MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[John Gleich]

I'm 5'3"...at least that's what my official height is listed at.  PS was listed at 6'9".  that's 18 inches, right?  I just can't wait until one of the Nonemachers show up at the Point game on Saturday.  I think I'll need to get a pic of all three of us.  He's 7'0"...and if only we could get Kerry Gibson to show up! lol.

Ironically, and this is no joke, I did have a twin brother.

I guess I gave you more credit than I should have.... for some reason, I thought you said one time you were 5'7"...

But I guess people (including yourself) have poked fun at your height (or lack thereof) for, oh, four or five years...  Oh well.

[diehardfan]

I guess I gave you more credit than I should have.... for some reason, I thought you said one time you were 5'7"...

Translation: I am so much taller than everyone else that even a four inch difference isn't noticable.

[diehardfan]

Michael Fiddler named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American!!!

Wheaton, Ill. (2/28) –Wheaton College senior forward Michael Fiddler has been recognized as a Third Team College Division Academic All-American for men's basketball, as announced on Wednesday by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Through the years Wheaton has produced 40 Academic All-Americans through the prestigious program. Fiddler becomes the third member of the Wheaton men's basketball program to earn the honor, joining Nate Frank (1994-95) and Jon Nielson (2004-05)....

http://www.wheaton.edu/Athletics/mbasketball/news.html#aaa

Congrats to Michael!!!!! Nate Frank and Jon Nielson make some darn good company!

Congrats also to Zach Freeman who comes in as a Second Team Academic All American, and joins last year's IWU honoree, Keelan Amelianovich!

[cciw watcher]

It's funny to read people attack Pat Coleman as a possible embedded NCAA Board Member.  Pat gives a lot of good measured opinions about the process both pro and con.  He has a national view of DIII athletics and does his homework.  Joe, I think you need to check out Pat's D3 playoff preview. He obviously did not do his home work when he said the 2005 Millikin Big Blue did not qualify for this year's conference tournment!

[Pat Coleman]

They didn't qualify for last year's conference tournament. Every part of that paragraph refers to how the 2002-05 national champions defended their titles.

[diehardfan]

For what it's worth, the CCIW Fantasy League All-Conference Teams:

MOP: Zach Freeman, by a landslide
"Coach": Ryan Knuppel (Congrats!!!)

First Team:
Zach Freeman   31.50
Daniel Walton   26.50
Brent Ruch   26.50
Kent Raymond   25.57
Anthony Simmons   22.21

Second Team:
Ryan Burks   21.64
Brian Schlemm   21.25
Nick Michael   17.93
Drew Gensler   17.69
Johnnie Standard   17.00
Dain Swetalla   17.00

Third Team:   
Brandon Smith   16.31
Trey Bowens   16.14
Adam Krumtinger   15.93
Brian Lee   15.43
Drew Wessels   15.29

Honorable Mention:
Jordan Delp   14.93
Mike Gavic   14.92
Michael Fiddler   14.21
Nick Williams   13.86
Andrew Freeman   13.64
Anthony Lenoir   13.64

(number after each player name is indicative of the number of fantasy points they averaged per game)

[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.

It may be, GS (just speculating), that Youngblood was hired as a faculty member at Beloit (and not just as a basketball coach), in which case nine years would be long enough for him to have tenure and a guaranteed job on campus if he wants it.

Most coaches in the CCIW are now hired as just "contract" employees without the benefit of being on any kind of tenure track.  That certainly was NOT the case years ago, when many a CCIW coach would still be retained by their school in some capacity or another after leaving the coaching ranks (The list is tooooo long to mention, but it is very long - and it includes coaches in both football and basketball as well as the non-marquee sports.)

MW 70:3

That's a valid point. However, I can't find any indication, either on the Beloit website or in the Beloit course catalog, that Youngblood was/is a faculty member. He is listed as one of two possible instructors for the Coaching Basketball course, but that's something that is easily assigned upon a contractual basis to someone who is classified as adjunct faculty for administrative purposes.

As you said, the paradigm for the employment status of college head coaches has shifted.

