6-5/195 Sr (14.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 15-34 3-point, .441)

Bench
J.T. Barton (8.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.3 apg, 6-14 3-point, .429)
Dion Smith (5.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg)

There will be some strange matchups for both teams to deal with, with IWU's starters being...

G - Dylan Overstreet, 6-3/180 So (9.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.2 apg)
G - Pat Sodemann, 6-3/190 So (13.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.0 apg)
F - Andrew Ziemnik, 6-4/230 Jr (10.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg)
F - Victor Davis, 6-5/235 Jr (6.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
C - Kevin Reed, 6-6/230 Sr (9.9 ppg, 8.0 rpg)

The Titans are so much bigger than Franklin, at just about every position, and should dominate the boards and the paint.  But I think IWU will have trouble chasing quick little guards around who can shoot...and trouble guarding a smaller 5-man who likes to shoot the 3.  I can see Franklin playing a lot of zone and making IWU make perimeter shots.

Interesting matchup of very different teams.  Again, for IWU, I think the key is turnovers...the Titans have to learn to take care of the ball.  This is an in-region game the Titans need to win if they want to have Pool C hopes.  I think it's also very important for IWU to play well today with the big CCIW opener coming up Wednesday @ Wheaton.


WJBC broadcast - http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/wjbc.portal#

Live stats - http://www.franklingrizzlies.com/fc/TAS/mbb/xlive.htm

[Gregory Sager]

Still nothing on the NPU website about last evening's debacle at Illinois College. This is one story that is no doubt taking North Park SID Kevin Shepke a long time to write. I feel sorry for him. The thankless work of a sports information director typically involves putting as positive a spin as possible on any sports news coming out of his or her school, but how does Kevin put a positive spin on this? I've heard of putting lipstick on a pig, but in this case poor Kevin is being forced to put mascara on a tapeworm.

[hopefan]

Did you broadcast the game??  That had to be a pretty miserable experience....

[Gregory Sager]

No, I only do home games for NPU. Actually, IC didn't webcast it, either ... which was perhaps a blessing in disguise.

I've had to endure the teeth-clenching stress of webcasting a lot of NPU football games in which the Vikings have been the recipients of a nasty pummeling. But that goes with the territory as far as NPU football is concerned, and it's not as though my expectations are ever at anything other than a subterranean level for the Vikings gridders. But last night's basketball collapse was another thing entirely. I can only count myself fortunate that I didn't have to describe it over the cybernetic airwaves.

[Titan Q]

Malcom Kelly...

http://athletics.carthage.edu/news/2012/12/30/Mens_Basketball_1230121220.aspx


He'll be back in 2013-14.

[iwumichigander]

Doug Collins was recruited by Jim Collie and was a freshman in the 69/70 season. Freshmen could not play varsity b'ball then (as I recall), but Collins did play for the ISU freshmen team against the IWU junior varsity prior to the final ISU/IWU game in Jan. 1970. To add insult prior to injury, IWU won that game.

Thanks Vet - I had forgotten about Jim Collie (whom is another whole chapter in the IWU/ISU story if ever written).

[Gregory Sager]

He doesn't play for the team I root for, but I was glad to read that story about Malcom Kelly returning next season. I especially liked this Bosko quote:

"As things have unfolded this season," said Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic in the Dec. 30 Kenosha News, "we sure as heck could have used him.  He's an awfully good player.  Sometimes, I'm most interested in the kids who don't have it easy.  I appreciate when people can get through doing it the hard way.  Malcom Kelly is not your normal 18-year-old recruit whose family has a lot of money, and everything is easy for him.  He's a non-traditional student--let alone a non-traditional college basketball player.  Guys like that are to be admired."

Exactly. Well said, Bosk.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Re: Malcolm Kelly.  So why all the mystery earlier about his not playing?  Seems pretty straight-forward (even admirable); so why leave implications of academic trouble?

[Gregory Sager]

Good question, Chuck. I'd like to know the answer, too. Unfortunately, the Kelly story in today's edition of the Kenosha News is behind a subscription wall, so further details are not forthcoming.

Perhaps K-Mark will link it for us.

[Titan Q]

Good question, Chuck. I'd like to know the answer, too. Unfortunately, the Kelly story in today's edition of the Kenosha News is behind a subscription wall, so further details are not forthcoming.

Perhaps K-Mark will link it for us.

If you Google "Malcom Kelly, Carthage" and select "News", you should be able to access the article.  I don't know why that works, but for some reason when I try that I can access articles that I can't just by going straight to the Kenosha News site.  It's strange that I can access the full article by Googling it, but if I try to access the link (below) directly I doesn't work...

http://www.kenoshanews.com/sports/kelly_to_sit_full_season_469374964.html

From that article:

As expected, the Carthage men's basketball team will not have the services of All-CCIW guard Malcom Kelly for the second half of the 2012-13 season.

Currently not enrolled in school, Kelly said that he enlisted in the U.S. Army reserves in October and will report for a nine-week boot camp on Jan. 14 at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga.

"They couldn't send me to boot camp (in October) because I was a full-time student," the 26-year-old Kelly said. "I had no schedule for the spring term, so they gave me the January date and that's when I'm getting out of here. I didn't think it would be smart to only play half of a season."

[AndOne]

He doesn't play for the team I root for, but I was glad to read that story about Malcom Kelly returning next season. I especially liked this Bosko quote:

"As things have unfolded this season," said Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic in the Dec. 30 Kenosha News, "we sure as heck could have used him.  He's an awfully good player.  Sometimes, I'm most interested in the kids who don't have it easy.  I appreciate when people can get through doing it the hard way.  Malcom Kelly is not your normal 18-year-old recruit whose family has a lot of money, and everything is easy for him. He's a non-traditional student--let alone a non-traditional college basketball player.  Guys like that are to be admired."

