MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Hoosier Titan]

Regarding Andrew Ziemnik's fitness: 

He averages 27.5 minutes a game over the season, second only to point guard Dylan Overstreet.  He is the only Titan to have started every game.  He plays the "small forward" role, and often guards the other team's best frontcourt player.  Last night he played 41 minutes and hit a long three to put the Titans ahead in the last minute of regulation. Doesn't sound like an out-of-shape player to me.

Regardless of whether he "looks like a basketball player," the evidence is that he's a very good one.  Most of us would be happy to have his level of fitness.

[bopol]

FWIW, my all-CCIW teams:

1st Team      
G   Peters   WHE
G   Overstreet   IWU
G/F   Raridon   NC
F   Haynes   WHE
F   Gamble   NC
      
2nd Team      
G   Sodermann   IWU
F   Tiknis   NC
F   Ziemnik   IWU
F   Sanford   ELM
F   Holmes   NP
      
3rd Team      
G   Teuscher   WHE
G   Kvam   WHE
F   Thompson   CAR
F   Ryan    AUG
C   Kuntz   AUG

I doubt many will find this out of line...

Peters is Player of the Year.

I think Overstreet should be first team because IMO he is the reason that IWU has been so successful.  I expected some drop-off in IWU when Gonzalez graduated, but there really wasn't.

I had a little trouble placing the really good players on the poor teams (Sanford and Holmes).  I think 2nd team is reasonable.

I felt bad keeping Reed (IWU) and Johnson (Millikin).

[bopol]

Regarding Andrew Ziemnik's fitness: 

He averages 27.5 minutes a game over the season, second only to point guard Dylan Overstreet.  He is the only Titan to have started every game.  He plays the "small forward" role, and often guards the other team's best frontcourt player.  Last night he played 41 minutes and hit a long three to put the Titans ahead in the last minute of regulation. Doesn't sound like an out-of-shape player to me.

Regardless of whether he "looks like a basketball player," the evidence is that he's a very good one.  Most of us would be happy to have his level of fitness.

Dude needs a haircut.

[pistol]

For those complaining about Merner Fieldhouse, here is one of my favorite posts from 2006:

"How quickly you forget the arm pit that was Fred Young Fieldhouse. While attending the Jack (Never Showed Up) Sikma basketball camp, a rat ate my lunch."

[sac]

Why is Wash U. ranked ahead of Wheaton even though the thunder beat them head to head? There isn't that much separation between the two teams criteria!

Agreed. They clearly seem to be valuing the 10 results (and six wins) vs. RRO here over a two-point win at home. I also think common opponents is a wash -- Wash U is 2-1 vs. Chicago, Elmhurst and IWU while Wheaton is 3-2.

I don't like this. Seven RRO results and four wins for Wheaton is a good resume as well.

The benefits of playing in a conference where teams can be ranked in 5 different regions.

[TitanPride]

Thank goodness IWU finally hired a new coach. I was in the flight pattern of the flights from all over the country being re directed to the Bloomington International Airport, Hair Care and Tire Center.

A high school coach? From Bloomington!  So much for the national search for the best job in Division III .

Reminds me of the Sox hiring Terry Bevington, or George Bush elected president. Some people are just not qualified...   

Here is another good post you made around that same time.

[Rafi]

FWIW, my all-CCIW teams:

1st Team      
G   Peters   WHE
G   Overstreet   IWU
G/F   Raridon   NC
F   Haynes   WHE
F   Gamble   NC
      
2nd Team      
G   Sodermann   IWU
F   Tiknis   NC
F   Ziemnik   IWU
F   Sanford   ELM
F   Holmes   NP
      
3rd Team      
G   Teuscher   WHE
G   Kvam   WHE
F   Thompson   CAR
F   Ryan    AUG
C   Kuntz   AUG

I doubt many will find this out of line...

Peters is Player of the Year.

I think Overstreet should be first team because IMO he is the reason that IWU has been so successful.  I expected some drop-off in IWU when Gonzalez graduated, but there really wasn't.

I had a little trouble placing the really good players on the poor teams (Sanford and Holmes).  I think 2nd team is reasonable.

I felt bad keeping Reed (IWU) and Johnson (Millikin).

The CCIW coaches have some tough choices to make on the all-conference teams and for POY.

