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March 22
Illinois Wesleyan junior guard Adam Dauksas was selected to the first team of the Division III All-American squads chosen selected by member coaches of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Dauksas was also named the NABC’s Midwest Region “Player of the Year” and teammate Keelan Amelianovich was chosen to the Midwest region second team. Dauksas was earlier named a first team All-American and all-region (D3hoops.com) and “Most Outstanding Player” in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. Dauksas is the eighth Titan individual to earn NABC Division III All-American honors. Jeff Kuehl (1989), Chris Simich (1995), Bryan Crabtree (1997), Brent Niebrugge (1998), and Korey Coon (2000) and Amelianovich (2004) were all first-team selections, while Blaise Bugajski was chosen as a second team All-American in 1984. Kuehl (1990), Simich (1996) and Coon (1999) were also second-team All-Americans.
March 21
Illinois Wesleyan junior Adam Dauksas was named to the first team and junior Keelan Amelianovich was chosen to the second team of the D3hoops.com Division III All-American squads. Both were earlier named to the first team of the Midwest Region squad. Dauksas was the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin “Most Outstanding Player” and first team all-CCIW as he averaged 15.1 points and 5.6 assists in leading IWU to a 21-5 season. His 145 assists is the fifth highest total in an IWU season. Dauksas is No. 4 at IWU with 380 career assists and No. 34 with 1,040 points. Amelianovich was also a second team D3hoops.com All-American a year ago. A first team all-CCIW choice in 2005, he scored a team-high 17.9 points per game and led IWU in scoring 13 times, scoring in double figures in 24 of 26 games. He is No. 4 at IWU with 155 3-point field goals and his 994 points makes him 37th at IWU.
March 16
Illinois Wesleyan juniors Adam Dauksas and Keelan Amelianovich were chosen to the first team of the Midwest Region squad named for the fourth year by D3hoops.com. Dauksas was the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin “Most Outstanding Player” and first team all-CCIW as he averaged 15.1 points and 5.6 assists in leading IWU to a 21-5 season. His 145 assists is the fifth highest total in an IWU season. Dauksas is No. 4 at IWU with 380 career assists and No. 34 with 1,040 points. Amelianovich was also a first team D3hoops.com all-region selection a year ago. A first team all-CCIW choice in 2005, he scored a team-high 17.9 points per game and led IWU in scoring 13 times, scoring in double figures in 24 of 26 games. He is No. 4 at IWU with 155 3-point field goals and his 994 points makes him 37th at IWU.
March 5
The Illinois Wesleyan University men’s basketball season came to a halt with an 81-76 defeat at the hands of Hanover in the NCAA Division III tournament at the Shirk Center on Sat., March 5. The Titans finish with a 21-5 mark and were led by Adam Dauksas with 27 points and Keelan Amelianovich with 23. The Titans outrebounded the Panthers, 33-26, but Hanover shot a blistering .739 from the field in the second half (17 of 23) to improve to 25-5. Go here for a complete story.
March 2
Illinois Wesleyan junior forward Keelan Amelianovich has been elected to the second team of the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® squad for men’s college basketball. (Go here for the complete story.) Amelianovich is an accounting major with a 3.76 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale). A first team all-conference selection, he is averaging a team-high 17.7 points for the 21-4 Titans, is No. 4 all-time at IWU with 141 3-pointers and is tied for 36th in career scoring at the school with 971 points. His selection brings to 101 the total number of Academic All-America berths earned by IWU student-athletes since the program began in 1970, a total eclipsed by only six other schools, including Nebraska, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
February 28
Illinois Wesleyan junior guard Adam Dauksas has been named “Fred Young Most Outstanding Player” for men’s basketball in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin in voting by league coaches Mon., Feb. 28. (Click here for complete story.) Dauksas is the 16th Titan winner of the CCIW top player honor and follows teammate Keelan Amelianovich, last year’s winner. Dauksas and Amelianovich were both first team selections and Zach Freeman was selected to the second team. For the third consecutive year, Scott Trost earned “Coach of the Year” honors as he directed the Titans to the league championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament. On Sat., March 5, at 7 p.m., the 21-4 Titans host the winner of Thursday’s Blackburn (18-9) at Hanover (23-5) game.
