MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[diehardfan]

The irony is that he was dismissed after landing one of the best freshman classes Millikin has had over the past twenty years. Zach Ott, Robert Rexroade, Joscar Demby, and Charles Warren all showed signs that they could become very good CCIW players over the next three seasons. The Big Blue might be a season away from making a lot of noise in this league.

Alas, Littrell's departure also means that CCIW fans will be deprived of the singular experience of seeing three head coaches in our league coach their own sons in 2007-08: Mitchell Raridon, Steve Djurickovic, and Wes Littrell.

GoBigBlue, I hope that you reconsider and stay an active part of CCIW Chat. Heaven knows we get very little input from Millikin here; it's the only school in the league that is chronically underrepresented in our room.

That isn't just ironic, it's a huge blow for Millikin! No team just picks it up and is successful the first year a coach comes in. There is a whole bunch of young talent in Decatur, and if a new coach magically comes in and posts a winning season in a speedy two or three years, it will be on the backs of talent that Littrell recruited. If they don't end up being successful that quickly, it's a shame for all those recruits that could have really been something in this league if they hadn't been turned into transition players.

I obviously hope GoBigBlue stays as well, as I have enjoyed our conversations and know that you have a lot of good insight into the program. But I'm not going to ask you to stay. It's just not fair to ask someone whose program makes him justifyably upset to support it anyway. Best wishes to you as you coach your own team, GoBigBlue.

I suppose the one plus in this is that Wes Littrell still has time to look into transferring if he wants to. 

[Late nite]

AC Team  (only picking a starting 5 guys)
G Raymond
F Ruch
F Wessels
G Gensler
C D. Swetalla

This lineup supports my belief that the overall talent in the CCIW is not on par with past seasons.

I believe the all conference team is picked by individual, not by position

My all-conference 1st team:

Z. Freeman----Leading scorer AND rebounder in the conference. Simply, one of the
                       best players in the nation.

K. Raymond---Otherwise known as "dead eye dick." Likely All-America as a soph

B. Ruch---------6th in scoring, 2nd in rebounds, 1st in FG%, T13th in assists, 3rd in
                       FG%, 3rd in steals, T3rd in blocks, third in off, rebounds, 2nd in def
                       rebounds.

D. Walton-----5th in scoring, 5th in rebounds, 5th in FG%, 14th in assists, 15th in
                      FT%, T5th in steals, T6th in blocks, 10th in off rebounds, 1st in def
                      rebounds 

A. Simmons---7th in scoring, 6th in rebounds, 5th in assists, 5th in 3 point FG%,
                      5th in blocks, 13th in off rebounds, 4th in def rebounds, 6th in
                      assist/turnover ratio, 11th in FT%, OR---

D. Wessels---The "little engine that could." The quarterback and director of both
                      the CCIW regular season and conference tourney champions.

2nd Team

Wessels OR Simmons
Schlemm
Gensler
D. Swetalla
R. Burks

3rd Team

Michael
B. Smith
Lee
Delp
Standard

All-CCIW first team:
Raymond
Freeman
Walton
Ruch
Wessels

IMO, these 5 stood out througout the year---2nd and 3rd teams???---too much parity to separate from about 15 different candidates

Simmons??---Can't make a case for him based on a good 5 or 6 game run at the end of the season---Injury or not, the other 5 were there night in and night out the entire season

[79jaybird]

Greg-- In response to our discussion on Littrell,  I look at what Elmhurst did for Paul Krohn.  I played under Coach Krohn and we all know what a great guy he is.  For one reason or another, Coach Krohn wasn't getting tons of wins.  What did Elmhurst do?  Well, instead of just "dismissing" him, they promoted him to Athletic Director to keep him involved with EC Athletics.  Sure a change might have been in order at the HC slot, so they brought in Tom Journell for a chance at change. 
In Millikin's case, I agree with you and April that Millikin has a great group of young talent.   Now with a new coach, who knows how the (coach to be) will steer these young lads?
Through HS and College, I have experienced it takes 2-3 years for a new coach to A) implant his new ideas and system  B) the players to assimilate it and apply it.

[John Gleich]

Old School

I know Gustavas was the higher seed and hence why LU traveled the country in way to short of time period.......but that gets back to how broken this system is.  No way Gustavas should have been the higher seed.....  if I remember right, we had a better record and I know we had a higher rank.  Again, I know the D3 rankings do not apply to the post season, but it is probably a pretty good proxy for how good a team is.  Works that way in d1.  The MIAC was down that year.   Gustavas just had not played anyone.     Let me make my point another way....................no one should have to travel over 6 hours each way within 48 hours of a game and play an opponent on their court who has sat at home getting ready for the entire week.  Point was the better team, but the NCAA robbed you and everyone else of the possibility of a rematch of one of the great games in d3 history the previous year when both team had similar environments.

