Preseason coaches Poll Thoughts

So the Titans were picked #4 in the 2009-10 Preseason Coaches Poll. Breaking this down a little more, let's look at how the poll is constructed. Each coach ranks the other teams in the league 1-7 (you can't vote for yourself)...

1st = 7 poll pts
2nd = 6
3rd = 5
4th = 4
5th = 3
6th = 2
7th = 1

Looking at the 2010 vote, I think it shows the following tiers of expectations from the coaches:

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A favorite
Wheaton (46 pts) = 6.57 average poll pts
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Indecision about spot #2 among 3 teams
Augustana (39) = 5.57 average
Carthage (37) = 5.29 average
Ill Wesleyan (36) = 5.14 average
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Consensus on #5
Elmhurst (22) = 3.14 average
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3 teams very close in the bottom 3 spots
Millikin (17) = 2.42
North Central (15) = 2.14 average
North Park (12) = 1.71 average
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Also note, the 10-point gap between #1 Wheaton and #4 Illinois Wesleyan is smaller than any 1-4 gap in the previous 10 polls (the average in that span is 17 poll points):

2009: 14 (#1 Wheaton 46, #4 IWU 32) - 2 teams w/ 1st place votes
2008: 18 (Augustana 47, NPU 29) - 2
2007: 14 (North Central 47, Wheaton 33) - 3
2006: 17 (IWU 49, Carthage 32) - 2*
2005: 18 (IWU 49, Carthage & Augie 31) - 2*
2004: 18 (Augustana 49, Carthage 31) - 2*
2003: 17 (Carthage 47, Wheaton 30) - 3
2002: 18 (Carthage 48, Wheaton 30) - 2
2001: 20 (Carthage 49, Augustana 29) - 2*
2000: 16 (Wheaton 46, Carthage 30) - 3

I've also noted above the number of teams that received 1st place votes in the last 10 polls (keep in mind there has to be at least 2, since coaches can't vote for their own team). The * denotes seasons in which 7 coaches all voted a certain team #1 (a perfect 49 poll points). You'll note that the 4 teams receiving 1st place votes in 2010 is more than any in the previous 10 polls.

I believe the poll supports what many around the CCIW believe at this point:

* Wheaton, Augustana, Carthage, and IWU are considered the top 4 teams
* Between those top 4, it is considered to be relatively close

The biggest surprise for me was seeing NPU at #8, based on their returning talent. I guess after 0-14 though, the Vikings will have to earn their respect.

Injury updates

Eric McCullough (C), 6-9 sophomore - battling back from a serious hip condition...had surgery on both hips shortly after the 2008-09 season...has been able to practice for about one hour a day in the early going, but does have soreness (which he is told is a normal part of the recovery). McCullough has a huge upside - if healthy, we'd be talking about him right in the middle of the low post mix this year - so this is a big one to keep your eye on.

Eliud Gonzalez (PG), 5-9 sophomore - had ACL surgery right after 2008-09 season but has healed incredibly fast...has some soreness (normal) but has not been limited from doing any drills...doesn't seemed to be slowed down at all and looks great. Gonzalez has Rosenkranz and Dwyer to compete with, but in talking to the coaches, it's clear they are really high on Eliud.

Dan Schouten (F), 6-5 sophomore - has missed all of the last two seasons with shoulder injuries...injured one his freshman year and then the other as a sophomore...both are now repaired...however, now recovering from a stress fracture in his foot and is limited in practice as it heels...Schouten is now listed as a sophomore, so I assume he has taken a medical redshirt for one of his missed years...definitely a wildcard on this team if he can get healthy.

Stephen Rudnicki (G), 6-3 sophomore - recovering from tendonitis in his knees last year...now recovering from mono and will start light practice this week. Stephen was a very solid high school player at Evanston and should have a bright future at IWU.

Early (very early) rotation projection

The Titans are just a couple days into the practice season, but here's how I think the depth chart looks at this early stage:

G - Travis Rosenkranz, 6-0 Jr (Sean Dwyer, 5-10 Sr)
G - Sean Johnson, 6-1 Jr or Jordan Zimmer, 6-5 So
F - John Koschnitzky, 6-6 So (Matt Schick, 6-4 Jr)
F - Doug Sexauer, 6-7 Jr (Duncan Lawson, 6-7 Jr)
C - Ryan Connolly, 6-9 So or Edmond O'Callaghan, 6-7 Jr


Wildcards in post:

* Dan Schouten (F), 6-5 So. - has been hurt his entire career, but now healthy
* Tyler Bontemps (F), 6-4 So. - transfer from Lincoln Land...maybe the strongest player on the roster
* Eric McCullough (C), 6-9 So. - recovering from off-season surgery...big upside


Lots of position battles going on, just as it should be!

Preseason Dates

So let's start with some preseason dates to put on the calendar...


* October 15: First day of practice (3:30pm)

* October 27: Scrimmage vs Olivet Nazarene (7:00pm @ Shirk Center)

* November 5: Green/White scrimmage (7:00pm @ Shirk Center

* November 10: Scrimmage @ Aurora (time TBD)


Best of luck to Ron Rose and the Titans as they open the practice season Thursday afternoon!

Stay Tuned

Is it October already? We're one week away from practice starting, Titans fans.

In the next few days I'll be speaking with Ron Rose to gather some initial 2009-10 tidbits...I'll have the first detailed post of the season later this week.

Hope everyone had a great off-season...here we go again!