February 27
With a bye until the second round on Sat., March 5, Illinois Wesleyan will host the winner of Thursday’s game between Hanover and Blackburn in the 2005 NCAA Division III men’s basketball championship. Saturday’s game will be at 7 p.m. at the Shirk Center. Making its third straight and 17th overall tourney appearance in 22 years, IWU is 21-4 and has won five straight games. Hanover is 23-5, ranked No. 14 nationally, and earned a 55-53 win over IWU in Hanover on Dec. 11. Blackburn is 18-9 and won the automatic bid from the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Titans are College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin champions for the third straight year and won the school’s 27th league title. IWU was Division III champions in 1997 and finished third in the national tourney in 1996 and 2001.
February 26
The Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team closed out its regular season with a 74-51 win over Millikin at the Shirk Center on Sat., Feb. 26. The Titans are 21-4 overall and were 12-2 in winning their third straight College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championship. IWU will make its third straight appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament and the pairings will be announced on Sunday night after 9:30. Keelan Amelianovich led the Titans with 18 (with nine free throws) and Zach Freeman scored 16 with nine boards. Cory Jones grabbed 11 rebounds and Chris Jones had 11 points. The game had 47 fouls and 35 turnovers, including 20 from Millikin (12-13, 4-10 CCIW). IWU held onto a 31-28 halftime advantage and managed only two field goals in the final 11:50 of the first half.
February 24
The Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team is the outright College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin champion and earned the league’s automatic bid for the NCAA Division III tournament. An Augustana win over Wheaton on Thursday left the Thunder at 9-4 in the league while IWU is 11-2 with only Millikin left to play (on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.). It is the third straight CCIW title and NCAA appearance for IWU. It marks the Titans’ 27th CCIW crown and the 17th tournament appearance in the school’s 22 seasons of NCAA affiliation. With a 98-89 win over North Park in Chicago on Feb. 23, IWU clinched a share of the CCIW championship. Keelan Amelianovich scored 22 of his game- and career-high 29 points in the first half as the Titans improved to 20-4 overall. This is the first three-year stretch since the Jack Sikma-led teams in 1975, 1976 and 1977. It is the 18th 20-win season in IWU history and the 17th in the last 40 years. Adam Dauksas added 19 points in the win and Lamar Townsend also went for 29 for the Vikings (4-20, 0-13 CCIW).
February 21
Illinois Wesleyan, who trailed by as many as eight in the first half, took its first lead of the game with 6:09 to play and held on for a 73-70 win over North Central in Naperville, Ill., on Mon. Feb. 21. The Titans, who improved to 19-4 overall and 10-2 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, were led by Zach Freeman’s 20 points. Keelan Amelianovich scored 13 and Cory Jones and Adam Dauksas, the current CCIW “Player of the Week”, each scored 10. Jones also snapped off a game-high nine rebounds. Matt Arnold had nine points and made four free throws in the last 25 seconds to seal the win. The Cardinals fell to 14-10, 4-9 CCIW.
February 21
Illinois Wesleyan junior guard Adam Dauksas has been selected as the men’s basketball “Player of the Week” in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin for the week ending Feb. 19. Dauksas helped IWU to a pair of road victories last week – he played all 40 minutes in a 76-68 win at Carthage, scoring 28 points with four rebounds and three assists. In the 75-59 win at Elmhurst he had 13 points, four caroms and four assists in 39 minutes. For the week he was 12-17 (.706) from the field and 15-17 (.882) from the free throw line, averaging 20.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
February 19
Illinois Wesleyan limited Elmhurst to only 20 second half points and took a 75-59 win over the Bluejays at Elmhurst on Sat., Feb. 19. The Titans (18-4 overall and 9-2 and in first place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) were led by Keelan Amelianovich and Cory Jones with 15 points each. Adam Dauksas scored 13 and Zach Freeman went for 11 with eight rebounds. The Bluejays (16-7, 8-4 CCIW) shot only .188 in the second half from the field (six-of-32).
