MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

Speaking of Mike Woolf, I've checked in on a few other CCIW out-transfers:

* It doesn't look as though former NCC guard C.J. Goldthree -- the kid with the coolest name in recent CCIW history -- intends to play collegiate ball anymore. He's now a student at SIU-Edwardsville, where he is not on the basketball team and isn't listed as a redshirt.

* Former Elmhurst guard Brandon Grubl is Indiana-Northwest's leading scorer at 13.6 ppg, and he's averaging 5.1 rpg as well. He's still not much of a shooter, though, as he's only hitting .376 from the floor and .276 from downtown. His Red Hawks are currently 4-13, which is about par for the course for them.

* Thomas Scholle-Malone, who was a JV player for NPU back in the 2009-10 season, is in the midst of his third and final year playing for UW-Stout. He's contributing 3.6 ppg and 2.5 rpg for the Blue Devils this season.

* Scott Suchy, who was a JV player for Carthage a couple of years back (he had a two-minute cup of coffee with the varsity in 2010-11), is having himself a very nice post-CCIW career. After an outstanding season at Kishwaukee CC last year, he's ended up at Rockford and is averaging 19.6 ppg for the Regents.

[D-3 watcher]

Clearly NCC has set themselves up nicely for a deep run into the the big dance. If they go thru the CCIW portion of their schedule like they did last year, they will remain highly ranked and will more than likely get some home games in the NCAAs.
While that doesn't lock in wins, it's nice to play at home. Both NCC and IWU went on the road and advanced against great teams at their homes last year.
The problem with visiting teams playing at NCC is, it's unlike any other gym out there. It's wide open, same for everybody, just tough for shooting.
Not wanting to start anything, but the way it sets up, it's the worst gym in the league.
IWU was very lucky to have a great gift, allowing a great place to play.

[Gregory Sager]

All airport team----meaning we look great to everybody, big, athletic, tall. But now we don't look so good.

That's what I figured it meant. But it doesn't make sense that Bosko, a D3 lifer if there ever was one, would use what sounds like a D1 cliche. D3 teams don't frequent airports. It would've made more sense for him to call the earlier edition of this Carthage squad "the all-bus team".

The man's a mystery sometimes.

The problem with visiting teams playing at NCC is, it's unlike any other gym out there. It's wide open, same for everybody, just tough for shooting.
Not wanting to start anything, but the way it sets up, it's the worst gym in the league.
IWU was very lucky to have a great gift, allowing a great place to play.

It's actually not the same for everybody. NCC practices and plays in the airplane hangar all the time. The Cardinals are used to the lack of a shooting background. Nobody else in the league is used to it. That's a significant advantage for NCC, and it always has been.

That's why beauty is in the eye of the beholder as far as gyms are concerned. You may not think that the airplane hangar is "a great place to play," but I'll wager that the Cardinals strenuously disagree with you. You don't like it as a fan because it's an old heap of cinderblocks with a poor seating configuration, and it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of a new gym. But it suits the Cardinals just fine, because Gregory Arena's no-background set-up gives them a tangible home-court advantage -- which is all that any team could ask of a home venue.

(I don't know if Bosko still does something like this at Carthage, but when he used to coach North Park he'd have the Vikings practice at the Broadway Armory the days prior to visiting the airplane hangar, so that they could get used to baskets that didn't have a shooting background.)

[D-3 watcher]

As good a player C.J. goldthree was, it seems like NCC is better off without him. He took a lot of shots away from three guys,(Klimic, Gamble, Raridon) would are better than he is. I think the only person that can really stop Raridon in this league is his coach. It's hard to coach your own kid, and you don't want to look like your favoring your him, but if he was on my team, I want him shooting at least 20 times a game. I think he's as good a player as this league has seen in a while.

[D-3 watcher]

Meant that it was same length and width, same 10ft. rims. But yeah, big advantage for the team practicing there.

[Gregory Sager]

Goldthree wasn't a very good shooter last year, but Kmiec wasn't exactly a great shooter, either. Goldthree did shoot very well as a freshman in 2010-11 (28-72, .389 from downtown), so opposing teams still had to respect him last season in spite of his sophomore slump. Also, Goldthree was a penetrator, which is an element that NCC really didn't have otherwise from its backcourt; the only Cardinal that shot more FTs than Goldthree last year was Gamble. The two current PGs, Williams and Rourke, will penetrate on this year's Cardinals team, but neither one's a three-point threat, and both seem a lot more interested in distributing than in finishing when they drive. That was the thing about Goldthree -- he could either hit the trey or beat you off the dribble, and he thus kept you honest in a way that none of North Central's other guards have really done over the past few years. But, more than anything, he was another solid CCIW player on a team that's had a pretty thin rotation over the past couple of years. Yeah, it's been a great team that's had a pretty thin rotation, but I don't doubt for a moment that Todd Raridon would like to at least have the availability of that 25-27 minutes a game from Goldthree on the wing that he doesn't have this season ... especially in light of the fact that the Cardinals really seemed physically worn out by the time they hit the Sweet Sixteen in the Wooster gym.