Some observations on your teams: 

I think Ziemnik and Overstreet should be switched.  Although, I think Overstreet has turned out to be an upgrade at PG for IWU from Gonzalez and is one of the major reasons for their success this year.  But, as an outsider it looks to me like Ziemnik is the driving force behind the team.  I think Reed should get some consideration as well.....maybe replacing Holmes (see below).

I think Vince Kmiec from NCC should get some consideration, possibly instead of Tiknis......maybe on 3rd team.

I just don't think Holmes from NPU deserves to be on the team......yes, he's one of the leading scorers in the league, but he's not many other places in the conference stats......especially in FG and FT %, which tells me he was inefficient to get to his scoring average.  Most, if not all, of the leading scorers in the conference are also in the top FG and FT % categories, including some wing/guard players.  Lastly and unfortunately for him, he played on the last place team in the conference that won only one game.

Last but not least, I think Derek Raridon should be POY......but I'll admit that I'm biased.  Two things he has going against him are 1) Landon Gamble and 2) He had two of his best games (@ IWU and @ WC) in losses.  He absolutely carried NCC in long segments of both of those games.

[iwu70]

Great great game last night -- I had to run to a set of meetings after watching the OT on video, so couldn't comment 'til now. 

Two wonderful teams, playing flat out.  It could have gone either way, basically a game over all that time of 1-2 possessions difference.  Thought the key was the IWU foul trouble, the fact that Vic Davis had to sit for lengthy periods and that he and Reed were fouled out during the OT.  Gamble was the difference, making shot after shot in the paint in the second half.  Reed, Zman and Anderson couldn't really stop him, save for a few strips and a few blocks by Anderson.  Many Titans had good games, esp. Overstreet, Zman and Zimmer.  Also, some key missed FTs by both teams.  Two heavy-weight teams just throwing their best punches time after time.  Surely one of the best games of the season, with a high quality of play on both sides.  NCC is really good and I have all respect for them.  I hope they go far in the Dance and get a good draw.  Sure hope there's a re-match of this game on Saturday night @The Shirk.  It will surely give the B/N - IWU - CCIW fans their money's worth.

Much has been said already about the zebras.  That was truly horrible.  I thought both Ts were not needed, seeming that the refs were trying their best to determine the game, not let the players and the play determine the outcome.  So many strange and missed calls . . . both ways.  Hope that crew is off this weekend.  I recognized them, but this was not a commendable performance, no kudos for them at all from me. 

bopol, if Kevin Reed doesn't make an All-CCIW team, it will be a huge travesty, IMHO.

Should be a GREAT weekend of basketball upcoming in The Shirk.  More prep for the DIII dance.  I surely hope NCC and IWU make the championship game and that both teams welcome another go 'round.  Seems NCC's key players are all healthy now.  Very good to see Zimmer back . . .and hope he stays healthy for the rest of the season.

More excitement to come . . .

IWU70

[Gregory Sager]

Merner Fieldhouse is a horrible place to watch a game if you are a visiting fan. I go to any other CCIW fieldhouse on the road and I can sit wherever I want (except for the student or band sections). There are no reserved seats. But at NCC, all the decent floor seats are reserved for NCC alums. Next year, I'll buy a NCC sweatshirt and sit in those seats. I sat in the end zone and missed so much of the critical action at the other end of the court. I don't know who the incompetent architect was who drew up the plans for the worst basketball venue by far in the CCIW.

I enjoy watching games in the airplane hangar. I like the place. I think it has character and personality. And I don't see why North Central's basketball coaches would ever want to leave it for a new gym; as we've discussed many times in the past on CCIW Chat, the lack of a shooting background is a distinct advantage for the Cardinals cagers, both men and women.

I agree with TitansIWU that the mezzanine is not a bad place to watch the game in the hangar (as long as you're not stuck behind a pillar). I also agree with him that NCC misses out on the opportunity to be hospitable by reserving the prime floor seats. However, North Central is probably under the same sort of budgetary constraints as are most D3 schools with regard to athletics, so I understand the need to secure more revenue by only giving out those seats to people who annually fork over the bucks to support Cardinals athletics.

[Gregory Sager]

For those complaining about Merner Fieldhouse, here is one of my favorite posts from 2006:

"How quickly you forget the arm pit that was Fred Young Fieldhouse. While attending the Jack (Never Showed Up) Sikma basketball camp, a rat ate my lunch."

