MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

This is the 20th year of IWU's Shirk Center (honestly, hard for me to believe).  For fun, I put together my personal IWU all-Shirk team.  I've tried to stay true to positions as best as possible - each team has a PG, 2 other perimeter players, and 2 posts. 

1st Team
G - Adam Dauksas ('06) - CCIW 1st Team '05 & '06, CCIW M.O.P. '05, 1st Team All-American '05 & '06
G - Korey Coon ('00) - CCIW 1st Team '98, '99, '00, CCIW M.O.P. '99 & '00, 1st Team All-American '00, Division III Josten's winner '00
F - Bryan Crabtree ('97) - CCIW 1st Team '97, CCIW M.O.P. '97, 1st Team All-American '97, D3 Player of the Year '97
F - Zach Freeman ('07) - CCIW 1st Team '07, 1st Team All-American '07
C - Chris Simich ('96) - CCIW 1st Team '95 & '96, 1st Team All-American '95 & '96

2nd Team
G - Dylan Overstreet ('15) - CCIW 1st Team '13
G - Sean Johnson ('11) - CCIW 2nd Team '10 & '11
F - Keelan Amelianovich ('06) - CCIW 1st Team '04, '05, '06, CCIW M.O.P. '04, 1st Team All-American '06
F - Brent Niebrugge ('98) - CCIW 1st Team '98, CCIW M.O.P. '98, 3rd Team All-American '98
C - Luke Kasten ('03) - CCIW 1st Team '01, '02, '03, 3rd Team All-American '03

3rd Team
G - Chad Hutson ('95) - CCIW 2nd Team '95
G - Nathan Hubbard ('99) - CCIW 2nd Team '98 & '99
F - Jordan Zimmer ('12) - CCIW 1st Team '12, 3rd Team All-American '12
F - Andrew Ziemnik ('14) - CCIW 1st Team '13
C - Doug Sexauer ('11) - CCIW 1st Team '10 & '11


Behind these guys and many others, the Titans have made 11 trips to the Sweet 16 (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013) and 5 trips to the Final 4 in Salem, VA (1996, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2012) in the Shirk Center era.

In these 20 years, IWU has been fortunate to have 3 very good, and very different, head coaches - Dennie Bridge, Scott Trost, and Ron Rose.  All 3 coached the Titans to Salem.

Out of all of the many images in my mind of IWU games at the Shirk Center, my favorite is the one depicted here - http://www.iwuhoops.com/kids.jpg.  Korey Coon started the tradition of the kids lining the baseline back in about 1999, and I've always loved that part of the game night at the Shirk Center.

It's been a real pleasure watching IWU play at the Shirk Center.  I'm looking forward to many more great games to come - including those the rest of the way here in 2013-14.

[mwunder]

TitanQ...some tough calls there.  As you know the players much better, I won't quibble...except to say that:

F - Keelan Amelianovich ('06) - CCIW 1st Team '04, '05, '06, CCIW M.O.P. '04, 1st Team All-American '06

should probably be on the first team instead of Freeman??

[Mr. Ypsi]

In 2007, Freeman led the CCIW in both scoring and rebounding.  He, too, no doubt would have been CCIW MOP except for two things: the team stunk (4-10), and some dude named Kent Raymond.

[Titan Q]

TitanQ...some tough calls there.  As you know the players much better, I won't quibble...except to say that:

F - Keelan Amelianovich ('06) - CCIW 1st Team '04, '05, '06, CCIW M.O.P. '04, 1st Team All-American '06

should probably be on the first team instead of Freeman??

But I tried to stay true to positions.  I had a PG, 2 other perimeter players, and 2 posts on each team.

Keelan was a G/F (a perimeter player) - I couldn't put him on my 1st Team over Korey Coon or Bryan Crabtree.  No question he is the odd man out on my first team.

(Zach Freeman was a post player.)

[carthage guy]

pretty impressive group of players IWU has had the last 20 yrs .... they certainly have had the success the most programs model after.

