The Gorlocks are coming

Webster University of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) visits the Shirk Center tomorrow evening as the Titans get back to action after a 6-day layoff. The Gorlocks were co-champs of the SLIAC last year, finishing 10-4 in conference play (16-10 overall). This year they're 2-2, beginning the year with impressive home wins over Midwest region teams Transylvania and Hanover, before falling twice in their own tournament last weekend -- 65-50 to UW-Platteville and 85-64 to Augustana of the CCIW.

Webster features returning 1st Team All-SLIAC performer Darrin Hoggatt (18.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg in '06-07), a 6-6 center from Fordland, Missouri. 6-8 Corey Kuhn (10.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg in '06-07) is also back. Both are off to a slow start this year, with Hoggatt averaging 9.3 points and Kuhn just 2.8. The Gorlocks are led in scoring by 5-9 junior guard Ryan Turk (11.3 ppg) and 6-6 senior Brad Robinson (10.3 ppg).

Like Dominican, this is a another team that should be right in the middle of the title picture in a weak league. It should be another perfect test for the young Titans and a game they should win if they play well, but will lose if they don't.

Webster starts a Niebrugge from T-Town (Luke) and a "Corey Kuhn." Those two names should bring back fond memories for Titan fans. Brent Niebrugge ('98) and Korey Coon ('00) -- two former CCIW M.O.P's and starters on IWU's national title team. Let's hope Luke and Corey don't find the Shirk quite as welcoming!

Join Eric Stock and I on WJBC if you can't make it.

WIAC 2 CCIW 0

As the non-conference season plays out, I always enjoy the matchups pitting the CCIW vs the other top leagues in NCAA Division III. As it see it, there are really four leagues that stand above the rest year-in and year-out:

1. Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) -- 5 national champions in the last 15 years (Platteville '95, '98, '99, Stevens Point '04, '05)...always a deep, talented league with 3 or 4 All-American candidates.

2. College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) -- IWU has carried the league's flag to Salem four times ('96, '97, '01, '06), taking home the title in 1997, and in only one of those years was the CCIW's champion ('97)...Carthage made it to the Final Four in 2001-02...currently 3 teams in the Top 25.

3. University Athletic Association (UAA) -- Rochester has been to Salem twice in the last last 6 years ('02, '05) and Wash U got there last year...current Top 25 has Rochester #6, Brandeis #7, and Wash U #8. U. of Chicago has had a lot of tough teams over the years, including last year's tournament team.

4. New England Small College Athletic Association (NESCAC) -- two of the last five national champs have come from the NESCAC (Williams '03, Amherst '07)...not as deep as the CCIW and WIAC, but the top half is usually very tough.

5. Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) -- Otterbein won a national title in 2002 and two other teams have been to Salem recently (Ohio Northern '01 and John Carroll '04)...a very deep and balanced league, sometimes without that one standout team, but always with multiple Top 25 candidates.


This past weekend, Augustana defeated then #1 Wash U on a neutral court. Last night #22 Wheaton squeaked by Chicago 75-73...two CCIW wins over the UAA. (Note that Wash U played Augie without All-American point-guard Sean Wallis and Chicago faced the Thunder without their best player, Nate Hainje - both out with injuries.)

Two tough losses for the CCIW vs the WIAC last night, however...

UW-La Crosse 66 #4 Augustana 64 (@ Augie)
UW-Oshkosh 88 #13 Elmhurst 86 (@ Oshkosh)

Augie and Elmhurst were picked 1st and 2nd in the CCIW preseason coaches poll. In the 2007-08 WIAC preason poll, Oshkosh was picked 4th and LaCrosse 5th. I think while we all expected the two CCIW/WIAC games last night to be tough, they seemed like games the Vikings and Bluejays were favored in...especially Augustana at home.

