Captain's Log: Stanley Cup 2014 - Tournament Recap

For the first time in quite a few years, Reaper made their way to Stanley Cup at ISU. Stanley Cup is a mixed tournament and past Reaper teams have had ladies who were very well-versed in the game of ultimate. The 2014 Reaper team was a bit different. This is the first team of our women's team, the Peacocks. All of the girls are new to the sport and have only been practicing together for a few weeks. That being said, the girls and guys teams only had three combined practices the week before the tournament. All of that just added to how amazing our journey was this weekend.



Game One: Northern Illinois (and friends)

I don't think I was the only one with some nerves heading into the first game. I felt a bit under-prepared as a captain, not knowing really what to expect from my first mixed tournament. We got off to a strong start, however, breaking twice right out of the gate to go up 2-0. Afterwards, NIU stepped up their game and made us pay for poor defense and bad marking. Our players were playing too poachy and were getting broken too often. Really the only positive of the first half was that we demolished their zone with great handle work and cutter motion. Great work by the rookies and ladies who haven't had much experience in zone offense. It took multiple halftime adjustments to stay in the game. We continued building upon our three points, which have become a staple of our huddles thus far. No poaching, communication, and punish on defense. We were down by four points with time running out, but something finally clicked. We were down 7-10, broke 4 straight points to win on universe point in hard cap.

Final Score: 11-10 - WIN

Highlights:
Great play by the ladies going up against some top club players and holding their own
Byron played out of his damn mind
Page huck to Nate Kinsinger x2 FTW


Game Two: Bradley

We have a lot of experience against Bradley and they are a team that has continued to get better with the development of their players. We played a back and forth type of game trading O-point for O-point. We then got down a couple of points at half and the team seemed kind of flat, even after winning the opening game. Lore and I talked at the half and decided something needed to change. We had to change the attitude of our team. I stood in the middle of our circle and looked at everyone and told them that this wasn't practice anymore. There are consequences for our actions. This is a tournament and while it's the fall, it's still important. I asked everyone if they wanted to be here. I told them it's a beautiful day to play ultimate and it's time to man up and start playing like I know we can. Lore and I then stressed our three points again. After half was over, our team started working like a machine. Our handle motion was crisp and balanced. Our cutter motion fell into place with our handle motion and we were able to do the "Chip Kelly Style" offense that we love to run. Fast, lots of touches, moving the disc efficiently. We made another comeback in hard cap, behind wonderful teamwork of the ladies, rookies and vets.

Final Score: 10-8 - WIN

Highlights:
Great handling by Kelsey (after practicing as a handle for like a couple days)
Scores by Golene and Macy
Byron blocking a throw, having his throw blocked, then blocking the guy again. #BeastMode
Tyler high release assist to Page for the score
Kluess playing a Klussenwall defense by just standing with his arms up in the air, letting the cutter crash into him crumbling into the abyss
Kluess also pulling a Heisman on a dude in order to get better positioning for a score (definitely a foul, but we'll give it to him)


Game Three: Torque

For our third and final game, everything fell into place. We started working together as a team. Their team (with Brock by the way) threw a clam/sag/Iowa kind of zone at us, which was quickly demolished by the likes of Lore, Kissel and me. The cutters found the holes in their zone, especially Kluess, who would crash in, quickly reset to me, then we'd do it all over again quickly moving it up the field until they were in a man-defense. We came out swinging like it was our final round in a heavyweight fight...just like we should. We held true to our new philosophy: hit hard, hit often, punish on D, exploit on O. Now that all of us were working together, we took half 6-3 and never looked back. Instead of an adjustment session, we used halftime as a pump up session. Everyone was fired up to go 3-0 and get a bye to the championship bracket.

"MY ANACONDA DON'T, MY ANACONDA DON'T, MY ANACONDA DON'T WANT NONE UNLESS YOU GOT BUNS HUN."

We finished the game on a 5-2 run to win the game and put ourselves in a bye to the championship bracket for Day 2.

