2006-07 Pantagraph Articles
Randy Reinhardt stories courtesy of the Bloomington Pantagraph
IWU men fall in finale
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
NAPERVILLE - His team staring at a 15-point deficit with three-and-a-half minutes to play, Ron Rose received one more lasting memory of his first season as basketball coach at his alma mater.
It was not a miraculous comeback victory. Yet in a trying season, positives are where the Illinois Wesleyan coach can find them.
Two 3-pointers from seldom-used senior Tyler Smith helped IWU rally within six at the 1:47 mark, but North Central regrouped to claim a 77-70 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before a Merner Fieldhouse crowd of 660.
"We went down swinging," said Rose, whose team finished its season at 11-14 overall and 4-10 in the CCIW. "Our kids haven't quit all year. They have persevered through some tough times. There was never a doubt they would play to the buzzer."
North Central (16-9, 8-6) clinched a spot in the CCIW Tournament Friday and Saturday in Rock Island with its fourth straight victory.
"It was a must win. We've had four of those in a row and we got them done," said Cardinals' senior and Normal Community High School graduate Adam Krumtinger, who scored 16 points. "We've got good momentum going into the tournament."
North Central led 70-55 after an Anthony Simmons basket. Smith 3-pointers sandwiched a jumper and a 3-pointer from Andrew Gilmore in an 11-2 Titans' run.
"We wanted to leave everything on the court," said Gilmore, who will have surgery on Feb. 28 to relieve tendinitis in both knees that has bothered him all season.
IWU trailed 74-68 with 45 seconds left after another Gilmore basket, but Brandon Smith hit two free throws and the Titans could get no closer.
Rose removed seniors Zach Freeman, Andrew Freeman, Mike Harrigan and Smith with 30 seconds to play.
"Things haven't gone the way I would have liked this year. But it was nice to get in one more time and knock down a couple shots," Smith said. "It was special to come off with those three guys. We've been best friends since we got here."
Zach Freeman capped a spectacular Wesleyan career with 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. The NCHS product bows out as the school's No. 7 all-time scorer and No. 4 all-time rebounder.
North Central stretched a three-point halftime lead to 11 in the first 4:32 of the second half.
"We passed the ball pretty well," said Cardinals' coach Todd Raridon, whose team had 18 assists and just six turnovers. "I was really pleased how our three seniors (Krumtinger, Simmons and Dan Walton) played."
Walton scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half, and Simmons contributed 20 points and nine rebounds.
Wesleyan sliced its deficit to 51-46 on a Zach Freeman rebound basket, but North Central scored the next eight points for a 13-point cushion.
"We had some periods where they outplayed us," Rose said. "The second half they got a little lead, and they are awfully good playing in front."
Gilmore finished with 18 points, four assists and three steals.
"I wish I could play another year with the Freemans, Bones (Smith) and Harrigan," he said.
Krumtinger banked in a 25-foot 3-pointer with the shot clock about to expire as part of his 14 first-half points on 6 of 7 shooting.
"We practiced a lot finding seams in the zone," Krumtinger said. "I got the ball and hit my shots."
North Central led by as many as five in the opening half. Darius Gant's fast-break layup at the buzzer cut Wesleyan's halftime deficit to 30-27.
IWU shot 44 percent from the field and outrebounded North Central, 38-28.
The losing season was the Titans' first since 1988-89 and the 11 wins are the team's fewest since the 1984-85 team went 10-17.
IWU men grab last-second win
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
CHICAGO - Elias Washington did little wrong all evening.
Fortunately for Illinois Wesleyan, Zach Freeman was there when he did.
Freeman's put-back of a Washington miss off a fast-break layup with 16 seconds left lifted IWU to an 81-80 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory over North Park Saturday before a crowd of 799.
"I saw him break out and thought 'this is exactly what we want.' I thought he got fouled on the shot," Freeman said. "Luckily, I was right there."
IWU improved to 11-13 overall and 4-9 in the CCIW.
"It's nice in a year the ball didn't always bounce our way it's great to win when the ball did bounce our way," IWU coach Ron Rose said. "We've had some wild finishes, but I'm not sure we've had any wilder. It's a great character win."
North Park (13-12, 5-9) had two shots at the game-winner in the final seconds. The final buzzer sounded as the teams scrambled frantically for a loose ball.
Vikings' senior guard Uriah Rice riddled the Titans with several clutch shots in the second half. Averaging 5.5 points, Rice finished with 26.
Rice's final 3-pointer gave North Park an 80-77 edge with 1:16 left. An Andrew Freeman basket at the 57-second mark brought IWU within one.
Zach Freeman paced the Titans with 24 points. Andrew Freeman, Washington and Darius Gant added 13 each. Andrew Gilmore had 11.
"Elias gave us a real shot in the arm," Rose said. "He had a long way to go at the beginning of the year. But he hung in there and worked hard."
The Titans got a huge first-half spark from Washington, a seldom-used freshman. "It was good to get our there and run again," Washington said. "I've been playing with these guys all year in practice. I had a good comfort level."
Entering the game with six points and a scant six minutes played on the season, Washington came off the bench early in the first half and converted a difficult fast break layup during a 10-0 Titans' spurt that turned a 15-6 deficit into a 16-15 lead.
Washington's eight first-half points included a rebound basket and three-point play that gave Wesleyan a 27-24 lead with 2:58 remaining.
North Park scored the final eight points for a 32-27 halftime lead.
In the opening half, IWU senior Zach Freeman grabbed his 800th career rebound. He joins Jack Sikma and Greg Yess as the only players in school history to attain 1,600 points and 800 rebounds.
The Titans close the season Tuesday against North Central at Merner Fieldhouse in Naperville.
Titans fall just short
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Augustana College’s trek to a second consecutive College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin outright basketball championship has been an impressive one.
Just as it did last month in Rock Island, Illinois Wesleyan made sure it was difficult as well.
The Titans rallied within two points in the final minute and watched a late go-ahead 3-point attempt fall short Wednesday as Augustana hung on for an 80-77 victory before a Shirk Center crowd of 1,700.
“That’s what you would expect on Senior Night — a challenge,” Augustana coach Grey Giovanine said. “And it certainly was.”
Coupled with an Elmhurst loss to North Central, No. 9-ranked Augustana (20-4 overall) clinched the CCIW title at 11-2 and will host next weekend’s CCIW Tournament.
“We fought hard until the end,” IWU senior guard Mike Harrigan said. “We feel like we had to give ourselves a chance. That’s what we were looking for. But they’re a tough team. There’s a reason they’re in first place in the league.”
Wesleyan (10-13, 3-9) officially was eliminated from contention for the CCIW Tournament and will suffer its first losing season since 1989. IWU also nearly upset Augustana in Rock Island, 64-62.
“It’s just a shame. I thought the kids played so hard,” Titans coach Ron Rose said. “But similar to a lot of games, we were close but not quite good enough. It was not from a lack of caring, effort and character.”
In his final game at Shirk Center, Wesleyan senior and All-American candidate Zach Freeman had 23 points and 15 rebounds.
“Zach was phenomenal. I’m really going to miss coaching that kid,” Rose said. “He’s not only tremendously talented, he’s a tremendous kid.”
Freeman fouled out with 8 seconds to play.
“The last 5 minutes, hey, that was fun. I don’t think you can fault our effort. It was exciting, I hope, for the fans,” Freeman said. “We had a chance to take the lead there in the last minute, and it didn’t go down. That’s kind of the story of our season so far. But we still have two games left to make things happen.”
IWU trailed 51-43 at the 13:17 mark of the second half after a steal and layup from freshman Matt Pelton, a Central Catholic High School graduate.
“Pelton played a terrific game,” Giovanine said. “It’s never easy to play in your home city, but he was just outstanding.”
Augustana stretched its lead to 70-59 on two Rose free throws at the 4:25 mark. IWU crept within 72-67 on a Jordan Morris 3-pointer with 1:49 remaining.
An Andrew Gilmore shot in the lane with 27 seconds left cut the Titans’ deficit to 77-75. After normally steady Vikings’ senior Drew Wessels missed two free throws, Gilmore’s 3-point try from just left of the key was short off the front of the rim.
“We showed our stripes at the end fighting back,” said Rose. “The second half we didn’t rebound very well, we missed some key free throws and some pretty good looks. That’s how they got the 8-10 point spread.”
Two Rose free throws gave the Vikings back a four-point lead. Tyler Smith’s basket with two seconds showing preceded one final free throw from Nate Swetalla.
Harrigan was 4 of 6 from 3-point range on his way to a career-high 18 points. Darius Gant chipped in 12 points and 10 rebounds.
“We gave a great effort on Senior Night,” Harrigan said. “That’s a tribute to the guys in this locker room. We haven’t had the best year, but we’re going to play to the last buzzer.”
Rose paced the Viking with 17 points, Nate Swetalla added 14 and Dain Swetalla 10. Pelton hit two first-half 3-pointers and finished with eight.
“It was a lot of fun. This is a good place to play,” said Pelton. “There was a lot at stake. It’s a great win for us.”
Both teams shot 31 free throws. Augustana converted 24 and Wesleyan 19
Wheaton outlasts IWU men
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON - By any review, there is no "S" in Wheaton. That's unfortunate. There really should have been something on Kent Raymond's chest to indicate Superman was lurking somewhere inside Shirk Center on Saturday.
Among the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin's best on an average night, Raymond's excellence took on comic-book proportions with a Shirk record 44 points as Wheaton outlasted Illinois Wesleyan, 93-84, before a crowd of 2,100.
"Our bus broke down (causing a 20-minute delay in the game's tipoff), so we didn't get our normal warmup," Raymond said. "Maybe I won't warm up as much for the next one. I felt like I saved most of it for the game. Playing in Shirk with these fans, it was a lot of fun."
The 25th-ranked Thunder (15-7 overall) strengthened its chances for a CCIW Tournament berth by moving to 7-4 in league play.
"We had no answer for Kent tonight," said Wesleyan coach Ron Rose, whose team dropped to 10-12 and 3-8 in the CCIW. "We went man (defense) and he scored. We went zone and he scored. We tried box and one and he scored. He's a heckuva ball player."
Raymond was 9 of 13 from the field, 6 of 9 from 3-point range and an amazing 20 of 20 at the free throw line to top Korey Coon's 42-point Shirk performance in 2000.
"The type of ball I grew up playing in Indiana, I've never been the quickest. I've had to use my body to draw contact," said Raymond, an 86 percent free throw shooter entering the game. "I don't think the Shirk faithful thought I should have got all those, but I'm not complaining. They're freebies."
Raymond narrowly missed the CCIW single-game record of 22 free throws made set by Augustana's Dale Schweinberger in 1957.
"He's crafty. He understands how to create contact," Rose said. "And he has a certain showmanship about his game. He's the complete package."
Raymond's heroics overshadowed a career-high 27 points from Titan junior Darius Gant.
"I felt good, but it was more me focusing on taking the ball to the basket and being more confident in my driving ability," said Gant, whose previous career high was 21.
Gant connected on 11 of 12 shots from the floor.
"Darius was phenomenal," Rose said. "He was really aggressive and confident and strong inside. He was awfully good at the offensive end."
Wheaton held a 76-65 advantage after a Raymond 3-pointer. A Zach Freeman dunk, a Gant rebound basket and an Andrew Gilmore 3-pointer allowed IWU to rally within 77-73 at the 5:51 mark.
A Jordan Morris 3-pointer energized the Shirk crowd and brought the Titans to a 79-78 deficit with 3:53 remaining. Raymond responded with two free throws and a 3-pointer to hold off the Wesleyan charge.
Gilmore added 20 points and twins Zach and Andrew Freeman chipped in 14 each as IWU shot 60 percent from the field in defeat.
Andy Wiele scored 15 points for Wheaton, which also received 10 apiece from Johnnie Standard, Ben Panner and John Mohan.
The Thunder shot 58 percent and nailed half of its 20 shots from beyond the arc.
A first half that featured six ties and seven lead changes was dominated by Raymond and Gant.
Gant's 17 first-half points were more than his entire game output in all but two of the previous 21 games. Raymond scored 18 with eight coming at the line.
Wesleyan led 28-24 until a 14-5 Thunder run gave the visitors a 38-33 edge that stood at 44-40 at halftime.
Titans rally past rival
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
DECATUR -- After a whistle and an offensive foul resulted in a key turnover, Millikin guard Drew Gensler wanted words with Illinois Wesleyan guard Jordan Morris.
Suffice it to say they were not “Nice play.”
“I was trying to get in his head. He’s kind of a hot head sometimes,” Morris said. “He lit us up the first time. I did not want that to happen again.”
While Gensler expressed his annoyance with Morris verbally and not physically, IWU had won both the battles of poise and determination.
Victory on the scoreboard logically followed as the Titans rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to defeat Millikin, 66-60, Wednesday before a Griswold Center crowd of 600.
Wesleyan held the Big Blue to 19 second-half points in a contest to avoid the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin cellar.
