A first look at the freshmen

I was in Bloomington-Normal this weekend for Art Kimball's visitation and funeral, and also got to see the Titans practice Friday and Saturday.

It was good to finally see the freshmen play. Here are the ones who seemed to catch my eye the most in those 2 practices...


Victor Davis (6-5 PF, Galesburg H.S.)
Davis looks like an upperclassman on the floor – he is a powerfully built young man. I’m trying to think of another IWU freshman post player over the years as physically developed as Davis and can’t really come up with one…Davis is bigger and stronger than Cory Jones (’06) was coming in.

Victor is more polished offensively than I thought he’d be. He has nice low-post skills (which will need to keep improving in college), and he can also put the ball on the floor from the perimeter and score in a variety of ways near the basket, including a nice, soft half hook from 5 feet or so. He has good touch out to maybe 15 feet or so (he is not a 3-point shooter.)

Davis brings a couple things that IWU does not have a ton of in the returning nucleus - pure strength and athleticism. He also brings an intensity level that IWU fans are going to love. I can see Victor developing into a fan favorite at the Shirk Center.

If the Titans played a game today, Davis would not be ready to play (obviously 3 days in he doesn't even know the offense), but I have to believe by November 15 he will be right in the middle of the varsity power forward playing time discussion. He is going to push JR John Koschnitzky, SO Kevin Reed, SR Duncan Lawson and anyone else in that picture. Victor is going to be a very good player for the Titans…I won’t be surprised if that happens sooner than later.


Eric Dortch (6-3 SF, Wilbraham & Monson Academy/Evanston H.S.)
I’m excited about Eric’s future at IWU. He is pretty raw right now, but extremely talented. Dortch has Darius Gant’s frame and athletic ability, and is also what you would call a “combo forward”, but he is much more 3 than 4 (where Darius was much more 4 than 3). Dortch can handle the ball on the perimeter, which Darius really could not, and is a better jump shooter (out to 15 feet or so…he is not a 3-point shooter). Dortch is your prototypical “slasher”-type 3, but he also has a solid back-to-the-basket game (which he was known most for in high school). I think he will be a good player down the road for the Titans. I’m really looking forward to seeing Dortch and Davis on the floor together someday…that will be quite an athletic and talented forward duo.


Nick Anderson (6-9 C, Edwardsville H.S.)
I now see why strong Division III programs like Williams, Wash U, and Wheaton recruited Nick Anderson aggressively. Anderson is not ready to play in a CCIW varsity game, and is definitely going to need JV time, but I love his upside. He is a very legitimate 6-9 (some think closer to 6-10), with a wingspan that must be 7 feet. Right now, the kid looks like a baby giraffe, with elbows and knees and arms and legs all going in different directions, but he has a very nice offensive skill set, and he knows what he is doing around the basket.

Anderson was not used very effectively in high school (they played him away from the basket, and he is just not a 3 or 4), and just needs time to learn how to play the low post. He will get that chance on the JV team this season.

I was impressed by Nick Anderson. I assumed this kid was kind of a "project", but I don't think that is the case at all. I think this is a very talented kid with tremendous height for Division III who just needs time.


Brady Zimmer (6-4 G, Delavan H.S.)
Brady (6-4) looks exactly like his older brother Jordan (6-5) did two years ago – he is long and lanky and rail thin. Like Jordan, adding muscle is just going to be a matter of hard work and time…it has taken Jordan 2 years just to get to 190 lbs...Brady is probably 180 now. (And Jordan, while still very thin, is starting to fill out nicely with muscle as a JR.) I'm pretty sure the Zimmer brothers could lift weights for 2 hours a day and eat McDonald's extra value meal #1 (supersized) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and only gain about 5 pounds over a 6 month period. (They'll love this in their 30's!)

In the couple practices I saw, it was clear Brady has an adjustment ahead of him from IHSA Class 1A to the CCIW…both from a strength standpoint and “speed of the game.” Jordan had the same adjustment to make two years ago.

Brady seems to shoot the ball about as well as his brother, who is one of the best shooters in the CCIW, and he handles it better. It is going to take Brady time to adjust to the college level, but he has all the tools to be a very good player.


Mike Mayberger (6-5 G/F, St. Louis University High)
Nothing flashy here, but this kid is really solid. Of all the freshmen, Mayberger looked the most comfortable on the floor in his first two days of college basketball practice. Mayberger just handles himself like a player – seems like one of those “high basketball I.Q.” kind of players. I also noticed he was the last player to leave the gym both days.

Definitely a JV player this year, but I can see Mayberger being a solid contributor down the road.



Of the 10 freshmen, these are simply the 5 that caught my eye the most in two days. Looking forward to getting a better look at Andrew Ziemnik, Joe LaTulip, Austin Borton, Bobby Czarnowski, and Trent Swigert next time I'm in town.