Category: Great Lakes Valley Conference

QU Review – Maryville 70, QU women 66

Posted by dobrien – March 3, 2012

The Quincy Unviersity women’s basketball team bowed out of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament with a semifinal loss at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, Ill.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s stars:

1. Abbie Duethman

The junior did it all for the Saints (18-11). She was a beast on the boards, hauling in 16 rebounds, 12 of which came on the defensive end. She also scored 23 points, making two huge 3-poitners in the final minute to put the Saints on top. She’s one of the reasons I can see teh Saints being a major factor in the GLVC West Division next season.

2. Karlee Gengenbacher

Had it not been for Duethman’s second 3-pointer from the left corner with 27 seconds left, the sophomore would have been the hero for the Lady Hawks. After Duethman hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 58.9 seconds left for a 65-63, Gengenbacher answered with a 3-pointer of her own with 40 seconds left for a 66-65 QU advantage. She finished with 14 points and six rebounds .

3. Darla Gatschenberger

She was part of a great effort by the Lady Hawks’ bench. With the starters struggling, Gatschenberger, Felisha Loggins and Kelly Buresh proved to be a calming influence for the Lady Hawks. Gatschenberger hit a big 3-pointer during a 12-2 run by QU that helped the Lady Hawks rally from a nine-point deficit midway through the second half. She finished with seven points as the trio of her, Loggins and Buresh combined for 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

DOBservations

For the second straight year, the Lady Hawks bowed out of the tournament in the semfinals as the No. 1 seed. Last year, Indianapolis beat QU in the semis at Maryville. … Maryville, which was a success at the Division III level, will try for its first NCAA Division II Tournament berth in its first year of eligibility in Sunday’s 1 p.m. final against Kentucky Wesleyan. Neither Maryville nor Kentucky Wesleyan was in this week’s regional rankings, meaning the winner will bump a team out of the field. … QU was No. 5 in last week’s region rankings and should be a lock for the tournament for a second straight season. … There was a good-size crowd from Quincy that made its way over for the game. Among those in the crowd were school president Bob Gervasi, athletic director Marty Bell, football coach Tom Pajic and women’s soccer coach Dave Musso.

QU Review — Drury 82, QU men 65

Posted by dobrien – February 26, 2012

The Hawks season came to an end with a first-round loss in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tourament.

Here’s a look at Sunday’s stars:

1. Justin Brock

Though silent for much of the first half, Brock did all he could to will the Hawks to a win. He scored the Hawks’ first 12 points of the second half and his personal 12-5 run to start the half cut Drury’s 14-point halftime lead in half. He killed the Panthers in the post and the perimeter, including banking in a 3-pointer with 1:25 left that cut the lead to 71-65. Those would up being the last points of his career and the Hawks’ season. He finished with 24 points and nine rebounds. Replacing the Liberty product who came to QU via Eastern Illinois won’t be easy.

2. Alex Hall

As good as Brock was in the second half, Hall was every bit as good in the first to help the Panthers (17-10) build that 41-27 halftime edge. He made three first-half 3-pointers and created offense for his teammates with the Hawks paying so much attention to him. After scoring just eight points on 2-of-7 shooting in a loss at Pepsi Arena earlier this season, Hall made four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points to lead the Panthers.

3. Courtney Belger

The final spot on my countdown is more of an ode to Belger’s career as a Hawk than what he did in Sunday’s game. He was OK on Sunday with four points, seven assists, seven rebounds and four steals. But he has been a rock at the point guard spot for the Hawks over the last three years. Like Brock, he will be tough to replace. Also like Brock, it’ll be tougher to find a nicer kid than Belger.

DOBservations

To add insult to the Hawks’ loss, they would have avoided top-seeded Bellarmine in the quarterfinals of the tournament had they won. The GLVC reseeded the tournament after the first-round games. Since 10th-seeded Lewis beat No. 7 Illinois-Springfield on Sunday, that means the ninth-seeded Panthers will play second-seeded Missouri-St. Louis in Friday’s quarters. Nothing against the Tritons, but getting put in the bracket opposite Bellarmine is a huge break for the Panthers, who could be a threat as long as Hall and freshman Drake Patterson are hitting. … Former Quincy University Athletic Director Pat Atwell made the trip up to watch the game from Springfield, Mo. He had to boot a couple of QU students out from their would-be seats behind the Panthers bench before the game. … Drury can thank its free-throw shooting for the blowout win. The Panthers knocked down 28 of their 31 attempts from the stripe. … After being ranked in the Midwest Region rankings at the No. 8 spot last week, the Hawks lost two games. QU won’t get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and finishes its season at 18-9.