ON to the present.... I think Carthage season comes down to this game on Saturday.  If we can grind one out at NC that leaves the Red mEN with two distinct facts.
First, they would have to beat elmhurst, milikin and augie @home.. Games i would say Carthage would be favored to win.
Secondly, they would have to win 1 of 2 @ Wheaton @ IWU

that puts them 11-3 and probably in a share or outright championship.

If carthage loses Sat.. they have to win both games at IWU and Wheaton which would be very difficult obviously.

Saturdays game will set the tone for the rest of the season the Red Men....  If your reading Malcom make sure the boys are ready for that battle, and it will be a battle on Saturday...

[mwunder]

pretty impressive group of players IWU has had the last 20 yrs .... they certainly have had the success the most programs model after.

ON to the present.... I think Carthage season comes down to this game on Saturday.  If we can grind one out at NC that leaves the Red mEN with two distinct facts.
First, they would have to beat elmhurst, milikin and augie @home.. Games i would say Carthage would be favored to win.
Secondly, they would have to win 1 of 2 @ Wheaton @ IWU

that puts them 11-3 and probably in a share or outright championship.

If carthage loses Sat.. they have to win both games at IWU and Wheaton which would be very difficult obviously.

Saturdays game will set the tone for the rest of the season the Red Men....  If your reading Malcom make sure the boys are ready for that battle, and it will be a battle on Saturday...

didn't you learn your lesson after the Elmhurst game?

Carthage needs to win out, or hope for help....plain and simple.  They need to stop messing around with these slow starts and play games with the intensity they showed against IWU.  They need to stop "playing to the level of your opponent".  You let teams in the league hang around long enough, and you're going to lose another one like the aforementioned Elmhurst game.

[Gregory Sager]

As many have agreed, too much defensive pushing and shoving has occurred in the last several years. Something definitely needed to be done, but not to the extreme they were in the beginning of this year. While not a fan of the recent years excessive physicality, I do like some contact within the game. As it seems to me that the field is tilted in favor of the offense, I like to see things like offensive arm bars called as I feel it helps put things back on even ground instead of favoring the offense so much with every minute transgression whistled against defenders while offensive players regularly get away with stuff like arm bars, hooking the defender to go around him, and dropping/leading with the shoulder to create space. 

I agree.

Pretty sure he is Right!!!

Ha!

CC the big surprise in the first half as many of us had NCC in the top four.

... and some of us didn't.

ON to the present.... I think Carthage season comes down to this game on Saturday.  If we can grind one out at NC that leaves the Red mEN with two distinct facts.
First, they would have to beat elmhurst, milikin and augie @home.. Games i would say Carthage would be favored to win.
Secondly, they would have to win 1 of 2 @ Wheaton @ IWU

that puts them 11-3 and probably in a share or outright championship.

If carthage loses Sat.. they have to win both games at IWU and Wheaton which would be very difficult obviously.

Saturdays game will set the tone for the rest of the season the Red Men....  If your reading Malcom make sure the boys are ready for that battle, and it will be a battle on Saturday...

didn't you learn your lesson after the Elmhurst game?

Carthage needs to win out, or hope for help....plain and simple.  They need to stop messing around with these slow starts and play games with the intensity they showed against IWU.  They need to stop "playing to the level of your opponent".  You let teams in the league hang around long enough, and you're going to lose another one like the aforementioned Elmhurst game.

Absolutely right. Carthage has been a Jeckyll-and-Hyde team all year. The Red Men need consistency, and that means always playing as close to optimal performance as possible rather than playing to the level of their opponent. And against weaker opponents, that means getting out to a strong start in the first half, putting their collective foot on the neck of the opponent, and not letting them back up. In other words, less Jeckyll-and-Hyde and more run-and-hide.

[Titan Q]

Opening for IWU's grad assistant job...

http://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobs/5979852/men-s-basketball-graduate-assistant

[John Gleich]

Opening for IWU's grad assistant job...

http://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobs/5979852/men-s-basketball-graduate-assistant

Is that description correct?

