MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Sakman 1111]

Sorry, should have said it was nice to see the Bluejays win when they didn't play that great.....

[Jim Matson]

I just spent 30 minutes reviewing all the messages over the past week over this debate thing.  As Moleman said to Apu "You stole 5 minutes of my life and I want them back..."  I'd say the same.

Congrats to Wheaton for a nice win against Freeman and the Titans.  Freeman reminds me a bit of Luke Moo in the way he can become unstoppable in certain games, and really charge up his team emotionally, providing needed leadership.

Wheaton really confuses me this year.  It will be interesing to see how they do over the next 3 games.  Can we be effective away from Kent Raymond?

[petemcb]

Since NPU isn't playing on Saturday, I now have to decide which game to attend that evening: Augustana @ North Central or Elmhurst @ Wheaton. Either way, since I'm going to be the scorekeeper for Saturday afternoon's women's basketball contest in the crackerbox between North Park and Illinois Wesleyan, this will be the first time that I've ever seen two CCIW games in two different gyms on the same day.

Greg, the combination of the pre-game feast available at the Wheaton dining hall, the prospect of an intriguing battle between the Wheaton guards and the Elmhurst bigs, and the much-appreciated seatbacks in Wheaton's arena make it the hands-down choice for this poster.  Having said that, I believe that game is scheduled for an 8:15 start.  Maybe I could catch the first half of the Augie/NCC tilt and still make it to the Thunderdome in time to see SuperRaymond don his cape and do his thing.

[OurHouse]

I just spent 30 minutes reviewing all the messages over the past week over this debate thing.  As Moleman said to Apu "You stole 5 minutes of my life and I want them back..."  I'd say the same.

Congrats to Wheaton for a nice win against Freeman and the Titans.  Freeman reminds me a bit of Luke Moo in the way he can become unstoppable in certain games, and really charge up his team emotionally, providing needed leadership.

Wheaton really confuses me this year.  It will be interesing to see how they do over the next 3 games.  Can we be effective away from Kent Raymond?

NO!! Wheaton cannot win without Raymond - they run the offense around him, he creates off the dribble, hits the lane and dishes, has energy on defense in which he can stop dribble penetration.

Wheaton is NOTHING without Raymond only because they have no talented BIG guys and one smaller additional guard who cannot drive the lane but only hit 3's (anyone can do that)....if Raymond does not play, Wheaton is garbage!!

my 2 sense

[mr_b]

Wheaton is NOTHING without Raymond only because they have no talented BIG guys and one smaller additional guard who cannot drive the lane but only hit 3's (anyone can do that)....if Raymond does not play, Wheaton is garbage!!

**Sigh**  Here we go again.  Can you perhaps find a more positive way to frame your thoughts?  It really discredits the players, the teams, and the board in general to keep using such metaphors.

[79jaybird]

Nice bits on Elmhurst and U of Chicago in the Around the Nation.    King Arena is a nice place to see a game.  OK, that is a good prompt.  After the Shirk Center, which is in a field all by itself, what would you all say is the next best place(s) to see a game in the CCIW.
1) Shirk
2) Carthage's PEC
3) King Arena
4) Carver Center

Worst place to see a game
1) Elmhurst
2) North Park- yes I know the Crackerbox has history, but it is so small!  What if NPU was to host the CCIW Conf. Tourney?  Where would everybody sit?

[OurHouse]

Wheaton is NOTHING without Raymond only because they have no talented BIG guys and one smaller additional guard who cannot drive the lane but only hit 3's (anyone can do that)....if Raymond does not play, Wheaton is garbage!!

**Sigh**  Here we go again.  Can you perhaps find a more positive way to frame your thoughts?  It really discredits the players, the teams, and the board in general to keep using such metaphors.

.. I did not mention any players names in my last post other than Raymond which provides positive feedback - the "other guys" on the team are not really that good, Raymond is the only one that makes them "look good"..   

Again without Raymond, the team suffers which puts the team in a "garbage category - thats just the way it is   