Figuring out the GLVC tiebreakers

Posted by dobrien – February 22, 2012

The Quincy University men’s and women’s basketball teams go into Thursday night’s season finale against Illinois-Springfield at Pepsi Arena knowing some of their postseason fate.

Thanks to the two-division system where all teams didn’t play everyone in the other divisions, tiebreakers this year are a little harder to figure out than normal.

The QU women’s basketball team is not only in the drivers’ seat when it comes to winning the GLVC West Division, but the Lady Hawks can also secure the No. 1 overall seed in the GLVC Tournament with a win over the Prairie Stars.

A win would put QU at 15-3 in league play. Even if Drury and Wisconsin-Parkside both win their finales to tie the Lady Hawks at 15-3, QU would get the No. 1 seed. QU swept Drury, so it is the West Division champion. Even though QU lost to Parkside earlier this season, that win doesn’t count in a tiebreaker scenario since Parkside won the game at home. The Lady Hawks have the edge in the tiebreaker over the Rangers since they won at Maryville and Parkside lost there.

The QU men’s team could still grab a share of the GLVC West title with a win and an UMSL loss to Maryville, but the Tritons hold the tiebreaker over QU for the division crown.

No matter what, the Hawks have secured a first-round home game, which will be played at 2 p.m. Sunday at Pepsi Arena. It’s just a matter of who they’ll play.  Even though QU beat Indianapolis, which likely will finish 12-6, the Hawks don’t get to factor that win into a tiebreaker since it came at Pepsi Arena. Indy has the tiebreaker since it won at Illinois-Springfield and QU didn’t.

QU does have the tiebreaker over another potential 12-6 Kentucky Wesleyan team. QU beat Indy at home, while the Panthers lost to Indy on their home court. If QU finishes 12-6, it would likely be the No. 6 and draw No. 11 Missouri S&T in the opening round.

If QU loses to UIS and finishes 11-7, it likely would drop to the No. 7 seed and have to take on a 10th-seeded Lewis team that beat the Hawks 75-59 earlier this season in Romeoville.

The league will release its full playoff pairings on its website on Thursday night.

Trying to get the story

Posted by dobrien – February 18, 2011

What did he do?

That was the No. 1 question at Pepsi Arena on Thursday night.

What did Quincy University women’s basketball coach JD Gravina do to get suspended for one game by the Great Lakes Valley Conference for violating its sportsmanship policy?

At this point, neither Gravina nor QU nor the GLVC will go into the details of what Gravina did to get him knocked out of the Senior Night game, which the Lady Hawks won 86-71.

One area news outlet reported my name in connection with what happened with Gravina.  Citing anonymous sources, the report said the school was upset with Twitter feeds by Gravina and myself, and that I had deleted posts on my Twitter feed. For the record, I’ve not removed anything from my Twitter feed from that game.

The Wisconsin-Parkside athletic administration was upset with my postgame blog on the Rangers’ win over QU. They felt that some of my comments were inappropriate.  I was trying to be humorous but, after listening to their complaints, I edited my blog.

We are still trying to get a source on the record about why Gravina was suspended.

When we get that confirmation, the readers will be the first to know.

UPDATE: Here’s your confirmation. Gravina released a statement this morning saying that a comment he made on a social media site led to his suspension. Click here for the story.

Two For Tuesday – Feb. 15

Posted by dobrien – February 15, 2011

While you’re all recuperating from your Valentine’s Day-incuded chocolate hangover, here’s your latest edition of the Two-For:

1. Albertageddon

It looks like Wednesday’s going to D day for the Cardinals to have a deal done with star first baseman Albert Pujols or risk losing him to free agency. The team’s kidding itself if it doesn’t think that the situation isn’t going to cause a distraction. It could be a painful summer for Cardinal Nation.

2. Completing the GLVC circuit

 Wisconsin-Parkside’s DeSimone Gym was the last gym in the Great Lakes Valley Conference that I needed to visit to complete my tour of the league. Although I’ve been to Drury many times, I’ve yet to see the new O’Reilly Family Events Center. I’ll also need to hit William Jewell at some point since the Cardinals join the GLVC next season. Here’s a look at the official DOBservations rankings of the GLVC’s facilities I’ve visited:

 1. Bank of Kentucky Center, Northern Kentucky. The place is actually too big for a Division II school, but would be perfect for a mid-major Division I school. Gee, I wonder what’s eventually going to happen at NKU?

