MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[kenoshamark]

The game tonight was really never in question.  Millikin came out with a very disinterested approach and other than a few small spurts, they never were really in it.  The same could be said for their coach.  Since this is his first year I don't know what his sideline demeanor is normally like but he sure didn't show much emotion for the game.  Even during timeouts he did nothing much more than make a few marker strokes on the board and then sent the team back out on the floor.  He rarely got off his seat during the game and just didn't seem to care for what was going on in terms of his teams effort.

Due to a shot clock malfunction that left one not working at all, Carthage allowed Millikin their choice of sides for the second half so the teams ended up switching benches from the normal setting so since I was sitting in my typical spot, I could see what was going on throughout the game in terms of the Millikin bench.

Millikin does have some youth and some nice size to work with but based on tonight, they sure have a long way to go before they will compete in this league.

[coebball70]

Tonight's scores shows the CCIW tourney is up for grabs.  I'm going to Rock Island for some great D3 hoops!  Watching Kent Raymond tonight was something else, he is a real gift to those who enjoy effort and results at both ends of the court!  I hope he considers coming back for his fourth year.  Andy W. was the key tonight making 6 or 7 free throws at crunch time and picking off back-to-back defensive rebounds when Elmhurst cut the lead to six.  It is really great to see a kid get some results from all his hard work in the weight room last summer.  I predict the crusading Thunder make it all the way to the big dance!

[Dennis_Prikkel]

Tim and I were in Crusaderville on Saturday night - saying hello to lots of old fiends.

Kent Raymond could have had 50 tonight - he was on fire with 23 in the 2nd half, but until Elmhurst made a run with six minutes to go and cut it to ten Raymond was satisfied to play forward and score on a couple of breakaways and shoot a few free throws.  He kept the ball in his hands down the stretch moving out to the point position he started the game at.

Poor Chris Child is really coach Schrer's 'whipping boy'  he was the Blue Jays leading scorer in the game when Scherer sat him on the bench early in the 2nd half and kept him there until the final 90 seconds.  He quickly deliver a basket and had a chance to cut the Wheaton lead to four with 30 seconds to go, but his eight footer rimmed out.

Wheaton seemed absolutely determined to get Any Wiele involved in its offense in the 2nd half, but the big guy just did not have his offensive mojo working.  The Bluejays schooled him underneath on the defensive end and he was definitely not a factor on the offensive end in the final twenty minutes even with Wheaton running every possession with him getting the ball down low.

Ryan Burks may be the Blue Jays top scorer, but he is not a take charge guy, with his team trailing late in the game he passed up too many shot attempts for a leading scorer and a "go to" guy to NOT take.  His only forced shot of the night came with 15 seconds left and his team down by seven.  I would have liked to see him be a little more determined and forceful for a junior two-year starter.

Wheaton sure gets a lot out of a lot of players with mediocre talent - the Thunder played tough defense throughout - committed a lot of fouls (especially in the 2nd half), but somehow managed to stay just far enough ahead of the Blue Jays that it never got "real" tense.

DoS

[kenoshamark]

Caught some of the post game interview on the radio that Bosko does with the Carthage play by play announcer, John Weiser.   John asked what to expect for next year and Bosko of course said they have some fine players to work around including Steve, Sean Fendley, Bill Shemerdiak and Adam Stuart (who dropped in 11 points and grabbed 8 boards tonight).  He also was very insistent that he had to recruit better and that fell directly in his lap.  It was interesting when he said "basketball is the toughest sport to recruit but it is also the easiest to fix, easy in that you don't need a lot of numbers to turn things around".  Wouldn't disagree with that and you could tell in his voice that they are already working real hard to, as he said, to get bigger and stronger next year. 

He was also very happy for his seniors and said he really enjoyed working with this group. 

[Naperick]

I was at Merner fieldhouse to see the Cardinals play for the 8th time this season.  I got to see all of NCC's home CCIW games this season.  The Cards played hard and had a chance to beat Augustana but the Vikings closed the game on a 12-2 run to win it.  3 key moments in the game tonight-

1. Matt Rogers fouled out with about 2:15 remaining
2. Pelton hit a three with about a minute to go to give Augie a 60-59 lead
3. Raridon missed the front end of a one-and-one very late in the game

Congrats to Augustana on a hard fought win and third straight CCIW title.  They deserved the win tonight and made many great plays in the final moments of the game.  The Vikings are a very good team.

That was the most people I have seen in Merner fieldhouse this season.  Even more than when Illinois Wesleyan played in Naperville.  Kudos to the Vikings fans for making the drive to NCC.

[Naperick]

Thanks to coebball70 and dennis_prikkel for their reports on the Elmhurst-Wheaton game tonight.  I was hoping the 'Jays would win to avoid getting the #4 seed but it sounds like Raymond had his usual great game against Elmhurst tonight.  It should be a great CCIW tourney this weekend.  Good luck to all four teams.

