MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

North Park 96, Baldwin Wallace 83

Juwan Henry: 32 pts, 10:4 a:to, 4 stls
Jordan Robinson: 29 pts (10-13 FG), 11 rebs
Colin Lake: 21 pts (8-13 FG, 3-7 trey)
T.J. Cobbs: 8 rebs, 3:0 a:to
Michael Hutchinson: 3:0 a:to

NPU put forth a very solid effort this afternoon. After spotting Bald Wally an early 17-10 lead, the Vikings began clicking with good ball movement and aggressive rebounding, going on an 18-5 run to take a 28-22 lead, a lead that they would never relinquish. BWU cut the lead at the end of the half to 43-38, but the Park came out hot, going on a 7-2 run to get the lead back up to ten. The Yellow Jackets would never get closer than eight from that point onward, as NPU led by as much as 17 in the second half.

BWU simply didn't have the quickness to stay in front of the Vikings, and although the Yellow Jackets did manage to get to the line quite a bit due to their size advantage inside, North Park actually ended up winning the rebounding battle by three via sheer hustle. I was most gratified by the assist:turnover ratio of the Vikings, though; they dished out 18 assists and only turned the ball over four times, as their opportunism in slashing was matched by their unselfish willingness to make the extra pass for the easy basket inside once the defense collapsed.

Juwan Henry was his usual human-highlight-film self; he even got a dunk today on a fast break late in the game. I don't think I've ever seen him dunk in a game situation before, and I haven't missed much of his career in terms of his time on the floor. Jordan Robinson continued his awesome streak of games, as this was his fourth straight double-double. (It's kind of odd to see a player grab 11 boards in a game this deep into the schedule and realize that he's merely tied his season average.) Too bad he lost a contact lens on that late-game layup, though.  Colin Lake had a very quiet 21 points. It's essential to have such a dependable third option when you know that every opponent is gearing up everything but the kitchen sink to stop Robinson and Henry.

NPU improves to 7-3 on the year, while BWU drops to 7-4. The Vikings will face Defiance tomorrow in the second game of the classic-format tourney; the hosts are playing Albion tonight.

[AndOne]

I'm sorry, but this makes no sense whatsoever. It's just not normal for it to take a year to review a kid's transcript(s) from his previous school(s). Rather, I think the normal sequence of events would be for a kid to indicate his desire to transfer, submit his transcript(s), and have the new school review the transcripts to see which classes would transfer and which wouldn't, before a transfer admission decision is even made. If that much scrutiny was necessary, how did he even get into Carthage in the first place?? It sounds like they admitted him, and then spent a year going over his transcript to see if courses/credits would even transfer. What transpired over that year which, again, seems like an excessive length of time to need to review his past record. I think there is just as much chance that the year was spent being creative as to why certain courses should be accepted.
Perhaps an inordinate amount of time was necessary due to the nature of the classes that were taken at Kennedy-King and Robert Morris, the two pillars of academic renown that he previously attended.
And, in addition to his transcripts, what other "paperwork" issues might have been involved? And why did it take an entire year to work through those issues?
Everything may be on the up and up, and there may not be a fire here. But there is certainly some smoke. Something is amiss here if only that it be he was evidently admitted before the review process of his past records was completed. How many transfers are admitted and THEN have their past records examined? And, if this kid is not an athlete, seeking eligibility to play, is there any "snafu" to begin with, and any subsequent need for a year long investigation? Keep in mind that he spent a year at Carthage before being able to play.
The newspaper article said "forced to sit out a year after transferring from Robert Morris." Why was he forced to sit out a year? Paperwork issues? Not a normal set of circumstances by any means.

[AndOne]

Otterbein 60
Wheaton. 56

WC was up 6 at the half.
They were led by Berntsen with 18, Samuelson with 11, and Berg with 10.
Prior to this game Otterbein was 2-8.
Wheaton is now 3-7.

[iwu70]

Sounds like Ryan Coyle is back for IWU's last non-CCIW game.  Brady Rose still out a couple more weeks and Marietti likely out for another month.  Tough for the Titans not to be at full strength.  A big challenge upcoming in the first CCIW game vs. Elmhurst.  Starters likely to be Dolan, Pennington, Stempel, Mahlke and Seibring for this last December game. 

Let the conference race begin!

IWU70

[GoPerry]

Otterbein 60
Wheaton. 56

WC was up 6 at the half.
They were led by Berntsen with 18, Samuelson with 11, and Berg with 10.
Prior to this game Otterbein was 2-8.
Wheaton is now 3-7.

No, not quite a battle of Titans.  The Thunder go a mere 33% from the field which fit nicely with their -20 disadvantage on the boards.  Eesh! 

Thankfully the Cardinals were equally as bad which kept the score close.