2. Sportscenter, Kentucky Wesleyan. I’m a sucker for old-school hoops and the Sportscenter is about as old-school as they get. Love the purple-clad (and gray-haired) fans that populate the place. Plus, I’ve seen some pretty good games there. Saw a QU team win a GLVC Tourney gam in an upset back in 2007-08. Then there will be the memories of the 2010 Midwest Region Tournament and the triple overtime thriller against St. Joseph’s in the region championship game.

3. Pepsi Arena, Quincy. Hawks fans don’t know how good they’ve got it until you see what the other facilities are like. The upgrade in 2000 really helped move the Hawks’ nest up this list.

4. Weiser Gym, Drury. I’ve heard that I’ll have to move Drury up the list once I see their new place. Weiser was another place like the Sportscenter with a ton of history and the fans help make the games feel like an event

5. Nicoson Hall, Indianapolis. It’s too bad few show up to watch the Greyhounds play because Nicoson has that Indiana basketball feel to it. It’s a bowl, kind of like Rockhurst’s home but much better kept. I’ve seen some doozies here, too, including the Lady Hawks’ first Sweet 16 run back in 2003.

6. Knights Hall, Bellarmine. I liked the place on my first trip there a few weeks back. It was unique with a stage at one end of it, but I think that made it a bit different than other places in the league. The crowd seemed into it, but when you have one of the top teams in the nation, I’m sure it helps make the place look a little better than it might actually be.

7. Physical Activiies Center, Southern Indiana. The Screaming Eagles’ home court is basically a really big high school gym. The people of Evansville love their Eagles, which helps make it an attractive place to play.

8. The Recreation and Activities Center, Illinois-Springfield. The Prairie Stars’ home is one of the league’s newer facilities. It seats a ton of people. A decent place to play, but like some of the other places lacks on game-day atmosphere.

9. Mark Twain Building, Missouri-St. Louis. Nothing more than a big high school gym, but with way less fan interest than you find at USI.

10. Billy Key Court, Missouri S&T. It’s a bit smaller than UMSL’s place with even less fan interest.

11. Neal Carey Arena, Lewis. They’ve done some upgrades to the place, which include a nice scoreboard, but there isn’t much seating to be had. Doesn’t matter becaue it’s not like the people of the greater Romeoville-Joliet area are flocking to the place.

12. Moloney Arena, Maryville. I think it might be a good venue for the GLVC Tournament if other teams’ fans decide to travel. A good contingent of Hawks fans would give QU a home court edge there next month. Heck, could happen in the regular season, too, since it didn’t look like the hottest ticket in St. Louis.

13. DeSimone Gym, Wisconsin-Parkside. It’s build of cinder blocks and has a bit of a jailhouse feel to it.

14. Mason-Halpin Gym, Rockhurst. Another older gym, but has little mystic and even fewer fans. Had to broadcast from what had to be an old DJ booth there once.

15. Scharf Alumni Fieldhouse, St. Joseph’s. There’s a net at one end of the place to keep players from hurting themselves. What more needs to be said?

Hawks get first GLVC schedules

Posted by dobrien – February 11, 2011

The Quincy University football team found out who it will play during its first two years of Great Lakes Valley Conference football action, starting in 2012.

The Hawks’ first-ever GLVC game will be a Sept. 15, 2012 contest against the University of Indianapolis at QU-Stadium. The Greyhounds are currently associate members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for football. Indy likely will be the favorite to capture the first GLVC title since it plays in the competitive GLIAC, which features national power Grand Valley State among others.

With nine teams in the GLVC, each team will play eight league games — four home and four on the road. Here’s a look at how the Hawks’ schedule will look in 2012 and 2013. Dates listed as “open” will be available for the team to schedule up to three non-conference games.

2012 QU football schedule

Sept. 1                  OPEN
Sept. 8                  OPEN
Sept. 15                INDIANAPOLIS
Sept. 22                URBANA
Sept. 29                at Saint Joseph’s
Oct. 6                    OPEN
Oct. 13                  MCKENDREE
Oct. 20                  at Missouri S&T
Oct. 27                  at Central State
Nov. 3                   KENTUCKY WESLEYAN
Nov. 10                 at William Jewell

2013 QU football schedule

Sept. 7                  OPEN
Sept. 14                OPEN
Sept. 21                at Indianapolis
Sept. 28                at Urbana
Oct. 5                    SAINT JOSEPH’S
Oct. 12                  OPEN
Oct. 19                  at McKendree
Oct. 26                  MISSOURI S&T
Nov. 2                   CENTRAL STATE
Nov. 9                   at Kentucky Wesleyan
Nov. 16                 WILLIAM JEWELL

There’s a (weak) movement afoot

Posted by dobrien – May 11, 2010

Seems the folks at Southern Indiana are still a bit bitter over the men’s basketball team being left out of the NCAA Tournament last season.

