Green/White scrimmage this Thursday

The annual Green/White scrimmage will be held this week -- Thursday, November 1 at the Shirk Center, 7:00pm. It will be another good opportunity for Ron Rose and staff to put some different combinations on the floor and evaluate personnel.

IWU's final scrimmage will be Thursday, November 8 @ 7:30pm vs Division III MacMurray at Shirk.

It truly does seem like just about every spot on the floor is up for grabs right now. I think it's safe to say Darius Gant is a starter at the 4, but after that, it's wide open.

G Travis Rosenkranz*, Sean Dwyer*, Sean Johnson, Robert Beauchamp#, Justin Anthony
G Andrew Gilmore*, Jordan Morris, Kevin Bryant, Sean Johnson
F Duncan Lawson, Brian Nussbaum*, Matt Schick, Elias Washington, Josh Sutton
F Darius Gant, Jason Bloom
C Edmond O'Callaghan, Doug Sexauer, Brett Chamernik

* currently injured
# playing football

Successful first test for Titans

I was not there, but it sounds like the scrimmage @ NAIA St. Francis was successful for the Titans. Results:

1st half: USF 39 IWU 26
2nd half: IWU 40 USF 38
JV half: IWU by about 15

Starters were:

G Sean Johnson (6-1/175, FR)
G Jordan Morris (6-3/195, JR)
F Duncan Lawson (6-8/225, FR)
F Darius Gant (6-4/210, SR)
C Doug Sexauer (6-7/210, FR)

The people I talked to all pointed to two players in particular who excelled - Jordan Morris and Darius Gant. It also sounds like freshman guard Sean Johnson, playing out of position at the point while Travis Rosenkranz and Sean Dwyer are out, played very well. All I spoke with said the freshmen bigs (Lawson, Sexauer, O'Callaghan) were a little overmatched vs the big St. Francis upperclassmen, but that is to be expected at this point. The young Titan big guys will keep getting bigger, stronger, and more confident.

Again, keep in mind that St. Francis has been practicing for 5 weeks and has a game this coming Thursday...IWU has been at it for a week a half.

Good start.

Titans to scrimmage St. Francis at 7:00pm Friday

The 2007-08 Titans will take the floor vs competition for the first time Friday evening, in a 7:00pm scrimmage vs NAIA St. Francis (Joliet). The Fighting Saints were 11-15 overall last year and 4-6 in the powerhouse Chicagland Collegiate Athletic Conference, which features Robert Morris, St. Xavier, and Olivet Nazarene. The Zach Freeman-led Titans defeated St. Francis by a big margin in scrimmage play one year ago.

Purely speculation on my part, but I think the following 5 will start the game:

G Sean Johnson (6-1/175, FR)
G Jordan Morris (6-3/195, JR)
F Duncan Lawson (6-8/225, FR)
F Darius Gant (6-4/210, SR)
C Doug Sexauer (6-7/210, FR)

I wouldn't read much into that lineup (or whatever starting 5 Ron Rose goes with). Sean Johnson will likely start at the point because Travis Rosenkranz and Sean Dwyer are injured...he will battle for time this year, and in his career as a Titan, at the 2. Duncan Lawson probably gets the nod at the small forward spot, but that position seems completely up in the air right now. 6-6 senior Brian Nussbaum should be in the middle of the competition when he is healthy (broken nose). Doug Sexauer and fellow 6-7 freshman Edmond O'Callaghan seem to be in a healthy battle for the starting center spot, with very little separation between them right now. I like what I have seen from both of them. Of that starting 5 I'm prosposing, only Darius Gant is anywhere near a "lock" to be a starter on November 16 @ Albion.

As with any scrimmage, this game will be all about evaluation. The coaching staff will throw different combinations out there and see how the guys respond. With all of the freshmen in the rotation and the fact that a 2-guard (a freshman) will be running the point - not to mention the fact that NAIA St. Francis has been practicing for more than a month in anticipation of their opener next week (IWU has only been at it for one week) - I'm guessing this one won't be that pretty. Either way, it will be great for the Titans to see where they are here in the early going.

Dwyer improving, but still not quite there

In IWU's second game of the season last year, November 18 at UW-Whitewater, point-guard Sean Dwyer suffered a Jones Fracture in his right foot. The Jones Fracture is the worst type of break in the foot because of the extremely poor blood supply in that part of the 5th metatarsal. Sean had a surgery on the 5th metatarsal at which time a screw was placed in the foot.

Then in January, back from the injury and practicing, he suffered a Jones Fracture in his left 5th metatarsal. Doctors believe he was favoring the left foot because of the previous injury to the right. Sean had another surgery immediately after the injury and had another screw placed in that foot.

