College Hoops 2k8: A New Challenge

[Galaxy]

Only way I'm leaving Simmons and this team is if I get an offer to go to a Power Conference team.

Good news to me. :)

Once you do decide to leave, Niagara will be able to get a higher-caliber coach now since the team prestige is higher, correct?

[Eaglesfan27]

Good news to me. :)

Once you do decide to leave, Niagara will be able to get a higher-caliber coach now since the team prestige is higher, correct?

Honestly, I'm not sure how much that will help the team get a good coach. I do know that the assistants on my staff (who I've forgotten to talk about) are much better than when I first arrived.

[Balldog]

Unfortunately I think the way it works is you have to progress to another job before you'll get offered by a power conference. You'll probably have to leave Niagara to go to a school in the Atlantic 10, Conference USA, WAC, etc. That's the way its worked previously anyway.

[Eaglesfan27]

Unfortunately I think the way it works is you have to progress to another job before you'll get offered by a power conference. You'll probably have to leave Niagara to go to a school in the Atlantic 10, Conference USA, WAC, etc. That's the way its worked previously anyway.

Darn :( I did get offers from some A-10 and Conference USA teams last year. However, I thought in the 2k7 version I jumped from a mid-major school right to Duke (and it was surprisingly early in my career as well)

[Balldog]

Darn :( I did get offers from some A-10 and Conference USA teams last year. However, I thought in the 2k7 version I jumped from a mid-major school right to Duke (and it was surprisingly early in my career as well)

I could be wrong but from my experience that is how it works.

[Eaglesfan27]

We start off well against Marist, but then they go on a 10-0 run. They are up 19-15 with 11:12 to go as I bring in my bench. Hannan has been our leading scorer with 8. Noel has been their primary weapon on the run.

Down 34-29 with 4:41 minutes to go. Our bench ran a lot, but they ran better.

A few turnovers and they go on another 12-0 run. We are down 49-32 at the half. None of our 3 pointers are falling on the road today.


Hannan is our leading scorer with 8. Noel has 12 points and 6 assists for Marist at the half.


We try to run most of the first 9 minutes of the 2nd half. We cut it to 7 twice, but as our starters rest we are down 65-56 with 10:13 to go.


At one point we had it down to a 4 point deficit, but we are down 79-64 after a 10-0 run before I get my starters back in with 4:31 to go.

We lose the game 85-68.

Augustine, their SG, had 22 points, 4 boards, and 3 assists as the player of the game. He shot 8 of 15, 4 of 8 from the arc.

Noel abused Simmons' weak defense as he had 21 points, 9 assists, 3 steals, and 3 turnovers. He shot 9 of 16, 3 of 4 from the arc.

Sweetney and Smith each had 13 points for them on the interior.


Hannan was our only player in double digits with 22 points, 2 boards, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers. He shot 10 of 16, 2 of 4, and 0 of 0.

Simmons had 7 points, 4 assists, and 3 turnovers. He shot 1 of 8, 0 of 3, and 5 of 6.

Gill with 4 points, 2 boards, 2 steals, and a block. He shot 2 of 5.

Cornette with 8 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 3 of 10.

Clifford with 5 points, 9 boards, and 2 assists. He shot 2 of 6.


Waters with 8 points off the bench and Bowers with 6 points and 4 boards.


There went our chance to climb into the polls this week.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is hosting 6-2 Fairfield. Fairfield has 2 stars in SR PG Micah Ubaka and JR C Donta Strickland. They are only averaging 65 ppg, but they are playing very tough defense. Ubaka is their leading scorer at 12.5 ppg and Strickland is 2nd at 11.4 ppg. Ubaka is averaging just under 6 apg and is shooting 42% from the arc and 45% from the floor. They are vulnerable to the fast break as they focus on crashing the boards at both ends. Defensively, they primarily use a 2-3 defense that we could exploit from the outside.

[Eaglesfan27]

Wth a drive to the hoop, Gill gets a 2nd foul on Strickland with 15 minute to go in the half. We are up 14-4.

We are up 26-7 with 9:45 to go in the half as our starters rest. Hannan with 16 so far, as he is posting up his much smaller defender with success and hitting outside jumpers.

4:18 to go and we are up 33-16 as our starters return.


At halftime, we are leading 39-20.


Hannan is the player of the half with 18 points and 3 steals. He has shot 7 of 9, 2 of 2, and 2 of 3.

Simmons also had a nice half with 4 points, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 0 turnovers. Although he has shot only 2 of 7.


First minute of the 2nd half, Hannan draws a 3rd foul on their center who sits again.


The 2nd half was a thing of beauty. Hannan scored the first few baskets so they started double teaming him. He started kicking it out of double teams and we worked around to the open man. As a result, everyone started hitting shots. We are up 64-36 with 9:39 to go as I rest my starters, probably for the rest of the game.


We win the game 72-49.

Hannan was the player of the game with 26 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 4 steals. He shot 10 of 16, 3 of 5, and 3 of 4.

Simmons finished with 17 points, 9 assists, 3 steals, and 2 turnovers. He shot 8 of 18, 1 of 5, and 0 of 0.

Gill with 12 points, 2 assists, 1 block, and generally very good defense. He shot 5 of 8, 0 of 1, and 2 of 2.

Cornette with 2 points, 10 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He shot 1 of 3.

Clifford with 7 boards, 1 assist, and 2 blocks.

Li led the bench with 8 points. Waters with 2 points and 4 assists.

[Eaglesfan27]

After the game, Daon Wentt signed with us. He should be a solid scoring threat for us within 2 years.

We lost another SF that I liked as Nigel Foster chose to go to Rutgers.


The early signing period is now over, and we'll try to battle for 2 4 star players towards the end of the year.


Our next game is against the 1-7 Holy Cross Crusaders. They are a very weak team whose best player is Center Blankenship, but he is undersized. Their SF and PF are very poor players. Their PG and SG are decent. Their top scorer is their center who is averaging 10.1 ppg. Defensively, they primarily play M2M, so I expect huge games from Hannan and Cornette. Their offensive efficiency ranking is 260th in the nation and defensively they are ranked 335th in efficiency.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are up 24-15 with 10:37 to go as our bench comes in. As predicted, Cornette is completely dominating his man and our offense is running through him right now.

I'm unhappy with both unit's defensive effort and performance, but we are still up 37-28 as we bring in our starters with 3:52 to go in the half.


At the half, we are up 47-34. We'll miss Cornette's post ability next year, and really should use him more this year, like we have in this game. Cornette is the player of the half with 13 points, 3 assists, 1 board, 1 steal, and 1 block. He is 5 of 7 from the field and 3 of 3 from the line.

Simmons with 4 points and 5 assists, but he is only shooting 2 of 7.

Hannan had only 2 points in the first half, but he came to play in the 2nd half. He personally scores us a 12-0 run as we start putting it away.

When I pull my starters, we are up 72-52 with 8:43 to go in the game.


With 2:34 to go and a comfortable lead, I get Bitee and Cox into the game for the first time this year. We are up 75-58.

Cox with a 3 and 2 boards in the mop up duty. I need to get him more time.. he could be an important bench player next year as could Bitee.


We win the game 78-64.


Cornette is the player of the game with 17 points, 5 boards, 5 assists, 3 steals, and a block. He shot 7 of 13, and 3 of 3 from the line.

Hannan with 18 points, 5 boards, 1 assist, and a steal. He shot 7 of 12, 0 of 3, and 4 of 5.

Simmons with 6 points, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 3 turnovers. He shot 3 of 9.

Gill with 12 points, 4 assists, 2 boards, and 2 steals. He shot 5 of 7 and 2 of 3 from the arc.

Clifford with 6 points, 5 boards, and 3 blocks.

Li led the bench with 7, Bowers with 5 points and 4 boards, Willis with 4 points. Waters had 0 points and only 1 assist.

[Eaglesfan27]

In a fun scheduling quirk, we play an OOC opponent for the 2nd time as we are scheduled to host Saint Joseph's who we played in the preseason tourney. I believe I'll probably have a much harder time with their outside shooters this time.

[Eaglesfan27]

A tremendous effort from Hannan has us tied at 20 with 7:45 to go, but our starters are exhausted.


We go into the half down 38-29. Hannan with an incredible game before he got tired, and then we just couldn't hang with their talented bench.

Hannan with 13 points, 2 boards, 1 steal, and 1 block on 6 of 8 shooting.


Simmons with 3 points and 5 assists, but he is 0 of 5 from the floor.


We are down 56-35 with 12 minutes to go. Simmons just can't get his shot to fall and Hannan is being guarded much better in the 2nd half. No one else is stepping up and they are getting some transition points as well.


We end up losing the game 93-58.

Hannan led our team with 19 points, 4 boards, 1 steal, and 1 block. He shot 8 of 18.

Simmons finished with 7 points and 7 assists. He shot 1 of 12.

Gill with 7 points on 2 of 4 shooting.

Cornette with 0 points and 8 boards on 0 of 6 shooting.

Bowers led the bench with 8 points. Waters with 6 points and 2 assists.

[Eaglesfan27]

Next up is a game hosting an 8-4 Yale team that is the class of the Ivy League, but is still relatively weak compared to my team. They are relatively strong at center with a young sophomore named Rickey Osborne. They also have a solid PG and PF. However, they are very weak at SF and I expect Hannan to have a huge game. Osborne is their leading scorer at 10.6 ppg. He is also their leading rebounder at 9 rpg. They are running mainly a 3-2 zone defense that I hope to find some seams to drive into. Their offensive efficiency is 170th in the nation and their defensive efficiency is 149th.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are up 15-11 as the bench comes in with 11:39 to go in the half.


Our bench has a 7-0 run to put us up 27-22 befoe our starters return with 5:20 to go in the half.

A very nice last 5 minutes. We go into the half up 37-25.

Hannan is the player of the half with 7 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, and a steal.


Simmons taking over the game in the 2nd half after a poor 1st half. We are up 59-41 with 9:42 to go.


We are up 65-54 with 3:52 to go as our starters return to the game.

With 2:06 to go, Simmons fouls out of the game. We are up 67-56.

We win the game 73-63.


Hannan is the player of the game with 20 points, 3 board, 2 assist, and 3 steals. He shot 6 of 14, 4 of 8, and 4 of 4.

Simmons with 16 points, 6 assists, 1 board, and 1 steal. He shot 7 of 17, 1 of 4, and 1 of 2.

Gill only had 2 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal, but he played good defense.

Cornette with 8 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 2 of 4 and 4 of 4 from the line.

Clifford with 8 points, 9 boards, and a block. He shot 4 of 4.

Waters led the bench with 8 points and 2 assists.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our last OOC game is at Cal State Northridge. They are 5-6, but are a talented team. Their PG and SG are young and relatively untalented, but their front court is strong arcross the board with their PF Frashon Sampson being their best player. Frashon is averaging an impressive 17.9 ppg this year and 7.2 rpg. He is shooting almost 50% from the floor. They love to run and constantly try to press the attack and fast break. They also tend to run a full court trap and play an aggress 3-2 defense. They tend to crash the offensive boards and are susceptible to the fast break.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are down 18-15 with 11:45 to go as our starters get a break.

We are tied at 28 with 5:51 to go as I bring back our starters.


We are down 40-37 at the half. Hannan and Simmons each have 8 to lead our team.


We are up 60-58 behind balancing scoring from Cornette and Hannan. 11:34 to go as we rest our starters.


Up 69-68 with 5:40 to go. Waters is shooting so well that he will stay in the game and Simmons will play some SG with Gill resting longer.

Simmons has hit his first 3 shots at SG, but Hannan misses a shot as does Cornette and they take a lead on a 3. 77-74 with 2:54 to go.

Simmons misses a 3, and they get a breakway dunk and the foul.


Hannan with a quick 12 footer to make it 80-76.

We get a stop and then a fastbreak basket trigger by Waters to Hannan who slams it home! Down by 2 now. 1:12 to go.

I worried by our guard play defensively, but they have been solid these few minutes. Clifford on the other hand is getting worked by their center who slams it home off the spin move.

Simmons with a quick 3 on the other end to make it 82-81, down by 1.

We get a defensive stop, and then Waters to Simmons for another 3! 84-82. Simmons is shooting so much better as he gets himself space when he doesn't have the ball. 16 seconds left.

They try a 3 to win it at the buzzer and it rims out!

Hannan is the player of the game with 22 points, 3 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 turnover. He shot 8 of 14, 2 of 4, and 4 of 5.

Simmons with 19 points (mostly down the stretch while playing SG), 4 assists, and 2 turnovers. He shot 7 of 13, 5 of 9 from the arc, and 0 of 0 from the line.

Gill with 2 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, and a block. His man had 18 points for the game which is the most he has allowed all year.

Cornette with 17 points, 2 boards, and 3 assists. He shot 8 of 11, 1 of 2, and 0 of 1.

Clifford with 2 points, 11 boards, and 2 blocks.

Willis led the bench with 5 points and 5 boards.


That was our last OOC game this year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our coaching staff believes that Waters has shown the most growth this year, although plenty of other players are improving some. After the success we just had, I'm going to give Waters more time with Simmons sliding to SG more often in upcoming games, although Simmons will start at PG each game.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is hosting 9-4 Rider. They are close to us in talent and are led by a very talented center, Daren Benson. The senior could be tough to stop as he does a lot well and is averaging over 21 ppg. He is also averaging just under 10 rpg. We'll double him if Clifford has trouble. They tend to sag off shooters, so I'm expecting a good day for our outside shooters. They are 132rd in offensive efficiency and 16th in defensive efficiency. They are only allowing opposing teams to shoot 37% against them and holding most teams under 60ppg. I hope to shatter both of those today.

[Eaglesfan27]

About 2 minutes into the game Clifford and Benson collide as Benson tried to slam it on the break.. Benson is hurt. That should make things easier for our team.

With 9:57 to go, they bring back in Benson while I sit my starters. We are up 22-11 with Hannan having scored 12 points.


My bench played extremely well. We are up 35-14 with 4:48 to go. I decide to leave Gus Waters in and have Gill rest more. Simmons will play SG for the rest of the half or until Waters gets tired.

Simmons misses the few shots from SG.

We go into the half up 39-21.

Hannan is the player of the half with 12 points, 1 board, and 2 steals. He is shooting 5 of 10. Simmons has 6 points (all from when he was playing PG.)

Benson is their leading scorer with 6 points.


Benson has gotten 3 fouls on Cornette, but I'm leaving him in with 15 minutes to go.

With 7:51 to go and a 25 point lead, I pull my starters. We are up 67-42.


We win the game 78-51.

Hannan is the player of the game with 33 points, 4 boards, 1 assist, 4 steals, and 3 turnovers. He shot 14 of 22, 1 of 5, and 4 of 4.

Simmons with 9 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, and 1 steal. He shot 3 of 9, 1 of 3, and 2 of 2.

Gill with 4 points, 2 assists, and a steal in 22 minutes.

Cornette with 4 points, 9 boards, 3 asssits, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Clifford with 2 points, 8 boards, and a block.


Bowers led the bench with 9. Willis had 6 points and 4 boards. Wayers with 5 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals in just 18 minutes.

[Eaglesfan27]

At 13-2 we still haven't cracked the top 25 in either of the major polls. We are #2 in the Mid Major Poll, behind only Nevada who is 11-1.


On the recruiting front, we are facing stiff competition. The top center that we have locked in on, Randall Rodgers, is being heavily recruited by Michigan State. If they don't pull out of the race for him, we have no shot as he is from Detroit and appears to idolize them.

However, we are the top option of our backup plan (and I would take both rather than pull out on his kid) Andy Matera.


Meanwhile, we are well behind Rutgers for Karron Acker, the 6'4 SF who is Mr. Basketball in Connecticut. I probably should give up, but hopefully Rutgers will change their mind for some reason.

We are also far behind on our other 4 star prospect, 6'4 SG Garik Blizzard. GW is his top choice by a wide margin, but for some reason they haven't offered him a scholarship yet. He averaged over 16 ppg in the ABL this past season and appears to be a big time scorer.


Our next game is hosting Marist who beat us earlier in the year 85-68 when we tried running with them and were continually beat down the court. They are now 10-3. Their PG and PF are both big time players. SF Augustine is a dangerous shooter who is their leading scorer at 16 ppg. PG Noel is averaging 14 ppg and 6 apg. PF Sweetney is averaging 14 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Augustine is shooting 50% from the arc. They are 47th in offensive efficiency and 68th in defensive efficiency. We need to do a much better job handling their full court trap this game.

[Galaxy]

I haven't played this game in a while, does the game show honorable mention votes?

[Eaglesfan27]

No, I don't believe it does.

[JetsIn06]

Keep it up EF27! Your dynasties are always inspire me to write my own. Check out my OKC Thunder dynasty...I think once I get bored with that I'll do one for CH2K8.

[Eaglesfan27]

Keep it up EF27! Your dynasties are always inspire me to write my own. Check out my OKC Thunder dynasty...I think once I get bored with that I'll do one for CH2K8.

I will. I'm having a blast with this game again. Wife has to leave tonight for a doctor's appointment in New Orleans early in the AM, so I'll be playing our next game tonight.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are down 20-17 with 9:35 to go as we bring in our subs. Simmons has had a solid first 10 minutes and has 7 points to lead our team.

Waters is playing their star, Noel, so well that I'm leaving him in as I did the last few games and Gill will rest with Simmons playing SG. We are up 26-23 with 4:19 to go.

A minute later, Simmons with a steal, he passes it to Waters who leads a 2-on-1 break with Hannan.. he passes to Hannan for the 1 handed jam! 30-23.

At the half, we are up 40-27 as we had a great last 4 minutes.


Simmons is the player of the half with 14 points, 2 boards, and 2 assists. He has shot 5 of 9, 2 of 4, and 2 of 2.

Cornette also had a very good 1st half with 7 points and 7 boards.


We got caught up in trying to run and gun, as well as we missed a lot of shots (Simmons is the only one hitting somewhat consistently tonight.) As a result, we are only up 52-48 with 9:44 to go as our starters rest.

Waters with brilliant play the last 7 minutes, sets up Bowers and Chen for some easy baskets (especially Bowers who has been deadly from the arc.) We are up 63-54 with 3:45 to go. We go to our modified starting lineup.

They never get closer than 5 as we win the game 66-61.

Simmons is the player of the game with 25 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. That is a new career high in points for him. He shot 8 of 16, 4 of 10, and 5 of 7.

Gill with 3 points and an assist.

Hannan with 9 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 4 of 13 including 1 of 4 from the arc.

Cornette with 7 points, 10 boards, 3 assists, and a block. He ended up shooting 3 of 10.

Clifford with 0 points and 10 boards.


Waters with 7 points and 6 assists in 20 minutes. He shot 3 of 6 including 1 of 2 from the arc.

Bowers with 8 points on 3 of 5 shooting, 2 of 3 from the arc.










We are now 14-2 and play at Manhattan next. They are 4-9 and at the opposite end of the conference standings. Their starting PG and SG are 2 of the worst freshman we've faced all year. Their SF and PF are decent, but their center is very untalented as well. They are averaging just 54 ppg and are shooting 35% from the floor. Their top scorer is PF Glen Murry who is averaging 11 ppg. He is their leading rebounder at 7.5 as well. They run pimarily a M2M defense and I expect our guards to tear them apart. They are 292nd in offensive efficiency and 322nd in defensive efficiency. They are giving up almost 80 ppg and are allowing teams to shoot over 47% from the field. I'll play that game tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

Some of our player's season averages:

Hannan leads the team with 20.6 ppg. He is also averaging just over 3 rpg, 1 apg, and 2 steals per game. He is shooting 55% from the floor and 36% from the arc. He is shooting 82% from the arc.

Simmons is our only other starter averaging double digits. He is averaging 12.9 ppg, 6.2 apg, 1.6 spg, and 1 rpg. He is shooting 38% from the field and 33% from the arc. He is shooting 70% from the line.

Bowers leads our team in 3 pt efficiency as he is shooting 45% from the arc. He is averaging 7.5 ppg which is 5th on the team (Cornette is 3rd and Gill is 4th.) He is also averaging 1.6 rpg and 1 steal per game.

Clifford is our leading rebounder at 8.9 per game. He is also our leading shot blocker at 1 per game.


Our staff thinks Hannan has developed the most of any player on our roster this year. Most of the guys are improving, but somewhat concerningly they fell that Lisinic hasn't learned almost anything since arriving on campus. I'm counting on him to be a contributor next year.

[Balldog]

Have you thought about using Yoshi's custom playbooks over at OS? They've taken the game to a whole new level for me.

[Eaglesfan27]

As expected, Manhattan comes out with M2M defense and Simmons just obliterates his man. He sets up so many easy points for himself and others with quick drives into the lane. However, our defense plays pathetic as everyone focuses on scoring and no one plays solid on ball defense. We are up 34-19 in our highest scoring first 10 minutes ever. I bring in the bench and expect much better defense and a slower pace.

With 4:10 to go, the starters return to the game. We are up 41-27.


At the half, we are up 49-33.


Hannan is the player of the half with 22 points and 1 board.

Simmons has 11 points and 6 assists.



The offense is incredible again to start the 2nd half, but the defense remains terrible. We are up 71-52 with 9:41 to go as we turn to our bench.


We win the game 87-64 as our bench finished the game.


Hannan is the player of the game with 36 points, 3 boards, and a block. He shot 14 of 21, 3 of 4, and 5 of 6. He just missed his career high by 1 point.

Simmons wth 11 points, 8 assists, and a steal He shot 5 of 7 including 1 of 2 from the arc.

Gill with 7 points, 3 boards, and a steal.

Cornette was the only player who provided good defense. He had 9 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks (a career high.)
Clifford with 1 point, 11 boards, and 1 assist.


Li led the bench with 12 points. Bowers had 7 points and 2 boards. Waters with 2 points and 4 assists.

[Eaglesfan27]

Have you thought about using Yoshi's custom playbooks over at OS? They've taken the game to a whole new level for me.

No, I honestly haven't even read about them. I think maybe I read something he did for NBA 2k9? In any case, your recommendation is enough that I'll definitely check them out sometime soon.

[Eaglesfan27]

Have you thought about using Yoshi's custom playbooks over at OS? They've taken the game to a whole new level for me.


I just read about them. Are you using different ones for each game, or just using the balanced one for each team? I'm definitely interested in giving them a try.

[Galaxy]

15-2 is quite an accomplishment so far. Hopefully you'll crack the Top 25.

I'm guessing you'll be a hot commodity in the off-season when the schools start searching for new head coaches.

[Eaglesfan27]

15-2 is quite an accomplishment so far. Hopefully you'll crack the Top 25.

I'm guessing you'll be a hot commodity in the off-season when the schools start searching for new head coaches.

I hope so. As much as I like Simmons, I want to move to a big program and hopefully eventually get to USC (I think Floyd has been there this entire career.) However, I'm thinking Balldog is right and I may have to go to 1 more stepping stone before I get a power conference. I've had some great seasons lately, and not gotten offers from big schools. Then again, I haven't had a deep tourney run. With this group, that might be a possibility this year, and maybe that will get me a big time offer.

Even with Simmons, I think things are going to be tough after this year as I really think I have so many underrated parts that will be graduating - Bowers is the perfect instant offense guy off the bench. Cornette is such a reliable guy on the inside with his defense and scoring when we need it. Clifford is a steady interior defensive presence, same for Ziri. Of course, Hannan is gone after this year. His ability to hit 3's, midrange, and drive for dunks is unrivaled on our squad and I really think he is the best player I've coached in this career. Not to mention his size will be missed. We'll have a huge hole at SF next year as Lisinic isn't developing quickly unless I get a big recruit this year to jump over him in the depth chart for next year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is at Saint Peter's. They will be using a custom offensive playbook, so it will be interesting to see how much more challenging that makes them. They are 6-8 and aren't very talented. Their PG and SG are both their weakest players. Their center and PF aren't bad at all. Amous, their PF, is their leading scorer at 14 ppg. Doellman, their SF, is their leading rebounder at just under 8 per game. Haynes, the SG, is their leading assist man at just over 3 per game. They generally focus on working the ball inside. Defensively, they tend to run a M2M defense. They are 156th in offensive efficiency and 237th in defensive efficiency. They are averaging 66 ppg and shooting 42%. They are giving up 69 ppg and allowing teams to shoot just over 42%.

[Galaxy]

I hope so. As much as I like Simmons, I want to move to a big program and hopefully eventually get to USC (I think Floyd has been there this entire career.) However, I'm thinking Balldog is right and I may have to go to 1 more stepping stone before I get a power conference. I've had some great seasons lately, and not gotten offers from big schools. Then again, I haven't had a deep tourney run. With this group, that might be a possibility this year, and maybe that will get me a big time offer.

Even with Simmons, I think things are going to be tough after this year as I really think I have so many underrated parts that will be graduating - Bowers is the perfect instant offense guy off the bench. Cornette is such a reliable guy on the inside with his defense and scoring when we need it. Clifford is a steady interior defensive presence, same for Ziri. Of course, Hannan is gone after this year. His ability to hit 3's, midrange, and drive for dunks is unrivaled on our squad and I really think he is the best player I've coached in this career. Not to mention his size will be missed. We'll have a huge hole at SF next year as Lisinic isn't developing quickly unless I get a big recruit this year to jump over him in the depth chart for next year.