February 17
Illinois Wesleyan junior forward Keelan Amelianovich has been elected to the first team of the District V College Division all-academic men’s basketball squad and will join representatives of seven other districts on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America national ballot. An accounting major with a 3.76 grade-point average, Amelianovich is averaging a team-high 17.5 points and has connected on 53 3-point field goals. In his career he is No. 4 all-time at IWU with 141 3-pointers.
February 16
The backcourt of Adam Dauksas and Matt Arnold combined for 43 points as the Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team ended a two-game losing streak by topping Carthage, 76-68, on Wed., Feb. 16 in Kenosha, Wis. Dauksas scored 28 and Arnold tallied 15 as IWU improved to 17-4 overall and 8-2 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. Zach Freeman added 11 points and Chris Jones scored 10 and grabbed eight boards in the win as the Titans connected on 52 percent of their field goals (24-of-46) and outrebounded the Redmen (11-11, 5-6 CCIW) by a 32-19 margin.
February 12
For the first time since January 2004, the Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team has lost two in a row, falling by a 77-76 margin to Augustana on Sat., Feb. 12 in Rock Island. The Titans are 16-4 overall and 7-2 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin while the Vikings improved to 14-7, 6-4 CCIW. Adam Dauksas led IWU with 21 points while Keelan Amelianovich had 16 and Zach Freeman scored 13. Cory Jones scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Augustana outrebounded IWU, 34-30, and snared 15 offensive boards to only seven for the Titans, who shot .582 (32-of-55) from the floor but were guilty of 18 turnovers.
February 9
The Wheaton Thunder snapped Illinois Wesleyan’s 20-game home winning streak and ended the Titans’ nine-game winning streak with an 86-74 defeat of IWU on Wed., Feb. 9 at the Shirk Center. IWU, who came into the game No. 1 in the national D3hoops.com poll, fell to 16-3 overall and 7-1 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin while No. 9-ranked Wheaton improved to 17-3, 7-2 CCIW. IWU was led by Adam Dauksas with 24 points and six assists while Keelan Amelianovich scored 23 with a game-best eight rebounds. Wheaton was paced by Kent Raymond’s 23 points.
February 5
Junior forward Keelan Amelianovich scored 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Illinois Wesleyan won its ninth straight game, a 91-67 decision over Carthage at the Shirk Center on Sat., Feb. 5. Matt Arnold (13), Adam Dauksas (12 points, six rebounds, seven assist) and sophomore forward Andrew Freeman (10 points, five rebounds) all scored in double figures for the No. 1-nationally ranked Titans, who improved to 16-2 overall and 7-0 halfway through the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin season. Carthage got 24 points from Kevin Menard as the Redmen fell to 11-9, 5-4 CCIW.
February 2
For the second straight game, Illinois Wesleyan had four players in double figures and defeated visiting North Central, 81-67, on Wed., Feb. 2 at the Shirk Center. The Titans, who became ranked No. 1 in the national D3hoops.com poll this week, improved to 15-2 overall and 6-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin while the Cardinals dropped to 13-7 overall and 3-6 in the CCIW. Sophomore Andrew Freeman scored 17 and grabbed five rebounds while junior Keelan Amelianovich had 17 points and six boards. Junior Chris Jones scored 12 with eight caroms and junior Adam Dauksas had 12 with six assists. North Central’s Mike Wilson scored 34, the third most for an opponent in the Shirk Center. IWU ascended to the top spot for this first time in the six year history of the D3hoops.com poll.
