Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Coach Graham Sims: A Pennsylvania Story (FBCB)

MoonlightGraham · 03-15-2023, 03:19 PM

March 5, 2014
Patriot League Tournament
(1) Lafayette 68, (8) Navy 37
The Navy doesn't make it out of port today, falling behind 39-18 at halftime and never posing much threat to the #1 seed Leopards.

The Midshipmen discover that it's really hard to score if the other team steals the ball from you. We rack up 11 thefts, led by Billy Weiler's 4.

Hubert Song's 17 points lead all scorers. Alvaro Kinard comes off the bench for 15 more, hitting 5 of 7 shots. Venceslás Castillo hauls in 11 rebounds. He and James Sanders have each pulled in 181 for the season, but the Good King has played fewer minutes.

Bucknell and American win their opening round games, but 3 seed Holy Cross are upset by Army. We'll face the Bison next.
Record: 25-5.

March 8, 2014
Patriot League Tournament
(4) Bucknell 64, (1) Lafayette 61
Sometimes a basketball team does everything fairly well, and it loses because the other team did things just a bit better. That's what happens as Bucknell eliminate us from the Patriot League tournament.

We have the ball with 15 seconds left, which gives us a decent chance to send the game into overtime. Bucknell defends very well, however, and it's Venceslás Castillo who ends up taking the last shot, rather than Hubert Song, Billy Weiler, or Dana Broughton. Ideally, Alvaro Kinard would be high on that list, but he's already fouled out.

The Good King misses from the right corner, and the Bison advance. They'll face American, who beat Army by 33 points.

Song (15 points) and Kinard (12) are our high scorers. Castillo falls one pont and one rebound short of another double-double.

Now it's time to see if the NCAA Tournament selection committee will be kind to us. According to the Bubble Watch, we won't be invited to the dance.
Record: 25-6.

March 14, 2014
Bucknell makes up a seven-point halftime deficit to beat American, 79-64, and win the Patriot League tournament. The Bison claim the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Guard Moses Washington, who played very well against us, was the star for the Bison again today.

March 16, 2014
We accept an invitation to the NIT, as the #4 seed in the West Region. Our opponent will be #5 seed Western Michigan, and we'll play them at home on March 20.

Bucknell will have to survive a play-in game against Middle Tennessee in the NCAA West Region.

American barely sneaks into the CBI; as the #15 seed, they'll take on St. Mary's.

The CIT chose Holy Cross as its #2 seed, and they'll play Belmont in the first round.

March 20, 2014
NIT West Region, First Round
(4) Lafayette 67, (5) Western Michigan 55

Western Michigan are a very good team. Their 25-6 record is identical to ours, and they went 13-2 in the MAC, a significantly tougher conference than the Patriot League. The Broncos are currently #21 in the Mid-Major Top 25, and we've fallen out of the poll.

Their best player is PG Harvey Rager, a senior who averages 21.1 points and 4.1 assists per game, leading his conference in both categories. SG Robert DeAngelo is a decent complementary scorer, and PF Georg Rothmeyer will battle hard under both baskets.

Stopping Rager (whose name I would like to pronounce as "one who rages") is the key to winning the game, and we do a good job of that. We hold him to 11 points on 4-13 shooting.

The bigger story, however, is the dominance of the Big Colonel. "I would like to rage," says James Sanders, and he inflicts 28 points of damage on the Broncos. James goes 10-17 from the floor and 8-12 from the line, and claims 9 rebounds.

Hubert Song contributes 14 points, and Clark Nolan leads all rebounders with 11.

Sanders' big night seals our spot in the next round, where we'll face top-seeded Stanford.
Record: 26-6.

March 22, 2014
NIT West Region Semifinal
(1) Stanford 77, (4) Lafayette 59
The Cardinal, with their 79 prestige and All-American candidates Barry Tobar and Miguel Brito, are simply too much for us to handle today. High-flying wing Tobar scores 20 points, and bruising big man Brito dominates the backboards, grabbing 14 boards.

Billy Weiler, playing his final collegiate game, leads us in scoring with 16 points. Sixth man Alvaro Kinard finishes with 11, and Hubert Song, who was locked down by defensive stopper Alonzo DeLoach, netted 10.

It's not the result we want, but we can leave the court with our heads held high.

Holy Cross is the only Patriot League team still playing, advancing as expected to the second round of the CBI. Bucknell lost their play-in, and American was eliminated by St. Mary's.
Record: 26-7.