Final Score: 11-5 - WIN

Highlights:
James layout score (which broke his glasses and gave him a sick scar)
James sky D's on some Prion dude
Shawn breaking poor Brock on the wrong pivot (bad, but hey, it worked somehow)
Chilly play by rookie handles and cutters in the zone
Great play by the girls to stay calm with the disc when they were unsure of what to do with the disc.



DAY TWO 

Coming into Day 2, our team was fired up to win a championship, but we still had three games to go. We just had to take each game one point at a time. Caleb, Hinze and Amanda came as reinforcements for Day 2, which definitely helped us.


Game One: ISU Old Balls

Our first game was against ISU's old alum team. We got off to a great start working our offense quickly and efficiently through our handlers and a combination of our cutters whether they were ladies, rookies or vets. However, ISU began to exploit some mismatches that they saw and they climbed back into the game. After gaining some momentum, ISU threw a zone at us, which took us a bit to get used to. It was a bit of a sag defense, but our handlers needed to do a better job of gaining the yards they gave to us. We were down at half by one and the captains gave another halftime pep talk about how we can't continue making the comeback. It's a great thing to do, but when we get ahead, we need to put teams away. We stressed our triangle of points, especially the defensive ones, and went back to fight. We brought the game back to universe point and we only needed to get the score. Sure enough, the comeback magic found us again as Rebecca snuck past her defender into the end zone for the universe score.

Final Score: 13-12 - WIN

Highlights:
Our couple-week-old girls team sticking with an ISU girls team that's been around a while.
Page sky-ing a couple of salty old dudes


Game Two: ISU

Remember last year when the 49ers and Seahawks faced off in the NFC Championship Game? You know how those two teams hate each other with a burning passion and put every ounce of blood and guts on the field whenever they play each other? This game made that game look like an episode of My Little Pony.

Our team played an extremely sloppy first half. That's really all I can say about it. Our defense was nonexistent, our offense was inefficient and ineffective. Every facet of our game was on the decline. There was a point in the first half where the game was 2-2, but that quickly went away as ISU took half 7-3. I brought our team into the huddle and looked at everyone. I, along with my other captains, reminded our team that this game was to go to the championship. This game was to go to the game where we could win it all. We reminded them that there is no reason to give up. We said that we've come back before, it's not new ground to us. We got everyone believing in each other, in our team, and we went back to battle.

"I don't know about many of you, but I've never been to, let alone won a championship and I'd really like to do that today. We've made the comeback before, it's not new to us. We are a resilient team, and I know we can win this game. Let's get to the championship." -Kyle

The half ended and the comeback began. It was something like I've never seen before. Our defense was what I envisioned it would be this season. Legion of Boom. Completely destructive. And our offense made them pay. Everyone stuck tight to a man, threw their bodies around like rag dolls, just for the sake of our team. Hinze and Page made stellar defensive plays, while Kissel made them pay offensively. All of the girls put their opponents on an island. We gave them nothing. ISU pulled out all of their tricks to stop us--time outs, slow line calling, etc--but it didn't work. What did we do? After half, we were down 7-3. We pulled to begin the second half. We shut ISU out in the second half, breaking six consecutive points to win the game in cap. Reaper was going to the Championship.

Final Score: 9-7 - WIN



CHAMPIONSHIP

We made it. A lot of people were surprised that we went that far and we proved them wrong. We showed everyone that this team is special and should not be taken lightly. We were in the championship game against the NIU team we played the day before. At the start of the game, we got up big. Our team was rolling from the adrenaline from the previous game and our team was clicking on all cylinders. However, NIU threw a zone at us which slowed us down quite a bit. Our fast-paced offense was forced to move slow, which threw us off our game. We had the lead at the half but what was once a sizable lead, was down to a couple points. In the second half, we played tighter lines usually keeping at least one of our four guys a rookie and they made the most of their time on the field. Colin, Tyler, James, and Shawn played great on offense and defense. The ladies did great against some women's club competition and Golene had both an assist and score. Eventually, the game went to cap, a game to twelve and we were up 11-8. The game came down to an iso play in the end zone. The disc went up, Caleb came down with it. Game over. We won.