Last year the CCIW took 3 of the 4 meetings:

Illinois Wesleyan 69 @Whitewater 68
@Elmhurst 55 Oshkosh 52
@Elmhurst 98 Whitewater 91
@Stevens Point 71 Augustana 68

Remaining CCIW/WIAC games this year are:

December 15 - Augustana @ Oshkosh
December 22 - Stevens Point @ Augustana
January 2 - North Central @ Whitewater

ONU 97 IWU 79

Last night we saw a big, strong veteran team beat up on a very young team. In a couple years, when guys like Doug Sexauer, Edmond O'Callaghan, and Matt Schick all have 20+ more pounds of muscle on their frames, the Titans will be physically dominating, much like Olivet Nazarene was last night. Until then though, this group will get pushed around a little by stronger, bigger teams. Last night's game was a perfect non-conference test for the Titans, as teams like Augustana and Elmhurst are every bit as physical as ONU.

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Outsized or not, I will say that the Titans are going to have to learn to play harder and smarter on defense. Through three games there have just been way too many wide open 3-point looks. That is troubling.

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My biggest positive takeaway was the play of freshman guard Travis Rosenkranz (pictured). When Travis is in there, the Titans are just simply a better team offensively - the ball seems to move around much more efficiently. The fact that Travis started the 2nd half vs Olivet Nazarene leads me to believe he will take over the starting point-guard duties Saturday vs Dominican...a role he should handle very well for four years.

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If Travis does indeed move into the PG spot, the question becomes, "Who is out?" Obviously, either Sean Johnson, Jordan Morris, or Matt Schick will become a reserve. For what it's worth, I like Johnson as the starting 2 because of his ability to handle the basketball and I think his upside as a scorer is huge. I like the thought of Rosenkranz and Johnson together in the backcourt because as a tandom, they can really break down opposing defenses off the dribble. So for me, it comes down to Morris and Schick, and I could really see both sides. Morris is a scoring threat, but Schick does so many little (important) things well.

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Last night should not be a surprise to anyone - ONU was just a better team. Remember Titan fans, PERSPECTIVE is the key this year. With those four Final Four banners hanging from the Shirk Center rafters and memories of all of IWU's CCIW titles, don't forget just how incredibly young this team is. I think we will see this group get better and better as the season goes on...I'll bet things look a lot different Saturday vs Dominican.

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I am heading to Kiawah Island, S.C. tomorrow morning to spend Thanksgiving with my fiancee, Rosemary, and her family and will miss the Dominican game. All reports are welcome, Titan fans - feel free to e-mail me at bobquill@aol.com. I will be looking for some scoop this weekend. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Olivet Nazarene

IWU hosts Olivet Nazarene this evening at 7:30 – this will be the third and final “out-of-region” game for the Titans. The remaining eight non-conference games are all in-region (Dominican, Webster, @ Illinois College, @ Wash U, @ Chicago, Hanover, @ Occidental, @ Claremont-Mudd-Scripps).

Olivet Nazarene is always a good non-conference opponent because they’re usually comparable to a CCIW contender in terms of their talent and style of play. The Tigers, members of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference along with schools like Robert Morris and St. Xavier, were ranked #18 in the NAIA Division I preseason poll but have stumbled out of the gate to a 1-4 mark against a very tough schedule. After defeating Rochester College, ONU lost to 4-0 Briar Cliff on a neutral court, @ NAIA D2 #1 MidAmerica Nazarene, @ defending NAIA DI runner-up and perennial power Concordia (CA), and @ NAIA D1 #22 Point Loma Nazarene in OT, in front of a road crowd listed at 2500.

Olivet Nazarene features 6-8 preseason 1st Team All-American Phil French (18.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg last season), 6-7 sophomore Tyler Wallenfang (12.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg as a freshman), and Ryan Paxson (12.4 ppg), son of Chicago Bulls G.M. John Paxson.

