MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

North Park 77
Carroll 64

Michael Osborne: 18 pts (7-12 FG)
Jordan Boyd: 14 pts (7-9 FG), 9 rebs
Gabe Johnson: 12 pts
Izaiah Sanders: 10 pts, 9 rebs

Justin Steinike: 13 pts
Trenton Nickel: 12 pts

It was a 41-39 game three minutes deep into the second half when the Vikings caught fire, using their superior physical ability and some good aggressive rebounding to go on a 25-6 run over the next ten minutes and salt the game away. They pushed the lead well into the 20s before the two coaches emptied their respective benches, and in so doing ruined Senior Day for the Pioneers at Van Male Gym.

The Vikings did not make the CCIW tourney after a 3-0 start, and they ended the campaign with a losing record, so this season cannot be looked upon as a success by any stretch of the imagination. But it's always nice to end the season on a winning note, and the fact that it was a convincing road win against a conference rival made it sweeter. The Vikings have a lot of work to do in the off-season, and that includes the coaches with regard to recruiting, but at least the cupboard isn't bare for NPU, what with four starters and key reserves Adam Bulwa and Karl Polk coming back next season.

Thanks to all of the Vikings seniors, especially Izaiah Sanders, for all of their hard work and sacrifices made over the course of their careers, and best of luck to each of them as they finish up school this spring before heading into the next chapters of their respective lives.

[Gregory Sager]

Elmhurst knocked off Carthage this afternoon in Kenosha, 79-66.

[Gregory Sager]

Wheaton pantsed Millikin, 88-63, out in the western suburbs.

[Gregory Sager]

Illinois Wesleyan outlasts Augustana, 70-64, at Carver.

[augie77]

Dan Carr of Augustana has collected 215 rebounds in CCIW play this season. That is a mind-blowing number. The last player to grab more boards in league play was Michael Harper, who seized 234 caroms in CCIW play in 1978, his sophomore season. In fact, to find the last player who had 200 or more rebounds in CCIW play, you have to go all the way back to Curtis Hudson (NCC) in 1988, when he collected 205.

This is not simply a phenomenon attached to the lowering of the league schedule to 14 games in 1992 and the raising back to 16 games in 2017, reflecting the presence, absence, and then presence again of Carroll as a CCIW member. The winning total of the 16-game CCIW rebounding championship has gone as low as 128 rebounds as recently as 2018, when Jordan Cunningham (MU) and Aston Francis (WC) shared the CCIW rebounding title. (Pause again in amazement at the fact that Aston Francis, a guard, was the CCIW's rebounding co-champion in 2019.)

Carr is having a truly remarkable season.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With 19 rebounds tonight against IWU Carr matched Harper's 1978 rebound total with 234. 


(modified by GS for formatting)

[GoPerry]

Wheaton over Millikin 88-63

On senior night and in front of a large and boisterous largely unmasked pre-Covid-like crowd in King Arena, the Thunder never trailed and pretty much dominated the Big Blue from the get go.  Cruickshank with 28 pts, 9 asst on 10-13 shooting.  Adom a mere 23 pts.  Alioth 18 and 17.

Drake Stevenson and Scott Gowan both had 13 pts for Millikin. 

Interestingly, Tyson Cruickshank was not honored as a senior which implies he might return for a 5th year?  That would be pretty awesome for Wheaton.  Also of note, recent Lewis Univ transfer Billy Durkin (Hinsdale South) got some playing time at the end.  If he is anywhere near as good as his younger brother Bobby (D1 recruit - Glenbard West), he might help Wheaton next year.

[kiko]

Dan Carr of Augustana has collected 215 rebounds in CCIW play this season. That is a mind-blowing number. The last player to grab more boards in league play was Michael Harper, who seized 234 caroms in CCIW play in 1978, his sophomore season. In fact, to find the last player who had 200 or more rebounds in CCIW play, you have to go all the way back to Curtis Hudson (NCC) in 1988, when he collected 205.

