Home cookin' this week

I'm still of the opinion that 7-7 will be the record of the 4th seed in the conference tournament. That means the Titans need to finish 6-1 to have a shot. Is it possible?? Here's the schedule:

1/31 - vs North Central
2/3 - vs Elmhurst
2/7 - @ Millikin
2/10 - vs Wheaton
2/14 - vs Augustana
2/17 - @ North Park
2/20 - @ North Central

It all starts this week with two home games. North Central, the preseason CCIW favorite, has struggled this year. The Cardinals are 3-4 in the CCIW with 3 home losses (North Park, Carthage, Augustana). Elmhurst, rated #11 by D3hoops.com, has lost two of three (@ Wheaton and @ Augustana).

If the Titans play like they did in Rock Island, they can win both games at home this week. They will need the support of the Titan faithful though...hope to see a big crowd Wednesday night.

CCIW Conference Tournament

While 1-5 is certainly not the start we were all hoping for in the league, I'm not quite willing to concede the #3 and 4 seeds in the 2007 CCIW conference tournament. While I think Elmhurst and Augustana are virtual locks for the top 2 seeds, after that this still seems wide open based on remaining schedules:

Augustana 6-1
Elmhurst 5-1

Wheaton 4-2 (@ NCC, vs CC, vs NPU, @ Augie, @ IWU, vs MU, @ EC, @ CC)
Carthage 3-3 (vs IWU, @ WC, vs Augie, @ EC, vs NCC, vs NPU, @ MU, vs WC)
North Park 3-4 (@ MU, vs Augie, @ WC, vs NCC, @ EC, @ CC, vs IWU)
North Central 2-4 (vs WC, @ IWU, vs MU, @ NPU, @ CC, vs EC, @ Augie, vs IWU)
Illinois Wesleyan 1-5 (@ CC, vs NCC, vs EC, @ MU, vs WC, vs AC, @ NPU, @ NCC)
Millikin 1-5 (vs NPU, @ EC, @ NCC, vs IWU, @ AC, @ WC, vs CC, vs EC)


Do a little projecting and I think you will agree with me that we have a long way to go and that seeds 3 and 4 are still very much up in the air. I think it is very reasonable to think that two teams tied at 7-7 could fill those final two spots in the tourney...or maybe an 8-6 at #3 and a tie-breaker deciding the 4th seed between two 7-7 teams.

The first tie-breaker for each spot is head-to-head play. Sweeps and getting swept are huge. Saturday, for example, IWU has a chance to secure a season sweep vs Carthage, which would give the Titans the tie breaker over Carthage.

There is a long way to go.

Augustana

Under Grey Giovanine, Augustana has become a consistent CCIW title contender. Giovanine, in his eigth year at Augie, is 134-62 (.684) overall heading into tonight's game vs IWU. What impresses me most is his conference record:

2000: 4-10 (6th)
2001: 9-5 (4th)
2002: 9-5 (2nd)
2003: 11-3 (1st)
2004: 10-4 (2nd)
2005: 9-5 (4th)
2006: 11-3 (1st)
2007: 5-1

Year-in and year-out I consider Augustana to be the toughest IWU opponent to face. Giovanine's teams often are not loaded with superstars -- in fact, I don't think this current Vikings team has one -- but they play the best defense in the CCIW, and we all know what they say about defense and championships.

With Kevin Bryant hurt, Jordan Morris will get his first career start tonight. Augustana recruited the heck out of Morris and this may be his type of game -- Jordan brings energy to the floor, and against Augie, you better play with energy and intensity.

Let's see if the Titans can start to turn things around tonight in Rock Island. As always, I'm looking forward to seeing Zach Freeman play another game.

http://www.iwuhoops.com/notes07.htm

Ron Rose Show (1/22/07)

We had a great crowd at Cheek's Bar & Grill last night for the first Ron Rose Show. Thanks to everyone who came out. It would be great to see a ton of Titan support for Ron and the players each week. We'll be there every Monday from 6:00pm to 7:00 the rest of the season.

You can listen to the archived broadcast of last night's show on WJBC.com:

http://www.wjbc.com/wire/08035_Ron-Rose-Show-WEB_214146.htm

North Park @ IWU (1/21/07)

If you started following the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin in the mid-1990's or later, you may not be aware that the Division III program with the most national championships is North Park University. The Vikings have five banners hanging in their gym on the north side of Chicago, commemorating titles in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1985, and 1987. When I was a student at Illinois Wesleyan, the toughest road venue in the CCIW was that little gymnasium at the intersection of Foster & Kedzie.

