Good start

I was able to make the trip to North Manchester, IN this weekend and I'm glad I did. I left feeling very good about the 2008-09 season. General thoughts...

1) IWU has incredible depth this year. Friday the Titans started 6-0 Rosenkranz (So), 5-10 Dwyer (Jr), 6-1 Johnson (So), 6-7 Lawson (So), and 6-7 Sexauer (So) - 3 starters from the team that went 9-5 in the CCIW last year, with Lawson replacing Darius Gant and Sexauer for the injured Chamernik (Zimmer started in place of Dwyer Saturday). The "next 5", though, seems to be every bit as good as the starting unit. The Titans don't lose anything when they start subbing with 6-5 Zimmer (Fr) or 5-10 Dwyer, 6-6 Koschnitzky (Fr), 6-7 O'Callaghan (So), 6-3 Morris (Sr), and 6-4 Schick (So). And again, Chamernik really isn't even in the mix yet. I got to thinking during both games that I can't envision a scenario when this IWU team will be in foul trouble - at every position, the 2nd guy on the depth chart is just about as good as the first.

2) Defense and rebounding will be the big question mark for this young IWU team. This Titan team will be great offensively - there is no question in my mind about that. But can they defend and rebound? They did a great job in these areas in the 1st half vs Manchester, but on the weekend defense and rebounding were inconsistent.

3.) This team will be a "work in progress." It is going to take a while for Ron Rose and staff to sort out who should be starting, how the rotation should be setup, etc.. Having tremendous depth is a great thing, but it also means you have to really work hard to put all of the pieces together.


I'm not sure the Titans are quite ready to beat #1 Wash U, #2 Augustana, or #3 Wheaton today, but I'm pretty sure this team will be very good by the time the CCIW schedule starts. The Titans are loaded with talent.