Just curious, how has USC been doing? Can you get multiple offers at one time?

[Eaglesfan27]

We are down 13-11 with 11:40 to go as our starters get a break. Simmons is leading the team with 5.


Our shots just didn't fall for the next 6 minutes, but the defense from the bench was very disappointing. We are down 24-15 with just under 6 minutes to go.

GREAT defense from our starters over the next 5-6 minutes. We are down 27-25. We've gotten some great open shots, but they are just rimming out.

Their PF is the player of the half with 8 points. Hannan has 10 points and 4 boards. Simmons has 7 points and an assist.

A rough game has our starters tired. We go to the bench with 13:27 to go. We are down 39-37.

Our bench plays very well, so well that I leave them in longer than I planned on.. all of the shots that were missing before are falling and we are attacking the basket much more effectively. We are up 56-51 with just under 5 minutes to go as our starters come back into the game completely refreshed.

With 2:24 to go, they make it 59-58, we lead.


After Simmons misses an open 3, they hit a 12 footer to give them the lead. We come down the court, run a play for Hannan who hits a 14 footer from the wing. 61-60. 1:12 to go.

They try to pound it inside (which they have been doing all day) but Cornette blocks Amous shot! The carom goes to their SG who throws up a desperation 3 with the clock running out... it is short.. Clifford with the board.. They immediately foul him.

Despite his usual poor FT shooting, he hits them both to put us up 63-60! 29 seconds left.

Doellman comes off a screen and hits a 3 immediately! Tied at 63. We'll try to work the clock down before running our play.

We get Hannan a decent look at a 3 with 2 seconds left.. he misses it a bit long. We are going to OT.


They hit the first basket from just inside the arc. We respond with a Hannan 3. Their next shot produces an over the back foul on the attempted offensive tip. Gill hits both FT's to put up 68-65 with 3:44 to go.

They draw the foul inside and get to the line. Moreno, their backup PF, has done good job of this today. He only hits 1 FT.

Our next possession, we post up Hannan against a much smaller defender.. he gets good possession and hits an easy fadeaway over him. 70-66.

Cornette with a steal inside. We work the clock down and then give it to Hannan on the perimeter.. he beats his man with a quick crossover dribble and drives to the rim where he is fouled. He hits both FT's to make it 72-66.

Doellman with a 3.. he is a better shooter than I anticipated. Simmons gets a screen.. drives to the hoop and misses the layup. At the other end, Amous with a quick inside basket to make it 72-71.

Hannan misses an open 3, but Cornette gets the offensive board. We kick it out... work it around.. another 3 by Hannan.. another miss.. another Cornette offensive board! 55 seconds left now.

Simmons with a drive into the lane.. kicks it out to a WIDE open Hannan.. he hits the 3 this time!!

They go for the immediate 3.. they miss.. Hannan gets the board.. Simmons is breaking up the court.. Hannan with the perfect pass and Simmons dunks it home! 77-71.

Haynes gets a 3 to keep the game barely alive. 14 seconds left.

We get it to Hannan who is intentionally fouled. He hits both FT's. 79-74. They miss the quick 3 and we finish it of.

79-74 win.


Hannan is the player of the game with 29 points, 5 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block. He shot 9 of 19, 3 of 8, and 8 of 8 from the line.


Simmons with 11 points, 2 boards, 3 assists, and 1 steal. He shot 5 of 14, 0 of 4, and 1 of 2.

Gill with 8 points and 2 assists. Corentte with 4 points, 7 boards, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.

Clifford with 4 points, 9 boards, and 2 assists.

Waters led the bench with 11 points and 2 assists.

Bowers had 6 points and Willis had 4.


Amous led them with 18 points and 7 boards on 9 of 12 shooting.

[Eaglesfan27]

Just curious, how has USC been doing? Can you get multiple offers at one time?


Yes, you can see every team that is interested in you. You can also see the top 5 (or 6) coaches that each school is interested in. I haven't even been making the top 5 of big schools in previous years.

USC is doing poorly this year (but has done well the last few years.) They are currently 8-7 overall and 0-3 in the Pac-10. UCLA and Stanford are the two main powers in the Pac-10 this year with Stanford having the best record at 14-1 (and being ranked 4th in the polls.)

[Eaglesfan27]

At 16-2, we aren't in any polls yet except for the Mid Major Poll where we remain #2 behind #1 Nevada who is 14-1 now.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is hosting Loyola(MD.) They are 12-4 and 4-2 in the conference. They have a very talented offense and a good defense. They are averaging 79 ppg and shooting 46%. They are only giving up 61 ppg and holding opponents to 37%. They have a big advantage over us at both guard spots and their PF and C are both formidable as well. Galos, their PF, is averaging 16 ppg. Belser their SG is averaging 13 ppg while playing the point a fair bit. He is also their leading assist man at 5 a game. Belser is shooting almost 50% from the arc. They play very tight M2M defense.

[Galaxy]

Yes, you can see every team that is interested in you. You can also see the top 5 (or 6) coaches that each school is interested in. I haven't even been making the top 5 of big schools in previous years.

USC is doing poorly this year (but has done well the last few years.) They are currently 8-7 overall and 0-3 in the Pac-10. UCLA and Stanford are the two main powers in the Pac-10 this year with Stanford having the best record at 14-1 (and being ranked 4th in the polls.)

Pretty cool. I need to get back into this game (I've only played two seasons or so). If this game have the multiplayer feature of NCAA Football, it would be incredible. Anyways, go Eagles!

http://cache.gettyimages.com/xc/52439722.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1939847EC77F5F8D1CE6395C4FEC7F97DD1A40A659CEC4C8CB6

[Eaglesfan27]

A physical first 7 minutes. Simmons picks up his 2nd foul and most of my starters are tired, so we go to the bench. Tied at 10.

Waters is having an unreal shooting performance. We are up 23-20 with 5:48 to go. Waters will remain in the game until he cools off, but all of my other starters return with Gill continuing to remain on the bench.

A great last 6 minutes from our starters. We are up 37-27 at the half.


Hannan is the player of the half with 8 points, 5 boards, and an assist.

Cornette also has 8 points. Waters has 10, and Simmons has 7.


We start off with an 8-0 run in which we were running well against them, but they recover with a 6-0 run of their own. We go to Hannan in the post to end that run.

We go off on another small run. With 9:35 to go, we are up 59-42 as our starters rest.

Waters isn't hitting shots as much anymore. We lose some of our lead, but are still up 64-52 with 3:44 to go as I bring back our starters.

Our starters nail the door shut. 77-54 win!


Cornette is the player of the game with a very well rounded performance. 15 points, 9 boards, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. He also played great defense in the interior. He held his opponent to 4 of 13 shooting (although Galos did have 10 points and 13 boards.) Cornette on the other hand shot 5 of 6, 1 of 2, and 4 of 4.

Except Clifford every starter was in double digits.

Simmons with 10 points, 5 assists, 2 boards, and 3 turnovers. He shot 4 of 8, 1 of 3, and 1 of 2.

Gill with 14 points, 2 boards, 2 blocks, and excellent defense. He held Belser to 2 of 13 shooting including 1 of 6 from behind the arc. Belser finished with 6 points and only 1 assist.

Hannan with 16 points and 11 boards (a career high for him and his first double double.) He also had 2 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 8 of 22, 0 of 5, and 0 of 1. He held his opponent to 5 of 14 shooting.

Clifford with a career high 16 boards. He also had 4 points. He shot 2 of 6.

Waters led the bench with 12 points. He shot 4 of 7, 2 of 4, and 2 of 2.


This game was also played with custom playbooks, and I agree that it really takes the game to a whole new level. Thanks Balldog!

[Eaglesfan27]

Wow! At 17-2 we just had a huge jump into the polls as several of the top 25 had a rough week. We jumped from unranked to 15th in the media poll. Nevada is below us at 19th. We've also cracked the Coaches' poll at #25. Nevada is 16th in that poll. We've jumped Nevada to take the #1 spot in the Mid Major Poll. Our RPI ranking is #2 behind only 17-0 Texas.

Our next game is hosting Saint Peter's. After barely winning at their place, I'm expecting a much easier time with this game. I'll play that tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

We start off strong. I think our coaching staff has ironed out a hitch in Simmon's 3 point shot. However, Saint Peter's is playing very well at our place. Tied at 16 with over 11 minutes to go as we turn to our bench.

5:19 to go, we are tied at 27 as our starters return.

They get a 3rd foul on Clifford with 4:11 to go, so Ziri will play the rest of the half.


We are up 39-36 at the half. Ziri is getting worked over in the middle.

Hannan is the player of the half with 15 points, 1 board, and 1 assist.


With 10:33 to go, we are up 62-55. Hannan continues to shoot extremely well.

With 3:53 to go, we are up 69-66 as our starters return to the game.


2:58 to go, they hit a FT to tie it at 69.

Simmons responds with a great drive into the lane and a teardrop floater for 2!

They get a quick interior 2 from Moreno. We run a play that sets up Simmons for a wide open 3.. despite better shooting of them today, he misses this one.

However, he gets a block on the other end to make up for it! He passes it to Gill who tries to dunk it on the break but misses!

We force a stop at the other end thanks to good defense by Hannan. We get a quick good look for Hannan and he takes it to the basket for a dunk! 73-71. 1:03 to go.

They try to pass inside, but Cornette steals the pass.. he passes to Gill who throws it ahead to Hannan on the fast break for another dunk!!

They miss some 3's, Hannan hits some FT's and win the game 78-71.

Hannan is the player of the game. 32 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, and a block. He shot 13 of 18, 3 of 4, and 3 of 4.

Simmons with 14 points, 4 assists, 1 board, 2 steals, and a block. He shot 6 of 11, 2 of 4, and 0 of 0.

Gill with 6 points and 2 assists. Cornette with 6 points, 11 boards, 2 steals, and a block.

Clifford with 2 points, 7 boards, and 2 assists.

Bowers led the bench with 7 points. Willis had 5 points and 2 boards. Ziri had 2 points and 5 boards.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is at Canisus. They are 12-7. They have a very poor PG, but are good at all of the other starting positions. Their backups aren't very good. Their SF, Dickey, is their leading scorer at 12 ppg. Their PF James averages 11 ppg. Their backup SF, Carter is their leading rebounder at 6 per game. They run M2M defense. Offensive efficiency is at 115th. Defensive efficiency is at 230th. They averaged 69 ppg shooting 40% from the floor. They give up 69 ppg allowing opponents to shoot 41%.

[Eaglesfan27]

We start off trying to run them out of the building and with our superior athleticism it would be working, except we keep turning the ball over. Our worst game for turnovers this year. At 11:27, my 2nd worst nightmare happens as Simmons finally goes down from one of his collisions in the lane. He is holding his knee and we have to carry him off the court :(

I bring in my entire 2nd unit at that point. We are tied at 18.


With about 3:20 to go, Simmons is cleared to return. It is only a sprained knee. We bring in our starters. We are down 32-30.

Hannan with back to back 3's to give us the 36-32 lead.

We are up 43-40 at the half. If it wasn't for the turnovers, we'd be blowing them out as we are shooting at a much higher clip - 50% vs their 40%.

Hannan is the player of the half with 13 points, 3 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal.

Simmons with 7 points and 5 assists.


With 13:03 to go, we are up 55-49 as our starters rest a bit.


With 7:24 to go, everyone but Simmons and Hannan returns as they are both still tired. We are up 60-58.


We are up 68-60 thanks to a 3 by Gill and Waters with 5:17 to go as the rest of our starters return.

Hannan misses 2 open 3's and Simmons has a turnover. With 3:41 to go, we are tied at 68.


They steal the ball from Cornette in the post and get a fastbreak basket by their star player who has 22 this game.


We run a pick and roll with Simmons and Hannan that ends with Simmons passing it to Hannan for a layup. Tied at 70.

Their SF comes off a screen and drives to the hoop getting fouled by Clifford. He misses the 1st FT.. but makes the 2nd one.

They steal it from Hannan in the post and get a fast break dunk. Next possession, Hannan steps out of bounds when receiving a pass from Simmons along the baseline.

Hannan misses the jumper on our next possession. Down by 7 with 1:18 to go after they get another quick jumper. I decide to go back to Waters with Simmons resting his bum knee.

Carter hits a 3 to give him 25 for the game. Waters with a drive into the lane and he gets the shot and foul but misses the FT. Down 80-72 with 35 seconds left.

We lose the game 86-77.

I wonder if that will drop us out of both polls.

Carter, their "backup" SF who ended up playing 29 minutes was the player of the game. The 6'6" JR who has an 88 rating in 3 point shooting. He shot 9 of 22 as Hannan did a reasonable job on him. He still had 25 points, 8 boards, 4 assist, and 4 steals.


Hannan led our team with 30 points, 4 boards, 2 assists, and a steal. He had 6 turnovers. He shot 9 of 21, 5 of 10, and 7 of 8.

Simmons finished with 9 points, 7 assists, 2 boards, and 3 steals. He had 5 turnovers. He shot 4 of 8, 0 of 2, and 1 of 3.

Gill with 7 points and 3 turnovers. He shot 3 of 7.

Cornette with 5 points, 7 boards, 2 blocks, and 3 turnovers. He shot 1 of 4.

Clifford with 4 points, 13 boards, and 2 blocks. He shot 2 of 2.


Waters with 15 points and 5 assists off the bench. He shot 6 of 14, 3 of 8, and 0 of 1.


After the game, we get word that Simmons will be less than 100% for about 2 weeks.

[Balldog]

I read the other day that the CPU rotations get screwy after a couple years, but you can go through and run auto-generate rotations on each team. It would take a while (hour?) but probably give starters better minutes for the CPU.

[Eaglesfan27]

I read the other day that the CPU rotations get screwy after a couple years, but you can go through and run auto-generate rotations on each team. It would take a while (hour?) but probably give starters better minutes for the CPU.


This was the first game I've seen "odd" rotations, but that SF is probably their 2nd best player who is just behind a slightly higher rated player, so I'm glad he played a lot even though it cost me the game. However, I don't think I can do the CPU rotations even if I wanted to, since this is a closed dynasty.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is at Fairfield. We beat them early in the year at home 72-49.





We are tied at 22 with 9:40 to go as our starters rest. Simmons is almost ineffective right now.


Our defense is playing horrible, but Waters is shooting well. He'll stay in as all of the starters but Simmons returns. Down 42-36 with 3:45 to go in the half.

Unbelievable. Last game we held them to 49 for the entire game. This time we couln't hold them to 49 in the first half as they shot 58% in the 1st half. We are down 52-42.

Ubaka their starting PG has 14 points and 4 assists. Simmons will rest to the start the 2nd half as I'll go to Waters to try to cool him off.

Hannan has 18 points at the half.


Hannan scoring at a great rate and the defense is playing better. Down 67-60 with 10 minutes to go. Simmons will come in to play PG with the 2nd unit.

It's a while before our guys are doing well enough to put back out there. 4 minutes left and we are down 82-72.


We just couldn't stop their shooters no matter what we did. We lose the game 96-84.

Ubaka was the player of the game with 20 points and 11 assists. He shot 7 of 14, 4 of 8 from the arc.

Every one of their starters had double digits and Blalock, the backup PG/SG had 18 points in just 18 minutes on 8 of 13 shooting, 2 of 4 from the arc.


Hannan led us with 36 points, 3 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He shot 14 of 26, 7 of 16, and 1 of 2.

Waters with 10 points and 6 assists. He shot 3 of 8, 2 of 6, and 2 of 2.

Gill didn't have any shots, but he did have 2 boards and 2 assists.

Cornette with 9 points, 10 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 3 of 10.

Clifford with 9 boards and a block. He was 0 of 1 in the game.


Bowers with 9 points off the bench on 3 of 8 shooting. Li with 6 points on 2 of 6 shooting.

Simmons with 3 points and 3 assists on 1 of 7 shooting.


I guess that seals us falling out of the top 25.

[Eaglesfan27]

Surprisingly, weare still 18th in the media poll. We are now out of the coaches' poll though. We've dropped to 2nd in the mid major poll. Nevada is 1st at 16-1.



An update on recruiting of the 4 players we've targeted:

Randall Rodgers, the center from Detroit Michigan who is ranked 17th among all centers still hasn't been offered scholarships from Michigan State or now the other team he is interested in, Louisville. We remain a solid #3 option for him and if the other 2 don't offer a formal scholarship, we should get him.

Andy Matera, the center from Burlington, VT who is ranked 22nd among centers has us firmly as his top choice. UConn has shown some interest in him and they are certainly capable of taking him away from us if they offer him a scholarship soon. Otherwise, he looks like he'll be ours. In further scouting, our staff really likes his interior defense and shot blocking ability. He also has good hands.

Karron Acker, the Mr. Basketball from CT continues to draw interest from Rutgers and now WVU. We have almost zero chance at getting him, but I continue to pursue him anyway. We are firmly in 3rd place on his interest list. In part, I don't mind keeping a scholarship open for a potential transfer, so that is part of why I'll continue to pursue him and this next player..

Garik Blizzard, the 6'4 SG from Washington DC who is ranked 17th among SG's continues to keep GW 1st on his list. However, they haven't offered the 4 star a scholarship yet and I'm hopeful we can win him over if they never offer. VCU is also in the mix for him.

Our next game is against 6-14 Iona who are near the worst teams in the conference. I'm going to rest Simmons completely for that game and start Waters. They are a team that is talent starved. Their PG is horrible, as our his backups. Their SF is also terrible. Hannan should hang at least 30 on him. Their SG, PF, and Center are all decent, but the bench is terrible. They play very loose M2M defense and are only shooting 36% as a team. They are scoring 58 ppg. Their offensive efficiency is 296th. Their defensive efficiency is 243rd. They are giving up 68 ppg and allowing teams to shoot 42%. I'll play this game tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

After an extended practice today, I'm tempted to remove Lisinic's redshirt status. He isn't improving, but he is a very athletic SF who might be the best finisher on the team around the rim. I wonder if he might be a better option than Li on the 2nd unit which is dominated by outside shooters. However, he doesn't really have the foot speed to guard most SG's and I'm sure he wouldn't like having 2/3rds of a year wasted. I resist that impulse, but I am going to try mixing in more zones with our M2M defense if the opposition is scoring too much.

Now, to see if we can blow out Iona like we should.

[Eaglesfan27]

A strong start from Hannan has us coasting early. We are up 19-9 with 9:34 to go as our 2nd unit comes in led by Bitee at PG.

We are up 27-18 with 4:02 to go in the half as our starters return. Bowers is in a definite shooting slump the last few games.


We are up 34-22 at halftime.


Hannan is the player of the game with 11 points and 2 boards. He has shot 4 of 9, 3 of 6, and 0 of 0.


Hannan is the only reliable scorer on the floor for us right now, and our defense is getting lax. They put together a 8-0 run, but Hannan responds with a 3 and a 2. We are up 50-40 with 11:12 to go as our starters rest.

Li with a nice run. We are up 60-50 with 5:03 to go as our starters return.

Not the huge win I wanted, but we do win 70-57.

Hannan was the player of the game but had another relatively bad shooting night. He shot 9 of 23, 5 of 12, and 0 of 0.

Waters with 5 points and 6 assists. He shot 2 of 4, 1 of 2.

Gill with 10 points, 6 assists, and 2 boards. He shot 4 of 10, 1 of 3.

Cornette with 10 points, 12 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He shot 4 of 8.

Clifford with 4 points and 6 boards.

Li led the bench with 8 points. Bowers had 5, he shot 2 of 6.

[Eaglesfan27]

In an interesting scheduling quirk, our next 2 games is are against Siena, one of the top teams in the conference. First, we play them at home. Simmons will rest the 1st game against them, but could be 100% by the time the 2nd game rolls around.

Siena is the most talented team we've faced in the conference all year. Their only weakness is a relatively inexperienced and raw PG. However, they have talent at every other position and have a good bench. They are averaging 80.2 ppg and shooting 43%. They love to keep the tempo fast. They have 2 SF's who are their top scorers, Blake who averages 13.2 ppg and Larson who starts at SF who averages 12.5 ppg. They have 5 player in double digits including their very talented PF Logle who averaged 11.8 ppg. Blake is their most dangerous shooter. He averages 53% overall and 47% from the arc. They play M2M defense and Larson is a very good defender who leads the team in steals at 2.2 and blocks at 2.0. They are 31st in offensive efficency and 104th in defensive efficiency. They are only giving up 68 ppg and are allowing opponents to shoot 39%. I'll play this later today (unless something comes up.)

[Radii]

is your current slider set posted anywhere? I pulled this game out for a little while last night and had some fun with it, but need something to make for more realistic play if I'm going to really try to get going with it.

[Eaglesfan27]

No, the most recent set is not listed. I'll post it the next time I can get on my 360 (probably Christmas eve.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Current Sliders, with some thoughts in parenthesis on ones I've recently considered changing:

Everything except speed is equal for human and cpu.

Simulation
All-American
20 minute halves
20 minute simulated halves
Game Speed: 55
Player Speed: 40
FT Difficulty 63
Player Lock: Off
Real FT%: On
Fatigue: On
Injuries: On
All of the options on this screen are on beyond injuries

Shooting:

Inside Success: 45
Mid Range Success: 49 (only very good mid range shooters consistently hit shots, I've thought about going up to 50, but the midrange jump shot is inconsistent in real life so I haven't.)

3 point success: 48 (produces a few games where guys are ridiculously hot, but 47 has too many games where good shooters go 1 for 6 or worse.)

Dunk Success: 48

Layup Success: 50

CPU Shot Tendencies: Close at 38, Mid at 38, 3 point at 35, and drive at 42.)


Attributes:

Offensive Awareness: 55 (makes the CPU work the ball better for shots according to the guy on OS whose sliders I worked from)

Defensive Awareness: 70 (thought about going up to 75 but then defense becomes a bit too dominant. Any lower and there are too many plays where guys are left open for easy 3's.)

Dunk: 50

Ball Handling at 40 (prevents poor players from isomotioning without losing the ball)

Offensive rebounding at 44

Defensive rebounding at 50 (I used to give a boost to human, but guys like Simon dominated too much, now it feels more realistic.)

Block 50

Steal 50 for human but 56 for CPU which doesn't naturally try to steal enough. Makes it more dangerous to pump fake all of the time.

Speed: 50 for human, 48 for CPU. Otherwise, CPU guys with lesser speed will routinely run down faster human players.

Gameplay:

Team Unity at 15 to tone down the effect of the crowds which pump up stamina too much otherwise.

Dunks in Traffic: 100

Screen success: 100 (still don't work too often.)

Screen Strength: 80

Steal Success: 50 for human, 55 for CPU to again make them more threatening.

Help Defense: 25 (I might lower this to 20, key to opening up the ability to drive.)

Help Recovery: 0 (good teams still recover quickly. Bad teams can be beat by drive and dish basketball much more than default.)

Fitness:

Energy Fatigue: 54 (guys can play too many minutes at default)
Energy Recovery: 48
Injury Frequency: 60 (still aren't happening often at all, might go up a bit.)
Injury Effects: 68 (I still haven't seen a serious injury in a very long time.. might go up a bit.)


Edit: Forgot the foul sliders:

Charging: 100
Blocking: 45
Reaching: 60
Shooting: 65

[Eaglesfan27]

With 10:44 to go, we are up 17-13 as our starters rest. Hannan has 10 of our early points.


We are up 22-20 with 4:32 to go as our starters return to the game.


We are up 34-33 at the half and Hannan is having another amazing game. He's really stepped up his game this year.

He leads the team with 19 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 2 blocks. He has shot 7 of 9, 4 of 4, and 1 of 2 so far.

With about 18 minutes to go, Clifford starts holding his leg. My assistants convince me to go small and try Cox at PF and Cornette at center.


We are down 52-48 with 11:12 to go as our starters rest. Clifford has a pulled hamstring and might be able to return.

My starters return with 5:44 to go. We are down 61-52.

The last 8 minutes, they just destroyed me down low, constantly working it to the inside and without Clifford we couldn't stop them.

We lose the game 72-59.

No one except for Hannan could score consistently for us this game.

Hannan finished with 33 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He shot 11 of 19, 5 of 7, and 6 of 8.

Waters with 11 points, 5 assists, and a steal. He shot 4 of 8.

Gill with 2 points and 2 assists. He shot 1 of 5.

Cornette with 2 points, 11 boards, and 2 assists. He shot 1 of 6.

Clifford with 2 points and 3 boards.


Bowers led the bench with 3 points. He was 1 of 5 from the field.

Logie, Larson, and Blake each had 14 points for them although Hannan held Larson to 5 of 19 shooting, including 4 of 10 behind the arc.