[Naperick]

I know I shouldn't talk about next year but North Central should be an improved team next year.  None of their starters are seniors and should be back.

[iwumichigander]

Darius Gant had an absolutely phenomenal game for IWU, which, thanks to him, won the rebounding battle, 50-42. He made up in large part for Wesleyan's backcourt trio of Dwyer, Rosenkrantz, and Johnson, who went a collective 4-35 from the field (2-24 from downtown). I'll be interested in hearing from the Titans fans how much of that was due to the NPU perimeter defense.

The problem was not the NPU perimeter defense (IMO) as for the most part, NPU patiently sat back and watched IWU throw the ball up and miss - often with complete open looks.  Darius Gant and his fellow three seniors came to play tonight.  Gant was outstanding - no other way to describe it.  Even when not scoring, Gant contributed greatly on defense and rebounding.

In game that really did not mean all that much in terms of conf tournament placement, the other three seniors logged "DNP"; and, that is inexcusable.  Particularly, when this fan and 2199 other fans, are still waiting for the rest of the team to show up.  IWU jacked up three after three. It just seemed that it never occurred to any player (other than Gant) to just take a 12-16 footer that was more than available. Wesleyan was lethargic, flat footed and displayed no energy - even a bench which could not get off their posteriors to cheer their team - even when an assistant coach walked down the line trying to exort some effort from them - pathetic.

Despite the lack of effort, IWU outscored NPU in the 2nd half 31-30.  And, amazingly while the Titans could not consistantly make a FG they did make 78.6% FT (11-14) in the 2nd half after not shooting a single free throw in the 1st half.  IWU out rebounded NPU 50-42.

I don't think I have ever seen IWU guards get the ball 2 feet from the time line and then just stand there either looking to pass it up the court or waiting for the point guard to advance up court.  And the piece of cake for me - three TItans guards standing around the NPU basket with no defensive pressure make an exhausted captain come up the court to in bound the ball after a made NPU FG.

And, oops, I almost thought we were going to have a second game decided by a whistle with about 2.8 seconds on the clock.  It was a legitamate call; however, not very good play by the NPU player who made the foul.

NPU wins it in OT to close out this season with one more conference and overall win the last season.

[Naperick]

Darius Gant had an absolutely phenomenal game for IWU, which, thanks to him, won the rebounding battle, 50-42. He made up in large part for Wesleyan's backcourt trio of Dwyer, Rosenkrantz, and Johnson, who went a collective 4-35 from the field (2-24 from downtown). I'll be interested in hearing from the Titans fans how much of that was due to the NPU perimeter defense.

The problem was not the NPU perimeter defense (IMO) as for the most part, NPU patiently sat back and watched IWU throw the ball up and miss - often with complete open looks.  Darius Gant and his fellow three seniors came to play tonight.  Gant was outstanding - no other way to describe it.  Even when not scoring, Gant contributed greatly on defense and rebounding.

In game that really did not mean all that much in terms of conf tournament placement, the other three seniors logged "DNP"; and, that is inexcusable.  Particularly, when this fan and 2199 other fans, are still waiting for the rest of the team to show up.  IWU jacked up three after three. It just seemed that it never occurred to any player (other than Gant) to just take a 12-16 footer that was more than available. Wesleyan was lethargic, flat footed and displayed no energy - even a bench which could not get off their posteriors to cheer their team - even when an assistant coach walked down the line trying to exort some effort from them - pathetic.

Despite the lack of effort, IWU outscored NPU in the 2nd half 31-30.  And, amazingly while the Titans could not consistantly make a FG they did make 78.6% FT (11-14) in the 2nd half after not shooting a single free throw in the 1st half.  IWU out rebounded NPU 50-42.

I don't think I have ever seen IWU guards get the ball 2 feet from the time line and then just stand there either looking to pass it up the court or waiting for the point guard to advance up court.  And the piece of cake for me - three TItans guards standing around the NPU basket with no defensive pressure make an exhausted captain come up the court to in bound the ball after a made NPU FG.

And, oops, I almost thought we were going to have a second game decided by a whistle with about 2.8 seconds on the clock.  It was a legitamate call; however, not very good play by the NPU player who made the foul.

NPU wins it in OT to close out this season with one more conference and overall win the last season.

Thanks for your report on the IWU-NPU game.  The Titans and the Thunder should be an outstanding game on Friday at 6pm.

[RedMan1]

Congrats to the Carthage Seniors, but this year for the Redmen was a could have, should have year. But many teams can say that. Carthage will be good in the future, but the effort the seniors gave these past 4 years was awesome.

