Quote from: Gregory Sager on November 15, 2025, 05:16:57 PMCI'll bet that nobody wishes the Manitowoc-to-Ludington ferry was still operating in November than Steve D.

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down...

I went to the Texas Trinity/ IL Wesleyan game this morning. The teams are similar in that there was a ton of rotation and heavy reliance on freshmen. They're trying to find the secret sauce for this year. Titans got out to a 10 point lead and maintained that for the majority of the game winning 63 to 73. As IWU70 mentioned, 6 players injured, not playing, including senior L. Mulham and freshmen Sears and Hynes. I mention them because they're very likely to be part of the future rotation. They'll play Whitewater tomorrow. Freshmen Asia Kobylarczyk (9 points )and Caitlin Leyden (8 points) had a ton of minutes and played with confidence. FYI, Asia is pronounced "asha", rhymes with "tasha"

This one wasn't expected to be close, but fun to watch and get an idea of what the Titans will look like this year. Bardic, L. Mahlum, Meyers injured. Starters: White, Balli, Epps, Lipic and mystery freshman, Robinson. (Mystery, because she had minimal stats out of high school). Everyone got into the rotation. Titans ended the game with 46 points, ISU 89. White, high score with 12, but freshman Lucy Hynes with 10, all in the 2nd half. Robinson, 7 pts and Lam, zero. My opinion, Robinson might beat out Lam for the starting point guard position.

The Titan roster is up. Owan Nelson and Alex Maas dropping off. Seven new-comers. If I could wave my magic wand and ask for the ideal recruiting class, this would be it. At the end of last season, I would've said we have four lock-in starters for this season. Now I'm down to one (Colak). Funk and Fridman are truly going to have to come into practice and bring their A game. Yeah, Fridman.

The Titan roster is up. Mackenzie Huber and Sophia Feeney dropping off the list. Feeney is in the middle of volleyball season, so I don't know if she'll be joining later or not.

Thank goodness. Only two recruits last year. Gotta love the size. Robinson from Archbishop Mitty CA has an interesting story. She was never a starter and has little in terms of stats. But, according to what I've read, she was on powerhouse team that produced a bunch of DI athletes over the years, so she's used to a high level of play. Obviously good enough to be on the team, but just not a starter. According to the news article, Mia interviewed her in person, so she must've liked something about her play. Going to be fun to see how this evolves.

Got to cheer for Elyce Knudsen and the ISU Redbirds today. Elyce poured in 23 points in a win over WesteRN in the WNIT.

A tough one to sit through.  They were outplayed in every phase of the game.  On top of that, I was watching the guys on my phone blow a 15 point lead. But now I can focus on gardening,  fishing and making notes on next year's recruits. If I  can separate myself from the emotion long enough,  a very exciting and satisfying season.

To their credit, Trine was able to neutralize Huber, but Knutson was able to step up and deliver. She seems to thrive on a bruising battle in the paint.

I see what you're saying. If a team's racking up 130 a game, someone's scoring those points and stuffing the stat sheet.

Yeah. I can't see why a top tier would even want to play in "the system." Sure, there is technically a starting 5 at the beginning of the game, but the best player gets no more playing time than the bottom 10th player (assuming I understand the rotation correctly). It's truly selfless play. If you're an elite player, you're sacrificing your stats and potential personal achievements for the good of the entire team. I'm not saying it's impossible, just hard for me to visualize. Good on you if you can embrace that mindset.

Very exciting. I think this is the first time the Titans have ever played Centre.

Quote from: markerickson on February 26, 2025, 04:30:20 PMEven the NCC fan next to me questioned why Helwig, NCC's leading scorer for the game, was allowed to take the last shot.

Overall, this North Park team exceeded expectations.  Thank you, Vikings.

"A dagger to the heart of the rose," a great man once said.

I'll truly miss the "fab freshmen." Hard to believe they're seniors now.

Quote from: iwu70 on February 06, 2025, 02:42:56 PMWe'll see how it all goes with all the challenges relatively selective liberal arts institutions on this smaller scale now face.  I'm not terribly optimistic.  So many headwinds, some bad decisions, poorer academic quality and offerings, cutbacks and program reductions, and many financial, enrollment, and fundraising challenges.

IWU has been able to keep its enrollment numbers relatively stable, but a slight trend downward. Everyone knows the demographics by now. I supposed the philosophy for tuition-based schools is to hold out while weaker schools close and then fight over their bones (students). The assumption being, those students are interested in a small, private school experience.

I work down the road at Illinois State, and politics plays a much greater role. Eastern Illinois, Western and Governers State would've been gone long ago without state support. Local representatives are adamant that they receive enough funding for survival due to their economic impact in their local area. Any proposal to close a couple of them to bolster enrollment and the remaining universities doesn't gain traction. Illinois State's enrollment is quite strong. Not sure the exact reason, but an easy Amtrack ride from the Chicago area sure as heck doesn't hurt. ISU admin doesn't sit on its hands. They're playing the China card and have started an Engineering school. U of I turns down tons of Chinese students from its Engineering program, and ISU intends on scooping them up.

Quote from: iwu70 on February 06, 2025, 02:42:56 PMEckley was there 18 years, arriving on a CAT helicopter when I was Student Senate President -- we all turned out on the Quad to welcome "Big Bob."  I just attended his spouse's funeral a few days ago.  President Eckley died 3-4 years ago.  Nell Eckley was a unique character in her own right and did much good for the campus, for the University.  She passed at 99.

Robert Eckley. He was President when I attended. A very nice person. His wife, Nell? I don't speak ill of the departed.

Sorry I'm so far off topic.