Titans fans and the Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team have a lot to look forward to this season. After the Titans finished second in the CCIW tournament for the 2023-24 season, they are looking to be a formidable force in the conference again this year after winning the regular season conference title against North Park in the previous season.
After their 19-8 overall record and 14-2 conference record last year, Illinois Wesleyan has high hopes for this season. The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) preseason coaches poll asked nine league head coaches their predictions of who would take home the conference title. They chose the Titans as their number one pick to win the league. Elmhurst College, who bested Illinois Wesleyan in the CCIW Tournament Championship last season, placed third.
Insert quote by Rose here. He is not responding, not my favorite.
The Titans were also ranked 16th out of all NCAA Division III teams by d3hoops.com, and they were the only CCIW team to gain a ranking.
Led by five-time CCIW Coach of the Year Ron Rose, the Titans will see many of their instrumental players return. Last season’s MVP, senior guard Nick Roper, will be one to watch this season after his performance in the Titan’s exhibition game against DePaul. Roper led the team in points in the match, and he also had the highest cumulative point total in the previous season. Roper was also nominated for CCIW’s Most Outstanding Player award in the 2023-24 season, and received an All-CCIW First Team honor.
Other top offensive contributors to watch include senior guard Hakim Williams, sophomore guard Mason Funk, senior forward Marko Anderson and senior forward Harrison Wilmsen.
On defense, keep an eye on Williams and Funk. Williams led the team in blocks last season with 24 and Funk tacked on an additional 13.
Illinois Wesleyan lost four seniors in the offseason, but gained seven first-years. In the exhibition match, Josh Fridman (Northbrook, Ill.) and Alex Miller (Woodridge, Ill.) both got on the scoreboard with one jump shot each.
The Titans will host the two-day Jack Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational at the Shirk Center starting on Nov.8.
Illinois Wesleyan will first face California Lutheran, who finished last season with a 23-5 overall record. The winner of that game will face the winning team of the Calvin University vs University of Wisconsin-Platteville game. Calvin ended the 2023-24 season with a 25-5 overall record, and UW-Platteville ended with a 26-5 overall record.
The Titans’ first CCIW matchup will be on Dec. 4, at 7pm. They will take on Carthage College, who ended the previous season with a 17-10 overall record and a 10-6 record within the CCIW. The Titans faced the Carthage Firebirds twice last season, winning both matchups. With the match being on their home court at the Shirk Center, the advantage lies with the Titans to open their conference season strong.