MoValley John
01-10-2007, 10:09 AM
<TABLE style="WIDTH: 113.68%; mso-cellspacing: 0in" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="113%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" vAlign=top>MVC Men's Basketball: No down time in Valley<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
BY STEVEN PIVOVAR
</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" vAlign=top><o:p></o:p>
</TD></TR><TR><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" vAlign=top colSpan=2><?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" /><v:shapetype id=_x0000_t75 stroked="f" filled="f" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" coordsize="21600,21600"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f></v:formulas><v:path o:connecttype="rect" gradientshapeok="t" o:extrusionok="f"></v:path><o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></o:lock></v:shapetype><v:shape id=_x0000_i1025 style="WIDTH: 491.25pt; HEIGHT: 0.75pt" alt="" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:href="http://www.omaha.com/c_images/fills/black.gif" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/DADAND~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.gif"></v:imagedata></v:shape><o:p></o:p>
</TD></TR><TR><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" colSpan=2>WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER<o:p></o:p>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Missouri Valley Conference teams are in the portion of the season that players love and coaches hate.<o:p></o:p>
To meet scheduling demands, each team is forced to squeeze a large number of games into a short period of time. Most teams are jamming eight or nine games into three weeks. That leaves many coaches feeling shortchanged in preparation time.<o:p></o:p>
"We're playing Northern Iowa, which runs about 40 or 50 plays with all their wrinkles," Illinois State coach Porter Moser said. "It leaves you questioning how much you can go over. You can't overload the kids. Your preparation can't be as extensive when you don't have the time."<o:p></o:p>
The flip side is that you'll likely hear few players complaining.<o:p></o:p>
"Players love it," Missouri State coach Barry Hinson said. "Players always are wanting to play more and practice less. But with as good as this league is, you don't have time to prepare them for the next challenge."<o:p></o:p>
This is the second season the Valley has jammed a large number of games into late December and early January. The conference changed its tournament format last season, moving first-round games from Friday to Thursday. As a result, the league moved the end of the regular season back from the Monday before the tournament to the preceding Saturday.<o:p></o:p>
To make up for the lost date, the coaches agreed to play more games during a time most schools are on holiday breaks.<o:p></o:p>
"I think we can all appreciate why we're doing it," Drake coach Tom Davis said. "We're not having a lot of missed class time. In that regard, it's easier for everybody, but it does put a hardship on us in terms of game preparations."<o:p></o:p>
The grind requires coaches also to adjust how they prepare for games.<o:p></o:p>
"You have to try to keep your guys fresh," Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon said. "We go hard in practice, but our practices are usually shorter at this time of year. We're doing more filmwork and talking right now.<o:p></o:p>
"We're playing Wednesday, Saturday and Monday, and mixing in travel on top of that. You have to keep them as fresh as possible while trying to coach them up a little bit." <o:p></o:p>
Long-range sharpshooters <o:p></o:p>
Bradley's offensive transformation has put the Braves on pace to smash the conference record for 3-point baskets in a season.<o:p></o:p>
The Valley record is 293, and Bradley already has made 189 in 17 games. That total is fourth-best in school history, and the Braves need to make just seven more to move into second place.<o:p></o:p>
Bradley ranks fourth nationally with an average of 11.3 3-point baskets per game and second in 3-point percentage (.445).<o:p></o:p>
The Braves took on more of a perimeter-based attack this season after losing their three best inside scorers from last season's NCAA Sweet 16 team. That included 7-foot center Patrick O'Bryant, who bolted for the National Basketball Association after his sophomore season.<o:p></o:p>
Bradley coach Jim Les decided it made more sense to switch to a four-guard attack. He opened up the offense and gave his perimeter players the green light to start firing from beyond the arc.<o:p></o:p>
"With any system you run, the key is having your kids buy into it," Les said. "We had some kids question why we were doing it. We had a pretty good year last year. The system we ran last year fit those players. With the number of departures that we had, I didn't think it fit what are strengths were this year.<o:p></o:p>
"I think the pivotal game was our opener with DePaul. We came out and had some success, and the kids really started buying in."<o:p></o:p>
Bradley fans also have taken a liking to the new look, although one has had reason for concern. Like many schools, Bradley partners with a local restaurant that gives away free grub when the team scores a certain number of points. Although the number varies from game to game, the cooks at the Lariet Club in Peoria have dished up quite a few free steaks.<o:p></o:p>
"I can't believe the owner is too happy with us," Les said, "because we've been knocking out the number on a nightly basis." <o:p></o:p>
Quote of the week <o:p></o:p>
"I was around when this thing was formed, and I had my doubts that it was going to last this long."
