The Division of Misfits

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The holiday season is filled with lots of great traditions; waking up extra early to open presents, spending time with family, decorating the Christmas tree, watching White Christmas and other traditional Christmas movies, baking Christmas cookies, admiring the beautiful Christmas lights. I love Christmas; for all of these reasons. One of the best traditions is the CBS Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer special that plays every year. In that movie, Rudolph travels to an island called “The Island of Misfit Toys.” It is this island that has given rise to my grand theory of DIII basketball. (Trust me, I have thought this through, just stay with me.) While on this island Rudolph and his loveable band of misfits encounter, among other things, an elephant with red spots, a train with square wheels on its caboose, a bird who swims, and a cowboy who rides an ostrich. All of these toys are functional, even endearing some may say, (I mean, wouldn’t you want an elephant with red spots?) but because of one flaw they have been banished to a remote island to toil away in anonymity.

We are the “Division of Misfits.”

In my last posting, I went on a quasi-rant about how most people not associated with DIII basketball do not understand the quality of basketball that happens at our level. Every year there are DIII teams who manage to beat quality DII and DI opponents. This year, we saw Randolph-Macon beat last year’s Patriot League Champion, American. In years past we have seen the likes of Holy Cross, Princeton and George Mason fall at the hands of DIII teams.  While I am not saying Randolph-Macon should make the jump to DI and plan to win the Patriot League this year. I am saying that many DIII teams can compete with teams at levels that are often considered “higher,” on a given night. This is not a fluke. It is because the skill level at each of the NCAA divisions does not differ drastically. The difference is usually one or two attributes, other than individual skills, that push a DI kid above the DIII level (Kevin Durants and Michael Beasleys excluded). A great shooter is a great shooter regardless of division, great post moves are great no matter what the front of the jersey says.  In Division III however, many of the great shooters may not have the quickness or size of a DI guard.  Many post players that I have seen have DI level post players at our level but simply lack 4 inches, a 40 inch vertical, or the foot speed a DI program looks for.

Examples, that’s what this column needs, concrete evidence of what I am talking about. I will leave names out of this, but trust me, I’m not making these players up. The first one is a teammate of mine. He is currently shooting over 60 percent from the 3 point line on over 5 attempts per game. Yes you read that correctly. OVER 60% FROM 3!!!!! I CAN’T STOP USING CAPS!!!!!!! I rebound for him every day in practice and I would put him up against any shooter in the country at any level. Think about that. The best pure shooter in the entire country may play in Division III. The fact that he is not going to throw down a tomahawk dunk anytime soon does not change the fact that he is an elite shooter. My next example comes from another New England Region team. There is a post player who has averaged over 18 points and 8 rebounds per game and on multiple occasions has scored over 40 points in a game. He is the toughest post player we have faced because of his phenomenal post moves and his understanding of post positioning. There is one catch; he’s 6’4″. Give this man 4 inches and he is in a DI program right now. Instead, he is in the division of misfits putting up great numbers and validating our level of play. The last example I will use is of another guard. This player returns this year as a 1st Team All-Conference selection and is currently averaging 19 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals per game. I recently watched this guy play, and the kid is a stud. He’s one of the quicker guards I have watched, has a great looking jump shot and can get to the rim with ease. Yep you guessed it, there’s a catch. He’s generously listed at 5’4.” Guys with his skill level are all over the Division I level. Division I coaches however, tend to shy away from guys who are shorter than Napoleon. This is their loss and our gain. Players with DI skill level who play at the DIII level only give our division the validity we need to sleep well at night, knowing what a great level of basketball DIII is. We are able to combine the greatest attributes of all divisions. Great basketball, true student-athletes, and players who play for the love of the game.

While I have only given 3 examples I am sure anyone reading this can think of the “misfits” on their team. Seriously. I know you know them.  If you think about it, almost all of us are. And that’s what makes this division great. The country is littered with them and that in and of itself defines a DIII coach’s job. Find the “misfits” and turn them into stars. We have a fraternity of guys who were either not wanted other places or chose DIII because of all it has to offer. Are there any John Walls at the DIII level? Absolutely not. But what we do have is a group of “misfits” who compete at a high level.  And that makes me proud to be a part of the “Division of Misfits.”

Making Our Own Fist

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“There are five fundamental qualities that make every team great: communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring and pride. I like to think of each as a separate finger on the fist. Any one individually is important. But all of them together are unbeatable.”

