WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

6-1 F Jill Berg (Midwest Central/Delavan), Peoria Journal Star Small School Player of the Year, will follow siblings Michael and Jennifer to Wheaton.

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20160328/SPORTS/160329377

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20151215/SPORTS/151219609?page=2

http://www.ihsa.org/IHSAState/IHSAStateArticles/tabid/768/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/894/2015-16-IBCA-Girls-Basketball-All-State-Teams.aspx

http://www.ihsa.org/IHSAState/IHSAStateArticles/tabid/768/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/893/2015-16-Associated-Press-Girls-Basketball-All-State-Teams.aspx

[iwu70]

Thanks, Q, yes, it seems Mia has added some good perimeter players.  Hope they shoot the three well, as that surely needs some enhancement.  That addition for WC is "BIG" too.  Incredible stats on blocked shots.

Let's see what else comes along in the next few weeks as students all make their decisions and sign on to schools and sports programs.

IWU'70

[Gregory Sager]

6-1 F Jill Berg (Midwest Central/Delavan), Peoria Journal Star Small School Player of the Year, will follow siblings Michael and Jennifer to Wheaton.

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20160328/SPORTS/160329377

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20151215/SPORTS/151219609?page=2

http://www.ihsa.org/IHSAState/IHSAStateArticles/tabid/768/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/894/2015-16-IBCA-Girls-Basketball-All-State-Teams.aspx

http://www.ihsa.org/IHSAState/IHSAStateArticles/tabid/768/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/893/2015-16-Associated-Press-Girls-Basketball-All-State-Teams.aspx

This was already posted here back in March, Bob:

During one of Wheaton's broadcasts, it was mentioned that a sister of (current Thunder WBB player) Jennifer Berg would be arriving in the fall. Sounds like she could make a quick impact.
http://www.pekintimes.com/article/20160225/SPORTS/160229593
The most blocks all-time for Illinois girls -- hmm, we may soon see her among the CCIW leaders along with Kallenberger and Cuny.
Jill's scoring and rebounding ain't bad either.

[iwumichigander]

6-1 F Jill Berg (Midwest Central/Delavan), Peoria Journal Star Small School Player of the Year, will follow siblings Michael and Jennifer to Wheaton.

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20160328/SPORTS/160329377

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20151215/SPORTS/151219609?page=2

http://www.ihsa.org/IHSAState/IHSAStateArticles/tabid/768/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/894/2015-16-IBCA-Girls-Basketball-All-State-Teams.aspx

http://www.ihsa.org/IHSAState/IHSAStateArticles/tabid/768/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/893/2015-16-Associated-Press-Girls-Basketball-All-State-Teams.aspx

This was already posted here back in March, Bob:

During one of Wheaton's broadcasts, it was mentioned that a sister of (current Thunder WBB player) Jennifer Berg would be arriving in the fall. Sounds like she could make a quick impact.
http://www.pekintimes.com/article/20160225/SPORTS/160229593
The most blocks all-time for Illinois girls -- hmm, we may soon see her among the CCIW leaders along with Kallenberger and Cuny.
Jill's scoring and rebounding ain't bad either.

it was announced ... But did Wheaton have a deposit?

[Gregory Sager]

North Park released the names of several recruits on Monday:

Emmy Gryna	5'8	G	Wheaton, IL (Wheaton North)
Sieara Langley	5'9	F	Kokomo, IN (Kokomo)
Madalyn Murillo	6'0	C	Antioch, IL (Antioch)
Clarissa Ramos (JR)	5'10	F	Elgin, IL (St. Edwards / Elgin CC)

Ramos averaged 18.7 ppg and 8 rpg and was a first-team All-Conference selection for ECC. She ranked fifth in the eight-team Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference in scoring and was ninth in rebounding.

[RogK]

I was wondering how North Park would replace the rebounding and lowpost productivity of graduating seniors Soly Roman and Nicole Kruckman. For example, in conference play, those two ranked #2 and #8 in rebounding, Roman at 8.9 and Kruckman at 6.
Sounds like Ramos should be ready to "step right in" as a veteran of college ball.

