SLIAC

[ecreddevils]

EC beats a weak Lawrence team and doesn't look great doing it, shot very poorly.  Millikin has beaten two SLIAC teams and is at EC tonight, will tell us more.

Over the long term, I'm bullish on this group.  Katy Eeten has not been 100% physically to start the season; when she gets healthy she is a scoring machine.  Kelsey Shoemake is SLIAC player of the week and a very solid post presence, although post depth will be a problem.  Jenna Brooks and Amanda Schreck are veterans who add experience and leadership, Jenna is a very solid point guard. 

Beyond that, look for solid contributions from Emily Camden, soph. who did not shoot well against LU but is developing a very solid mid-range game, Michaela Balducci, frosh. with a lot of potential in the post, Lauren Schwanke, senior post who is returning to basketball after a several year hiatus, and, particularly, Luci Weis, frosh. point guard with a very high motor and solid skill set who has an unlimited ceiling in this conference.  This is a group with a ton of potential, they just need experience playing as a group and must be ready to play with toughness on a consistent basis in the rugged SLIAC.

[y_jack_lok]

Thanks ec. Some of that sounds like it comes straight out of a press release, which is fine 

I was wondering about Katy Eeten since I'd seen a box score of the Lawrence game that showed her playing 15 (?) minutes and scoring only 3 points.

Keep us "posted" on happenings with EC. I am going to be arriving back in town too late to see the next Webster game against Aurora one week from today, so won't be able to contribute anything to the discussion until the 12/4 game with Greenville.

[ecreddevils]

Millikin 64
EC 54

Some observations:  EC was undersized, particularly without SLIAC POTW Kelsey Shoemake in the post, but only out-rebounded 47-42.  Caty Eeten clearly isn't 100% and was playing out of position at the 5 most of the night.  This is one scrappy team, hyper aggressive in the press, they forced 21 turnovers and scored 15 pts. off of them.  19-34 from the line was a killer--different game if you can shoot 70-80%

With Caty Eeten steadily regaining health and form, Kelsey Shoemake healthy in the paint, and a really solid supporting cast, EC should be in the mix for the SLIAC title or at least a very solid bet for conference tourney entry.  I will also predict that Lucy Weis will be SLIAC first team next year and beyond--she is as hard-nosed as they come.

[y_jack_lok]

Appreciate the report. Millikin was playing away games vs Westminster and Eureka, with the Greenville game being neutral since it was at Westminster. Millikin beat all 3 SLIAC teams -- WC by 16, EC by 10, GC by 11. If EC was hampered by the absence of Kelly Shoemake and a less than 100% Caty Eeten, then to the extent that comparisons are valid based on the above results, it suggests that EC is a notch above WC and GC. We get a few conference games in December, including Webster at EC, which will probably be the most interesting of all.

[ecreddevils]

Appreciate the report. Millikin was playing away games vs Westminster and Eureka, with the Greenville game being neutral since it was at Westminster. Millikin beat all 3 SLIAC teams -- WC by 16, EC by 10, GC by 11. If EC was hampered by the absence of Kelly Shoemake and a less than 100% Caty Eeten, then to the extent that comparisons are valid based on the above results, it suggests that EC is a notch above WC and GC. We get a few conference games in December, including Webster at EC, which will probably be the most interesting of all.

Shoemake was a huge loss--MU had 40 pts. in the paint, many on put backs or post up layups.

[ecreddevils]

EC solves Knox's System on Saturday.  EC outside shooting woes continue, 1-15 from 3 pt. range, but you don't need it with so many inside looks being conceded.  Good news is that Kelsey Shoemake was back, went 26/15 and basically had her way in the paint.  Caty Eeten is also rounding into better form, 23/10 (and became all-time career women's scoring leader).  Jenna Brooks and Michaela Balducci (11/8 in 17 min.) also had great games energy-wise.

EC did not shoot well again, this was a close game in the first half because of that.  As much as I am a fan of the system and what I think it can do for teams on the D-III level, it is very hard to run it with a roster of 12 and very uneven 3-pt. shooting.  Knox basically wore themselves out with the constant trapping and up-tempo even with the line changes every minute or so. 

[y_jack_lok]

EC solves Knox's System on Saturday.  EC outside shooting woes continue, 1-15 from 3 pt. range, but you don't need it with so many inside looks being conceded.  Good news is that Kelsey Shoemake was back, went 26/15 and basically had her way in the paint.  Caty Eeten is also rounding into better form, 23/10 (and became all-time career women's scoring leader).  Jenna Brooks and Michaela Balducci (11/8 in 17 min.) also had great games energy-wise.

