MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

Greg, thanks again for the call of the game the other night.  I enjoyed it and your banter with Rob.  Thanks, too, for the info on the links.  Yes, I'd seen that page at some point, but was just lazy in looking for the links -- as I do normally go first to the Titan sports page on iwu.edu.  We are all homers.

As to your assessment of the game, I basically agree with all you have said.  NPU may get it together if they get more size and better perimeter shooting, become a more experiened squad down the road.  I was impressed with Henry and Weaver. The Titans have been up and down, and surely could lose on any given night, esp. when they don't defend well and when the treys are not dropping, even with the great inside presence and size they have, which has been very consistent so far -- esp. Davis and Zman and Mayberger.  The Augie guard seemed to go basically wherever he wanted to go in that game at Carver.  Anderson seems to have faded.  Perhaps he's injured.  Marietti will be getting more time, it appears, and perhaps Seibring too.  We'll see.  Titans have to play their best, have good games from the post and the perimeter to win -- esp. the away games at WC and others tough places to play, like Millikin this next Wednesday.  If Sodemann, Nelson and Dolan don't score well, the Titans can be in trouble.  We'll see in the next eleven nights out there in league play.  Still seems to me like 11-3 may win the league.  Big game at the Shirk upcoming, WC vs. IWU.  Gotta defend home court.

IWU70

[Gregory Sager]

Greg, thanks again for the call of the game the other night.  I enjoyed it and your banter with Rob.

Thanks! Win or lose (mostly the latter, alas, over the past few campaigns), Rob and I always have fun on the air. I hope that we're making the game more fun for our viewers, too, without sacrificing any of the necessary game-call. I'd just like to have my voice back for Wednesday night. As Chuck noted in the updates room, it was pretty much shot on Saturday due to a cold and the necessity of having to call back-to-back games.

Thanks, too, for the info on the links.  Yes, I'd seen that page at some point, but was just lazy in looking for the links -- as I do normally go first to the Titan sports page on iwu.edu.  We are all homers.

Well, look at it this way: You may have inadvertently done people who weren't aware of that page a favor by giving me an excuse to link to it.

As to your assessment of the game, I basically agree with all you have said.  NPU may get it together if they get more size and better perimeter shooting, become a more experiened squad down the road.  I was impressed with Henry and Weaver.

Unfortunately, the more-size thing is gonna have to wait until next year. The better-perimeter-shooting aspect can still be found if the guys whose primary responsibility it is to hit the treys start stepping it up a little more.

Aaron Weaver has his warts as a player, but there's no denying what he brings to the table. He's a long, lithe 6'6 perimeter player with a great first step who can blow by just about anybody in this league except for a handful of smaller guards who aren't likely to be matched up with him. He's also a really good guy who has had to overcome a lot of things in life, and I'm rooting for him just as strongly off the court as on. I will be tickled pink when that young man strides across the stage of the crackerbox in his cap and gown and has President Parkyn hand him his degree.

And Juwan Henry is a great find by Tom Slyder and Cordell Henry. He's by no means a complete player at this point, but he's getting better every game. I can't really figure out his ceiling as a player yet. The sky seems to be the limit for him. Along with JayQuan Lee, he makes for the sort of backcourt that NPU can really build around over the next three years. Problem is, there's a lot more that goes into having a CCIW-competitive team than just a good starting backcourt.

[iwu70]

Warm congrats to "Gramps" Malcom Kelly for the CCIW Player of the Week honors.  As a T-Shirt I once had and enjoyed said, "Age and stealth overcomes youth and skill."  Indeed so in this case.  Keep going Malcom.  I played full-court roundball here in Hong Kong 2-3 times/week 'til I was 49 (then the bad knees got me), so you have a long long way to go yet. 

There's always biking, golf and tennis after that -- if you are lucky and durable. 

IWU70

[Gregory Sager]

Anderson seems to have faded.

I had the pleasure of meeting Nick's dad on Saturday in the crackerbox. Seems like a really nice man. I also had the pleasure of finally meeting Hoosier Titan, whose posts on both the CCIW men's and women's boards I've respected for a long time now. We had a brief discussion of our mutual dislike of how Grinnell plans out and then sets those NCAA individual records against tomato-can Bible schools, proving the lie to those who have said that I can never agree with anyone who wears green.

