MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

This site tracks college commitments from Illinois HS kids.  Obviously, a lot of future CCIW players here...

https://illinois-basketball.com/commitments/boys-2021/

[Titan Q]

My conversation with Chad Murray, Head MBB Coach at Pacific Lutheran.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrosq0d1e9c

0:00 Getting through the pandemic
5:25 Recruiting and the coaching calendar
12:45 Building process at PLU
24:35 2020-21 season, D3hoops.com Top 15
29:00 Learnings as a first time head coach at Cornell (IA)
36:43 Working under Todd Raridon; North Central & the CCIW
49:21 2020-21 roster and returners
54:25 The NWC
59:20 Next steps in the PLU building process
1:02:25 Final thoughts

[Titan Q]

Brady Rose highlights from his second professional season...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuQhQhRFV7c

[iwu70]

Some great shooting by Brady . . . surely not taking it to the basket these days . . . living on the three point line!   ms

'70

[Titan Q]

Some great shooting by Brady . . . surely not taking it to the basket these days . . . living on the three point line!   ms

'70

There are several takes to the basket in there.

[iwumichigander]

Dave Wrath, SID, Augustanta is retiring after a 40 year career.  One of the best SID's not just in CCIW, but in all of Div III.  A good guy, respected at all levels and an important contributor to Augustana well beyond SID responsibility.

Here is a link for very well done you tube about Dave, his retirement and future plans
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0IrERRAjjL4

So congratulations Dave. Your outstanding contributions to Augustana, the CCIW and this board will be missed.  Somehow I Think we will still see you around campus and the athletic

[iwumichigander]

Some great shooting by Brady . . . surely not taking it to the basket these days . . . living on the three point line!   ms

'70

There are several takes to the basket in there.

certainly has hit the training facility. Much stronger in drive to basket and elevation on jump & 3point shots.  He is shooting from NBA depth. 

He has really improved  keeping himself square to the basket with and without the ball. He is ready to shoot, drive or pass with improved decision making.. His catch and shoot impressive - no hesitation, great mechanics and quick release!

He was in every opponent's game plan in the CCIW. From this video clip, he has got to be near or at the top of every professional level game plan .

[Gregory Sager]

Dave Wrath, SID, Augustanta is retiring after a 40 year career.  One of the best SID's not just in CCIW, but in all of Div III.  A good guy, respected at all levels and an important contributor to Augustana well beyond SID responsibility.

Here is a link for very well done you tube about Dave, his retirement and future plans
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0IrERRAjjL4

So congratulations Dave. Your outstanding contributions to Augustana, the CCIW and this board will be missed.  Somehow I Think we will still see you around campus and the athletic

Hear, hear. Dave's a good man and a great SID. He leaves big shoes to fill in Rock Island.

This makes Brett Marhanka the senior SID in the conference. It seems weird to me, because, as I've said to Brett, it feels like Wheaton hired him only yesterday. Yet he's been there for over two decades now. Just another sign that I'm getting old, I guess.

[Gregory Sager]

North Park has picked up another significant D3 transfer. He's Gabe Johnson, a 6'4, 180 rising junior out of Wheaton St. Francis via Ohio Wesleyan. The younger brother of Luke Johnson (aka The Basketball Alumnus Formerly Known As He Who Shall Not Be Named), Johnson started immediately as a freshman for the Battling Bishops in 2018-19, averaging 12.6 ppg and 5.8 rpg while posting a shooting slash of .408/.375/.812. As a sophomore in 2019-20 he was hampered all season by an injured shoulder, but he still managed to play in every OWU game but one, averaging 6.2 ppg and 4.6 rpg with a slash of .467/.338/.674.

After taking a COVID-19 gap year he's healthy again, and the NPU coaching staff is pretty excited to have him. I suspect that he'll start for the Vikings at the 3, but if Tom Slyder chooses to go big (and "choosing to go big" seems like a real novelty as an option for North Park men's basketball, let me tell you) we could see Johnson play a lot of two-guard alongside Mike Osborne in the backcourt.

Exciting development for the Vikings.

[Next Man Up]

NCC ADDITION

Erik Hill, a 6'2" combo guard from Elgin St. Edward, has enrolled at North Central.
This past season he averaged 16 PPG, 5 RPG, 4 APG, 2 SPG, and 1.5 BPG.

[markerickson]

Bumped into former North Park PG Octavious Parker yesterday.  He played ball oversees for seven years and now co-owns ICE.
https://illinoiscentralelite.com/about/  His 6'2" son, OP Jr. will play for Stevie D at Carthage this fall after being recruited by Bosko.

[Next Man Up]

2021-2022 North Central Men's Basketball schedule;

https://northcentralcardinals.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule

Cardinals kick off the season by hosting California Lutheran and Greenville followed by their traditional neighborhood tilts with Benedictine and Aurora. They'll face tough competition in Oshkosh on Dec 11th. This year's "short" Holiday trip is a Michigan sojourn with single games at Kalamazoo and Olivet just before Christmas. For their annual warm weather "big" trip they'll fly to Orlando, FL where they'll face Hope and Central IA in a tournament at the Orlando Magic's practice facility complex. 

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

2021-2022 North Central Men's Basketball schedule;

https://northcentralcardinals.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule

Cardinals kick off the season by hosting California Lutheran and Greenville followed by their traditional neighborhood tilts with Benedictine and Aurora. They'll face tough competition in Oshkosh on Dec 11th. This year's "short" Holiday trip is a Michigan sojourn with single games at Kalamazoo and Olivet just before Christmas. For their annual warm weather "big" trip they'll fly to Orlando, FL where they'll face Hope and Central IA in a tournament at the Orlando Magic's practice facility complex.

That is an ambitious schedule.  How many of the seniors are coming back?

[Next Man Up]

My understanding is Blaise Meredith and Matt Helwig will be back. Not sure on Will Clausel, but probably leaning no.
Matt Smietanski is on the corporate ladder, and I believe Mike Pollack, who was in the Air Force ROTC program, is soon to report for pilot training duty.

[Gregory Sager]

2021-2022 North Central Men's Basketball schedule;

https://northcentralcardinals.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule

Cardinals kick off the season by hosting California Lutheran and Greenville followed by their traditional neighborhood tilts with Benedictine and Aurora. They'll face tough competition in Oshkosh on Dec 11th. This year's "short" Holiday trip is a Michigan sojourn with single games at Kalamazoo and Olivet just before Christmas. For their annual warm weather "big" trip they'll fly to Orlando, FL where they'll face Hope and Central IA in a tournament at the Orlando Magic's practice facility complex.

North Park will also play California Lutheran and Greenville, except that the Vikings will be going downstate to the lair of the Panthers for that tilt.

The non-conference schedule for NPU isn't complete yet, as Tom Slyder still has one more game to book. But the high point for me is most likely going to be the home game against Buena Vista on the day after Black Friday, which will mark the first-ever appearance of the male edition of the Beavers in the crackerbox. I may spare everyone the annoyance of having me repeatedly stress the proper pronunciation of the name of the opposing school by just distributing a handout to everyone at the scorer's table that says in big bold letters BYOO-nuh VIH-stuh.