Final Score: 12-8 - WIN

There was truly no better feeling than winning that championship, especially after all of the hard work we have put in so far this year. Our team showed resiliency throughout and never stopped fighting. I don't think many people expected us to win our pool, let alone a championship. But our team powered through six tough games against good teams. We made comeback after comeback and finally proved that this team can do something special this year. As a captain, I'm extremely proud of how our team played and worked together this weekend. I'm extremely proud of how hard the Women's team has worked to gain the knowledge to get to this point. The family aspect of Reaper and the Peacocks found itself again this past weekend and it was a great feeling. People can say that we're not good enough. They can scream it for all I care. All I know is, we're going to prove them wrong.



Overheard at Stanley Cup:
"Hinze played a lot better once he threw up" -Tyler
"Hey Kissel are you excited?" "How bout you ask my boner?"-Kissel
"I've never been more proud of this team." -Lore "The only time Lore has been more proud is the day he met Kluess." -Caleb

Stanley Cup was an experience like none other. I think I speak for everyone when I say that I can't wait to do it all over again.

-Kyle #37

Captain's Log: Hucks For Dayz 2014 - Tournament Recap

The 2014-2015 Reaper season is going to be a learning experienced for our entire team. For the first time in a long time, there are no returning veteran captains. Caleb, Lore and I are new to being captains, so our first tournament was an exciting prospect (like the scene from Finding Nemo where the turtles were screaming 'righteous! Righteous!'). Going into game one everyone was excited and a bit nervous, but ready to play.

Here's the recap of our first tournament at Indiana Wesleyan in Marion, IN.

Game One: Goon Squad (Huntington Alumni)

Our first game got off to a typical "Reaper Start" coming out of the gate flat quickly going down 0-2. Our O-Line eventually got us on the board and our D-Line brought us back to go up 3-2. The game went back and forth until Goon Squad took half 7-6. At half we discussed some of the mistakes we were making as well as how we needed to start getting ready to play. After half, we still seemed a little flat and eventually lost the game 13-10.

Our downfalls through the game were mainly defensive mishaps, such as poaching and not keeping the correct force. Our cutter motion was also looking a bit clogged and there was not really any off the line work happening. After the game, we made three points to our players:
1. Communication is key- we have to communicate with each other
2. NO POACHING
3. PUNISH on defense

For it being our first game, our rookies played extremely well while they were on the line!

Highlights:
KBreezy layout score
Kissel injury saga continues, Lore replaces him, gets sick ass INTIMIDDDDD right away


Game Two: Wash U

Coming off of a loss in our first game, our team was ready to get our first win of the season. We got out to a hot start going up 4-0, behind our new three step philosophy of communication, no poaching, and punishing defense. Our defense was something that really stood out to us as captains. We made Wash U work and we punished them for the mistakes they made. After we went up 4-0, Wash U threw a 3-man cup at us. Our rookies (who have no experience with a cup) played extremely well and we destroyed the Wash U cup. Our rookies got lots of playing time and made the most of their playing time. I can't stress how awesome our rookies played.

Final Score: W 12-9

Highlights:
Tyler caught a score in the middle of a crap ton of people
Kbreezy high release break to Lore, the wind took it, Lore bid for the catch, threw the score to Kluess
Caleb no look lefty backhand to Lovie for the score and FTW


Game Three: Taylor University

Our third game was probably the best game we played of Day One. Our rookies all got a lot of playing time and rose to the challenge. All of the rookies played exceptionally well. All of our rookies played great defense and worked our cutter motion to perfection. Rookie handlers James and Shawn did a great job working the handle motion and remembering all of the different nuances of our handler offense. Rookie cutters Ben, Tyler, and Djante worked the cutter motion very well and always found ways to get open.

We took half 7-2 and made it our goal to win the second half as well. Our team played a style of ultimate I've never seen from a Reaper team I've been a part of. Our offense was cool, calm, collected and basically Zen. We took our time, we weren't hyped, but we were focused. Our defense continued to punish Taylor, not allowing them to do anything they wanted to do on offense. We ended up winning the second half as well, ending the game with a 13-5 win.