In April, he got X Rays on both feet. The left foot (second surgery) was completely healed. The right foot (first surgery), however, was not healed at all. There was a major non-union in the 5th metatarsal. As a result, in April Sean had a second surgery on the right 5th metatarsal. This time he had a bone graft -- Dr. Dustman took bone out of his right hip and put it in the right 5th metatarsal. In addition, he replaced the right screw because the original was loose.

The Illinois Wesleyan sophomore is still recovering from that April 2007 surgery. Following the procedure, he was in a cast for 8 weeks and then in a walking boot for 8 weeks. Not exactly a great look for the summer months. The main treatments are a bone stimulator and just good old fashioned rest. Sean hase been doing some strengthening exercises in the right foot/ankle so when he is able to get back, it is strong enough to play.

Sean recieved good news on October 18th after a CT scan. The progress looks good and there is just one area that is still not completly healed. Doctors estimate that it should be healed within the next 3-4 weeks and note that these next two weeks are very crucial -- Sean has to be very cautious. He is able to particpate in about half of the drills that the Titans do, but he cannot do anything where he would have to cut hard.

He goes back to the doctor in 4 weeks for an evaluation -- it's possible the foot will be fully healed by then. It sounds like a realistic goal is for him to ready to play during the California trip (between Christmas and New Years). He is working hard and it will be nice, for his sake, to see him on the floor in a Titan uniform.

Rosenkranz injured

IWU's point-guard trouble, dating back to last season, continues. Highly touted freshman Travis Rosenkranz (Macon Meridian H.S.), maybe the favorite to start at the 1, has suffered a back injury. It is believed to be a stress fracture, potentially sidlining for him for about 4 weeks. If Travis is able to resume basketball-related activities in a month, it would seem to put him back in the playing mix sometime around December 1...just my guess.

Sophomore Sean Dwyer, the other strong candidate for the starting job, is probably about 6 weeks away as well. I'll have more detail on Sean's status soon.

The question for now is obviously, who is the Titans' point-guard? As I see it, the leading candidates are:

* Kevin Bryant (6-2/200, SR - Batavia HS) - definitely a 2, but played some 1 last year
* Justin Anthony (5-11/170, SO - Elgin Academy) - a true point-guard...much improved per reports
* Sean Johnson (6-1/175, FR - Washington HS) - a 2, but handles the ball well...one of IWU's very highly regarded freshmen

Sleeper candidate --

* Robert Beauchamp (6-1/195, JR - Cerro Gordo HS) - a transfer from Parkland CC, currently playing well as a defensive back on the Titan football team. Was the starting PG at Parkland last year.

Game on

At 6:30pm today at the Shirk Center, Ron Rose and the Titans start their practice season. Illinois Wesleyan, the third winningest program in NCAA Division III (1.Wittenberg, 2.Wooster) has won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championship 27 times. IWU has been to the Division III Final Four four times (1996, 1997, 2001, 2006) and won the national title in 1997.

Here is to another exciting season of Titan basketball and a successful start to the rebuilding effort by Coach Rose and his staff that should have the Titans back in the mix very soon.

Gilmore probably won't be 100% in 2007-08

On April 4, 2007 I wrote about the serious procedure Andrew Gilmore went through on February 28 -- patellar tendonectomy surgery on both knees. At the time I noted that the junior guard hoped to be "ready to go when practice begins in mid-October." On the eve of the first Illinois Wesleyan basketball practice of the season, it sounds like Andrew is still a long way away.

Per Gilmore, his doctor at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis is very pleased with his progress, but it is simply a rehab process that can take up to 12 months (he's at 7 and a half). As far as basketball goes, the initial plan is for Andrew to practice in a part-time capacity every other day. In time he hopes to build up enough strength in his knees to partipate in a full practice, followed by a day off. In the non-conference games, Andrew hopes to work in as the situation allows. He is specifically targeting January 9 - the first CCIW game - as the date he will be able to play in a full game...but again, followed by a day off. It sounds like he may not be able to play/practice on back-to-back days all season long.

Andrew says he has spoken at length to Ron Rose about his situation and that his role this season will depend on a) how his knees feel, and b) how effective he is when he plays and practices.

Reading between the lines, my take is that Andrew probably won't be able to start this year. At 100%, I think he'd be a lock to start at the 2 or even the 3, but it just sounds like he has a long way to go in his recovery process.

In speaking with Andrew, I can tell he is working hard and trying his best to get out there -- this has to be tough for him. Even in a part-time role, I think he has a chance to be a very important part of the 2007-08 Titan squad.

Freeman nets professional high

Zach Freeman scored 15 points, a professional career high, on 4-5 from the field, helping Phoenix Hagen to a 86-80 victory over Kaiserslautern Saturday. Sounds like Zach is doing very well so far in Germany.

Below is a video documenting highlights from that game. It is a nice look into the atmosphere...

http://www.werthmedia.de/spielbericht.php?id=6