MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

IWU – Clear favorite in conference, and has a legit shot at being preseason #1 when d3hoops poll comes out (though with Toomey back I'm not sure they unseat Amherst, at least in the preseason poll).

I'm not sure what the resumes of all of the preseason #1 candidates look like, but the defending champs might be a stretch to be the choice.  I'm sure Amherst will be great again this season, but they lost a bunch.  The D3hoops.com voters typically don't just automatically put the defending champs back in the #1 spot to start the season.

G Aaron Toomey, 6-1 (17.3, 4.8 rpg, 5.0 apg)
G Allen Williamson, 6-4 (11.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg
F Tom Killian, 6-4 (7.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
F Willy Workman, 6-6 (12.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 3.9 apg)
C Peter Kaasila, 6-9 (12.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg)

G David Kalema, 6-0 (9.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
F Ben Pollack, 6-7 (4.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
G Connor Green, 6-4 (9.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg)


I'm pretty sure IWU will be ranked ahead of Amherst in the preseason poll.

[toooldtohoop]

The 2013-2014 Wheaton Thunder roster is up:

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/roster.aspx?path=mbball&;

[Titan Q]

6-8 junior F/C Parker Musselman (3.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg) has left the IWU basketball team.

6-2 junior G Randy Azuogu (JV the last two years) has also decided not the play any longer.


http://www.iwusports.com/roster.aspx?path=mbball&roster=116&

[nescac1]

Speaking as a NESCAC fan, Amherst definitely loses a lot, as Williamson is actually a bigger loss than the stats would indicate -- he may have been Amherst's best player in the NESCAC and NCAA tourney, became a true dominant force by season's end.  On the other hand, Amherst had a lot of talent buried on the bench that will get a chance to shine this season, and Connor Green could make a very big leap.  Still, I probably would not rate them first just because of such huge shoes to fill at three positions.  I think the pre-season number one is between IWU and Williams.  Williams I believe has more talent at the top of the roster (unless the two IWU D-1 transfers are nationally elite players right away), with at least two (possibly three) all-American caliber players leading the way.  But IWU is much deeper in overall talent and has fewer question marks in the rotation heading into the season.  I also feel like Stevens-Point is a worthy contender for pre-season number one, with Tillema coming back from injury, and like IWU, a talented higher-level transfer coming in and nearly everyone back.  If I was ranking, I'd go IWU 1, Williams 2, Stevens-Point 3, Amherst 4. 

[iwu70]

Sorry to hear Musselman is not going out this year.  What's the deal?  He's a big body, with soft hands, excellent passing and vision, good rebounding and 3 pt. range.  I always thought he was better in some circumstances than Nick Anderson and also Marietti.  I know the Titans are deep and playing time is scarce, but sorry to see Parker depart.

Not surprised about Randy Azuogu as he was not going to see any varsity time, only pine.  He put in a lot of hours and efforts in the Titan program, so I, for one, thank him and I wish him well for the rest of his IWU career.

IWU70

[iwu70]

Q, do you know when the annual Green/White scrimmage will be held?

IWU70

[Gregory Sager]

Bob and/or Greg - no Aaron Weaver on the North Side this year?  That would really hurt the Park.

I'm guessing he is coming back, but I'm not sure.  I didn't list him above because he didn't play in North Park's final 10 games or so last year and I haven't heard anything since then about his status.

I made mention on CCIW Chat way back in June that Weaver would be back for NPU:

Malcom Kelly's return presents an interesting problem for Carthage in that it pushes Reese Herth, CC's leading returning scorer, out of his starting SG position. Herth is too good not to play extended minutes. The question thus becomes does he, at just 6/2, displace Marlon Senior and become CC's very small forward, or does he become the Carthage "super sub," capable of providing some instant offense.
Depending on the opponent, I can see Bosko occasionally playing Logan, Kelly, and Herth together, but this does not seem to be the every night solution given size seems to be the primary missing ingredient north of the boarder. Even if Senior maintains his starting SF position, the real question for CC next season is who can adequately provide starters minutes at the 4 and 5 to fully compliment CC's plethora of talent at both the starting and backup guard positions.

As I've said before, Bosko has a long history of using three-guard lineups. Heck, the man won a national championship at North Park in 1985 exclusively using a three-guard lineup. He'll do it again if it's the right situation, and I think that 2013-14 could be the right situation, both for positive (Logan, Kelly, and Herth are all high-quality CCIW players) and negative (not much size suiting up for Carthage next season) reasons.

North Park better get some bodies or they will have to forfeit all their games.  Would cost them a win. 

Getting bodies won't be the problem for NPU. It never has been the problem. Getting good, CCIW-quality bodies is the problem.