[kenoshamark]

Darius Gant had an absolutely phenomenal game for IWU, which, thanks to him, won the rebounding battle, 50-42. He made up in large part for Wesleyan's backcourt trio of Dwyer, Rosenkrantz, and Johnson, who went a collective 4-35 from the field (2-24 from downtown). I'll be interested in hearing from the Titans fans how much of that was due to the NPU perimeter defense.

The problem was not the NPU perimeter defense (IMO) as for the most part, NPU patiently sat back and watched IWU throw the ball up and miss - often with complete open looks.  Darius Gant and his fellow three seniors came to play tonight.  Gant was outstanding - no other way to describe it.  Even when not scoring, Gant contributed greatly on defense and rebounding.

In game that really did not mean all that much in terms of conf tournament placement, the other three seniors logged "DNP"; and, that is inexcusable.  Particularly, when this fan and 2199 other fans, are still waiting for the rest of the team to show up.  IWU jacked up three after three. It just seemed that it never occurred to any player (other than Gant) to just take a 12-16 footer that was more than available. Wesleyan was lethargic, flat footed and displayed no energy - even a bench which could not get off their posteriors to cheer their team - even when an assistant coach walked down the line trying to exort some effort from them - pathetic.

Despite the lack of effort, IWU outscored NPU in the 2nd half 31-30.  And, amazingly while the Titans could not consistantly make a FG they did make 78.6% FT (11-14) in the 2nd half after not shooting a single free throw in the 1st half.  IWU out rebounded NPU 50-42.

I don't think I have ever seen IWU guards get the ball 2 feet from the time line and then just stand there either looking to pass it up the court or waiting for the point guard to advance up court.  And the piece of cake for me - three TItans guards standing around the NPU basket with no defensive pressure make an exhausted captain come up the court to in bound the ball after a made NPU FG.

And, oops, I almost thought we were going to have a second game decided by a whistle with about 2.8 seconds on the clock.  It was a legitamate call; however, not very good play by the NPU player who made the foul.

NPU wins it in OT to close out this season with one more conference and overall win the last season.

iwumichigander,

Boy, you are right, with the overall outcome of the game having no consequences on the tourney, how could those three seniors not get a few minutes on the floor?  I like your term "inexcusable".   I never recall a time when Bosko didn't give at least a brief appearance for all his seniors and certainly in a situation like last night, what would have been the problem?

Maybe I'm partial to having seen the Carthage game last night that was never in doubt and the four seniors all got plenty of playing time.  Nonetheless, seeing them embrace their teammates as they came off the floor and the smiles on their faces as they walked to the locker room made up for much of the disappointment this year. 

[Titan Q]

North Park 67
IWU 57 (OT)

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/02/24/usports/doc47c0fe1eafc3c329598990.txt

http://www.wjbc.com/wire2/podsports/00851_22308ronrosepodcastweb_214528.htm


Illinois Wesleyan suffered from what I believe was the most atrocious shooting night I've ever seen in 19 years of following Titan basketball.  It was beyond bad - it was almost bizarre.

North Park played a packed-in zone most of the evening, daring the Titans to make perimeter shots.  The Vikings started 4 guards (6-0 Dan Oziminski, 6-1 Ed Whitaker, 6-3 Jason Gordon, and 6-3 Antonio Stevens) to go along with perimeter-oriented big man Nick Williams.  It is certainly no surprise Paul Brenegan's gameplan centered around trying to take IWU's inside players (Darius Gant, Brett Chamernik, Doug Sexauer) away, as man-to-man, NPU had terrible matchups against the Titans down low.  Presented with wide open 3 after wide open 3 after wide open 3, the Titans continued to clang shots off the rim.  IWU's four perimeter players went 5-41 from the field, including 3-30 from 3!! 

Travis Rosenkranz (1-9, 0-5)
Sean Johnson (3-19, 2-16)
Sean Dwyer (0-7, 0-3)
Jordan Morris (1-6, 1-6)

Johnson came in a 40% 3-pt shooter, Dwyer 52%, and Morris 36%.  (Rosenkranz has struggled most of the season from the perimeter.)

5-41 and 3-30...at home!

North Park's zone also took Brett Chamernik out of the game...or Brett Chamernik took himself out of the game...or some combination of both.  Brett shot the basketball 1 time against a team that started 4 guards. 

As IWU's shooting struggles mounted in the 1st half, the Vikings basically just hung around and ultimately found themselves up 1 at the break.  In the 2nd half, NPU led a good portion of the way, and this turned up the heat on the IWU shooters.  Wide open shots are probably easier to make when you're comfortably up as opposed to on the wrong side of the scoreboard in front of a large home crowd.  It was more of the same from the perimeter players in the 2nd half.

Unfortunately, the Titans wasted an unbelievable individual performance.  On Senior Night, senior Darius Gant had 28 points and 21 rebounds and made every big basket for the Titans down the stretch in regulation.  North Park had no answer for him.  They tried to double and triple team Gant, but his quickness, strength, and leaping ability still made him an impossible matchup.  I think Darius solidified his spot on the 1st Team All-CCIW.