The "what happened to North Park?" topic is one that only someone close to that program can address it detail, but on the surface it's obvious that everything went south when the administration fired Bosko Djurickovic (current head coach at Carthage) after the 1993-94 season. In 17 seasons from 1977-78 through 1993-94, North Park was 200-68 (.746) in CCIW play, with 5 league titles, and zero seasons under .500. (Dan McCarrell led the Vikings until 1983-84, and Bosko took the reigns the following season.) In the 12 completed seasons since Bosko's departure, NPU is 40-128 (.238) in the CCIW with zero titles and 11 seasons under .500.

After more than a decade of frustration, North Park fans see light at the end of the tunnel. Third-year head coach Paul Brenegan has assembled a talented young cast that has turned some heads around the CCIW this year. The Vikings are 10-6 overall and 2-3 in the CCIW, with a very impressive win at preseason league favorite North Central and a 3-pt loss last week to #10-ranked Elmhurst. The balanced Vikings have five starters averaging between 8 and 12 points, of which two are sophomores and one a freshman. Four freshman play off the bench for Brenegan's squad.

The Titans will need to come ready to play Sunday vs a good North Park team. Neither team can afford to pick up league loss #4.

IWU @ Wheaton

I haven't seen many guards in Division III who were as good for four years as former CCIW All-Americans Korey Coon (IWU '00) and Antoine McDaniel (Carthage '03). Wheaton sophomore Kent Raymond is a very special player who appears headed for this elite company.

Raymond burst onto the CCIW scene as a freshman in 2004-05, averaging 18.2 points per game in league play. The New Palestine, Indiana native chose to not play basketball last season for personal reasons, but returned to Wheaton's 2006-07 roster. D3hoops.com tabbed Raymond a preseason 4th Team All-American, even with the year off. The sophomore (eligibility-wise) hasn't missed a beat in his return. Through 14 games (and a recent injury that's slowed him), Raymond is averaging 19.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.

The Thunder turned a lot of heads around the country earlier this season when they came within a basket of knocking off Big Ten member Northwestern. Against Division III teams, Wheaton has been good, but not great. In non-conference action, they lost at home to #10 Whitworth and at U. of Chicago. Their two CCIW losses were both at home as well -- vs North Central and #15 Augustana. Wheaton's best wins are victories over #11 Hope and Calvin in the annual CCIW/MIAA Challenge, played this year at Carthage.

In make-up, Wheaton is nothing like the Elmhurst team IWU just faced. Wheaton has good size, but their big guys are face-the-basket players. 6-7 Michael Fiddler likes to shoot it from 15-18 feet and 6-8 Andy Wiele is a dangerous 3-point threat (as IWU fans should remember from his 22-point, 6 for 8 3-point performace at the Shirk Center last year). 6-4 senior Johnnie Standard is a very good "do it all" type guy (11.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg), and they are of course led by the perimeter play of Kent Raymond.

I don't think Wheaton will have any answer for Zach Freeman in this game, but I don't think IWU can stop Kent Raymond either. Should be another great IWU/Wheaton game.

Elmhurst 76 IWU 57

In athletics, one of the most difficult things to do is admit when a competitor is better than you. I think it can be the same for fans, who hate to acknowledge that a conference rival is at a higher level. Last night, I saw an Elmhurst squad that is just simply a better basketball team than Illinois Wesleyan, just as IWU was better on paper than everyone in the CCIW the last 3 years. Elmhurst has amazing size for Division III with 6-9/250 Brent Ruch and 6-10/235 Nick Michael in the starting lineup and 6-8/210 Jared Hintzsche off the bench. Senior point-guard Brian Lee has become a great player and sophomore Ryan Burks provides a nice perimeter threat. Elmhurst has great balance and a lot of talent -- just like the Dauksas/Amelianovich/Freeman Titans.

As IWU fans, we are spoiled because we're used to getting off the bus with the best players. This year there are many games we have not. I give a lot of credit to this current cast of Illinois Wesleyan players, however, because they play very hard and they don't quit. Guys like Kevin Bryant, who's asked to play point-guard in the best D3 conference in Division III, when he's never played point-guard before in his life...or Jason Bloom, who at 6-5 and a high school small forward, asked to guard 6-9 post players...and especially Zach Freeman, one of the best players in the country, who is taking a pounding in the paint every night, yet still finishes with 20 points and 10 rebounds almost every time out. I also give a lot of credit to the coaching staff, which is working hard in playing the hand they've been dealt.

I believe Elmhurst is the best team in the CCIW this year by a big margin. I think we'll find that IWU is competitive with every other team in the league, home and away. And keep in mind, we won't face that kind of ridiculous size again until February 3, when the Bluejays visit the Shirk Center.

All that happened last night was the Titans losing @ the best team in the league...that happens every year in the CCIW, even to Final Four-caliber teams. Wednesday at Wheaton the Titans can steal that home loss to Millikin back. Wheaton is good, but beatable.