[AndOne]

The problem with visiting teams playing at NCC is, it's unlike any other gym out there. It's wide open, same for everybody, just tough for shooting.
Not wanting to start anything, but the way it sets up, it's the worst gym in the league.
IWU was very lucky to have a great gift, allowing a great place to play.

1. It's actually not the same for everybody. NCC practices and plays in the airplane hangar all the time. The Cardinals are used to the lack of a shooting background. Nobody else in the league is used to it. That's a significant advantage for NCC, and it always has been.

2. That's why beauty is in the eye of the beholder as far as gyms are concerned. You may not think that the airplane hangar is "a great place to play," but I'll wager that the Cardinals strenuously disagree with you. You don't like it as a fan because it's an old heap of cinderblocks with a poor seating configuration, and it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of a new gym. But it suits the Cardinals just fine, because Gregory Arena's no-background set-up gives them a tangible home-court advantage -- which is all that any team could ask of a home venue.

3. (I don't know if Bosko still does something like this at Carthage, but when he used to coach North Park he'd have the Vikings practice at the Broadway Armory the days prior to visiting the airplane hangar, so that they could get used to baskets that didn't have a shooting background.)

1. Lack of a close in shooting background is likely one reason why NCC's shooting percentage is usually pretty high.
At one time the athletic authorities were considering hanging giant curtains behind the baskets in the hangar. However, upon consultation with ophthalmological specialists, and reviews of various laboratory studies involving projected images in a 2 dimensional visual field, it was found that when an object (the basket) is viewed against another close in object (a wall or curtain), the test subject (the player) tends to focus more acutely on the larger object behind the smaller one. In essence, the basket tends to blend with and actually become one with the background. On the other hand, a lone object in space, without a background "effect" being incorporated into the subject-viewer's total optical field, tends to be more easily deciphered and visualized by the subject's intra-ocular physiology. The medical/visual studies revealed its actually easier to see and concentrate on a lone basket in open space, than it is one with a close in background that can blend with the basket so it doesn't stand out as much.   

2. There are no cinderblocks in the hangar. Zillions of bricks, steal, and tons of cement. Also, the actual playing floor is "player friendly" in that unlike some newer playing surfaces that are basically concrete, the hangar floor has more cushioning and "spring" and is kinder to body parts such as shins and knees.

3. Ever since Malcom Kelly has been absent from the team, Bosko has been storing the game balls in the freezer. 
Kind of like they used to do at old Comisky Park.

[Titan Q]

Ron Rose knows his personnel better than anyone else. However, it seems there is a possibility that asking any of the trio of Reed, Anderson, or Ziemnik to attempt to go outside (10 shots from three) and stick with quick, mobile, and good 3 point shooter, would be an exercise in futility, and a tactical error.

Quick and mobile don't really describe the defensive talents of either Reed, Anderson, or Ziemnik. On the other had, from what I know of Dortch, I view him as a superior defender who would have a much better chance of stopping a player with the physical make up and shooting talent of Erwin. Also, if Dortch needs a rest, is there perhaps a better defender that might be available off the bench to give him a blow for a few minutes, especially considering Dortch usually doesn't contribute a great deal offensively? Just inquiring.

The challenge for Ron Rose, however, is that he had some bad matchups to deal with any way he chose to go.  The starters were...

Franklin
G - Trae Washington, 5-7/160 Fr
G - Bailey Howard, 5-11/180 Jr
G - Terry Sargent, 6-0/165 Jr
F - Troy Porter, 6-3/185 Jr
F - Gunner Erwin, 6-5/195 Sr

IWU
G - Dylan Overstreet, 6-3/180 So
G - Pat Sodemann, 6-3/190 So
F - Andrew Ziemnik, 6-4/230 Jr
F - Victor Davis, 6-5/235 Jr
C - Kevin Reed, 6-6/230 Sr


Pretty much any way Ron Rose went in that game he had some difficult matchups to deal with in terms of defending perimeter players.  There just wasn't any perfect way for IWU to guard Franklin really.  (Including options involving 6-3 G/F Eric Dortch, who is definitely IWU's best defender.)