[Radii]

Awesome, I appreciate it :)

[Eaglesfan27]

Just 4 days later, we will play them at their place this time. The difference is we'll have a healthy Simmons who will start. Clifford will not play this game. As a result, I've decided Cornette will move to center and Willis will start at PF. When we bring in our 2nd unit, we'll go with Waters, Li, Cox at SF, Bowers at PF, and Ziri.

[Eaglesfan27]

Wow. I never realized Siena has an arena 7 times the size of ours. Too bad I can't get the administration in Niagara to build a new arena.

We are down 14-13 with 10:51 to go in the half. Simmons with a very nice start with 5 points and 2 assists early.


We are tied at 26 with 3:40 to go in the half as our starters return.


At the half, we are tied at 30. Our lowest 3 point effort of the year as we've only taken 3 shots from the arc, but we hit 2 of them. They are pounding it inside again.

Logie their center is the player of the half with 9 points and 4 boards.

Simmons leads our team with 7 points and 2 assists.


1st minute of the 2nd half, Simmons gets a 3rd foul on their starting PG.


I can't believe how badly we are playing now. Hannan can't do anything right this game (even got a charge on a great spin move to the basket) and our offense is just terrible. We are down 51-37 with 10:30 to go. We are getting killed on the inside as their starting center has 17 points.


Our starters come back down 61-43 with 6 minutes to go.


We lose 72-55. Without Clifford, at least against this team, we are getting dominated inside. I sort of took his defense for granted. They had 52 points in the paint without him in there!

Their two interior stars Neal and Logie had 21 points with 10 boards, and 17 points with 13 boards respectively. They had 14 offensive boards while we only had 4. They outrebounded us overall 42-27.

Simmons led our team in scoring with 12 points. He had 4 assists and 6 turnovers. He shot 4 of 10, 2 of 5, and 2 of 4.

Gill with 6 points. Hannan with 8 points, 2 board, 2 assist, and 1 steal. He only shot 3 of 14, 0 of 3, and 2 of 2.

Cornette with 10 points, 8 boards, 2 steals, and a block.

Willis at the PF spot had 0 points, 4 boards, and 1 assist. He didn't even provide the outside shooting that I thought he could - he was 0 of 5.

However, one bright spot.. Cox did very well in the 2nd unit. He led the bench with 6 points and also had 2 boards.

[Eaglesfan27]

Next up is just what we needed as we'll travel to play one of the weakest teams in the conference, Iona. We beat them last week 70-57 but I'm expecting a bigger win even with us resting Clifford. I probably won't play that until later this week.

[RPI-Fan]

Wow. I never realized Siena has an arena 7 times the size of ours. Too bad I can't get the administration in Niagara to build a new arena.

FYI it's not really Siena's arena... is the only major arena in a 2-hour radius of Albany and Siena just has a deal to use it for men's basketball. They have their own normal-sized arena for women's basketball. So the Times Union Center (where they actually play... 13,000 seat arena) is not appropriate at all for the size of the program and the quality of the conference that they are in (and in fact never gets anywhere near full).

[Eaglesfan27]

FYI it's not really Siena's arena... is the only major arena in a 2-hour radius of Albany and Siena just has a deal to use it for men's basketball. They have their own normal-sized arena for women's basketball. So the Times Union Center (where they actually play... 13,000 seat arena) is not appropriate at all for the size of the program and the quality of the conference that they are in (and in fact never gets anywhere near full).

Ahh, that makes much more sense.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are now 19-6 as we go for the much needed 20th win to end this bad stretch of play.


Now, we have our worst nightmare. 7 minutes into the game, Hannan goes down with a bad ankle. We are up 19-17 at that point, but I'm very disappointed in our defense.

With 10:50 left, we are up 24-23 as our subs come into the game.

With 8:20 to go, Hannan is cleared to return to the game. It is a mild sprained ankle.

We are up 37-31 with 3:45 to go. Hannan has been ineffective, but will remain in with the starters.

As soon as Simmons comes back, he sets up Hannan for an open baseline jumper that he nails.

A strong final few minutes as our defense finally produced some quality stops. Up 44-36 at the half.

Willis is the player of the half. Against an inferior PF he has 7 points, 4 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He has shot 3 of 3 and 1 of 2 from the line.


A great offensive 2nd half from Hannan but his defense is slow right now and we are playing bad defensively as a team. Still, we are up 62-57 with 11:42 to go.

We let them go on a 6-0 run before we start trading baskets. Down 72-71 with 5:32 to go. This is such a bad team, but our banged up team is playing some poor basketball right now.

Hannan with a 3 and then a breakaway slam after he steals it to put us up by 4.

With 1:13 left, after a missed 3 by Simmons and a missed dunk by Cornette, they hit a 8 footer to put them up 79-78.

They block a shot attempt by Hannan but we get it back.. with 1 second left, Simmons takes a desperation 3 that just misses. They get the ball with 35 seconds left.

We fail to steal it in the backcort, so we foul with 29 seconds left.

They miss the front end of the 1 and 1. We try to get a quick shot, but they are playing smothering defense.. Simmons drives into the lane.. and kicks it out to Hannan for a good look at a corner 3.. he misses it. They get the board with 5 seconds left. They miss both FT's, but we miss a desperation 3 from Simmons.


We lose the game 79-78.


Hannan leads all scorers with 19 points, 4 boards, and 2 assists. He shot 6 of 13, 1 of 4, and 6 of 6. He also had 3 turnovers.

Simmons finished with 8 points and 5 assists. He had 2 turnovers. He shot 3 of 9, 0 of 4, and 2 of 2.

Gill with 12 points, 2 boards, and 2 assists. He shot 4 of 8.

Willis with 9 points and 9 boards.

Cornette with 8 points, 3 boards, and a block. He shot 4 of 9.


Waters led the bench with 11 points.

Bowers shot 2 of 7.


We lose to one of the worst teams in the conference and fall to 19-7 as we've lost 5 of our last 6. After the game, I decide to have a pep talk with every starter to try to boost their suddenly floundering confidence.

[Eaglesfan27]

We get great news after the game. Our team's doctor thinks Hannan will be 100% by our next game. Clifford will be 100% within the next week and will start in our next game which is against Canisus. They are 16-10 and they are the ones that started this free fall. We desperately want to win at home against them and get our 20th win. We've fallen out of both major polls and are now 3rd in the Mid Major Poll behind Nevada ad Siena who has an identical 19-7 record to ours.

[Galaxy]

Hopefully you can pull of this losing slump.

[Eaglesfan27]

With 9:39 to go in the half, we are up 20-16 behind 8 points from Hannan who looks completely healed from his injury.

Our 2nd unit has a great 6 minutes. We are up 34-19 as the defense was smothering.. generating steals, missed shots, fast breaks, and Bowers even started hitting his 3's again as the crowd was roaring.

Our starters finish the half very strong. 42-21 lead at the half that was punctuated by a 2-1 Simmons to Hannan alley-oop. Our best defensive effort of the year as we've held them to 30% shooting.

Hannan is the player of the half with 14 points, 3 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He has shot 4 of 8. He has held their SF to 0 of 6 shooting.


We have a 8-0 run over 2 minutes to re-establish our 21 point lead. 59-38 with 9:45 to go as our starters rest.


Our bench finishes the game. 73-52 win.


Hannan is the player of the game with 27 points, 3 boards, 1 steal, and 1 assist. He shot 9 of 17, 2 of 5, and 7 of 8.

Simmons with 3 points, 3 boards, 5 assists, and 2 steals. He had 2 turnovers as well. He shot 1 of 9, 0 of 6, and 1 of 2. He is the best 3 point shooter in practice, but it obviously isn't translating into big time games this year.

Gill with 10 points, 2 boards, and 2 assists. He shot 4 of 6, 1 of 2, and 1 of 1.

Cornette with 5 points, 8 boards, 1 assist, 3 steals, and 1 block. He shot 1 of 5 from the floor and 3 of 4 from the line.

Clifford with 0 points, 6 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block.


Li led the bench with 9, but Bowers and Waters each had 7. Bowers also had 4 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block.


Nice to have a comfortable win to get to 20 wins. This is my 4th year in a row with at least 20 wins.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is at Loyola (MD), we beat them by 21 points at our place earlier this year, however, they are a talented team that could give us problems if we don't play like we did last game. They are currently 19-6. In fact, our conference may have the most 20 win teams we've ever had. 5 teams could do it this year with Siena, Loyola (MD), Niagara, Rider, Canisus, and Fairfield all in striking range.

[Eaglesfan27]

With 12:13 to go, we bring in the 2nd unit. We are down 14-13.


About 3 minutes later, Li goes down in a collision... he is holding his knee. Bitee comes in to try out our 2 tiny guard lineup. 1st play, he swipes it from their SG and takes it down the court for a slam.

A minute later, Bitee hits a 3 in the corner.. then a 10 jumper after beating his man to get into the lane... Bitee is on fire and making me wonder why I haven't gotten him more PT.

We are tied at 28 with 5:43 to go as our starters return.

A ton of lead changes this game. We go into the half down 43-41. Everyone is contributing scoring this game.

Hannan, Clifford, and Bitee all lead the team with 7 points.

Some horrible breaks in the last 6 minutes, 3's that are barely missing, 3's against us that are getting kind bounces.. and we are failing to stop them from getting multiple offensive boards. They just had 3 second chances on 1 possession and it finally ended with a 3 that puts them up 59-49.

After a timeout, Simmons hits a 3 and then Hannan has a steal and a reverse dunk to try to rile up our team. Unfortunatey, the run ends when we give up 2 offensive boards and they finally hit a 3 to take advantage.

Simmons with another 3 to respond and we are only down 63-57 with 10:11 to go as our starters get a break.

With 7:12 to go, Waters drives into the lane and kicks it out to Bowers who is just on the line as he hits a long shot to tie it at 65.

A minute later, Bitee hits a 3 to give us a 68-67 lead. Bitee has 12 and has earned himself regular PT the rest of the year.. hopefully he isn't so mad about sitting most of the year that he transfers.. we need him as a backup PG next year.


With 5:10 left, we bring back our starters. It is tied at 70.

1st play, Simmons fakes out their PG and draws the foul from him. That is his 4th.

Simmons misses the front end of the 1 and 1. Cornette steals the entry pass into the post and passes it ahead to a breaking Simmons who slams it home!

After a missed basket on each end, Simmons passes to Gill in the post who backs his man down, hits a jump hook and draws the foul which he makes. 75-70 with under 4 minutes left.

Simmons beats their starting PG into the lane who fouls him and fouls out. Next possession he beats the backup PG and hits a 12 foot jumper. That pep talk has really helped his game again.

A minute later, Simmons drives past his man and gets to the rim for a layup.

Hitting those 3's earlier opened everything up for him this game.

We win the game 88-76. :)

Simmons is the player of the game with 22 points, 3 assists, 1 board, 3 steals, and only 2 turnovers. He shot 7 of 9, 2 of 3, and 6 of 11.

Gill with 10 points, 3 boards, and a turnover. He shot 3 of 7.

Hannan with 14 points, 5 boards, 2 assists, and 5 turnovers. He shot 5 of 12, 0 of 4 and 4 of 6.

Cornette with 5 points, 5 boards, 2 steals, and a block. He shot 2 of 5.

Clifford with 9 points, 12 boards, 3 assists, and a block as we worked it into the post more than we have all year. He shot 2 of 2 and 5 of 6 from the line.

Bitee led the bench with 12 points, 1 board, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He shot 4 of 7, 2 of 3, and 2 of 2.

Waters had 8 points. Bowers and Ziri each had 4. Ziri also had 4 boards and a block.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are now in the final week of in-season recruiting and the final week of the regular season. We are excited that 4 star SG Garik Blizzard has requested to come visit the campus this week. We are still very much in the running for this talented athletic guard who would be a great compliment for Simmons.

Our staff's thoughts on guys who have improved their skill set the most so far this year:

Simmons, Hannan, Willis, Waters, and Bitee.

Everyone has shown some improvement which is exciting. That didn't always happen and I attribute to my better assistant coaches.

Our next game is hosting 7-18 Manhattan. They are the 2nd worst team in the conference statistically. We beat them earlier 87-64 at their place and I hope for another comfortable win at home. I'll play that tomorrow.


Our last game of the regular season is at Rider. We beat them at home 78-51 earlier in the year. So, hopefully we'll be going into our conference tourney with a 23-7 record. Either way, Siena has wrapped up the #1 seed in the conference tourney and the regular season conference title.

[Eaglesfan27]

They start off with an 8-0 lead, before I call timeout and yell at the guys to start playing some defense.

Hannan and Simmons in particular respond with a steal each and 2 baskets each. Hannan then hits another shot and the foul, Cornette adds a few baskets, and we end up with a 13-4 run to take the lead.

That turns into an 8-0 run before they call timeout to quiet our crowd down. We are 19-12 with 11:51 to go.

The run continues and we are up 25-12 before they score. We have our crowd going crazy.

They hit another basket which quiets the crowd, but we are up 27-16 with 9:55 to go and Simmons has had a great 1st 10 minutes. He leads the team with 10 points and 4 assists as my starters get a breather.

Li is actually ok from his collision the other day, but we are going to go with the 2 tiny guard lineup to get Bitee some PT.

The bench plays very well. We are 41-21 with 3 minutes left in the half as our starters return.

Simmons finishes off his incredible half by hitting a buzzer 3 from just across the halfcourt line!! We are up 49-21!

Simmons with 13 points, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 3 turnovers at the half.

Hannan has 13 points, 2 assists, and 3 steals already.

With a 35 point lead (74-39), we pull our starters with 9:20 to go in the game. Brilliant games from Hannan and Simmons.

I'm tempted to go for 100, but we slow our tempo way down and just work the clock the rest of the way.

Our offense sputtered as we ran the clock down to 5 or less seconds the rest of the way, but our defense was solid.

We win the game 78-47.

Hannan gets player of the game, but I would have given it to Simmons. Hannan finished with 25 points, 1 board, 2 assists, and 6 steals. He had 2 turnovers. He shot 10 of 13, 1 of 2, and 4 of 5.

Simmons with 19 points, 10 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 5 turnovers. He shot 6 of 10, 3 of 5, and 4 of 7.

Gill with 9 points, 3 boards, and 1 assist. He shot 4 of 9.

Cornette with 7 points, 4 boards, and a steal. He shot 3 of 8.

Clifford with 2 points, 12 boards, and a block. He shot 1 of 3.


Bowers led the bench with 5 points. Waters and Bitee each had 4.


Rider is now 17-10. I'll play our last regular season game at their arena later today.

[Eaglesfan27]

3 minutes into the game, Hannan with a drive into the lane gets a 2nd foul on their star center who sits after it.

This forces them into a 3 guard lineup, but we fail to take advantage and they go on a 9-0 run. We are down 14-5 with 11:35 to go as our starters take a seat. Hannan's shot just keeps rimming out early.

Our bench isn't shooting much better. I've never seen so many of our 3's just barely miss. We are down 27-13 with 5:35 to go.

After 1 more miss, I tell the team I don't want anyone shooting a 3 until it comes out of a pass from the inside. We still don't hit any 3's, but we get some interior scoring going and have a 8-0 run before they hit a pair of FTs with 1:01 to go.

We go into the half down 31-23.

We are 1 of 9 from the arc. They are 2 of 10. Tight rims?

Nahra, their PG, is the player of the half with 7 points and 3 assists.


Simmons leads us with 5 points and 1 assist.

Hannan is 0 of 6 from the floor so far including 0 of 2 from the arc.

There is talk of NBA scouts being at the game and that he might be drafted, so I wonder if it is affecting his game.


First play of the 2nd half, Hannan hits a 3 from his usual favorite spot on the left side of the court.

Hannan blows by his man next possession, tries to dunk, but is fouled and misses it. He hits 1 of 2, but Clifford gets the offensive board. 31-29.

After they respond with a 6-0 run, Hannan gets a breakaway dunk and then beats his man off the dribble and gets a layup and the foul.

A careless pass from Simmons ignites another 6-0 run for them.

However, our team responds again. With 11:24 to go, we are only down 44-42. The guys are exhausted though and I'm hoping to rest them until the 5 minute mark.

Not a good 6 minutes for our bench. We are down 52-44 with 5:08 to go.

Our starters aren't close to 100%, but it is time to get them in there anyway.

After a Simmons drive that results in 2 FT's (which he makes), Hannan drills a 3 to pull us back with 3. 52-49.

After a defensive stop, they are double teaming Hannan.. with 6 seconds left on the shot clock, he throws it out to Simmons for an open 3.... it rims out. They get a breakaway dunk. 54-49. 2:18 to go.

A minute later, Hannan hits another 3 to make it 55-52.

We get a stop and Simmons drive into the lane, kicks it out, it is worked around for Hannan to get a good look at a 3... he misses it.

They get a 12 foot jumper. Hannan misses a quick shot in the post, but we get the board. Time is running out.. Simmons tries a 3 and misses. We intentionally foul.

It doesn't work as they hit their FT's and Hannan misses his last 2 shots.

We lose the game 59-52.

Mulic, their backup center who came in due to Benson's foul trouble was the player of the game with 9 points, 11 boards, and 2 blocks.

Hannan led us with 19 points, 6 boards, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers. He shot 6 of 18, 3 of 6, and 4 of 7.

Simmons with 9 points, 2 assists, and a steal. He shot 2 of 7, 1 of 5, and 4 of 4.

Gill with 0 points and 1 board. He did hold his man to 3 of 10 shooting.

Cornette with 4 points, 8 boards, and a block.

Clifford with 10 points and 10 boards as we worked the ball into him repeatedly. He was 5 of 8 from the floor.

Bowers led the bench with 6 points but he was 3 of 9.


After the game, the scout told me that his team was considering using their late 1st round pick on Hannan, but they think he projects as more of a 2nd round pick. They like his combo of size, shooting, and speed. If he has a good tourney, they may consider him in the 1st round. He also says none of our other seniors have a shot at the league.

[Eaglesfan27]

We finish the year 22-8 and 11-7 in conference play. We end up 3rd in the conference standings behind Siena and Loyola (MD.)

Our RPI is still very strong at 9th and we shouldn't have much of a concern about making the Big Dance, but we still want to have a strong showing in the conference tourney.

Our first conference game is against Marist. We beat them 66-61 at our place and lost to them 85-68 at their place.

[Eaglesfan27]

The first 8 minutes, we play the most frenetic high energy defense I've seen all year. It doesn't produce our best results, but the energy is amazing. We are up 17-10 as our starters rest. Hannan is doing everything out there.

The bench lets the energy and the shooting drop :(

After they let them tie it at 18, I call a timeout and chew out the 2nd unit. They respond with a 4-0 run. 22-18 as we bring back the starters with 6:26 to go in the half.


A very good 1st half. 37-29 lead as Hannan has been incredible again and Simmons has been very efficient in creating shots for guys.

Hannan is the player of the half with 19 points, 4 boards, 2 assist, and 1 turnover. He has shot 7 of 12, 2 of 5, and 3 of 4 in the 1st half.

Simmons with 0 points but he has 6 assists including 3 to Clifford who is 4 of 4 from the floor so far, 2 of them on dunks that were created by Simmons.


Great start to the 2nd half, we don't let them score for the first 4 minutes. We are up 58-40 with 12:53 to go as our starters rest.

I'm not taking any chances, with a 70-55 lead, I'm bringing back my starters. 5:44 left.

I rest my starters for good with 2:21 to go. They absolutely put the hammer down. We are now up 83-55.


We win the game 85-65. This win makes me very optimistic about our chances the rest of the way in the conference tourney.

Hannan was the player of the game. He finished with 34 points, 4 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He shot 13 of 22, 3 of 6, and 5 of 7. He also hed Augustine, their SF, to 14 points on 5 of 14 shooting.


Simmons with 5 points, 11 assists, 3 steals, and only 1 turnover. He shot 2 of 4, 1 of 2, and 0 of 0.

Gill with 4 points, 1 board, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He shot 2 of 5. His man had 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting.

Cornette with 9 points, 11 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. He shot 4 of 6.

Clifford with 14 points, 10 boards, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Many of his points came off easy attemptes as the result of Simmons' passes, but he did have 2 nice baskets that were the result of good work by him in backing his man down.

Bowers led the bench with 9 points on 3 of 6 shooting. Waters had 7 points and 2 assists.



Our next game in the tourney is against Loyola (MD) who we beat 88-76 at their place and 77-56 at our place. If we win, we'll face either Siena or Fairfield in the tourney final.

[Eaglesfan27]

3 minutes into the game, Hannan with a spin move in the post that draws a 2nd foul on their starting SF who sits. We are tied at 7.

2 minutes later, Simmons gets a 2nd foul on Belser, their starting PG. We are now up 11-7.


We are up 20-13 with 12:49 to go in the half as I rest our tired starters who are playing at a very fast pace again. I decide to get Bitee and Cox involved at SG and SF respectively with a very small lineup. Bowers will play PF and Willis won't play this game, unless something unexpected happens.

The 2nd unit started poorly allowing 3 very quick baskets to tie it at 20. They then went on a 18-0 run where every single shot fell for us. Even Ziri hit a 10 footer. Bowers was too fast for their PF and his 3 point shooting came into play for an easy 6 points. Waters and Bitee were too fast for their guards to contain and they penetrated into the lane repeatedly setting up guys and themselves for easy baskets. After the run ends, Ziri responds with a 10 foot baseline jumper which he apparently likes when he is feeling it. 40-22, 6:30 to go.

Our starters return with 5:39 to go and a 42-24 lead.


At halftime, we are up 52-32. We are shooting an amazing 66% from the field, our highest percentage of the year by a wide margin if it managed to hold.


Hannan is the player of the half with 12 points, 1 board, and 1 turnover. He has shot 5 of 8, 0 of 2, and 2 of 3.

Simmons hasn't taken a single shot but has 6 assists.

Clifford with 10 points and 5 boards at the half as Simmons has set him up for some easy shots, but he also surprised me by hitting a 12 foot jumper.

4 guys have 4 points or more from the 2nd string. Some very balanced scoring for us this game.



So much for the hot shooting, we don't hit a basket until 14:31 is left in the half. 54-38 as our defense was solid during the cold shooting stretch.

We go the bench with 11:58 left. 56-42 lead.

I really like how this 2nd unit has played together and will probably give them another try in the next game. We are up 68-53 with 5:21 to go as our starters return.

We win the game 86-67.


Hannan is the player of the game with 20 points, 2 boards, and 1 assist. He shot 9 of 17, 0 of 4, and 2 of 3.

Simmons finished with 4 points, 1 board, 7 assists, and only 1 turnover. He shot 1 of 4, and 2 of 4 from the line.

Gill with 6 points, 5 boards, and a block. He held their SG to 3 of 9 shooting.

Cornette with 6 points and 8 boards. He shot 3 of 6.

Clifford with 16 points and 10 boards. He shot 5 of 6, 0 of 0, and 6 of 7. I wish I had gotten him more involved before now. Simmons is doing a great shot of getting him dunks - he had 4 of those this game.

Bitee led the bench with 10 points and 2 assists.

Waters with 5 points and 2 assists.

Cox with 8 points and 2 boards.

Bowers with 7 points, 3 boards, and 2 steals.

Ziri with 4 points, 5 boards, and a block. Excellent play from all of the 2nd unit who will stick together next game.



Fairfield upset Canisus 62-61, so we'll play them in the Conference Tourney Final! Then again, I shouldn't be that happy. Fairfield is 21-11 and they beat us 98-82 at their place although we beat them 72-49 at our place.


I mentioned earlier that up to 6 teams could have finished with 20 wins.. well 4 did it: Siena, Loyola(MD), Fairfield, and ourselves. Canisus finished 19-13 and Rider finished 18-11.


In an update from our staff, they believe Hannan and Bitee have shown the most progression during a season of any players we've ever had. Simmons has shown a large amount of progression as well according to the staff.

Our staff is still hearing that Hannan is a likely 2nd round NBA pick. Hopefully, he'll become my first player to get drafted which can only help me recruit in the future.

[Eaglesfan27]

Fairfield's 7 foot center Strickland is killing us early with offensive boards and putbacks that are negating our good defense. At the 17 minute mark, Hannan with a drive gets a foul on him. 3 minutes later, Simmons with a drive into the lane gets a 2nd foul on him which leads to him sitting. He already has 8 points and 3 offensive boards. They are 14-7.

Hannan with a personal 8-0 run to get us a 15-14 lead. In fact, he has scored 13 of our 15 point so far.

With 10:23 to go, the starters rest. We are down 20-17.

Down 32-27 with 5:06 to go as our starters return. Bitee had a disappointing 5 minutes.


Hannan picks right up with a quick 3 and then a fastbreak dunk to tie it at 32.

They respond with an 8-0 run as Hannan misses 2 3's and Simmons misses 1 as well.

We then start pounding it inside to Hannan who scores 6 straight points inside 10 feet. They also hit a few shots to keep their lead. Hannan hits a 3 at the buzzer to finish an amazing half.

We are down 44-41, but Hannan is clearly the player of the half with 26 points and 2 boards. He has shot 11 of 16, 4 of 7, and 0 of 0.

Simmons has 7 assists, almost all of them are on Hannan shots.