Illinois Wesleyan and Olivet Nazarene have played every year for the last 12 seasons (starting w/ '95-96) with IWU winning 11 of those contests. Olivet Nazarene won an overtime game at their place in 2001-02, Scott Trost's first year at IWU (when the Titans went 12-12/6-8). During this stretch ONU has won the CCAC 5 times ('97, '00, '02, '03, '06), made the NAIA Division I tournament 8 times (the five conference title years, plus '98, '99, '07), with a Final Four appearance in 2000. In that same 12-year span, IWU has won 5 CCIW titles ('97, '98, '03, '04, '05), made the Division III tournament field 9 times (the 5 CCIW title years plus '96, '99, '01, '06), and appeared in 4 Final Fours ('96, '97, '01. '06). Two very good small college programs...for whatever reason, the Titans have owned the series.

This should be a very good test for the Titans against a team very similar to the CCIW’s top half squads. Last year IWU won 64-63 in Bourbonnais behind two Andrew Gilmore free throws with :11 to play. Zach Freeman led the Titans with 25 while ONU star Phil French did not play due to injury. The young '07-08 Titans will have to play very well to win the game.

An interesting note – there will probably be four players from Washington, Illinois in the starting lineups. ONU starts sophomore post players Kris Irish and Tyler Wallenfang. IWU starts freshman Sean Johnson and junior Jordan Morris. (Morris ended up graduating from Pekin HS…the other three all played for Kevin Brown at Washington HS.)

http://www.iwuhoops.com/notes08.htm

Albion tournament thoughts

A split was what most of us probably had in mind before the trip to Michigan this weekend, so no real surprises with the record after two games. A few observations and thoughts though...

* The Titans' perimeter defense has a lot of work to do. The two opponents shot a combined 22-51 (.431) from 3-point range. Over the course of a season, a good defensive team will hold opponents to about .350 from beyond the arc. The opponents' overall FG% of .452 was also way too high but it seems like most of the breakdown was in guarding the perimeter.

* It was very clear in both games that this new cast wasn't quite sure where to go with the basketball when times got tough. IWU doesn't have a Zach Freeman or Keelan Amelianovich to run everything through in a "must score" situation, so it will just be a matter of these guys getting comfortable with each other and establishing roles throughout the non-conference season. It will help once it becomes clear who the #1 and #2 scoring options are.

* The most disappointing thing about IWU's play in the tournament was the FT shooting - 27-58 (.466). I know they are young and all, but that's no excuse for shooting 47% from the line. Darius Gant was the primary culprit, going 4-16 in two games. Hopefully they can start to turn it around from the charity stripe Tuesday.

* It was quite a pleasant surprise to see Travis Rosenkranz at the scorer's table early in the Tri-State game. It turns out he was cleared by the doctors just one hour before the game and Ron Rose threw him out there. While his stat line didn't stand out, Travis played a big role in that win.

* Jordan Morris (16.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) played very hard, as he always does. If he stays within himself and doesn't try to do too much (driving into traffic, trying to force something that's not there) he will have a very good junior season. Jordan had 7 turnovers in two games and the Titans need him to take better care of the basketball.

* Freshmen Doug Sexauer, Matt Schick, and Sean Johnson really looked good Friday vs Tri-State. On Saturday, they were all out of sync. I look for all 3 to have a solid season for the Titans.

Overall grade for opening weekend: C


The Albion game was ugly, but this IWU team has a ton of talent. It's going to be fun watching them develop this season.

I'll have some thoughts on Olivet Nazarene tomorrow.

Here we go...

Time for this young and exciting Titan team to put the green & white on and go to work. It should be a very interesting weekend of Illinois Wesleyan basketball in Albion, Michigan...the start of a new era.

I have a lot of questions about the 2007-08 Titans at this early stage, three of which are...

1) Can this team defend? I think they will be able to score points, but I have questions about their ability to stop opposing teams consistently. I tell you though, after watching Robert Beauchamp in practice twice this week, I feel a lot better about things -- that kid is an absolute defensive stud. He'll be IWU's best on-ball defender in years.

2) Will Brett Chamernik emerge as a solid low post presence? He's worked very hard to add muscle and get himself in tremendous overall shape, but he' still a couple inches undersized at 6-5. Brett has to find a way to consistently finish around the basket if he is going to be the starting center on this team. I'm rooting for him -- good kid, hard worker.