January 29
Illinois Wesleyan got four players in double figures and ran its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin record to 5-0 with a 73-58 win over North Park at the Shirk Center on Sat., Jan. 29. The Titans (14-2 overall) were led by Chris Jones with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Keelan Amelianovich and Cory Jones each had 11 and Adam Dauksas scored 10. The Titans outrebounded the Vikings (4-13 overall and 0-6 in the CCIW) by a 39-29 margin.
January 26
Trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half and by a 34-30 count at halftime, Illinois Wesleyan exploded for a 52-32 second half advantage and downed Millikin, 82-66, in a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin game in Decatur on Jan. 26. The Titans, ranked No. 2 in Division III this week, were led by junior guard Matt Arnold with a career-best 20 points and Keelan Amelianovich scored 17 (15 in the second half). Sophomore Andrew Freeman came off the bench to pour in a career-high 15 points and snared seven rebounds for IWU (13-2, 4-0 CCIW). The Titans shot 61.2 percent in the game (30-of-49) against the Big Blue (9-7, 1-4 CCIW).
January 25
The Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team has moved up to No. 2 in the latest D3hoops.com poll (through games of Jan. 23). IWU (12-2, 3-0 CCIW), who trails only Wisconsin-Stevens Point (16-1) was No. 2 in the preseason D3hoops poll. Other familiar ranked teams include Trinity (Texas) at No. 8, Wheaton (14), Hanover (16), Benedictine (17), North Central (26) and Aurora (30). IWU is at Millikin Wed., Jan. 26, then puts a 17-game Shirk Center win streak on the line with home games against North Park, North Central, Carthage and Wheaton. The IWU game at North Central, postponed due to weather on Jan. 22, has been rescheduled for Mon., Feb. 21 in Naperville.
January 19
Illinois Wesleyan roared out to a 40-13 halftime lead on 54 percent shooting from the field and breezed to a 67-52 win over Augustana on Wed., Jan. 19 at the Shirk Center. The Titans improved to 12-2 overall and 3-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin as the Vikings fell to 10-5, 2-2 CCIW. Zach Freeman and Keelan Amelianovich led IWU with 13 points while Adam Dauksas scored 10 and handed out six assists. Andrew Freeman came off the bench to score eight points and grasp four rebounds.
January 18
For the second time this season, Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Zach Freeman has been chosen as the "Player of the Week" in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. Freeman scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Titans defeated Wheaton, 80-73, on Jan. 15. He was nine of 18 from the field, blocked a shot and six of his boards were on the offensive end. The Titans (11-2 overall and 2-0 in the CCIW) improved to No. 3 in the national D3hoops.com poll for the week ending Jan. 16.
January 15
Illinois Wesleyan, ranked No. 6 nationally, improved to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with an 80-73 win at Wheaton on Sat., Jan. 15. The Titans got four players in double figures, led by Zach Freeman with 19 points. Adam Dauksas scored 16, Keelan Amelianovich scored 15, and Matt Arnold contributed 12. Zach Freeman also snared 11 rebounds as the Titans held a 38-35 rebound edge on the Thunder (10-3, 0-2 CCIW). Wheaton, who came into the game ranked No. 8 in the nation, committed 17 turnovers to only 10 for IWU.
January 8
The No. 8-ranked Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team notched an 84-62 win over Elmhurst in its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin opener on Sat., Jan. 8 at the Shirk Center. The Titans, 10-2 overall, were led by Adam Dauksas, who scored 21 points with five rebounds and six assists. Keelan Amelianovich scored 19, Zach Freeman scored 16, and Chris Jones netted 12 with a team-high seven rebounds. The Bluejays dropped to 8-5 overall and 0-2 in the CCIW and were led in scoring by Pat Bacon with 15.
January 2
Adam Dauksas scored 26 points and snared seven rebounds to lead Illinois Wesleyan to a 79-68 nonconference win over No. 23-ranked Benedictine on Sun., Jan. 2 in Lisle. Keelan Amelianovich added 19 points, with Zach Freeman contributing 12 and Chris Jones added 11 with a team-best eight boards. The Titans, who were ranked No. 6 in the latest D3hoops.com poll, improved to 9-2 as they connected on 8-of-15 3-point field goal tries against the Eagles.