-Mike Krzyzewski

Hello again! Last year during film, before yet another tough conference game, I remember Coach Jensen handing out a sheet of paper to every member of our team. When I looked at it, instead of finding the scouting report I had expected, the paper was titled “The Fist”. Following the title was a quote from Coach Krzyzewski with by an explanation of how the human fist was like a team. As coach read the paper aloud, I took the story for the motivation that it was and believed at the time I completely understood Coach’s aspiration for us to work together. However, two weeks ago while on the bus to another game, I had a look at that same sheet of paper and I would have sworn it was a different story written on that page. Through the first half of the Lady Prairiewolves season the idea of “The Fist” had developed to from more than just an idea. After watching our team in our final game of 2009 versus MacMurray College, the idea of our team emulating the fist has finally become a reality.

As the first half of the 2009-2010 season came to a close it is clear our team is making strides past the point of making youthful mistakes and is developing into the team Coach Jensen realized we were capable of being. So far the women’s team here at Nebraska Wesleyan is 4-7 overall and 1-3 in GPAC play. Being a young team, including eleven freshman players and no seniors, there have been a few struggles with consistency. At times mistakes have been made that many would chalk up to our inexperience, but Coach has never been accepting of that as an excuse and because of his guidance our team is quickly growing up and taking bigger steps toward the goals we have made for the program at Nebraska Wesleyan. To accomplish these goals we always keep TWW (Together We Win) in the back of our minds and in the last three games of 2009 that mentality was illustrated through team defense and putting our teammates ahead of ourselves. In our last three games we have had at least two players scoring in double digits per game and nearly every player seeing time and making their own contribution. The Lady Prairiewolves have been dishing out an average of ten assists a game and producing shots for one another with strong ball movement. On the other end of the floor with physical defense the ladies have been holding opponents to shooting an average of 33% from the field and causing about 20 turnovers a game.

Entering the second half of the season, after coming off solid team effort at MacMurray, where all 12 varsity players saw playing time and contributed not only defensively but also to the scoring column, I see our team forming into the fist that Coach has been hoping to see. With eleven games under our belt, we have shown flashes of what we are capable of and seen that we can accomplish great things. The next two months encompass all conference games for our team and in the GPAC there is not a night that one can relax because the competition is so strong. However, as our consistency has been rising to higher levels, so will our ability to compete in one of the toughest conferences. Wesleyan’s team is looking to start off the year with three solid wins against very tough competition from Northwestern, Concordia, and University of Sioux Falls.

Before this season started, our team met one evening to discuss what the core values of our program would be for this year, in other words decide the guiding principles for everything that would be done within our program this season. Among the six values chosen was Unity. To our team unity is more than just teamwork, it is being there for one another 100% of the time on and off the floor. Starting the second half of this season, I see unity among my teammates and because they are there for each other all the time their play on the floor is progressing to the level we all had hoped was possible. Going back to the sheet of paper that Coach handed me nearly a year ago, the light bulb finally came on and I saw my team as I read that story. The Lady Prairiewolves are made up of a special group of girls, all talented in their own ways, but as our unity has begun to bring us together at this point in the season, we are beginning to create our own fist and plan to be joining the ranks of the unbeatables.

A trip to the West Coast

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Holly Harvey, junior guard for the No. 1 Illinois Wesleyan Titans, has been blogging for D3hoops.com throughout the season. Here’s her latest report on the team’s trip to California.

Party in the U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus is my jam. If you ask any of my teammates what got them through 6 A.M. pre-season conditioning sessions I have no doubt their answers will be Holly singing Party in the USA. Naturally I was pretty pumped when I learned that our winter trip this year was to southern California because the song begins with “hopping off a plane at LAX” which is just what we would be doing. There was no time to savor the moment of hopping off the plane though because we had to run through LAX in order to make it to the car rental place before it closed. Luckily we’re in game shape and made it just in time, though I’m sure we drew some attention running with our matching green travel suits and bags.

Once we hit Hollywood and Beverley Hills the next day we blended right in with the large crowds. We walked down Hollywood Boulevard and even snagged a team picture with Captain Jack Sparrow and some of his crew from Pirates of the Caribbean. We took a tour of Kodak Theater and learned about seat fillers at big award shows. I think it’s safe to say we all took a moment to consider applying for jobs as seat fillers as we are a little star crazed. Following our day of touring we headed to the Staples Center to catch a match -up between the Clippers and the Celtics. Although there was some back and forth cheering down our row for Ray Allen of the Celtics and Chris Kaman of the Clippers, we were all really excited when the Clippers won on a buzzer beater. The following day was a more relaxed and chill day as we visited a spa. We had access to outdoor pools, hot springs, steam rooms, and our favorite, a mud bath. After a long semester, finals, and hectic holiday traveling it was just what we needed. We also got to tour one of the best wineries in California.