At the end of the day, the fact is that Gunner Erwin just had a monster game and hit some enormous shots.  He made two very difficult buzzer-beating 3's down the stretch that WJBC's Eric Stock described by saying something like, "When those goes down you might have to tip your cap and realize that it might not be your day."  Erwin also scored on the coast-to-coast basket with :06 to play to win the game.  IWU ran into the difficult combination of having a real bad matchup at the 5, but also having that player have a career day.

The Titans missed 11 FTs (16-27) and made some other big mistakes in the game.  The Erwin matchup, and Erwin's play, was a big problem but IWU really didn't play well enough to deserve to win anyway.

[AndOne]

Looks like the voting for the next Top 25 Poll will be conducted tomorrow night with results posted Thurs or perhaps Fri.
We'll undoubtedly have a new #1 team as Virginia Wesleyan has lost twice since being named #1.
Middlebury, 9-0, and currently #2, has played opponents who have a combined record of 35-54.
North Central, 11-0, and currently #3, has played opponents whose combined record is 68-57.
What role, if any, will opponents records play in the voting?
Will #4 St. Thomas be able to garner enough support to leapfrog either North Central, Middlebury, or both?

So far, it seems like being #1 has been a jinx!

[robertgoulet]

Looks like the voting for the next Top 25 Poll will be conducted tomorrow night with results posted Thurs or perhaps Fri.
We'll undoubtedly have a new #1 team as Virginia Wesleyan has lost twice since being named #1.
Middlebury, 9-0, and currently #2, has played opponents who have a combined record of 35-54.
North Central, 11-0, and currently #3, has played opponents whose combined record is 68-57.
What role, if any, will opponents records play in the voting?
Will #4 St. Thomas be able to garner enough support to leapfrog either North Central, Middlebury, or both?

So far, it seems like being #1 has been a jinx!

That said, I'd still love to see the Cards at #1!!

[Pat Coleman]

I actually hope to have the poll done by the time 7 p.m. games tip on Wednesday. Voters have the materials now and have a deadline of tomorrow afternoon -- just hope we get 25 ballots in on time. Holiday/travel times are often problematic for an on-time poll delivery.

[AndOne]

I actually hope to have the poll done by the time 7 p.m. games tip on Wednesday. Voters have the materials now and have a deadline of tomorrow afternoon -- just hope we get 25 ballots in on time. Holiday/travel times are often problematic for an on-time poll delivery.

Mr. Goulet and I could provide you with 2 ballots right now! 

[USee]

Looks like the voting for the next Top 25 Poll will be conducted tomorrow night with results posted Thurs or perhaps Fri.
We'll undoubtedly have a new #1 team as Virginia Wesleyan has lost twice since being named #1.
Middlebury, 9-0, and currently #2, has played opponents who have a combined record of 35-54.
North Central, 11-0, and currently #3, has played opponents whose combined record is 68-57.
What role, if any, will opponents records play in the voting?
Will #4 St. Thomas be able to garner enough support to leapfrog either North Central, Middlebury, or both?

So far, it seems like being #1 has been a jinx!

Why does this matter? It seems nice to be ranked #1 but not sure it has any tangible effect. Check that, AndOne won't be able to play the "I can't believe we are only ranked #3" card. Where are all the disrespected Cardinal fans when you need them! Uncle Gamble? 

[D-3 watcher]

Sager, how well Goldthree shot as a freshman didn't help them last year. In NCC 5 tournament games last year, he was a very poor 10 for 43 from the field, including a 2 for 10 in their loss. He took more shots from the field than Raridon did during the season. And made 24 shots less.
He needed to play because of the lack of depth, I get that, but he takes to many shots away from the teams best player. And it doesn't matter who people think is NCC best player, it wasn't C.J.
Are they better off without him?  They are 11-0

[AndOne]

Sager, how well Goldthree shot as a freshman didn't help them last year. In NCC 5 tournament games last year, he was a very poor 10 for 43 from the field, including a 2 for 10 in their loss. He took more shots from the field than Raridon did during the season. And made 24 shots less.
He needed to play because of the lack of depth, I get that, but he takes to many shots away from the teams best player. And it doesn't matter who people think is NCC best player, it wasn't C.J.
Are they better off without him?  They are 11-0

Nope. CJ certainly wasn't NCC's best player last year.
But, are they better off without him. Again, nope because a team's record is often not indicative of how good or bad a team really is at any given point.

And, I'm pretty confident in saying----

Would the NCC staff love to have CJ again this year? You bet. Anybody not want the #10 scorer in the league.
Do they subscribe to the concept of "We'd love to have you, but if you're not here for whatever reason, we'll find a way to be successful without you?" You bet.