3) Will Darius Gant turn all of that talent and physical ability into a big year? Gant has the potential to be very good this year. Last season there were too many times he disappeared during games, however. In my mind, Darius is still a big question mark...I'd like to see him erase all doubts early on this season.


Here are some matchup notes from IWUHoops.com. Hope to see a lot of you in Michigan. For those who can't make the trip, join Eric Stock and I on WJBC.

Go Titans!

2007-08 Season Preview

Each year I put together a comprehensive IWU/CCIW preview for IWUHoops.com. It's kind of a "labor of love" - I chip away at it slowly from about the start of practice through the week before the season. It takes some time, but I enjoy doing it.

Here is this year's version...

http://www.iwuhoops.com/prev08.htm

Enjoy!

Final test in the books

Scrimmage results from the Shirk Center...
1st 20: IWU 48 MacMuray 21
2nd 20: IWU 38 MacMurray 29
Total: IWU 86 MacMurray 50

G Sean Johnson, (6-1/175, Fr) - 9 pts
G Jordan Morris (6-3/195, Jr) - 13 pts
F Matt Schick (6-4/190, Fr) - 10 pts
F Doug Sexauer (6-7/210, Fr) - 6 pts
C Brett Chamernik (6-5/230, Jr) - 13 pts

Bench points:

Darius Gant (6-4/210, Sr) 14
Kevin Bryant (6-2/200, Sr) 5
Duncan Lawson (6-8/225, Fr) 6
Ed O'Callaghan (6-7/210, Fr) 3
Justin Anthony (5-11/170, So) 3
Josh Sutton (6-5/205, Fr) 2
Jason Bloom (6-5/200, Sr) 2


First, let's keep this is perspective -- MacMurray would go 0-14 in the CCIW this year. Without question.

Takeaways from this evening...

* 6-7 freshman Doug Sexauer really stood out to me tonight. He only made 3 FG, but all were off nice moves and he just looked good out there. He knows what he is doing with his back to the basket and as soon as he puts on muscle, I think he will be a very good CCIW post player.

* IWU has a future star in 6-1 freshman guard Sean Johnson. As soon as the point-guards get healthy (freshman Travis Rosenkranz and sophomore Sean Dwyer), I see Johnson moving back to his natural 2 spot and starting. He is definitely out of position at the 1, but he does OK -- he will be a great 2.

* 6-4 freshman Matt Schick is very steady and reliable...exactly as advertised. He just does a lot of things well. Having started every high school game at Lincoln, he looks to be in IWU's starting lineup as a freshman.

* 6-5 junior center Brett Chamernik looked pretty good again -- IWU's strongest post player by far, I think he'll be IWU's opening night starter at the 5.

* I think 6-8/225 freshman Duncan Lawson is going to earn his way into the rotation in time. He handles the ball well for a big man, he is a great passer, and a very good shooter (although he didn't shoot it that well tonight).

* Senior Darius Gant is very good when he stays in control and sticks to his game (working hard in the low post, getting offensive rebounds, and using his athleticism to make things happen).


The Titans are going to have some ugly nights this season and then some where these young guys shine -- there is a ton of raw talent on this team.

Final tune-up Thursday

Division III MacMurray (Jacksonville, IL) visits the Shirk Center Thursday for a 7:30 scrimmage vs Illinois Wesleyan. This is it for the Titans -- the last tune-up vs another team before the Albion Tip-Off Tournament next weekend.


My best guess is that Ron Rose will start the following lineup:


G Sean Johnson (6-1/175, Fr)
G Jordan Morris (6-3/195, Jr) or Andrew Gilmore* (6-3/185, Jr)
F Matt Schick (6-4/190, Fr)
F Darius Gant (6-4/210, Sr)
C Brett Chamernik (6-5/230, Jr)

* just depends on knees...is Thursday an "on" day or "off" for Andrew?

Where I said, "Don't read too much into the starting lineup" before the St. Francis scrimmage, I guess I'd say it's fair to try to start reading something into the starting lineup and rotation used tomorrow...we're getting close. Considerations...