EC did not shoot well again, this was a close game in the first half because of that.  As much as I am a fan of the system and what I think it can do for teams on the D-III level, it is very hard to run it with a roster of 12 and very uneven 3-pt. shooting.  Knox basically wore themselves out with the constant trapping and up-tempo even with the line changes every minute or so.

First time I've heard of a women's team using The System. Might work for Knox eventually if they can get about 20 players. Just hope they don't resort to the Grinnell men's coach's hijinks trying to get his player scoring records against weak opposition.

[ecreddevils]

Just hope they don't resort to the Grinnell men's coach's hijinks trying to get his player scoring records against weak opposition.

Knox is a LONG way from being able to do that. I make no further comment since the Grinnell debate is overcooked on the men's MWC board.

[RogK]

y jack lok, as far as I know, these are the women's 4-year college teams that have used the System :
(includes W-L and scoring avg)
Knox
2011-12 : 4-19, 83.5
2012-13 : 9-14, 78.9
2013-14 : 1-3, 87.8
-
North Central
2012-13 : 13-13, 87.8
2013-14 : 3-2, 97.4
-
NAIA Olivet Nazarene
2004-05 : 22-11, 95.9
2005-06 : 19-14, 96.3
2006-07 : 20-13, 102.7
2007-08 : 24-7, 104.1
2008-09 : 16-14, 90.2
2009-10 : 16-17, 97.8
2010-11 : 27-7, 103.9
2011-12 : 27-4, 103.5
2012-13 : 23-9, 101.5
2013-14 : 5-5, 108.0
In the first eight seasons, ONU was in NAIA div 1 and then their league went NAIA div 2 beginning last season.
As you can see, it's a mixed bag. The System works pretty well if you have reasonably-sized good athletes (you can say that about any style of basketball). Knox's players are small and haven't shot the three particularly well, so they haven't seen a lot of wins. They do play with top effort, though, at least in the handful of games I've seen 'em. Over the years, I've watched Olivet Naz many times and they have often looked outstanding.
Fortunately, none of these teams have gone out of their way to produce individual stat records. I'm pretty certain no player has scored 40 in a game and maybe only a few times has one made 30.

[y_jack_lok]

Thanks for that info RogK. I spent 3 years living in Piper City, IL and went to Kankakee often, so I know of Olivet Nazarene, although I wasn't following college hoops much back then.

I'm not much of a basketball strategist, but I'd have to say that if The System gives a team a chance to win more than they would playing the game in a more conventional way, then go for it. It's probably fun for the players and I suspect lots of kids will get minutes who would likely sit on the bench without The System.

[RogK]

y jack lock, since I'm not interrupting any other discussion here, I'll add this : your last sentence points out that a System team allows participation by players who would not get in a game nearly as often on another team. This factor can be seen as both a positive and a negative.
Several coaches over the years have said, why use my 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th best players in a tight game, especially in a post season tournament, when the other team is using only the best 8 or 9 or 10. A playoff opponent is likely to have above-average athletes who are not so prone to get fatigued in a fast-paced game. Plus, there are all those extra (media) timeouts in the national tournament.
On the positive side, all System team members are (hopefully!) mentally prepared for every game, knowing they will get to play some of the time, likely in both halves, if not within the first 3:00 of the game. This should theoretically also help maintain good morale among the whole roster. Of course, it helps when players 12, 13, 14 etc are pretty decent players anyway.
Sorry if anyone feels this topic is pretty much completely discussed, but there has been silence here for 6 days. I'll stagger back to where I belong, in the CCIW WBB category!

[y_jack_lok]

Great story on the SLIAC site about Spalding's president, a former D3 basketball player at Smith College: http://sliac.org/Releases/2013-14/mcclure

[hopefan]

Fantastic game at Westmin EC 83 WC 80. Eaton with a bunch

[hopefan]

Yikes, seeing the box score... Eaton finished with 40 points!!!  I had no idea she had near that many....

[ecreddevils]

Yikes, seeing the box score... Eaton finished with 40 points!!!  I had no idea she had near that many....

Caty Eeten is clearly hitting her stride.  She had 25 pts on 10-18 shooting vs. D1 Neb-Omaha, followed up by 29 and 40 point performances.  EC women play Dubuque tonight and Bridgewater tomorrow in a D3 tournament in St. Pete, FL. This should provide a good challenge, DU is 5-3.