To start the 2nd half, Strickland gets a 3rd and 4th foul on Clifford within the 1st minute! I have no choice, he is staying in the game. If he goes, we have no one that can come close to matching Strickland's size.

Simmons starts penetrating and working harder to set up Clifford who gets 2 dunks and draws a foul on Strickland. A few plays later, Hannan hits a 3 to pull us within 1 of them.

A minute later, Clifford with a board.. throws a pass to Hannan who throws it ahead to Simmons who is 1 on 1 with their PG.. Simmons with a behind the back move, blows by his man and has the breakaway dunk to put us ahead! 54-53. 15:08 to go.


With 14:46 to go, Clifford fouls out of the game :(

We are probably going to have to help Ziri out with some double teams.

With 9:29 to go, we tie it at 64, but our starters are exhausted. Right before I subbed them out, Cornette was charged with his 4th foul when trying to help out on Strickland in the post.

Our bench was playing very solid defense (with no offense), but then a very bad stretch started when Bowers blocked a shot, only to have it bounce out to their SG who drilled the open 3. That started an 8-0 run. We are down 74-66 with 5:21 to go as our starters return. I'm going to ask Bowers to play Center as Ziri is getting tired.

Hannan comes in firing again.. first a 3, then a 2, then another 3. However, we aren't getting any stops. The one time Cornette blocked a shot, it again bounced out to their SG who hit another 3. Then, we have Hannan get stripped in the post. Still, we are hanging close. 80-74 with 2:43 to go.

After we finally get a stop, Simmons gets the board and goes coast to coast where he is fouled just before he dunks it. 80-76 after he hits both FT's.

Sheesh.. Hannan gets a block.. it goes to their SG who fakes the 3.. throws it inside to Strickland who dunks and gets the foul. Strickland hits the FT to put them up 83-76.

Simmons with a drive into the lane.. doesn't get fouled, but he does hit a tough layup. After Strickland misses a hook shot, we get a fastbreak and Simmons is fouled. He hits both FT's! 83-80 with 1:13 to go.

Strickland misses another inside shot and we get another quick strike basket, this time Simmons to Gill for a 8 footer along the baseline. 83-82.

Strickland sets up an easy dunk for their PF who has 19 points this game. 85-82. Simmons sets up Hannan with a good look at a 3... he misses it.. Gill gets the board! We reset.. Simmons to Hannan who has an ever better look... he misses it! Strickland gets the board and we have to foul.

Strickland hits both FT's to give them the 5 point lead.

We are going with our big gun.. we set up Hannan for a decent look from his favorite corner.. he misses the 3 again. He has had a career night scoring, but I'm sure he'll be disappointed by these 3 late misses.

Strickland with the board.

Simmons hits a late 3, but it is too little too late. We lose the game 91-87.

Strickland was the player of the game with 22 points, 12 boards, 4 assists, and 2 blocks.

As I mentioned, Hannan set a career high in points. He finished with 43 points, 3 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block. He shot 17 of 28, 9 of 18, and 0 of 0.

Simmons with 16 points, 2 boards, 12 assists, 1 steal, and 4 turnovers. He shot 5 of 9, 2 of 6, and 4 of 6.

Gill with 6 points, 3 boards, and 3 assists.

Cornette with 6 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.

Clifford with 4 points, 3 boards, and a block.


Waters led the bench with points. Bowers was 0 of 5 from the floor and had 0 points, but he did have 6 boards and 2 blocks.


I'm fairly sure we made the Big Dance with our high RPI, but we still have a bit of anxiety now as we wait for the Selection Show...

[Eaglesfan27]

We are 24-9 and our RPI is 16th, but we are only 5-5 in our last 10.


Time for the Selection Show:

We aren't listed as a bubble team which makes me feel very confident.

The #1 Seeds are Texas in the East (#1 in the media poll all year long), Duke in the South, Indiana in the Midwest, and Texas A&M in the West.


Interesting Matchups in the East:

#8 Louisville (21-11) vs #9 Xavier (21-10)

We are #6 in the East!! We play Santa Clara first. They are 22-9. I'll post the whole East bracket after the show.


Interesting Games in the South:

#6 Kansas (20-12) vs #11 Iowa (21-12)
#7 Mississippi State (21-10) vs #10 South Carolina (22-9)

Interesting Games in the Midwest:

#8 Nebraska (20-10) vs #9 Pepperdine (22-9)
#4 Siena (nice seeding, 24-8, guess that means 3 MAAC teams made it!) vs #13 Butler (20-11)
#7 Tennessee (22-10) vs #10 Virginia (20-11)

Interesting West Games:

#8 Michigan State (21-11) vs #9 Florida (22-11)
#5 Georgia Tech (21-10) vs #12 Fairfield (22-11)
#6 Stanford (23-9) vs #11 Charlotte (21-13)
#7 UCLA (19-11) vs #10 Saint Mary's (24-7)

[Eaglesfan27]

East Bracket:

#1 Texas vs #16 Lamar (Play-in Winner)
#8 Louisville vs #9 Xavier

#5 Connecticut vs #12 Samford
#4 Seton Hall vs #13 UALR


#6 Niagara vs #11 Santa Clara
#3 Missouri vs #14 James Madison

#7 Miami vs #10 Washington
#2 Oregon vs #15 Wichita State



USC didn't make the tourney. They finished 17-14 (9-9) this year and were 6th in the Pac-10 just below bubble team Washington that made it .


Santa Clara was 2nd in the West Coast Conference and is 1 of 3 teams to make the tourney. They finished 22-9 (11-3.) They have averaged just under 72 ppg, shooting 42% from the field and 35% from the arc. They have a solid lineup with good players at every position, but none are better than ours except their center. They are a veteran team with 4 seniors starting and 2 more coming off the bench. Their biggest win was a 86-79 win at Auburn.

Boatner, their PF, is their leading scorer at 15 ppg. Their PG, Strawberry, has scored 12 ppg but only 3 assists per game. They don't have any other guys in double digits. Strawberry is their best 3 point shooter at 40%. Boatner is their leading rebounder at 9 per game and their best shot blocker at 1.5 per game.

They tend to play a slower tempo game despite their decent scoring average. They play M2M defense and occasionally run a full court press. Their offensive efficiency is 55th, but their defensive efficiency is 207th. They are allowing teams to shoot 43% but holding them to 67 ppg.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are leading 21-17 with 9:53 to go. Hannan and Cornette have been our main scorers with Simmons setting them both up.

I decide to leave Bitee on the bench and go with Waters, Li, Cox, Bowers, and Ziri this game.

We are tied at 27 with 3:48 to go. Li had a few nice shots.

Hannan explodes for 10 points in the last 3:48. We go into halftime 39-32.

Hannan is the player of the half with 21 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He has shot 8 of 12, 3 of 3, and 2 of 3.


First minute of the 2nd half, Simmons gets a 3rd foul on their starting PG. After that, he starts blowing by their backup PG.

That starts the blowout, but we give up an 8-0 run with some sloppy passing and suddenly it is a game again. 57-48 as I go to the bench to give the starters a quick breather. 12 minutes left.


We are up 59-55 with exactly 7 minutes left as our starters return.

Gill beats his man off the dribble and is fouled in the lane but misses both FT's. After we get a stop, Hannan drives to the hoop is cut off by their PF who is providing help defense but lobs a perfect pass for an alley-oop to Cornette who is fouled on the play! 62-55 after he makes the FT.

After we exchange baskets, Simmons hits a huge 3.

Hannan with our next 4 points. We are up 70-64 with 3 minutes to go.

Hannan misses his next 2 shots, but Cornette provides a tough inside basket. Defense is playing well, but they still close within 3. 72-69 with 1:28 to go.

With 59 seconds to go, Our play gets Simmons a wide open look in the corner... he takes it.. and makes it!!

They miss their first shot, but get an offensive board and make an inside shot. 75-71 with 36 seconds to go. They intentionally foul Simmons.. he makes both FT's!

They miss the quick 3. Cornette gets the board and is fouled. He hits both FT's which should seal it.


We win the game 84-74.


Hannan is the player of the game with 32 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, a steal, and a block. He shot 11 of 18, 5 of 7, and 5 of 7.

Simmons with 12 points, 8 assists, 1 board, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers. He shot 3 of 5, 3 of 4 and 3 of 4.

Gill with 6 points, 3 boards, 4 assists, and 3 turnovers. He shot 3 of 6.

Cornette with 18 points, 10 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. He shot 4 of 8 from the field and 10 of 12 from the line.

Clifford with 8 points, 10 boards, and a block. He shot 3 of 6.

Li led the bench with 4.


Now to watch the Missoui-James Madison game to see who we are playing.

[Eaglesfan27]

Missouri takes care of James Madison easily as they win 86-62. Their PF, Arturs Atchinson is an absolute beast. He is a 7'0 315 pound PF with skills including absolutely ridiculous speed. He is a tremendous post scorer with great dunking ability. He is also a tremendous shot blocker and a good passer. The senior is one of the highest rated players in the game this year with a 91 overall rating. He had 24 points, 12 boards, and 3 blocks in his last game. He is averaging 18 ppg and 10 rpg along with 1.5 bpg. He is a prime exhibit on why I may leave a scholarship open. He played his 1st year with LSU before transferring to Missouri. As if all of his physical talents weren't enough, he is a smart player who is considered a coach on the floor that makes the guys around him more cohesive.

As if he wasn't a big enough problem, their starting center is also a 7 footer, albeit a leaner player. Milos Chavez is 235 pounds and is another athletic guy who is a tremendous shot blocker. He doesn't have the scoring touch at least. He is averaging 8 ppg, 9 rpg, and 2 blocks per game.

Behind them, they play 3 guards which should give me an advantage with Hannan who could be facing a guy 3 to 4 inches shorter than him if they stick with that plan. Their PG Tracey Stafford is only a Sophomore and is the weakest of the group. He doesn't shoot well and is primarily there to set up the other guys. He does average 5.8 apg.

SR SG Hardy Dudley might be the best 3 point shooter we've faced all year. He is shooting almost 50% from the arc and is averaging 19 ppg.

SR SG (who plays SF due to the lack of a better player for the position) Brody Frandsen is also a great 3 point shooter but seems to be a 3rd or 4th option. He is shooting 44% from the arc but only averaged 10.2 ppg.

The only brightside is that their bench is fairly shallow outside of the top 2 guys.

As one can imagine with these weapons, they are 5th in NCAA Offensive Efficiency. They average 88 ppg! They are shooting 45% as a team. Defensively, they are 112th in efficiency. They are giving up 72 ppg and allowing teams to shoot 41%. They have some very good wins including at Texas A&M, although they did lose to Texas both times they faced them.

They play a very fast tempo and love to fast break which fits in the with amazing speed of their big men (seriously a 7'0 315 pound guy with 85 speed - WTF!?! It almost makes me want to play NBA 2k8 to see how this guy translates into that game. Not to mention he actually has a high dunk rating at 95 and a standing dunk of 80. I'm not sure I've ever seen such a dominant big man in this game. Amazingly he has a good mid range jump shot and a very passable 3 point shot. Looking back on his H.S. rating, he was the 44th player overall and 6th PF. He was only a 4 star player. Makes me want to track down the other guys to see what they became.) Not surprisingly, he is expected to be a lottery pick.

Defensively, they play very tight M2M defense and constantly press with a full court trap.

I'll play this very challenging team tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our only hope.. or at least my main strategy was to get their best stars in foul trouble. 1st play of the game, we got Hannan on Atchinson's side of the court.. he pounded it inside against the smaller man and then spun off him and drew a foul from Atchinson. 2nd play of the game, Simmons blew by their smaller PG and it was Atchinson who came over to help.. Simmons and him collide and a 2nd foul on Atchinson in the 1st minute!

Unfortunately, their top bench player comes in.. a 6'10 225 center/PF with a very good 3 point shot. He drills his 1st shot of the game from the arc.

The 1st 5 minutes go well as we are only down 10-9, but then Chavez blocks Hannan's shot on an attempted dunk.. they get a breakaway 3 on the carom.

It seems to effect Hannan's confidence as he misses his next 3 shots including 12 footers that he is normally money on and a semi-open 3. They go on a 12-0 run with 3 3's.

We score but then they block another shot inside (this time Cornette's)and go on another 6-0 run.


As our starters rest with 9:25 to go, we are down 29-15.

With 6:08 to go, we get a 2nd foul on Callahan their backup PF and he sits for a bit.

Our bench did well. 40-29 with 4:14 to go in the half as our starters return.

Dudley is killing us with his 3's. I'm trying to get fouls on him, but he is just letting Gill beat him knowing that he has Chavez behind him. Meanwhile Dudley has 15 points already, all from his 3's except 1 basket where Gill played him very tight and he blew by him for the dunk and the foul.

Meanwhile, Hannan doesn't hit a shot this trip on the floor until only 1:44 to go in the half. He has been ice cold and we need to get him going if we are going to have a shot at winning this game.

At the half, we are down 50-39.

They are shooting 50% from the arc, 7 of 14.

Dudley is the player of the half with 15 points and 2 assists.

Hannan leads our team with 9 points, but he is 4 of 11 from the field.

Simmons has 3 points, 4 assists, and 3 turnovers. He has 0 of 2 but 3 of 4 from the line.

Cornette with 8 points, 2 boards, and a block. He is 3 of 6 from the field and we'll try using him much more this half.

Clifford is getting shut down by Chavez. He is 0 of 3.


The 2nd half starts off very poorly. Atchinson with a dunk after being part of a pick and roll with their PG. That ignites the crowd and starts a 13-0 run.

Hannan and Simmonss are trying to drive inside to get a 3rd foul on Atchinson or Chavez but it doesn't happen until only 13 minutes are left in the game.

Their defense is suffocating while Dudley and Stafford are lighting us up from outside. We fall behind 76-50 before our starters rest with 10 minutes to go.

We never close the gap. We lose the game 99-68.

Dudley is the player of the game with 29 points, 5 boards, 6 assists, and 5 steals. He shot 10 of 20, 4 of 10, 5 of 8.

Stafford with an efficient 20 points and 6 assists. He shot 6 of 9, 2 of 4, and 6 of 6.

Frandsen with 10 points and 2 assists.

Atchinson with 10 points, 4 boards, and a block in just 18 minutes.

Chavez with 10 points, 8 boards, and 3 blocks.



Hannan was our leading scorer with 21 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block. He shot 6 of 18, 2 of 6, and 7 of 7.

Simmons finished with 3 points, 6 assists, and 4 turnovers. He shot 0 of 7.

Gill with 3 points and a board. He shot 1 of 6.

Cornette with 16 points, 3 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and a block. He shot 6 of 9, 2 of 2, and 2 of 2.

Clifford with 7 points and 7 boards. He shot 3 of 8.


Waters and Bitee led the bench with 7 and 6 points respectively.


It's a sad ending to the Hannan Era. Hopefully, he goes on to become our first NBA player in my era.

[Eaglesfan27]

The Sweet 16:

#1 Texas vs #4 Seton Hall
#3 Missouri vs #7 Miami

#8 Michigan State vs #4 Illinois
#2 Kentucky vs #14 Sacramento State

#9 Saint Joseph's vs #4 George Washington
#2 Arizona vs #2 Vanderbilt

#1 Indiana vs #5 Maryland
#2 Clemson vs #6 Marquette


The Results:

Texas beats Seton 80-70
Missouri beats Miami 93-67

Illinois beats Michigan State 83-69
Kentucky beats Sacramento State 95-70

George Washington beats Saint Joseph's 90-77
Arizona beats Vanderbilt 95-62

Indiana beats Maryland 82-73
Clemson beats Marquette 93-72


Elite 8 Results:

Missouri beats Texas 83-74! Atchinson has best game of the tourney. 28 points, 12 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He shot 9 of 17, 4 of 6, and 6 of 9.

Kentucky beats Illinois 88-70

George Washington beats Arizona 93-83

Indiana beats Clemson 92-58


Final Four Matchups:

Kentucky vs Missouri
Indiana vs George Washington


Results:

Kentucky edges by Missouri in a classic, 92-91. Atchinson got into foul trouble and fouled out in only 16 minutes. Despite the limited time, he had 11 points, 3 board, and a block. He shot 3 of 7, 1 of 2, and 4 of 5. Dudley had 42 points for them! He shot 13 of 19, 10 of 11, and 6 of 9. I guess I did a good job of holding him to 4 of 10 from the arc.

Kentucky had balanced scoring with their SG, PF, and Center each having 20 points.

Indiana beat George Washington 85-73 with 46 points coming from their center and SG.


In the National Championship Game, Kentucky beat Indiiana on a last second shot 74-72.

Kentucky was led by their star SG Wes Filipovic who had 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting, 5 of 5, and 2 of 2.

[Eaglesfan27]

Year End Awards:

Player of the Year, Center Maceo Salisbery of Texas Tech with 25.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg, and 1.7 blocks per game.

Mid-Major Player of the Year: T.J. Hannan!!! He finished the year with career bests in 3 stats. He averaged 23.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.7 spg, and 0.3 bpg.

Indiana's Coach won Coach of the Year.

Roy Frisby, Duke, won defensive player of the year. The 7 foot 1 inch center averaged 22.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg, and 2.1 blocks per game.

Salisbery won Big Man of the Year.

PG Austin Ibikunle, FSU, won freshman of the year. The 6'6 210 PG averaged 11 ppg, 4 rpg, and 5 apg.


First Team All-American:

PG C.W. Roller, Kansas 22.7 ppg and 4.6 apg.
SG Monwell Todd, Arizona 22.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.1 apg.
SF Frederick St. Clair, Alabama 22.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg.
PF Frisby
C Salisbery


MAAC Awards:

Siena was the regular season conference winner.

I won the MAAC Coach of the Year Award.

T.J. Hannan was the MAAC Player of the Year.

Israel Simmons was the MAAC Freshman of the Year. He finished with 11.5 ppg, 6 apg, and 1.5 spg.

First Team MAAC:

PG Simmons
SG Belser, Loyola (MD) 11.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, and 4.8 apg.
SF Hannan
PF Sweeney, Marist 13.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg.
C Benson, Rider 20.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg.

MAAC All Freshman Team:

PG Simmons
SG Gill 7.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.8 apg.
SF Allen, Fairfield 5.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg
PF Ballard, Iona 9 ppg, 9 rpg.
C Karangwa, Rider 4.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg.

[Eaglesfan27]

Players Leaving:

T.J. Hannan has been drafted!! (Anyone familiar with a way to see who drafted him in the game if you don't use the class in NBA 2k8? I'm going to export this class in case I ever get an odd itch to run a NBA 2k8 franchise again.) His overall as he leaves our program is an 84.

All of the following gradated:

Cornette (81), Waters (79), Clifford (74), Bowers (74), Ziri (72), and Jenkins (58 - walkon)

Unfortunately, Bitee has decided to transfer :( He has an overall of 76 now. We now have a total of 7 scholarships to fill (I'm definitely leaving at least 1 open for a possible transfer who wants to come play with Simmons.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Coaching Carousel:

Duke is hiring and has me 4th on their list (which of course isn't good enough to get me the job as the 1st choice accepts.) They hire the head coach from Arkansas.

Cal has me 3rd on their list, but they hire the head coach from SIU.

I always said I would leave for a major school... sadly, I'm leaving Simmons :(



I'll miss him, but Wake Forest has offered me their head coaching gig. They are considered the 3rd most prestigious job offering any coach, and the top place to offer me. Other places that are offering me are 3 Conference USA teams with Southern Miss being the best, as well as George Mason which had their head coach retire.

Wake Forest went 11-20 (4-12) last yea. They had worst talent than what I had at Niagara so it will be a tough rebuilding job. They haven't been in the tourney in 13 years. Their best player is PF Andre Brickens who is rated worse than Cornette at 76. The talent is all worse than what I have at Niagara and of course the conference is much tougher.. In fact that is giving me pause, but I have faith that I can turn them around. My coach's recruiting acumen in a big time program should help me get some difference makers.

I'll be in an arena that seats over 14k and will have many more resources. Not the ideal big program to offer, all things considered, but an opportunity that can't be passed up. Wake Forest is giving me a 2 year deal which I sign.

[gi]

Congratulations on the Wake Forest opportunity!

[Balldog]

Tough loss, I think I'm going to have to check out those sliders. The ones I am using now there doesn't seem to be much of a difference in tempo between teams.

[Balldog]

Congrats!!! I was wrong about the advancing of coaching jobs, which is good news! :)

[Eaglesfan27]

Interestingly, after I leave, Niagara becomes the most prestigious school on the coaching carousel. I guess I really raised their profile. They hire the head coach of UVM.

I take both of my assistant coaches with me. One is a teaching genius and the other is also a great recruiter.


We don't get any transfers at Wake Forest. Bitee chose to go to Central Michigan. Time to quickly peruse my roster. I'll take a more indepth look in a bit at the training camp, but I need to have a quick grasp to see who I should try to get in the late recruiting..


Although this squad is talent depleted for this conference, they have some good players inside. The best player is soon to be SR Center Davon Lamptey. He is a 6'11 285 pound center who is fairly athletic, a good shot blocker, and a solid low post scorer. Our offense will likely flow through him this year.

We are overloaded with inside players with 4 of our top 5 being PF"s or centers. CRAP!!! The old staff already gave away our only 2 scholarships! They correctly gave them to perimeter playes, but what the heck were they thinking. They gave it to 2 SG's who are a 2 star and 3 star player. Couldn't they do better at Wake Forest?

Dylan Crawford is a 6'3 185 pound SG who is a 2 star player from Jacksonville Florida. He is rated 700th overall and 166th among SG's. He is a poor shooter with no athleticism. I wish I could yank his scholarship. :(

Martin Daniel is a 6'2 182 pound SG from Cincinatti, Ohio who is ranked 375th overall and 103rd among SG's. He is a mediocre shooter who is at least somewhat athletic.


Worse yet, Garik Blizzard actually surprised everyone and signed with Niagara. I'm suddenly wishing I didn't go. That 4 star SG along with Simmons will be a nice backcourt for 3 years :(

In fact, Niagara got 4 very solid players to sign on the 1st day even though I left.

This is going to be a VERY rough year. Hopefully, the staff gives me a 2nd year to turn things around.


With the AD refusing to let me yank anyone's scholarship, I start working on recruiting the juniors for the following year.

[Eaglesfan27]

A few interesting juniors who I plan on pursuing very aggressively this year:

#1 Target J.R. Sockwell. He is 7'0 250 pounds as a Junior. 4 star player right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if he elevates to a 5 star. Our staff thinks he is incredibly athletic.

There are also several interchangable SG's.

Actually, I decide to work on a few of the seniors who I'm hoping might walk on for us. Top of that list is Iker Yeager, a 3 star SG from San Antonio TX. For whatever reason, he doesn't have any scholarship offers, so I think we have a good shot. He is rated 91st among SG's and 356 overall and is a better shooter than either of the guys who committed to us.

I'm also working on JC Clifton Mombollett a 6'7 205 pound smooth shooting SF. He also doesn't have any scholarship offers. He is a 3 star player who could play for us this year if he is as good as our staff thinks.



The recruiting period is over. Niagara has the 18th best class with 1 4 star player (Garik Blizzard) and 5 3 star players. They also took a 2 star player rather than keep a scholarship open as I would have.

Our class is about 110th. I'll look at the roster a bit later today. I'm considering just simming this 1st year and to get to the next offseason when I can put my stamp on the team. Even if I play them out, I expect to lose a lot in this tough conference with my current talent level.

[rjolley]

Congrats on moving up to Wake. Funny thing, in my dynasty, I moved up to....Wake Forrest. Been there for 10+ seasons, won a championship, and usually send 1 or 2 players to the NBA a year.

And, to my knowledge, there's no way to know who selects your player in College Hoops. You have to go to NBA 2K8 to do that. I'm currently playing through some season on NBA to see where my players are going. None have become stars, but some have become solid starters.

Good luck at Wake.

[Eaglesfan27]

One other question for those with NBA2k8 importing experience. Do the years of the class have to match up? I'm in my 11 or 12th year of College Hoops and don't want to play that many years of NBA2k8 to see what Hannan and the great PF do.

[Galaxy]

Congrats on the Wake Forest job. Hopefully you can bring them back to their glory.

Hopefully, once you get some better talent in on your team, we'll see a Niagara-Wake Forest game in two years or so.

How good is the V&M coach that accepted the Niagara job?

[hoopsguy]

Been reading along over Christmas break, looks like you have done a nice job progressing up the ranks. Good luck with Wake.

How good are UNC and Duke at this point? Has another team broken into the upper ranks of the ACC?

[Eaglesfan27]

I've decided I'm going to sim this season since either way our record will suck. These sliders realistically have me lose to better teams and almost everyone in conference is going to be better than us this year. I want to get some of my guys on the team. However, since I actually have a good shot at 4 star guys now, I'm going to attend at least a few minutes of a bunch of games at the ABL to see some of our targets. I'll put my my thoughts on them in this post:

SG Jomo Sterley - He was just an interchangable part a few months ago, but this SG who I have already started recruiting has completely blossomed into a 5 star stud. He is ranked 12th overall and 2nd among SG's. We are a very long shot to get this Mr. Basketball in Ohio. His leading schools are Marquette, Duke, UL, and Pitt. Despite that, I'll go watch his game on the 10th day of the camp..