IWU @ Elmhurst

To put into perspective just how big Elmhurst's starting low post players are, here are the heights and weights of the starters at the 4/5 spots for a few local Division I teams:

U. of Illinois
Warren Carter 6-9/220
Shaun Pruitt 6-10/245

Illinois State
Greg Dillagard 6-8/230
Levi Dyer 6-11/220

Bradley
Matt Salley 6-7/220
Zach Andrews 6-8/225

Elmhurst goes:

Brent Ruch 6-9/250
Nick Michael 6-10/235


Everyone knew Ruch and Michael would be a ton this year, but the emergence of 6-4 sophomore Ryan Burks (16.3 ppg, 26-56 3-pt) at the wing and the steady play of point-guard Brian Lee (13.0 ppg, 3.6 apg) have made the Bluejays a league powerhouse.

The Titans can win this game. When you get off the bus with Zach Freeman, you always have a chance. IWU will need good performances out of Andrew Freeman, Andrew Gilmore, and Darius Gant to compete in this one. My pick for a big game -- Mike Harrigan.

As I posted earlier this week, it'd be nice if everyone got there at 5:00 for the women's game. The Titans are 12-1 and looking for a big CCIW road win.

The men and women need the support of Titan Nation Saturday at Elmhurst -- hope to see a bunch of green up there.

http://www.iwuhoops.com/notes07.htm

Millikin 84 IWU 82

Just one quick thought after that tough loss.

Over the course of this season when listening to people - including myself - dissect how this IWU team plays (especially after a loss), I've been reminded of a quote from Hoosiers. Gene Hackman, playing the Hickory coach, addressing an assembly of fans in the gym, says:

“Respect us for who we are…not who we are not. This is your team.”

The coaches and players on IWU’s roster are playing the hand they've been dealt and doing their best. The squad is clearly out-manned in some key areas, but there is nothing that can be done about that right now. I guess I'm just saying, it's not fair to analyze this team like it's last years...the personnel is drastically different.

A chance to steal one back Saturday on the road...Titan Nation is really need at Elmhurst.

Millikin @ IWU, etc.

This game is dangerous. It's sandwiched between matchups vs #18 (Carthage) and #14 (Elmhurst). And Millikin has a lot of talent -- sophomore guard Drew Gensler is probably the second best backcourt player in the CCIW (behind Wheaton's Kent Raymond) and 6-6 senior Korte Long is one the league's most athletic players. Millikin has had two very good recruiting classes in a row and Tim Littrell's program is probably in better shape than any time in the last 10 years. The Big Blue will come to the Shirk Center looking for a win tonight.

The latest D3hoops.com poll has 4 CCIW teams in the top 25 and an amazing 6 receiving votes. The league is really fun to watch this year -- seems there are multiple marquis matchups every Wednesday and Saturday.

Finally, congratuations to Mia Smith's team. The IWU women won by 19 @ perennial league powerhouse Millikin last night to improve to 12-1 overall and 2-0 in the CCIW. The women play @ Elmhurst Saturday at 5:00pm, before the men's game. It'd be great if everyone planning to attend the 7:30 game would get there at 5:00 to support the 12-1 Titans.

Attendance

In yesterday's post, I made the statement: "The list of small colleges (NCAA Division II, Division III, NAIA) in the country that could have 2000 people at a game with the students on break is very small."

So I thought I'd dig into small college attendance. Here is the 2005-06 top 20 in NCAA Division II and III (per game):

1. Northern St. (3416) - II
2. Winston-Salem (3529) - II
3. Morehouse (3183) - II
4. Hope (2928) - III
5. Washburn (2750) - II
6. Virginia St. (2639) - II
7. Central Mo. St. (2621) - II
8. Augustana, S.D. (2553) - II
9. St. Cloud St. (2522) - II
10. Fort Hays St. (2490) - II
11. Illinois Wesleyan (2470) - III
12. Southern Indiana (2353) - II
13. North Dakota (2279) - II
14. Cal St. Bakersfield (2213) - II
15. Emporia St. (2171) - II
16. Harding (2095) - II
17. Calvin (2089) - III
18. Alaska-Anchorage (2082) - II
19. Johnson C. Smith (2067) - II
20. Southwest Baptist (2040) - II

(2005-06 NCAA attendance figures)

IWU 79 Carthage 76

Whatever your rooting interesting was at the Shirk Center last night for IWU vs Carthage, I think you'd have to first ackknowledge that it was a wonderful college basketball game. I did have a chance to speak with several Carthage people I know after the game and one in particular put it well when he simply said, "Wow, what an amazing game," and just sort of shook his head slowly.