This is not simply a phenomenon attached to the lowering of the league schedule to 14 games in 1992 and the raising back to 16 games in 2017, reflecting the presence, absence, and then presence again of Carroll as a CCIW member. The winning total of the 16-game CCIW rebounding championship has gone as low as 128 rebounds as recently as 2018, when Jordan Cunningham (MU) and Aston Francis (WC) shared the CCIW rebounding title. (Pause again in amazement at the fact that Aston Francis, a guard, was the CCIW's rebounding co-champion in 2019.)

Carr is having a truly remarkable season.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With 19 rebounds tonight against IWU Carr matched Harper's 1978 rebound total with 234. 


(modified by GS for formatting)

It is not every day that you see a 40-plus year old record matched.

And a Curtis Hudson namedrop definitely pulls us into 'let's remember some guys' territory.  He was like a house in sneakers back in the day...

[Gregory Sager]

Dan Carr of Augustana has collected 215 rebounds in CCIW play this season. That is a mind-blowing number. The last player to grab more boards in league play was Michael Harper, who seized 234 caroms in CCIW play in 1978, his sophomore season. In fact, to find the last player who had 200 or more rebounds in CCIW play, you have to go all the way back to Curtis Hudson (NCC) in 1988, when he collected 205.

This is not simply a phenomenon attached to the lowering of the league schedule to 14 games in 1992 and the raising back to 16 games in 2017, reflecting the presence, absence, and then presence again of Carroll as a CCIW member. The winning total of the 16-game CCIW rebounding championship has gone as low as 128 rebounds as recently as 2018, when Jordan Cunningham (MU) and Aston Francis (WC) shared the CCIW rebounding title. (Pause again in amazement at the fact that Aston Francis, a guard, was the CCIW's rebounding co-champion in 2019.)

Carr is having a truly remarkable season.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With 19 rebounds tonight against IWU Carr matched Harper's 1978 rebound total with 234. 


(modified by GS for formatting)

It is not every day that you see a 40-plus year old record matched.

And a Curtis Hudson namedrop definitely pulls us into 'let's remember some guys' territory.  He was like a house in sneakers back in the day...

The real record is far beyond the reach of anybody, including Daniel Carr. Back in the 1971-72 season, Steve Clum of Wheaton grabbed 332 rebounds in CCIW play for an average of 21.1 rebounds per game. It was the first of two straight rebounding titles Clum won, putting him in a select club of multi-year CCIW rebounding champs that only consists of thirteen players. But, lest anyone think that Clum was some sort of freak show in Chuck Taylors, it should be pointed out that every year between 1967-68 (when the CCIW solidified with nine teams and a 16-game double round-robin schedule) and 1977-78 (Michael Harper's sophomore season) the CCIW featured a rebounding champion who had more rebounds than the 234 Harper had in '77-'78 and Dan Carr matched this season. The lone exception was 1973-74, when Dave Rosenbalm of Carthage grabbed a mere 227 boards. (Don't write off Rosenbalm as a shirker, though; he's ranked ninth all-time in CCIW scoring, seventh all-time in CCIW rebounds, and sixth all-time in CCIW FG percentage, so it's not as though he was skating by on his good looks in 1973-74.)

It was a different game back in the 1970s. It was standard for teams to use no more than seven or, at most, eight players in the rotation all season, and sometimes a team got by with only six -- so counting stats tended to accrue at much higher rates, because there were fewer players among whom to disperse all of those points, shots, rebounds, etc. If you were a big man in the CCIW back then, you pretty much had to plan upon playing 35 to 37 minutes per game all season. (One of the remarkable things about Michael Harper is that he won the CCIW rebounding award in 1978-79 and 1979-80 as well as in 1977-78, because he only played about 30-32 minutes per game as a junior and senior due to the presence of 6'7 C/PF Keith French on the bench, a player so good that he led the league with a .660 FG percentage in 1979-80 and was subsequently drafted by the Chicago Bulls.)

Really, when you think about it, that's what makes Dan Carr's 2021-22 season so amazing. The guy pulled in 234 rebounds (14.6 rpg) despite the fact that he only averaged 27.5 minutes per game of playing time in Augie's 16 CCIW contests. In other words, he averaged better than a rebound every other minute that he was on the floor.

Steve Clum would be proud.

[iwu70]

Here comes the All-CCIW Teams:

I have Leritz as MOP.