[Gregory Sager]

I assumed there would be more discussion on Raymond capturing the MOP Award.  No one thinks that was a bit of a surprise?

I think he was certainly in the top 3, but wasn't Freeman more deserving with his numbers and with being a Senior?  Perhaps Raymond's strong performance in the latter part of the season helped?

Believe me, I love the choice, but I'm not above questioning it.

Lest we forget, Chris Martin also led the league in both scoring and rebounding. And when he did so, back in 2005, his team didn't finish seventh ... Elmhurst tied for second that year. Yet Martin didn't win the MOP. Last year, Martin was the only player in the league to finish in the top five in both scoring and rebounding (he was third in scoring behind Rick Harrigan of Augustana and Kyle Jeffery of Carthage, and second in rebounding behind Jordan Kemper of Wheaton). Once again, his Bluejays finished in a tie for second ... and once again the MOP award was given to somebody else.

I'm not pointing that out in order to raise doubts about the MOP selections for '05 and '06, mind you. I'm pointing it out to illustrate that there's no automatic guarantee that a player will win the MOP based upon leading the league in both scoring and rebounding, or for finishing higher in those two categories than anyone else.

I wasn't the least bit surprised by this year's choice. I had a pretty strong suspicion that Kent Raymond would win the award.

[ustbumkneez]

Last year, Martin was the only player in the league to finish in the top five in both scoring and rebounding (he was third in scoring behind Rick Harrigan of Augustana and Kyle Jeffery of Carthage, and second in rebounding behind Jordan Kemper of Wheaton).

Speaking of Jeffery, I know he transferred to Parkside, but I was wondering if anyone could enlighten me as to why? Im presuming it was for the step up in divisions, (not necessarily competition-ive seen GLVC basketball, and im not convinced its a better product than the CCIW, regardless of how many roman numerals follow the 'D' that the GLVC is affiliated with) considering he originally started at DII Mercyhurst, but then why didnt he just transfer to Parkside right from there? Hes a player I saw a lot of when he was in high school, and a few times last year for the Cardinals, so Im just interested. If someone could clarify, I would appreciate it.

[Gregory Sager]

I'm not sure why Jeffery transferred, but I'm interested in seeing how he fares in the GLVC. He redshirted for UW-Parkside this year, and supposedly has two years of eligibility remaining.

[cardinalpride]

Last year, Martin was the only player in the league to finish in the top five in both scoring and rebounding (he was third in scoring behind Rick Harrigan of Augustana and Kyle Jeffery of Carthage, and second in rebounding behind Jordan Kemper of Wheaton).

Speaking of Jeffery, I know he transferred to Parkside, but I was wondering if anyone could enlighten me as to why? Im presuming it was for the step up in divisions, (not necessarily competition-ive seen GLVC basketball, and im not convinced its a better product than the CCIW, regardless of how many roman numerals follow the 'D' that the GLVC is affiliated with) considering he originally started at DII Mercyhurst, but then why didnt he just transfer to Parkside right from there? Hes a player I saw a lot of when he was in high school, and a few times last year for the Cardinals, so Im just interested. If someone could clarify, I would appreciate it.

jefferey was never a cardinal.  He never played for NCC.  He played for Carthage.  The Redmen/Big Red.

[Gregory Sager]

gs, a friend of mine who is a Parkside alum, and avid Ranger basketball fan with connections in the program, has said he looked real good throughout the year in practice. his size and strength, and the nice touch from the outside, have the coaches excited about his potential for the next two years. he might have transferred to be close to home, considering he is from Kenosha (where the school is located). but, again, if someone close to the Redmen knows particulars, please share. thanks.

Uh, bumkneez, Carthage is also located in Kenosha. In fact, the Carthage campus is about two miles closer to Jeffery's high school alma mater, Kenosha Tremper, than is UW-Parkside.

[Gregory Sager]

For us outsiders on the CCIW Board, we see braggadocio.  We are all susceptible to it.  We think the same thing about ASC Football.

Ralph, while I can see where an outsider might think that we're braggarts, I honestly don't think that it's the case. As the late great Dizzy Dean said, "It ain't bragging if you can back it up."