#17 Carthage is a very good team. Their wins over Division III powers Hope, Calvin, and Lawrence indicated how tough they'd be coming in, but it wasn't until I saw with my own eyes the improvement in 6-7/240 Brian Schlemm and the impact of newcomers like Milos Vukosavljevic (#40) and point-guard Joe Higgins that I realized just how improved they are. I'll be surprised if that team does not end up in the CCIW conference tournament field.

The Titans were really impressive last night. It's as proud of an IWU team as I've been in a long time, because the "supporting cast" had to carry the load for a long stretch and they did great. Darius Gant was a ton -- it was great to see him have a breakout game and to do it on that stage. Andrew Freeman has now had 3 great games in a row (@ Hanover, Albion, Carthage). He looks to me to be heading towards a big conference season. Andrew Gilmore - "playing on a couple of flat tires", as Ron Rose told the Pantagraph - is a warrior. Most don't realize how bad his knees are, but you'd never know it from watching him out there. I thought Brett Chamernik and Jason Bloom gave the Titans great minutes off the bench in the final 10 minutes of the 1st half when Zach was out -- their emergence is such a welcome sign. And what can you say about Zach Freeman? 18 2nd half points including big play after big play down the stretch. What a special player.

A tip of the hat to the fans at the game last night. The list of small colleges (NCAA Division II, Division III, NAIA) in the country that could have 2000 people at a game with the students on break is very small. In Division III, you are just talking about IWU, Hope, Calvin, Wooster, and maybe a couple others. I thought the crowd did a nice job providing energy to the team down the stretch. IWU fans are a bit spoiled because we get to see games like that at the Shirk Center over and over again, but that atmosphere is actually very unique.

I spoke with Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic on my out of the building and he probably summed it up best: "That was a terrific basketball game and I think the league is in for a whole bunch of these kinds of games this year."

Bring it on.

Carthage back?

For those who are new to the CCIW scene, Carthage is coached by Bosko Djurickovic, in his 11th season at Carthage (is it possible he's been there 11 years already??). Djurickovic coached at North Park for 10 years, where his record was 196-79 (.713) and he won two Division III national championships (1985, 1987). Through 10+ years at Carthage, he's 181-89 (.670). Djurickovic made longtime CCIW cellar dweller Carthage a national power soon after his arrival, winning CCIW titles in 2000, 2002, and 2003. His Carthage teams made the tournament in 2000, 2001, and 2002 -- the 2002 squad went to the Final Four and finish 3rd in the nation.

Since Antoine McDaniel and Rob Garnes graduated in 2003, Carthage has struggled. The Red Men have finished 4th, 5th, and 6th from 2004-2006 respectively. After going 46-10 in CCIW play with McDaniels and Garnes from 1999-2000 through 2002-03 ( and of course with All-American Jason Wiertel leading the way through 2001-02), Carthage is 19-23 since.

Carthage is off to its best start in four years. The Red Men are 8-2, and ranked #17, with impressive wins over Hope, Calvin, and Lawrence. They are led by 6-7/240 center Brian Schlemm (18.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg), guard Trey Bowens (11.7 ppg), and junior college transfer forward Milos Vukosavljevic (11.5 ppg, 22-53 3-pt).

Should be a good one Saturday at the Shirk Center. Make sure to get there early to support the 10-1 Titan women, who face Carthage at 5:00pm.

http://www.iwuhoops.com/notes07.htm

College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin

Wednesday marks the beginning of the 61st season of basketball in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, one of the nation's premier small college leagues.

The all-time men's basketball standings through 2005-06 are:

Illinois Wesleyan 620-221 (.737) - 27 titles
Augustana 491-349 (.585) - 10 titles
Wheaton 418-327 (.561) - 8 titles
North Park 349-309 (.530) - 6 titles
Millikin 438-403 (.521) - 9 titles
Lake Forest* 85-112 (.432)
Carthage 307-423 (.421) - 4 titles
Illinois College* 28-41 (.406)
North Central 323-518 (.384) - 4 titles
Elmhurst 288-468 (.381) - 1 title
Carroll* 187-364 (.339)

* no longer in conference

The CCIW has six Division III national championships:

1978 North Park
1979 North Park
1980 North Park
1985 North Park
1987 North Park
1997 Illinios Wesleyan

(IWU left NAIA and joined NCAA Division III at the start of the 1983-84 season.)

Illinois Wesleyan has had 16 Fred Young Most Outstanding Player winners since the award began in 1968...

1970 Tom Gramkow
1975 Jack Sikma
1976 Jack Sikma
1977 Jack Sikma
1982 Greg Yess
1984 Blaise Bugajski
1989 Jeff Kuehl
1991 David Caldwell
1994 John Lipic
1995 Chris Simich
1997 Bryan Crabtree
1998 Brent Niebrugge
1999 Korey Coon
2000 Korey Coon
2004 Keelan Amelianovich
2005 Adam Dauksas