First team including:   Leritz, Adom, Alioth, Helwig the elder, Carr Rhode, perhaps Lambesis . . . not sure on the rest.   Yoder and/or Noe on second team.   Would love to hear from others.

Yes, Coach of the Year is Ron Rose. . . automatically.

It's been a great year to be a Titan.  A 20+ win season and chances for post-season games . . . Would love to see The Shirk host some first round NCAA tournament games.   March beckons . . .

More to come.

IWU'70

[Baldini]

Monday afternoon and Mr. Ypsi is back to work.

[Gregory Sager]

Despite a fine 10 and 9 performance at Carroll on Saturday, Izaiah Sanders finished his final game in a Vikings uniform only 2-7 from the field. Nevertheless, he still ends his senior season with a .602 field goal percentage. That's good for the fourth-best season FG% in North Park men's basketball history, behind only Keith French's .645 in 1979-80, Michael Starks' .614 in 1986-87, and Michael Harper's .603 in 1978-79. That's pretty exalted company.

Interestingly, Sanders only finished second in overall FG% among CCIW players, as Carroll's Paradisio Dante potted the rock at a .611 rate in 2021-22. But it's worth noting that Sanders, a 5'11 guard, was the only non-center and the only player under 6'5 among the top six on that particular leaderboard.

[Next Man Up]

What players are looking like finalists for MOP?
Is there any difference between MOP and MVP?
Is the best player on the #1 team automatically the favorite?

Seems like 2 legit candidates and 1 darkhorse, all deserving for different reasons.

Adom
Leritz
Hellwig

It will be one of those three. I don't think it's a slam dunk that it's Leritz. Hellwig is putting up video game numbers and should certainly be in the conversation. Adom and Leritz are the leading stat guys on the 2 best teams. This is decidedly an MVP award vs an MOP award. That's the only reason Hellwig is a darkhorse instead of the leader for the award in my opinion. Jake Rhode is a distant 4th for this.

CONFERENCE STATS ONLY

Scoring
#1 Helwig 22.8 PPG
#2 Adom  21.0
#4 Leritz  18.7

Rebounds
#3 Leritz   8.9 RPG
#6 Helwig 8.0
#21 Adom 4.4

FG%
#3 Leritz    56.9%
#10 Helwig 49.8
#17 Adom  47.6

3 POINT%
#6 Leritz    42.4%
#11 Helwig 40.9
#16 Adom  38.7

FT%
#1 Helwig 89.2%
#3 Adom  78.9
#7 Leritz  73.7

ASSISTS
T#8 Helwig 2.9 APG
T#8 Adom  2.9
#10 Leritz  2.8

3 PT FG PG
#4 Helwig 2.4 3 FGPG
#5 Adom  2.3
#14 Leritz 1.6

Using the very unscientific method ( ) of adding up the positions within each category with, as in golf, the lowest score being best, the 2022 MOP among these 3 candidates, is...............

MATT HELWIG  41 Points
Matt Leritz          47 Points
Nyameye Adom   72 Points

[kiko]

Carroll's Paradisio Dante potted the rock at a .611 rate in 2021-22.

Sounds like he was en fuego... 

[USee]

Using the very unscientific method ( ) of adding up the positions within each category with, as in golf, the lowest score being best, the 2022 MOP among these 3 candidates, is...............

MATT HELWIG  41 Points
Matt Leritz          47 Points
Nyameye Adom   72 Points

I would be shocked if it were anyone other than Leritz. If Wheaton had won at the Shirk, I think Adom would be the guy.  I am guessing Helwig is going to have to settle for 1st team all conference.

[Next Man Up]

Using the very unscientific method ( ) of adding up the positions within each category with, as in golf, the lowest score being best, the 2022 MOP among these 3 candidates, is...............

MATT HELWIG  41 Points
Matt Leritz          47 Points
Nyameye Adom   72 Points

I would be shocked if it were anyone other than Leritz. If Wheaton had won at the Shirk, I think Adom would be the guy.  I am guessing Helwig is going to have to settle for 1st team all conference.

Unfortunately, I must concur. To the victor go the spoils.

Although nobody that knows anything about basketball could argue with the choice of Matt Leritz. He performs at a consistently excellent level, and is one of the top D3 players in the nation.
And, I believe the same can be said about Mr. Adom.