[Gregory Sager]

Warm congrats to "Gramps" Malcom Kelly for the CCIW Player of the Week honors.  As a T-Shirt I once had and enjoyed said, "Age and stealth overcomes youth and skill."  Indeed so in this case.  Keep going Malcom.  I played full-court roundball here in Hong Kong 2-3 times/week 'til I was 49 (then the bad knees got me), so you have a long long way to go yet. 

There's always biking, golf and tennis after that -- if you are lucky and durable.

And shuffleboard.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Warm congrats to "Gramps" Malcom Kelly for the CCIW Player of the Week honors.  As a T-Shirt I once had and enjoyed said, "Age and stealth overcomes youth and skill."  Indeed so in this case.  Keep going Malcom.  I played full-court roundball here in Hong Kong 2-3 times/week 'til I was 49 (then the bad knees got me), so you have a long long way to go yet. 

There's always biking, golf and tennis after that -- if you are lucky and durable.

And shuffleboard.

Aw, NOW you've hurt Malcolm's feelings!

(Though I admit to liking shuffleboard, even in my teens.   I also liked curling the few times I had a chance to do it.)

[Gregory Sager]

Warm congrats to "Gramps" Malcom Kelly for the CCIW Player of the Week honors.  As a T-Shirt I once had and enjoyed said, "Age and stealth overcomes youth and skill."  Indeed so in this case.  Keep going Malcom.  I played full-court roundball here in Hong Kong 2-3 times/week 'til I was 49 (then the bad knees got me), so you have a long long way to go yet. 

There's always biking, golf and tennis after that -- if you are lucky and durable.

And shuffleboard.

Aw, NOW you've hurt Malcolm's feelings!

Not as much as you just did by misspelling his name.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Warm congrats to "Gramps" Malcom Kelly for the CCIW Player of the Week honors.  As a T-Shirt I once had and enjoyed said, "Age and stealth overcomes youth and skill."  Indeed so in this case.  Keep going Malcom.  I played full-court roundball here in Hong Kong 2-3 times/week 'til I was 49 (then the bad knees got me), so you have a long long way to go yet. 

There's always biking, golf and tennis after that -- if you are lucky and durable.

And shuffleboard.

Aw, NOW you've hurt Malcolm's feelings!

Not as much as you just did by misspelling his name.

OOPS!  I had never noticed that - I can't recall ever seeing the name without the second 'l'.

[MalcomKelly25]

Ha!

[iwu70]

Yes, I was especially careful to get "Malcom's" name right.  Great player, a great potential senior citizen, too, down the road.  I'll leave the shuffleboard to all of you -- played enough as a preacher's kid in church basements, at youth group, way way back in the day.  Boring!

Yes, Greg, Nick's Dad is a great guy.  I've met him at the Shirk earlier too.  Hope Nick gets back in there, more minutes and performs well, like we all know he can.  Titans just have so so many good players, different possible match-ups, styles of play and varying skill sets, and now more limited minutes as the CCIW race cranks up.

I think MU is a tough challenge for the Titans - at the Griz.  Should not be taken lightly, should not be jumping ahead mentally to the Wheaton game to follow.  One game at a time, especially the road games. 

Congrats again to Malcom on CCIW Player of the Week.  A really great game vs. NCC. 

IWU70

[Pat Coleman]

Sager -- first link I checked on that page was broken, North Park MBB live stats. Points out that these things are difficult to maintain accurately.

[iwu70]

Titans drop one spot to 4th, in the latest D3hoops poll, below Cabrini now.  Augie beats the then #3 team in the nation, in IWU, and drops in the poll.  There's gratitude for you!  WC also ranked -- I think 22nd.

Some big games upcoming -- and things are going to get further sorted out.  Time for everyone to bring their "A" game.  Only 11 games to go before tournament time -- conference and D3 dance.

IWU70

[Titan Q]

Augie beats the then #3 team in the nation, in IWU, and drops in the poll.  There's gratitude for you! 

But then they lost to an unranked (at the time of the game) team.

[iwu70]

Q, I take your point -- but in OT on WC's floor.  I guess only WC benefitted in the poll, coming up, in at 21 -- AC and IWU pretty much stayed the same.

More sorting out to come.

IWU70

[Pat Coleman]

Q, I take your point -- but in OT on WC's floor.  I guess only WC benefitted in the poll, coming up, in at 21 -- AC and IWU pretty much stayed the same.

More sorting out to come.

IWU70

Right -- they split and stayed relatively stable. I think that was just about right.