03-15-2023, 03:19 PM	#84
MoonlightGraham High School Varsity Join Date: Sep 2022	March 5, 2014 Patriot League Tournament (1) Lafayette 68, (8) Navy 37 The Navy doesn't make it out of port today, falling behind 39-18 at halftime and never posing much threat to the #1 seed Leopards. The Midshipmen discover that it's really hard to score if the other team steals the ball from you. We rack up 11 thefts, led by Billy Weiler's 4. Hubert Song's 17 points lead all scorers. Alvaro Kinard comes off the bench for 15 more, hitting 5 of 7 shots. Venceslás Castillo hauls in 11 rebounds. He and James Sanders have each pulled in 181 for the season, but the Good King has played fewer minutes. Bucknell and American win their opening round games, but 3 seed Holy Cross are upset by Army. We'll face the Bison next. Record: 25-5. March 8, 2014 Patriot League Tournament (4) Bucknell 64, (1) Lafayette 61 Sometimes a basketball team does everything fairly well, and it loses because the other team did things just a bit better. That's what happens as Bucknell eliminate us from the Patriot League tournament. We have the ball with 15 seconds left, which gives us a decent chance to send the game into overtime. Bucknell defends very well, however, and it's Venceslás Castillo who ends up taking the last shot, rather than Hubert Song, Billy Weiler, or Dana Broughton. Ideally, Alvaro Kinard would be high on that list, but he's already fouled out. The Good King misses from the right corner, and the Bison advance. They'll face American, who beat Army by 33 points. Song (15 points) and Kinard (12) are our high scorers. Castillo falls one pont and one rebound short of another double-double. Now it's time to see if the NCAA Tournament selection committee will be kind to us. According to the Bubble Watch, we won't be invited to the dance. Record: 25-6. March 14, 2014 Bucknell makes up a seven-point halftime deficit to beat American, 79-64, and win the Patriot League tournament. The Bison claim the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Guard Moses Washington, who played very well against us, was the star for the Bison again today. March 16, 2014 We accept an invitation to the NIT, as the #4 seed in the West Region. Our opponent will be #5 seed Western Michigan, and we'll play them at home on March 20. Bucknell will have to survive a play-in game against Middle Tennessee in the NCAA West Region. American barely sneaks into the CBI; as the #15 seed, they'll take on St. Mary's. The CIT chose Holy Cross as its #2 seed, and they'll play Belmont in the first round. March 20, 2014 NIT West Region, First Round (4) Lafayette 67, (5) Western Michigan 55 Western Michigan are a very good team. Their 25-6 record is identical to ours, and they went 13-2 in the MAC, a significantly tougher conference than the Patriot League. The Broncos are currently #21 in the Mid-Major Top 25, and we've fallen out of the poll. Their best player is PG Harvey Rager, a senior who averages 21.1 points and 4.1 assists per game, leading his conference in both categories. SG Robert DeAngelo is a decent complementary scorer, and PF Georg Rothmeyer will battle hard under both baskets. Stopping Rager (whose name I would like to pronounce as "one who rages") is the key to winning the game, and we do a good job of that. We hold him to 11 points on 4-13 shooting. The bigger story, however, is the dominance of the Big Colonel. "I would like to rage," says James Sanders, and he inflicts 28 points of damage on the Broncos. James goes 10-17 from the floor and 8-12 from the line, and claims 9 rebounds. Hubert Song contributes 14 points, and Clark Nolan leads all rebounders with 11. Sanders' big night seals our spot in the next round, where we'll face top-seeded Stanford. Record: 26-6. March 22, 2014 NIT West Region Semifinal (1) Stanford 77, (4) Lafayette 59 The Cardinal, with their 79 prestige and All-American candidates Barry Tobar and Miguel Brito, are simply too much for us to handle today. High-flying wing Tobar scores 20 points, and bruising big man Brito dominates the backboards, grabbing 14 boards. Billy Weiler, playing his final collegiate game, leads us in scoring with 16 points. Sixth man Alvaro Kinard finishes with 11, and Hubert Song, who was locked down by defensive stopper Alonzo DeLoach, netted 10. It's not the result we want, but we can leave the court with our heads held high. Holy Cross is the only Patriot League team still playing, advancing as expected to the second round of the CBI. Bucknell lost their play-in, and American was eliminated by St. Mary's. Record: 26-7. Last edited by MoonlightGraham : 03-15-2023 at 06:50 PM.