Along with all of our tourist activities we played two games on the west coast. We faced the University of La Verne and the University of Redlands. Although we did not seem to be on our regular game out there but we won both. Upon returning from California we finished up our non-conference schedule with a game at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. We were back on our game as we shot the ball very well and made all the rotations in our press. Junior Nikki Preston had a monster game with 25 points, she shot the lights out. We currently stand at 11-0 and I think the 87-58 victory at Whitewater was a good confidence booster heading into CCIW play this week.

We must now shift all of our focus to our conference opponents. I think we will face more challenges in conference this year but I think we are well prepared for them. I am looking forward to our second conference game against Carthage College. I think it will be a good match up and a victory could set the tone for the rest of the conference season. Our main goal right now is to go undefeated in the regular season and to host the conference tournament. I am excited with where our season journey has led us so far but even more excited for the next part of the journey into conference.

Owenby’s perfect night

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Maryville (Tenn.) Daily Times writer Marcus Fitzsimmons should be a familiar name to hard-core Division III fans. Here’s a feature he wrote from Wednesday’s Maryville-Greensboro game:

Owenby’s perfect night goes for naught

By Marcus Fitzsimmons
marcusf@thedailytimes.com

Ever hit the trash can with a coke can when you knew you should have missed?

Lewis Owenby had that kind of feeling for a full game.

The junior for Greensboro College went 12-for-12 from the floor Wednesday night against Maryville in a 93-78 loss to the Scots in Boydson Baird Gymnasium.

“The first one I put up just bounced in off the glass and I was like, ‘woah’,” said Owenby.

Battling Maryville’s Greg Hernandez the Black Mountain, N.C., product found himself nearer the foul line than the basket early but scrapped that strategy with his second kiss-off-the-glass jumper.

“We didn’t do a good job defending him at all,” said Maryville head coach Randy Lambert. “But to his credit he knocked down some of those shots from outside the paint.”

Adding to his range was something Owenby admits working on over the summer, but he never imagined a night like Wednesday.

“I was just playing within our game,” said Owenby. “I didn’t really think about it until after the game.”

The junior left the floor after picking up his fifth personal with 2:53 remaining and not even the coaches were aware of the performance until a miscredited miss at the 1:58 mark was corrected on the box score.

“That kind of night on that many shots in this game, its just unheard of to have a perfect night,” said Greensboro coach Bryan Galuski. “It was obviously a great shooting night for him.”

Owenby had been averaging 8.8 points per game and had a season high 17 on 7-for-9 shooting against LaGrange before his 27-point performance Wednesday. His only weak spot was the foul line, where he was a merely human 3-for-5.

Greensboro opens USA South play at Averett on Saturday.

Marcus Fitzsimmons is a sports writer for The (Maryville) Daily Times covering Maryville College, the GSAC and USA South.

Part II: 10 questions for 2010

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It’s a midseason review. It’s a rest-of-season preview. Stop – you’re both right! Actually, it’s the second part of our 10 burning questions for 2010. Here is Part I.

South: Whom would you take to win the ODAC – No. 4 Randolph-Macon, No. 6 Guilford, or the field?

Whom you take might depend on what we mean by “win the ODAC” since the Conference tournament has been unkind to favorites recently. Last year the top three seeds lost in their first tournament game and Randolph-Macon in particular has struggled, losing its tournament opener each year since 2006. This year’s Yellow Jacket squad is on a small list of undefeated teams with wins over DeSales, Wooster and Williams when each of them was ranked. They have five players scoring double-digits and leader Danny Jones is playing just 18.0 minutes per game. Guilford has the pedigree of last year’s run to the final four and Preseason All Americans Tyler Sanborn and Clay Henson who have combined for 36.7 points and 15.9 rebounds per game through Sunday. This is more than a two horse race, though. Eastern Mennonite is undefeated against Division III teams after rolling past Hampden-Sydney on Saturday. Virginia Wesleyan won the ODAC tournament last year and already beat Guilford 71-68 at home. And if you’re looking for a reason to take the field, the Marlins’ Stephen Fields gives you a great reason to do so. He leads the ODAC in scoring with 20.5 points per game.

My two cents: Guilford in the regular season and “the field” in the tournament.