“It’s a great win. We showed a lot of heart and pride the second half and were rewarded with a big win,” said IWU coach Ron Rose. “We had great energy the second half, a lot of positive emotion. I’m pleased how we came together.”
Wesleyan (10-11, 3-7 in the CCIW) nearly fell apart in the opening half.
Millikin (9-12, 2-8) shot 57 percent and connected on a sizzling 8 of 13 from 3-point range for a 41-31 margin at the break.
“Everybody was sick of it. We know we can play better,” IWU senior Zach Freeman said. “We came out as hard as we can the second half. We did a great job tightening up and locking down on defense.”
Freeman’s basket from the lane with 5:13 remaining brought the Titans into a 56-56 tie. Three Jordan Morris free throws followed as Wesleyan enjoyed its first lead since 2-0.
Freeman again converted in the lane at the 2:08 mark for a five-point IWU edge before a hounding Morris drew an offensive foul from Gensler with 1:23 showing.
“Drew is an excellent player,” said Rose. “He had a great game (23 points) the first time. We did a much better job making him work to get open looks. Jordan took it upon himself to make him work.”
One Gensler free throw with 22 seconds left cut the Big Blue deficit to 62-58, but Freeman followed with a pair from the line for a six-point Wesleyan cushion.
Millikin scored just seven points in the final 8:56 and the Big Blue’s 19 percent second-half shooting (4 of 21) included 0 of 8 beyond the arc.
“I thought Wesleyan really played well defensively, and we didn’t do much at the offensive end,” said Millikin coach Tim Littrell. “One thing they can do is score. We didn’t allow ourselves a chance to get back in the game.”
Freeman paced all scorers with 24 points and blocked three shots. Andrew Gilmore added 12 and a team-high five rebounds.
“We got defensive stops and we got defensive rebounds,” Freeman said. “That’s how we won the game.”
Mike Gavic scored 13 of his team-high 17 points in the first half for Millikin. Gensler and Zach Ott chipped in 12 each. The Big Blue was hurt by 12 of 22 free-throw shooting, while the Titans hit 17 of 20.
IWU slumped to 43 percent shooting in the second half to finish at 51 percent (22 of 43). The Titans, however, committed just two of their 12 turnovers after halftime.
Wesleyan next faces Wheaton in a 7:30 p.m. league game Saturday at Shirk Center.
IWU men lose to Elmhurst
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON - Eighty minutes in need. Eighty minutes without a lead.
That is the unsavory tale of Illinois Wesleyan's attempt to oppose Elmhurst on the basketball court this season.
Elmhurst completed a double dose of dominance over IWU Saturday with an 84-69 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before a season-best Shirk Center crowd of 2,300.
The No. 12-ranked Bluejays (16-4, 6-3 in the CCIW) snapped an 18-game losing streak at IWU with its first Shirk Center triumph.
Elmhurst, which scored the first 11 points in a 76-57 win over Wesleyan on Jan. 13 in Elmhurst, struck for the first eight in the game's opening 1:42 on Saturday. And, just like three weeks ago, the Bluejays never trailed.
"That's what they did to us last time," sophomore guard Jordan Morris said. "We had some lapses at the beginning on defense. We weren't communicating well and left some shooters open."
The Titans slipped to 9-11 and 2-7 in conference play.
"Our goal was to take the fight to them. Unfortunately, they took it to us early," said Wesleyan coach Ron Rose. "The games we fall behind early make for a long evening. We were never able to get enough defensive stops or get enough going offensively to make a serious run at them."
Elmhurst's sixth 3-pointer came from Chris Childs at the 10:53 mark of the opening half and gave the Bluejays a 28-10 cushion. IWU trailed by as many as 19 and faced a 41-27 deficit at halftime.
"They are big and strong," Rose said. "When they shoot it that way, they are very hard to guard."
The Bluejays shot 56 percent from the field and nailed 8 of 14 from 3-point range.
"We knew how big this game was," said Elmhurst sophomore and Blue Ridge High School graduate Brent Ruch. "We worked on defense all week. We played really hard. You have to against a team like Wesleyan."
The Bluejays limited IWU All-American candidate Zach Freeman to eight shots, 15 points and a season-low four rebounds.
"Wesleyan's strength is inside, and we have a lot of respect for Zach," Elmhurst coach Mark Scherer said. "But we have four bodies we can throw at him and over the course of a game wear him out."
The Titans got as close as 11 points twice in the second half. The final occasion came when five straight Andrew Freeman points brought Wesleyan within 51-40 at the 12:58 mark.
Elmhurst responded with an 8-2 run highlight by five Nick Michael points.
"They are a real good team," said Morris. "Every time we came back, they had an answer for us."
Morris had a career-high for the second straight game with 15 points. Andrew Freeman grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and joined Mike Harrigan with nine points apiece.
"Jordan is a hustler. He scrapped all night," Rose said. "He made some things happen offensively."
Elmhurst's balanced attack featured 16 points and nine rebounds from Michael and 12 points and six rebounds from Ruch.
"Brent was instrumental," said Scherer. "He established our post game early and that gave our perimeter open looks."
Taking advantage of the view were guards Ryan Burks (15 points), Brian Lee (11) and Pat Bacon (11).
"When Pat shoots the ball well, we're a totally different team," Scherer said. "When he doesn't shoot it well, teams deny Burks and back off and clog up the middle."
IWU was outrebounded for just the third time all season, 34-27.
Titans snap losing streak
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- North Central’s second-half rally was practically inevitable. Its immediacy was nonetheless startling.
Yet when confronted with a threat it has been unable to withstand during a six-game losing streak, Illinois Wesleyan turned both protective and productive at the most opportune time Wednesday at Shirk Center.
North Central chopped an 18-point deficit to eight in the opening five minutes of the second half and moved as close as four shortly thereafter before IWU regained control to secure a 65-51 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before a crowd of 1,800.
“It was a hard-earned win. I thought it was well deserved by our kids,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “They hung in there and stayed positive. I’m thrilled they could experience a winning locker room again.”
The Titans, who had not won since Jan. 6, improved to 9-10 overall and 2-6 in the CCIW.
“It’s going to be a lot easier to sleep at night,” said IWU senior co-captain Zach Freeman. “I was doing a lot of reflecting, thinking about what we can do as a team, and what I can do to overcome some struggles. It’s been tough on everybody. Tonight is a great first step to the rest of the year.”
A near flawless first half saw the Titans ride 13 points from Freeman and eight each from the guard tandem of Andrew Gilmore and Jordan Morris to a 39-23 lead.
When Freeman nailed a 16-footer to open the second half scoring, Wesleyan enjoyed an 18-point cushion.
Any detectable jocularity faded quickly as Titan killer Anthony Simmons scored eight points in a 10-0 North Central spurt.
“The effort we gave the second half, we should have, because we gave no effort the first half,” Cardinals’ coach Todd Raridon said. “The first half Illinois Wesleyan shot the ball extremely well, executed what they wanted to and took us out of things.”
Morris’ three-point play momentarily restored IWU’s sense of well being. But with North Central (11-8, 3-5) wreaking havoc with a full court press and Simmons and Brandon Smith hitting 3-pointers, the Cardinals trailed just 47-43 with 12:43 remaining.
“The beginning of the second half I think I was trying to let them back in it with a few dumb passes,” Gilmore said. “But we got a few stops and a few shots and we were back rolling.”
The final two of Simmons’ 24 points brought North Central within 57-51 at the 5:11 mark.
A Gilmore free throw, a Darius Gant rebound basket and a Freeman dunk off a Gilmore assist pushed the IWU advantage back to 62-51.
After Andrew Freeman connected on a 17-foot jumper and followed with a steal, the Titans began running the clock down toward a much-needed triumph.
“I’m really proud of our kids. We were able to regroup and keep our poise and made a run of our own,” said Rose. “I thought the last seven minutes our defense really picked up. We made a number of hustle plays. You could see our kids really wanted to win this game.”
Zach Freeman paced the Titans with 24 points and seven rebounds. He was matched up with former Normal Community High School teammate and close friend Adam Krumtinger much of the evening.
“Zach, all four years here he’s been a monster. He’s going left and you still can’t stop him,” Krumtinger said. “I was told to try to contain him and he was going to get his points. We were trying to stop the other people from scoring, and we didn’t do that too well.”
Morris scored a career-high 11 points, Gilmore also had 11, Gant added 10 and Andrew Freeman chipped in nine as the Titans got all 65 of their points from starters.
“I feel like we could have been playing like this the whole time,” said Gilmore. “Now we know what it takes to play 40 minutes. There are still a lot of games to be played. We go on a little streak and who knows what will happen.”
Krumtinger added 12 points and led North Central with six rebounds. Chris Drennan, yet another NCHS product, had three points for the lone scoring from a non-starter all evening.
The Cardinals committed 24 turnovers and shot 44 percent from the field.
“That (the turnovers) is going to kill you every single game,” Krumtinger said. “Their zone was good, but no way it should cause 24 turnovers.”
Wesleyan finished at 52 percent from the field after a 59 percent first-half showing. The Titans had 15 of their 19 turnovers in the second half.
Toliver changes benches
Teddy Toliver began the season as a Titan. He returned to Shirk Center Wednesday as a Cardinal.
Toliver, who left the IWU team in December, has transferred to North Central. He is practicing with the Cardinals, but CCIW rules prohibit him from playing at another conference school for one full year.
Titans get ‘manhandled’ by Carthage
6-game skid IWU’s longest since 1985
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
KENOSHA, Wis. -- Illinois Wesleyan’s “Zach Attack” was its usual productive self early on Saturday as senior Zach Freeman scored 11 points in the first eight minutes.
The rest of the Titans, however, weren’t offering much supportive firepower with just two points over that span.
IWU never escaped the resulting hole and trailed by as many as 25 points in the second half in a 94-83 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin loss to Carthage before a crowd of 1,625 at the Physical Education Center.
“I felt like we got manhandled tonight,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “They were more physical and aggressive. Early, they didn’t miss much, but our defense was pretty passive.”
Following Wednesday’s inspired effort in a last-second loss to league-leading Augustana, Wesleyan gave a listless performance until the final minutes while dropping to 8-10 overall and 1-6 in the CCIW.
“They hit a couple shots at the beginning and everybody got down on themselves and felt sorry for themselves,” said Freeman, who finished with a career-high 34 points. “That’s when we’re at our most vulnerable.”
IWU’s sixth straight loss represents its longest stretch without a win since 1985.
No. 20-ranked Carthage (13-5, 4-3) avenged a 79-76 loss to Wesleyan Jan. 6 at Shirk Center.
“It really never got close, but anytime you let a 25-point game finish at 11 it’s an uncomfortable win,” Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic said. “They really came battling back the last 12-13 minutes.”
The Titans led only at 3-2, and the Red Men held a 21-13 edge with Freeman accounting for 11.
While winning its fourth straight contest, Carthage took a 33-18 advantage on a Trey Bowens’ three-point play, and the Red Men enjoyed a 42-27 halftime cushion.
Two Bowens’ 3-pointers and one each from Navarro Thompson and Brian Schlemm in the opening 2:05 of the second half extended the Carthage lead to 54-29.
“They really pressured us and disrupted us. We were on our heels most of the night at both ends of the floor,” Rose said. “We didn’t have the fight we had on Wednesday. It’s such a fine line for us on what allows us to compete.”
A Mike Harrigan 3 with 12:50 remaining cut the Wesleyan deficit to 61-47. But Carthage moved back out to a 76-53 lead on a spurt capped by a Sean Fendley 3-pointer.
A Freeman basket at the 2:50 mark brought IWU within 85-74, and the Titans got as close as nine points in the final minute.
“That’s unacceptable,” Freeman said. “We end up scrambling at the end playing for our lives. But where are we the first 30 minutes?”
Freeman also led the Titans with eight rebounds as IWU outrebounded Carthage, 32-24. IWU shot 63.6 percent from the field in the second half and 55 percent overall.
The Red Men placed five scorers in double figures led by Schlemm with 24 and Bowens with 23. Carthage shot 57 percent in each half and connected on 11 of 26 from 3-point range.
Andrew Gilmore’s 18 points were one off a career high for the Titans. Harrigan chipped in 10.
Freshman Elias Washington saw his first varsity action of the season for Wesleyan.
Titans lose in final seconds
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
ROCK ISLAND -- Progress can be a tantalizingly painful process. Illinois Wesleyan acutely felt that pain Wednesday.
Considerable improvement over recent games elevated the Titans to the brink of an upset over No. 12-ranked Augustana only to have Vikings’ senior Pat Brusveen break the Titans’ hearts.
Brusveen’s 3-pointer from the left wing with three seconds left gave Augustana a dramatic 64-62 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory before a Carver Center crowd of 1,452.
"All night we played with passion, toughness and togetherness. That’s what I wanted to see the kids do," IWU coach Ron Rose said. "It’s hard that we don’t have a win to show for the effort."
One Darius Gant free throw with 17 seconds left gave Wesleyan (8-9, 1-5 in the CCIW) a 62-61 lead.