Highlights:
Mass foot block by Djante where he kicked the disc about 50 yards out of bounds and into the woods followed by a Caleb huck to Rebecca for the score
Tyler layout D
All Rookie, Upwind break, FTW


Game Four: Ball State:

Our final game of the day came against Ball State. We came out strong against Ball State by throwing a veteran line zone in order to go up 6-3. Our Iowa zone punished Ball State (our defensive motto this weekend) and we took advantage of the field position that our zone provided us. After we went up 6-3 we got our rookies playing a majority of the points at probably a 4-3 rookie to veteran split. At that point, Ball State started playing their Universe Line in order to take half 7-6. At the half we told our players that we were proud of how everyone was playing and that even though we were tired, we had to keep grinding.

As captains, we made the decision to do the opposite of Ball State. We decided that we did not want to take points away from our rookies in order to put an all veteran line out on the field. We told our players that developing our young guys as well as continuing the development of our veterans is more important to us at our first tournament than throwing a Universe Line out for the entire second half like Ball State did. We took the game to hard cap at 9-8 with the chance to go to universe with the next point. After a hard fought battle, we came up a bit short, but we were happy we got everyone a lot of playing time and experience.

Final Score: L 10-8

Highlights:
Rookies destroying Ball State's zone
Ben faking an injury during the point to go to universe in order to get someone with fresh legs out there (he deserves a primetime Emmy)



DAY TWO

For Day Two, we made it a point to come out extremely hot and ready to play. I think we rose to the challenge.

Game One: Huntington Black Griffins

We got off to an okay start with the game at 3-3 after 6 points played. Our offense was playing well, but our defense needed to be reminded to punish. We needed an adjustment to help us play punishing defense and that's when Kissel came up with that adjustment. We began to force flick no matter where we were on the field. Huntington could not throw a flick and our defense began to smother them. Their guys started throwing thumbers and behind the back scoobers...so the adjustment definitely worked. Our rookies got a lot of playing time and were playing very well, especially on defense holding the force and forcing Huntington to throw the throws they are uncomfortable with. For our handlers, our off the line looks started getting a lot better.

 "He didn't seem like he knew the rule, so I acted very confident that I did know the rule." - Kluess after pulling out of bounds that would have brought them to our own end zone corner.

Because of the adjustments we made on defense and very solid offensive play, we finished the game on a 10-1 run winning by a final score of 13-4.

Highlights:
Lore going full beast mode with something like 4 bids and 3 D's on the same point. 
Caleb got beat by a girl on a layout score, but then sky'd her (I'm pretty sure he leaped over her entirely)
Final point of the game: Caleb pulled out of bounds, Huntington's disc on our end zone (because Kluess wasn't there to mislead the guy on the rule), goal line D by Caleb, then a full field huck from Caleb to Kbreezy FTW.


Game Two: Oberlin-Y:

After a big win over Huntington, we were ready to get back on the field right away against Oberlin. It was extremely windy and was a great back and forth game. The key to this game was gaining a break against a strong cross-wind by throwing a zone against Oberlin. They had a difficult time breaking our zone, but at the same time we had a difficult time breaking their zone as well. Oberlin ran mainly out of a vert stack. We defended the vert extremely well by having force side and break side help as well as deep help. Eventually their vert stack became stagnant and they had to move into a ho stack.

Something we really took away from this game as captains was that we need to work on our marks a bit more at practice. Oberlin had some good throwers and they were able to break us far too often. Other than that, we played a solid game, especially our rookies who have little experience playing in that strong of a wind.

Final Score: W 9-7

Highlights:
Djante catching two *dime* hammers from Kissel
Solid play in the wind by our rookies


We ended the tournament in 10th place, which is a great start to our season. Caleb, Lore and I are extremely proud of how our team played this weekend, especially the young guys. I think I speak for my co-captains when I say that the rookies completely exceeded my expectations this weekend. If our rookies are this good now, just think about how good they'll be when the spring season begins. Our next tournament will be with the Women's team at ISU, then we're off to Glory Days. I'm excited to see how our team progresses through these two tournaments and then at ONU two weeks after ISU. That being said, congrats guys on a great tournament, lets keep working hard to continue improving and getting better as a team!

