MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Mr. Ypsi]

Late nite,

Check the rosters for the previous 3 seasons: C - Cory Jones, F - Zach Freeman. 

Zach played 'center-by-default' this season, but he is really a power forward (and I'm grateful Pat chose to recognize that and reward him accordingly).

[Titan Q]

Cory Jones was the "5" and Zach the "4."  With Cory around, Zach played away from the basket much more than this year, where he was much more of a "5"...just as if Zach Freeman was on a team with Guilford's Ben Strong, Zach could easily play the 4. 

Zach Freeman is a prototypical power forward who spent this year playing "center" out of necessity.  And again, in the context of this conversation don't lose sight of common sense...could Freeman and Strong play together as the 4/5?  Absolutely.  So does the D3hoops.com 1st Team work?  Absolutely.

I see Zach play and see a "4"...maybe others see a "5"...really just a matter of semantics.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2EANANcrj8

[AndOne]

OK---

Time for a "neutral" opinion----or maybe 2...................

1. I saw Zach Freeman play 3 games this season. At times he was POSITIONED more in a forward position at the start of an offensive play, and at other times he initially took more of a center/low post POSITION. The truly amazing thing and what helps make Mr. Freeman the great player that he is is that he excelled no matter which POSITION he played from. On top of this, he showed the ability to start out a little higher and move down low, or start on the block and move up toward the top to receive the ball and begin a move to the basket. His VERSITILITY is one of the reasons he was such an ouitstanding player worthy of 1st team All-American recognition.

Instead of arguing whether he is a "4" or a "5" I would say to ALL of Zach's fans (Wesleyan fans or not), be happy he was voted to a FIRST TEAM POSITION which he so richly deserved.

2. To fans of Kent Raymond (and maybe ALL CCIW fans) (and MAYBE also to all D3Hoops fans)----If you have a player who was voted the PLAYER OF THE YEAR in one of only EIGHT regions of the country, and you have an All-American team consisting of 25 players, including honorable mention, HOW---in God's Green Earth does one of the EIGHT most outstanding players in the country not make an All-American team that consists of TWENTY FIVE players. It makes NO sense whatsoever. If the voters designating the 8 regional PLAYERS OF THE YEAR are the same ones that vote for the All-American team, they are contradicting themselves in the very least! If Raymond is good enough to be a regional PLAYER OF THE YEAR, it sure seems logical that it follows that he is also one of the ALL-AMERICAN players. 

   

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I agree that Raymond is an incredible player and he deserves the accolades he gets.

He might be the best guard in the country, but it's not like he's totally above the rest of these All-American guards in terms of talent.

In my opinion, I can't argue with him getting in over Olson, Hoyt, Cooper, Mazarei, Cain, Cramer, or Schnettler.

With Drury, Jones and Harris you might have a case.  However, all three of those guys played big, big roles for their teams in the tournament and that could bump them in.

Personally, I would have pushed to put Raymond in there; I would have changed a lot of things, but ultimately it wasn't the huge travesty that it's being made out to be here.

I think CCIW fans have every right to complain because there are talented players left off these teams every year, but you also have to understand where everyone else is coming from.

[wheels81]

I don't beleive in giving the nod the to the upperclassman if even.  How can you be even in subjectivity.  All Ammerican status shouldn't be ruled out because he's underclassman.  And we're not talking even close here.  He was MOP for his conf. Regional POY, Here's a senario for the underclassman in question, preseason All American,  was the regional POY, Conf MOP, AND played for Illinois Wesleyn then he most definitely would have gotten on AA team somehow.     AS far as removing one from the AA team how about Cramer for Hope,   lost to Wheaton and Carthage, lower scoring/rebound/assist/FT % and minutes played.    Come hit me with the karma

[AndOne]

On a different subject-----OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO ELMHURST & MILLIKIN FANS

and I'm just the messinger here relating a RUMOR I heard  so don't shoot the MESSINGER.................

Looking especially to Elmhurst and Millikin fans for a possible answer.......

While talking to a couple of sets of parents of high school players this past state championship weekend, I was asked by both if I have heard anything about Elmhurst head coach Scherer applying for the vacant Millikin head coaching position. I related that I had NOT heard anything to this effect. I told them that since Elmhurst s/b very good again next season, I would be surprised if it was true, and furthermore I had heard Bluejays asst coach Baines did apply so it was doubtful they both would appy for the same job. I told them I thought Coach Scherer's family was from fairly close to the Decatur area (at least closer than Elmhurst) so from that standpoint I could see where it was possible that he would apply, but, again, that I hadn't heard that he had.

Can any EC or MU fans or any of our other knowledgeable CCIW fans shed any light on this rumor/question?   

