WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Backseat Driver]

Congratulations to Wheaton's Brooke Olson on her hard-earned and well-deserved CCIW player of the week award!

[Titan Q]

An article on IWU senior Olivia Lett, and her transition from D1 to D3...

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/basketball/women/senior-s-transition-from-transfer-to-top-iwu-women-s/article_9a18a352-4afc-11e1-b14e-0019bb2963f4.html


I have watched about 9 of IWU's games this year (online) and am sure that Lett is the best IWU women's player I've ever seen.  She is just so talented.

I don't know the women's landscape like I do the men's, but I have to believe Lett is a 1st Team All-American. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

An article on IWU senior Olivia Lett, and her transition from D1 to D3...

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/basketball/women/senior-s-transition-from-transfer-to-top-iwu-women-s/article_9a18a352-4afc-11e1-b14e-0019bb2963f4.html


I have watched about 9 of IWU's games this year (online) and am sure that Lett is the best IWU women's player I've ever seen.  She is just so talented.

I don't know the women's landscape like I do the men's, but I have to believe Lett is a 1st Team All-American.

You might have to say second best.  Since she says Christina Solari's warm acceptance was WHY she came to IWU, Christina may STILL be the Titan MVP, even after graduating!   (Not to mention bringing along 'baby' sis!)

[Backseat Driver]

No CCIW teams in the new top 25. IWU (38), Carthage (15), and Wheaton (3) receive votes. The Titans are the top "receiving votes" squad.

http://d3hoops.com/top25/women/2011-12/week9

[Gregory Sager]

I saw Elmhurst defeat North Park, 65-51. Megan Ney led 4 Jays in double figures with 16 pts (6/7, 4/5 FT) and had 11 rebs. Near the end of the 1st half, Meghan Merklein suffered what appeared to be a significant knee injury. I happened to be nearby during a 2nd half timeout when one of the refs asked her if she was OK; she sadly shook her head "no." I hope she can play again in this her senior year. The article on their site doesn't say anything about it, so hopefully that's a good sign.
Roxie Jones tallied 19 for NP, along with 4 steals, 6 rebs.

NPU just looked plain awful on Saturday afternoon. Apart from Roxie Jones's efforts the Vikings just couldn't do anything right. It was hard to figure, since the game between the Vikes and 'jays went right down to the wire in Elmhurst, and NPU had had a substantial lead in that game. Give EC credit for staying focused after Merklein went down. What a freakish injury, though; she was standing by herself in the center circle, dribbling the ball with no one around her, and she suddenly seemed to just crumple like an accordion. I could see by the way she was falling that her knee had buckled, but I couldn't figure out why. Sure hope she's OK.

[iwu70]

Congrats to Brooke Olson on CCIW POY.  Well deserved. She played a terrific game at WC vs. our Titans. 

I, too, think Olivia Lett is a first-team All-American candidate.  She's the total package and you just don't see that all that often in the DIII women's game.  Great article about her in the Pgraph today, big front page piece on the sports section.  Much deserved.

Time for a good stretch run, getting stronger and better in these final games, with all the conditioning and experience of tough, close games now coming into play.  Time to use the "run and jump" to great effect.  Still think the Titans rise and fall in close games on rebounding and interior play by Jackson, Solari, Burton and others.  We know what to expect and what we almost always get from Lett, Gardner and Hasselbring.  Many other perimeter role players can make a huge difference when/if they have above average or extraordinary games, contributions. 

WC vs. Carthage and IWU @ Carthage should be some great games.

IWU70

[iwu70]

Ypsi, I agree that Christina Solari was the best Titan post player, rebounder and overall team leader we've seen in IWU women's hoops in the past several decades, although there have been many many good players.  But, Lett is overall the most well-rounded and skilled player we've seen -- scoring, rebounding, assists, defense, blocking shots, running the floor, breaking down defenders, passing when doubled, . . . well, it goes on and on.  She's just terrific, athletic, smart and can really put the team on her back at times and carry them.  I really think Q is right to say that she's legit first team All-American this year in the DIII women's game.  Hope we get a chance for a tourney run so Olivia can show off all her many talents and make another run at the Final Four.  I'd love a rematch with Chicago, DePauw, the WAIC teams, perhaps if George Fox again, as last year.  This team is hardened, experienced now, and, barring major injuries, could surely make a good run if they can make the tourney.  Doing that from the CCIW is never easy, but I'm still hoping for, cheering for a fifth straight CCIW championship. 

