MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[AndOne]

Not to give you a new handle, but thank you k-mark.
For those of us who played in Nebraska where the N stands for Nowledge, the K-Mark could stand for Karthage-Mark.           

[Mr. Ypsi]

Bob,  I shouldn't have excluded Milos but I do tend to agree with Greg that I'm not quite sure that the 3 spot is where he will see his minutes.   He has the frame to play a 4 but really doesn't rebound well enough for that spot and he is a bit slow to cover small forwards.   He had a terrific game against IWU down in Bloomington and then he really dropped off after that.

I was very impressed with his shooting range after watching their first scrimmage at home but then he got banged up and didn't play at all for the first 4 to 5 games After that he started a stretch of about 10 good games. 

I even picked him for my CCIW fantasy team and thought he was going to be a steal when I got him in the fourth round but he had a tough finish to the year.

I can't say for sure but I don't know that he was really in Bosko's doghouse.   I think he got injured again in the middle of the year and when he came back he just wasn't the same player and certainly not the same shooter, as Greg alluded to.

Mark, I had his teammate, Bill Schmerdiak, as my 4th round pick, but had to drop him after he gave me NEGATIVE points three weeks in a row.  I've been wondering ever since: did I made one of the worst picks ever, or did he just have an awful year?  Is he legit for the team this year?

[AndOne]

Bob,  I shouldn't have excluded Milos but I do tend to agree with Greg that I'm not quite sure that the 3 spot is where he will see his minutes.   He has the frame to play a 4 but really doesn't rebound well enough for that spot and he is a bit slow to cover small forwards.   He had a terrific game against IWU down in Bloomington and then he really dropped off after that.

I was very impressed with his shooting range after watching their first scrimmage at home but then he got banged up and didn't play at all for the first 4 to 5 games After that he started a stretch of about 10 good games. 

I even picked him for my CCIW fantasy team and thought he was going to be a steal when I got him in the fourth round but he had a tough finish to the year.

I can't say for sure but I don't know that he was really in Bosko's doghouse.   I think he got injured again in the middle of the year and when he came back he just wasn't the same player and certainly not the same shooter, as Greg alluded to.

Mark, I had his teammate, Bill Schmerdiak, as my 4th round pick, but had to drop him after he gave me NEGATIVE points three weeks in a row.  I've been wondering ever since: did I made one of the worst picks ever, or did he just have an awful year?  Is he legit for the team this year?

Dear My Ypsi.

Under the heading of "Don't say I never gave you anything, " he is what I've both observed and been told about Schmerdiak.

With Schmerdiak, what you see is what you get. In HS, he was the top dog and played up to the role. Once in college, he was just a middle of the pack player, and his level of play sunk to that level or worse. In giving him the benefit of the doubt, it certainly is entirely possible that he has raised the level of his game.

However, you should also consider recent history. In summer league this year, his play was largely inconsequential. The times I saw him play, his contribution  was far less than that of a left handed 6'4" or 6'5" player whose name I don't know, Trey Bowens, and Sean Fendley.  He scored few points and got few rebounds. The only thing it seemed like he was into, was hanging out behind the arc, and firing threes, 90% of which missed. I'd recommend using your pick elsewhere. Of course, now that I've said that, he'll make all conference!

[AndOne]

Greg,  Jacklin primarily played the 4 spot last year and I would suspect that will be the case this year as well.  I'd agree that he'd be a better 3 but due to the lack of size on the team, he had to fill that role.  He was second on the team in rebounding at 5 per game and really works hard on defense.

I should restate what I said last night. Jacklin can play power forward ... he just can't play it very well by CCIW standards (or, at least, he couldn't last season). When I saw the Red Men last year they played a heap of zone -- something that at one point would've been unthinkable for a team coached by Bosko Djurickovic, although he's utilized it much more in recent years than he did throughout the early part of his coaching career -- and I think that much of the reason for playing zone when Jacklin was in the game was to keep him from being posted up or pushed around underneath. Yes, I agree that Jacklin seems to be a very hard worker and a savvy all-around player, but I don't agree at all with AO about his upside as a 4. He's best suited for the wing, where I've seen him use his size to much better advantage. F'rinstance, the havoc that he wreaked as a part of Carthage's full-court press was the key to the Red Men's huge second-half comeback at NPU in '06.

Greg----

I believe the primary roles of the 4 are to provide a large chunk of his team's  inside power game and to rebound as opposed to the 3 whose main focus is most often more that of an outside shooter and/or a slasher. Rebounding is secondary to that of the 4 position. For this reason, I feel Jacklin will be a more than adequate 4.
While the power of many fours is fueled by bulk, Jacklin's power is derived from his quickness and jumping ability. He simply negates his opponents size with his quickness and explosiveness to the ball. An examination of last year's statistics reveals the he was 14th in the entire CCIW in rebounding at 5.0 rpg! . Had he not had Schlemm on his team, he prob would have ranked even higher. I believe 11 of the 13 who finished ahead of him were seniors. Also, as far as his scoring, I think Carthage will have more than a few players who can hit a higher percentage from further away from the basket than Jacklin can, so the four is also a more natural position for him from that standpoint. Defensively, he will have to learn to play the entry passing angles so as to be able to deny the deep entry passes a little more. This, combined with his quickness, will help negate the size advantage an opponent may have. All things considered, the 4 is the spot for Jacklin, and I feel he was do a better than average job there. 