Again, my point is that this is good b-ball.  it is not fair to the participants in places like Elmhurst and Oshkosh, who I think are top 10 teams and have the potential to be final 4 to not make the tourney.  Likewise, it is not right
to give someone like Carroll the draw they have been given.  Spread the game out an extra day........go to 64 teams and play 4 team regionals......there are plenty of options.  Most of all, change the way teams are selected so that the midwest (wiac/cciw) do not get screwed so the weak east coast teams go the the tourney.    This is like the ivy league runner up getting in and wisconsin getting left off from the d1 tourney because they lost to Ohio State by 1.......wouldn't there be an uproar with that?

The major differences are three-fold, though.  This isn't D-1, teams don't have the following (unfortuantely) or the budgets to be traveling all over the country.  Now, that last point is moot because the NCAA  foots the bill but, as D-3 is not a cash cow, it's not deemed as important as, say, D-1, which DOES make money.

Now, regarding the LU/GAC game from 04-05...  HERE is the box score for that game.  GAC would have been the higher seed due to a better record... GAC was 22-5 before the game, and LU was 19-5.  Now, this isn't an enormous difference, but this also doesn't list other important numbers like the number of wins and losses that were in-region, or the teams' QOWI.  I agree that for LU it would have been a tough trip... This is PART of the reason they have gone to the 4 team quads in the first and second rounds, just like the sectionals.

But this takes away a home game from about HALF of the teams in the country.  Look at U of Chicago this season.  They were #1 in the last posted regional rankings, and they did lose a game, but they have to travel to another regional team in Aurora instead of even getting to host a second round game.  

Back to the 04-05 game, GAC was the favorite... LU was "supposed" to lose that game as the lower seed and they upset a higher seed.  The way the current system is set up, this is the way that it would have happened.  Even this year, in the same situation, it would have happened this way.  If Loras beats St. John's on Thursday, they will have to travel 7 hours to Point as well.  One might say that this puts these teams at a severe disadvantage, and it may... but it is possible.  Though they didn't have to travel in the first round, the 03-04 Pointers had to drive to GAC, then fly out to Puget Sound and win to get to Salem.

As has been said, I think that Augustana really got the short end of the stick with their pairings.  But looking at the records and the records of the teams that could have been placed in the same quads, there really didn't seem to be a whole lot that could be done, short of moving a few teams around, such as Wash U's quad, into a different one.  But that probably would have added flights and would have messed something else up.

[tjcummingsfan]

Boy this board scrolls fast - and I wouldn't be surprised if I am reprising something GS already posted....

The Covenant Church newswire today cocncerns a story about Rus Bradburd, a reserve (write in 12th man) on North Park's first two national championship teams in 1978 and 1979.

http://www.covchurch.org/cov/news/item5422

After leaving North Park Bradburd spent many years as an assistant coach to Don Haskins at UTEP and then Lou Henson at New Mexico State, before deciding to become a writer.

His first book "Paddy on the Hardwood" tells about his sojourn in Ireland.  Sounds hilarious.

A month after the 1987 NPC championship win over Clark (which North Park had professionally filmed), Bradburd and Chicago radio sports personality Les Grobstein added play-by-play to the tape, while watching the video in the basement of the library.

Enjoy....

MW 70:3

Yeah Dennis, someone, I don't remember if it was Greg, posted this before, but its a great article, and as far as I'm concerned there can't be enough articles like this about NP related people.  Thanks!

[tjcummingsfan]

For those of you who remember (hopefully not many of you) my immature rants about the overratedness of Joel Kolmodin, it seems as though God is laughing at me a bit for that, as I have heard his fiancee is currently applying tobe my classmate here at North Park Sem.  Maybe we can get Joel on the Sem IM basketball team...

[LU_nut]

Old School:  I think I must be doing a poor job making my point....not sure we disagree too much.  I recognize the NCAA handles D3 post season different than D1.  I just think they should handle them more similarly in fairness to the players on teams like Oshkosh and Elmhurst.......and teams asked to do two trips in two days to advance.

The Gustavas/LU example for 04/05 still applies in my view.  Gustavas had a higher ranking only because the MIAC was a putz conference that year.  When they played decent teams in pre-conference such as Carthage, Buena Vista and Whitier, they got spanked.  LU beat both Oshkosh and Plattville that year....on the road!  They also had to deal with excellent Ripon and Carroll teams in the conference.   If something more like a D1 selection and seeding was done, Gustavas would not have been the "favorite" and playing at home.   Wouldn't you agree?