Hope all goes well for you.  Very mild, even warm winter so far here in Btown.  To be almost 60 degrees tomorrow, so you know what that means for the IWU Quad, Mudville. 

IWU70

[Mr. Ypsi]

Mark, based on the videos, I agree that Olivia may be the best Titan ever.  But since she said she wouldn't have come except for Christina's warm acceptance (and who knows if we would have gotten Karen), CS may STILL be the MVP!

'Only' near 50 here tomorrow, and with it still being January, I'm not dumb enough to conclude anything.  We've still got February and March (and in Michigan, April and even May), but this just MIGHT be the winter that forgot to show up!

[matblake]

'Only' near 50 here tomorrow, and with it still being January, I'm not dumb enough to conclude anything.  We've still got February and March (and in Michigan, April and even May), but this just MIGHT be the winter that forgot to show up!

Thanks for the curse Ypsi.  I know you had a clarifier, but I'm still blaming you if things go south in SE Michigan!

[RogK]

iwu70, while I was reading your list of things Olivia Lett does well, it occurred to me that most of them describe Christina Solari, too. But, Olivia has better shooting range and can make a shot from practically anywhere near the lane, even under excellent defensive pressure.
In the approximately ten years (there are worse ways to waste time in the winter!) I've followed CCIW WBB, probably the most dominant player was Millikin's Lindsay Ippel. She was an unstoppable lowpost scorer and a fine rebounder. At 6'2" she was not asked to do any ballhandling.
Someone of the size and wide-ranging talents similar to Olivia was Elizabeth Fox, a 5'10" Wheaton forward.
Among the best of the guard-size players, I think I'd take another former Thunder, Kathleen Fidelia.
A way I like to compare players is to imagine 5 of one playing against 5 of another : how would 5 Olivia Letts do against 5 Melissa Gardners, for example. This would probably never happen.

[badgerwarhawk]

My experience seeing Lett and Solari is limited to just a single time in their games against the WARHAWKS.  Solari ended with a double/double 10 points, 11 rebounds on what I still consider to be one of the best DIII women's teams that I've seen play.  Nikki Preston and Hope Schulte both scored 20 or more that night.  We had what I considered a very good team that year but IWU took it to us badly.   That was a really good women's team.  Lett had a big game against us this year with 26 points and is obviously a very good player but she didn't have the team surrounding her that Solari had in my opinion.  From that limited experience I don't know which is better but I do know that both are very nice players.   

[matblake]

A way I like to compare players is to imagine 5 of one playing against 5 of another : how would 5 Olivia Letts do against 5 Melissa Gardners, for example. This would probably never happen.

A question for the NCAA in the future, "How many clones are allowed per team?"

[RogK]

You don't think there are any clones playing now?

[matblake]

You don't think there are any clones playing now?

+k

[iwu70]

Yes, Solari and Lett surely the best of the recent few years.  But, those of us who have followed the IWU women's game longer of course have other nominees, additional recommendations.  The player that most reminds me of Lett in terms of overall, all-around play, skill set, speed, esp. scoring, would be Traci Butler.  Perhaps IWU's best woman player ever, certainly by the stats.  Top career scorer, and ppg average ever.   And, right up there on the perimeter would be the ever competitive, trey shooting, Mallory Heydorn.  Of recent groups, of course, all fans loved the play of Stacey Arlis last year and the durable, consistent play for four years, all times games played, of Hope Schulte.  Christina Solari and Hope Schulte were the big rocks, the big foundations on which all that four years of success were built.  Many contributed, but few as much as Christina and Hope.  Good coaching played a HUGE part. 

Seems Olivia Lett may be the first Titan player on the women's side in many many many years to average 20 ppg over the long, tough season.  A significant achievement.   

Lindsay Ippel was one terrific, almost unstoppable player, to be sure, bringing Millikin much success during her years.

I'll leave the clones question to others!    I like to think of the top IWU team all-time playing the top all-time lineups of other CCIW programs.  I think I'd take the Titan all-time All-Star team on both the women's and the men's side, though there would be some incredible matchups.  No?

IWU70