Brusveen took a pass from point guard Drew Wessels and swished the game-winner.
"We’ve got a guy who’s like 1 for his last 20 and he takes the game-winning shot and makes it," Augustana coach Grey Giovanine said. "We had two great wing shooters and the ball in our playmaker’s (Wessels) hands. He (Brusveen) rose up and won us a great game."
"It took a lot of confidence from the coaches to keep me in. I’ve been struggling," said Brusveen. "I’m in there for no other reason than if I get a shot to take it."
The Vikings, who trailed 60-52 with five minutes remaining, moved to 15-3 and a CCIW-leading 6-1.
"That one is tough," IWU guard Andrew Gilmore said. "We played our absolute butts off and a shot at the end ... We played a great game for 39 minutes and 55 seconds."
An Andrew Freeman driving basket gave the Titans the 60-52 lead as IWU survived a stretch of 4:24 with Zach Freeman on the bench with four fouls.
Two Jordan Delp 3-pointers helped the Vikings close in, while the only Wesleyan point of the final five minutes other than Gant’s free throw was a Zach Freeman free throw with 2:12 showing.
One Brusveen free throw at the 1:26 mark tied the score at 61.
After an IWU miss and an Augustana turnover, Gant rebounded a Jordan Morris miss and almost coaxed the ball in while being fouled.
"It was certainly a hard-fought game," said Rose. "The kids did exactly what we asked them to do. When you’re playing league-leading Augie you want a chance to win at the end and we had it. It took a heckuva shot to beat us."
IWU outrebounded the Vikings, 36-27, and committed just three of its 17 turnovers in the second half.
Zach Freeman paced the Titans with 17 points. Gilmore added 15, while Andrew Freeman had 11 and matched Gant with a game-high eight rebounds.
"One thing we can take out of it is we know we can play at that level," Gilmore said. "We played a great defensive game for the most part."
IWU dropped a fifth straight game for the first time since 1985.
"We raised our level of intensity and desire," Rose said. "If we play that hard the rest of the year, we’re going to win some games."
Dain Swetalla led Augustana with 18 points. Delp added 15, while freshman guard and Central Catholic High School graduate Matt Pelton hit a second-half 3-pointer and grabbed four rebounds off the bench.
The Vikings shot 37 percent from the field in the first half and 39 percent overall. Augustana connected on 15 of 18 free throws to 5 of 8 for Wesleyan.
"We trailed for 39:50 and a found a way to win," said Giovanine. "I know Wesleyan has been struggling, but when these two teams get together it’s a battle. Coach Rose did a terrific job making it tough on us."
Its 2-3 zone bothering Augustana, IWU scored the game’s first 10 points on a Gilmore 3-pointer, a dunk and a three-point play from Zach Freeman and a Gant basket.
"We really struggled against their zone," Giovanine said. "I was not surprised to see them in zone, but we didn’t do a good job attacking it."
The Titans held a 23-14 lead at the 7:04 mark of the half after a Mike Harrigan 3-pointer.
Augustana pulled into a 25-all tie on a Brusveen 3-pointer, and took a 28-27 edge into the locker room after Swetalla’s inside basket with four seconds left.
IWU men fall to North Park
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON - Illinois Wesleyan had just as much trouble with a team from Chicago as did the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. North Park's sizzling 3-point shooting and uncharacteristically lethargic IWU rebounding doomed the Titans to a 90-81 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin loss before a Shirk Center crowd of 750.
"North Park was bigger, faster, stronger but more importantly more aggressive than we were," Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. "I'm very disappointed in our performance. If we're going to have a chance to win we have to fight harder and play better."
The Titans slipped to 8-8 overall and 1-4 in the CCIW with their fourth straight defeat. With four home games remaining, IWU has already lost more games (four of seven) at Shirk Center than any other Wesleyan team since the building opened in 1994.
North Park (11-6, 3-3) snapped a 17-game losing streak in Bloomington with its first Shirk Center triumph.
"Our guys stepped up and performed," Vikings' coach Paul Brenegan said. "It's a big win for us."
The Titans had outrebounded its opponent in 14 of 15 games entering Sunday. Yet North Park embarrassed Wesleyan with a 35-21 margin on the boards.
While twins Zach and Andrew Freeman combined for 13 rebounds, IWU starters Darius Gant, Andrew Gilmore and Kevin Bryant failed to grab a rebound in a combined 63 minutes.
"They killed us on the boards," said Rose. "With the guys we've got, that's an effort, desire and focus statistic. We've been fantastic on the boards. That's what has given us a chance to win. Tonight we didn't do it on the boards, and as a result we didn't have a chance to win."
With former IWU All-American Korey Coon on hand as the Titans' 1997 national championship team was honored at halftime, it was North Park freshman Joe Capalbo who offered a pretty fair impersonation of Coon's outside shooting prowess.
Capalbo was 6 of 7 from 3-point range, 8 of 10 overall and scored 22 points.
"I can't say enough about his performance," said Brenegan. "He made a lot of shots and he competed. He's a heckuva freshman for us."
A 36 percent 3-point shooting team before Sunday, the Vikings were 13 of 21 (62 percent) from beyond the arc.
"You're picking your poison when they're shooting like that," Rose said. "They're shooting it in and going right by us too. We tried a number of different defenses and it really didn't matter. They scored in every single one of them. They were just more competitive than we were."
A 13-3 North Park burst gave the Vikings a 34-24 lead at the 7:25 mark of the opening half.
IWU responded with 10 straight points on three Zach Freeman baskets, one from Gant and one from Brett Chamernik.
North Park struck back quickly on 3-pointers from Dan Oziminski and Uriah Rice and took a 42-37 lead into halftime.
Capalbo nailed back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second half to extend a five-point Vikings' lead to 56-45.
"It just wasn't a good defensive effort today," Andrew Freeman said. "The first half they hit a bunch of threes. We weren't getting out on them. Our first rotation on help (defense) was good, but our back side rotation was terrible. That's definitely something we have to work on."
North Park had the Titans reeling at 73-54 with 7:25 remaining before five points from Jason Bloom and seven from Zach Freeman brought Wesleyan within 77-67 at the 3:46 mark.
An Andrew Freeman fast break bucket cut the IWU deficit to 78-69 before North Park moved back out to an 83-70 margin.
"The second half it seemed like we would play all right for a while then have some lulls in there," said Andrew Freeman, who had 11 points, six rebounds and four blocks. "I guess that's our mission now. We've got to figure out how to not let that happen."
Wesleyan trailed 89-81 with 51 seconds left after three-pointers from Andrew Freeman, Anthony Gunnell and Mike Harrigan.
Zach Freeman was 11 of 15 from the field on his way to 26 points to move into 10th on IWU's career scoring list. He added seven rebounds and a career-high six assists.
Harrigan added 12 points on 4 of 5 3-point accuracy and Gilmore had 10.
Capalbo was supported by 12 points each from Anthony Lenoir and Nick Williams, 11 from Jay Alexander and 10 from Stephano Jones. Lenoir topped all rebounders with 12.
The Vikings shot 56 percent from the field (31 of 55).
"One thing we've been harping on all year is to share the basketball and we're finally starting to do that," Brenegan said. "I was really satisfied how we shared the basketball."
The Titans also shot well (57 percent) and connected on a season-high 11 3-pointers in 25 attempts.
Bryant left the game after turning his right ankle with 9:59 remaining and did not return.
Wheaton sinks IWU with 3-point barrage
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
WHEATON -- Wheaton College misfired on its first six shots from 3-point range Wednesday at King Arena.
What a tease.
The Thunder sharply reversed field to toss in seven second-half 3-pointers and overwhelmed Illinois Wesleyan with a 23-5 spurt en route to a 79-65 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin basketball victory before a crowd of 856.
“They elevated their game. They dared us to make plays, and we didn’t respond,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “They got their 3-point shooters going, and we had some defensive lapses.”
The Titans dropped their third straight game while falling to 8-7 overall and 1-3 in the CCIW.
Reserve guard John Mohan scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half and was 5 of 6 from 3-point range as Wheaton moved to 10-5 and 2-2 in conference play.
“Defensively, we broke down obviously,” said IWU guard Kevin Bryant, who had seven points and five assists in his first career start. “They’re a dangerous team. Everyone on the floor can put up the three. We let down as far as closing out on the perimeter.”
Wesleyan led 48-45 at the 14:22 mark of the second half before Mohan nailed three consecutive 3-pointers during a 13-0 Wheaton burst.
A Michael Fiddler layup with 5:15 remaining extended the Thunder lead to 68-53.
“Momentum was on their side. They played with a lot of energy during that period,” said Rose. “We would lose (defensive) concentration halfway through the shot clock.”
IWU held a 39-35 lead after an opening half of spurts.
Wheaton scored the game’s first six points only to see Wesleyan storm back to lead 16-10 on an Andrew Gilmore 3-pointer.
“We were playing great basketball,” Rose said. “We were sticking to the game plan and getting good shots.”
The Titans later scored 11 straight points for a 29-14 advantage with 7:39 remaining. Wheaton slowly regained momentum and trimmed its deficit to 33-30.
“The second half was impressive. But I thought the last five minutes of the first half was important to get us in shouting distance,” Thunder coach Bill Harris said. “We got outrebounded 21-8 the first half. I had to remind them at halftime that the women’s game was in Bloomington, and the men’s game was at King Arena.”
Zach Freeman paced IWU with 23 points and matched Darius Gant with a team-high nine rebounds.
“Zach continued to try to tear down our rims,” Harris said of Freeman’s dunks. “He’s a great player. But no one else in double figures really helps us.”
Gilmore scored nine points and Andrew Freeman, who fouled out with 10:26 to play, added eight. The Titans shot 35 percent from the field in the second half and 45 percent overall.
Wheaton sophomore guard Kent Raymond topped all scorers with 26, 13 in each half. Fiddler added 13.
“We’re close,” said Rose. “But we’re not there.”
The Titans meet North Park in a 3 p.m. game Sunday at Shirk Center. Wesleyan’s 1997 Division III national championship team will be honored at halftime.
Dwyer done for season
Titan freshman guard Sean Dwyer had hoped to return from a stress fracture that has sidelined him since November in the next 7 to 10 days.
Dwyer won’t be returning at all this season and breaking the other foot in practice Tuesday.
Elmhurst cools off Titans
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
ELMHURST -- Elmhurst College entered Saturday’s College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin basketball game already comforted by the considerable warmth of a 12-game winning streak.
When Illinois Wesleyan started off cold, it made for a decidedly uncomfortable Faganel Hall climate for the Titans.
No. 14-ranked Elmhurst scored the game’s first 11 points and never trailed in a 76-57 victory over IWU before a crowd of 1,119.
“We knew they would come out physical and aggressive, and they jumped on us early,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “Once we adjusted a little, we competed. But playing from behind for 40 minutes wears on you.”
The Bluejays (13-1, 3-0 in the CCIW) nailed 8 of their first 11 shots while constructing an 18-4 lead.
“Our guys were really ready to play,” said Elmhurst coach Mark Scherer. “I was very pleased how we executed the first eight to 10 minutes. That was some of the best offense we’ve been able to run. I thought Wesleyan was ready as well, but they had a cold shooting night.”
Elmhurst held a 30-15 margin before IWU (8-6, 1-2) began to shake off its 4 of 21 shooting start.
“We knew they were the most physical team we’ve played. We prepared for that, but we acted like we were surprised,” Titans’ sophomore guard Andrew Gilmore said. “We let it get to us. It was ridiculous on our part.”
Baskets from Kevin Bryant, Darius Gant and Zach Freeman combined with two free throws from Andrew Freeman and one from Zach Freeman to trim the Bluejays’ advantage to 30-24.
Elmhurst capped the opening half on a flourish solely administered by senior Brian Lee.
Lee connected on a 3-pointer at the 1:24 mark and followed with a driving basket.
As IWU held the ball for the final shot of the half, Lee stripped Bryant and launched a desperation heave from halfcourt that swished through the net at the buzzer for a 38-24 halftime lead.
“When Wesleyan went zone, it made us very lethargic,” Scherer said. “I laid into our guys at halftime. I told them we were lucky we threw in a couple, and that one we literally threw in.”
The Titans finished the half 7 of 29 from the floor with zero assists.
“The first five minutes and the last minute and a half they completely dominated us. Those six and a half minutes were so dramatic, it made it rough,” said Rose. “This is yet another lesson on how aggressive we have to play to survive.”
IWU climbed within nine twice early in the second half. Elmhurst opened up a 52-37 advantage, and the Titans could not whittle their deficit under 11 the rest of the way.
Elmhurst sophomore Brent Ruch, a 6-foot-10 Blue Ridge High School product, made it tough on the Titans in the lane with 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting from the field, seven rebounds, five blocked shots and three steals.
“Our motto is play hard the first four minutes and let our teammates come in. We have a very good bench,” said Ruch. “We did a good job pounding it inside. When they sagged on our posts, our guards really shot it well (8 of 16 from 3-point range). We’re clicking really well.”
