MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[CCIWbballfan]

It looks like Millikin will have an uphill battle to win another game this season.  I'm new to the D3 basketball world and the CCIW so I don't know what the definition of success would be at Millikin but does that put Nadelhoffer on the hot seat?  He's obviously improved the program since he came on board but it seems like the CCIW power houses just keep reloading year after year which would make further improvements a monumental task. Nadelhoffer has been able to bring in a lot of talent (including a lot this year) but very few have stuck around.  Only 6 remain from the 18 of his first recruiting class. Is that pretty common everywhere in D3 or does Millikin have a tougher time because they haven't been able to break through to the next level in CCIW play?  I wouldn't want the job of trying to rebuild a team in this conference!  I've been very impressed with the conference as I've tried to follow it over the past couple of years!

[iwumichigander]

It looks like Millikin will have an uphill battle to win another game this season.  I'm new to the D3 basketball world and the CCIW so I don't know what the definition of success would be at Millikin but does that put Nadelhoffer on the hot seat?  He's obviously improved the program since he came on board but it seems like the CCIW power houses just keep reloading year after year which would make further improvements a monumental task. Nadelhoffer has been able to bring in a lot of talent (including a lot this year) but very few have stuck around.  Only 6 remain from the 18 of his first recruiting class. Is that pretty common everywhere in D3 or does Millikin have a tougher time because they haven't been able to break through to the next level in CCIW play?  I wouldn't want the job of trying to rebuild a team in this conference!  I've been very impressed with the conference as I've tried to follow it over the past couple of years!

i do not believe Nadelhoffer is in the hot seat.  He inherited a mess hence the 18 first recruiting class;and, the attrition in the class expected.  He has improved the program IMHO.  He just needs to keep grinding away at recruiting. 
You have some attrition in any team until you build a program which is the task before him.  He likely needs another year or two before an accurate assessment can be made.  Whether the AD at Millikin will give him the time is another big question mark.  Millikin is not in the same position from a financial aid perspective as say, Wheaton, IWU, Augustana or North Central which makes recruiting a little harder.

[Titan Q]

It looks like Millikin will have an uphill battle to win another game this season.  I'm new to the D3 basketball world and the CCIW so I don't know what the definition of success would be at Millikin but does that put Nadelhoffer on the hot seat?  He's obviously improved the program since he came on board but it seems like the CCIW power houses just keep reloading year after year which would make further improvements a monumental task. Nadelhoffer has been able to bring in a lot of talent (including a lot this year) but very few have stuck around.  Only 6 remain from the 18 of his first recruiting class. Is that pretty common everywhere in D3 or does Millikin have a tougher time because they haven't been able to break through to the next level in CCIW play?  I wouldn't want the job of trying to rebuild a team in this conference!  I've been very impressed with the conference as I've tried to follow it over the past couple of years!

i do not believe Nadelhoffer is in the hot seat.  He inherited a mess hence the 18 first recruiting class;and, the attrition in the class expected.  He has improved the program IMHO.  He just needs to keep grinding away at recruiting. 
You have some attrition in any team until you build a program which is the task before him.  He likely needs another year or two before an accurate assessment can be made.  Whether the AD at Millikin will give him the time is another big question mark.  Millikin is not in the same position from a financial aid perspective as say, Wheaton, IWU, Augustana or North Central which makes recruiting a little harder.

Agree.  He inherited an absolute disaster and is having to build a program from scratch essentially.  That is really, really hard to do in the CCIW, which has some Top 25-caliber programs and others that are very solid and/or up and coming. 

Millikin is lucky to have Matt Nadelhoffer.  I'm positive there is no hot seat and they'll let him go do his thing...in time, I'm confident we'll see the Big Blue push for the top 4.

[veterancciwfan]

Bosko may be CCIW coach of the year as Carthage, since the lopsided loss at home to Augie, has played well on road vs. IWU and Elmhurst.

[Greek Tragedy]

Bosko may be CCIW coach of the year as Carthage, since the lopsided loss at home to Augie, has played well on road vs. IWU and Elmhurst.

So, blown out at home, a win against winless North Park, a double-digit loss to IWU and a 2-point win at Elmhurst constitutes CCIW COTY?

[Gregory Sager]

It looks like Millikin will have an uphill battle to win another game this season.  I'm new to the D3 basketball world and the CCIW so I don't know what the definition of success would be at Millikin but does that put Nadelhoffer on the hot seat?  He's obviously improved the program since he came on board but it seems like the CCIW power houses just keep reloading year after year which would make further improvements a monumental task. Nadelhoffer has been able to bring in a lot of talent (including a lot this year) but very few have stuck around.  Only 6 remain from the 18 of his first recruiting class. Is that pretty common everywhere in D3 or does Millikin have a tougher time because they haven't been able to break through to the next level in CCIW play?  I wouldn't want the job of trying to rebuild a team in this conference!  I've been very impressed with the conference as I've tried to follow it over the past couple of years!

i do not believe Nadelhoffer is in the hot seat.  He inherited a mess hence the 18 first recruiting class;and, the attrition in the class expected.  He has improved the program IMHO.  He just needs to keep grinding away at recruiting. 
You have some attrition in any team until you build a program which is the task before him.  He likely needs another year or two before an accurate assessment can be made.  Whether the AD at Millikin will give him the time is another big question mark.  Millikin is not in the same position from a financial aid perspective as say, Wheaton, IWU, Augustana or North Central which makes recruiting a little harder.