Great Lakes: Who should be more worried about its slow start – John Carroll, Wooster or Hope?

Making this list is a blessing and a curse. It’s an acknowledgment of high expectations, either because of last year’s success (JCU), a talented young roster (Wooster) or a great tradition (Hope). But all three have to improve to meet those expectations. No. 7 John Carroll started 6-0 before losing four of five, including a surprising loss at home to Medaille (whom the Blue Streaks beat by 11 in last year’s NCAA tournament) and a 22-point thumping at the hooves of the Bethany Bison. Worse yet, all four loses are regional and two of them in conference. Wooster also has four loses (including one to John Carroll) but three came to Top 25 teams (add St. Thomas and Randolph-Macon). Winning one of those would’ve been nice for confidence but the Scots are doing fine in conference play at 3-0. Hope is an enigma (sound pretty philosophical, doesn’t it?) unless you have a good handle on the local NAIA teams on the schedule. If Olivet (5-6) could beat NAIA Spring Arbor at home, why didn’t Hope? The Flying Dutch are 7-4 over all with an impressive 22-point win over Wheaton (Ill.) and an early non-conference victory over archrival Calvin. Speaking of which, the Knights and Flying Dutch will meet again to start MIAA play this Wednesday, January 6.

My two cents: John Carroll since the OAC is a tougher road to hoe than the NCAC or the MIAA.

Midwest: Can the Illinois Wesleyan women run the table to the final four?

For the third straight year, the school hosting the women’s final four is also a strong contender to play for a national championship on its own floor. Hope had two cracks and fell one game short at Howard Payne in 2008 and against George Fox at Thomas More in 2009. The Titans had disappointment of their own in the 2009 tournament, seeing their season – undefeated and otherwise – end against Washington U last March. IWU exercised those ghosts in November but, given the importance of geographic proximity in the national tournament and the possibility for the Bears to pick up some loses in UAA play, Wash U. and IWU could meet again this year. IWU has the two main ingredients of recent national champions – a star player who can carry the team (Christina Solari) and a deep roster so she won’t have to do that very often. The biggest obstacle to another perfect regular season is Carthage, which is also undefeated against Division III. Circle the matchups between the Titans and Lady Reds (in Bloomington this Saturday and in Kenosha on January 30th) as the two biggest tests.

My two cents: The Titans can and they will.

West: What are George Fox’s chances to repeat?

George Fox has a strikingly similar poll position this season as it did last season. In January 2009 the Bruins were undefeated but slotted at No. 14. This year they are No. 16 with an 8-2 record and losses to Cal Lutheran (7-2) and NAIA Lewis-Clark State, which is 5-0 against NWC teams. If nothing else, this shows the respect that the pollsters have for the Bruins – 8-2 would have probably left them unranked a season ago. George Fox got off to a great start, defeating Puget Sound 65-62 in overtime on Saturday. The Loggers were picked second in the NWC preseason coaches poll. Two key pieces of last year’s championship, center and defensive anchor Kristen Shielee and national freshman of the year Sage Indendi, are gone. Six-foot-five freshman Hannah Munger is now the Bruins center, replacing Breezy Rinehart-Young in the starting lineup. Munger has 28 blocks in the last six games, which is a good sign. Indendi’s departure puts more pressure on fellow former fab frosh Keisha Gordon who has boosted her scoring output from 12.4 to 15.8 points per game so far. The Bruins aren’t the obvious pick to win the national championship, but they weren’t last year either.

My two cents: The Bruins will miss Shielee’s calming presence but don’t count them out.

Multi: Can a team from a “non-power conference” make a run to the Final Four?

Defining the power conferences in Division III is tough, so let’s use the following very rough rule of thumb – any conference that doesn’t have at least four tournament wins combined in the last three years is a non-power conference. On the women’s side, that kind of run is unlikely. The gap between the top teams in the tournament and the rest often translates into double-digit margins of victory for the former group. And the distribution of the really good teams is pretty even. As for the men, this question presumes the regional approach to bracketing continues. There have been some very surprising results in the middle of the country (Medaille over JCU; Northwestern (Minn.) over St. Norbert). But it’s tough to envision a team from the AMCC, UMAC or NathCON stringing together four consecutive big upsets. But in the East, Atlantic or Mid-Atlantic, it’s another story. Maybe the CSAC, Empire 8, Liberty League or Landmark champion gets hot at the right time and rides that all the way to Salem.

My two cents: Depends on what kind of bracket we get on the men’s side.