By Bob Quillman
IWUHoops.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — "It's tough to sit here. We've got four games left, and basically our season is over."
That’s what Illinois Wesleyan senior point guard Adam Osborn told Bloomington Pantagraph writer Randy Reinhardt on Feb. 10. It was minutes after his team lost at Wheaton, 67-63, leaving the Titans 6-4 in the CCIW, 15-6 overall.
Wesleyan head coach Dennie Bridges remembers the feeling. "I couldn’t have said it any better myself," reflected Bridges. "We weren’t playing well at all. And we also felt that the history of the selection process was against us, even if we did find a way to run the table."
It’s now mid-March, and Illinois Wesleyan is 23-6, and headed to the Final Four. Bridges, the winningest active coach in Division III at 666-318 (.677), couldn’t be happier for his team.
After the loss to Wheaton, IWU got back in the win column by defeating North Central four days later. "We didn’t play great in that game, but we won," said Bridges. "The most important thing is it gave us a tiny bit of momentum and some confidence for the big one with Elmhurst."
Titan fans came out in force on Feb. 17, as CCIW leader Elmhurst came to town. The home team did not disappoint, as IWU won a convincing 71-63 contest over the Bluejays. That set up another big showdown on Feb. 21, with then-No. 1 Carthage coming to the Shirk Center. In a game Illinois Wesleyan led by as many as 27 points, the Titans protected their home court yet again, defeating Carthage 83-71. The win secured a perfect 12-0 season at home for IWU in the regular season.
"After the Elmhurst and Carthage games, we knew we were a good basketball team again," said Bridges. Looking ahead to the final game, I thought it was important for us to beat Millikin convincingly to have any shot. There were questions about our play on the road, and we hoped to answer those."
And answer the Titans did. In a game that was never close, Illinois Wesleyan ended their CCIW season in style, trouncing rival Millikin 96-65 in Decatur.
That put Bridges’ team squarely on the bubble. At 19-6 overall, IWU’s record was not as gaudy as many of the other Pool C candidates in the nation. What Illinois Wesleyan did have in its favor, however, was six wins over potential tournament teams — more than any team in the nation. In addition to victories against CCIW opponents Carthage and Elmhurst, the Titans had non-conference wins against Aurora, Benedictine, Washington U., and MacMurray.
IWU’s biggest obstacle was probably the fact that 2 other CCIW teams were already locks for the tournament — Elmhurst as the conference champ, and 21-4 Carthage as a Pool C team. Many doubted the national selection committee would take three teams from any conference in a 48 team field.
"I thought our chances were 50/50. No better, no worse," said Bridges. "But we knew if the committee actually looked at the strength of our schedule, and the quality of our wins, they’d see we belonged."
At 8:15pm on Selection Sunday, Bridges got a call from one of his assistant coaches, David Steinbrueck, who was listening to the Selection Show on the Internet. Steinbrueck only needed to say two words — "we’re in."
Having been invited to the tournament for the 14th time in Illinois Wesleyan’s 18 years of NCAA membership, Bridges remembers the feeling. "I was tickled. It meant we had a chance to salvage our season. It also meant getting some important playoff experience for our really young team."
Bridges is no stranger to Salem, Va. His 1996 Illinois Wesleyan squad won the Midwest/South sectional in Roanoke, Virginia, earning a chance to go to the Final Four for the first time in school history. The Titans battled eventual champion Rowan to the buzzer, but came up one basket short, 79-77. Wesleyan defeated Franklin & Marshall by 32 points in the third-place game Saturday night.
The following season (1996-97), after graduating four starters and six of his top seven players, Bridges led his alma mater back to Salem behind Division III Player of the Year Bryan Crabtree. After a comeback victory against Alvernia in the national semifinal, the Titans withstood a furious second half charge to defeat Nebraska Wesleyan 89-86. The national championship season was one Bridges will never forget.
"One thing you find out in the Final Four, is that there’s a big difference between winning a national championship and finishing anywhere else," Bridges said. "As proud as we were of our performance in 1996, ultimately we didn’t achieve our goal."
There was never any doubt who the go-to guy was with Crabtree on the floor. The 2000-01 Titans do not have a superstar, but they do have a very dangerous balance.
The Titans are led in scoring by 6-7 sophomore forward Luke Kasten. A unanimous 1st Team All-CCIW selection, Kasten averages 16.2 points and 5.2 rebounds a game. He’s a strong post player, and is also a good jump shooter.
Six-foot-two sophomore guard Laban Cross scored 38 points in the two sectional games at Chicago, and is averaging 11.4 points per game on the season. Cross is 36-for-83 (.474) from beyond the arc.
Senior point-guard Adam Osborn leads to team in assists with 4.2 per contest. Osborn is a good penetrator, and a streak shooter from three-point range. He averages 11.3 points.
The Titans' fourth player averaging double digit points is 6-7 senior center Todd Wente. In addition to his 10.2 points, he also pulls down 5.1 rebounds per game.
Illinois Wesleyan’s leading rebounder in 6-4 sophomore forward John Camardella, who averages 6.6 rebounds per contest in addition to 8.4 points. A tremendous leaper, Camardella is also the team’s inspiration leader. Camardella did not play the final 39 minutes, 30 seconds of the Chicago game, and is questionable for the Final Four.
The Titans got good news Monday, however, as an MRI indicated Camardella did not tear his anterior cruciate ligament as originally feared. He does have a stretched ligament (which he has played with since December), torn cartilage and a bone bruise on his left knee, which has caused swelling.
"I’m not counting on John in my plans right now, but it sure would be a nice bonus if he can play," said Bridges.
Sophomore center Seth Hubbard was another one of the heroes of the sectional, scoring 27 points combined in the Elmhurst and Chicago games. If Camardella cannot play, the 6-7 Hubbard will most likely get the starting nod.
Forwards Ryan McCreery and Mike Rogers (both 6-5), and sophomore guards Eric Starkey (6-3) and Chris Silagi (6-2) round out Wesleyan’s 10-man rotation.
"The (1997) national championship team did not have Final Four experience outside of Bryan (Crabtree), but they were much more of a veteran team than this one," said Bridges. "Everyone except Korey (Coon) had paid their dues on the JV team, and been through the battles with us. Luke, Seth, Laban, and John have never even played in a JV game. And six of my top nine are sophomores – there’s no way of getting around it, we’re young."
Bridges doesn’t know quite what to expect from semifinal opponent William Paterson. But he’s heard all about All-American Horace Jenkins.
"I talked to a coach in their league yesterday. He said the only thing he could compare him to is Allen Iverson. It’s impossible to keep him from getting his shot, and he is very unselfish.
"We’ll just have to guard Jenkins as well as we can, and make sure the other guys on the floor don’t kill us. I’ll have a better feel after I watch the tape (of the Christopher Newport game) today."
So without knowing what to expect, the young 2001 Illinois Wesleyan squad leaves for Salem on Wednesday.
"We have a big picture of the Salem Civic Center in our locker room," said Bridges. "It’s a photo of Bryan Crabtree shooting a free throw against Nebraska Wesleyan… the kids look at it every day.
"Come Friday, that picture will be more than a dream for them, and I’m pretty excited about that."