Agree.  He inherited an absolute disaster and is having to build a program from scratch essentially.  That is really, really hard to do in the CCIW, which has some Top 25-caliber programs and others that are very solid and/or up and coming. 

Millikin is lucky to have Matt Nadelhoffer.  I'm positive there is no hot seat and they'll let him go do his thing...in time, I'm confident we'll see the Big Blue push for the top 4.

I don't know about Millikin's "push for the top 4," but I certainly agree that Matt Nadelhoffer most likely isn't on the hot seat. For one thing, as others have said, he has had to build a program from scratch. No program in the entire history of the league was in worse shape than Millikin was when he took over the program four years ago. And, again as others have said, a high attrition rate is an unfortunate side effect of losing. As long as a program continues to struggle, it will have difficulty holding onto players.

But there's a couple of other things that should be mentioned that haven't yet. One is that Millikin is a tough draw from a recruiting aspect. It's further away from major population centers than are the other CCIW schools, and Decatur is a minus rather than a plus as far as a college destination is concerned. I'm sure that the MU administration is well aware of that. The other as-yet-unmentioned aspect is that I'm not convinced that MU's administration is all that committed to winning, anyway. After all, the men's basketball program had to drop down to epic, record-setting depths before Marc Smith was let go.

[Hardwood]

WWIII looks set for 7:00 Wednesday evening when the 13-1 North Central Cardinals entertain the likewise 13-1 Augustana Vikings at "The Hangar" in beautiful downtown Naperville.

Augie was the Coaches Poll pick to capture the CCIW conference championship, while the Cardinals were picked to finish in a  4th place tie with Elmhurst.

With Wash U losing yesterday afternoon, the Cards will likely be welcoming the nation's new #1 team to town. Helmets and shoulder pads optional. 

silence?

[iwu70]

Hardwood, sometimes "silence is golden."

Agree with Greg about the issues at MU, esp. the status of the institutional commitment to winning and the very real negatives of Decatur.  I would also doubt very much that Coach Nadelhoffer is under any kind of immediate pressure.  Time will tell . . . on the upswing in the program and how long Coach N sticks around.  He may have other better options too.

IWU hosting NPU Saturday.  Seems IWU is hitting its stride, hitting its peak at a good time.  Sure hope the IWU bigs pick it up a bit more and play with more tenacity and strength around the rim.  Rebounding key going forward against the top CCIW contenders. 

Q mentioned the comments by Coach N on Jordan Nelson's hot hand.  Yes, he did miss one trey, and another he was fouled and quickly made all three FTs.  Truly a great evening of shooting for Mssr. Lenscrafter.  He was so relaxed too . . . and played good defense on top of it all.  Pennington and Dolan also had excellent outings vs. MU, perhaps overshadowed by Nelson's career scoring night.  Overstreet was Overstreet.

IWU70

[bbfan44]

I'm going to suggest that And One may not have been at the game.  I hope everything is ok.

The pep band was there, the cheerleaders were there, the Pom-pom dancers were there, a good crowd was there, each team had a good run, the Augie coach did his obligatory jacket toss, but the home team just couldn't get it done. 

Here is what I don't understand about officiating.  At the Wheaton game, Burchett and Rosenberg played almost the whole game. Rosenberg actually had only one (1) foul for the whole game according to the box score.  Last night, they both spent a lot of time on the bench due to foul trouble.  Big Mike Reinke actually had to play 10 minutes. He did well, by the way for being a little used player.
So, is it the ref's that are so different on any given night, or is it the opponents that induce fouls, or not.
Anyway, it was a fun game and I think that when they play again it could be a toss up.  If the big guys can stay in the game...who knows, NC could win.
I really like the freshman guards and especially the transfer guard Moten. Great poise for freshmen.  Hill harassed the ball handler all night and they only turned it over once.
Would like to hear what people think about my officiating question.

[Hardwood]

I hope he's okay too - just strange not to hear his side of things.

[AndOne]

WWIII looks set for 7:00 Wednesday evening when the 13-1 North Central Cardinals entertain the likewise 13-1 Augustana Vikings at "The Hangar" in beautiful downtown Naperville.

Augie was the Coaches Poll pick to capture the CCIW conference championship, while the Cardinals were picked to finish in a  4th place tie with Elmhurst.

With Wash U losing yesterday afternoon, the Cards will likely be welcoming the nation's new #1 team to town. Helmets and shoulder pads optional. 

silence?

Yes, Hardwood. Silence is what I had in mind. But not for the reason your scarcastic inquiry obviously assumed.
Just FYI, my silence resulted from the fact that I spent the time during the game puking my guts out as a result of stomach flu. Not only was I not able to attend the game, I wasn't able to catch more than about 10 minutes of it on the computer as a result of being indisposed during the majority of the game. Aren't you glad you asked? 