“Their physical play wore us down,” Rose said. “We battled, but they did a nice job keeping us at bay. They hit some big shots.”
IWU did not hit many shots of its own. The Titans shot a season-low 31.7 percent from the field (19 of 60), but outrebounded the taller Bluejays, 38-33, behind 10 rebounds from Gant and seven from Zach Freeman.
Zach Freeman was the lone Titan scoring in double figures with 22. Gant added nine, while Gilmore and Bryant had eight each.
Elmhurst shot 55 percent from the floor and received 15 points from Lee and 14 from Ryan Burks.
IWU tries again Wednesday in a 7:30 p.m. CCIW game at Wheaton.
IWU rally falls short
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Spearheading a dramatic Illinois Wesleyan rally with inspired play meant little to a despondent Zach Freeman in the Titans’ locker room Wednesday at Shirk Center.
Not being able to finish an IWU surge that shaved a 16-point Millikin lead to two meant everything to the Wesleyan senior.
“It was a disappointing second half to say the least,” Freeman said after the Big Blue hung on for an 84-82 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin victory. “This is not something we wanted to do at home.”
The second of two Anthony Gunnell 3-pointers brought the Titans, who had trailed 80-64 with 4:52 remaining, within 81-79 at the 2:01 mark.
IWU had three possessions with a chance to tie the score. But Freeman missed a shot in the lane off the back iron, Mike Harrigan committed a turnover and Freeman lost the ball out of bounds on a fast break
“I look back as a coach and kick myself for not calling a timeout,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “But I thought we had a lot of momentum, and I wanted to save that in case we needed it later. That kind of epitomized the game. We really played sloppy, unfocused basketball.”
The Titans dropped to 8-5 overall and 1-1 in the CCIW before a crowd of 2,000. Millikin (8-5, 1-1) snapped a 12-game losing streak to Wesleyan.
Freeman matched a career high while scoring a season-high 30 points and moved into 12th place on the IWU career scoring list with 1,424 points.
“I thought our kids played hard all the way through,” Millikin coach Tim Littrell said. “Zach Freeman is just a tremendous player. We didn’t have an answer for him.”
The Big Blue took control with a 20-4 second half run that produced a 64-50 lead. Millikin enjoyed a 16-point cushion after Mike Gavic’s 3-pointer at the 4:52 mark.
“Defense. We couldn’t get a stop,” Freeman said. “I was probably the worst defensive player out there tonight so put that right on top of my shoulders.”
Sophomore guard Drew Gensler scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, repeatedly hurting the Titans with dribble penetration.
“Until the very end when Anthony Gunnell came in and competed, we didn’t have anybody step up to stop him,” said Rose. “We were supposed to double him and we didn’t. We were a step slow all night. Because we were flat footed defensively, we made it very easy on them.”
Zach Freeman scored the first seven points of IWU’s rally, and an Andrew Freeman inside basket sliced the Millikin lead to 80-73.
After a Gensler free throw, Gunnell nailed his second career 3-pointer from the corner. Millikin’s Vincent Brock missed a pair of free throws before Gunnell struck again from beyond the arc to bring the Titans within two.
With the home crowd roaring and blocks from each Freeman giving IWU the ball back on successive possessions, Wesleyan could not locate the tying points.
“We made a couple of bad plays at the end right when we needed a bucket,” said Zach Freeman, who also led all rebounders with 11. “It hurts.”
Gensler connected on two free throws with 24 seconds left. After a Gunnell miss, Gensler made one of two from the line. Harrigan’s 3-pointer with one-tenth of a second remaining provided the final margin.
“Drew, down the stretch, was fantastic,” Littrell said. “He was the one option we had, and I thought he really delivered for us during crucial times.”
Gavic, who missed Millikin’s loss to North Park last Saturday with the flu, was 6 of 9 from 3-point range and added 22 points.
“For us, a lot of times it’s just about making shots,” said Littrell, whose team shot 54 percent from the field. “We’re never going to have a pretty team. We make too many mistakes, we’re too young. When shots go in, it makes you look a little better, more in rhythm. We had some shots go down that really helped us.”
Darius Gant with 12 points was the only other Titan besides Zach Freeman in double figures. Brett Chamernik chipped in a career-high nine points in 11 minutes off the bench.
Wesleyan shot 53 percent from the floor but was 12 of 18 at the free throw line. Zach Freeman hit eight of eight from the line, while his teammates were 4 of 10.
The Titans outrebounded Millikin, 38-25, and had more assists (19) than turnovers (14) for the first time in eight games.
IWU outlasts Carthage
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Opening the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin basketball season against a nationally ranked opponent presents a stiff challenge.
Complicating matters considerably for Illinois Wesleyan Saturday was the presence of leading scorer and rebounder Zach Freeman on the bench for the final 10 minutes of the first half.
Junior Darius Gant and senior Andrew Freeman kept the Titans close, and IWU finished strong behind Zach Freeman's late heroics for a 79-76 victory over No. 17 Carthage before a Shirk Center crowd of 2,000.
"Somebody told me only 13 more. That's a heckuva way to get welcomed to the CCIW," first-year Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. "It's a great way to start the conference race. It was a team win."
The Titans moved to 8-4 in the CCIW opener for both teams as Gant and the Freeman twins combined for 58 points.
Zach Freeman gave IWU a 68-67 lead with a driving shot at the 3:39 mark. He followed with an inside basket while drawing the fifth foul on Carthage standout Brian Schlemm with 2:49 left. Freeman completed the three-point play for a four-point Titans' margin.
"When we made our push, Zach showed why he's an All-American," said Rose. "We got some really big defensive stops at critical times."
A Trey Bowens 3-pointer at the 8.5-second mark brought the Red Men within 78-76.
Zach Freeman made one of two free throws before Bowens' closely guarded 3-point attempt at the buzzer missed its mark.
"It was a fun game. I thought we had a little more energy toward the end of the game," said Zach Freeman, who had 18 of his 20 points in the second half. "We got a couple of loose balls and made some plays."
Carthage got 20 points from Schlemm and 19 from Milos Vukosavljevic while falling to 9-3.
"They made a couple more plays at the end of the game than we did," Red Men coach Bosko Djurickovic said. "We were up five or six and we could never get it out to eight or 10. Then they got it to (Zach) Freeman a lot, and he got to the line a lot."
Neither team led by more than four points until a Vukosavljevic 3-pointer with 10:32 left extended Carthage's lead to 57-50.
A Zach Freeman three-point play cut the Wesleyan deficit to 57-55, and the Titans captured the lead at 63-61 on an Andrew Gilmore 3-pointer at the 6:35 mark.
"I can't say enough about Andrew Gilmore. He's playing on a couple of flat tires," Rose said of Gilmore's knee tendinitis. "He's such a gutty kid. I had a feeling he was going to hit that shot."
Andrew Freeman scored 13 points and Gant 12 as Wesleyan took a 38-36 lead into the halftime locker room. Andrew Freeman finished with 17 and Gant a career-high 21.
"Darius carried us the first half offensively," said Rose. "He was just fantastic."
Gant connected on 10 of 15 shots from the field.
"People have been laying off me because I haven't been scoring much. I've been really working on my shot, and it's been paying off," Gant said. "We had to really stay on top of them. We couldn't let up."
Zach Freeman pulled down 12 rebounds as the Titans earned a commanding 38-21 advantage on the boards.
Gilmore chipped in 10 points as IWU shot over 55 percent in both halves to finish at 57.4 percent (27 of 47).
Carthage shot 45 percent (26 of 58). Neb Franciskovic had 12 points off the bench and Bowens had 11.
Titans roll over Albion
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Nobody was complaining about the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team’s season-low total of four offensive rebounds Saturday at Shirk Center.
It’s difficult to rebound missed shots when shots simply aren’t being missed.
The Titans shot 72 percent in the first half and connected on their first 10 shots of the second half to roll past Albion, 94-80, before a crowd of 800.
“It was a combination of getting good shots, taking shots in rhythm and then we certainly shot it well,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “I think our guys felt more comfortable in the flow of the offense.”
All five Titan starters scored in double figures as Wesleyan closed its nonconference schedule with a 7-4 record.
“I think the main thing was we had four really good days of practice,” said sophomore guard Andrew Gilmore. “We really brought it in practice, and it paid off in how we played.”
IWU did not unleash its sharpshooting offense immediately. Leading scorer Zach Freeman picked up his second foul at the 16:05 mark and was limited to eight first-half minutes.
Albion (2-8) scored eight straight points to take its lone lead of the game at 12-11. The Titans led 28-24 before reeling off 10 consecutive points on baskets from Mike Harrigan, Freeman, Kevin Bryant, Brett Chamernik and Gilmore.
“One of the keys was the guys off the bench stepped up and made plays. That allowed us to weather that while Zach was on the bench,” Rose said. “We haven’t had to play much without Zach on the floor. Brett came in and did a good job, and Darius (Gant) and Andrew Freeman stepped up when he was out.”
Andrew Freeman nailed two 3-pointers in the opening two minutes of the second half, and a Harrigan 3-pointer extended the Wesleyan lead to 55-34.
“We gave up too many easy shots early, then they made a whole bunch of hard shots,” Britons’ coach Mike Turner said. “They blew it up to 12 at the end of the half, then the start of the second half they made every shot.”
That’s no exaggeration.
Gant’s basket at the 12:48 mark gave the Titans a 70-46 lead and capped a 10-for-10 second-half hot streak.
“It was finally just making the shots,” said Gant. “We’ve always got the good shots, but we just haven’t been making them. Our 3-point game hasn’t been there, but we made some threes.”
Playing on achy knees, Gilmore paced the Titans with 18 points.
“They’re sore, but when it gets down to it at game time, adrenaline takes over and they’re not too bad,” Gilmore said. “When I sit out for a while, they start hurting. But they’re all right.”
IWU missed only 14 shots all afternoon and finished at 72 percent (36 of 50). The school record is 78.3 percent set against Elmhurst in 1990.
Andrew Freeman added 17 points, Zach Freeman scored 15 on 5-of-5 shooting both from the field and at the line and Gant and Harrigan had 12 each.
The Wesleyan starters connected on 29 of 37 shots (78.4 percent).
“They played with great energy, really good athleticism and shot the ball very, very well,” Turner said.
Andrew Holms with 24 points and Zak Silas with 21 paced Albion, who have dropped the last three in a five-game losing streak to College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin teams.
Chamernik’s eight points were a career high.
The Titans open their CCIW schedule next Saturday in a 7:30 p.m. home game against Carthage.
Freeman brothers lead IWU to victory
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
HANOVER, Ind. -- Trading baskets might not sound like a good way to get ahead.
But when Andrew gets one and Zach gets one and Zach gets one and Andrew gets one, the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team can’t go wrong.
Twin brothers and co-captains Andrew and Zach Freeman turned the second half into a Freeman free-for-all Tuesday as the Titans snapped out of their recent doldrums with a convincing 84-65 nonconference victory over Hanover at Collier Arena.
The Freemans combined for 49 points and scored 36 of IWU’s 49 second-half points as the Titans improved to 6-4.
“Arguably, that was the best half we’ve played,” said Wesleyan coach Ron Rose, whose team trailed 41-35 at halftime. “This is huge. We go on the road and beat a good Hanover team. This is a great confidence boost.”
Andrew Freeman was brimming with confidence while blowing past his previous career high of 18 points with a game-high 25, 20 in the second half. He had scored 26 points in his previous three games.
“We tried to exploit our size advantage. We got me on one elbow to try to draw attention away from Zach, and it worked out in our favor,” Andrew Freeman said. “I’ve had some bad games lately. I got some confidence early in the game and tried to do what I could with the ball.”
Zach Freeman was 10 of 13 from the field (including three dunks) on his way to 24 points, 16 after the break. He moved past Eric Bridges into 15th place on IWU’s career scoring list with 1,359 points.
“He was being aggressive. We need that out of him,” Zach said of his brother. “We knew we could get things done down low.”
The Titans erased their halftime deficit quickly as a Mike Harrigan rebound basket gave IWU a 44-43 edge.
Wesleyan turned a 46-45 lead into a 60-47 advantage with six points from Andrew Freeman, four from Zach Freeman and two each by Andrew Gilmore and Jordan Morris.
“We did a great job defensively of making them score over the top of us,” said Rose. “The second half we played smarter and at a pace more conducive to us scoring and defensively.”
Hanover (6-4) had connected on nine first-half 3-pointers while committing just three turnovers. The second half saw the Panthers held to three from beyond the arc and have 10 turnovers.
“We tightened the screws up on defense,” Zach Freeman said. “We got some great fast-break points and turnovers off their press.”
Hanover lost 6-foot-7 junior Robby Brown — its only player taller than 6-3 — to fouls with 6:46 remaining. The Panthers still closed within 68-62 on a Clint Parker 3-pointer at the 5:44 mark.
Zach Freeman responded with a 10-footer, and Andrew Freeman scored by rebounding his own miss. Four Andrew Freeman free throws sandwiched a Harrigan basket and the Titans’ lead was secure at 78-62.