[petemcb]

Positive karma just for a new topic...........and a juicy one, at that.

[AndOne]

Thanks, Pete

When I was asked the question, I was quite surprised. The parents that asked may well have kids being recruited by EC and/or MU. IF Coach Scherer did apply, I would think he would have an excellent chance. And, of course, if he did, then I doubt Coach Baines did--as he would quite likely have the inside track to take over the EC head job.

[cardinalpride]

Well what you know!  Kent Raymond was named to the NABC 1st team All-American list today.  Voted on obviously by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.  Congratulations Kent!  You deserved it!

http://www.wheaton.edu/Athletics/mbasketball/index.html

[wheatonfanaddict]

Pat I want to publicly extole the amazing labor of love that you have poured out in support and documentation of D III sports. Thank you for helping us enjoy the sports and teams we all care for passionately. My comments and questions are just the result of my ignorance and I hope that I have never offended you in any way.

[ecdubb420]

wow, two years in a row that the EC coaches are supposedly looking elsewhere.  Remember the rumors that Scherer was offered the Lewis job (a job that he alledgedly turned town, then had second thoughts but not before Coach Trost stepped in), and that Baines was up for the IWU top post?
Coach Scherer has turned this program from one that struggled to win half its games to one that has won 175 in 11 years.  Down at Millikin he could do the same thing and continue to recruit the kids from the small towns (Burks, Martin, Ruch, Knuppel to name a few). 
Though I think it would be the easy choice to replace him with Baines, I'm wondering if EC has become a school on the short list of places other coaches from around the country would like to come? 
The one thing that is killing them is RA Faganal Hall, however if you're  look at the plans the school has for the next 10-15 years, it would be very easy to see how this job could be an interesting one to take.
It could be interesting to see what happens if Scherer moves on.  I'd love to see Baines get the job, but wouldn't doubt that the position would be filled by someone with head coaching experience who craves the competition of the CCIW.


Congrats to Zach and Kent.  Job Well Done!!

[diehardfan]

I love that the most upset people about the Kent thing aren't even Wheaton fans. It adds a lot of validity to the issue that the people who saw him (but aren't from Wheaton) are so shocked and offended on his behalf. Thanks for making me smile NCC fans.

I have personally seen 6 of the All - American guards this year, and four of them I have seen multiple times. I've only seen Kent once this year, but it was against Northwestern, so it was obviously against adequately high competition. That has to be higher than almost anyone in the country in terms of the number of AA guards seen... if not everyone. 

Between the numbers and the fact that I can compare them with what I saw with my own two eyes, I know that Kent deserved the award. I'd put him a significant notch above Cooper and roughly even with Mazarei (really hard to compare someone in a system game vs a non-system game, but Mazarei was good no matter what team you put him on), It's pretty hard to argue against Olson (who averages like 9 assists a game!!!) or Hoyt (who averages like 35ppg). IMHO, Kent belongs somewhere in the second-third team range. But I guess I'm just going to shut up about it now.

[cardinalpride]

Well, true. But we made up for the disenfranchised forward further down the line.

He didn't seem interested enough in the process to suggest a player that could be removed. That's the point I'm trying to get him to recognize -- that adding a player requires removing one to get to 25.

Pat, I just wanted to rebut this comment by you.  Not only would I have removed a forward in Matt Griffin(Johns Hopkins), I would have easily removed a guard in D.J. Jones (Mississippi College).  Either one of these players could have been replaced by Kent Raymond.  I don't have to say another word on the matter because the NABC spoke loud and clear.  On to the next subject.  By the way Pat, you didn't have to smite me after the NABC release either.

[Pat Coleman]

I didn't smite you. But now I'll smite you for assuming it was me.

Since I haven't smited you in 24 hours I'm able to smite you now.

[Ralph Turner]

I don't beleive in giving the nod the to the upperclassman if even.  How can you be even in subjectivity.  All Ammerican status shouldn't be ruled out because he's underclassman.  And we're not talking even close here.  He was MOP for his conf. Regional POY, Here's a senario for the underclassman in question, preseason All American,  was the regional POY, Conf MOP, AND played for Illinois Wesleyn then he most definitely would have gotten on AA team somehow.     AS far as removing one from the AA team how about Cramer for Hope,   lost to Wheaton and Carthage, lower scoring/rebound/assist/FT % and minutes played.    Come hit me with the karma

You asked for your karma to be hit.  No!

If you are going to dare me to do something, then I am going to ask you to type your post correctly with proper spelling and punctuation.

Keyboard dyslexia, I understand.  I hit one hand before the other all of the time.  However,  the CCIW board is the "board of boards" on this site and exacts a demanding standard!