From what I did see, and what I've read, NCC fell far short of its usual defensive intensity, wasn't able to ever get its inside game on track, and let itself get outrebounded. Certainly not a championship effort. Still, I'm proud of what the Cardinals have achieved so far this season and feel they have both the resolve and talent to have a very successful year.
I hope that sufficiently answers your question. 

[iwu70]

AO, get well soon.  Seems flu really all about in the US this year.

Your boys will bounce back, as they do have a strong team.  We'll see if my Titans can take down AC in RI next Wednesday.  Should be another good test, another game letting us know who really is the top team in the CCIW this year.  Lots and lots of basketball still to be played.  Nelson coming on strong, now starting surely a good boost for the Titans.  Challenge for the TITANS vs. the Doggies will be in the paint, win the rebounding battle, and how to contain Hunter Hill, who has gone off against IWU before.


IWU70

[Hardwood]

WWIII looks set for 7:00 Wednesday evening when the 13-1 North Central Cardinals entertain the likewise 13-1 Augustana Vikings at "The Hangar" in beautiful downtown Naperville.

Augie was the Coaches Poll pick to capture the CCIW conference championship, while the Cardinals were picked to finish in a  4th place tie with Elmhurst.

With Wash U losing yesterday afternoon, the Cards will likely be welcoming the nation's new #1 team to town. Helmets and shoulder pads optional. 

silence?

Yes, Hardwood. Silence is what I had in mind. But not for the reason your scarcastic inquiry obviously assumed.
Just FYI, my silence resulted from the fact that I spent the time during the game puking my guts out as a result of stomach flu. Not only was I not able to attend the game, I wasn't able to catch more than about 10 minutes of it on the computer as a result of being indisposed during the majority of the game. Aren't you glad you asked? 

From what I did see, and what I've read, NCC fell far short of its usual defensive intensity, wasn't able to ever get its inside game on track, and let itself get outrebounded. Certainly not a championship effort. Still, I'm proud of what the Cardinals have achieved so far this season and feel they have both the resolve and talent to have a very successful year.
I hope that sufficiently answers your question. 

Missing a game just seems out of character for you - while recovering could I suggest to you the book by Jay Bilas on "toughness".

[URockets]

It looks like Millikin will have an uphill battle to win another game this season.  I'm new to the D3 basketball world and the CCIW so I don't know what the definition of success would be at Millikin but does that put Nadelhoffer on the hot seat?  He's obviously improved the program since he came on board but it seems like the CCIW power houses just keep reloading year after year which would make further improvements a monumental task. Nadelhoffer has been able to bring in a lot of talent (including a lot this year) but very few have stuck around.  Only 6 remain from the 18 of his first recruiting class. Is that pretty common everywhere in D3 or does Millikin have a tougher time because they haven't been able to break through to the next level in CCIW play?  I wouldn't want the job of trying to rebuild a team in this conference!  I've been very impressed with the conference as I've tried to follow it over the past couple of years!

i do not believe Nadelhoffer is in the hot seat.  He inherited a mess hence the 18 first recruiting class;and, the attrition in the class expected.  He has improved the program IMHO.  He just needs to keep grinding away at recruiting. 
You have some attrition in any team until you build a program which is the task before him.  He likely needs another year or two before an accurate assessment can be made.  Whether the AD at Millikin will give him the time is another big question mark.  Millikin is not in the same position from a financial aid perspective as say, Wheaton, IWU, Augustana or North Central which makes recruiting a little harder.

Why is Millikin not in the same position from a finanacial aid perspective?

[iwumichigander]

It looks like Millikin will have an uphill battle to win another game this season.  I'm new to the D3 basketball world and the CCIW so I don't know what the definition of success would be at Millikin but does that put Nadelhoffer on the hot seat?  He's obviously improved the program since he came on board but it seems like the CCIW power houses just keep reloading year after year which would make further improvements a monumental task. Nadelhoffer has been able to bring in a lot of talent (including a lot this year) but very few have stuck around.  Only 6 remain from the 18 of his first recruiting class. Is that pretty common everywhere in D3 or does Millikin have a tougher time because they haven't been able to break through to the next level in CCIW play?  I wouldn't want the job of trying to rebuild a team in this conference!  I've been very impressed with the conference as I've tried to follow it over the past couple of years!

i do not believe Nadelhoffer is in the hot seat.  He inherited a mess hence the 18 first recruiting class;and, the attrition in the class expected.  He has improved the program IMHO.  He just needs to keep grinding away at recruiting. 
You have some attrition in any team until you build a program which is the task before him.  He likely needs another year or two before an accurate assessment can be made.  Whether the AD at Millikin will give him the time is another big question mark.  Millikin is not in the same position from a financial aid perspective as say, Wheaton, IWU, Augustana or North Central which makes recruiting a little harder.

Why is Millikin not in the same position from a finanacial aid perspective?

Endowment funds generate income used by schools to fund operations, buildings and to a certain extent - financial aid.  Contrast the endowment funds (per US News 2015 College Rankings) for example, of Wheaton ($352.5M) to Millikin ($113.8M). Which school do you think earns the most income from their endowment fund?