“The Freemans were tough,” said Hanover coach Mike Beitzel. “As the game progresses, size does become a factor. We made some poor decisions gambling, and they scored against our press. Their defense shut us down. We couldn’t score.”
Zach Freeman grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds as Wesleyan outrebounded Hanover, 44-26, including a 22-11 margin in the second half.
Gilmore added 13 points, while Jordan Morris (seven) and Jason Bloom (six) combined for 13 off the bench.
“We were strong with the ball and more selective with our passes,” Rose said of a second half that saw the Titans shoot 54.5 percent. “The first half we had another lapse. We lost concentration after we got the lead. They can score in bunches.”
IWU led 30-25 with 5:29 left in the opening half but trudged off to halftime trailing 41-35 after a Parker 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Marc O’Leary was the only Panther in double figures with 17. Parker added nine points and younger brother Eric Parker eight.
Hanover shot 28 percent in the second half and 33 percent overall. The Panthers fired 40 of their 70 shots from 3-point range.
The Freemans were just as effective standing still. The twins were 12 of 12 from the free throw line as the Titans finished at 92 percent (22 of 24).
IWU does not return to action until a 1 p.m. home game against Albion on Dec. 30.
Titan men come up short
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Just as this green Illinois Wesleyan basketball team tightened up one facet of its performance Saturday at Shirk Center, another unraveled.
Two consecutive Drew Adams 3-pointers gave the University of Chicago a five-point second-half lead, and the Maroons rebuffed IWU’s repeated attempts at a rally as the Titans dropped a 64-60 nonconference game before a crowd of 1,400.
“I thought there were times we played as hard as we played all year,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “But there were still gaps where we had letdowns.”
IWU held its last lead at 42-41 while dropping to 5-4. No. 23 Chicago improved to 7-1.
“It’s really frustrating. Our effort was there,” said Titans’ sophomore guard Andrew Gilmore. “We worked really hard, but we just can’t find a way to win at the moment.”
The second of Adams’ key 3-pointers put the Maroons ahead 47-42 with 7:53 remaining.
Gilmore, who scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, had 12 of IWU’s 18 points the rest of the way.
“I hit some shots, but I felt it was too little, too late,” Gilmore said. “I don’t think I scored the first half. I’ve got to find a way to play 40 minutes.”
Gilmore’s layup off a back-door cut brought the Titans within 58-55 with 1:38 left.
Wesleyan’s defense then forced Chicago into an off-balance 3-point try with the shot clock near zero, but the Titans were unable to corral the long rebound.
Chicago’s Brandon Woodhead scored at the 36-second mark before a Gilmore 3-pointer with 23 seconds left cut the Chicago lead to 60-58.
Two Woodhead free throws were followed by an IWU turnover. Two Derek Brannon free throws with 12 seconds left sealed the Titans’ fate.
“We’re a good shooting team. At some point some of them are going to drop,” Chicago coach Mike McGrath said of his team’s 11 of 29 3-point shooting. “They did defend us well. I thought they were good at keeping us in front of them.”
In a stretch where IWU junior Jason Bloom brought the crowd to its feet with two rapid-fire hustle rebounds, the Titans led 25-18 after an Andrew Freeman bank shot with 3:48 left in the first half.
Two straight Tim Reynolds 3-pointers ignited a 12-0 Chicago run to close the first half.
Wesleyan trailed by as many as seven early in the second half before Zach Freeman capped an 8-0 Titans’ spurt with a lean-in jumper.
Zach Freeman scored 17 points and Andrew Freeman 11. Wesleyan shot 56 percent from the field in the second half and 49 percent overall.
“We said we were not going to let Zach beat us,” McGrath said. “We were going to give up some things, and Andrew (Gilmore) got some looks. But we weren’t going to let Zach do it, and I thought we did a pretty good job of that.”
Adams paced the Maroons with 16 points, twice his average. Reynolds added 15 points, three times his 4.9 average.
“A couple of possessions here and there and the outcome may be different,” Rose said. “We need to learn to take care of the ball and concentrate on each possession.”
Rose employed his third backup point guard of the season in sophomore Anthony Gunnell, who did not play the first seven games. Gunnell played 17 minutes off the bench and Bloom 18.
Sophomore guard Jordan Morris, who had averaged 11.6 minutes over the first eight games, did not play. Neither did junior guard Kevin Bryant, who had played eight minutes per contest.
“It was a combination of rewarding those guys we feel like have played well in practice and also matchups,” Rose said. “Anthony and Jason bring some athleticism to the team. We’re letting guys compete to see which kids will be able to help us win.”
The Titans travel to Hanover, Ind., on Tuesday to meet Hanover in a 6:30 p.m. (CST) nonconference game.
Banner day
Seven of the eight seniors from last season’s IWU team were in attendance as a banner commemorating the national third-place finish was unfurled.
Cory Jones, Chris Jones, Steve Schweer, Jason Fisher, Mike McGraw, Matt Arnold and Adam Dauksas returned to Shirk for the pregame ceremony. Keelan Amelianovich is playing professional basketball in Spain.
Washington U. too tough for Titans
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON — Ron Rose has frequently stated his desire for more consistency from his Illinois Wesleyan basketball team. This was not the brand of consistency Rose had in mind.
“It seemed like every loose ball or rebound they were quicker to the ball and stronger with the ball then we were,” Rose said after Washington University dismissed his Titans, 75-63, Saturday at Shirk Center.
IWU never led and the ultra efficient Bears held a double-figure advantage for the final 13:28 before a subdued crowd of 2,050.
“They were the better team today,” said Rose. “They played a great defensive game. They really got up into us and made every pass and every dribble difficult. They challenged us to make plays, and we didn’t make enough of them.”
Washington committed just five turnovers and connected on half of its 18 3-point attempts while improving to 6-1.
“We had a lot of kids who never played here before. I thought they held their poise pretty well,” Bears’ coach Mark Edwards said. “The key to the game was our defense. This is what we’ve done all year. Defense is something I think this team can build on.”
The Titans built little besides frustration while dropping to 5-3.
“We weren’t playing with any energy. That’s been a key in all of our losses,” said Wesleyan senior Zach Freeman. “We weren’t having enough effort on defense and getting a hand up. They probably hit, what, 15 3-pointers on us?”
Committing nine turnovers in the opening half to just one for Washington, IWU needed a Darius Gant tip-in at the buzzer to trail 44-32 entering halftime.
“That was the story of the game, them being more aggressive and more in your face. That’s what really got us,” Gant said. “If we could have been a little more tough out there, then I think the game would have been a lot different.”
The Titans opened the second half with baskets from Andrew Gilmore, Freeman and Gant to pull within 44-38. IWU then had three possessions to further whittle their deficit but did not.
“We made a good run. But they answered,” said Rose. “They really executed their stuff very well.”
Andrew Freeman picked up his fourth foul just 59 seconds into the second half. He sat until the 11:35 mark but fouled out on a scramble for a loose ball 1:21 later.
Zach Freeman’s 3-pointer at the 10:38 mark cut IWU’s deficit to 57-47. But the Titans went scoreless for the next five minutes as Washington reeled off 10 straight points.
“For awhile it looked like we ran out of gas and we can’t do that,” Rose said. “We’re working on how hard we compete for 40 minutes. Against really good teams we can’t have lulls or times we don’t concentrate defensively or execute offensively. We had too many of those to beat a team as good as Washington.”
Zach Freeman became the 17th player in school history to reach the 1,300 point mark with 26 points on 10 of 15 shooting. He also led all rebounders with 11.
Gant added 14 points and 10 rebounds. But Titans other than Zach Freeman and Gant combined to hit only 8 of 27 shots.
While the Bears compiled an excellent 19-5 assist to turnover ratio, it was more like a disappointment (nine assists) to heartbreak (16 turnovers) ratio for the Titans.
“That’s due mainly to their pressure,” said Zach Freeman. “They forced us to turn the ball over, and we didn’t put any pressure on them. That’s what happens.”
Troy Ruths was a force inside with a team-high 21 points for Washington. Point guard Sean Wallis added 12 points and 10 assists. Tyler Nading and Nick Nikitas had 11 points each.
“This team decided before the season defense was going to be our impetus,” Edwards said. “We’ve got shooters and we’ve got other pieces. But when you get defense in, everything else seems to work.”
Rose turned to walk-on sophomore Anthony Gunnell for the final seven minutes. In his first varsity playing time, Gunnell had three points, an assist and his team’s only steal.
“We felt like he’s earned the opportunity. He’s been at every practice and worked his tail off,” said Rose. “We were dragging out there a little bit. Anthony is a competitor, and we thought we could use another one of those on the floor at that point. I thought he did an excellent job.”
The Titans turn their focus to final examinations this week before meeting the University of Chicago next Saturday in a 3 p.m. game at Shirk Center. IWU will unveil a banner honoring last season’s national third-place team prior to the contest.
Titans pull off narrow victory
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BOURBONNAIS -- It was only a 30-second timeout, so they had to move fast. About a dozen Olivet Nazarene students sprinted down to the other end of McHie Arena with the intention of causing a ruckus to distract Illinois Wesleyan’s Andrew Gilmore.
The wildly waving hands of the Tigers’ faithful could not penetrate the steely gaze of Gilmore.
IWU’s sophomore guard nailed two free throws with 11.7 seconds remaining, and the Titans’ defense held on the final possession for a 64-63 nonconference victory Tuesday before a crowd of 547.
“I shot 100 at practice the other day. This shouldn’t be any different,” Gilmore said. “I knew they were going in.”
Wesleyan improved to 5-2 and will play only its second home game of the season Saturday in a 3 p.m. contest against Washington University at Shirk Center.
“Andrew is a gutsy kid,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “I had all the confidence in the world he would step up and hit those.”
The Titans had assumed a somewhat comfortable 62-52 lead on a Zach Freeman basket with 4:33 left. Olivet (4-5) then made Wesleyan decidedly uncomfortable in a hurry.
Normal West High School graduate Stan Chismark hit a 3-pointer, and Normal Community product Josh Bronke turned a midcourt steal into a layup.
After a second straight Titans’ turnover, Ryan Paxson’s 3-pointer brought Olivet within two. A rebound basket from Saunemin’s John Martin tied the score at 62-62 with 1:24 left.
“We played a good game defensively the second half,” Freeman said. “We relaxed for 30 seconds and they made it a close game.”
A shot clock violation at the 47-second mark cost the Titans the ball, and Chismark was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer.
Chismark connected on the first free throw to put the Tigers at 13 of 13 from the line for the game. The senior then missed the next two.
“A senior’s got to hit those,” said Chismark, a nephew of Rose who paced Olivet with 22 points. “I didn’t do it today.”
Gilmore’s clutch free throws turned a one-point Wesleyan deficit into a one-point lead.
After two Tigers’ timeouts, Gilmore poked the ball out of bounds with 1.3 seconds showing. An attempted Olivet inbound lob was snared by a soaring Freeman, who secured the ball as time expired.
“With these guys, finding ways to win is good,” said Rose. “We’re getting pretty good at late-game situations with all the practice we’re getting.”
Freeman scored 16 of his game-high 25 points in the second half. Andrew Freeman added nine points and matched his brother and fellow NCHS graduate with nine rebounds.
“We made it a lot harder than it needed to be,” said Gilmore, who was 1 of 8 from the field but 4 of 4 at the line. “We picked up the defensive intensity the second half. We were running the floor, and our defense started our offense. The stupid turnovers killed our run.”
The Titans led 11-3 before the Tigers began making it tougher to get the ball inside to Zach Freeman and rallied for a 27-23 edge.
Olivet held a 30-26 lead after a Bobby Huck 3-pointer. But Wesleyan finished the half on an 8-2 run with a Darius Gant three-point play, a Jordan Morris 3-pointer and a Brian Nussbaum inside basket.
Freshman Tyler Wallenfang scored 13 of his 17 points in the opening half for Olivet. Martin chipped in eight.
“We have to learn in game situations how to win these games,” said Tigers’ coach Ralph Hodge, whose team was playing without leading scorer and rebounder Phil French because of injury. “We didn’t take the opportunity that was there.”
Wesleyan was 18 of 21 at the free throw line (85.7 percent) and outrebounded Olivet, 39-29.
Ex-IWU coach Scott Trost was in attendance but not just to watch his former team. Now the coach at Lewis, Trost was scouting Olivet in advance of a Dec. 22 matchup with the Tigers.
IWU men come up short vs. St. Xavier
By Randy Kindred
rkindred@pantagraph.com
CHICAGO -- Andrew Gilmore raced up the court, knifed through three defenders and put up a running 3-point attempt as the buzzer sounded Tuesday night.
The shot from the top of the key kicked off the back of the rim, leaving Illinois Wesleyan’s basketball team with a 75-73 nonconference loss to Saint Xavier at the Shannon Center.
While there was debate as to whether Gilmore’s shot would have counted -- two officials signaled it would and another appeared to be waving it off -- the bottom line was all that mattered to IWU star center Zach Freeman.