I've been off the boards for about a month or so, and I see that in my absence it was noted that Juwan Henry and Garett Gatz are joining the Vikings. While I can't give out any other names right now -- other than to announce that JayQuan Lee from West Aurora finally crossed over today from being a verbal commit to being a deposited and enrolled recruit --  I can disclose that NPU had, as of a couple of weeks ago, seven deposits and about a half-dozen verbals from graduating high school seniors. (Those are two very different categories, of course, as far as D3 programs are concerned.) All told, I think that the Park will probably have a freshman class of about ten or eleven players.

The big push right now, as it is every summer for the NPU coaching staff, is for transfers. Gatz is the first to be brought into the fold, and I do not expect him to be the last. With Mike Gabriel and Aaron Weaver the only two guys who are really guaranteed to be starters next season for the Vikings, there's a lot of minutes available at Foster & Kedzie for players who have left their previous schools and are seeking a new one.

My initial read was that Gabriel and Weaver would be NPU's two biggest offensive weapons this coming season, and as of now that's still the case.

Tier 3

North Central – Any team with Landon Gamble can't be overlooked. That said, they have to replace the 2013 Player of the Year (Raridon), a 3rd teamer (Tiknis), and a solid forward off the bench (Rosenberg) ... that's close to 30 ppg (42% of NCC's scoring last year), not to mention they lose almost 40% of their rebounding.   If they find a player (or players by committee) adequately replace Raridon, Tiknis and Rosenbergs production then they can make a push to be a Tier 2 team. If not, I see NCC as more of a two man show (and one of the other Tier 3 schools might be able to nip them).

Millikin – the freshman are now sophomores. We will see what kind of development the Big Blue have made, if the freshmen make strides, then I can see MU giving the traditional "Big 4" a run for the money.

Carthage – I'm placing them in this tier because I think that Malcolm Kelly makes a big difference for them. That said, they have to find a way to replace Thompson and Pierce at the forward spots. Of the returners listed, only 6-6 Cameron Van Wyk is a forward of any size. If they don't have a "game-ready" freshman or transfer to come in and play in the front court immediately, I think that Carthage could struggle at times this season.

Putting NCC in "tier 3" with Millikin and Carthage might cause you to be called a sandbagger!

I'm not so sure about that. I can see Millikin and/or Carthage finishing even with, or ahead of, NCC this coming season as being a reasonable possibility.

The 2013-2014 Wheaton Thunder roster is up:

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/roster.aspx?path=mbball&

Just four freshmen, all of them guards. The only big man that Wheaton has "added" this year, 6'7 Drew Wikelius, is a sophomore who was on last season's roster but didn't play due to injury.

[Iwufan]

The scrimmage is Saturday October 26th at 9am.

[AndOne]

quote

Tier 3

North Central – Any team with Landon Gamble can't be overlooked. That said, they have to replace the 2013 Player of the Year (Raridon), a 3rd teamer (Tiknis), and a solid forward off the bench (Rosenberg) ... that's close to 30 ppg (42% of NCC's scoring last year), not to mention they lose almost 40% of their rebounding.   If they find a player (or players by committee) adequately replace Raridon, Tiknis and Rosenbergs production then they can make a push to be a Tier 2 team. If not, I see NCC as more of a two man show (and one of the other Tier 3 schools might be able to nip them).

Millikin – the freshman are now sophomores. We will see what kind of development the Big Blue have made, if the freshmen make strides, then I can see MU giving the traditional "Big 4" a run for the money.

Carthage – I'm placing them in this tier because I think that Malcolm Kelly makes a big difference for them. That said, they have to find a way to replace Thompson and Pierce at the forward spots. Of the returners listed, only 6-6 Cameron Van Wyk is a forward of any size. If they don't have a "game-ready" freshman or transfer to come in and play in the front court immediately, I think that Carthage could struggle at times this season.

Putting NCC in "tier 3" with Millikin and Carthage might cause you to be called a sandbagger!

I'm not so sure about that. I can see Millikin and/or Carthage finishing even with, or ahead of, NCC this coming season as being a reasonable possibility.

I'm not so sure either. I think its reasonable to substitute the word remote for reasonable. 

[izzy stradlin]

The 2013-2014 Wheaton Thunder roster is up:

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/roster.aspx?path=mbball&

Just four freshmen, all of them guards. The only big man that Wheaton has "added" this year, 6'7 Drew Wikelius, is a sophomore who was on last season's roster but didn't play due to injury.

Also noticed Michael Berg is still listed at 6-6 200lbs and Peter Smith 6-6 190lbs.   Hopefully they just haven't updated the height/weight on the returning players?

[AndOne]

I doubt either Berg or Smith grew too much over the summer. As far as added weight, hopefully if so, its muscle, not just weight. Both may have metabolisms that make it difficult to add extra bulk. The difference between the two is that Smith played pretty effectively at 190 last year while Berg was not nearly as effective despite having 10 more pounds behind him. 190 might be right for Smith. 190 might actually be better for Berg too as he really isn't an inside player and as such, more weight might make him slower without really adding anything to his game.