-Kyle Breen #37, Caleb Gurujal #12, Alex Lore #5

P.S. - You're telling me, that at dollar sushi night at KoFusion you can get ONE sushis for ONE dollar?! So what happens if you have FIVE dollars? How many sushis can you get? Yeah. FIVE sushis.

Regionals 2014

Alright boys, the biggest part of our season is right around the corner. So let’s keep a few things in mind this weekend.

-       Win. All season we’ve been saying “oh, we lost but at least we’re improving every time.” Guess what? THIS IS THE LAST TOURNAMENT, everyone needs to put everything they’ve learned this past year out on the line. We should be playing at our highest level now. Give everything you possibly can when you’re the in the game, and when you’re on the sideline never quit talking it up. Remember, every single person needs to be active at any given time.

-       If you make a bad play don’t cry about it. We all know you made a bad play, it’s all right, we’re going to pick you back up, you just need to make sure you pick yourself back up because you’re still playing this point and we still have a game to play. Focus on the good not the bad.

-       Do whatever you need to do tonight and/or Saturday morning to be mentally prepared for this weekend. Think about what you’re going to do to help Reaper do the best we possibly can.

-       If we lose, so what? Look, if everyone is going all out tomorrow and we lose, then we can at least say there’s nothing else we could’ve done. And then, we get past it and prepare for the next battle of our day, ready to come out and fight our hardest again. It’s not if we lose, it’s how we lose.

-       There’s no need to get frustrated at any other teammates this weekend. We don’t need that kind of attitude at all. We need to be picking each other up this weekend and playing like a team. If you get anywhere near that level of pissed off just go walk it out.

-       With all this being said, there is a huge difference between playing with anger, and playing with emotion. Playing with emotion, and leaving your heart on your sleeve after every point is exactly what everyone should strive for. Being frustrated and angry always leads to turnovers and poor decisions, it’s almost worse than the exhaustion after a marathon point.

-       We’re playing some good teams this weekend, every game is going to be close. Take of yourself and try not to get injured, we’ll need everyone.

-       After everything is said and done, let’s eat like a team, not bunch of separate cliques.

-       WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

Getting to the next level - Summer Ultimate Info

Reaper Nation,

Below I have quickly compiled a list of ultimate opportunities for anyone interested in playing over the summer.  The summer not only has far better weather than most of the college season - it's the absolute best time to improve as a player if you want to take your game to another level.  Even if you don't have the time to commit to a club team I highly recommend playing in a league if you live semi-close to one or at the very least finding a regular pick-up game.  Even if you don't feel like you will make a club team I can tell you from personal experience that getting cut and trying out can still help you improve A TON as a player.  Furthermore, club/summer teams vary in commitment and skill level and the vast majority understand if you are interested but can't make a specific tryout but are interested in attending - contact them and let them know, so don't let that stop you from playing. If you are unable to find any playing opportunities below please feel free to contact me and I will gladly try to help you find any ultimate in your area.

Note: many registrations and tryouts are right around the corner - mark your calendar.

Finding potential teams + tryout information
1.) http://www.rsdnospam.com/index.php?t=thread&frm_id=2
-Probably the most well-known ultimate forum, many teams post tryout info here.

2.) http://www.reddit.com/r/ultimate/comments/1zqrm9/national_usa_club_tryout_list_2014/
-Very large nationwide club team tryout list

3.) http://www.ultimatecentral.com/club-tryouts
-Similar to #2 / large club tryout listing

4.) http://ultimatechicago.org/play/club_teams
-Chicago / Illinois club team information

5.) http://fuckyeahmenwithbuns.tumblr.com/
-Chicago mixed club team combine information

Helpful tips for trying out for teams:
1.) http://www.the-huddle.org/issues/2/
-There are many different articles on the right side with suggestions from great players on trying out for club teams.

Chicagoland Ultimate - Summer league information!
1.) http://ultimatechicago.org/play/leagues

Reaper Alum Advice:
1.) http://reaperultimate.blogspot.com/2013/05/being-one-of-people-whograduated-this.html - Zach
2.) http://reaperultimate.blogspot.com/2012/11/food-for-thought.html - Motherbird
3.) http://reaperultimate.blogspot.com/2012/12/thoughts-from-old-guy.html - Karlson

And finally... any of you considering being captains next year should seriously read this article -> http://www.ultimaterob.com/2014/04/07/10-things-every-captain-should-know/


~#2

My first club tournament (mixed div) with a pick-up team called 'Hug Machine'  we were mostly a bunch of IL college players @ a night tournament in Wisconsin. (note: OC was on NIU for this and we had never played together).

http://vimeo.com/47219348 - Highlight video of the first club team I played for.