[diehardfan]

For those of you who remember (hopefully not many of you) my immature rants about the overratedness of Joel Kolmodin, it seems as though God is laughing at me a bit for that, as I have heard his fiancee is currently applying tobe my classmate here at North Park Sem.  Maybe we can get Joel on the Sem IM basketball team...

I think there are actually a lot of Wheaton athletes that go on to do North Park Sem... I think that's sorta funny... can you imagine a North Park grad going on to get a Masters in Theology at Wheaton?

Joel is a nice guy, he probably won't hold a grudge. 

[usee]

with regards to the "committee" it should be remembered that in 2004 when the Joel Kolmodin led Thunder were left off the dance floor, Wheaton coach Bill Harris was on the committee. He resigned his post the day after selection Sunday that year.

[theseguysaregood]

article on Millikin coaching decision

http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2007/02/27/sports/millikin/1021453.txt

[diehardfan]

with regards to the "committee" it should be remembered that in 2004 when the Joel Kolmodin led Thunder were left off the dance floor, Wheaton coach Bill Harris was on the committee. He resigned his post the day after selection Sunday that year.

And the replacement was Coach Tim Littrell, who, in my opinion, did a pretty good job advocating for the CCIW on that committee. I mean, just look at how the regional rankings have been all year (a crazy number of CCIW teams) and how many teams we've got into the tournament last year... 

So who's next? Can't imagine many people want that job?

[Jim Matson]

Ahhh, the irony of life, tj.

[Late nite]

One exception to your thought would be Coach Raridon at North Central---He stepped into a great situation with Benji Taylor's recruits and had immediate success---He also had a proven track record in his previous stops---So, I guess it all depends on who Millikin is able to bring in---Littrell has laid the groundwork for immediate success, but, unfortunately he won't be around to see the building go up---Too bad---A great guy

Greg-- In response to our discussion on Littrell,  I look at what Elmhurst did for Paul Krohn.  I played under Coach Krohn and we all know what a great guy he is.  For one reason or another, Coach Krohn wasn't getting tons of wins.  What did Elmhurst do?  Well, instead of just "dismissing" him, they promoted him to Athletic Director to keep him involved with EC Athletics.  Sure a change might have been in order at the HC slot, so they brought in Tom Journell for a chance at change. 
In Millikin's case, I agree with you and April that Millikin has a great group of young talent.   Now with a new coach, who knows how the (coach to be) will steer these young lads?
Through HS and College, I have experienced it takes 2-3 years for a new coach to A) implant his new ideas and system  B) the players to assimilate it and apply it.

[diehardfan]

One exception to your thought would be Coach Raridon at North Central---He stepped into a great situation with Benji Taylor's recruits and had immediate success---He also had a proven track record in his previous stops---So, I guess it all depends on who Millikin is able to bring in---Littrell has laid the groundwork for immediate success, but, unfortunately he won't be around to see the building go up---Too bad---A great guy

This is definitely valid, but I'm not sure the attraction of the situations compare. North Central invests a lot more into their athletic departments, and Naperville is a whooole lot nicer of a town than anything I've ever heard about Decatur...

[John Gleich]

Old School:  I think I must be doing a poor job making my point....not sure we disagree too much.  I recognize the NCAA handles D3 post season different than D1.  I just think they should handle them more similarly in fairness to the players on teams like Oshkosh and Elmhurst.......and teams asked to do two trips in two days to advance.

The Gustavas/LU example for 04/05 still applies in my view.  Gustavas had a higher ranking only because the MIAC was a putz conference that year.  When they played decent teams in pre-conference such as Carthage, Buena Vista and Whitier, they got spanked.  LU beat both Oshkosh and Plattville that year....on the road!  They also had to deal with excellent Ripon and Carroll teams in the conference.   If something more like a D1 selection and seeding was done, Gustavas would not have been the "favorite" and playing at home.   Wouldn't you agree?

Well, I'm Point Special, not Old School...  And the Gusties lost 5 of their first 9 games, yes, but then they rattled off 18 straight.  This isn't part of the criterion for selection, but it's impressive, nonetheless.  I don't care if the team is playing in a really weak league... that's still impressive.  And you can say that the MIAC was weak that year, but what evidence do you have of that?  The teams you cite as Lawrence's good wins were Oshkosh and Platteville... Which are good wins... Point split with both that year, but they also played Ripon... and beat them by 22.  They didn't play Carroll that year, but have beaten Carroll every time they've met recently.

I'm not trying to discount what Lawrence did that season... but they lost to St. Norberts at home, and at Knox.  I'm just saying that under the current system, this is the way things work.  Carroll will have the same type of trip... probably longer, actually.  They are going to Augie, and if they win that, then they'll need to travel to St. Thomas. 

If it was more like D-1, then there wouldn't be ANY home teams.  This might be more fair, to be true, but that's not the reality that we live in.