[Gregory Sager]

Apparently I misunderstood the setup of the Defiance tourney. I'd thought that NPU coach Tom Slyder and Albion coach Jody May had persuaded the Defiance coach to change the tourney to a classic format so that the Vikings and Britons wouldn't have to face each other for the second time this season. (NPU beat Albion two weeks ago.) As it turns out, they only persuaded him to guarantee that the Vikings and Britons wouldn't play each other in the opening round.

So, since Albion has just beaten Defiance, that means that the Vikings and Britons will have to meet again tomorrow at 6 pm CDT, this time for the Defiance tourney title. This will be the first time since the Vikings played Chicago State twice in the 1979-80 season that North Park will have played a pair of games against a non-conference opponent.

i guess that this means that I'm going to have to root for Albion to win the MIAA title. I don't think that there's much chance of that happening, but it should make the MIAA race more interesting for me this year.

[augiefan]

Augie wins ugly 67-65. Kind of a home game for Oshkosh judging from the crowd at nearby Wisconsin Dells. Augie will probably lose at least 3 conference games, but it is nice to have beaten 4 WIAC teams in the non conference schedule.

[AppletonRocks]

Augie wins ugly 67-65. Kind of a home game for Oshkosh judging from the crowd at nearby Wisconsin Dells. Augie will probably lose at least 3 conference games, but it is nice to have beaten 4 WIAC teams in the non conference schedule.

After the storms of last night, there were no home games today.  Getting anywhere is a challenge. I suspect Augie was only an hour farther away than Oshkosh.   

[AndOne]

Apparently I misunderstood the setup of the Defiance tourney. I'd thought that NPU coach Tom Slyder and Albion coach Jody May had persuaded the Defiance coach to change the tourney to a classic format so that the Vikings and Britons wouldn't have to face each other for the second time this season. (NPU beat Albion two weeks ago.) As it turns out, they only persuaded him to guarantee that the Vikings and Britons wouldn't play each other in the opening round.

So, since Albion has just beaten Defiance, that means that the Vikings and Britons will have to meet again tomorrow at 6 pm CDT, this time for the Defiance tourney title. This will be the first time since the Vikings played Chicago State twice in the 1979-80 season that North Park will have played a pair of games against a non-conference opponent.
U
i guess that this means that I'm going to have to root for Albion to win the MIAA title. I don't think that there's much chance of that happening, but it should make the MIAA race more interesting for me this year.

A failure to communicate?
Maybe since the NPU coach and Albion coach had the same understanding, it was the Defiance coach who failed to communicate.

[badgerwarhawk]

You'd have to drive pretty fast.  Augustana is almost 200 miles from Wisconsin Dells.  Oshkosh is about 85.  It looks like Oshkosh was more competitive than either us or Point and each of us had the home court. 

[Gregory Sager]

I'm sorry, but this makes no sense whatsoever. It's just not normal for it to take a year to review a kid's transcript(s) from his previous school(s).

You'd be surprised how long it could take. Aside from the fact that outgoing schools have no real motivation to accommodate an out-transfer's need for expediency, there's also issues such as catalog changes, the need for further clarification on course descriptions (which means getting the instructor or academic department head involved), etc.

Rather, I think the normal sequence of events would be for a kid to indicate his desire to transfer, submit his transcript(s), and have the new school review the transcripts to see which classes would transfer and which wouldn't, before a transfer admission decision is even made.

Nope. Doesn't necessarily work that way. If you've got the tuition deposit ready and you're academically qualified, you can get into your school of choice before the incoming-transfer-credits situation is fully sorted out. I've heard of that happening at several schools. It's all about: a) making the process easier for the student; and b) getting the money in the bank. If the credits under consideration -- or the grades thereof -- affect a student's standing, then it's a different story, of course.

If that much scrutiny was necessary, how did he even get into Carthage in the first place?? It sounds like they admitted him, and then spent a year going over his transcript to see if courses/credits would even transfer.

One thing that I should point out is that credit-transfer questions are only one possible explanation for the phrase "paperwork issues." It could be a matter of pending aid holding up a student's status, or some similar issue that forces a course-load reduction. In that same vein, sometimes outside commitments such as a job force classes to be dropped below a full-time load. (In the previous case to which you referred, Malcom Kelly, there were extraneous issues regarding his military reserve commitments.)

Admissions blockage would really only come into play for an otherwise qualified transfer if there were an insufficient number of credit hours acceptable from a junior college. I know that NPU requires a specific minimum threshold of credit hours to be transferred in for a juco student, and my guess is that the other seven CCIW schools have similar policies.

What transpired over that year which, again, seems like an excessive length of time to need to review his past record. I think there is just as much chance that the year was spent being creative as to why certain courses should be accepted.