2014 - #13 Exit Interview + Graduating Seniors

Alex Castillo #13 - Player Interview 

The following is an interview with the last player from the first Reaper generation (he will be out of eligibility but still @ EIU next year). I had the honor of playing with and coaching Alex for many years and watching him develop over that time as a player and a friend. He was the first guy to hand me a Woodchuck and jam out to Mindless Self Indulgence. I don't think I can count the parties, tournaments, B&E, practices, road trips and other debauchery we got into ("who the @!#% steals spoons!?").  Alex has seen the highest highs and lowest lows of this team and it won't be the same without him. Recently, after making it past the first few rounds of the AlleyCats combine, Alex made the decision to drop out of the tryouts so he could focus more on Reaper, a difficult decision but at the same time one that shows a small glimpse of the commitment he has shown this team over the years.

How many years have you been playing ultimate? When did you start playing ultimate? What sports did you play in HS?

I started playing my sophomore year at EIU. This is my technically my 6th year, but 5th year through USAU, so unfortunately it is my last year with Reaper. I played two years of Baseball and Basketball in high school.


Who was your favorite team to play against in college?

This was tough, but I actually liked playing Loyola, especially the past couple of years. The rivalry always made it an intense match-up.


What is your favorite throw?

Airbounce backhand, even if I get shit for throwing it.


Offense or Defense?

Defense for sure. I will never understand why some people refuse to layout for a D.


Favorite TV show?

Modern Family


Any words about the rookie all-star game you participated in?

I was lucky to participate, because at the time, only 1 player was chosen per team, and of course I really didn't deserve it over Schwenk. We all knew it wouldn't be fair for him to just sky over every non-experienced player. I can't imagine how I looked out there as a rookie; I'm sure it was ugly, but that full field flick that I threw was one that I will never forget.


What is your favorite ultimate-related memory?

My favorite ultimate related memory would have to be Regionals 2011 when we beat Illinois. Although my role on the team wasn't as nearly as significant, it was just amazing being able to be a part of one of the best teams in the Midwest at the time. I still believe that our team was one of the best in the country that year. Our depth was always our weakness, but with rested legs, I think we could have competed with anyone.


What is your favorite tournament and why?

I think it's a toss up between No Wisco and Chi Invite. We've had great results at No Wisco, and I'll never forget taking Carleton to universe point , but Chi Invite's quality has been improving in the past couple of years.
http://reaperultimate.blogspot.com/2011/10/no-wisconsequences-2011.html


What are your future ultimate-related goals if any?

I plan on playing club ultimate with Prion out of Champaign, starting this summer. I would eventually like to tryout for the AUDL's Indy Alleycats, but I'm going to have to wait until I'm more financially stable. I'm becoming more hesitant about joining the Alleycats because I'm pretty sure Travis Carpenter thinks I'm Traver when it comes to making calls.


What is your life outside of ultimate like? What did you study in school? Do you have any hobbies or interests?

Life outside of Ultimate isn't very exciting as of right now. I'm currently in my first year in the Counseling Master's program so I'm stuck in Charleston for another year, although I won't have eligibility. My hobbies include watching basketball, baseball, and playing the guitar. I hate this question James!


Any dogs in the house?

There is one dog in the house. Yadi has been a valuable part of the team and I'm pretty sure he scared Manny away.


Any last words?