December 30
Illinois Wesleyan improved to 8-2 and went 1-1 on their Texas trip, topping Southwestern by a 65-57 count in Georgetown, Texas, on Thurs., Dec. 30 at the Southwestern/Trinity Holiday Classic. The Titans got 18 points and seven rebounds from Keelan Amelianovich, while Zach Freeman scored 14 and snared a game-high eight rebounds. Adam Dauksas added 11 points for IWU, who outrebounded the Pirates (now 7-3 overall) by a 36-25 margin. Trinity was the tourney champion, going 2-0 with wins over IWU and Ohio Wesleyan.
December 29
The No. 6-ranked Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team dropped a 67-63 overtime decision to Trinity (Texas) at the Southwestern Holiday Classic in Georgetown, Texas, on Wed., Dec. 29. The Titans (7-2 overall) saw leads of 51-41 and 55-50 escape in the second half and the game was tied at 57 after regulation play. Keelan Amelianovich scored 23 and Zach Freeman added 14 as IWU’s lone two players in double figures. Trinity improved to 5-4 with the win. IWU plays Southwestern at 8 p.m. on Thurs., Dec. 30.
December 18
The No. 6-ranked Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team bounced back in big style from its only loss of the year a week earlier, logging a 93-53 win at Beloit on Sat., Dec. 18. Keelan Amelianovich led the Titans (who improved to 7-1) with 20 points and Zach Freeman scored 18 points with nine rebounds. Mike McGraw scored 16 points in his first college start and Adam Dauksas added 11. McGraw started in place of Jason Fisher, who had surgery to repair a broken nose suffered earlier in the season. The Titans shot 63 percent from the field to the Buccaneers’ 31 percent and IWU outrebounded Beloit (2-5) by a 42-27 margin.
December 11
The Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team lost for the first time this season, dropping at 55-53 nonconference decision at Hanover on Sat., Dec. 11. Keelan Amelianovich scored 14, Adam Dauksas scored 13 and Jason Fisher added 12. The No. 2-ranked Titans (who are now 6-1) led 23-12 early in the game and held a 27-25 advantage at halftime over the No. 9-ranked Panthers, who improved to 8-1 on Ben Lye’s game-winning basket with :07 left. IWU was outrebounded, 37-29, but held Hanover to 34 percent shooting in the game from the field (21 of 62).
December 8
Junior Keelan Amelianovich scored a career-high 28 points and connected on five 3-pointers as the Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team cruised to a 94-51 nonconference win over Fontbonne on Wed., Dec. 8 at the Shirk Center. The Titans improved to 6-0 as Jason Fisher and Adam Dauksas each scored 12 points and Zach Freeman snapped off 12 rebounds. The Titans, who grabbed 68 rebounds as a team, limited the Griffins (0-6) to 29 per cent shooting (21 of 73) from the field. The 68 rebounds is merely five short of the school mark of 73, set against Carroll on Dec. 6, 1969. Amelianovich's 28 points is tied for the 19th best effort by an IWU player at the Shirk Center. Antonio Holland scored 22 points for Fontbonne.
December 4
Illinois Wesleyan improved to 5-0 with a 78-63 nonconference win over the University of Chicago on Sat., Dec. 4 at the Shirk Center. Zach Freeman scored 20 points and snared seven rebounds to lead IWU. Adam Dauksas had 16 points and handed over eight assists, Keelan Amelianovich scored 13, and Steve Schweer came off the bench to score 12 points and get four boards. The Titans shot 55 per cent for the game (27 of 49) from the field and led, 33-28, at intermission.