[kenoshamark]

AndOne,

Thank you for the nice compliment....I do have a passion for Carthage Basketball.  Not quite sure President Campbell is ready to change the C to a K unless my alum contributions start increasing rather dramatically 

Your addition to the chat board has certainly been very enlightening.   I find your insight very interesting both for current players and those you have seen in H.S.   Keep of the great posting !!!

[kenoshamark]

Mr. Ypsi,

At the time I wouldn't have thought that was a bad pick.  At the first scrimmage I was surprised to see Shemerdiak in the staring lineup but he looked pretty good.   His game just didn't seem to develop as the year went on but he is a very good athlete so maybe he will take another jump this year and fill a role for the minutes at the 3. 

[AndOne]

Mark & Mr------

I have no doubt Schmerdiak will see some pretty good minutes. However, the question will be how productive they will be. He is one of those players who takes little interest in other than scoring. What scoring he does comes in streaks. Unfortunately, he has many more streaks where his shot is off than when its on.
As far as time at the 3 goes, unless Schmerdiak has a breakout season, I think the Red Men will ultimately get more value from other players. One possibility that stands out of course is Bosko's son. He may have been a guard in HS, but in the college game he may prove more effective from a wing 3 position.

Another relative unknown on the Carthage roster, at least to other than avid Carthage followers, that I feel could emerge as a valuable contributor is Eric Moore. Unlike Schmerdiak whose improvement has been rather stagnant, Moore has improved his game since his HS days. While he did have some academic difficulties in HS, he evidently has improved in that area as well as I have not heard anything about him being in danger of losing his eligibility like Schmerdiak and Bowens have since their move north. Moore has good quickness, can get off the floor, and really can hit the three at a pretty good percentage. Despite his lack of playing time so far, and thus not having the stats to back it up, I'd venture a guess that the only players for Carthage who are better shooters are Fendley, Bowens, and possibly little Bosko, who of course is still untested at the college level.

[Gregory Sager]

Not to give you a new handle, but thank you k-mark.

You wouldn't be giving him a new handle, because I've been calling him that on CCIW Chat for the better part of a decade now.

I still gotta disagree with you on Jacklin, AO. You're much more sold on his athleticism making a difference at the 4 than I am. I think that there's other CCIW PFs who have just as much athletic ability (or more), and they also bring more size to the table. I surmise that Bosko's playing him at that position is more a matter of filling a hole rather than playing to Jacklin's strengths.

I have no current inside information to support what I am about to say, so keep in mind that I'm just playing a hunch -- but I have a sneaking suspicion that Steve Djurickovic will be a starter for Carthage from his first college game onward. And it'll be for the right reasons, not because of nepotism. All Bosko Djurickovic cares about is winning. Sure, he'd like to see his kid succeed, but Bosko wants everyone in a Carthage uni to succeed, whether they share his DNA or not.

[kenoshamark]

Greg,  I will preface my comments the same way, I have no type of inside information, but I concur with your hunch as well.   I always feel a little nervous making statements like that since I do periodically hear information about recruits and such but in this case, I'm just going on how I feel and what Steve can bring to the court. 

I guess your comments begs the question - which spot do you feel he will start at - the point or the three?   Personally, I think it could be either one but I'd be interested in seeing what you think.

BTW, is it ten years already ?? 

One more note, heading down to Deerfield today for the Fall Exposure League run out of the Joy of the Game facility.   I know there has been talk over the summer about the college leagues played there but they now start up a nice league for H.S. age kids prior to the season and my son is playing in the league.  Can't beat the competition from the area and helps him get ready for the season.  For anyone looking to get their son or daughter involved in a program (either for camps or travel) I can highly recommend the programs they run there.  Mike Weinstein and his staff do a great job teaching kids about basketball but also getting those with the potential ready to play at the next level.  He isn't just about a program for D1 schools and I would say he probably has more kids go to D3 schools than any other program around.   He preaches keeping your grades up so you have more opportunity with schools from all over.

[Titan Q]

Greg,  I will preface my comments the same way, I have no type of inside information, but I concur with your hunch as well.   I always feel a little nervous making statements like that since I do periodically hear information about recruits and such but in this case, I'm just going on how I feel and what Steve can bring to the court. 

I guess your comments begs the question - which spot do you feel he will start at - the point or the three?   Personally, I think it could be either one but I'd be interested in seeing what you think.

BTW, is it ten years already ?? 

One more note, heading down to Deerfield today for the Fall Exposure League run out of the Joy of the Game facility.   I know there has been talk over the summer about the college leagues played there but they now start up a nice league for H.S. age kids prior to the season and my son is playing in the league.  Can't beat the competition from the area and helps him get ready for the season.  For anyone looking to get their son or daughter involved in a program (either for camps or travel) I can highly recommend the programs they run there.  Mike Weinstein and his staff do a great job teaching kids about basketball but also getting those with the potential ready to play at the next level.  He isn't just about a program for D1 schools and I would say he probably has more kids go to D3 schools than any other program around.   He preaches keeping your grades up so you have more opportunity with schools from all over.