You have to admire the audacity -- or the temerity, perhaps -- of someone who admiringly quotes a line from one of his own posts from seven years ago:

Wezzlyn fans complaining about how hot the gym was, slivers from the bleachers, white painted walls, how the place smells (last night it smelled like a AARP meeting). If you don't like NC gym you should stay at home and feed the pigs or sell some insurance.
How quickly you forget the arm pit that was Fred Young Fieldhouse. While attending the Jack (Never Showed Up) Sikma basketball camp a rat ate my lunch.
I did notice how no Wezzlyn fans complained about how poorly the game last night was officiated. Typical.

(This was after a IWU @ NCC game that the Titans won. Dennis Prikkel complained about getting wet paint on himself and walking out of the hangar with a sliver stuck in his posterior, and pistol thus mistook DP for a Wezzlyn Wesleyan fan.)

On the other hand:

Thank goodness IWU finally hired a new coach. I was in the flight pattern of the flights from all over the country being re directed to the Bloomington International Airport, Hair Care and Tire Center.

A high school coach? From Bloomington!  So much for the national search for the best job in Division III .

Reminds me of the Sox hiring Terry Bevington, or George Bush elected president. Some people are just not qualified...   

Here is another good post you made around that same time.

The heck with the All-CCIW team speculations. I nominate TitanPride's post as the All-CCIW Zinger of the Year.

[D-3 watcher]

70
About those T's. Both were deserved, refs had no choice.

Charlie R. Was called because on his dunk, while hanging on, which is legal, he then pulled himself up and before coming down, slapped the backboard. That slap was why the T was called.

Victor D.  After a foul was called on IWU, he slammed the ball down with both hands, the ball went higher than the backboard. The ref, just looked at him and shook his head. He didn't even blow his whistle, he had no choice. The foul wasn't even on Victor.

Both players just kinda lost it.

Were the refs bad last night? I don't know, yes they missed some calls, they all do. They could call a foul on every possession, NCC fouls all the time, they hold, push, pull, set illegal screens, go over the back on rebounds, reach and hack. And they do it all the time. Now replace NCC with IWU, and the same thing is true. It's a hard game to officiate.

[D-3 watcher]

For Iwu it was just to much Gamble in the end.

And Vince Kmiec stepped up big time as well. His shooting wasn't the only thing he did well.

[iwu70]

D3 watcher, yes, I know the rules, I know they had to call those Ts, I just disagree.  But, if you think that was a well-called game, then we were watching a different game.  Yes, both teams played tough physical basketball with lots of pushing, shoving, grabbing, hacking etc.  . . . and it's a tough job officiating, but games can be called well, and games can be called badly, with many mistakes and bad calls, missed calls.  That game last night was in the latter category.

Gamble was a beast, made a huge difference for NCC in the second half.  IWU adjusted and played Kmiec better after his monster first half.  Was tough on the Titans getting into foul trouble, having Davis sit, then Davis and Reed fouling out before the OT, both with some very very dubious calls to get them to 5.  Just say'in.  Guess that's part of the meaning of "home court advantage."  Heh?

I don't think the officiating determined the outcome in the end, as NCC executed just slightly better in the OT period.  Both teams are superb and I hope they get good long runs, good draws in the Dance.  Would love to see them both do well, go far . . .and hope there's a rematch, AT HOME, for the Titans in Shirk.   Do hope there's better officiating  in that game.

Great weekend of CCIW hoops upcoming, both women and men.  I'm hoping for a CC-IWU rematch on the women's side, perhaps another bigtime close, or OT game there too.  We'll see.

IWU70

[Gregory Sager]

Dept. of Silver Linings:

* Congrats to NPU sophomore Reggie McGee upon finishing the CCIW season as the league leader in trey percentage (.548), the first North Park player to do so since some guy named Berki did it a dozen years ago.

* Congrats as well to NPU freshman Cameron Burnett for leading the league in a:to ratio (2.32). Considering how hard a time his teammates generally had at putting the ball in the basket, this is quite an accomplishment ... especially for a freshman point guard.

[D-3 watcher]

70

I was at the game, and no I don't think the game was officiated terrible. Was it a work of art, no. You can't see the the game on your computer, pad, or phone, and tell if it was officiated correctly, as well as if you are at the game. They make, and will continue to make questionable calls. They do at every level.

You complain about the refs, we all do a little, but if they don't call both those T's, then they are not doing their job.