- Indiana State coach Royce Waltman's tongue-in-cheek response to a question about the Valley's 100th season of competition. <o:p></o:p>
Bits and pieces <o:p></o:p>
Northern Iowa's Grant Stout earned the league's player of the week award, while the newcomer honor went to Missouri State's Spencer Laurie. Stout averaged 15.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in wins over Evansville and Southern Illinois. Laurie, a transfer from Missouri, averaged 12.5 points and 5.5 assists in wins over Bradley and Wichita State. . . . Missouri State's win at Bradley snapped the Braves' 15-game home-court winning streak. The Bears' win over Wichita State increased their string of home wins to 14, currently the longest in the league. . . . Indiana State's 3-1 conference start is its best in six seasons. . . . Wichita State's two opponents last week made eight more free throws (45) than the Shockers attempted (37), causing Turgeon to reportedly make a call to the Valley's chief of officials. . . . Northern Iowa became only the second team to shoot better than 50 percent against Southern Illinois when the Panthers made 52.5 percent of their attempts in the win over the Salukis. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
BY STEVEN PIVOVAR
</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" vAlign=top><o:p></o:p>
</TD></TR><TR><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" vAlign=top colSpan=2><?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" /><v:shapetype id=_x0000_t75 stroked="f" filled="f" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" coordsize="21600,21600"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f></v:formulas><v:path o:connecttype="rect" gradientshapeok="t" o:extrusionok="f"></v:path><o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></o:lock></v:shapetype><v:shape id=_x0000_i1025 style="WIDTH: 491.25pt; HEIGHT: 0.75pt" alt="" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:href="http://www.omaha.com/c_images/fills/black.gif" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/DADAND~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.gif"></v:imagedata></v:shape><o:p></o:p>
</TD></TR><TR><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ece9d8; PADDING-RIGHT: 0.75pt; BORDER-TOP: #ece9d8; PADDING-LEFT: 0.75pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0.75pt; BORDER-LEFT: #ece9d8; PADDING-TOP: 0.75pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ece9d8; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" colSpan=2>WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER<o:p></o:p>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Missouri Valley Conference teams are in the portion of the season that players love and coaches hate.<o:p></o:p>
To meet scheduling demands, each team is forced to squeeze a large number of games into a short period of time. Most teams are jamming eight or nine games into three weeks. That leaves many coaches feeling shortchanged in preparation time.<o:p></o:p>
"We're playing Northern Iowa, which runs about 40 or 50 plays with all their wrinkles," Illinois State coach Porter Moser said. "It leaves you questioning how much you can go over. You can't overload the kids. Your preparation can't be as extensive when you don't have the time."<o:p></o:p>
The flip side is that you'll likely hear few players complaining.<o:p></o:p>
"Players love it," Missouri State coach Barry Hinson said. "Players always are wanting to play more and practice less. But with as good as this league is, you don't have time to prepare them for the next challenge."<o:p></o:p>
This is the second season the Valley has jammed a large number of games into late December and early January. The conference changed its tournament format last season, moving first-round games from Friday to Thursday. As a result, the league moved the end of the regular season back from the Monday before the tournament to the preceding Saturday.<o:p></o:p>
To make up for the lost date, the coaches agreed to play more games during a time most schools are on holiday breaks.<o:p></o:p>
"I think we can all appreciate why we're doing it," Drake coach Tom Davis said. "We're not having a lot of missed class time. In that regard, it's easier for everybody, but it does put a hardship on us in terms of game preparations."<o:p></o:p>
The grind requires coaches also to adjust how they prepare for games.<o:p></o:p>
"You have to try to keep your guys fresh," Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon said. "We go hard in practice, but our practices are usually shorter at this time of year. We're doing more filmwork and talking right now.<o:p></o:p>
"We're playing Wednesday, Saturday and Monday, and mixing in travel on top of that. You have to keep them as fresh as possible while trying to coach them up a little bit." <o:p></o:p>
Long-range sharpshooters <o:p></o:p>
Bradley's offensive transformation has put the Braves on pace to smash the conference record for 3-point baskets in a season.<o:p></o:p>
The Valley record is 293, and Bradley already has made 189 in 17 games. That total is fourth-best in school history, and the Braves need to make just seven more to move into second place.<o:p></o:p>
Bradley ranks fourth nationally with an average of 11.3 3-point baskets per game and second in 3-point percentage (.445).<o:p></o:p>
The Braves took on more of a perimeter-based attack this season after losing their three best inside scorers from last season's NCAA Sweet 16 team. That included 7-foot center Patrick O'Bryant, who bolted for the National Basketball Association after his sophomore season.<o:p></o:p>
Bradley coach Jim Les decided it made more sense to switch to a four-guard attack. He opened up the offense and gave his perimeter players the green light to start firing from beyond the arc.<o:p></o:p>
"With any system you run, the key is having your kids buy into it," Les said. "We had some kids question why we were doing it. We had a pretty good year last year. The system we ran last year fit those players. With the number of departures that we had, I didn't think it fit what are strengths were this year.<o:p></o:p>
"I think the pivotal game was our opener with DePaul. We came out and had some success, and the kids really started buying in."<o:p></o:p>
Bradley fans also have taken a liking to the new look, although one has had reason for concern. Like many schools, Bradley partners with a local restaurant that gives away free grub when the team scores a certain number of points. Although the number varies from game to game, the cooks at the Lariet Club in Peoria have dished up quite a few free steaks.<o:p></o:p>
"I can't believe the owner is too happy with us," Les said, "because we've been knocking out the number on a nightly basis." <o:p></o:p>
Quote of the week <o:p></o:p>
"I was around when this thing was formed, and I had my doubts that it was going to last this long."
- Indiana State coach Royce Waltman's tongue-in-cheek response to a question about the Valley's 100th season of competition. <o:p></o:p>
Bits and pieces <o:p></o:p>
Northern Iowa's Grant Stout earned the league's player of the week award, while the newcomer honor went to Missouri State's Spencer Laurie. Stout averaged 15.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in wins over Evansville and Southern Illinois. Laurie, a transfer from Missouri, averaged 12.5 points and 5.5 assists in wins over Bradley and Wichita State. . . . Missouri State's win at Bradley snapped the Braves' 15-game home-court winning streak. The Bears' win over Wichita State increased their string of home wins to 14, currently the longest in the league. . . . Indiana State's 3-1 conference start is its best in six seasons. . . . Wichita State's two opponents last week made eight more free throws (45) than the Shockers attempted (37), causing Turgeon to reportedly make a call to the Valley's chief of officials. . . . Northern Iowa became only the second team to shoot better than 50 percent against Southern Illinois when the Panthers made 52.5 percent of their attempts in the win over the Salukis. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>