“The game was lost early on,” said Freeman, who led IWU with 28 points and 10 rebounds. “It’s the same thing we’ve been doing the last few games. We haven’t been coming out strong.
“We need to tighten up our screws and get things figured out. When we’re not turning the ball over, we’re playing bad defense. And when we play good defense, we turn the ball over too much. We haven’t been able to find that good balance of offense and defense.”
The Titans (4-2), ranked 24th nationally by d3hoops.com, trailed 34-29 at the half and were down 51-41 with 13 minutes remaining.
They rallied to take a 66-65 lead with 4:06 to go on back-to-back 3-pointers by the 6-foot-7 Freeman and Gilmore. However, IWU hit only 5 of 9 free throws the rest of the way, leaving the door open for Saint Xavier.
The Cougars (5-2) cashed in with 3.5 seconds left. Trailing 73-72, guard Julian Scott took a feed inside from 6-9 post player Kevin Lowe, sank a layup and was fouled. He completed the three-point play for a 75-73 lead, setting up Gilmore’s fullcourt drive and shot.
“Leaving my hands I would have bet everything I had that (shot) was dropping. It was just a little long,” Gilmore said. “But little things are what lost that game for us.
“It seems like our team goals -- hit free throws, hold them to not many offensive rebounds, things like that -- we’ll only get two or three of them. Until we get all five goals we’re going to keep being in close games like that.”
IWU turned the ball over 10 times and gave up 10 offensive rebounds in the first half. It took a drive by Gilmore with 2.0 seconds left to pull the Titans within five at the break.
They finished with 17 turnovers, six more than Saint Xavier, and were 14 of 23 from the free-throw line in the second half (16 of 25 overall). IWU was 7 of 15 from the line in the final 10 minutes.
“There were a lot of little plays throughout the course of the game where if we could change one or two of them, we come away with a win,” IWU coach Ron Rose said. “The first half we didn’t execute at a high level offensively or defensively.
“The second half, I thought we really competed hard and we executed much better. We have to get better at free-throw shooting. That’s kind of been an Achilles heel of ours so far. We need to get better at that to win close games.”
The Titans came close to their second comeback victory of the young season, having rallied from a 21-point second-half deficit to win at Wisconsin-Whitewater Nov. 18.
Freeman led the way with 10 of 14 field-goal shooting (including 1 of 1 from 3-point range) and made 7 of 9 free throws. He also had three assists and blocked a shot.
“Zach Freeman is just a heck of a player,” Saint Xavier coach Tom O’Malley said. “We tried to do a bunch of different things against him, but nothing worked very well.
“They really came back at us. I thought there was a good chance it (Gilmore’s last shot) was going in. I was glad to see it bounce off.”
Gilmore added 17 points and four assists for IWU, while Andrew Freeman, Zach’s twin brother, contributed 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Scott led Saint Xavier with 15 points, followed by forward Adam Gregoriou with 13, guard Paris VonShae Davis with 11 and Lowe with 10.
Saint Xavier hit 6 of 10 from 3-point range in the second half after going 3 of 12 in the first half.
“We had some defensive breakdowns, but I thought the second half we got some big stops when we made that push,” Rose said. “They’re a good team. They’re big and physical and they’re very deep. We’re getting closer to being a very good team. But we just had too many breakdowns taking care of the ball and rebounding.”
Judson no match for Titan men
By Pantagraph staff
GREENCASTLE, Ind. -- Over 30 minutes into Saturday’s third-place game of the Mike Rokicki Community Versus Cancer Challenge, Judson College finally had more rebounds than a Titan.
That’s one Titan, Illinois Wesleyan senior Zach Freeman.
And while the Eagles did avoid the indignity of being outrebounded by one player by a 21-16 margin, IWU allowed Judson little else in a 92-50 thrashing at the Lilly Center.
“It was a good way to finish up that tournament,” said Titans’ coach Ron Rose, whose team improved to 4-1. “I was really pleased with how we responded after a disappointing Friday night. We had a lot more energy and followed our game plan much better.”
Freeman connected on all 11 of his shots from the field and finished with 29 points to go with 16 rebounds.
“It was great to see Zach really assert himself,” Rose said. “He was really aggressive looking to score as well as rebound the basketball.”
The Titans grabbed a 23-13 first-half lead with the help of a 17-4 advantage on the boards.
Freeman had 20 points and 14 rebounds at halftime. Twin brother Andrew Freeman’s rebound basket at the buzzer sent the Titans into the locker room ahead, 45-27.
“I got a lot of easy baskets early on put backs,” said Zach Freeman, who narrowly missed his career highs of 30 points and 18 rebounds. “Once I got a couple, I really felt comfortable out there.”
IWU continued the onslaught in the second half and had the Eagles doubled at 82-41.
The Titans finished with a hefty 51-21 rebounding margin.
“I thought one of our strengths would be our inside play and rebounding,” Rose said. “That certainly was a huge factor in being able to pull away.”
Kevin Bryant was the only other Titan in double figures with a career-high 10 points. Tyler Smith also had a career high with nine matching Andrew Freeman and Jordan Morris.
“We had good production from a lot of different people,” Rose said. “It was a great opportunity to get a lot of guys minutes. There were a lot of positives that came out of today.”
IWU shot 62 percent from the field in the second half and 56 percent overall.
“I thought we played as a team better. We were a little bit more calm than we have been,” Zach Freeman said. “We knew what we had to do. It was a good game to build confidence for future games.”
Judson, which lost to tournament champion DePauw only 88-84 on Friday, fell to 1-8.
The Eagles shot 32 percent from the floor and were led by the 15 points of Anthony Cawthon.
DePauw-Ohio Wesleyan
In the title game, host DePauw defeated Ohio Wesleyan, 85-79.
Austin Brown led DePauw (3-1) with 23 points and Mike Moore had 15.
Kyle Holliday topped Ohio Wesleyan (4-1) with 18 points. Matt Shirer and Ben Chojnacki chipped in 15 each.
All-tournament team
Brown was named the tournament Most Valuable Player. He was joined on the all-tournament team by Zach Freeman, Justen Boyd of Judson, DePauw’s Stephen Schott and Chojnacki.
Ohio Wesleyan has no problems with IWU
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
GREENCASTLE, Ind. -- Mike DeWitt is a bit concerned about his Ohio Wesleyan basketball team's fast start.
"It scares me to death we're peaking too early," DeWitt said Friday.
Illinois Wesleyan coach Ron Rose was disappointed his team didn't put more of a scare into the Battling Bishops' shooters in an opening round game of the Mike Rokicki Community Versus Cancer Challenge at the Lilly Center.
Ohio Wesleyan began each half sizzling hot from 3-point range and kept the Titans at arm's length all evening in the Bishops' 87-74 victory.
In the first game, host DePauw outlasted Judson, 88-84. IWU meets Judson in today's 1 p.m. consolation game. Ohio Wesleyan and DePauw play for the title at 3 p.m.
The Titans (3-1) led only at 2-0. Ohio Wesleyan (4-0) connected on four of its first five attempts from beyond the arc and was 6 of 10 when a Brian Cafarella 3-pointer gave the Bishops a 28-20 lead.
"They are a very good team. They really run their stuff well, they play well together and they shoot the ball tremendously well," said Rose. "We knew that going in. We didn't have the urgency and commitment to take that away early, and they took advantage of it."
The Bishops led by as much as 39-30 in the opening half. IWU got back within 39-34 on an Andrew Freeman driving basket with two seconds left.
Two Casey Teeters 3-pointers keyed an Ohio Wesleyan spurt early in the second half.
"That's their game. They played to their game and we let them," said Titans' forward Darius Gant. "Our defense wasn't there to stop them. That's what cost us the game, and it started from the beginning."
The Bishops were 5 of 7 from 3-point range in the second half after a Matt Shirer 3-pointer extended the Ohio Wesleyan lead to 58-42 with 14:29 remaining.
"So far this year we have shot really well because we're unselfish, we move the ball and we don't care who scores," DeWitt said. "It's a learning process in our program to play in big minutes. To do that against a program with the tradition of Illinois Wesleyan makes it a big win for us."
The Bishops finished at 14 of 31 from beyond the arc and were 17 of 23 on two-point attempts to finish at 57.4 percent overall.
Dustin Rudegeair paced Ohio Wesleyan with 22 points. Ben Chojnacki added 13 and Cafarella had 12 off the bench.
"They were hitting shots, but we had to close out shorter and get to the shooters," said IWU guard Mike Harrigan. "We had to get out to them and get a hand in their face. They had some tough kids make big shots when they needed to. But we felt we didn't play our best game."
Gant scored eight straight points to cut the Titans' deficit to 70-63 at the 5:05 mark. The Bishops pushed their lead back to 14 before three Andrew Freeman 3-pointers in the final 1:43 helped IWU get as close as eight.
Gant topped the Titans with 18 points. Freeman twins Andrew and Zach chipped in 16 each. Zach grabbed nine rebounds and Andrew eight as IWU was outrebounded, 32-31.
"They played with more energy," Rose said. "Part of that is growing pains. We have a lot of guys in new roles. Give them all the credit. They have size inside and shooters outside. They really executed well."
IWU shot 44 percent from the floor and 61 percent at the free throw line (14 of 23). The Titans converted only 3 of 9 first half free throws.
Jordan Morris scored nine points off the bench and Harrigan had eight for IWU.
DePauw-Judson
Judson (1-7) tested the hosts but the Tigers (2-1) prevailed behind 25 points and nine rebounds from Stephen Schott.
Austin Brown added 15 points and Mike Moore 14 for DePauw, which held a 34-24 rebounding advantage.
Justen Boyd scored 28 points and Anthony Cawthon 19 for Judson.
Titans edge Illinois College
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Adam Dauksas and Keelan Amelianovich no longer play here. Therefore, someone else has to take the clutch perimeter shot for the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team this season.
Andrew Gilmore took it Tuesday at Shirk Center. The sophomore hit it, and the Titans really needed it.
With surging Illinois College within a point midway through the second half, Gilmore’s 3-pointer ignited a 13-2 spurt IWU nursed the rest of the way to claim a 75-70 nonconference victory before a crowd of 1,800.
“I was open and felt like we needed the shot,” Gilmore said. “We’ve got to be able to hit it and tonight it was me.”
The Titans shot 37 percent from the field and were only 5 of 24 from 3-point range while improving to 3-0.
“It was a struggle all night,” Wesleyan coach Ron Rose said. “We didn’t come out with much tenacity defensively and offensively were just out of sync. We didn’t move the ball and we didn’t cut with a purpose. As a result, it wasn’t a very pretty game.”
Gilmore scored seven of his game-high 19 points as the Titans stretched a 47-46 edge into a 60-48 lead.
Illinois College (0-1) connected on five of its 12 3-pointers in the final three minutes and cut its deficit to four on three occasions.
After a Mark Gillingham 3-pointer, Darius Gant responded with two free throws. When a Pete Jennings 3-pointer brought the Blueboys within 71-67 at the 39-second mark, Gilmore answered with two free throws.
David Stewart hit Illinois College’s final 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to slice Wesleyan’s margin to 74-70.
“Three or four times it seemed like we would get up 10 or 12 and let them back in it. That’s the point we’ve really got to knock them down,” Gilmore said. “It was not very good tonight. But we’re not going to hang our heads on a win.”
The Titans closed the first half on a 10-4 run for a 36-31 lead at the break. Zach Freeman scored 15 of his 18 points in the opening half.
Wesleyan led 44-35 before Illinois College closed to within 47-46 on a Stewart rebound basket.
“We get after it. That’s expected of us,” Blueboys’ coach Mike Worrell said. “I didn’t think we got the ball inside enough. Normally, we wouldn’t shoot that many threes. But we executed and got some decent looks from there.”
Illinois College launched 39 of its 68 shots from beyond the arc. Jennings paced four Blueboys in double figures with 15 points.
Andrew Freeman added 14 points and Gant 11 while both hauled down 13 rebounds to help Wesleyan to a 49-40 edge on the boards.
“People just didn’t seem like they had energy,” said Andrew Freeman. “When you let them stick around, they’re going to take the opportunity and stick around. Give them a lot of credit. They fought hard.”
Zach Freeman grabbed eight rebounds to move into ninth place on IWU’s career list with 626.
“Illinois College really out executed us and out hustled us. We were very fortunate to come out with a win,” Rose said. “A lot of times it looked like we weren’t sure what we were supposed to be doing out there. We made it hard on ourselves.”
The Titans meet Ohio Wesleyan on Friday at 7 p.m. as part of the Mike Rokicki Community vs. Cancer Challenge on the DePauw campus in Greencastle, Ind.
IWU men's basketball score improbable win
By Randy Kindred
rkindred@pantagraph.com
WHITEWATER, Wis. - It appeared very much like it would be a long night for Illinois Wesleyan's basketball team, but playing overtime did not figure to be the reason.
Following a disastrous first half in which they committed 18 turnovers and shot 30 percent from the field, the Titans trailed 34-16 at halftime of the AmeriHost Inn Wisconsin-Whitewater Tournament championship game Saturday night.
