MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Pat Coleman]

Viking Mike-----

I don't really think the NCAA has it in for Augie. The CCIW------->Maybe 

If so, it's a recent phenomenon. The CCIW got three teams in last year.

[DPoffy]

I do wish the NCAA would consider facilities and location more when selection sites for the tourney. Last year Lawrence hosted a sweet sixteen game. While Appleton is a nice community, I am sure the NCAA would have made more $ at a different venue. A site with a capacity of 1000 is not really showcasing some of the best basketball in the United States.
Why not require minimum seating as one of the requirements?

[AndOne]

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...

NAPPERville, as we locals sarcastically refer to it is definately a whole lot nicer than Decatur (yes, I've been to Decatur). All you need to fit right in is a Hummer to take the kids to school 4 blocks away, and then to fit right in at the supermarket parking lot on the way home to the mansion. The Hummer also comes in handy when one of the local multitudinous Lexus cuts you off in traffic. Just a slight nudge from the Hummer will put it right up on the sidewalk! Of course the Lexus will do quite nicely for an enchanted night out to dinner at one of the many $50-$75 per person local dining establishments.     

Diehard--------Please advise the source of your information that "North Central invests a whole lot more into their athletic departments."   

[AndOne]

Viking Mike-----

I don't really think the NCAA has it in for Augie. The CCIW------->Maybe 

If so, it's a recent phenomenon. The CCIW got three teams in last year.

Only as they should have. 

[Pat Coleman]

I do wish the NCAA would consider facilities and location more when selection sites for the tourney. Last year Lawrence hosted a sweet sixteen game. While Appleton is a nice community, I am sure the NCAA would have made more $ at a different venue. A site with a capacity of 1000 is not really showcasing some of the best basketball in the United States.
Why not require minimum seating as one of the requirements?

They do. But not everyone is as blessed as the CCIW is with venues and they like to give hosting privileges to teams that earn them.

Fanbase is not one of the hosting criteria.

[AndOne]

Kind of interesting that Elmhurst got 4 guys on, and Augie only got 3. 

Oh Great Suami-----How could this have happened?     

[diehardfan]

Diehard--------Please advise the source of your information that "North Central invests a whole lot more into their athletic departments."   

The obvious facility disparity aside?

Mens basketball participant expenses:
NCC:  $41,984
Millikin:  $28,509

Total participant operating expenses:
NCC - $459,718
Millikin - $284,568

Total expenses:
NCC: $1,556,606
Millikin: $1,101,112

[AndOne]

Ah yes--the FACILITY disparity--Do you mean the "Hanger" vs the "Curtain"

The Curtain is newer and doesn't require as much upkeep. Those NCC expenses aren't really going toward "athletic programs." They're upkeep on the Hanger! 

[Gregory Sager]

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.

I agree that this would've been a great idea in Littrell's case, as it would've rewarded his loyalty to his alma mater and long-time employer. But we can't be certain that there was a job available for him elsewhere at Millikin, either within the athletic department or somewhere else on campus. You can't always just create a job for somebody and thus retain his services, especially at a D3 school with a modest endowment where every departmental penny has to be watched.

Interestingly, the word over in the MWC room is that Beloit coach Cecil Youngblood has been given the sort of in-house move to a desk job that you spoke of with regard to Paul Krohn at Elmhurst. The MWC room is reporting that Youngblood (an Augustana alumnus, by the way) is no longer the Bucs' coach, but will now be working as an assistant dean and the head of some diversity program on the BC campus, or something like that. While at least one Beloit poster is implying that this is a job Youngblood sought and for which he is well suited, it may very well be that the move wasn't entirely his idea. That's total conjecture, of course, but it's plain that he hasn't worked out as the school's men's basketball coach. Beloit has been pretty dismal over the nine years that he's run the program.

[cardinalpride]

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...

No truer words have ever been said!  A friend of mine once said "You can roll a bowling ball through Decatur and hit absolutely nothing"!  He was correct!

[Gregory Sager]

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!

Gotberg posted it. I made a comment upon it later, relating to the coincidence of two NPU basketball alumni now being Irish musicians.

[Gregory Sager]

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...

Get Joel on the sem IM basketball team? You'll be lucky if he doesn't give you a wedgie and hang you by your belt loop from the cupola of Nyvall Hall.

[Gregory Sager]

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?

God's grace is infinite, but I'm not sure that any good Covie would ever want to test its limits by committing such a major transgression.

[Gregory Sager]

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.

Harris was on the Midwest Region committee, not the national committee. Each region sends its chair to represent it on the national committee; back in 2004 the MWR chair and national committee rep was Edgewood coach/AD Steven Larsen, who is now the NAthC commissioner.

[cardinalpride]

Viking Mike-----

I don't really think the NCAA has it in for Augie. The CCIW------->Maybe 

If so, it's a recent phenomenon. The CCIW got three teams in last year.

At least two teams were deserving this year!  Coleman, you sure go out of your way defending the NCAA.  Are you a chair member or do you have blinders on?!