MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

IWU played its annual Green/White scrimmage last night. The game was played as a real game (full 40 minutes) with CCIW officials.  It was streamed, with the broadcast team of Eric Stock and Joel Swanson on the call.

Green 75
White 73

https://www.iwusports.com/news/2020/11/16/green-team-outlasts-white-in-mens-basketball-scrimmage.aspx

* Matt Leritz: 26 pts, 11 reb
* Lucas Heflen: 12 pts, 3 reb
* Pete Lambesis: 11 pts, 3 reb
* Gavin Markgraff: 11 pts, 4 reb, 3 assists

* Cory Noe: 19 pts, 7 reb, 4 assists
* Charlie Bair: 14 pts, 11 reb
* Evan Schneider: 10 pts, 2 reb (4-6 FG)
* Keondre Schumacher: 9 pts
* Ryan Sroka: 8 pts, 2 reb

The Titans are a deep, talented team without any holes I can see - probably IWU's most talented squad since at least the 2014 Final Four team.  6-7 junior C Matt Leritz and 6-4 junior G Pete Lambesis, both returning 1st Team All-CCIW players, in particular look great.  Both have put on a ton of muscle and physically look like different players. 

I'm not sure if I'll get to to see this IWU team play a real game, but it was very nice to watch the Green/White scrimmage.  After watching both scrimmages online, I believe the Titans have Top 10 talent...maybe Top 5.

The Titans have finals, then head home for 6 weeks.  After returning 1/1, the plan is to begin a CCIW-only schedule 1/16. 

Based on the current status of the pandemic, I'm having hard time seeing basketball in 60 days.  But I'll remain hopeful until there is no longer reason to be.

[Titan Q]

Regarding CCIW MBB/WBB, I'm hearing everything is up in the air. The tentative framework is to start a CCIW-only slate 1/16, but each school is in a different place. Some pushing to play, some leaning to opt out, some aren't sure.

Guessing this takes another 30 days+ to sort out.

[Titan Q]

I tweeted a number of postgame video comments from Ron Rose last night...

https://twitter.com/IWUhoopscom/status/1328520074630737921?s=20

https://twitter.com/IWUhoopscom/status/1328521025399697408?s=20

https://twitter.com/IWUhoopscom/status/1328521564015489025?s=20

https://twitter.com/IWUhoopscom/status/1328521881218150405?s=20

https://twitter.com/IWUhoopscom/status/1328522518475509762?s=20

https://twitter.com/IWUhoopscom/status/1328523484738314243?s=20

https://twitter.com/IWUhoopscom/status/1328524522052521991?s=20

[Mr. Ypsi]

IWU played its annual Green/White scrimmage last night. The game was played as a real game (full 40 minutes) with CCIW officials.  It was streamed, with the broadcast team of Eric Stock and Joel Swanson on the call.

Green 75
White 73

https://www.iwusports.com/news/2020/11/16/green-team-outlasts-white-in-mens-basketball-scrimmage.aspx

* Matt Leritz: 26 pts, 11 reb
* Lucas Heflen: 12 pts, 3 reb
* Pete Lambesis: 11 pts, 3 reb
* Gavin Markgraff: 11 pts, 4 reb, 3 assists

* Cory Noe: 19 pts, 7 reb, 4 assists
* Charlie Bair: 14 pts, 11 reb
* Evan Schneider: 10 pts, 2 reb (4-6 FG)
* Keondre Schumacher: 9 pts
* Ryan Sroka: 8 pts, 2 reb

The Titans are a deep, talented team without any holes I can see - probably IWU's most talented squad since at least the 2014 Final Four team.  6-7 junior C Matt Leritz and 6-4 junior G Pete Lambesis, both returning 1st Team All-CCIW players, in particular look great.  Both have put on a ton of muscle and physically look like different players. 

I'm not sure if I'll get to to see this IWU team play a real game, but it was very nice to watch the Green/White scrimmage.  After watching both scrimmages online, I believe the Titans have Top 10 talent...maybe Top 5.

The Titans have finals, then head home for 6 weeks.  After returning 1/1, the plan is to begin a CCIW-only schedule 1/16. 

Based on the current status of the pandemic, I'm having hard time seeing basketball in 60 days.  But I'll remain hopeful until there is no longer reason to be.

Thanks for the report, Bob.  A real shame they are looking so good for a season that probably won't happen.

Yeah, I haven't seen anything about Illinois, but Wisconsin and Michigan (and several other states), are setting new records almost every day for new cases and, alas, deaths.  I'll remain hopeful along with you, but I just don't see this season happening.  Even if the recent positive vaccine news turns out all to be correct, I just can't see distribution making it down to the collegiate athletic-age level.  I'd assume it would go first responders (esp. medical folks), then us old farts most at risk of death, and only then the rest of the population.  So college-age folks (and even most of their parents) would happen AT BEST by mid to late summer, 2021.