At least one fan decided to take his fight to the web. A Southern Indiana fan site started an online petition to get Great Lakes Valley Conference commissioner Jim Naumovich fired. The group set a goal of getting 1,000 signatures on its petition to rid the league of Naumovich. Since Dec. 31, 2009, the site has all of 13 signatures, including people from Spain, Malaysia and the U.K. who would like to see Naumovich ousted from his post.

I don’t think the T-shirt shown on the petition is actually for sale. At the current rate of signatures, the USI site will reach its goal sometime around June of 2039.

It’s official — GLVC up to 16 teams

Posted by dobrien – October 8, 2009

As expected, the Great Lakes Valley Conference has admitted William Jewell as the league’s 16th member. The move was expected to be passed by the Council of Presidents after the league’s athletic directors and faculty athletic representatives gave the Liberty, Mo.-based school its blessing last month.

Here’s the GLVC’s release on the news:

———

Great Lakes Valley Conference Admits New Member
INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced on Wednesday that William Jewell College has been admitted to the Conference bringing the league’s membership to 16 institutions. The addition of William Jewell was unanimously approved by the GLVC Council of Presidents at the Oct. 6 meeting.

“The GLVC Council of Presidents unanimously endorsed the recommendation from the league’s faculty athletic representatives to accept William Jewell College as our 16th member,” said Dr. Thomas George, University of Missouri-St. Louis Chancellor and Chair of the GLVC Council of Presidents.  “We are pleased to welcome such an outstanding academic institution to the GLVC and believe their membership will further strengthen what is already a very competitive Conference.”

William Jewell will officially become a GLVC member upon receipt of initiation fees entitling the institution to voting privileges at the GLVC Winter Meeting on Jan. 15, 2010.

The College will begin regular season competition and will be eligible for select GLVC championships during the 2011-12 academic year. William Jewell will be eligible for postseason competition in the majority of GLVC sports in 2012-13.

The delay in postseason eligibility coincides with the institution’s eligibility for NCAA Division II championships as William Jewell is completing reclassification to Division II. William Jewell is currently affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and is in its first candidacy year in Division II.

“The Great Lakes Valley Conference is pleased to welcome William Jewell College as the league’s 16th member,” said Jim Naumovich, GLVC Commissioner. “WJC boasts an outstanding academic reputation and a solid athletic program and we feel they will be an outstanding addition to the GLVC and NCAA Division II.”

William Jewell is located in Liberty, Mo., and along with Rockhurst University, will be one of two GLVC institutions in the Kansas City area. The liberal arts college, with an enrollment of 1,100 students, was established in 1849 and is located within the Kansas City metroplex of more than two million.

The College sponsors 18 sports, including all seven of the ‘core’ sports (men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball) currently sponsored by the GLVC. The Cardinals also sponsor men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s golf.

William Jewell was a charter member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) and has been competing in the NAIA conference since 1971. The Cardinals have captured 96 conference titles in the HAAC and were the first NAIA program to claim 500 football victories.

“Their geographic proximity to Rockhurst University will now allow us to move forward with divisional scheduling in soccer, volleyball, basketball, tennis, softball, and baseball beginning in 2011-12,” added Naumovich.

The GLVC was established in 1978 and is one of the largest NCAA Division II conferences in the country. With the addition of William Jewell, the GLVC will include 16 institutions from five Midwestern states. The current members of the GLVC are: Bellarmine University (Louisville, Ky.), Drury University (Springfield, Mo.), Kentucky Wesleyan College (Owensboro, Ky.), Lewis University (Romeoville, Ill.), Maryville University (St. Louis, Mo.), Missouri University of Science & Technology (Rolla, Mo.), Northern Kentucky University (Highland Heights, Ky.), Quincy University (Quincy, Ill.), Rockhurst University (Kansas City, Mo.), Saint Joseph’s College (Rensselaer, Ind.), University of Illinois at Springfield (Springfield, Mo.), University of Indianapolis (Indianapolis, Ind.), University of Missouri-St. Louis (St. Louis, Mo.), University of Southern Indiana (Evansville, Ind.) and University of Wisconsin-Parkside (Kenosha, Wis.).

The GLVC last expanded in 2008 with the addition of Maryville and Illinois-Springfield. The addition of William Jewell will mark the first time in its history the GLVC has had 16 members.