Oh yeah, I have 4 scholarships this year, so I could have a big turnaround in our 2nd year if we can land even 1 stud and some quality guys around him.

The 4th day of the camp has the 1st guy that I've actually targeted as a possible stud to get. Filiberto Callans has also blossomed from a 4 star player to a 5 star stud. He is a 6'7 211 pound SF from Yonkers, NY. We are a longshot with him right now. His leaders are Rutgers, Pitt, MD, and BC. As expected, he does everything well in the ABL game. He is more of a defensive stud, but he has a solid shot as well with 3 point range in the corners at least. He finished with 15 points and 7 boards. I really liked Alan Bates who wasn't on my radar before but is now. He was on Callans' team. He is a 6'0 168 pound SG from Jersey City, NJ. He is lightning quick with a good outside shot. Smaller than I'd like from a SG, but I might make an exception for him. His leading schools are UVA, Syracuse, and Rutgers, but we are in the mix.


10th day of the ABL: It's time to watch Sterley. I'm sure he'll shine, but I wonder what other players on the court I will like.

As expected, Sterley is amazing. Great handle, great speed, great shooting ability. His only downside is that he has a funky shot.. it's incredibly quick, the quickest I've seen, but it will be difficult to use at first. Still he finished with 19 points which led all scorers and it is easy to see why he is so highly rated. The other player that I really liked on the court is a 2 star SG from Baltimore. I can't see actually giving him a scholarship unless it is out of desperation, but I will keep an eye on Nathan Pleiness who is a hard nosed defender.


Next up is day 14. We'll look at a 4 star PG that I'm very interested in... Donny Bosley is a 4 star Mr. Basketball from Idaho who is 5'10 162 pounds. His top schools are BYU and Washington. He is a true elite speed guy. In his game, Bosley didn't impress as much as I thought he would. He isn't as fast as my coaches had me believe and his handle isn't great. Not a good outside shot either.

I did see a few impressive kids:

Cory Strong is a very good shooting PG from Portland Oregon. He is expected to remain close to home.

Kenneth Kohn is only a Junior but he is a 6'9 200 pound center who is extremely athletic.


That will end the ABL experience for this year as there aren't any more targets in games this year.


Next up is a summary of the roster as it is currently construed.

[Eaglesfan27]

Congrats on the Wake Forest job. Hopefully you can bring them back to their glory.

Hopefully, once you get some better talent in on your team, we'll see a Niagara-Wake Forest game in two years or so.

How good is the V&M coach that accepted the Niagara job?

I definitely would like to play Niagara in a year or two. I want to see Simmons one more time and see what he does without me controlling him. This year, I didn't touch our schedule.

He seems like he has a good record, so hopefully he'll keep them on the upswing.

Been reading along over Christmas break, looks like you have done a nice job progressing up the ranks. Good luck with Wake.

How good are UNC and Duke at this point? Has another team broken into the upper ranks of the ACC?

Duke is bad, at least for this conference. They don't even have the talent level that I had at Niagara. I don't know what has happened to them, but their overall ratings of their PG, SG, SF, and PF are all below what I just left at Niagara.

UNC just had a bunch of guys graduate and they are very young and not very good either. In fact, they are starting 4 freshman who all have overall ratings lower than what I had at Niagara. Maybe my squad won't struggle as much as I thought they would this year.. I'm still going to go ahead and sim this year.

The Powerhouses of the conference are:

Florida State who is ranked #6 in both pre-season polls. They have a stud sophomore PG and a very good senior SG along with solid interior players. Very deep bench as well.

Maryland is ranked #21. They have the most balanced starting 5 who are all very good. The only freshman is SF Taj Christian who is a bonafide stud.

Georgia Tech is ranked #24. A solid Sophomore PG and an excellent SR SG. Weak at PF. A very good freshman at SF who will probably have growing pains.

Miami is ranked 25th. They have a very experienced squad starting 4 seniors who are all talented players.

I'd say North Carolina State, Virignia, VT, and BC ll have better starting 5's than North Carolina. I think we and Clemson are the only teams weaker in terms of talent on the roster than Duke and UNC.

[Eaglesfan27]

A look at our roster:

PG JR Kason Bennett is a 5'10 173 pound player from Roswell Georgia. He is a terrible outside shooter. He has decent speed. He plays decent defense. He is a very good passer. Rated 74 overall. Low Potential for improvement.

SR PG Damien Bowman is a 6'2 207 pound player from Margate, FL. He is a good outside shooter, but is slow and just an average passer. He is a liability on defense. Rated 72 overall and terrible potential for improvement.

JR PG Hendrik Dixon is a 6'4 201 pound player from Atlanta, GA. He is slow, terrible defensively, but is a decent shooter. Bad passer for a PG. He is rated 71 overall and has horrible potential for improvement.

JR PG Tony Collins is a 6'1 184 pound PG from Durham, NC. He is a slow, lousy shooter, who can't do anything well and will never see the court for us again. He is rated 58 overall. He has terrible potential.

Brody Turner is a 6'1 190 pound walkon PG from Palmdale, CA. He is rated 54 overall and will never see the floor.


PG is a VERY high priority to upgrade this year via recruiting.


Freshman SG Iker Yeager is a guy I convinced to walk-on. He just happens to be the best SG on the roster now as 1 of the 2 that my predecesor gave a scholarship to is laughably bad. Iker may start. He is the best 3 point shooter on the team and isn't a terrible defender, but he is very slow. He is 6'4 201 pounds and he is from San Antonio, TX. Sadly, he is the only player I could convince to walk-on. He is rated 67 overall and has poor potential for improvement.

FR SG Martin Daniel is a 6'3 191 pound player from Cincinatti, Ohio. He is a mediocre shooter who can't defend or run well. He is a good passer. He is rated 65 overall with moderate room for improvement.

FR SG Dylan Crawford is an embarassment to the prior coaching staff. The 6'3 191 pound player from Jacksonville FL is slower than many forwards. He is a terrible shooter from any range. He can't defend, he can't pass, he can't do anything. He is rated 50 overall!! His potential is poor. What the heck were they thinking in giving him a scholarship. Ahh! I couldn't cut players from the team during the recruiting process, but I can now. I hate to be a classless jerk, but I'm yanking this kid's scholarship. I wonder if that move will hurt me in any way.

SG is a top priority for improvement this year.


JR SF Laurence Kou is a 6'6 213 pound player from Pittsburgh, PA. He is a mediocre shooter, but he is a hardnosed defender with a bit of athleticism. He is rated 72 overall. He has little room for improvement.

SR SF Ricky Medina is a 6'5 200 pound playerfrom Winston-Salem, NC. He is a decent outside shooter but is poor defensively and has limited athleticism. He is rated 70 overall and has little room for growth.

Sophomore SF Roscoe Radenovic is a 6'6 209 pound player from Marietta, GA. He is the most athletic of the 3 but is the worst defender and is a subpar shooter. He is rated 70 overall and has limited room for growth.

High priority in recruiting.


JR PF Andre Brickens is one of the few bright spots on the team. He is a 6'8 253 pound player from Baltimore, MD. He is a good defender and a capable rebounder who isn't a bad scorer inside. He is a great hustle guy. He is rated 77 overall and has decent potential for growth.

JR "PF" Clyde Riddick is 6'9 205 pounds. If he had more speed, I might start him at SF.. heck I still might. He isn't bad athletically and he is a good defender. He is a poor shooter but is a good passer. He is rated 75 overall and has poor potential for growth.

SR PF Kyle Malone will be our primary big man off the bench. He is a 6'10 240 pound player from Atlanta, GA. He is a good rebounder, ok defender, and ok inside corer. His best attribute is excellent dunking ability. He is rated 73 overall and has good potential for growth.


The only position that isn't a priority to upgrade. Probably won't recruit a PF this year.


SR Center Davon Lamptey is our other brightside. He is 6'11 299 now. He is from Raleigh, NC. He is our most dominant inside scorer. He is a very good shot blocker with surprising athleticism for his size. He has the most potential for growth. He is rated 77 overall.

JR Center Andre Fulton is a walkon from Houston, TX. He is 6'11 232 pounds with no athleticism. Runs slower than any player I've ever seen. Soft rebounder for his size and can't score. Terrible passer. Will never see the court. Rated 52 overall with terrible potential for growth.


With Davon graduating, this is another high priority. Now to look at the recruits post ABL and some of the key ones we are targeting.

[Galaxy]

I've decided I'm going to sim this season since either way our record will suck. These sliders realistically have me lose to better teams and almost everyone in conference is going to be better than us this year. I want to get some of my guys on the team. However, since I actually have a good shot at 4 star guys now, I'm going to attend at least a few minutes of a bunch of games at the ABL to see some of our targets. I'll put my my thoughts on them in this post:

SG Jomo Sterley - He was just an interchangable part a few months ago, but this SG who I have already started recruiting has completely blossomed into a 5 star stud. He is ranked 12th overall and 2nd among SG's. We are a very long shot to get this Mr. Basketball in Ohio. His leading schools are Marquette, Duke, UL, and Pitt. Despite that, I'll go watch his game on the 10th day of the camp..

Oh yeah, I have 4 scholarships this year, so I could have a big turnaround in our 2nd year if we can land even 1 stud and some quality guys around him.

The 4th day of the camp has the 1st guy that I've actually targeted as a possible stud to get. Filiberto Callans has also blossomed from a 4 star player to a 5 star stud. He is a 6'7 211 pound SF from Yonkers, NY. We are a longshot with him right now. His leaders are Rutgers, Pitt, MD, and BC. As expected, he does everything well in the ABL game. He is more of a defensive stud, but he has a solid shot as well with 3 point range in the corners at least. He finished with 15 points and 7 boards. I really liked Alan Bates who wasn't on my radar before but is now. He was on Callans' team. He is a 6'0 168 pound SG from Jersey City, NJ. He is lightning quick with a good outside shot. Smaller than I'd like from a SG, but I might make an exception for him. His leading schools are UVA, Syracuse, and Rutgers, but we are in the mix.


10th day of the ABL: It's time to watch Sterley. I'm sure he'll shine, but I wonder what other players on the court I will like.

As expected, Sterley is amazing. Great handle, great speed, great shooting ability. His only downside is that he has a funky shot.. it's incredibly quick, the quickest I've seen, but it will be difficult to use at first. Still he finished with 19 points which led all scorers and it is easy to see why he is so highly rated. The other player that I really liked on the court is a 2 star SG from Baltimore. I can't see actually giving him a scholarship unless it is out of desperation, but I will keep an eye on Nathan Pleiness who is a hard nosed defender.


Next up is day 14. We'll look at a 4 star PG that I'm very interested in... Donny Bosley is a 4 star Mr. Basketball from Idaho who is 5'10 162 pounds. His top schools are BYU and Washington. He is a true elite speed guy. In his game, Bosley didn't impress as much as I thought he would. He isn't as fast as my coaches had me believe and his handle isn't great. Not a good outside shot either.

I did see a few impressive kids:

Cory Strong is a very good shooting PG from Portland Oregon. He is expected to remain close to home.

Kenneth Kohn is only a Junior but he is a 6'9 200 pound center who is extremely athletic.


That will end the ABL experience for this year as there aren't any more targets in games this year.


Next up is a summary of the roster as it is currently construed.

What is your interest level in these players?

[Eaglesfan27]

I've already talked about Jomo Sterley a bit, but he is our top wish recruit. We'll offer him a scholarship right away and hope we get lucky. He is 6'1 201 pounds now. He is a 5 star SG ranked 12th overall and 2nd among SG's. He is a dynamic player who can shoot from anywhere.

Center J.R. Sockwell dropped to a 3 star player but that won't stop us from recruiting the big man. He is 7'1 250 pounds, he is a tough rebounder, he can block shots very well. He is ranked 113th overall and 6th among centers. He is from Indianapolis and Indiana is likely to get him, but we'll try to pry him away.

Dominick Vanttaja is a 5 star SF ranked 10th overall and 2nd among SF's. He is the Mr. Basketball of PA. We are now a distant dark horse. His leader is Rutgers. He is 6'5 221.

Stetson Abbott is a 6'1 182 pound 4 star PG from Buffalo, NY who really likes us, so I'm working on getting more info on him. Several other players in that boat as well..

However, I just noticed that Center Marion Peterson is VERY interested in our program. He is a 4 star center from Newark NJ who is a 4 star player. I need to find out more about him immediately. These targets might change very quickly..

[rjolley]

One other question for those with NBA2k8 importing experience. Do the years of the class have to match up? I'm in my 11 or 12th year of College Hoops and don't want to play that many years of NBA2k8 to see what Hannan and the great PF do.

No, the years don't have to match up. Except for the first two years, since I started out with real players and wanted to see them drafted, I only export classes with my players in them. That definitely wasn't every year when I was at small schools. NBA 2K8 imports them with no problems.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our interest level is "relatively high" for most of these kids. However, even after the full court press, Sterley is only at a 77%. Pitt almost has him locked up. If they offer a scholarship, it is a done deal.

Time for me to start shifting targets to those 4 stars who are really interested in coming here as I need some quality guys this class and will focus more on dream guys once I get a solid base built.

Center Marion Peterson is showing the most interest, so he just jumped to the top of my list to work on even though I'm still learning about him. However, Rutgers is competing hard for the local kid.

None of the PG's out there want to come to my school which could be a disaster. Jimmie Dobbins from Queens, NY is the only quality kid showing some interest, so we shift a great deal of attention to him. He is a 4 star 5'10 158 pound player who is ranked 46th overall and 18th among PG"s.

I wonder if my location has any sway on these kids. Sylvester Hollis, a 4 star SG from Toronto is very interested in our team. I fly up there to meet with him and am amazed at his shooting. He just became a top priority. He is ranked 51st overall, 17th among SG's. He is 6'4 213 pounds.

SF Garrett Falls is very interested as well. He is a 6'6 210 pound player from Reading, PA. He is another great shooter at least from my visit up to his game. We have 15 teams we are fighting with for him including Rutgers and VCU.


Another week passes.. it is now going to be time to decide who to offer the early scholarships to...

[Eaglesfan27]

Center Marion Peterson is up to 86% interest and is the highes of any of my targets. I don't know much about him yet except he is a great shot blocker. He didn't play well in the ABL though. Still, there are 12 teams interested and it will be very hard to stop him from playing for hometown Rutgers. I offer him 1 of my 4 scholarships (apparently I don't get the scholarship back for cutting that guy.. maybe I will next year.) He agrees to come to the campus for a visit right after I offer him the scholarship.

Sterley looks like a done deal to either Marquette or Pitt. Duke is also an outside player in the hunt. I decide to offer Sylvester Hollis a scholarship at SG instead. Hopefully, my estimate of his shooting skills is accurate since he didn't play in the ABL.

The third kid I offer is SF Garrett Falls since he is the 3rd most interested in our school and is also a great shooter according to my visit.


All 3 of these kids agree to come to our campus this weekend. It's great to actually have the resources to fly them all in.

We offer the 4th scholarship to PG Jimmie Dobbins. My staff thinks he has elite athleticism and a good shot. I hope they are right since he wants to come play for me. However, Pitt and Syracuse are very much in play for him. I don't have the money to fly him in this week, but we will next week.


Our first game is in a pre-season tourney. We get East Tennessee State first. They are ranked much worse than we are and I expect an easy win.

[Eaglesfan27]

No, the years don't have to match up. Except for the first two years, since I started out with real players and wanted to see them drafted, I only export classes with my players in them. That definitely wasn't every year when I was at small schools. NBA 2K8 imports them with no problems.

Great, I might do a mini-dynasty in the near future just following the careers of Hannan and Atchinson.

[rjolley]

The only thing to watch out for is importing the same class more than once. I usually save the game to a different name, then import my class, just to make sure. I've also started naming my game saves the same as my classes. That helps me keep them in line as well.

[Eaglesfan27]

My staff suggests a starting lineup of:

PG Bennett
SG Bowman
SF Kou
PF Brickens
C Lamptey

Top bench guys: Riddick, Malone, and Medina. I decide to go with their suggestion for now.



We win our first game 83-62 although our backup PG, Dixon, is injured and will be DTD for 2-3 weeks. Bennett with a surprising game as he led us with 27 points, 8 assists, and 3 boards. He shot 9 of 13, 5 of 9, and 4 f 4.

Lamptey was our other star with 20 points, 5 boards, and 2 blocks on 8 of 16 shooting.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game in the tourney is against Marshall who is much closer to us in talent level..

Before that game, I decide on who to focus on in recruiting. There is less time this week, so we have to make some tough choices. I fly to the home of the guy most interested in us, C Marion Peterson.

I also send my assistant to Sterley's home. I don't want to waste any visits on guys I know I have a realistic chance to get, but I'll send my assistant to these dream guys just in case I get lucky.


We beat Marshall 77-63. Bennett seems to be loving my offense. He has 25 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 4 turnovers. He shot 8 of 10, 3 of 4, and 6 of 8.

Lamptey was in foul trouble and only played 18 minutes. He finished with 6 points and 4 boards.


Our next game is hosting Drexel who is slightly less talented than we are. We beat them 86-55. Bennett with 14 points and 5 assists this game. Lamptey with 19 points, 8 boards, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. 8 other guys with at least 4 points.


After the visit, Marion Peterson is up to 97% interest. He still has Rutgers higher but we are 2nd on his list. For some surprising reason, Rutgers has not offered him a scholarship yet. Maybe they are trying for a bigger fish?

Hollis has responded very well to our visits and has up to 94%, but Penn State has offered him a scholarship and is higher on his list :(


Falls has us at 91% but Rutgers has offered him a scholarship and they are #1 on his list. :(

Dobbins is at 85% but Pitt has offered him a scholarship and is #1 on his list.

Sterley has been offered by Marquette, Duke, and Pitt. We never would have had a chance.

Surprisingly, Dominick Vanttaja hasn't been offered yet, but our chances are very slim on him regardless and they always were.

[Galaxy]

A weird question, but could coaching at Niagara have any impact on your recruiting ties? Seems like a lot of highly interested kids in Wake Forest are coming from Toronto, NY/NJ, and Pennsylvania.

[Eaglesfan27]

This week, I fly out to Peterson's home again to try to seal the deal for at least 1 great player.

Maybe stupid, but I also fly out to Vanttaja's home.

I also take another trip to Hollis' home.


Our next game is against Michigan State in the Pre-season Tourney. They are 16th in the nation and are very well coached. They are the 1st team we've faced that is clearly better than us.


We pull off the upset! 79-78 win! Lamptey was the key as he had 20 points, 10 boards, 3 blocks. He shot 4 of 10, 10 of 12 from the line.

Bennett with 9 points, 3 assists, 4 steals.

Brickens with 10 points and 5 boards. Malone had 13 points off the bench and Riddick had 9.

[Eaglesfan27]

A weird question, but could coaching at Niagara have any impact on your recruiting ties? Seems like a lot of highly interested kids in Wake Forest are coming from Toronto, NY/NJ, and Pennsylvania.

I'm wondering the same thing. I've never heard of that, but I wouldn't say anything is out of the realm of possibility. 2k obviously put a lot of thought into the legacy mode even with its issues. It certainly seems that way.. more kids interested there than from North Carolina.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are in the Final of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic Pre-season Tourney! We play Duquesne now. They are about equal to us in talent level..

and we win again! I wasn't expecting this! 92-82 win. The guys seem to love my fast tempo attacking offense and pressing defense. Lamptey with 30 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, and 2 blocks! He shot 8 of 12, 1 of 3, and 13 of 16 from the line.

Bennett with 20 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 6 of 12, 3 of 6, and 5 of 5.

Brickens added 15 points and 7 boards.


Now onto the next week...

[Eaglesfan27]

Marion Brickens is at 100% interest now, but Rutgers is still above us. If they offer him a scholarship, he is going there. Otherwise, he is ours.

Hollis looks like he is Penn State all the way.

Ditto for Falls to Rutgers and Dobbins to Pitt :(


Still, we have Dobbins come to campus to visit.



Our next game is hosting 1-4 Iowa. They have a bad record, but they are a very talented team. As expected, they beat us 71-56.

Lamptey led us with 16 points, 7 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.



Next up is hosting James Madison. They are a much weaker team than us. We beat them 77-75. Lamptey with 21 points, 10 boards, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. He shot 7 of 13 and 6 of 6 from the line. Riddick added 11 and Malone 8 off the bench.


Now, we start the early recruit signing period.

[Eaglesfan27]

Tons of bad news, but all of it expected:

Sterley spurred Duke and went to Marquette.

Dobbins to Pitt, Falls with a surprise move goes with Saint Joes, Hollis goes to Penn State as expected.

Rutgers recovers nicely by getting Callans, the 5 star stud!

Bragg, a great 4 star player who I never got too serious about because he as in Arizona chose to go to Arizona.



Now for the good news, we got Marion Peterson from NJ!!! The 7'0 247 pound 4 star center from Newark, NJ averaged 7.5 ppg and 4.9 rpg in the ABL, but I think that was due to ball hogs ;) He is rated 66th overall and 3rd among centers. Our staff believes he has "A" potential. They believe he already has a refined array of inside scoring moves and is a powerful dunker. They also believe he is a speedy guy for his size who is a tremendous shot blocker. If most of that is true, I'll be very happy. He knew he could start right away next year with Lamptey's graduation and I think that was a key in us getting this potential star.


With 3 scholarships open, we start sorting through the recruits again:

Dominick Vanttaja is a weird case in that he hasn't been offered yet despite clearly being a stud. We offer him hoping we somehow get lucky. We immediately jump to #2 on his list, behind only Duke.

There are no closer good PG's available, so we offer Stetson Abbott from Buffalo NY.

We are a longshot for him, but we start pursuing a fairly local kid in Devon Lenzly. He is a 6'3 179 pound SG from Macon, GA. He is a 4 star player ranked 40th overall. Alabama and FSU are our main competitors.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is at NC A&T. They are 3-4 and are a much weaker team. We win the game 68-63. Lamptey led the way with 14 points and 12 boards along with 2 blocks.


Now our first conference game and it is a big one. We host North Carolina. However, their freshman have struggled. As a result, they are 2-5!

We beat them 79-55. Lamptey with 17 points, 3 boards, 2 blocks. Brickens with 15 points, 7 boards, and a block. Riddick and Malone each had 13 off the bench.

The early recruiting signing period ends with us losing 2 of our 3 new targets as Abbott signed with Pitt and Lenzly surprises everyone by signing with Southern Miss.

Worse yet, Duke has officially offered Dominick Vanttaja a scholarship. He isn't signing with them early, but all signs are that he will eventually sign with them. Even if he doesn't, Rutgers has offered and has jumped to his #2. We are #3 on his list.


For SG, we go for a reach by trying to get a West Coast guy to come here. Matthew Bland expressed some interest in us despite being from Fullerton, CA. He is also interested in UCLA (who hasn't offered yet), and SDSU. Her is a 6'4 205 pound 4 star SG.

We also try to reach west for a PG. Rico Lovelace is a 5'11 165 pound Mr. Basketball from Utah. We are competing with Arizona, Oregon, and Washington, none of whom have offered him yet.


Our next game is hosting an inferior Miami of Ohio team. We beat them 69-65. Lamptey led us with 15 points and 5 boards.


We are now 9-1! Hopefully, I won't have to worry too much about being fired in the 1st year with this start.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is against a weak UL-Lafayette team.. My AD made us a nice schedule this year :)

We beat them 81-72. Lamptey led us with 16 points, 10 boards, and a block.


Next up is a solid 6-3 VCU team. We beat them 77-73 despite Lamptey fouling out in only 15 minutes. Bowman led us with 18 points and 7 assists.


Our next game is a very weak 8-8 Texas-Pan American Team. We beat them 88-48. Lamptey with 21 and 8.

Our next game is at George Washington. They are 10-2 and one of the strongest teams in the country. They are ranked #15. We lose 83-69. Lamptey fouled out in 21 minutes.


Our last OOC game is against 3-8 Navy. I really have to be thankful for this very easy 1st year schedule which I didn't touch (or even look at.) We beat them 87-52. Lamptey with 14 points, 4 boards, and 4 blocks.

We go into conference play with a 13-2 record. Much better than I was expecting considering the team didn't get 13 wins all of last year.

[Eaglesfan27]

We start the heart of conference play with a tough game at BC. They are 12-3 and are much more talented. We lose 91-71. Lamptey with only 8 points and 2 boards before he fouled out in 20 minutes.

Our next game is winnable hosting VT. They are 9-3 but aren't that much more talented than we are. I'm surprised as we easily beat them 89-65. Lamptey with 21 points and 6 boards. Brickens with 20 points and Riddick with 20 points. Bennett with 10 points and 10 assists.

Our next game is at Georgia Tech. They are 16-2 and 11th in the polls. They are much more talented than we are.