[ecdubb420]

i love that the attention being given to EC's front court and their size, but one cannot forget about the backcourt.  
Sure Lee and Burks get their fair share of open looks, but they are shooting well about 50%!!  Even if ALL their looks were open, shooting at the clicks they are at is extremely impressive.  Lee is shooting 70% from the line, yet his FG% (during CCIW games) is higher than that!!!! Last night I commented in the post game that he had an off night (4-6 fg), but his offensive game is just on.  
Plain and simple, these guards can carry the team when the big guys are off, or when the opposing teams are keying on the bigs.  This means that Elmhurst is way more than "big", but instead the most balanced team I have seen all year.  
When Ruch/Michael are going they open the floor for Burks.  When Burks is going he opens up for Michael/Ruch.  Lee just creates shots for himself and if need be, he can play one half as the go to guy, and the next as the man getting everyone else involved, in addition he will also be EC's iron man as I expect his minutes to average between 35-37 (Tony Bollier-esque numbers).  It is rare for teams to have two consistent offensive threats.  EC has four, and with Bacon and Hintzsche coming around and Strzemp returning, they could have seven guys who can carry the team for stretches.
Now if they could only watch those lapses on the defensive glass and get those TO's down, then they would go from a tough team to beat to being the team to beat.
However, while you're on top, the other teams will bring their A game.  Lets hope EC can handle everyone at their best and continue this great streak.

Jaybird, I love being close to the action, and the front row of EC's student section is great.  Now we need some bleachers behind the far basket (away from entrance) and EC would be an even better place to watch a game.  I would also take North Park over Carthage and Augie anyday.  
PS: North Central is the worst place to watch a game.  Luckily, I've had the pleasure of sitting courtside the last few seasons.  with the great football facility they have, that school should be embarrased at the "fieldhouse" they play the basketball games in.
Shirk is a great place to watch, but a place is only as good as the teams they field  (If I weren't a 24-year old beer drinking male, I wouldn't enjoy Wrigley).  You can take the worst arena in the world and put a winning team on the floor and create a great place to watch a game.  

[OurHouse]

i love that the attention being given to EC's front court and their size, but one cannot forget about the backcourt.  
Sure Lee and Burks get their fair share of open looks, but they are shooting well about 50%!!  Even if ALL their looks were open, shooting at the clicks they are at is extremely impressive.  Lee is shooting 70% from the line, yet his FG% (during CCIW games) is higher than that!!!! Last night I commented in the post game that he had an off night (4-6 fg), but his offensive game is just on.  
Plain and simple, these guards can carry the team when the big guys are off, or when the opposing teams are keying on the bigs.  This means that Elmhurst is way more than "big", but instead the most balanced team I have seen all year.  
When Ruch/Michael are going they open the floor for Burks.  When Burks is going he opens up for Michael/Ruch.  Lee just creates shots for himself and if need be, he can play one half as the go to guy, and the next as the man getting everyone else involved, in addition he will also be EC's iron man as I expect his minutes to average between 35-37 (Tony Bollier-esque numbers).  It is rare for teams to have two consistent offensive threats.  EC has four, and with Bacon and Hintzsche coming around and Strzemp returning, they could have seven guys who can carry the team for stretches.
Now if they could only watch those lapses on the defensive glass and get those TO's down, then they would go from a tough team to beat to being the team to beat.
However, while you're on top, the other teams will bring their A game.  Lets hope EC can handle everyone at their best and continue this great streak.

Jaybird, I love being close to the action, and the front row of EC's student section is great.  Now we need some bleachers behind the far basket (away from entrance) and EC would be an even better place to watch a game.  I would also take North Park over Carthage and Augie anyday.  
PS: North Central is the worst place to watch a game.  Luckily, I've had the pleasure of sitting courtside the last few seasons.  with the great football facility they have, that school should be embarrased at the "fieldhouse" they play the basketball games in.
Shirk is a great place to watch, but a place is only as good as the teams they field  (If I weren't a 24-year old beer drinking male, I wouldn't enjoy Wrigley).  You can take the worst arena in the world and put a winning team on the floor and create a great place to watch a game.  

ecdubb:

Now, this really pisses me off. A great time to trash the Shirk when you and I know the Shirk has been HOT to watch DIII basketball and regardless of the teams chances this year, I would rather be playing for IWU on at the Shirk anyday in front of 2000+ fans per game on average rather than anyother place in the CCIW which averages at best, 600 fans per game

Come on ecdubb, give it up   

[79jaybird]

The first time I ever saw a game at the Shirk Center was 1999-2000 season and the building just had me in awe, as I was impressed with how great a facility for a small (by size/population) college.
IWU is having an "off" year, so what. Every school has an up year and down year.    We at Elmhurst sure have seen our "down" years in various sports.  Just because a team is not winning, doesn't mean their facilities are not "good" anymore.

[knarocky22]

In discussing the best places to watch a game, a lot simply depends on the crowd.  At Augie, when the Carver Center is full (which it usually only is once or twice a season), it is almost as good as any place in the CCIW to watch a game.  I've never been to North Park or North Central, but from the places I've been to, Millikin is the worst.  It's just dreary in there, and the game I was at they didn't even have the bleachers pulled out on both sides.  As for the Shirk, it is a notch above any other arena in the CCIW, and probably most D-III arenas in the country.  The three Augie games I've been to down there in Bloomington have been awesome.