Mark, I was thinking the same thing...has it really been 10 years of D3Hoops.com and CCIW Chat already?!?!  Wow.

Joy of the Game helps develop a ton of D3 hoopers.  This site lists their Class of 2007 players and colleges...

http://www.joyofthegame.com/cfm/Rankings2.cfm


CCIW freshmen include Chris Stamas (IWU), Ed O'Callaghan (IWU), Logan Derrick (Carthage), Phil Schniedermeier (North Park), Jimmy Saris (Elmhurst), and Kyle Nelson (Augustana).   I'm sure the battle for some of those Class of 2008 kids is getting ready to heat up.

[Gregory Sager]

I guess your comments begs the question - which spot do you feel he will start at - the point or the three?   Personally, I think it could be either one but I'd be interested in seeing what you think.

Man, that's a real roll of the dice for me. I just don't have enough of an inside scoop to be anything but tentative in my guess. I suppose I'd say that Steve D. would be more likely to start at SF than PG, because: a) Bosko really, really likes Higgins at the point (Bosko, ironically, resembled Higgins as a player much more than he resembled his son); b) game experience matters much more at the point than it does at the three; and c) Steve would have less to worry about at the three -- he could focus more upon scoring (which is his strength) than upon pressbreaking, distribution, and decisionmaking. But, as I said, my speculation has no inside info to support it.

I don't question his ability to play the point somewhere along the line, mind you. He certainly has the gym-rat pedigree for it. I'd wager that you can count on one hand (perhaps even one finger ) the number of college basketball players who can claim that both parents were college basketball head coaches, let alone both being championship-winning college basketball coaches.

BTW, is it ten years already ?? 

Nine, actually. I started CCIW Chat in the fall of '98, back when Pat was still using a topics-tree format for Posting Up. And it's been five and a half years since Bob and Ron and I crashed in your basement rec room during the sectionals in Kenosha. Time flies!

[north central]

Greg,  I will preface my comments the same way, I have no type of inside information, but I concur with your hunch as well.   I always feel a little nervous making statements like that since I do periodically hear information about recruits and such but in this case, I'm just going on how I feel and what Steve can bring to the court. 

I guess your comments begs the question - which spot do you feel he will start at - the point or the three?   Personally, I think it could be either one but I'd be interested in seeing what you think.

BTW, is it ten years already ?? 

One more note, heading down to Deerfield today for the Fall Exposure League run out of the Joy of the Game facility.   I know there has been talk over the summer about the college leagues played there but they now start up a nice league for H.S. age kids prior to the season and my son is playing in the league.  Can't beat the competition from the area and helps him get ready for the season.  For anyone looking to get their son or daughter involved in a program (either for camps or travel) I can highly recommend the programs they run there.  Mike Weinstein and his staff do a great job teaching kids about basketball but also getting those with the potential ready to play at the next level.  He isn't just about a program for D1 schools and I would say he probably has more kids go to D3 schools than any other program around.   He preaches keeping your grades up so you have more opportunity with schools from all over.

KenoshaMark and Titan Q - I agree that the joy of the game high school fall league is very good for high school kids in this area. I actually put one of my players in the league. They certainly do produce some quality college players at all levels. In addition I like the Rising stars aau program out of that facility they have a really good program. 

[cardinalfanrochelle]

To all,
         As a new reader/poster of the CCIW I had a question about a post by Mr. YPSI about a fantasy team, what is it and how do you get one and is there a league? Second question is there a site where you can follow the conference for stats for all the teams? The Northern Athletic Conference and the old Lake Michigan Conference had a site where you could visit get the stats and conference leaders all year long.

[AndOne]

To all,
         As a new reader/poster of the CCIW I had a question about a post by Mr. YPSI about a fantasy team, what is it and how do you get one and is there a league? Second question is there a site where you can follow the conference for stats for all the teams? The Northern Athletic Conference and the old Lake Michigan Conference had a site where you could visit get the stats and conference leaders all year long.

I'll let Mr or some other knowledgeable poster answer the question about the fantasy league.

As far as a site for CCIW conference stats, just go to CCIW.org

[Gregory Sager]

To all,
         As a new reader/poster of the CCIW I had a question about a post by Mr. YPSI about a fantasy team, what is it and how do you get one and is there a league?

In past years the CCIW fantasy league was run by NPU alumnus and long-time CCIW Chat lurker Ron Swanson (whom I mentioned in my last post). Last season it was run by our self-exiled Hall of Famer, Wheaton alumna April Lee. Those of us who were active participants last year included myself, April, Ron, Titan Q, Kenosha Mark, Mr. Ypsi, Ryan Knuppel ... OK, guys, who am I forgetting?

We haven't discussed a 2007-08 edition of the league amongst ourselves yet.