CRAP! Kason Bennett goes down in the game with a strained achilles and will be out for 3-4 weeks. That hurts bad. We lose the game 79-73 as he played most of the game before going down. They held Lamptey to 7 points, 5 boards, and 4 blocks.


Matthew Bland, the SG from CA, finally agrees to come to the campus for a visit. He likes us a lot now, and only SDSU is ahead of us.


Our next game is hosting 12-4 North Carolina State. They are much better than we are in talent level and without Bennett I don't like our chances. We lose 83-79. Lamptey with 21 points, 3 boards, and 3 blocks. Riddick with 17 and 8 off the bench.


We are now 14-5. Still a very good season.

Time for a quick look at Niagara with about 2/3 of the season done:

They are 13-6 overall and 7-3 in the conference good for 3rd behind Siena and Loyola (MD.) They are starting Simmons at PG, Blizzard at SG (came in at a 76, better than Simmons even), Cox at SF (I always liked him there), Willis at PF, and new C Matera.

They have had some very good wins including beating Maryland 72-68 and Ohio State 85-69. With Hannan gone, they aren't scoring as much, about 72 ppg now. Simmons leads the team in scoring at 13.4 ppg. He is also leading them in assists at 4.4 per game. He is shooting 42% from the arc, averaging 4 attempts per game from the arc. Gilson Willis is 2nd in scoring at 11.7 ppg. Blizzard is putting up 8.5 ppg, 3 5. rpg, 2.1 apg, and 1.5 spg. He is shooting a team leading 44% from the arc.

Li has become the top scorer off the bench. Gill is the 2nd leading scorer off the bench.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is hosting 11-7 Duke. Their young players are developing very quickly and they are now more talented than we are by a fairly wide margin (and quickly catching up to the rest of the conference.) We lose the game 84-69. Lamptey led us with 15 points, 4 boards, and a block.


Next up is a game at 12-6 Miami which has really developed their talent into a fearsome group. We win a shootout 102-90, but Kou goes down with a shoulder issue. He'll be out 2-3 weeks. Medina who replaced him at SF led our team with 17 points! 4 players had 14 (Brickens, Dixon, Lamptey, and Riddick.)


Recruiting is not going well. Bland seems resistant to traveling so far from home.. his interest keeps waxing and waning. Lovelace has been offered by Arizona which he is almost certain to accept. Vanttaja to Duke seems like it is a foregone conclusion now.


Our next game is at North Carolina. Their Freshman aren't developing quickly at all! They are now 5-15!! We are about equal in talent to them. However, the injuries have hit us too hard. We lose 90-74. Lamptey fouled out in just 14 minutes.

Next up is hosting #9 Maryland. They are 15-4 and are now the most talented team in the conference. However, we somehow pull off the upset! 87-85 win. All 5 stars were in double digits. Lamptey led us with 18 points, 10 boards, and 2 blocks.


Next up is at North Carolina State. They are 15-6. We pull off another upset 81-78. Lamptey with 22 points, 6 boards, and a block. Bowman with 18 points, 8 boards, and 8 assists at the PG spot.

Next up is hosting 14-10 Virginia who we are close to in talent.. We beat them 82-81 but lose another bench guy to injury. Brickens led us with 21 points and 8 boards.

Bennett is now back from his injury at least.


We have Lovelace up to 100% interest, but he still has Arizona above us :( I'll keep him offered since it is so late, but I doubt they will withdrawl their offer.


Next up, we host 19-6 BC. As expected, we lose 73-60. Lamptey held to 9 points.

Our next game is very winnable against Clemson at their place. They are 16-7. Macklin, their SG, goes off for 37 points! We lose 92-72. Lamptey fouled out in 16 minutes.

Kou comes back from his injury and our staff recommends leaving Medina as the starter... I agree.


We win our next game at VT, 91-74. 4 scorers with 15 or more for us including Bennett, Brickens, Lamptey, and Dixon. We are now 19-9 and have a shot at 20 wins in the regular season which is completely unexpected.

Florida State has completely choked this year with their talent and we continue their downfall with a 100-75 win at our place! Riddick with 22 and Dixon with 21 off the bench. Medina with 17 and Lamptey with 14.


The recruiting period is over and it looks like we may only have the 1 star and will have to scramble for some role players. We have 1 final game against Duke and then it is tourney time.

[Eaglesfan27]

We lose our game at Duke 86-76. We are now 20-10 going into the conference tourney. I may make the Big Dance which we weren't expecting, but no matter what I'll stick with our plan of simming the games this year until I can get 1 of my guys on the squad.

Our first tourney game is against Virginia who we should beat.. but they upset us 80-77. Lamptey led us with 18 points but only Brickens provided any other scoring.

Despite the disappointing regular season, Florida State rolls through the tourney beating Duke 87-66, Miami 83-67, Maryland 86-72, and Clemson 75-73.


Here are the ACC Standings:

1. Maryland 21-7 (12-4)
2. BC 22-9 (11-5)
3. Clemson 21-10 (10-6) - most surprising
4. Miami 20-11 (10-6)
5. North Carolina State 20-10 (9-7)
6. Georgia Tech 23-9 (9-7)
7. Wake Forest 20-11 (8-8)
8. FSU 21-11 (7-9)
9. Virginia 17-16 (7-9)
10. Duke 15-15 (7-9) - rough 1st year for the new head coach
11. VT 13-15 (4-12)
12. North Carolina 8-23 (2-14) - Shocking, but I knew those freshman weren't that talented and they started 4. They should be much better next year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Quick Recap of NCAA Selection Show:

#1's are Florida, Arizona, Washington, and Temple.

Niagara is in as a #12 seed. They finished 21-9 (12-6).

We aren't in. We are in the NIT. Duke and North Carolina aren't in either.

USC is out as well.

Siena is out as they lost the conference tourney to Niagara.


NIT news:

We beat Missouri State easily in the 1st round 87-63. We had 4 players with 15 or more points.

Our next game is against Southern Cal! Maybe I can show them I'll be a good coach for them ;)

We beat them 93-82. Riddick led us with 20 points and 11 boards off the bench. Lamptey with 14 and 9.

We lose our next game to DePaul 67-62. Lamptey held to 6 points and 6 boards.


Now a look at the Sweet 16...

[Eaglesfan27]

Niagara was beat by Michigan State in the 1st game 91-52 :( They held Simmons to 0 of 7 shooting and Blizzard to 2 of 10 shooting.


Ok, now the Sweet 16 matchups:

#1 Florida vs #4 Texas
#3 LSU vs #7 FSU

#1 Arizona vs #5 LaSalle
#2 Saint Louis vs #3 Nebraska

#1 Washington vs #5 Michigan State
#7 UNLV vs #11 Oregon

#1 Temple vs #5 Pepperdine
#3 Texas A&M vs #7 North Carolina State


The Final 4 is #1 Arizona vs #4 Texas
#5 Pepperdine vs #5 Michigan State

Arizona beats Texas 105-75.

Pepperdine beats Michigan State 92-71.

In the National Championship Game, Arizona beats Pepperdine 104-66.

Arizona's center had 29 points, 12 boards, and 3 blocks.




We didn't win any of the awards this year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Guys that are graduating:

Bowman (surprisingly good this year finished at 74 overall rating), Medina (gained 3 points this year and was a big contributor), Lmaptey (80 and was our undisputed star), and Malone (75 and a key contributor.)


Coaching Carousel: I'm not eligible due to just arriving at this team. Fortuantely, I'm not fired either.

Maryland's coach retires and they hire Pepperdine's coach.

No other changes of coaches in the ACC.


I keep my staff together.


I'm disappointed to see that Gill decided to transfer from Niagara to Northern Illinois.


Now it is time to recruit! :)

As expected, it is a very disappointing 1st day of recruiting:

Lovelace chose Arizona, Vanttaja chose Duke, and most disappointingl Bland chose SDSU over Wake Forest :( I really thought we could get him if UCLA didn't get involved.

I wasn't planning on doing this, but with 3 scholarships and very few prospects I offer J.R. Sockwell who still wants to come here. He can be part of our twin tower offense or he can be our competent backup center considering we don't have 1 right now.

As long as Marquette doesn't offer, he should be ours. Of course, if I had offered him weeks ago, there would be no doubt.

We also try a hail mary in going after Travis Toumou. Our staff thinks he has tremendous A potential and he is a 4 star PG who hasn't been offered yet, but has interest from GW and Pitt. If they don't offer, I might sneak a bargain.

We also take a blind leap to try to jump on a guy who is highly ranked but is getting any recruiting love at all. Vidal Chancler is a 4 star SG from Fort Worth, TX who is ranked 95th overall and 30th among SG's. I don't get why he has no schools after him unless all of his pursuers just filled other needs and just dropped him.

[rjolley]

One thing I've noticed about Wake Forest is the difficulty in getting top recruits to actually sign. I've had the lead on Top 5 recruits going into the early signing period and have been spurned almost every time. I'm not sure if it's me or the school, but it has been annoying to say the least. I'm curious to see if you have better luck.

[Eaglesfan27]

GW offers Travis Toumou and he accepts their offer. I also lose the 3 star PG who I was keeping as a backup plan after Penn State signs him.

GU has also now offered Sockwell, but I have such a big lead in recruiting him that I think I can finish out the deal.

Now, Chancler has 5 teams after him, so I guess I got in at just the right time. It will be a battle to see who gets him.


A week later, we hear word that J.R. Sockwell has signed with us! We've got our twin tower offense.

A week later, Vidal Chancler lets us know that he has chosen us over Oklahoma State. We pull the Texas kid out east!

We are now fighting with Oklahoma State for a kid who slipped off my radar completely, but I saw in the ABL. Apparently, he slipped off most team's radars. PG Donny Bosley is interested and it is a 2 team race between us and Okalhoma State....


WTF!?! I'm looking through more PG's for last minute backup plans and I see that after I left, Niagara got a 5 star Mr. Basketball from Cleveland Ohio to sign with them!!! Unbelievable. He is ranked 14th overall and 4th among PG's. Yes, I guess they got a good coach to replace me ;) I wonder if he starts over Simmons?

Oklahoma State beats us out for Donny Bosley. However, I think it is for the best. I'm the lone pursuer of a guy who just fell through the cracks! I started pursuing Michael Singleton last week and he is about to become our PG. He isn't quite as highly ranked as Bosley, but our staff likes his skill set more on tape. They think he is a great defender, great passer, and great shooter whose's only knock is that he doesn't have top end potential.

We get Singleton to sign on the last day of recruiting.


Time for a summary of the class:

PG Michael Singleton is from Rialto, CA. He is 6'0 174 pounds and is a 4 star player ranked 71st overall and 29th among PG's. He isn't the most athletic player, but he is a good defender with good instincts who is a good midrange shooter and ok 3 point shooter. He is a good passer and he has B+ potential.

SG Vidal Chancler is a 4 star SG from Fort Worth, TX. He is a 6'4 208 pound player who is ranked 95th overall and 30th among SG's. He isn't very fast either, but is considered a good defender with great passing lane instincts. He is good at posting up smaller guards. He has A- Potential.

J.R. Sockwell is a 7'1 250 pound center from Indianapolis, IN. He is a 3 star player who is ranked 113th overall and 6th among centers. He is a fast athletic big man who can dunk it very well. He is a decent post defender who is a good help side shot blocker. He has B potential.

Marion Peterson is a 7'0 247 pound center from Newark, NJ. He is a 4 star player who is ranked 66th overall and 3rd among centers. He is a better shot blocker, with the potential to be dominating. He is also a strong finisher around the rim with a more refined post game. He is also a better overall defender in the post and is generally stronger. He has A Potential.

Overall, a great 1st class :)

[Eaglesfan27]

It is dinner time, but I couldn't resist advancing and seeing the class rankings:

We've assembled a top 20 class!! Specifically our class grades out to 13th best with the 3 4 stars and 1 3 star player.

Then again, the rankings are screwy. Niagara is 112th despite getting the 5 star guy. Then again, their only other recruit is a 2 star player. Sheesh, I still can't believe they got such a highly ranked player who wasn't even immediately local.

The OOC schedule looks easy again except for the preseason tourney, but 1 or 2 good teams are in there and I don't touch it.

I decide to sim the ABL.. we just aren't good enough to get top recruits on demand yet, and I don't like taking advantage of the bonuses it gives if that is the only reason I'd be doing it. Plus, I admit I'm anxious to get a glimpse of my current new guys before I head downstairs for dinner (which will be ready in 3 minutes.)


First thing I realize as I look over the roster is that we are a senior laden team.. as a result I have 7 scholarships to offer this year!!!

Next thing I notice isthat I got a bonafide stud in Peterson and a very good freshman in Sockwell!!! We are going to be strong on the interior.. full roster report later tonight or more likely tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm not going to get a chance to play with them tonight, but here is a quick look at the roster now:

SR PG Kason Bennett has developed into a good player. He is 5'10 176 pounds. He has improved his fitness and has good speed and excellent defense. Great hustle and the ability to shoot well off the dribble is the key to his success. He is rated 78 overall. His biggest weakness is inconsistent 3 point shooting. He projects to start the year as a starter at PG.

Freshman Mike Singleton is 6'0 176 pounds. He is about the same speed as Kason. He is also a very good defender and should become an elite defender with time. He isn't as good of a passer and needs to improve that part of his game. He is a much more consistent 3 point shooter but doesn't do as well off the dribble. His biggest weakness is lack of hustle and stamina. He'll probably start the year as the primary backup PG. He is rated 73 overall and now that he is here is believed to have a "C" for potential.

SR PG Hendrik Dixon is 6'4 203. He did well as the backup PG last year. He is a solid 3 point shooter who isn't as good defensively as either of the guys aforementioned. He is an overall of 72 and projects as a trash minutes guy or if we need to guard a big PG he may get minutes in that situation.

SR Tony Collins is rated 61 overall and doesn't project to get any time.


Recruiting needs: 1 elite PG to start and 1 very good PG to backup, however, may only sign 1 depending upon the class.

FR SG Vidal Chancler is 6'5 218 and is a good midrange shooter, an excellent postup scorer, and a solid 3 point shooter. He is slower than I hoped or anticipated, but his defense is solid. He is a good passer and projects as a starter. His biggest weakness is his lack of initial burst. He is rated 73 overall and is now believed to have B- potential.

Walk-on SO SG Iker Yeager is 6'4 211 pounds. He is the best 3 point shooter on the roster and that is all he does very well, but he isn't too weak in any area. He projects as the primary backup SG. He is rated 69 overall.

SO SG Martin Daniel is 6'3 195. He is best at posting smaller guards up. Doesn't excel in any other areas. Weakest in his tendency to commit fouls. Projects to be on the bench most games. Rated 67 overall.

FR Walkon SG Kory Watts is a 64 rated player from Glendale CA. He is rated 64 overall and projects to redshirt to see if he can develop.


SG Needs: 1 elite SG to start or 1 very SG to backup. Would like to get both.


SR SF Laurence Kou is 6'6 217. He is a solid defender who doesn't excel anywhere else. His best ability is his quick first step. He is rated 74 overall. His biggest weakness is tendency to get in foul trouble. He will be battling for a starting SF spot. He is rated 74 overall.

JR SF Roscoe Radenovic is a 6'6 209 pound player who is a better shot blocker and a better post scorer than Kou. However, he is weaker in the intangibles such as hustling. He is a bit quicker than Kou. He will battle for the starting spot. He is rated 73 overall.

SF Needs: 1 Elite SF or 1 very good SF to start. Wouldn't mind getting 2.

SR PF Andre Brickens may play some SF in our big lineup if we go that route. He has decent foot speed and is a good enough perimeter defender that we should be able to get away with it from that end. He is also a fairly decent perimeter shooter and can be a threat out there. He is a tremendous rebounder and a good shot blocker. His biggest strength is that he is always hustling out there. He is going to get a lot of minutes either at PF or SF. He is rated 80 overall which is our highest.

SR PF Clyde Riddick is also a candidate to play some SF as he is slight at 6'9 209. He also has better foot speed and is a passable perimeter defender. If we go big, he'll get minutes there. Otherwise, he'llcontinue to get minutes as the backup PF. He is a capable inside scorer and has great leaping ability. His biggest weakness is his low post defense. He is raed 77 overall.

Recruiting Needs: 2 PF's. 1 to backup and 1 to start.


Center Marion Peterson only has a "B" for potential now, but I don't care as he is already very developed. He comes in with a 95 inside scoring ability which is the highest I've seen. Cornette got up to 95 just before he graduated. He has a 92 standing dunk and a 88 dunk overall. He has a 85 shot blocking ability. He has a 91 strength rating. He is a strong post defender and a very good rebounder. He has a good vertical as well and good speed for a big man at 71. His only weakness is relatively low stamina. He is 7'1 254 now and he will be a beast. He is definitely our starting center. He is rated 78 overall.

J.R. Sockwell is 7'1 259 pounds. He is also an accomplished interior scorer with a 90 rating. He is a better midrange shooter. He is a strong dunker with a standing dunk of 84 and an overall of 75. He has a bit of ability to shoot the 3. He is a better passer. He isn't as good of a shot blocker but is still decent. He is faster with a speed of 77 and has tremendous hustle! His biggest weakness is that he is a poor perimeter defender and he is a bit soft on the defensive boards. His low post defense should be better for his size as well. He is rated 76 overall. He projects as either a starting PF if we decide to go big or the backup center. Either way, he is going to see some minutes at PF and many more at center when Peterson needs a break.


SR C Andre Fulton is a 6'11 237 walkon who is rated 56 overall and will never see the court again barring masive injuries to our front court.


We are set at Center, but I will still grab 1 if the feel is right.


With all of the graduating players and 7 scholarships, I definitely have some latitude in recruiting.

[Balldog]

I cant imagine going up against those two centers!

[Galaxy]

Looks like Brickens is your best player, with the power forward positions being one of the strengths on your team. So it’ll be tough to work the twin towers in together without taking away from your top players. Hopefully you can get Brickens, Sockwell, and Peterson on the court at the same time.

[Eaglesfan27]

Looks like Brickens is your best player, with the power forward positions being one of the strengths on your team. So it’ll be tough to work the twin towers in together without taking away from your top players. Hopefully you can get Brickens, Sockwell, and Peterson on the court at the same time.


I agree Brickens is a very good player who is my best ratings wise, I'm seriously considering seeing if he can play SF, but that probably won't play to his strengths. However, size makes up for lower ratings to a fair degree, so he may not be my best overall. Regardless, we have a lot of flexibility and talent at the PF and C position. I'm kind of hoping my wife falls asleep soon so I can get a game in with them tonight before I get too tired.. then again with vacation might just play even if it is really late.

[Eaglesfan27]

Time to start the yearly recruiting routine. I'm scouring recruits now with 7 slots open (probably will only offer 6 or actually will offer at least 3 dream guys who I probably won't get. I expect to have 1 for a transfer player.)

Not going to go too in depth with descriptions of any of these guys until we get further into the process:

PG Stuart McCormick is the best player with the highest interest in me. The 6'1 173 pound 5 star PG has a 76 interest in me. However, he is definitely a dream guy as he is from Detroit and Michigan State is very interested in him.

PG Raitis Baldwin is a 4 star Mr. Basketball of Ohio. He is 6'2 182 pounds and has 86% interest in us. We are #1 on his list right now.. Maryland and Louisville are on his list. I'm going after this guy hard.

SF Chakowby Pardon is a 4 star 6'6 205 pound SF from East Orange, NJ. GU, Seton Hall, and Connecticut are all in the mix for him.

I'm also taking a close look at PG J.D. Swain who is a relatively local kid from Charlotte, NC. He is Mr. Basketball for NC. His top schools are Wake, Maryland, Alabama, and FSU. He is a 4 star player.

We are also going hard after Antwcan Zamore from Philly. He is a 4 star Mr. Basketball from PA. He is a 6'8 215 pound PF.

I'm also going after 4 star SG Vince Geart from Detroit, Michigan. Shockingly, the top of his list is Niagara!


On a side note, I've never done well in the defensive drills.. until now. Peterson has such good quickness, leaping, and blocking ability that he is blocking tons of shots and gets the goal easily in his 1st attempt. Since his block rating is already high, this doesn't get him much improvement, but still nice to see him in action. Sockwell doesn't do quite as well, but he still beats the drill. His shot blocking isn't quite as refined, but it's still better than any player I've ever had.


After the first 2 weeks of practice, my coaches are suggesting the starting lineup be: PG Karon Bennett, SG Vidal Chancler, SF Laurence Kou, PF Andre Brickens, and Center Marion Peterson. I decide to go with that suggestion, but Sockwell won't be limited to 14-16 minutes like my previous backups were. He'll play some minutes each half alongside Peterson with Brickens at SF.


Back to the recruiting:

The recruiting of Raitis Baldwin is going very well. I've flown to his home in Ohio personally 3 times and he seems to like me. We are 1st on his list with Michigan State Louisville close behind. There are still 3 weeks left until recruits can sign, but I really like my chances to close him out.

I'm not as confident with SF Chakowby Pardon. He seems like a Villanova lean right now, but we are in the mix along with UConn.

We are a longshot with PF Antwcan Zamore. He is leaning towards coming down this way but to play for Duke.

SG Vince Heard continues to lean towards Niagara! Although Indiana, Louisville, and we are in the mix.


After another week of recruiting, Raitis Baldwin has told me he is 100% Wake Forest. However, Michigan State still hasn't offered a scholarship and there are now 3 weeks (I miscounted before) until any recruit can sign. Things could change, but a brief synopsis of our impressios of him. The 6'2 182 pound PG is a 4 star Mr. Basketball from Columbus Ohio. He is a slower PG, but has an excellent shooting touch and is a physical defender. He is ranked 62nd overall and 31st among PG's. Gis biggest weakness is his stamina and first step. I see him as being a backup who comes in to shut down the opposition when needed and leading the 2nd unit.


We also in the lead for Virignia's Mr. Basketball, Colin Sutton. he is a 6'4 203 pound PG from Virignia Beach, VA. He is being pursued by Maryland and FSU as well. He averaged more points and assists in the ABL and was one of the top performers with 15 ppg and over 6 assists per game. He is a bit quicker, a bit better shooter, but not as good defensively according to our staff. Neither of these guys will be elite penetrators, but they are well rounded PG's. He is ranked 81st overall and 34th among PG's.


Our first game is against Idaho at home. We are much more talented than they are. They are 0-1 this year. They are bad at PG and SG and are strong at PF and center. Their starting center had 30 points in his lone game of the year - I'm thinking we can bring that down significantly. Their PF had 14 points in their loss. Low, their SF is a 3 point specialist who doesn't do much else well. They prmarily run a 2-3 zone defense which is probably the defense that will give us the most trouble this year with our lack of great outside shooters.

[Eaglesfan27]

Before I start the game, I've been meaning to look at Niagara's roster for a bit.

Simmons has developed nicely and is rated 82 overall now. That should be enough to keep his starting job considering he is tbe best rated player of the team. In fact, he started Niagara's 1st game and had 12 points and 4 assists. Blizzard is rated 79. Their 5 star PG is rated 75 overall right now. He played 23 minutes in their first game and 7 points, 4 assists, and 4 boards. He isn't as good of a shooter or as fast as Simmons. In fact, his ratings don't look that spectacular at the moment, but he does have "A" potential.

[Eaglesfan27]

It looks like we have a good crowd at today's home opener. We'll of course be trying to pound it inside a lot this game as that is the clear strength of this team. Hopefully, Vidal and Karon can hit some of the open shots I'm sure they'll get. Idaho does have a big center, and I see why he got 30 points last game. He is 7'0 270 pounds and has some skills. Should be a great matchup.


Beye is actually very tough and they hold each other down low pretty well. At the 10:55 mark, we are up 16-15. Have to mention my biggest shock of the game was seeing that huge mascot out there on the floor ;)

I bring in our entire second unit: Freshman PG Singleton, Yeager, SF Radenovic, Riddick, and Sockwell (let's see what he can do against their tired center if they leave him in.)

Sockwell with the first spectacular block, but it is called a goal tending :(

On the other end, Beye blocks his first shot attempt.

Beye has been giving us fits and they go on a 6-0 run before we get a fastbreak which is finished by a monstrous Sockwell dunk. Down 23-18.

With 6:36 to go, we go to our big lineup of Bennett (Peterson is bigger, but Bennett is better for now), Chancler, Brickens, Sockwell, and Peterson. Beye is finally leaving the game for a rest.

Brickens shows he can play the 3 spot by drilling a 3 on a kickout from Sockwell. Next possession, Peterson backs down the smaller man and gets a dunk and the foul! Unfortunately, he is a terrible FT shooter and he misses it.

With 2:52 to go, we rest Sockwell and go back to our initial starting lineup. We are down 27-25. Great rebounding, good defense, but the outside shooting is hurting and they are collapsing in the paint.

With 1:55 to go, Peterson finally his first huge block. It ignites a fast break, but Kou misses the dunk :(

With 1:30 to go, Beye returns.

We are down 31-27 at the half. Iker might get more PT with the starting unit if Vidal doesn't pick it up. We desperately need an outside shooter to hit some shots to stop them from collapsing inside.