Successful candidates will adhere to all rules of the CCIW, NCAA, IWU, and will fulfill the requirements and expectations of the Illinois State University graduate program.

[Gregory Sager]

Opening for IWU's grad assistant job...

http://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobs/5979852/men-s-basketball-graduate-assistant

Is that description correct?

Successful candidates will adhere to all rules of the CCIW, NCAA, IWU, and will fulfill the requirements and expectations of the Illinois State University graduate program.

I think it is. IIRC, Illinois Wesleyan doesn't have graduate programs.

(... he said with complete trepidation, knowing that anytime he says anything about Illinois Wesleyan in a non-basketball sense he's opening the door to who-knows-what in terms of an IWU promotional blizzard from iwu70. )

[iwumichigander]

Opening for IWU's grad assistant job...

http://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobs/5979852/men-s-basketball-graduate-assistant

Is that description correct?

Successful candidates will adhere to all rules of the CCIW, NCAA, IWU, and will fulfill the requirements and expectations of the Illinois State University graduate program.

I think it is. IIRC, Illinois Wesleyan doesn't have graduate programs.

(... he said with complete trepidation, knowing that anytime he says anything about Illinois Wesleyan in a non-basketball sense he's opening the door to who-knows-what in terms of an IWU promotional blizzard from iwu70. )

correct as far as I know, the IWU grad assistants come through the ISU graduate program.  Includes the training department, too.  Pretty good deal for IWU and the grad candidate. 

[Gregory Sager]

Through a generous $1500.00 donation by this person...ctmchugh0699, Dave McHugh's Hoopsville campaign was at $10,010.00 last night when his marathon program ended.

There was a great interview with Elmhurst head coach John Baines at about the 6:20 mark of D-Mac's Hoopsville marathon. Highly recommended. And, yes, there was a Pat Coleman joke in it.

[AndOne]

Opening for IWU's grad assistant job...

http://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobs/5979852/men-s-basketball-graduate-assistant

Is that description correct?

Successful candidates will adhere to all rules of the CCIW, NCAA, IWU, and will fulfill the requirements and expectations of the Illinois State University graduate program.

I think it is. IIRC, Illinois Wesleyan doesn't have graduate programs.

(... he said with complete trepidation, knowing that anytime he says anything about Illinois Wesleyan in a non-basketball sense he's opening the door to who-knows-what in terms of an IWU promotional blizzard from iwu70. )

correct as far as I know, the IWU grad assistants come through the ISU graduate program.  Includes the training department, too.  Pretty good deal for IWU and the grad candidate.

I also have always been under the impression that IWU does not offer graduate programs with the possible exception of the nursing school, but I think that field is likewise bachelors only.

Current IWU grad assistant coach Quincy Henderson is in the Sport Management program at Illinois STATE, not Wesleyan.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Opening for IWU's grad assistant job...

http://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobs/5979852/men-s-basketball-graduate-assistant

Is that description correct?

Successful candidates will adhere to all rules of the CCIW, NCAA, IWU, and will fulfill the requirements and expectations of the Illinois State University graduate program.

I think it is. IIRC, Illinois Wesleyan doesn't have graduate programs.

(... he said with complete trepidation, knowing that anytime he says anything about Illinois Wesleyan in a non-basketball sense he's opening the door to who-knows-what in terms of an IWU promotional blizzard from iwu70. )

I thought I recalled that they had graduate programs in nursing and music, but I just checked their website and could not find any such listings.

[AndOne]

This is the 20th year of IWU's Shirk Center (honestly, hard for me to believe). 

While some schools have gyms that are slightly more than 20 years old, it would seem that at such a prestigious and wealthy institution as IWU, that a 20 year old facility would be close to being considered obsolete and ready for replacement. 

Might it not be time for a certain noteworthy alum to open his checkbook in preparation for the Quillman Center erection?