[RogK]

A CCIW WBB job is open :
http://gopios.com/news/2016/4/18/womens-basketball-jacobsen-steps-down-after-18-seasons.aspx

[Gregory Sager]

I was wondering how North Park would replace the rebounding and lowpost productivity of graduating seniors Soly Roman and Nicole Kruckman. For example, in conference play, those two ranked #2 and #8 in rebounding, Roman at 8.9 and Kruckman at 6.
Sounds like Ramos should be ready to "step right in" as a veteran of college ball.

From her press clippings and highlight videos, Maddy Murillo looks like she'll be a pretty good CCIW post player at some point as well. Meanwhile, it's up to Shaylee Sloan, Alexus Giammarco, and Bri Lippert to up their games and be ready to step in alongside Clarissa Ramos to fill the estimable shoes of Soly Román and Nicole Kruckman in the paint. If they can do that and the team stays healthy, NPU should be in good shape next season, as the Vikings will finally have a healthy Nikki Przybyslawski augmenting their already solid backcourt.

[lmitzel]

North Central has brought in a ton of reinforcements over the last month or so.

- Jordan Bradley, guard, Lake Park. Can hit threes.
- Diamond Calicott, guard, Rich East. Don't really know a ton about her.
- Maddie McHugh, guard, Marist. Sounds like she can shoot and was part of a 4A regional champ this year.
- Hannah Vitkus, forward, St. Charles East. 5'11", can rebound fairly well from what I've gathered, probably projects as a "4."
- Jessica Dahle, guard, Harlem. At 5'9", presumably a "3", can hit threes. Made NIC-10 All-Conference First Team this past season.

For the most part, all sounds like players who fit the System, but from what I've heard I think they're pretty excited about the pieces coming in.

[RogK]

Thanks for posting that info, Imitzel.
Knowing nothing about these players other than what you wrote, my initial reaction is to think that the 5'11" one is the most important, assuming she can run.
With Jamie Cuny and Anita Sterling as seniors, NC has a desperate need (if they want to make the NCAA tourney) to add athletic height for future years.
Some will say that a running team needs less height, as evidenced by the Golden State Warriors. I'd reply that this generalization does not apply to a D3 WBB system team. The Knox women got nowhere running the system with short players in the last 5 seasons (they may have gotten away from full system in 2016).
Ideally, a D3 WBB system team has three tall shot blockers (NC has Cuny) to rotate in at their 5 position (the "safety" at the back of the press for when the press fails). And ideally it has three 4s (lowpost offensive rebounder and guarder of the opponent's inbound passer) and these would be 5'10" or taller, able to grab many O-rebs, score via put-backs or FTs.
Medium-height players used at the 4 and 5 positions on a system team can try really hard (do try really admirably hard) but are in a substantially uphill battle against opposing six-footers.
NC's constant pressing/trapping did not produce a great amount of TOs in 8 of the 14 CCIW games this past season (18, 19, 19, 23, 23, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 30, 31, 33, 37), necessitating even greater reliance on the "5" to stop 2-on-1s and 3-on-1s.

[lmitzel]

Thanks for posting that info, Imitzel.
Knowing nothing about these players other than what you wrote, my initial reaction is to think that the 5'11" one is the most important, assuming she can run.
With Jamie Cuny and Anita Sterling as seniors, NC has a desperate need (if they want to make the NCAA tourney) to add athletic height for future years.
Some will say that a running team needs less height, as evidenced by the Golden State Warriors. I'd reply that this generalization does not apply to a D3 WBB system team. The Knox women got nowhere running the system with short players in the last 5 seasons (they may have gotten away from full system in 2016).
Ideally, a D3 WBB system team has three tall shot blockers (NC has Cuny) to rotate in at their 5 position (the "safety" at the back of the press for when the press fails). And ideally it has three 4s (lowpost offensive rebounder and guarder of the opponent's inbound passer) and these would be 5'10" or taller, able to grab many O-rebs, score via put-backs or FTs.
Medium-height players used at the 4 and 5 positions on a system team can try really hard (do try really admirably hard) but are in a substantially uphill battle against opposing six-footers.
NC's constant pressing/trapping did not produce a great amount of TOs in 8 of the 14 CCIW games this past season (18, 19, 19, 23, 23, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 30, 31, 33, 37), necessitating even greater reliance on the "5" to stop 2-on-1s and 3-on-1s.