November 30
The No. 2-ranked Illinois Wesleyan’s men’s basketball team remained unbeaten in four games, claiming an 80-73 win over Olivet Nazarene on Tues., Nov. 30 in Bourbonnais. Keelan Amelianovich scored 23 points to lead four Titans into double figures, including Adam Dauksas (16), Zach Freeman (14) and Steve Schweer (10). Amelianovich also corralled nine rebounds while Freeman and Chris Jones each had seven boards and Dauksas had six assists. The Tigers, who led by 12 in the first half and by six at intermission, fell to 3-4 with the loss.
November 30
Illinois Wesleyan sophomore Zach Freeman has been selected as the "Player of the Week" in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin for the week ending Nov. 28. In a 90-70 win against No. 21-ranked Washington U., Freeman scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, handed out two assists and blocked two shots. The 3-0 Titans remain No. 2 in the latest D3hoops.com national rankings, behind Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
November 23
Illinois Wesleyan survived an early 11-point deficit to come back and top Washington (Mo.), 90-70, in a nonconference game at the Shirk Center on Tues., Nov. 23. Zach Freeman scored 23 points and snared 10 rebounds to lead the Titans (3-0) while Keelan Amelianovich scored 21 points. Adam Dauksas scored 15 points and handed out 13 assists and Chris Jones gathered in 12 rebounds. Mike McGraw came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers and score 11 points. The Titans outrebounded the Bears (2-1) by a 51-38 margin and shot 50.8 per cent from the field.
November 20
Junior guard Adam Dauksas scored 16 points and was chosen as the tournament "Most Valuable Player" as the Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball team breezed past DePauw, 67-48, in the title game of the IWU Tip-Off Tournament on Sat., Nov. 20. IWU started the game on a 17-0 run as it improved to 2-0. Jason Fisher scored 12 points and Steve Schweer came off the bench to grab 11 rebounds. Zach Freeman, who had eight points and 10 boards vs. the Tigers, was also named to the all-tournament team.
November 19
The Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team survived poor free throw shooting (52 per cent) and came from behind to top Aurora, 70-68, in the opening round of the IWU Tip-Off Tournament on Fri., Nov. 19 at the Shirk Center. Zach Freeman and Keelan Amelianovich each scored 16 points and Chris Jones scored 10 and snared 11 rebounds in the win. The Titans will play DePauw at 8 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 20. DePauw downed Randolph-Macon, 74-72, in the other opening game. Aurora plays Randolph-Macon at 6 p.m. on Nov. 20.
November 12
Juniors Keelan Amelianovich and Adam Dauksas have earned preseason All-America recognition in d3hoops.com. Amelianovich was chosen to the first team and Dauksas, a point guard, was selected to the third team.
November 5
The Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team has been chosen as the preseason favorite to win the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin title, garnering all seven first place votes from other coaches. The Titans are No. 2 in the national preseason polls in Street & Smith's and d3hoops.com. Among the d3hoops.com top 25 are Hanover (No. 3), Trinity [Texas] (No. 14), Wheaton (No. 17), and Randolph-Macon (No. 23), all on the IWU schedule for 2004-05. Junior Keelan Amelianovich was selected to Street & Smith's five-player All-America squad. The Titans open vs. Aurora on Nov. 19 in the IWU Tip-Off Tournament.season.
September 24
The Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball team's 2004 performance and 2005 potential have landed the Titans the No. 2 spot in the Division III national rankings of Street and Smith's preseason magazine. Titans' junior Keelan Amelianovich was selected to the publication's five-player All-America squad. Amelianovich averaged 17.9 points and 5.1 rebounds last season to help IWU to a 21-7 record and a Sweet Sixteen berth in the NCAA tourney. Defending national champion Wisconsin-Stevens Point was ranked first by Street and Smith's with Rochester third, Wooster fourth and Lawrence fifth. Hanover, which hosts IWU Dec. 11, is No. 9. The Titans, who open their season Nov. 19 vs. Aurora in the IWU Tip-Off Tournament, return seven of their top eight players from a sophomore-dominated team that won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championship last season\.