Beye is the player of the half with 10 points and 5 boards along with a block.

Brickens is our leading scorer with 7 points.

Peterson has 4 points, 8 boards, 2 assists, and a block at the half.

Sockwell with 4 points and 3 boards.

3 minutes into the half, Peterson gets 2 back to back fouls on Beye who now has 3 and sits :)

With the smaller man against him, Peterson starts coming up with some big blocks as does Brickens which ignites some transition baskets. 38-33 with 14:27 to go, we lead.

When our transition game doesn't click, we are pounding it inside to Peterson who is scoring well against the smaller defender. 50-40 with 10 minutes to go as they bring back in Beye. Our starters are tired so we bring in the 2nd unit.

First play, Sockwell is doubled and kicks it out to Iker who drills his first shot attempt, a 3 from the corner!

We are up 68-50 with 3 minutes left and our bench is playing great, so I'm letting them finish it out.

I loved Hannan's firepower, but there is something thrilling about winning with very good defense and knowing that the defense should be consistent every game. I know Idaho isn't a powerhouse, but that was fun. We win the game 74-52.

Peterson is the player of the game with 12 points, 11 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, and 4 turnovers. He shot 6 of 12 from the floor and 0 of 2 from the line.

Sockwell with 13 points, 7 boards, 3 assists (all on kickouts to Iker), and 2 blocks. He shot 5 of 11, and 3 of 4 from the line.

Iker Yeager and Kou each had 11 points. Iker was a huge part of the run. He shot 4 of 4 for the game and 3 of 3 from the arc - all wide open shots in the corner from Sockwell passes.

Kason Bennett had 7 points and 6 assists. He shot 2 of 7, 1 of 5 (missed plenty of open looks), and 2 of 2.

Chancler with 9 points and 2 boards. He shot 3 of 8.

Kou had 2 points, 1 steal, and 1 block along with the 11 points.

Brickens with 9 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 big blocks.

Riddick didnt have any points (0 of 4 shooting) but he had 5 boards and played tough defense.

Singleton with 2 points and 2 assists in his debut.

[Eaglesfan27]

SF Chakowby Pardon is letting us know that if Villanova and UConn don't offer him a scholarship soon that he will sign with us.

PG Raitis Baldwin is "totally committed to us." I'll believe it when he signs. Michigan State still worries me in his recruitment.


3 of the other kids that we are pursuing are all coming to the campus for a visit this weekend.


Our next game is against Brown in a pre-season tourney. They are a poor team that I will be disappointed if we allow to score more than 50. Ideally, I'd like to see us hold them under 40. Their only good player is their center who is only 6'8 228 pounds.

[Eaglesfan27]

Peterson gets a BS goal tending on his 1st block attempt. However, he comes down at the other end, backs his man down, and slams it over him!

Ouch.. I guess we were way too overconfident. Down 14-11 with 12 minutes to go as we turn to the bench. Their motion plays are killing us.

Their center leads them with 7 points and he stays in the game until Sockwell immediately gets a 2nd foul on him.

Our bench lets it get out of hand, until they respond with an 8-0 run of their own. We're down 23-21 with 6:24 to go. I bring back the starters but Sockwell is staying in at PF with Brickens playing SF.

Sockwell had already been playing well and the first play with the starters he beats everyone down the floor after we got a stop.. he finishes the play with a huge slam. Sockwell with 11 points now.


The defense isn't where I want it, but the combo of Peterson and Sockwell are unguardable for this team. They dominated offensively don the stretch. We are up 36-32 at the half.

Sockwell is the player of the half with 17 points (including 1 12 foot jumper), 5 boards, and a block. He has shot 5 of 7 and 7 of 9 from the line.

Peterson has 10 points, 3 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block at the half. He has shot 5 of 10.

2 minutes into the half and their top 2 centers each had 3 fouls.


With 16:30 to go in the game, I rest Sockwell so he'll be ready to spell Peterson in a few minutes. We are up 44-34 and now our defense is really clicking. One thing I forgot to do that I need to remember is to tell all of my guys to play tight defense on the perimeter each game.. no reason not to when I know that if they get beat our shot blockers are probably going to clean up the mess.

Chancler hurts his ankle on the fast break and we bring in Iker.

I played my starters longer than expected, but they were playing so well, especially Peterson who shook off a slow start down low to start playing with great skill. He had 3 or 4 dunks over his smaller defender and helped us build a 66-46 lead. 7:42 left as my 2nd unit comes on, likely for the rest of the game.

We've had 4 goal tendings called against us this game.. quite a few bogus ones.

Our defense played great until about 4 minutes left. Then, we got sloppy. We had held them to 49 at that point, but we allow a 8-0 run on 2 turnovers. Then, they start hitting tough shots that they weren't making before. Still, I can't complain too much about a 86-62 win.

Our team set a record for dunks for my user profile. I'd guess that Peterson and Sockwell each had at least 5.

Sockwell was the player of the game 29 points, 10 boards, 2 assists, and a block (he would have had a few more if goal tending wasn't called on them.) He shot 10 of 16 and 9 of 12 from the line.

Peterson had 24 points, 5 boards, and an assist. He didn't have any blocks that registered (sometimes the game doesn't correctly register blocks - which is one of my bigger annoyances with it.)

Radenovic with 10 points, 1 board, and 1 block. He shot 4 of 5, 1 of 2, and 1 of 2.

Bennett with 2 points and an assist. He shot 1 of 5.

Chancler with 0 points, 1 board, and 3 assists. He also had a steal. He only took 2 shots which he missed before the injury.

Lou with 8 points, 4 boards, and a steal. He shot 2 of 2, 2 of 2, and 2 of 2.

Brickens with 6 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, and a block. He shot 3 of 7, 0 of 1 from the arc.

Iker with 3 points on 1 of 3 shooting.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next opponent in the Hawaiian Invitational is Cal. They are very evenly matched with us in overall team talent. They are 1-0. They have a very balanced starting lineup with their only relative weakness being at PF. Their PG and C are the stars of their team. Sylvester Bowers their PG is a fast player who is a good 3 point shooter and he leads the team with 15 ppg. Justino Mbanugo is a 6'9 240 pound center who is a very good shot blocker and an accomplished post scorer. Hopefully, the height advantage will allow us to negate him. He scores 14 ppg. The rest of the their squad is talented but very small. I hope to overwhelm them with our size. I'll play this game tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

A quick look at the team ratings in the ACC this year (at least to start):

Boston College starts a great senior PG, Nouha Tinsley, and has no weakness except for their freshman center who isn't as good as either of my guys. They are still rated better than us at an 89 overall rating.

Clemson is on of the weaker teams in the conference at this point. They have a star SF, Konrad Warden, but the rest of the team is a bit shaky and their bench depth isn't great. They are rated 84 in overall talent.

Duke has 4 seniors who have developed nicely and they should be a power this year with an overall rating of 90. They are 25th in the polls right now. The star of their team appears to be SF Marcel Craven.

Florida State has lost 2 of their star players. Still, they have 3 talented seniors and are ranked 86 in overall rating to avoid being the worst ranked. They have started the year 4-0 with an easy schedule.

Georgia Tech has a real stud in Freshman PF Scooter Gross. They also have a veteran senior PG who is a great player and 3 other talented players around them. Overall rating of 93. Despite that, they have started the year 1-2.

Maryland again contends for the title of best team in the conference. They have the best freshman in the conference in center Chrisman Volpenhelm who is rated 86 overall. They also have 2 great seniors in SG Jeb Tyler and PF Irakil Blanchard who are each rated 88 overall. Overall rating of 94 thanks to a deep bench and no weaknesses in the starting 5.

Miami is coming along nicely behind star SR SF Elijah Shehan. They also start a freshman center who is rated 79 overall and that is their lowest rated starter. They have an overall rating of 91.

North Carolina continues to flounder as their freshman aren't developing well. The fab 4 of last year have all been replaced in the lineup by older players except for sophomore PF Rashaun Konare who is the star of the team despite "only" being rated 82 in overall talent. Overall rating of 84. They have started the year 3-0 against some easy opponents so at least the record isn't looking as dismal as last year.

North Carolina State has a stud senior center, 2 good juniors, and 2 very good seniors around him. This experienced team is rated 89 in overall talent.

Virginia has 2 quality seniors surrounded by some suspect players. Their SR SF is only rated 71 in overall talent and their freshman PF is also rated 71 in overall talent. Overall as a team, they are rated 83.

Virginia Tech has the worst talent in the conference with a starting freshman at SF and center who aren't as good as what I had at Niagara. They do have a very good PG in Deron McCants and a solid JR PF. Overall rating of 81 (lower than my Niagara team.)

Wake Forest. Our overall rating is an 85 right now.


My projected regular season standings at the end of the year:

1. Maryland
2. Duke
3. Georgia Tech
4. Miami
5. BC
6. North Carolina State
7. Wake Forest
8. FSU
9. Clemson
10. North Carolina
11. Virginia
12. VT


A quick update on Niagara - They have started the year 4-0. I think I need to get them on the schedule next year for Simmons' senior year. Interesting starting 5 now: Simmons, Blizzard, Li, Cox, and Matera which is a small lineup that can really shoot well. They are winning every game so far by 20 plus points, but don't have any tough opponents for a few more weeks when they play West Virginia. Simmons is leading the team in scoring with 13.3 ppg and assists at 5.8 apg.

[Galaxy]

When you set your fatigue sliders, do they re-adjust for the time of halfs?

[Eaglesfan27]

I don't think so, but I play 20 minute halves and the slider set that I based those off of were also 20 minute halves.

[Balldog]

I've been using your sliders, they work great...I might lower inside shooting though. I'm getting higher FG%s than I'd like for me and the CPU. Thanks for sharing them!

[Eaglesfan27]

I've been using your sliders, they work great...I might lower inside shooting though. I'm getting higher FG%s than I'd like for me and the CPU. Thanks for sharing them!

Cool. Glad they are working for you. I had inside shooting lower, but Cornette who had a 93 or 94 inside scoring at the time would never make shots. It almost seems like that slider is hypersensitive. Then again, maybe I didn't look closely enough at his other attributes such as shooting in traffic, vertical, low post offense, etc. I might lower it a bit more if my 2 big guys dominate too much against good centers, but that 1st center did a good job against them.

[Galaxy]

I don't think so, but I play 20 minute halves and the slider set that I based those off of were also 20 minute halves.

I'll have to play around with them. Your dynasty has inspired me to launch a career at Maine (12 minute halves). I just need to figure out why my sound keeps cutting out.

[Eaglesfan27]

Cal starts off with a 8-0 run thanks in part to 2 steals from their PG, but just 3 minutes into the game, Peterson draws a 2nd foul on their center and they are now going to be very undersized in the middle.

Tied at 15, we go to the bench with 12 minutes left in the half. Our defense has played very well since giving up 10 points (6 off turnovers) in the first 3 minutes.

Vidal Chancler is a bit banged up so we go to a really big lineup with 6:40 to go: Bennett, Kou, Brickens, Sockwell, Peterson. We are down 27-25 thanks to their great 3 point shooting, but we are getting them into serious foul trouble with the physical play.

Sockwell gets tired, so with 4 minutes to go, we go back to our initial starting lineup. We are down 36-30, they are torching us from the arc.


At halftime, we are down 45-43. We are 19 of 22 from the line. They are living off the perimeter game and 8 of 16 from the arc.

Peterson is the player of the half with 16 points, 5 boards, and 2 blocks. He has shot 5 of 8 from the field and 6 of 6 from the line.

With 10:01 to go, we take our first lead of the half at 66-65 on a Brickens short range jumper. Our starters get a break despite having the momentum as they are tired.

After that, they go on a 8-0 run :(


With 5:08 to go, we are down 79-70 as their SF Wafer is just hitting shot after shot. I decide to put Brickens on him and get my big lineup out there.

We are scoring every time on the inside, but they are making almost every perimeter shot. Down 90-84 with 35 seconds left and no choice but to foul.

They miss both FT'S!!

I put in Yeager for his 3 point shooting (although he has missed every attempt from the arc today.)

Yeager comes off a screen from Sockwell and hits a 3! 90-87 with 22 seconds left.

This time they hit both FT's :(

We hit a quick inside shot from Sockwell, but they make both FT's. Iker misses his next 3 attempt and it is over.

We lose the game 96-89. So much for our defense. They had way too any perimeter scorers for us to stop.

Wafer proved something to me today, the shoot in traffic rating is much more important than any of the shooting ratings. Hannan had a very high one at 88 or thereabouts. This kid had a 91 in the rating and we just couldn't stop him no matter what we did. He hit fadeaway 3's (despite only having a 78 in 3 point rating), he hit jumpers from midrange (76 there) and he was the star of the game with 31 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, and 1 steal. He shot 10 of 18, 6 of 8, and 5 of 5.

However, so many guys hit 3's against us. Crumbley, their 6'9 backup SF had 11 points on 3 of 3 shooting from the arc. Bowers had 10 points and 11 assists and was 2 of 3 from the arc.

Reid and Lemons their backup PG and SG were each 1 of 1 from the arc. As a team, they shot 13 of 21 from the arc and hit ever 2nd half shot from there. Terrible, and I did have everyone trying to play tight defense. I guess I might be a bit more reluctant to go to our big lineup in the future.


Offensively, Peterson led us with 30 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. He shot 11 of 15, 0 of 0, and 8 of 9. He had at least 4 dunks that I counted including 1 huge offensive putback jam.

Brickens with 14 points, 8 boards, and 2 assists. He shot 4 of 6, and 6 of 6 from the line.

Kou with 12 points and 3 boards. He shot 4 of 8, 2 of 3, and 2 of 4.

Chancler with 8 points and 2 assits on 3 of 4 shooting.

Bennett with 4 points and 8 assists on 1 of 4 shooting.

Sockwell led the bench with 11 points, 5 boards,3 assists, and a block. He shot 2 of 8, 7 of 10 from the line.

Yeager was 1 of 4 from the arc today.





Our consolation game in the Hawaii tournament is against Seton Hall. They are a closely matched team that is playing up tempo this year. The superstar of their team is PG Laurie Badu, a senior from the Bronx. He probably will be 1st round pick next year. He is a lightning quick PG who can hit from anywhere on the court. He is a great on ball defender at 6'2 180 pounds as well.

PF E.J. Sanders is another star who is a tough interior player despite only being 6'8 216. He can also shoot the 3 with great skill.

They have 4 guards who can all fly and all shoot the perimeter shot fairly well. However, they are very small on the inside an their best center, Freshman Vinnie Madera is hurt and questionable for the game. He is their only player over 6'9. Only one other player besides Madera is over 230 pounds. We should be able to pound it inside again, but I'm sure their perimeter players will give us a great challenge.

[Eaglesfan27]

I've decided I'm going to sim every 3rd or so game this year. In the meaningless game against Seton Hall for the consolation prize of 3rd in the Hawaiian Invitational, we lose 87-83. Riddick led us with 14 points and 6 boards. Sockwell had 10 points, 7 boards, and a block. Peterson got into early foul trouble and only played 13 minutes. He had 3 points, 2 boards, and 2 blocks. Brickens was the 4th leading scorer with 8 points, 5 boards, and a block.


Now, at 2-2, we start a string of easy non-conference games. First up, we host Samford which is a much weaker, much smaller, much less athletic team. Their best player is PF Yannick Cooley who is 6'9 250 and is their lone skilled big man. Their center is 7'0 but he is a complete stiff.

[Eaglesfan27]

Tremendous defense to start the game. They don't score for the first 5 minutes. We are up 12-2.

Up 17-6 with 11:32 to go as we bring in our bench players. We have rarely gone to Peterson as our perimeter players are executing well today. He's getting touches, but he only has 3 points.

Our bench doesn't give up a point for 5 minutes before they get tired and sloppy and give up a quick 6 points We are up 28-12 wioth 5:07 to go as our starters return.

At halftime, we are up 33-21. We'll go a bit more inside in the 2nd half to make sure we put it away, but I wanted to try to get my perimeter players going as we'll need the balance later in the year.

Brickens is the player of the half with 7 points, 3 boards, and a block. He shot 3 of 4.

Chancler, Kou, and Peterson each had 5 points.


Peterson dominates inside and we are up 47-29 with 9:58 to go as we bring in the bench players.

The bench finishes the game. 68-42 win. Iker lit it up in 2nd half.



Peterson is the player of the game with 15 points, 9 boards, and a block. He shot 7 of 10 and 1 of 2 from the line.

Bennett with 2 points and 6 assists. He shot 1 of 4.

Chancler with 5 points and an assist. He shot 2 of 6, 1 of 5, and 0 of 0.

Kou with 7 points and 3 boards. He shot 3 of 6, 1 of 3.

Brickens with 7 points, 5 boards, and a block. He shot 3 of 7.

Yeager led the bench with 11 points, 1 board, and 1 steal. He shot 4 of 6, 3 of 5 from the arc, and 0 of 0.

Sockwell with 10 points, 5 boards, and 2 blocks. He shot 4 of 10 and 2 of 2 from the line.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our staff reports to us that Singleton is showing remarkable growth as a PG. They have never seen a player develop so quickly. We may want to backup the number of PG"s we are recruiting because they think he might be special after all (despite only "C" potential.)


Recruits can sign at the end of this week (after 2 more games) and 2 recruits look set to sign with us on the 1st day: PG Raitis Baldwin and SF Chakowby Pardon. I'm worried that Pardon could change his mind, but I think we feel very good about our chances on finishing out on Raitis.

We also have an outside shot on getting PG Colin Sutton on the 1st day. Despite my staff's believe in Singleton, I'm not pulling any scholarships and I hope we get Colin.


Our next game is hosting Penn State. They are the toughest of the 5 teams we face in this early stretch of the season, however, we still have a nice advantage over them. They are currently 2-3 and play a very slow style of basketball. They are averaging just over 60 ppg. Their top player, PF Maceo Brice, is questionable for the game with a thigh injury. Their next best player is Sophomore Jorge Gogerty who could gve us problems with his speed and passing ability. SG Sylvester Hollis who I really wanted and almost got is starting for them as a freshman. He isn't rated much higher in overall than Chancler, but he is a very good shooter. However, he is a defensive liability. They are another small team on the inside with Bruce being their biggest player at 6'10 229.

[Eaglesfan27]

Hollis starts the game off well for Penn State after getting a steal and a quick 3 on the other end. We respond with a 12-0 run before our guys get tired and start playing poorly. With 10:14 to go, I rest them. We are up 15-11.

We go back to our starters (except Sockwell at PF) with a 19-15 lead and 4:42 to go.

Suddenly, they start hitting their 3's and we start scoring quickly inside. We are up 30-29 at the half.


Peterson with a great half - 9 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, and 3 blocks.


A strong 2nd half for our entire starting offense. We are up 58-46 with 8:11 to go before I rest the starters.


Sockwell and company finish off the game very strong. we win the game 77-61.

Peterson is the player of the game with 17 points, 9 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks. He shot 5 of 11, 0 of 0, and 7 of 8 (I guess his FT shooting is better than I thought.)

Sockwell also had 17 points along with 5 boards.

Brickens with 11 points, 5 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He shot 4 of 5 and 3 of 3 from the line.

Bennett with 5 points and 6 assists.

Chancler with 10 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He shot 3 of 7, 1 of 3, and 3 of 4.

Kou with 8 points, 4 boards, and an assist.


If we can get him some consistent outside scorers this class, and our big guys don't leave too early, I think we have a good shot at winning a championship here.

[Eaglesfan27]

I sim the game at Elon which is one of the worst teams on our schedule all year. It's closer than expected, but we win 95-77.

Brickens led us with 21 points, 9 boards, and a block. Peterson had 17 points, 7 boards, and 3 blocks.

Sockwell had 10 points, 2 boards, and a block. Chancler with 10 points and 5 boards. Bennett with 9 points and 6 assists.


Now, the early signing period begins!


We get our first Mr. Basketball of my career in PG Raitis Baldwin from Columbus, Ohio! The 6'2 182 pound PG is ranked 62nd overall and 31st among PG's. He averaged 9.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 3.6 apg, and 2.9 spg in the ABL. He shot 37% from the field and 30% from the arc. Our staff believes he has B+ potential and is a good defensive point guard right now. He is a solid outside shooter who is comfortable shooting quickly off the dribble. He isn't the most athletic, but has enough speed that he should hang with any but the quickest guards.

We also officially have Chakowby Pardon, the 6'6 205 pound SF from East Orange, NJ. He is also a 4 star player. He is ranked 88th overall and 18th among SF's. He isn't as good from the arc as Raitis but he is a better slasher. He needs to work on his defense, but he has the potential to be a great shot blocker from the position. He is an excellent finisher around the hoop and is a good rebounder for the position. He has "B" potential according to our staff right now.


We lost out on 5 star All-American PG Stuart McCormick who went to Michigan State, which is why I suspect they didn't go harder after Raitis. He is frm Detroit Michigan.

4 other guys who we were pursuing to some extent also signed:

4 star PG Corey Timmons from Alabama signed with Alabama.

SF Jamual Braun, a 4 star SF who was Mr. Basketball in Indiana signed with Kentucky.

Calvin Allen, a 6'8 210 pound SF from Cleveland Ohio who is one of the top 5 SF's in the country siged with Georgetown.

Marco Collier, a 4 star Juco SG, who is one of the best shooters in this class signed with his homestate school, South Carolina.



Guys who we have offered who are still considering:


PG Colin Sutton has us 1st on his list. He is the Mr. Basketball from Virginia and a very big PG who can shoot at 6'4 205. He is considering signing early, so I fly out to his house this week to try to close the deal.

PF Antwcan Zamore, the Mr. Basketball from Philly, is a long shot for signing early. He appears to want to wait and see if Duke offers him. However, we have a slim shot so I fly out to visit him as well.

SG Vince Heard probably won't sign with anyone early unless Indiana offers him, but I fly out to his home in Detrot to visit with the sharp shooter.

Those are the only 3 I've offered scholarships to out there. I decide it is time to offer 1 more of our 2 scholarships available. Time to look at some candidates...

[Eaglesfan27]

Oh yeah, the #1 player in the class, SG Keena Dillon from Lafayette LA, signed with LSU on the 1st day possible. The 6'6 200 pound SG is amazing from 3 point range.

I look at a bunch of options, but it is time to reach for this last scholarship that I'm going to offer (going to keep 1 open for a possible transfer player.) I'm going to start scouting Damian Bruce, a 4 star SG from Australia who we've heard is a great shooter. The only knock on him is that he is short at 6'1. He is being considered for the scholarship..

Andres Crawford is a 4 star 6'5 SG from Flint Michigan who is supposed to be an excellent shooter. We take a closer look at him by sending my assistant out to watch a game of his.

We also start recruiting a very long shot. SG Clement Gabler from Los Angeles, CA is the #5 SG in the country. The 4 star SG led the ABL in scoring at just under 20 points per game.

Finally, we start looking more closely at Hal McGuire, a 6'4 4 star SG from Birmingham, Alabama who averaged 14.5 ppg and 7 apg in the ABL.


Edit to add: Chakowby was impressive in the ABL as well. I'm really excited to see what this kid can do for us. In the ABL, he averaged 13.4 ppg (20th among all scorers), 8 rpg, and 2 blocks per game.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is hosting 5-3 Northwestern. They are slightly lower rated than we are. The star of thier team is 6'8 PG Raul Vasquez who will be a tough matchup for us. The junior is fast, big, and a decent shooter. He isn't the best passer, but he isn't bad in any area. Sophomore SF Joel Sonn is one of the best 3 point shooters we've faced this year and he has good size at 6'7 240. SG Hiram Pope is an excellent athlete, but isn't much of a shooter. Center Rashid Udeogalanya is a big man at 6'11 256 and he has good speed, but his offensive game is lacking and he isn't nearly as good at defense as either of my big men. Their PF Jesse Bragg is 6'11 220 and is more of a finesse player who isn't that good of a shooter.

[Eaglesfan27]

Within 3 minutes, Peterson draws 2 fouls on their center who leaves the game.

Peterson scores every one of our first 18 points, but he is absolutely exhausted by the 10 minute mark. He has 4 dunks already and is just dominating inside. Unfortuantely, nobody is hitting the outside shots when he kicks it out for open jumpers. We are down 19-18 with 10:02 to go as our bench comes onto the floor.

We are down 36-30 as the starters return with 3:20 to go. Their backup SF has a great combo of outside shooting and slashing ability. He has 11 against our backup SF.


At halftime, we are down 38-37.

Peterson with an incredible half. 22 points, 7 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block at the half.


They are collapsing en masse into the paint when Peterson touches it, but now our outside guys are hitting the wide open jumpers from outside! We are up 55-49 with 11:45 to go as the starters rest.


With 4:51 to go, our starters return. We are up 65-63.

A defensive struggle for the next 2 minutes until Peterson splits a double team and gets a dunk. A minute later, he has a block that ignites a fastbreak 3 pointer! 70-63 with 2:02 to go.