Exactly. Well said, Bosk.

Well said as far as the non-traditional path Kelly has taken and the efforts he has made both in serving the country and furthering his education. 
However, not by a long shot do all the families of the 18 yr old "traditional" recruits have "a lot of money." Many don't, especially in the current economic environment.
If such were the case, D3s wouldn't have near as many concerns about recruits accepting NAIA athletic scholarship money. Or, if they're either good enough or fortunate enough to get D2 or D1 money even if they may not really be a D2 or D1 player as far as skill level goes.

[Gregory Sager]

I don't think that Bosko was attempting to make a blanket sociological statement about 18-year-old college students. I think that he was simply speaking to the stereotype of the middle-class suburban kid who plays CCIW basketball, a stereotype which certainly doesn't cover everybody and never has (which Bosko knows better than any of us). In this case, he used the word "normal" as a substitute for "stereotypical" -- I understood his meaning.

If you Google "Malcom Kelly, Carthage" and select "News", you should be able to access the article.  I don't know why that works, but for some reason when I try that I can access articles that I can't just by going straight to the Kenosha News site.  It's strange that I can access the full article by Googling it, but if I try to access the link (below) directly I doesn't work...

http://www.kenoshanews.com/sports/kelly_to_sit_full_season_469374964.html

From that article:

As expected, the Carthage men's basketball team will not have the services of All-CCIW guard Malcom Kelly for the second half of the 2012-13 season.

Currently not enrolled in school, Kelly said that he enlisted in the U.S. Army reserves in October and will report for a nine-week boot camp on Jan. 14 at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga.

"They couldn't send me to boot camp (in October) because I was a full-time student," the 26-year-old Kelly said. "I had no schedule for the spring term, so they gave me the January date and that's when I'm getting out of here. I didn't think it would be smart to only play half of a season."

You must have the Aladdin's lamp of computers, Bob. I can't manage to access the Kenosha News article via your method. However, I've discovered that the Google search for "Malcom Kelly, Carthage" does provide a link to Carthage College Athletics -- Sexy Celebrity Wallpaper Pics, so those of you who are really into the Red Men in a special way might want to take note of that.

[Titan Q]

Franklin 67
IWU 66

* Andrew Ziemnik: 18 pts, 9 reb, 4 assists
* Kevin Reed: 11 pts, 4 reb, 4 assists
* Pat Sodemann: 11 pts 3 reb
* Victor Davis: 9 pts, 6 reb

After trailing most of the 2nd half, IWU battled back to take the lead with 6.4 seconds to play on two Andrew Ziemnik FTs, but Franklin's Gunner Erwin scored with less than a second to play to win the game.

IWU just could not stop Franklin's 6-5 5-man, Gunner Erwin.  Erwin had 29 points and was 5-10 from beyond the arc.  Ron Rose tried several defenders on him (Reed/Anderson, Ziemnik, Dortch) and nothing worked.  Down the stretch Erwin made two long 3's as the shot clock expired in huge situations, with IWU within a basket.  And, of course, he scored the game winner.  Having to defend a mobile, 3-point shooting 5 was just a very bad matchup for IWU based on IWU's personnel.

IWU was not really able to dominate the boards, only out-rebounding Franklin 31-28.  There were a lot of long rebounds off 3-pointers that went to the Grizzlies out near the perimeter.  Franklin took 8 more FGA attempts than the Titans in the game.

The Titans did a great job once again of battling back, but this time the final seconds did not go their way.  This game was very simply size vs quickness, and today quickness won. 

I believe IWU has to win the CCIW's AQ to make the NCAA tournament.  6-3 in-region in the non-conference, without any type of "signature win", is just not good enough for Pool C if they go 10-4 or 9-5 in CCIW play.  This was a big loss for the Titans.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I thought Gunner Erwin's (nice name - how appropriate!) 3 with 75 seconds to put Franklin up 4 was the dagger, er, bullet (largely because the Titans missed 11 of their first 22 FTs), but they made their last 5 to take a one-point lead with 6 seconds to go.  Then with one second remaining, Gunner (who else?) made a layup for the win.  Although Q's warning of TO problems against Franklin's quick guards wasn't borne out most of the game (they finished with 13, to Franklin's 11), it was, alas, right when it counted: IWU lost their faint chance at a buzzer-beater with a TO with one second remaining.

[iwu70]

Gunner sounds like a very tough match-up.  What a game he had.  Seems the poor FT % was really the dagger. 

Time for some serious CCIW play, challenges now.  Titans do seem to be closer to putting it together, getting everyone back and healthy, though the rotational decisions for Coach Rose must still be a bit perplexing.  In this first phase, we have to say that Zman, Overstreet and Sodemann have played best, on offense, surely Reed always consistent and contributing.  Davis coming on a bit, but still way short of expectations.  Would love to see Zimmer and Mayberger really get on a trey and scoring streak.  Dortch always good on D, making plays, but still somewhat of a liability on offense.  Anderson, Dolan and Nelms, still can play their roles, small parts . . . perhaps Oswald, too, in certain situation.  Gotta settle down now with the focussed rotation and play harder, more consistently and shoot it better all'round, esp. at the FT line.   Here we go for the conference race.  No free evenings.

I agree with Q that this Franklin loss was pretty big, potentially damaging for Pool C prospects down the road.

IWU70