IWU 82 Webster 69

It's nice to see a player rewarded for working hard, and that's what we're seeing with junior center Brett Chamernik. Undersized as a Division III low post player at 6-5, Brett has added 35 pounds of muscle since he first stepped foot on campus 27 months ago. The added strength allows him to leverage his body near the basket and create scoring opportunities. It also allows him to guard opposing big men. Those 35 pounds of muscle have given him a chance to be a starter for the Titans, and now to be a prominent scoring threat for this team. Brett still has a long way to go in his development, as the competition will be bigger and stronger in CCIW play. But he won't be out-worked by anyone, and I like that. I hope Brett's freshmen teamates are taking notice of what it takes to compete at this level.
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Chamernik's 27 points on 9-11 from the field was obviously the big story in Sunday's win, but how 'bout freshman Doug Sexauer? 17 points on 7-9 shooting, with 8 points in the 4-minute stretch immediately after Webster cut the Titans' lead to 1 early in the 2nd half. The more I see Sexauer, the more I realize that this kid is going to be a special player someday.
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Coming into the year, I was confident that the backcourt would be solid, but was worried about the frontcourt. After five games, I'm beginning to feel pretty good about the Chamernik/Darius Gant/Sexauer trio in the low post...and I like Edmond O'Callaghan's potential. I am still extremely confident that freshmen guards Travis Rosenkranz and Sean Johnson are settling in and will be very good as the season plays out -- as Tiger Woods says about his game on occasion, they're "close." This Illinois Wesleyan team is definitely a work in progress, but I like the pieces to the puzzle.
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Josh Sutton looked good out there vs Webster. I'd really like to see him stay in the rotation and continue to get more minutes at the 3, and maybe a little at the 4 depending on matchups. It just seems like his upside is huge.
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Great to see Brian Nussbaum healthy and dressed. I have not ruled out Brian getting himself in the mix -- the Titans can use someone with size, who can shoot, pass, and defend. Hopefully he is able to establish himself in practice and earn his way onto the floor.
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Overall a pretty solid performance Sunday, except for the free throw woes obviously. Gotta get that fixed...soon. Things are coming together.