MAYBE 2021-22 can be 'normal'.

[Titan Q]

At least two CCIW schools have temporarily shut down all athletic activities due to COVID outbreaks - North Central and Augustana.

[Gregory Sager]

At least two CCIW schools have temporarily shut down all athletic activities due to COVID outbreaks - North Central and Augustana.

There's at least three. North Park shut down all varsity and club athletic activity as of last Friday. I don't see any indications of athletics shutdowns on the websites of the other six CCIW schools.

NPU's Covid-19 dashboard doesn't indicate an outbreak (although there was an uptick a couple of weeks ago) -- but Chicago's mayor instituted a "stay-at-home advisory" last week, which has since been echoed by the Illinois Department of Public Health. As bad as the situation is in the state as a whole, as indicated by the governor's announcement yesterday that Illinois is returning to Tier Three Resurgence Mitigation as of this coming Friday, the city's in a much more dire situation in terms of infection rate and vulnerability.

[tomt4525]

Palatine HS 5'11" G, Luke Seiffert, will play collegiate basketball at Augustana.

[WUPHF]

As Tweeted by Carthage and compiled by D3Playbook:

Carthage College recently retired its Redmen and Lady Red nicknames for its athletic teams. The quest was on for new team name suggestions and the College received over 450. Every submission was reviewed and here are the some of the semifinalists! The remainder will be released today.

    Lake Hawks
    Vanguard
    Fleet
    Phoenicians
    Railsplitters
    War Elephants
    Navigators
    Ice Wolves

[petemcb]

As Tweeted by Carthage and compiled by D3Playbook:

Carthage College recently retired its Redmen and Lady Red nicknames for its athletic teams. The quest was on for new team name suggestions and the College received over 450. Every submission was reviewed and here are the some of the semifinalists! The remainder will be released today.

    Lake Hawks
    Vanguard
    Fleet
    Phoenicians
    Railsplitters
    War Elephants
    Navigators
    Ice Wolves

Man, I'm glad they're releasing some more "semifinalists" today. That list is a rough start. My non-existent vote is Lake Hawks from that list.

[Gregory Sager]

"Lake Hawks"? I defy anyone to find a "lake hawk" in the Audobon Guide to North American Birds.

Some of the names seem like corporate brands drummed up by a marketing agency and probably won't age well. Others ("Ice Wolves"?) are just plain silly. "Phoenicians" and "War Elephants" are at least historically relevant nicknames for a school named Carthage College ... and I have to admit that "War Elephants" would be a super-cool nickname for the scarlet Kenoshans. Heck, it'd be cool for the CCIW as a whole; to the best of my knowledge we would join the NESCAC as only the second league in all of college athletics that has not one but two pachyderm mascots ... even though Wheaton is apparently too embarrassed by Stertorious the Mastodon to ever trot it out in public anymore.

[WUPHF]

Kenohawks!

[Titan Q]

The tentative plan is for a CCIW-only schedule to begin the weekend of Jan 22-23.  Double round robin...or as close as they can get to that with the number of dates available.

They are working to determine if it will be a Tues/Sat or Fri/Sat schedule.  It will probably come down to what is best for testing.  (The OAC is planning on a Fri/Sat model, starting Jan 22.)

Obviously everything is contingent on where things stand with the pandemic in January.  Things will have to be improved.

But plans are moving forward.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

To clarify from what I've been told from within the conference:

The only date known for sure is aiming for a Jan 22/23 start of the season schedule - if possible. Jan 22 would be IF they can arrange a double-header for that weekend.

There are THREE models still on the table with none chosen. They range from 10-16 games within the seven weeks available to play before NCAA tournaments would start up.

As I understand it, the Tues/Sat schedule will only bring along with it more testing. The advantage of Fri/Sat is that it would allow for one test ahead of time IF the Fri/Sat is the SAME opponent - which would be the plan (Fri/Sat against different opponents would force more testing).

As Bob mentions, it depends highly on where things stand with the pandemic. Currently, nothing would move forward. New models over the next two months double numbers, which would likely mean no sports at all. Too many are making visiting family and traveling for holidays a priority over trying to help keep Covid numbers low. As a result, it could end any hopes of winter sports.

[Titan Q]

Too many are making visiting family and traveling for holidays a priority over trying to help keep Covid numbers low. As a result, it could end any hopes of winter sports.

I do not judge anyone who felt they needed to go visit their family this Thanksgiving.  There is more to this than case numbers.

[WUPHF]

I do not judge anyone who felt they needed to go visit their family this Thanksgiving.  There is more to this than case numbers.

I convinced my parents to cancel Thanksgiving, but I still agree wholeheartedly with this.