When host Whitewater, the No. 4-ranked team in NCAA Division III, scored the first three points of the second half IWU was down by 21 and, on the opening day of deer hunting season, appeared left for dead.
However, sparked by 13 second-half points each from seniors Andrew Freeman and Mike Harrigan, the Titans rallied for an improbable 69-68 overtime victory.
Sophomore Andrew Gilmore's 10-foot shot in the lane with 9.4 seconds left gave IWU the lead. The Titans then survived two missed free throws by Whitewater's Giovanni Riley with 2.8 seconds remaining to earn the title.
"Our halftime locker room was really spirited," Gilmore said. "I don't think we felt like we were getting outplayed. I just think we felt like we were getting out-muscled and out-toughed. We talked about what we had to do to get ourselves open and make some adjustments.
"I think this is huge. This could be a really big rallying point for us. We all came together."
The Titans (2-0) won despite going 1 of 6 from the free throw line in overtime. IWU trailed 66-64 with 1:48 left when Andrew Freeman scored on a drive to tie it.
A free throw by his twin brother, Zach Freeman, gave IWU a 67-66 lead with 1:28 to go, but Whitewater's Billy Kolinski answered with two free throws at the 31.5 seconds mark. That set the stage for Gilmore's drive and shot.
"The plan was to isolate Andrew Freeman out on the wing. He made a nice move and drove and they double-teamed him, and my guy kind of laid off of me," Gilmore said. "He kicked it out to me and the guy overplayed and I just hit a jumper."
An Andrew Freeman drive with 18.5 seconds left in regulation forced overtime. He finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds while making the all-tournament team.
"He was huge," IWU coach Ron Rose said. "He had 18 points, and he had to work for every one of them. There were a lot of times he bailed us out of some bad offense.
"I'm just thrilled with these guys. We could have packed up the tents and gone home at halftime, and our kids didn't do that. I think that's a testament to their character. If this is the way it's going to be all year, it's going to be an awfully fun group to coach."
Whitewater (1-1) had only three turnovers in the first half while the Titans were committing their 18. IWU finished with 31 turnovers to 11 for the Warhawks, but earned a 47-28 rebounding advantage, led by Zach Freeman's 14 to go with nine points.
Harrigan added 16 points, making all three of his 3-point attempts, while Darius Gant contributed 12 points and eight rebounds.
The Titans shot 71 percent from the field in the second half to end at 52 percent. Whitewater made only 31 percent after halftime and 32 percent for the game.
"They took it to us in the first half pretty good," Andrew Freeman said. "I mean, 16 points in a half that's good defense on their part and bad offense on our part.
"The second half we just made it a point to be the aggressor and it worked out for the best."
Center Mike Toellner had 25 points to lead Whitewater. He joined both Freemans on the all-tournament team, with Zach Freeman named the most valuable player.
"They really took us out of just about everything we were trying to run in the first half," Rose said. "We just didn't compete very well as a group.
"Basketball is a game of momentum, and we were able to capture some of that momentum in the second half. You could just see our confidence swelling up as the half went along. Kids made big play after big play. I'm just really proud of them."
Titans win easily over Clarke College
By Randy Kindred
rkindred@pantagraph.com
WHITEWATER, Wis. -- First, the team bus broke down in El Paso on Friday morning, resulting in a 90-minute wait for another to arrive. Later, he was introduced as “Illinois Wesleyan coach Ross Rose” prior to tip-off.
Clearly, not everything went smoothly for Ron Rose in his debut as IWU basketball coach.
“It wasn’t a great start,” he said, smiling. “But once the ball went up, things went much better.”
IWU made coaching the game the easy part for Rose, using a dominating first half to build a 46-22 lead en route to an 86-59 season-opening victory over Clarke College Friday night in the AmeriHost Inn Wisconsin-Whitewater Tournament.
The Titans had eight assists while committing only one turnover, held Clarke to 28 percent field-goal shooting, and outrebounded the Crusaders, 28-14, in the first half.
Senior forward Zach Freeman, the Titans’ only returning starter, had 10 points and 10 rebounds at the half and finished with 18 and 13, respectively. His twin brother, Andrew Freeman, added 16 points and seven rebounds as IWU earned a spot in tonight’s 7 o’clock championship game against Wisconsin-Whitewater.
“We haven’t been practicing too well, but we were able to pull it together right off the bat tonight and execute well,” Andrew Freeman said. “They were keying in on Zach, but he was able to score a couple of times early. They started keying in on him more, and he started kicking it out for open 3s. We knocked quite a few of them down.”
Senior guard Mike Harrigan, making his first career start, was 3 of 4 from beyond the arc while scoring 11 points and Andrew Freeman was 3 of 5.
Inside, the 6-foot-7 Zach Freeman made 7 of 10 shots from the field. Sophomore guard Andrew Gilmore added 10 points, six assists and five rebounds, helping the Titans to a 48-27 advantage on the boards.
“I thought we really played focused basketball in terms of taking care of the ball and our shot selection was pretty good,” Rose said. “I thought our kids really were keyed into doing the things that we’ve practiced in the preseason.
“Certainly, I thought walking on the floor with Zach we had an element of confidence just knowing he was there. Once we settled in and got our legs under us I thought we played pretty well that first half.”
Clarke, which returned two starters from a 17-10 team, took a 2-0 lead before IWU began to click.
Baskets by Andrew Freeman and Harrigan and a three-point play by Zach Freeman made it 7-2. After Clarke cut it to 7-4, Gilmore sank a 3-pointer in between Zach Freeman baskets and the Titans were off and running with a 14-4 cushion.
IWU ended the half on a 9-2 run to take its 46-22 advantage, and two Andrew Freeman 3-pointers to start the second half helped push the lead to 28 at 52-24.
Darius Gant added nine points for IWU, which shot 48 percent from the field to Clarke’s 35 percent. The Titans ended with 12 turnovers and had 17 assists, with freshman Sean Dwyer and the Freeman twins handing out three apiece.
“All summer I’ve been looking forward to this and waiting for an opportunity for guys to step up,” Zach Freeman said. “Everybody stepped up tonight. It was a good first game for us with a tough test coming up (tonight).”
Point guard DeMonte Bynum scored 16 points and Heath Koester added 15 for Clarke. The Crusaders could not get in sync offensively in the first half, making only 8 of 29 shots.
“We contested their shots, and any time you get out there and contest shots it makes it difficult on the other team,” Harrigan said. “We wanted to do that and get out in the passing lanes and be strong in the post. I think we put that all together tonight.”
Clarke coach Jon Davison said the Titans are simply “a better team.”
“They execute better, they play better defense, they hit the boards,” Davison said. “We showed our inexperience and our youth, especially inside. And they showed their experience and their toughness inside.”
Rose said the Titans “did a lot of good things for a first game,” and added, “It’s a great feeling to get this one under our belts. Certainly we’re going to need a good night’s sleep and come back strong because it’s going to be a tough game (tonight).”
Whitewater, which cruised past Martin Luther 85-61 in Friday night’s second game, is ranked No. 4 nationally in Division III.
(Thursday, November 16)
Rose calls IWU team a work in progress
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
WHITEWATER, Wis. - Zach Freeman will make his 83rd career start today for the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team as the Titans face Clarke in the 5 p.m. season opener of the Warhawk Tip-Off Tournament at Kachel Gym.
The four teammates joining Freeman have a combined four career starts. And all four of those come from twin brother Andrew Freeman.
"We have a lot of inexperience, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing," said Zach Freeman, the lone starter returning from an IWU team that finished third nationally in Division III. "Sometimes when you get that first start or get those minutes you've never had before, you do good things and are that much more focused."
Today's second game pits Martin Luther against host Wisconsin-Whitewater at 7 p.m. Today's losers meet at 5 p.m. Saturday with the title game to follow at 7 p.m.
Ron Rose makes his Wesleyan coaching debut for his alma mater after what the former Bloomington High School coach calls a productive preseason.
"We're definitely ready to compete, but we're going to be a work in progress," Rose said. "It's time for us to learn about ourselves, learn how hard we're going to compete, how hard we're going to play and how well we're going to execute in pressure situations."
Other Titan starters are 6-3 sophomore Andrew Gilmore and 6-1 senior Mike Harrigan at the guards with 6-4 junior Darius Gant at forward.
"With new players and a new coach, loading up the bus is new," said Rose. "But the reason these guys are here is they want to play and be part of a winning program. We have kids who have won in the past, have the expectation of winning and want to continue that tradition.
"I want to see us competing as a group, see our kids communicating with each other and find ways to get it done within our system. Getting all five guys moving in the same direction will really be an emphasis."
Harrigan transferred to IWU from Loyola during the 2004-05 season. He has seen limited playing time as a Titan behind since graduated guards Adam Dauksas, Jason Fisher, Mike McGraw and Matt Arnold.
"It's been a long time coming for me and my career to this point," Harrigan said. "I worked really hard in the offseason to get to this point. I feel like I've earned my time in the preseason practices. I'm looking forward to getting out there and getting my chance to start and helping the team any way I can."
Junior forward Jason Bloom, who with the Freemans gives IWU three Normal Community High School products on its roster, will come off the bench today after being exclusively a junior varsity player his first two years as a Titan.
"I dressed for two varsity games my freshman year, but by no means was I heavily involved," said Bloom, who is battling lower leg pain. "This is the first road trip I get to take. I'm pretty excited about that.
"I've been watching Titan basketball games my whole life. To know I'll be able to contribute something to the team is definitely exciting for me."
Kachel Gym is familiar to the Titans. IWU defeated Carroll and Whitewater there in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Clarke had a 17-10 record and won the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference last season at 11-1. The Crusaders are playing as an independent and will join the NAIA next season.
Located in Dubuque, Iowa, Clarke returns two starters in 5-10 junior DeMonte Bynum and 6-5 junior Brian Harris.
An all-conference performer last season, Bynum averaged 18 points. Harris contributed 7.7 points and 3.3 rebounds. Other key players include 6-5 sophomore John Heavens, 6-2 sophomore Demarvis Russell, 6-5 sophomore Michael Okpalaeze and 5-11 junior Jamie Seidl.
"Clarke has their floor general (Bynum) back to run the show," Rose said. "It appears they are excited about their young, big guys coming in, but they are a little bit of an unknown as well. I anticipate them being a pressure-oriented defense based on who they have coming back."
Whitewater is the preseason favorite to win the highly regarded Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Warhawks were 23-6 last season and are listed No. 4 in the preseason national rankings of d3hoops.com .
Based in New Ulm, Minn., Martin Luther (9-16 last season) is picked fifth in the eight-team Upper Midwest Athletic Conference.
Nussbaum on the mend
A month ago, IWU junior Brian Nussbaum feared his season and playing career were over because of lingering complications from shoulder surgery that sidelined him all last season. But, additional rest has eased the discomfort and Nussbaum has been working out.
On Thursday, the 6-6, 220-pound Nussbaum participated in his first practice without restrictions. He will not travel with the team this weekend but hopes to play as soon as the DePauw Tournament Nov. 24-25.
Although admitting his shoulder is not as stable as he would like, Nussbaum is "cautiously optimistic" he will be able to play this season.
(Tuesday, November 14)
IWU starting lineup set for basketball season opener
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON — Illinois Wesleyan basketball coach Ron Rose has settled on a starting lineup for Friday’s season opener against Clarke at the Wisconsin-Whitewater Tournament.
While Zach Freeman, Andrew Freeman, Darius Gant, Andrew Gilmore and Mike Harrigan will take the floor first for the 5 p.m. game, Rose is offering no guarantees concerning minutes played.
“We’ve got a number of guys who are going to play a lot of minutes,” Rose said Monday. “How the minutes are actually distributed is yet to be determined. It will be based solely on performance and production.”
Having the Freeman twins earn starting roles was about as safe of a bet as the Titans continuing to wear green and white.
A third team preseason All-American, Zach Freeman is IWU’s lone returning starter. The 6-foot-7 Freeman averaged 16.2 points and 7.6 rebounds last season.
The 6-6 Andrew Freeman was a key reserve last season and will play the small forward position. A 6-4 junior, Gant will play inside with Zach Freeman.
“Zach, Andrew and Darius will be our starting frontline guys, and I’ve been very pleased with them,” Rose said. “We need those three to produce. They are going to have to make a conscious effort to be assertive offensively, defensively and on the boards for us to be successful.”
While Gant is a bit short for the position, Rose believes he is athletic enough to be effective against taller players.
“Darius can be a very good player in our league, no question in my mind,” said Rose. “He has consistently shown glimpses of how good he can be. We’re challenging him to see how active and consistent he can be. When he’s active, he’s awfully good.”
Gilmore and Harrigan have emerged from a spirited competition at guard.
A 6-3 sophomore, Gilmore will be the point guard when Harrigan or Jordan Morris is in the game and shift to shooting guard if Teddy Toliver or Sean Dwyer come in to play the point.
