2004-2005 Midwest Conference Men's Basketball

Rob Nenahlo, Lawrence

Nenahlo, a senior guard from Appleton, Wis. (East HS), has led Lawrence to a 3-1 record and hasn’t missed a shot from the floor since Nov. 22. Nenahlo has been perfect in his last two games, going 13- for-13 from the floor in wins over No. 26 UW-Oshkosh and Milwaukee School of Engineering. He has led the team in scoring in the last three games, scoring 15 points vs. North Central, 20 vs. UWOshkosh, and 12 in 15 minutes in a blowout of MSOE. Nenahlo hasn’t missed a shot from the floor since the Nov. 22 tournament game at North Central, where he was named to the all-tournament team. The senior guard leads Lawrence in scoring at 13.5 points per game and is averaging 3.0 rebounds per game. He also paces the team with nine steals. On the season, he is 20-for-27 (.741) from the field and 4-for-7 (.571) on 3-pointers.

Travis Miller, Monmouth

Miller, a junior point guard from Pontiac, Ill. (HS), led the Fighting Scots in a victory over MacMurray College. Miller scored 22 points on 10-of-17 shotting and pulled down eight rebounds. He also dished out four assists and made two steals.

Eric McDonald, Lake Forest

McDonald, a junior forward from Elk Grove, Ill. (Elk Grove), led Lake Forest to a victory over North Park University at home last week. After scoring 11 points and dishing out five assists in the opening 20 minutes, he exploded for 25 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field after halftime. He finished the night with a game-high 36 points and seven assists. He shot 12-for-16 from the floor and added five rebounds and a blocked shot.

Aaron Faulkner, St. Norbert

Over his last three games, Faulkner, a junior guard from Negaunee, Mich., has poured in 75 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and dished out 12 assists. He made 22 of 42 field goals, 9 of 19 3-pointers and 22 of 23 free throws. He netted a career-high 33 points on Dec. 18 against NCAA Division II Northern Michigan University, the pre-season favorite in the GLIAC, in an overtime loss. He then had 12 points and 12 rebounds with six assists in a win over defending SUNYAC champion Buffalo State. Faulkner followed that up with a 30-point night in the Marietta Tournament title game in a win over Marietta. Faulkner is averaging 20.6 points per game for the Green Knights this season.

Chris MacGillis, Lawrence

MacGillis, a senior forward from Wauwatosa, Wis. (Milwaukee Pius XI), sparked Lawrence to a 2-0 record this past week. MacGillis scored 17 points, all in the second half, as Lawrence won at Carroll on Wednesday. MacGillis scored his team’s final eight points, including a critical three-point play with a minute left that proved to be the game-winner. He then scored 12 points and was one of four Lawrence players in double figures in the Vikings’ rout of Ripon on Saturday. For the week, MacGillis averaged 14.5 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 55.6 percent from the floor (10-18).

Meguel McCleave, Carroll

McCleave, a sophomore forward from Milwaukee, Wis. (Bay View), provided the Pioneers with a spark off the bench in their 3-0 week. All three wins came on the road. McCleave averaged 11.6 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game. He shot a sizzling 70.5% (12-of-17) from the floor in leading Carroll to road wins over Ripon, Lake Forest and Monmouth. His week culminated with a 12-point, 8-rebound performance against Monmouth.

Chris Braier, Lawrence

Braier, a sophomore forward from Wauwatosa, Wis. (East), averaged 24 points and 20 rebounds, as Lawrence University won a pair of Midwest Conference games this past weekend. Braier had 10 points and 19 rebounds in only 18 minutes of action Friday in Lawrence’s victory over Monmouth. He then scored 38 points and grabbed 21 rebounds in the Vikings’ victory over Grinnell to secure Lawrence’s hold on first place in the conference. He shot 17 of 27 from the floor (63 percent) in the two games and picked up four assists, four steals, and a block.

Steve Wood, Grinnell

In two Midwest Conference wins that put Grinnell in second place in the league, Wood, a senior from Peoria, Ill., totaled 102 points for the week. In just 21 minutes against Beloit, the 6-2 guard hit 19 field goals and was 14 of 18 from the free-throw line to finish with 55 points; the most by any player in Division III this season. On the following day against Carroll, Wood logged 47 points as he connected on 14 shots and was 14 of 16 at the line, including 5 of 6 in the overtime period where Grinnell outscored Carroll by five.

Tom Becker, Ripon

Becker, a junior from Delevan, Wis., led Ripon to two wins this weekend. He scored 31 points vs. Knox. He was 11 of 15 from the field and 7 of 10 from the 3-point arc. His 7 three’s tied a school record. Tom also had 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Saturday, Becker scored 13 points and had 9 assists and 4 rebounds as Ripon defeated Grinnell. For the weekend, Tom was 16 of 22 from the field, 5 of 6 from the free throw line, with 15 assists, 12 rebounds and 5 steals.

Franklyn Beckford, Lake Forest

Beckford, a sophomore from Jacksonville, Ill. (Jacksonville), helped lead Lake Forest to a pair of crucial league victories during the week. Beckford shot 6-for-8 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free throw line during his 19-point, 9-rebound performance in Wednesday’s victory over Illinois C. In Saturday’s triumph over Grinnell, Beckford tied an NCAA Division III record by connecting on each of his 18 field goal attempts and finished with 41 points and 7 rebounds. He averaged 30.0 points and 8.0 rebounds for the week while shooting 92.3% (24-of-26) from the field and 75% (12-of-16) from the free throw line.

Eric McDonald, Lake Forest

McDonald, a junior forward from Elk Grove, Ill. (Elk Grove HS), recorded two double-doubles last week to lead Lake Forest to a pair of Midwest Conference victories and the fourth spot in the MWC Tournament. McDonald tied for game-high honors with 23 points and led all players with 13 rebounds in the Foresters’ overtime win at Monmouth on Wednesday. In the team’s triumph over Lawrence on Saturday, McDonald scored 17 points, pulled down a team-high 10 boards, and added five blocked shots. McDonald averaged 20.0 points and 11.5 rebounds for the week.