* Is freshman Matt Schick winning the battle at the small forward spot? Schick was a four-year starter at Lincoln High School, a really good Class AA program, where his teams went 109-26 (.807) with two trips to Peoria. Last year he averaged 13.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.3 apg for the Railsplitters. He is a good, solid player.

* Who will the first 3 off the bench be? If Josh Sutton (did I mention I am a big fan?), it would seem to indicate that he is very squarely in the middle of the varsity rotation picture.

* Is Brett Chamernik winning the battle at the 5 over youngsters Edmond O'Callaghan and Doug Sexauer? Chamernik, who averaged 18.3 ppg and 8.1 rpg at Benet Academy, had a very good Green/White game. The players will also tell you he has been solid in practice lately and is playing with a lot of confidence. It's obvious to anyone who sees Brett that he hit the weight room very hard in the off-season -- he put on 20 pounds of muscle since last year.

* It seems clear to me that 6-7 freshmen Edmond O'Callaghan and Doug Sexauer will play a lot for the Titans this year, whether as starters or reserves, but where does 6-8 Duncan Lawson fit in? Seems to me he is a better fit at the 4 (as opposed to the 3) on this team...which means that Lawson and senior Jason Bloom may be in competition for one reserve spot realistically. (There is time for 5 posts, but not 6.)

The Highlanders were 16-9 last year and 14-4 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference...

http://www.d3hoops.com/school_info.php?school=MacMurray&team=mens&year=2007


MacMurray's new head coach is Todd Creal, an assistant at Millikin last year under Tim Littrell. Littrell was fired after the 2006-07 season. The Higlanders are in full rebuilding mode.

CCIW preseason All-Americans

D3Hoops.com released its annual preseason All-American team today. The CCIW has two honorees - Kent Raymond (Wheaton, 6-3/195, JR) and Brent Ruch (Elmhurst, 6-9/255, JR)...

http://www.d3hoops.com/all-american/menpreseason08.htm

For my money, Kent Raymond is the best player in Division III and he may be the best Division III guard I've ever seen. Coming into his junior year, I put him right up there with guys like Korey Coon (IWU '00), Ryan Knuppel (Elmhurst '01), Antoine McDaniel (Carthage '03), and Adam Dauksas (IWU '06).

Brent Ruch is a beast. At 6-9/255 and with as skilled as he is, he just doesn't belong in Division III. It is hard to believe some mid-major DI didn't take a flyer on him.

These two fine juniors will be a ton this year!

Millikin grad turned loyal Titan supporter

A quick shoutout to Jeff Bartel, one of IWU's biggest basketball fans...despite the Millikin diploma. "Bart" is a regular reader of Titan Tidbits and it may have cost him about an hour of time last week.

Bart showed up at the Shirk Center Friday at 7:00pm looking for a little Titans vs St. Francis scrimmage action. Unfortunately for him, the tipoff was taking place 100 miles up I-55. Last night he called out the publisher of Titan Tidbits for not indicating the location of the game. After further review, it appears he was exactly right -- no mention that the game was in Joliet!

On behalf of Titan Tidbits, please give Bart a little love next time you see him at the Shirk or on the road with the Titans.

Green/White thoughts

Hard to gauge much from an intrasquad game, but the Titans looked OK last night...especially considering how many key players were not in uniform. There were about five legitimate starting candidates out with injury.

A few random thoughts...

* 6-5 freshman 3/4 Josh Sutton is going to be a very good player someday. He is pretty raw, but I'm starting to think he has a good chance to be in the varsity rotation this year.

* 6-5 center Brett Chamernik really worked hard in the off-season and has put on 15-20 pounds of muscle. He is undersized at the 5, where the CCIW is typically loaded with 6-7 and 6-8 players, but he is very strong. I think he will be an important player for the Titans this year, either as a starter or coming off the bench.