That doesn't pass Occam's Razor. If a school was trying to "be creative" in getting a student's courses transferred in, it would hardly draw out the process long enough to: a) thwart the student's participation in sports, when said participation would ostensibly be the reason for the administrative creativity in the first place; or b) invite unwanted scrutiny by auditors if the creativity was professionally questionable. The opposite would be true; if there were shenanigans, it would be because the transfer credits were accepted too readily rather than too slowly.

Perhaps an inordinate amount of time was necessary due to the nature of the classes that were taken at Kennedy-King and Robert Morris, the two pillars of academic renown that he previously attended.

That's a pretty obnoxious comment.

And, in addition to his transcripts, what other "paperwork" issues might have been involved? And why did it take an entire year to work through those issues?

A lot of this falls into the "none of your business" category, Mark. I can tell you as a former college transcript clerk that privacy regarding a student's transcript is pretty close to sacrosanct. You can't get access to it without the student's permission unless you have a court order. Schools take that responsibility very seriously, just as they do regarding the privacy issues surrounding a student's finances (only even more so).

You see a lack of detail spelled out in the media regarding these stories, and you assume skullduggery. (Not surprising, since your line of work requires you to be suspicious of organizational paperwork regarding clients.) But this is academia, not the business world; a lack of detail spelled out in the media, far more often than not, means that there are student privacy issues involved. It's not about protecting the school. It's about protecting the student.

Everything may be on the up and up, and there may not be a fire here. But there is certainly some smoke. Something is amiss here if only that it be he was evidently admitted before the review process of his past records was completed.

Disagree. Again, I've heard of students with decent grades getting accepted as transfers while being told that the transfer credits from one or more of their classes are on hold pending ongoing review, in cases in which those transfer credits don't affect the student's current standing.

How many transfers are admitted and THEN have their past records examined? And, if this kid is not an athlete, seeking eligibility to play, is there any "snafu" to begin with, and any subsequent need for a year long investigation? Keep in mind that he spent a year at Carthage before being able to play.
The newspaper article said "forced to sit out a year after transferring from Robert Morris." Why was he forced to sit out a year? Paperwork issues? Not a normal set of circumstances by any means.

You're making much too big a thing out of this, Mark. The kid's grades are OK for him to play. That's really all that matters.

[Gregory Sager]

Apparently I misunderstood the setup of the Defiance tourney. I'd thought that NPU coach Tom Slyder and Albion coach Jody May had persuaded the Defiance coach to change the tourney to a classic format so that the Vikings and Britons wouldn't have to face each other for the second time this season. (NPU beat Albion two weeks ago.) As it turns out, they only persuaded him to guarantee that the Vikings and Britons wouldn't play each other in the opening round.

So, since Albion has just beaten Defiance, that means that the Vikings and Britons will have to meet again tomorrow at 6 pm CDT, this time for the Defiance tourney title. This will be the first time since the Vikings played Chicago State twice in the 1979-80 season that North Park will have played a pair of games against a non-conference opponent.
U
i guess that this means that I'm going to have to root for Albion to win the MIAA title. I don't think that there's much chance of that happening, but it should make the MIAA race more interesting for me this year.

A failure to communicate?
Maybe since the NPU coach and Albion coach had the same understanding, it was the Defiance coach who failed to communicate.

Nope. It was just a misunderstanding on my part.

You'd have to drive pretty fast.  Augustana is almost 200 miles from Wisconsin Dells.  Oshkosh is about 85.  It looks like Oshkosh was more competitive than either us or Point and each of us had the home court.

A very large chunk of Augustana's following comes from the western suburbs, as well as from the western side of the state, since that's where a lot of Augie players hail from. This is especially true for long-distance road games, in which most of the fan base present consists of parents, siblings, and girlfriends.

[AppletonRocks]

You'd have to drive pretty fast.  Augustana is almost 200 miles from Wisconsin Dells.  Oshkosh is about 85.  It looks like Oshkosh was more competitive than either us or Point and each of us had the home court.

Talking elapsed drive time with 14" of snow in NE Wisconsin last night. 

[Titan Q]

Sounds like Ryan Coyle is back for IWU's last non-CCIW game.  Brady Rose still out a couple more weeks and Marietti likely out for another month.  Tough for the Titans not to be at full strength.  A big challenge upcoming in the first CCIW game vs. Elmhurst.  Starters likely to be Dolan, Pennington, Stempel, Mahlke and Seibring for this last December game. 

Let the conference race begin!

IWU70

You should credit the source of your info - Randy Reinhardt and The Pantagraph.

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/basketball/men/return-of-coyle-looks-to-be-boost-for-iwu/article_e0a0092c-8c62-5145-857f-f3e0cace0ea4.html

[frodotwo]

You'd have to drive pretty fast.  Augustana is almost 200 miles from Wisconsin Dells.  Oshkosh is about 85.  It looks like Oshkosh was more competitive than either us or Point and each of us had the home court.

Point played at Augie this year.