Agreed on the Vitkus pickup/height on a run and gun team philosophy. I was hoping that of the recruits, at least one was going to project in as either a 4 or a 5. It was amazing going from years 1 and 2 of the System without a real threat at the back end of the press to being spoiled the last two years by Jamie Cuny's nightly block parties. It allows the front of the defense to gamble a little more because you have a stopper.

I need to keep track this coming season how many 2-on-1's Cuny/Sterling stop on the back end. Those two are usually good for stopping at least a couple breaks every night. I wish they kept charges as an official stat, because Anita would lead the conference, if not the country. I counted 16 just in the 12 games at Merner this year. 

I do worry about the future at the 5 spot after this year, but there's a decent amount of depth at the 4. And maybe Vitkus can shoot a little bit and projects out to be a 5. I don't know. There's enough depth I think for this year that they'll contend.

[Gregory Sager]

I need to keep track this coming season how many 2-on-1's Cuny/Sterling stop on the back end. Those two are usually good for stopping at least a couple breaks every night. I wish they kept charges as an official stat, because Anita would lead the conference, if not the country. I counted 16 just in the 12 games at Merner this year. 

I'm not so sure that Anita Sterling took more charges than anybody else in the CCIW. Nicole Kruckman of NPU seemed to take at least one charge per game for the Vikings this past season, and most games she'd take two or three. Head coach Amanda Crockett made it a regular topic of conversation in her postgame interviews that were posted online. It was sort of Kruckman's specialty (although she also got called for a lot of blocking fouls as a result, as that's the risk you take when you focus upon drawing charges from opposing ballhandlers). Her defense is the thing that the Vikings will miss the most upon her graduation in May.

[lmitzel]

I need to keep track this coming season how many 2-on-1's Cuny/Sterling stop on the back end. Those two are usually good for stopping at least a couple breaks every night. I wish they kept charges as an official stat, because Anita would lead the conference, if not the country. I counted 16 just in the 12 games at Merner this year. 

I'm not so sure that Anita Sterling took more charges than anybody else in the CCIW. Nicole Kruckman of NPU seemed to take at least one charge per game for the Vikings this past season, and most games she'd take two or three. Head coach Amanda Crockett made it a regular topic of conversation in her postgame interviews that were posted online. It was sort of Kruckman's specialty (although she also got called for a lot of blocking fouls as a result, as that's the risk you take when you focus upon drawing charges from opposing ballhandlers). Her defense is the thing that the Vikings will miss the most upon her graduation in May.

Point about keeping charges as an official stat proven. These are the things we need to know.

[RogK]

In a typical North Central game, two seconds can easily go by with nothing for the scorer's table to do, so we should be thinking of more ways to keep them busy!

[Gregory Sager]

I need to keep track this coming season how many 2-on-1's Cuny/Sterling stop on the back end. Those two are usually good for stopping at least a couple breaks every night. I wish they kept charges as an official stat, because Anita would lead the conference, if not the country. I counted 16 just in the 12 games at Merner this year. 

I'm not so sure that Anita Sterling took more charges than anybody else in the CCIW. Nicole Kruckman of NPU seemed to take at least one charge per game for the Vikings this past season, and most games she'd take two or three. Head coach Amanda Crockett made it a regular topic of conversation in her postgame interviews that were posted online. It was sort of Kruckman's specialty (although she also got called for a lot of blocking fouls as a result, as that's the risk you take when you focus upon drawing charges from opposing ballhandlers). Her defense is the thing that the Vikings will miss the most upon her graduation in May.

Point about keeping charges as an official stat proven. These are the things we need to know.

Agreed.

In a typical North Central game, two seconds can easily go by with nothing for the scorer's table to do, so we should be thinking of more ways to keep them busy!

LOL!