* IWU will struggle a little at the point until Travis Rosenkranz and Sean Dwyer are back. Freshman Sean Johnson does OK at the 1, but you can tell he is not used to playing there...he is a shooting guard, and a very good one at that. Johnson's time at the point in the early going will help him in the longrun though.

* Kevin Bryant has worked as hard as anybody for 4 years and is going to fight his way into the rotation due to his ability to shoot the basketball. I see him coming off the bench at the 2.

* Andrew Gilmore started and played about 10 minutes, which was the plan. He looked great out there...the question is, how do those knees feel today?

* Freshman Matt Schick is just as advertised -- steady and solid. Does a lot of things to help a team win.

* 6-7 freshman Edmond O'Callaghan isn't very polished, but he is going to be a good player...he can jump out of the gym.


If the Titans can get healthy, they'll be a very competitive team by CCIW time. There is a lot of raw talent on this IWU squad.

Chamernik leads White to victory

IWU Green/White results:

Green (80*):

G Sean Johnson (6-1/175, Fr) - 5 pts

G Andrew Gilmore (6-3/185, Jr) - 5

G Kevin Bryant (6-2/200, Sr) - 21

F Josh Sutton (6-5/205, Fr) - 19

F Darius Gant (6-4/210, Sr) - 22

Bench:

Elias Washington, F (6-2/190, So) - 8

Chad Murphy, G (6-1/175, Fr) - 0

White (81*):

G Justin Anthony (5-11/170, So) - 5

G Jordan Morris (6-3/195, Jr) - 13

F Matt Schick (6-4/190, Fr) - 14

F Edmond O'Callaghan (6-7/210, Fr) - 18

C Brett Chamernik, (6-5/230, Jr) - 26

Bench:

Jason Bloom, F (6-5/200, Sr) - 2

Mike Salkeld, G (6-2/190, Fr) - 3

Michael Kempf, G (5-11/165, Fr) - 0

Players in street clothes were:

Robert Beauchamp, PG (6-1/195, Jr) - playing football

Sean Dwyer, PG (5-11/175, So) - foot

Duncan Lawson, F (6-8/225, Fr) - sprained ankle

Mitch Mallone, G (5-11/190, Fr) - ?

Brian Nussbaum, F (6-6/210, Sr) - concussion

Travis Rosenkranz, PG (6-0/175, Fr) - stress fracture in back

Dan Schouton, F (6-6/210, Fr) - shoulder surgery

Doug Sexauer, F (6-7/210, Fr) - elbow

Chris Stamas, G (6-2/180, Fr) - sprained ankle

* Shirk Center scoreboard incorrect for majority of 2nd half due to operator (Duncan Lawson) error.

Titans picked 7th

Illinois Wesleyan was picked 7th in the annual CCIW preseason coaches poll.

1.) Augustana 47 (6)
2.) Elmhurst 43 (2)
3.) Wheaton 37
4.) North Park 29
5.) Carthage 26
6.) North Central 18
7.) Illinois Wesleyan 16
8.) Millikin 8

I agree with the top four, in the order they appear in the poll. Augustana seems to be the favorite with 6-9 Dain Swetalla, guard Jordan Delp, and Iowa transfer Brett Wessels, to go along with a lot of depth. Elmhurst has a terrific 1-2 punch in 6-9 Brent Ruch and wing Ryan Burks. Wheaton has the best player in Division III for my money, guard Kent Raymond. North Park seems to be one of the young, emerging teams in the league and probably a favorite, at this early stage, to make the conference tournament.

After that, it gets real fuzzy. Carthage, North Central, the Titans, and Millikin all have significant questions. To me, North Central is the team is the worst shape - the Cards lost a ton (Anthony Simmons, Dan Walton, Adam Krumtinger) and are trying to replace with a couple transfers. Millikin is dealing with a coaching transition, which is always tough. Carthage has great perimeter players, but not much inside at all.

By CCIW time (January 9), I like the Titans to be the best of this group and ready to make a push at that 4th conference tournament spot.

Green/White scrimmage tonight @ 7:00pm - see you there.