[izzy stradlin]

I doubt either Berg or Smith grew too much over the summer. As far as added weight, hopefully if so, its muscle, not just weight. Both may have metabolisms that make it difficult to add extra bulk. The difference between the two is that Smith played pretty effectively at 190 last year while Berg was not nearly as effective despite having 10 more pounds behind him. 190 might be right for Smith. 190 might actually be better for Berg too as he really isn't an inside player and as such, more weight might make him slower without really adding anything to his game.

Well, neither of those guys were major impact players last year offensively (I don't really think Wheaton needs them to be) so I was just hoping for a little more muscle to defend and rebound against all of IWUs 230 pounders.

[AndOne]

Speaking as a NESCAC fan, Amherst definitely loses a lot, as Williamson is actually a bigger loss than the stats would indicate -- he may have been Amherst's best player in the NESCAC and NCAA tourney, became a true dominant force by season's end.  On the other hand, Amherst had a lot of talent buried on the bench that will get a chance to shine this season, and Connor Green could make a very big leap.  Still, I probably would not rate them first just because of such huge shoes to fill at three positions.  I think the pre-season number one is between IWU and Williams.  Williams I believe has more talent at the top of the roster (unless the two IWU D-1 transfers are nationally elite players right away), with at least two (possibly three) all-American caliber players leading the way.  But IWU is much deeper in overall talent and has fewer question marks in the rotation heading into the season.  I also feel like Stevens-Point is a worthy contender for pre-season number one, with Tillema coming back from injury, and like IWU, a talented higher-level transfer coming in and nearly everyone back.  If I was ranking, I'd go IWU 1, Williams 2, Stevens-Point 3, Amherst 4. 

IWU – Clear favorite in conference, and has a legit shot at being preseason #1 when d3hoops poll comes out (though with Toomey back I'm not sure they unseat Amherst, at least in the preseason poll).

I'm not sure what the resumes of all of the preseason #1 candidates look like, but the defending champs might be a stretch to be the choice.  I'm sure Amherst will be great again this season, but they lost a bunch.  The D3hoops.com voters typically don't just automatically put the defending champs back in the #1 spot to start the season.

G Aaron Toomey, 6-1 (17.3, 4.8 rpg, 5.0 apg)
G Allen Williamson, 6-4 (11.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg
F Tom Killian, 6-4 (7.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
F Willy Workman, 6-6 (12.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 3.9 apg)
C Peter Kaasila, 6-9 (12.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg)

G David Kalema, 6-0 (9.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
F Ben Pollack, 6-7 (4.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
G Connor Green, 6-4 (9.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg)

I'm pretty sure IWU will be ranked ahead of Amherst in the preseason poll.

To me, Williamson was indeed Amherst's best player in the tournament. Notwithstanding overall statistics, it seemed like he made more big plays at critical junctures of games.
With regard to rankings, Amherst may indeed have had a lot of talent buried on the bench as NESCAC suggests. However, that is talent that was indeed "buried on the bench" as opposed to spending a majority of their time on the floor, which is where the IWU returning starters spent a majority of their time. Additionally, many of what will be IWU's reserves this year also saw considerable time last year. Much more so, I believe, than the group of players who will comprise the Amherst bench this season.

As far as "D3Hoops.com voters typically don't just automatically put the defending champs back in the #1 slot to start the season," they seemingly typically just automatically put the national tourney runner-up in the #2 spot in the final poll, so you never know.     

[Titan Q]

Well, neither of those guys were major impact players last year offensively (I don't really think Wheaton needs them to be) so I was just hoping for a little more muscle to defend and rebound against all of IWUs 230 pounders.

I saw many of IWU's players this past weekend, and there are some big, strong dudes on that roster.  Andrew Ziemnik (6-5/220), Victor Davis (6-5/235), Eric Dortch (6-4/210), Nick Anderson (6-10/230), and Mike Marietti (6-8/245) in particular are noticeably stronger than last season.  That frontcourt group is going to give some teams trouble.

This will be the strongest (physically) IWU team I've seen in the 24 years I've been following the Titans.  IWU might not win the league this year, but it won't be due to a lack of weight room time.

[AndOne]

I doubt either Berg or Smith grew too much over the summer. As far as added weight, hopefully if so, its muscle, not just weight. Both may have metabolisms that make it difficult to add extra bulk. The difference between the two is that Smith played pretty effectively at 190 last year while Berg was not nearly as effective despite having 10 more pounds behind him. 190 might be right for Smith. 190 might actually be better for Berg too as he really isn't an inside player and as such, more weight might make him slower without really adding anything to his game.

Well, neither of those guys were major impact players last year offensively (I don't really think Wheaton needs them to be) so I was just hoping for a little more muscle to defend and rebound against all of IWUs 230 pounders.

But remember, rebounding is much more than solely bulk alone. Ability to both read the ball off the rim/backboard, quickly move to that spot, and to effectively block out are all important ingredients. Also, you're never going to collect many boards if you have an affinity for hanging out in the corners rather than mixing it up underneath.