North Park played extremely hard last night for 45 minutes, but especially down the stretch in regulation.  When IWU got up 6 with 6:41 to play, I thought the Titans were going to pull away for a win.  I thought the same thing at 53-49 IWU with 2:32 to go.  Nick Williams was hero for NPU, hitting two wide-open 3's to send the game to overtime.  The first, at 2:19, was off a missed shot and a rebound that ended up all the way at the FT line, where Oziminski ended up with the ball and found Williams.  On the second, at 1:23 to tied the game at 55, the Titans had a terrible defensive breakdown and left him open somehow.  Nick Williams is going to be a star player in the CCIW the next two years - there is no question about that. 

North Park showed a lot of heart in a game that basically didn't mean a darn thing to them, while IWU's young guards played tight and nervous in a game that could have been for a share of the CCIW title.  Randy Reinhardt started his Pantagraph article:

The only thing that kept Illinois Wesleyan senior Darius Gant from donning Superman's cape at Shirk Center on Saturday was the relentless tug of his teammates' ineptitude.

Well stated.  That was an bad as I've seen a team shoot the basketball in a long, long time.

Based on the young talent on both teams, I think Illinois Wesleyan and North Park are in for some great battles the next few years. 

[Titan Q]

iwumichigander,

Boy, you are right, with the overall outcome of the game having no consequences on the tourney, how could those three seniors not get a few minutes on the floor?  I like your term "inexcusable".   I never recall a time when Bosko didn't give at least a brief appearance for all his seniors and certainly in a situation like last night, what would have been the problem?

That game could have been for a share of the CCIW championship (if Augie lost at NCC, which they almost did), which is a huge deal.  It is a very tough decision to make to throw 3 guys in there who haven't played all conference season long in a game you have to treat as a "must win" at the time. (It turned out to mean nothing since Augie won.)

As bad as everyone was playing except Gant, maybe it would have been a good idea to throw Brian Nussbaum, Kevin Bryant, and Jason Bloom in there, but the guys on the floor got the Titans to this position.  It is awfully hard to decide to go against them in a game you are losing.  (It's not like throwing those seniors in up 40 vs Millikin.)  What if you put those guys in with IWU down 2 and 10:00 to play, the game finishes the same (North Park winning) and NCC beats Augie -- now people say, "How could they put three guys who haven't played all season long in a game for the share of the title!?"  I'm not sure it is fair to Nussbaum, Bryant, and Bloom to pin that on them in their final game either.

It was a terribly difficult decision for Ron Rose.  Believe me, if there was one person in the gym last night (outside of senior parents and family members) that wanted to get Brian Nussbaum, Kevin Bryant, and Jason Bloom in the game, it was Ron Rose.  I can't tell you how many times this year I have heard Ron and the staff talk about what those 3 have meant to the team.  It was just a tough situation the way it turned out (the game being a nail biter the entire way) and one in which the head coach is going to get second guessed no matter what he decides.

[kenoshamark]

Bob,

That's fair, since there were still co-conference championship ramifications riding on the game.  But, to your point, as poorly as the perimeter players were shooting, maybe a senior getting into the game would have given them that jolt the team needed.

Remember, I wasn't the person who made the original comment, it was a fellow Titan fan.  And, Carthage was unfortunately only up by 32 and wasn't quite able to stretch to the 40 points you alluded to. 

Three of the seniors for Carthage started and logged strong minutes so it wasn't a matter of throwing them in a game when the score was meaningless.  Again, different circumstances so I'm not saying it is a fair comparison, just taking note of a comment as to how strongly iwumichigander felt about the situation.

[Titan Q]

Bob,

That's fair, since there were still co-conference championship ramifications riding on the game.  But, to your point, as poorly as the perimeter players were shooting, maybe a senior getting into the game would have given them that jolt the team needed.

Remember, I wasn't the person who made the original comment, it was a fellow Titan fan.  And, Carthage was unfortunately only up by 32 and wasn't quite able to stretch to the 40 points you alluded to. 

Three of the seniors for Carthage started and logged strong minutes so it wasn't a matter of throwing them in a game when the score was meaningless.  Again, different circumstances so I'm not saying it is a fair comparison, just taking note of a comment as to how strongly iwumichigander felt about the situation.

Mark, my "up 40 vs Millikin" comment was in reference to IWU's recent game vs the Big Blue where Nussbaum, Bryant, and Bloom played a lot of minutes...

http://www.iwu.edu/~iwunews/sports/mbb2008/IWMBB22.HTM

I wasn't even thinking about the fact Carthage played Millikin last night.

To your first point, I'd just say the key word there is "maybe." Again, the head coach can end up being wrong and second guessed (or right) no matter which way he goes there.