Just a last few words. I've been a part of Reaper for a very long time now. It's been crazy seeing the change in dynamics from the past few years. Although it's great to see the team grow, I hope that it can try to retain the chemistry from the early years. I don't expect for everyone on the team to eat, sleep, and breathe Ultimate, but I think it's more important for the veterans and other core members to try to maintain cohesion and chemistry between the team. If you look at the alumni, most of them continue to be heavily involved with the Ultimate community; those guys were the ones that were always at practice even when it was cold and shitty outside. The dedication is correlated with interest in the sport, of course, but it'll be negatively affected if the core does not set a good example with time dedicated to practice and improvement. The alums can only do so much to help the team thrive; the most important factor resides on the returning members. Set a good tone for the next year, and help this team maintain it's competitive edge in the region. And let's never fucking to lose Bradley again.




Alex and the team in the Pre-Reaper Days.


~




#14 Josh Hardie


#24 Steve "High Release" Langyher 

Lastly, Alex is not the only graduating player this year. The team is also losing 2 former captains (and one still current) in Steve "High Release" Langyher and Josh Hardie. These guys were the complete opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to leadership. HR being a fiery and aggressive leader who feds off his emotions and plays with his heart on his sleeve; Hardie was probably the most positive and friendly captain Reaper has ever had (in my opinion at least) and set a great example on how to be not only a good teammate but also a good person. Both were/are solid handlers who worked extremely hard to be the players they are today. While Josh and Steve decided to not respond to my interview inquiry I hope they both realize that they were/are massive contributors to this team and without the many years and countless hours they put in as players and leaders, Reaper wouldn't be what it is today and what it will become in the future without the selfless contributions of these great guys. Reaper nation continues to grow and I wish Alex, Steve, and Josh the best of luck at Regionals 2014 and more importantly in life.



~James

Please consider taking a minute and writing any memories/experiences with any of these guys in the comments section and wish them luck at Regionals!

Numbers Never Lie

This week I have transported back to my days in college where I had a few commitments a day and copious amounts of free time. What I am saying is that I am a teacher and am on spring break but am stuck in small town Illinois with very little to do. While this is a blessing in disguise, due to being on break during the Thursday and Friday of March Madness, I also have been extremely bored and can only run so much while training for Last Call IV. If you like you could rename it to Alum Repeat III, it doesn’t have a great ring to it but if we do repeat the tournament should be renamed. While preparing to watch endless basketball this weekend I became interested in looking at the teams being matched up in the tournament. I enjoy looking at the teams averages for the season. Their average points per game. Their total wins against the top 25. You can crunch numbers forever but you have to play the game on the court to truly see who the best team will end up being. Anyway this started me to think what would Reaper’s numbers look like at the end of their spring season? How many points would they average per game? Which team has been the best Reaper team of all time? Well I have done my own statistical analysis based on the numbers supplied for us on Scorereporter. The numbers are superficial and some seasons are lacking some tournaments. Here are the numbers for only the spring seasons for the 2009-2013 Reaper teams. Enjoy.

	Games	Record	Pts. Scored	Pts. Against	Ave Pts. Game
Reaper 2009	8	4--4	82	83	10.25
Reaper 2010	14	9--5	146	123	10.429
Reaper 2011	34	21--13	364	325	10.706
Reaper 2012	41	21-20	408	435	9.951
Reaper 2013	41	28--13	419	409	10.22
	Opp. Pts. Game	Difference	Vs IL teams	Vs IL St.	Final RRI
2009	10.375	-0.125	2--1	n/a	n/a
2010	8.786	1.643	5--3	1--0	2228
2011	9.559	1.147	9--5	n/a	2196
2012	10.61	-0.659	13--6	1--3	2196
2013	9.976	0.244	12--9	3--2	1925

Here are some highlights from each teams season

Reaper 2009- Very little information was provided.

Reaper 2010- Highlights include a one day tournament during THE Original Polar Vortex: Chi Invite 2010. Creating a rivalry with Loyola at Conference as well as defeating Western Illinois on DGP.

Reaper 2011- There was no information for Last Call however if I remember correctly we won which would have added another 7 or 8 wins to the total. Finishing 3rd at Chicago Invite despite having a 3-4 record. This team also had the highest RRI ever recorded for a Reaper team at 2285.

Reaper 2012- Beating Illinois at Regionals was the highlight of the season. The only time Reaper has beat a team who had earned a bid to go to Nationals that year.

Reaper 2013- Beating IL State at Regionals.

Mike Schwenk #29