[augiefan]

Sorry to see April exit the board again, but why does she worry about her 200 plus karma. I've posted over 600 times and have zero karma. How bad is that? I agree the karma thing should be dropped. Then we can all join in welcoming April back with rousing chorus of Kumbaya.

[petemcb]

I just spent 30 minutes reviewing all the messages over the past week over this debate thing.  As Moleman said to Apu "You stole 5 minutes of my life and I want them back..."  I'd say the same.

Congrats to Wheaton for a nice win against Freeman and the Titans.  Freeman reminds me a bit of Luke Moo in the way he can become unstoppable in certain games, and really charge up his team emotionally, providing needed leadership.

Wheaton really confuses me this year.  It will be interesing to see how they do over the next 3 games.  Can we be effective away from Kent Raymond?

NO!! Wheaton cannot win without Raymond - they run the offense around him, he creates off the dribble, hits the lane and dishes, has energy on defense in which he can stop dribble penetration.

Wheaton is NOTHING without Raymond only because they have no talented BIG guys and one smaller additional guard who cannot drive the lane but only hit 3's (anyone can do that)....if Raymond does not play, Wheaton is garbage!!

my 2 sense

Our House, I've heard it said that you get what you pay for.

If hitting 3's is so easy that "anyone can do that", which of the NCC guards has been opening things up for their vaunted big men with long range missiles?  Imagine NCC with Mohan  -  who I believe might be the guard you're referencing above.  I'm thinking those 3's might have some significant value in Naperville this season.

[Titan Q]

Sunday Illinois Wesleyan will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of IWU's national championship season.  Details here:

http://www2.iwu.edu/menssports/basketball/012107mbb.shtml

I believe all members of that team have commited to attending the festivities.  An update on each per IWU.edu... 


JOHN BAINES - Assistant men's basketball coach at Elmhurst College. Lives with his wife (Terri) in Carol Stream, Ill.
ANDREW BOYDEN - Intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy, working on the Chief of Naval Operations staff at the Pentagon. Lives in Centreville, Va., with his wife (Ann) and three-year old son (Scott).
BUCK CONDILL – Teaches junior high school social studies at his hometown of Arthur, Ill. He and his wife, Shana, have a son Benjamin (4) and a daughter Ayla (1).
KOREY COON – Human resources manager for Caterpillar Global WorkTools in Manhattan, Kansas, where he lives with his wife (Heidi) and son (Berkley).
BRYAN CRABTREE - Investment representative, Edward Jones, Bloomington, Ill. Lives in Normal with his wife (Jenna) and two daughters (Alayna and Adriana).
JERRY HAPP – Senior representative in account services brokerage for Chicago's HFR Asset Management, LLC, a firm that manages investment products for high net worth investors. Lives in Des Plaines with wife (Christine).
MATT HODER – Teaches English and is a golf coach at Normal Community West High School. Lives in Bloomington with his wife (Christa) and daughters Charis and Brynn.
NATHAN HUBBARD – Agent for Country Companies Insurance; lives in Bloomington with his wife (Christina).
MATT MANN -  Works in catastrophe-related claims for AAA Insurance and lives in Bloomington.
BRENT NIEBRUGGE - Account manager for Cisco Systems; lives in Arlington Heights, Ill., with wife (Donna) and daughter (Anna).
JASON OSBORN – Tax supervisor for Bloomington's State Farm Insurance; resides in Normal with his wife (Erin) and sons Jackson (3), Brodie (17 months), and Owen (4 months).
TONY PACETTI – Design consultant for Redblock, Inc., an Internet company and resides in Clinton, Ill.
MIKE POPE – Head boys' basketball coach and athletic director at Blue Ridge High School in Farmer City, Ill.
MIKE ROGERS – Works for Oracle software company and lives in Chicago. One of his newest hobbies is cycling.
KYLE TUDEEN – Information engineer at Caterpillar in Peoria.
SETH ZELLER – Estimator/project manager for the family business, Zeller Electric, Inc. He is engaged to be married in August and lives in Normal.

[Titan Q]

When Titan fans talk about great teams from IWU's Division III era, the one that actually tends to come up last is the one that cut down the nets in Salem.  Sometimes people forget that the 1997 team had 3 CCIW M.O.P.'s/All Americans:

Bryan Crabtree (1997)
Brent Niebrugge (1998)
Korey Coon (1999, 2000)


The 1997 Titans were not flashy, but they played about as well together as any team I've ever seen.  There were so many key role players who supported All-American Crabtree and they just had wonderful chemistry.

It's hard to believe it's been 10 years.