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.