“Andrew has taken over some of the leadership on the perimeter. He’s done a nice job handling the ball,” Rose said. “He’s being forced to learn two positions. His flexibility to play that combo guard position is going to prove to be critical.”
Harrigan, a 6-1 senior, will start at shooting guard with Morris in reserve. Toliver and Dwyer are competing to be the first point guard off the bench.
Senior Tyler Smith will be the primary back up for Andrew Freeman and will see action at small forward if Andrew is needed to fill more of an inside role.
Jason Bloom, a 6-5 junior, and Brett Chamernik, a 6-5 sophomore, are the leading reserves in the post.
“Bloom is nursing a shin problem, but he’s really been a bright spot in the preseason,” said Rose.
The Titans have defeated St. Francis and Blackburn in preseason scrimmages.
“It’s been a productive preseason in the sense the guys have worked hard and we’ve found out something about ourselves,” said Rose, the first year coach at his alma mater. “There have been really positive signs about our potential to develop into a good team.
“At the same time, we’re far from a well-oiled machine. We’re still working to develop roles and really learning to compete. We need to learn how to compete as a team and complete plays.”
After facing Clarke on Friday, the Titans will meet either Martin Luther or host Whitewater on Saturday.
(Sunday, October 29)
Scrimmage predicts good things for IWU basketball
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON - With standout forward Zach Freeman the lone returning starter for the Illinois Wesleyan basketball team, the 6-foot-7 senior figures to attract plenty of inside attention in the coming season.
If Saturday's Green-White Game at Shirk Center is any indication, the Titans may have the outside shooting to lessen the heat on Freeman.
Andrew Freeman and Mike Harrigan each nailed five of IWU's 17 3-pointers as the Green prevailed over the White, 90-68, in the intrasquad scrimmage.
Wesleyan coach Ron Rose put his team through four 10-minute quarters. The score was largely inconsequential with players frequently switching sides between quarters.
"Zach is going to have a great year. But he not only has to play well himself, he has to help others be better," said Rose. "We're finding out which guys are going to hit the outside shot and which guys can get the ball to Zach. We've got some guys we think can fill those roles. "
Andrew Freeman led all scorers with 22 points. Zach Freeman added 18 and Harrigan 17.
"In my four years here, this is the best Green-White we've had. That is definitely a positive," Zach Freeman said. "I thought offensively we looked good. I think the key to this year is how well we execute and pass the ball. We had some defensive issues. But that's typically the case when you don't have the stamina you have later in the year."
Darius Gant and Brett Chamernik scored 15 points each, Jason Bloom chipped in 14 and Jordan Morris 12.
"We tried a lot of different combinations. We saw some good stuff we can build on," Rose said. "We have a lot of pieces to the puzzle. If we can fit them together, I think this group as a whole should be better than its parts."
IWU did not publicize the scrimmage because it was played in the seating challenged Shirk practice gymnasium. The Titans' volleyball team was holding a tournament in the main gymnasium.
(Thursday, October 26)
Titans learning through Rose’s lessons
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- Ron Rose is building a basketball team, not teaching high school mathematics. Still, some basic principles from his classroom days remain as Rose prepares his first Illinois Wesleyan team.
“I’m trained in the building process. You teach the parts and you build up,” Rose said Wednesday. “One thing builds on another thing. We’re just now getting to where the players are seeing a picture of the whole and understand how we need to play.”
Much of the first 10 days of IWU practice has been spent on drills and learning new terminology.
“We work on small things a lot more,” junior Darius Gant said. “We’re doing a lot of drills about cutting to the basket. He (Rose) really incorporates that into how we’re going to use our offense. It’s a big change. We’re beginning to understand how coach operates.”
Rose, who was the Bloomington High School coach before taking over for the departed Scott Trost, has been pleased with the response he has received from the Titan players.
“The initial thing that jumps out at you is how coachable these guys are and how hungry they are for this opportunity,” said Rose. “Graduating eight players who gobbled up the majority of playing time, there is a lot of opportunity. At the same time, there is a lot of learning going on.
“They’ve been really receptive. We’ve gotten better each practice, but we’ve got a long way to go. There are so many aspects of the game of basketball you have to put in.”
According to Rose, it is hard to evaluate his players thus far because “we haven’t gotten up and down (the court) in terms of scrimmage situations. I have noticed in the last few days their comfort level has increased in what we’re doing so they don’t have to think as much before they react.”
Rose is pleased with how co-captains and twins Zach and Andrew Freeman are leading the Titans, who open their season Nov. 17 against Clarke in the Wisconsin-Whitewater Tournament.
“Zach and Andrew are not only well liked, but more importantly they are well respected,” said Rose.
The players also are adjusting to Rose’s more laid back coaching style after being led by the often vocal Trost.
“Coach Rose is not really going to be in your face,” Gant said. “But you can tell when he’s trying to push you to get things done. Coach Rose definitely has his way of getting the best out of his players.”
A recruiting start
Much of Rose’s time since being hired at IWU to the beginning of practice was spent on establishing a recruiting base.
“The first year is always hard. We started from scratch and tried to get out as much as we could in the summer to evaluate kids and get a list,” said Rose. “Through contacting people and getting out ourselves, we’ve identified kids we think are good enough to help us keep winning here at Wesleyan.
“Now it’s relationship building, getting to know them and them getting to know us. I think that’s gone well. There are some really strong students with strong character who are good basketball players I can see hopefully wearing a Wesleyan jersey someday.”
(Thursday, October 19)
Freemans in leading roles
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- In his academic life and his athletic career, Zach Freeman is becoming a leader.
And while in many ways leadership is being thrust upon him, the Illinois Wesleyan senior is stepping forward to meet his newfound role.
“I’m student teaching this semester at Washington Elementary. I feel like a leader in the classroom, and it really does carry over to basketball,” said Freeman, the lone returning starter from a Titans’ team that finished third nationally in Division III. “I’m ready for that. I feel like the old guy now. I’m ready to take over those responsibilities.”
Eight seniors who played key roles in IWU’s 25-7 record last season, including College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin first-team all-stars Keelan Amelianovich and Adam Dauksas, have moved on.
Also departed is Coach Scott Trost, who left the Titans to become coach at Lewis University. He was replaced by former IWU player and Bloomington High School coach Ron Rose.
Freeman and twin brother Andrew are not only co-captains. They are the only returning Titans to score more than 12 points all last season.
“It’s quite a bit different than last year, obviously,” Andrew Freeman said at Wednesday’s Media Day at Shirk Center. “We got up here the first day of practice and the first thing we do is stretch. Normally, I sit there and wait for people to tell me what to do. This year I’m telling people what to do.
“It’s kind of weird for me. I’m not real outspoken. If I feel the need to, I can do it. It’s a little bit foreign to me, but at the same time I’m learning as I go along.”
A second-team CCIW selection last season, 6-foot-7 Zach Freeman averaged 16.2 points and 7.6 rebounds. At 6-6, Andrew Freeman saw action in 21 games off the bench.
“From day one, Zach and Andrew have really grasped that leadership role. They have taken pride in that,” Rose said. “They are hard workers, good communicators and they understand what it’s going to take to be successful this year.”
After the Freemans, Rose said competition for playing time could not be more wide open.
“No one has established themselves when the (game) lights are on,” said Rose. “We’re going to let the competition take care of itself. We’ll let guys compete for those minutes and those roles.”
Likely to emerge as assistance for the Freemans inside is 6-4 junior Darius Gant. A bit undersized for a post player, the 205-pound Gant possesses exceptional leaping ability.
“I think I’m physical enough to be successful inside,” Gant said. “A lot of times the inside game is all about heart. That’s something I have that will put me over the top. I’m determined not to let anybody beat me.”
At 6-5, senior Tyler Smith could fill a 3-point shooting role as well as contribute inside.
“Through the last three years I’ve learned a lot about myself and improved a lot on the court,” Smith said. “I feel like I’ve waited for my chance so now it’s my time. We know what we have here. We know we can play and compete.”
A strong contender to start at off guard could be sophomore Andrew Gilmore.
“It’s exciting. Practice is really intense. A lot of guys are fighting for positions,” said Gilmore. “No one knows exactly where everyone stands right now. But it’s a welcome pressure. Last year we pretty much knew where everyone stood, and we weren’t getting on the court. Whoever plays the best is going to be on the court.”
Joining Gilmore in the crowded guard competition are senior Mike Harrigan, junior Kevin Bryant, sophomores Jordan Morris and Teddy Toliver and freshman Sean Dwyer.
“It’s a new group of guys working hard, trying to have fun and looking to put our stamp on Illinois Wesleyan,” Harrigan said. “We want to let everyone know we can play, too. We’ve got a great bunch of guys and everybody is excited about the opportunities.”
Toliver said last season’s seniors will be missed, “but it’s a new era. I actually like being the underdog. People don’t expect you to do anything then you surprise them night by night and start to build credibility. I would rather not have the spotlight on us at first, then actually earn the spotlight.”
Andrew Freeman believes the Titans have the raw materials to be successful.
“We’ve definitely got the talent,” he said. “We’ve just got tot put it all together and people have to start molding into their roles. I think people are going to be surprised how much talent we really do have. Some of it in the younger players is unpolished. If we can turn that raw talent into some real skill, we’re going to be a pretty good team this year.”
According to Zach Freeman, IWU boasts a “different kind of talent. We have a lot of guys who hustle. A lot of guys who do the little things. I’m not sure last year we did those little things. We’re going to do them this year, I can assure you of that.”
Rose has been encouraged by early practice sessions.
"I really like how the players have been so receptive to coaching and to learning,” he said. “I love our enthusiasm. I love the way they carry that Illinois Wesleyan tradition with them. They have that pride in them, that expectation of success and desire to represent Illinois Wesleyan in a competitive, first-class manner.”
Titan tidbits
-- IWU opens its season Nov. 17 against Clarke at the Wisconsin-Whitewater Tournament. The Titans play six of their first seven games away from Shirk Center.
-- Junior Brian Nussbaum, who missed last season after undergoing shoulder surgery, said Wednesday he will require another surgery on the same shoulder and his playing career is likely over.
“My labrum is repaired, but the joint is still unstable,” Nussbaum said. “It’s really frustrating. Maybe there will be a chance (to return) next year, but it doesn’t look too good.”
-- Whether IWU will play a junior varsity schedule this season is “still to be determined,” according to Rose. “I’m not sure we’ll have enough guys.”
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IWU basketball facts
Head coach: Ron Rose, 1st season
Nickname: Titans
Conference: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
2005-06 record: Won 25, Lost 7 (9-5 in CCIW)
(April 13, 2006)
Hersey's Dwyer still heading to IWU
By Randy Reinhardt
rreinhardt@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON - Sean Dwyer wanted to play for Scott Trost. The Arlington Heights Hersey High School point guard wanted to play basketball at Illinois Wesleyan even more.
Dwyer confirmed Wednesday he has committed to join the Titans next season despite the fact Trost resigned from the IWU coaching job for the same position at Lewis University on Tuesday.
"It was more of a decision to make than just basketball itself. The school, with the academics, is the place for me," Dwyer said. "I would have loved to play under him (Trost). But when I visited, the freshmen and sophomores accepted me. It was like I was already there. They really persuaded me a lot by being themselves.
"And obviously the tradition is unbelievable at Illinois Wesleyan. That excited me a lot. I'm going to work as hard as I can to keep that tradition rolling."
The 5-foot-11 Dwyer averaged 14 points, five assists and three rebounds for Hersey his senior season as the Huskies posted a 19-9 record. He was the Player of the Year of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald and in the Mid-Suburban East Conference.
"They (the Titans) got a great one," Hersey coach Don Rowley said of his three-year starter. "The major thing about him is he's tough and he's a leader. He's been leading the team since he was a sophomore on and off the floor.
"He's very hard nosed and very strong. He's the first guy to practice and the last to leave, and the first guy in the weight room and the last to leave. You won't believe how cut (physically) he is. He's worked his butt off to get where he is."
Dwyer shot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 76 percent at the free throw line his senior season. He also boasted a 2.5 to 1 assist-turnover ratio.
"He's the best kid in 38 years we've had at getting to the basket. It's amazing how he's able to either finish shots or get fouled," said Rowley. "He's the consummate point guard and leader. He's more interested in getting others involved than scoring his own points."
Dwyer also lists leadership as a personal strength.
"I'm very vocal running the point," he said. "I like getting guys shots, getting guys open."
IWU got a helping hand in the recruiting process from former Titan John Camardella, who also starred at Hersey.
"He brought up Illinois Wesleyan and sparked my interest," said Dwyer, who also considered Augustana and DePauw. "We've been keeping in touch."
Rowley said Dwyer compares well to Adam Dauksas, who recently completed four years as IWU's starting point guard.
"I'm familiar with Adam Dauksas," the Hersey coach said. "Sean is at least as good as Dauksas. They will love this kid."
According to Rowley, Dwyer has a 5.2 grade point average on a 5.0 scale. He called Dwyer and IWU "a match made in heaven."