Over the course of the 32 years of the D3 tournament, the CCIW has won six national championships and has the second-best winning percentage of any D3 league (second only to the WIAC in both categories), and has made 14 trips to the Final Four (tops among all D3 leagues). The CCIW annually racks up non-conference winning percentages in the .625 range or higher (this year it was an all-time best .750), and it is not uncommon for the league to have three representatives in the D3hoops.com Top 25 at once. Six of the league's eight teams received Top 25 votes at one point or another this year.

It'd be one thing if we were simply tooting our own horn as a matter of reflexive boosterism. But we aren't, and that's because men's basketball is different from the other sports the CCIW sponsors. The league is uncommonly strong in men's basketball ... but not so strong in other sports.

For example, in spite of Millikin's national title two years ago, the women's side of basketball in this league is markedly inferior to the men's side with regard to D3 as a whole; the CCIW is not really considered a power conference in women's hoops. In football the CCIW is usually looked upon as a good but not great conference. Although Augustana did win four national titles in the early '80s, the league has perennially been blocked in the playoffs ever since ... and not just by the Mount Union juggernaut, either. The CCIW has good baseball programs, but no national titles to show for it and no College World Series finishes higher than third -- and all but one of the CCIW's six College World Series appearances were by a single school (Carthage).

If you check out the CCIW rooms for those other sports on D3sports.com, you'll see a different tone. Yes, the pride and the strong support for individual schools and for the league as a whole are there, but you don't see the air of superiority in those rooms that you do in here. That's because the CCIW has a different place in the D3 universe in those other sports, and the league's followers know that.

Certain CCIW schools have had high rates of national achievement over the years (North Central in the various men's running sports, Wheaton in men's and women's soccer, etc.), but they've mostly been isolated successes without a commensurate top-to-bottom rate of success for the entire league. What makes men's basketball different is the fact that several schools have had major success in the sport. North Park owns more national championships than any other school in D3. Illinois Wesleyan has a national championship and the second-highest number of wins in D3 tournament history. Augustana has been to the Final Four four different times and joins NPU and IWU as the third CCIW member of the Twenty Win Club in terms of tournament victories (no other conference has three Twenty Win Club members). Carthage has a Final Four appearance and an Elite Eight appearance in this decade to its credit. Wheaton has been an established powerhouse for over a decade now, and North Central and Elmhurst also enjoy national respect. In other words, almost the entire conference has contributed to the CCIW's success over the years.

You'll never see me tout CCIW superiority in other sports, because that superiority simply doesn't exist. But men's basketball is another matter. The CCIW's strength in this sport is a matter of record.

[coebball70]

The name Kyle Jefferey rings bells.  I watched Carthage several times a year ago and he definitely was a 'player'....so, what did happen to him?  My sense is he just didn't fit the less than disciplined Redmen basketball program.  Did Jefferey play at Parkside this year?

[Ralph Turner]

Good morning Greg!

Thanks for the well-considered response.  Your voice of sanity is greatly respected.

The difference that I see this year is that the CCIW was not its usual self!

We listened to Titan Q on Hoopsville all year vacillating about the up and downs in the CCIW.  I think that the final standings reflect that.  The "perfect storm" analogy hits Elmhurst squarely in its record.  I showed that one more victory would have Elmhurst in the tourney.  I selected the Simpson loss as the one that was not CCIW inflicted, and made my point with that loss.  If the best Pool C in the CCIW was worthy of that Pool C bid, then I would expect its non-conference in-region record to boost it in the deliberations around the Selection Table.

In a 128-team tourney, the CCIW might get 6-8 teams.  We will never get enough inter-divisional play to get a decent Opponents' Opponents' Record.  The D-1 majors restrict the conference losses, so they can boost their RPI's on cupcakes.  I honestly believe that the 20-game conference schedules in the NAthCon and the SLIAC will take away the OOP-boosting-cupcakes that the CCIW used to boost its records in the past (vs. Lake Michigan, SLIAC and NIIC).

Good night, Greg!  See you tonight!