The GLVC currently sponsors championships in 17 sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor track & field, men’s and women’s outdoor track & field and volleyball.

For more information about the GLVC and each conference member, please visit www.glvcsports.com .

———

Getting the league to split into two divisions is a big move, especially when it comes to controlling traveling costs. It will be interesting to see how the basketball schedules will look. Will every team play each team in its division twice and teams from the other division once? If so, that would mean there would be 22 league games for each school, leaving schools with just four non-conference games.

Your new East-West breakdown will probably look like this:

East—Southern Indiana, Northern Kentucky, Bellarmine, Kentucky Wesleyan, Indianapolis, Lewis, St. Joseph’s, Wisconsin-Parkside

West—Quincy, UMSL, Illinois-Springfield, Maryville, Missouri S&T, Drury, Rockhurst, William Jewell

From Quincy’s standpoint, it will be nice to be back with the Missouri schools it has created some rivalries with. Quincy-Drury is usually a good matchup, no matter the sport. It will also be interesting to see how the QU-Illinois-Springfield rivalry develops.

GLVC slaps postseason ban on USI

Posted by dobrien – October 6, 2009

The Great Lakes Valley Conference today handed the University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball program a one-year GLVC and NCAA Tournament ban for violations inside the program that happened under former coach Rick Herdes.

Here’s the full text of the GLVC’s press release:

———

INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference Council of Presidents has levied a postseason ban against the University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball program for the 2009-10 basketball season. This postseason ban shall include both the GLVC and NCAA postseason tournaments.

In unanimously endorsing the recommendation to ban the Southern Indiana men’s basketball team from competing in the 2010 GLVC and NCAA Tournaments, the Council of Presidents did affirm and acknowledge the proactive measures taken by the institution during the investigation into the violations.

The case, which is pending review by the NCAA enforcement staff, involves five secondary violations, including unethical conduct, extra benefits and impermissible contact, and involved three different men’s basketball student-athletes during the 2008-09 academic year.

As a result of the findings of the institution’s investigation into violations of NCAA Bylaws, Southern Indiana has instituted self-imposed penalties which include vacating all wins from the 2008-09 season and returning NCAA funds received from the institution’s participation in the 2009 NCAA DII Regional Basketball Tournament.

———

You’d have to think the folks at Kentucky Wesleyan are loving this news about now. It made sense for the GLVC to ask for an NCAA postseason ban on top of missing the league’s postseason event.

Had the Screaming Eagles only been banned from the GLVC event, they would have been able to rest up for the NCAA’s since this year’s conference tourney will be spread over two weekends. And the school would have taken a spot from a more-deserving member from the GLVC or GLIAC.

With three teams ineligible for the GLVC tourney this season — newcomers Illinois-Springfield and Maryville aren’t eligible until they have full Division II status — that means no GLVC men’s team will have to fight its way into the postseason field. On the women’s side, only the last-place team in the GLVC East will be left out.

Land of Linkin

Posted by dobrien – July 29, 2009

Here are a few stories that might interest you:

• Quincy native D.A. Weibring’s back will keep him out of this week’s U.S. Senior Open outside of Indianapolis. Weibring’s staying busy though. He made a stop in Metamora earlier this week to check on a course his design company, Weibring-Wolfard Golf Design, is working on. Peoria Journal-Star golf guru Greg Stewart caught up with Weibring.

• Don’t expect McKendree to be a new member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference any time soon. The school’s request to start the process of joining the NCAA Division II ranks was recently turned down by the NCAA. The Lebanon, Ill., school is a long-time member of the NAIA and plays football in the Mid-States Football Association with Quincy University. McKendree was one of three MSFA schools — Malone and Walsh being the others — that were denied by the NCAA.

However, William Jewell’s application was accepted by the NCAA. The longtime member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference, which includes Culver-Stockton, will be looking for a new Division II conference soon. The school has made it known it would like to join the GLVC, which has seemed open to the Liberty, Mo., school.

The GLVC is at 15 members right now. There was some worry that Rockhurst was going to leave the league to join the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, but the Kansas City, Mo., school’s application for admission was denied by the league.

• It appears the Quincy University softball team will be without its star pitcher, Torie Bunzell, for the fall. According to the LaSalle (Ill.) News-Tribune, Bunzell will have surgery next month to repair a torn meniscus that will keep her out of fall ball. Bunzell recently competed in an exhibition against the Chicago Bandits and was the only pitcher on her team to strike out a Bandits player.

• The Quincy University women’s basketball team is featured in the latest edition of NCAA Champions Magazine. The team was profiled for its “Inches Closer To A Cure” campaign.