Our defense is absolutely perfect for 4 minutes until they get sloppy with 33 seconds left and give up an open 3 to Sonn. We are up 72-66 after that basket and they are fouling.


We win the game 76-69.

Peterson is the player of the game with 24 points, 12 boards, 6 assists 2 blocks, and a steal. He shot 11 of 17 (6 dunks if I counted correctly), 0 of 0, and 2 of 2.

Bennett with 4 points and 5 assists.

Chancler with 11 points, 2 assist, and 2 steals. He shot 4 of 8, 3 of 6 (all on kickouts from Peterson)

Kou with 15 points, 3 boards. He shot 5 of 10, 2 of 6, and 3 of 4.

Brickens with 0 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block. He shot 0 of 6.

Sockwell led the bench with 12 points, 3 boards, and a block.

[Eaglesfan27]

The end of the early signing period was not good news:

We didn't get Colin to sign early, so we'll have plenty of competition for him throughout the year.

Furthermore, we lost Antwcan Zamore to Duke who finally offered him a scholarship.

We also lost Vince Heard to Indiana.

We started too late on Gabler, the kid from Los Angeles didn't get an offer from UCLA who was his top choice, so he decided to sign with Oregon.

We also came in too late on Hal McGuire who is staying close to home at Memphis.

Finally, we were too late for Andres Crawford who signed with Pitt.



So, our only very likely target to sign is PG Colin Sutton and we have 4 more scholarships to give out (well only 3 I intend to give out.)


Guys that I'm going to offer this week:

PF Chris Dillon from Augusta, Georgia. He is only 6'7 210 but he is the 51st player overall and 6th among PF's. He averaged 12 ppg and 10 rpg in the ABL. He is a 4 star player whose top schools are Clemson, Miami, FSU, and Wake Forest.

SG Damian Bruce from Australia. I haven't seen the kid in person which I don't like, but we are going to take a chance on the 4 star player and hope our staff is right about what they see on tape. His top choices are Georgia, NCST, and Wake.

We also start scouting out SG Cherokee Birley, a 6'1 175 pound SG from the Bronx. He averaged just over 16 ppg in the ABL.

We also start looking at one of the better 3 star players, PF Kurt Hicks, who is also from Flint, Michigan (quite the hotbead of talent in this class.) He averaged 10.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, and 2.5 bpg in the ABL. I want to add some more solid defenders.

We have a week off of games, so I get a better look at those guys as well as taking a really close look at Sutton who I realize I really want. Our staff thinks he is going to be a star.

They also really like Chris Dillon after a closer look. He isn't that good of an offensive player, but he is a dynamic defender they feel. Miami is going to be hard to beat out for him.

Our staff LOVES Homer Chadwick from LA after taking a closer look at him. However, they believe he is all Oregon and say we shouldn't even put any further effort into him.

Our staff also loves 3 star PG Rodolfo Munir from Lincoln, Nebraska. He is the Mr. Basketball for the state and our staff believes he is more of a natural SG with a shoot first tendency. He hits from anywhere on the court. I decide to take a closer look at him with the plan to possibly play him at SG. Then again, I really need 1 more PF.





I decide to sim the game against 0-9 Maine which is the worst team we've faced all year. We beat them 74-52. Bennett led us with 18 points and 6 assists. Riddick also had 18 off the bench. Peterson only played 24 minutes due to foul trouble but had 9 points, 6 boards, and 2 blocks.



Our next game is at a very good 8-1 Rutgers. We've been fighting them for recruits and they got a good one in Filiberto Callans who I really wanted. He is already an overall of 79 but still coming off the bench for their talented team. Despite that, the freshman is averaging 7 ppg and 4 rpg. Stefan Alford is a SR SG who is a great shooter. JR SF Benny Sykes is an even better shooter and is the star of the team. PF Smush Hollins is undersized at 6'7 225 but he is an athletic dunker who is a very good rebounder for his size. PG Shane Broermann is a machine from behind the arc and is a capable assist man. The only position they are lacking is center. In fact, they don't have a true center on the roster and will often go to a 3 guard lineup. Their biggest player is Smush. Hopefully, we can take huge advantage of the size mismatch. I'll play this later tonight or tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

Again, we are missing all of our open outside shots. Meanwhile, Rutgers is deadly from the arc. They all have all 15 of their points from the arc. We have all 12 of our points from Peterson despite trying to get others involved. Down 15-12 with 10:28 to go as we turn to our subs.


Callans has looked really good the last 6 minutes :(

We are down 27-22 with 3:32 to go as our starters return.


We go into halftime tied at 30.


After that first 10 minutes, we didn't allow another basket from beyond the arc.

Alford leads them with 8 points (6 on 3 pointers). Callans is 2nd on the team with 6 points and 3 boads in just 7 minutes.

Peterson is the player of the half with 15 points, 8 boards, a steal, and a block.

To try an end a 8-0 run, I call a timeout and put in my bench with 13:14 to go in the game. Down 45-38.

It works as Sockwell has an inside dunk, a block, and then hits a 8 foot shot to make it 45-42.

We are both in the penalty with 9 minutes to go.. we are missing most of our FT's while they are hitting theirs. That could be the decisive factor today.


With 6:12 to go, Sockwell fouls out. He tried to do too much to slow down their perimeter shooters and was floating out there a lot.

We put back in our starters right after that. Down 57-51.

2 more missed FT's by Chancler and 2 more made by them extends the lead to 8.

Chancler makes up for that with a nice drive into the lane where he draws contact and makes the shot. We get a stop and Brickens scores down low on an offensive board. Brickens with the steal and a quick shot where he is fouled. He only makes 1 of 2... Peterson with an offensive board.. he goes right back and slams it home, but is called for the offensive foul under the rim!! :(

Still, we've closed the gap over the last few minutes to 61-59.

They get a 2 from Alford to make it 63-59. Peterson misses down low, but makes up for it at the other end with a block. That ignites a fastbreak layup by Chancler who is fouled on the play... he hits the FT!!! 63-62. 2:01 to go.


Alford hits a 12 footer to make it a 3 point lead and then Bennett misses an elbow jumper. Peterson intimidates their shooter who misses the shot. We call timeout with 49 seconds left and get Yeager in there at PG for the 3 point option..

He gets a screen from Brickens and hits a quick 3! Tied at 65.

Kou with good defense on the shooter and they miss. Peterson with the miss. We get it across midcourt and call timeout with 6 seconds left to set up a play.

We set up Yeager for a quick corner 3.. he buries it! They have 2 seconds left. They attempt a quick 3 but it is missed.

We win the game 68-65.

If Yeager could just play defense a bit, he would see the court a lot more for us. Still, he is the hero even if Peterson was the player of the game.

Yeager with 9 points, 1 board, and 1 assist off the bench in 14 minutes. He shot 3 of 4 all from beyond the arc.

Peterson was the player of the game with 19 points, 14 boards, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Bennett with 3 points and 4 assists.

Chancler with 11 points and 1 assist.

Kou with 3 points, 3 boards, and 2 assists.

Brickens with 3 poiints, 3 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Sockwell led the bench with 12 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal.

[Eaglesfan27]

We now have over 2 weeks off until our next game which is against Harvard. Plenty of time to focus on recruiting..


I decide to offer all of my scholarships after all. I expect to miss out on a few of these kids and I might as well take a wide ranging approach. Here are the 5 I have offered (besides the 2 who already committed.):

PG Colin Sutton - Very likely to accept our offer.

SG Cherokee Bailey - Unlikely to accept. Probably going to a school close to his home in the Bronx. Likely schools are PSU, Maryland, and Joes.

SG Damian Bruce from Australia - Wide open recruitment. Schools against us are Georgia, NCST, and SFLA.

PF Chris Dillon from Augusta, GA - Miami will be very tough to beat and they are the school in the clear lead for him now. Would be a big get for us.

PF Kurt Hicks is our only 3 star we are going to offer at this time. Our staff thinks from watching him on tape and scouting his game that he could become the 2nd best 3 point shooter on our team behind Yeager next year. At 6'8 and 202 pounds, I could envision using him like I used Bowers at Niagara. We are likely to get him I think, with the biggest competition being Bowling Green.


Speaking of Niagara. They are currently 10-0! Simmons has held off their 5 star recruit and their starting 5 is better than ours at least in overall ratings. Simmons is leading them at 14.3 ppg and 5.2 apg. The star freshman is averaqging 6.6 ppg and 3.4 apg off the bench. Wouldn't it be something if he got mad about that and transferred to come join me. Regardless, I need to remember to add Niagara next year so that I can see Simmons play one last time.

One other big recruit we are working on a fair bit is Lamont Sherrod. He is a 5 star Junior who is expected to be in the top 5 next year. He is from Pasadena, TX. He is a 6'6 197 pound SF this year. We are in his top 5, but so are Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, and FSU.



Harvard is 6-6 and much lower rated than we are. I decide to sim that game. We beat them 90-61. Balanced scoring with 4 starters in double digits led by Brickens who had 15 points, 6 boards, and 2 blocks. Sockwell had 12 and 5 off the bench.


Our next game is at #4 Saint Louis. They are 11-1 and have a tremendously talented team.

SG Kirk Parkinson is a senior star. He is the best 3 point shooter we've faced this year (rated 95 in that category!) He is also a quick player who is a tremendous shooter off the dribble and he can create his own shot. He is averaging 21 ppg this year. He is rated 88 overall.

PF Tahj Massogo is a 6'7 260 pound senior who is also a star on the team with an overall rating of 86. He is a phenomenal inside scorer who is fast, strong, and can really leap. He is also a great rebounder and passer. He is averaging 16 and 10 this year.

Senior PG Hilton Harmon is another great 3 point shooting option who is averaging 10 ppg and 6 apg. He is rated 84 overall.

At SF, junior Walker McClinton is a slasher who is a strong finisher around the rim. He is also a capable defender who is rated 82 overall.

Center is their only position of weakness. They are starting a 6'8 225 pound freshman who is very raw and is only rated 72 overall.

The bench is strong with 3 guards rated over 78.

I'll play that game tomorrow.

[Balldog]

Is Rick Majerus still at St Louis?

[Eaglesfan27]

Is Rick Majerus still at St Louis?

No, he retired many years ago and they promoted an assistant who is 217-134 over the 10 years since he has had the job. He is rated very highly overall.

[Eaglesfan27]

We start off very good playing extremely physical and getting them in early foul trouble. Chancler is having his best offensive game of the year with more driving into the lane. However, the last 3 minutes before I pull my starters they explode for a 12-0 run. We are down 26-15 with 10:32 to go.

Riddick with a baseline jumper to end the run, but they respond with a quick 3 at the other end. They, then block a Yeager 3 attempt to ignite a 8-0 run before Sockwell can hit a FT to end it.

Their guards are killing our big men with steals down low. We need our outside shooters to hit more shots to make them pay for that.

With 2:48 to go, we are down 49-32 as our starters return.


A strong last 3 minutes has us only down 51-40 at the half.

They are shooting 66% from the field with most of the points coming on midrange jumpers. We have to shut that down and hope they cool off. We do have 4 of their starters in foul trouble which hopefully we can continue in the second half.

They have 4 scorers with 8 or more points. Their leading scorer is a backup SG who has 10.

Chancler is our surprise leading scorer with 11 points. He is 3 of 4 from the field and 5 of 8 from the line as he continues to beat his man off screens and drive into the lane for contact.

Peterson with a bad half as their swarming has messed up his shots. He is 2 of 8 with 7 points and a board. He has no blocks as they are almost never coming inside.

Sockwell with 7 points and 2 boards on 3 of 3 shooting. We have to get him more involved this half.


Every time we've made a mini-run, they've responded with a big 3. We are down 65-56 with 12:33 to go as I rest my starters.

We are keeping their starting center in foul trouble throughout the game. Everytime he comes in, he picks up a foul.

We close the gap to 4, but they respond with 2 quick 3's to make it a 10 point lead again. 77-67.

We are down 81-72 with 6:52 to go as our starters return.


They start a 10-0 run as our shooters go ice cold.

We lose the game 95-78 and we lose our backup PF Riddick to a foot injury :(

Harmon and Parkinson each had 20 points or them. Parkinson was 6 of 9 from the arc including some shots over good defenders. They had 3 other guards with at least 10 points.

Chancler led us with 15 points and an assist. He shot 4 of 7 and 7 of 12 from the line.

Peterson had 13 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, 4 blocks, and 5 turnovers. He shot 4 of 12 and 5 of 9 from the line.

Bennett with 4 points and 2 assists on 2 of 8 shooting.

Kou with 2 points, 4 boards, and a steal. He shot 1 of 4.

Brickns with 8 points, 7 boards, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. He shot 3 of 7 and 2 of 3 from the line. He also played great defense on their star PF who was held to 3 of 9 shooting.


Riddick with 9 points and a board. Sockwell with 9 points, 4 boards, and a block. Radenovic with 8 points and 2 boards.

[Eaglesfan27]

Now we start Conference play with one of the easier teams in the conference, Virginia. They are evenly matched with us in talent. Their top SG is doubtful for the game with a knee injury. Jacob Sockwell is a 6'4 211 pound PG who is a great 3 point shooter and a tremendous passer. He is their best player. He is averaging 12 ppg and 4 apg. Austen Munns is a 6'11 253 pound center who is as good as either of our centers. He is a dominating inside scorer and is averaging 21.5 ppg and 8.3 rpg. Hector Malaman is a 6'6 230 pound freshman PF who is still developing and shouldn't be too much trouble for Brickens. However, Malaman can shoot the 3 well. Tracy Valencia is their starting SF and he is strictly a 3 point shooting specialist. He is 6'7 235 and is their most dangerous player behind the arc. He is averaging just over 11 ppg.

With the injury to Riddick, we'll shake up our rotations and shorten our bench, rotating the PF and C position between Brickens, Sockwell, and Peterson who will all pick up a few more minutes.

[Eaglesfan27]

With 13:15 to go in the half, we are down 12-9. I rest Peterson and Chancler bringing in Sockwell and Yeager.


With 11:24 to go, we bring in Singleton and Radenovic. We are down 14-13.

Sockwell is playing great for us, getting 2 fouls on their starting and primary backup center.

With 7:40 to go, we rest Brickens for the first time going to our twin tower offense. Chancler also comes back into the game. We are down 21-19.

With 3 minutes to go, Kou returns to the game. Our twin tower defense has been brilliant and we are now up 32-26 thanks to some easy transition baskets.

Wow. I finally see how Bennett scored so many points last year. He may be the streakiest shooter I've ever seen. Most of the game, he has no touch from the arc. But suddenly after hitting 1, he is feeling it. He quickly nails 3 more 3's. I've never seen a guy get so hot so quickly. He spurs a 16-0 run.


We go into halftime up 44-26.

Sockwell is the player of the half with 14 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, and 1 steal, and a block. He shot 5 of 8, 0 of 0, and 4 of 6.

Bennett with 12 points on 4 of 7 shooting, all from the arc.


Just like that Bennett goes cold again. Ice cold shooting in the 2nd half. That hot burst just lets me know how dangerous we can be once we get some reliable outside shooters to go with our big men.

We pull him with 15 minutes to go in the game to get him some rest and remind him to stop shooting those 3's. They go on a 8-0 run, but we respond quickly. 55-35 with 14 minutes to go.

We've kept their big men in foul trouble and it is making things easy for us on the inside. Up 62-41 with 12 minutes to go as Peterson rests.

Sockwell is on fire. He occasionally shoots 3's in practice and he hits one this game. We are up 72-48 with 9 minutes to go.

A few minutes later, he hits an open 14 foot jumper. If he can start consistently making those, he is going to be an unstoppable scorer.

We get in our deep bench guys with 4 minutes to go as we are up 80-50. Sockwell will rest for the duration of the game, but Peterson has to play due to the lack of any scrub centers to come in.


We win the game 90-58. Nice debut in conference play :)

Sockwell got player of the game, but I would have given it to Peterson.

Sockwell with 27 points, 11 boads, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block. He shot 11 of 14, 1 of 1, and 4 of 6.

Peterson with 20 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, and a career high 5 blocks. With Sockwell anchoring the middle, Peterson roamed a bit more and had some great blocks on the perimeter but 2 of them did come against their center on the interior.

Bennett finished with 12 points, 2 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers. He shot 4 of 12, 3 of 8, and 1 of 2.

Chancler with 9 points, 2 boards, and 2 assists on 4 of 8 shooting.

Kou with 2 points and 5 boards. He shot 1 of 4.

Brickens with 8 points, 8 boards, and a teal. He shot 3 of 5, 0 of 0, and 2 of 2.

Singleton with a nice game off the bench. Theyoung PG had 5 points and 4 assists in 16 minutes.

[Eaglesfan27]

A look at the ACC Team's Records as we enter conference play:

1. BC 14-2
2. Duke 12-2
3. Maimi 12-2
4. Maryland 10-2
5. FSU 13-3
6. Wake 10-3
7. GT 10-3
8. North Carolina 11-4
9. Clemson 11-6
10. Virginia 8-6
11. North Carolina State 7-7
12. Virginia Tech 5-7

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is at Florida State. They are 21st and 19th in the polls. They are led by Star JR PG Gilbert Richard. He is 6'2 185 pounds and is rated 86 overall with strengths being in speed, quickness, passing, defense, and 3 point shooting. His best attribute is his 96 passing (highest I've seen) but he is excellent in all of those areas. He is averaging 11.4 ppg and 7 apg which is among the top 5 in the nation.

SR Center Dominik Diallo is 6'10 240 pounds and is highly athletic. He is a tremendous inside scorer who has put up 44 earlier this year. He is rated 83 overall. His strengths are inside scoring, shooting in traffic, dunking, strength, and shot blocking. He is rated 96 at inside scoring which is his highest attribute. He is averaging 20.1 ppg and 7 rpg along with 2 blcks per game.

SF Miles Ervin is their 3rd highest player with an overall of 81. He is a solid 6'9 250. His biggest strenghts are shooting in traffic, stamina, shooting midrange shots (88), and speed. He is very fast for such a big man. Fortuntely, he tends to fumble the ball around the net.

SR PF Gus Boyette is rated 77 overall. He is 6'10 275. His biggest strengths are close shooting and rebounding. Despite his size, he tends to get pushed around in the post.

SR SG Hensley Sayman is a 6'2 210 pound player who is rated 77 overall. He is a very fast player with 92 speed and 88 quickness. He is also a great shooter from any range with 91 in close shooting, 80 in midrange shooting, and 84 in 3 point shooting. He is averaging 11.9 ppg this year. Defensively, he is below average.

The bench is anchored by 3 guards and 1 forward who are all rated 72 or higher. Freshman Sherman Defares is one we have to keep a particular eye on as he may be the best 3 point shooter on the team with a 88 rating.

[Eaglesfan27]

We start off with a defensive battle. Down 8-4 with 14 minutes left in the half.

Down 14-4 with 9:40 to go. We haven't scored in over 5 minutes. Time to go to Yeager and the rest of the bench except for Peterson coming back in at center now.

Peterson gets a 2nd foul on Diallo who has been their leading scorer.

Peterson and Sockwell go on a nice little streak. We close the gap to 20-16 with 5 minutes left in the half before Sockwell sits down and Brickens comes back into the game.

With 3:11 left, Singleton hits a 3 to tie it at 21. We bring back all of our starters at that point.

We go into halftime down 28-24.

Good defense this game, particularly from Peterson, Sockwell, and Kou.



1st minute of the 2nd half, Peterson gets a 3rd foul on Diallo.


Our offense is stagnant and they go on a 8-0 run. I bring in Yeager to try to provide some offense. Also, Sockwell comes in for Peterson who is tired. 15 minutes left and we are down 41-29.

Yeager is providing quick offense, but Hensley Sayman is now getting off at will.

We are down 52-36 with 11:31 to go.


Down 60-42 with 8:30 to go and Yeager has completely cooled off. Time to get Chancler back into the game.

We've closed the gap to 64-52 with 4:12 left, but Peterson is exhausted.

We lose the game 75-59.

Richard was the player of the game. He finished with 17 points, 8 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 7 of 10, 1 of 3, and 2 of 2.

Sayman with 15 points, 5 assists, and 3 boards. He shot 5 of 10, 1 of 5, and 6 of 7.

Ervin with 12 points, 8 boards, and 3 blocks. Diallo with 9 points, 4 boards, and 2 blocks for them.


Peterson led us with 12 points, 10 boards, and a block. He shot 4 of 10, 0 of 1, and 4 of 6.

Yeager had 10 points, 2 boards, and a steal for us. He shot 4 of 8, 2 of 4, and 0 of 0.

Sockwell with 9 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, and a block. He shot 4 of 10, 0 of 0, and 1 of 2.

Kason Bennett was 0 of 6. He had 2 assists and 4 turnoves with 0 points.

Chancler had 6 points and 2 boards on 2 of 8 shooting.

Kou had 3 points and 2 boards on 1 of 4 shooting.


Radenovic had 8 points on 4 of 4 shooting and he will get more early PT next game if our offense struggles.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is hosting #17 Duke who are currently 13-2. They are led by senior star SF Marcel Craven. He is rated 88 overall and is a strong 6'9 250 pound player. He is a dynamic scorer off the dribble or in traffic and is a tremendous dunker. He is also an excellent defender. His only weaknesses are his tendency to get into foul trouble and his rebounding. He is averaging 12.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.2 spg, and 1.1 bpg.

JR PG Benson Fletcher is a 6'0 190 pound guard from NYC who is a great 3 point shooter. He was the #2 player in the nation the year he came out of H.S. He is also the fastest point guard in all of college basketball right now. He is a solid defender and passer. He is rated 84 overall. However, he often gets into foul trouble. As a result, he is only averaging 21 mpg and is only averaging 8.1 ppg and 3.7 apg.

JR Center Demetrius Tamayo is a huge post presence at 7'1 264 pounds. He is rated 83 overall. His strengths are interior shooting, post defense, and shot blocking. He is averaging 19 ppg and 7 rpg.

SR SG Cedrick Konryn is a athletic slasher who is only averaging 22 mpg despite starting. He isn't a very goot shooter but is rated 81 overall due to athleticism and defense. He is averaging 5 ppg, 3 rpg, and 2 apg.

SR PF Magnum Capel is a hustle player who is a strong defender. He is rated 79 overall and is 6'9 255. He is averaging 6.9 ppg and 5.9 rpg.

The bench is strong and stars Freshman PG Devin Hatten who is already rated 81 overall. He was the #2 player in this past class. He is a great 3 point shooter. He is averaging 9 ppg and 3 apg.

SF Dominick Vanttaja (who I heavily recruited) has also been a great bench player for them. He is rated 80 overall but isn't quite the shooter I thought he would be at least at this time. He is a good defender and is good at creating his shot. He is averaging 6 ppg and 4.5 rpg.

They also have 2 backup PG's who would easily be the best 3 point shooters on my team. They are each getting 13-15 minutes and are averaging 7 and 6 ppg respectively.

The only weaknesses are on their roster are at backup center and PF. Otherwise, they have a tremendous squad.

I'll play this game tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

I guess due to the lack of backup PF's and center's, Duke goes small with 16:37 left as Vanttaja comes in for Tamayo. We are up 4-3. I take the opportunity to rest Peterson and bring in Sockwell.

We are down 17-14 with 11:43. With the small lineup, they were running very well against us. Craven is much too fast for any of my big men to keep up with. He already has 3 fast break dunks.

The only reason we are still in the game is that Chancler was on fire the last 5 minutes and he already has 10 points, but now he is tired.

With 10:34 to go, Sockwell picks up a 2nd foul. I'm keeping him in for now.

Radenovic with a 3 as he comes into the game. He is getting very close to winning the starting job from Kou.

Down 37-32 with 5 minutes left. They are running aggressively, but we are getting some big 3's to stay in it.

With 43 seconds left, Kason steals the ball and has a 2 on 1 breakaway with Peterson... he throws it to Peterson who catches it.. slams it and gets fouled! 3 point play to make it 43-42, Duke.

We get a stop thanks to Peterson. Kason throws it into Sockwell deep in the post.. he has been slow starting this game, but he spins off his man and gets a dunk and the foul! 45-43 as the half expires!!

Peterson is our player of the half with 9 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, and a block.

Chancler has 10 for us. Sockwell only has 5 now.

Craven and Tamayo each have 9 to lead Duke.


We are going to put Radenvoic out with our starters in the 2nd half. He has earned it with his outside shooting and his defense isn't too far behind Kou's.

With 15 minutes left, Radenovic with a drive inside gets a 3rd foul on Tamayo who leaves the game. We are tied at 52.


Up 57-56 with 13:39 to go as Peterson gets a breather.

With 13 minutes to go, we catch Craven on a switch and Bennett draws a 3rd foul on him. He sits down for a bit.

8:50 to go and we are tied at 66. Bennett has picked up a 4th foul and I decide it is time to rest all of my starters except for Peterson who comes back into the game to finish it.

Kou misses a breakaway dunk, but on the next possession, he beats his man drives into the lane and gets a 4th foul on Tamayo. He misses the 2nd FT, but Peterson gets the offensive board. Peterson misses a putback hook shot, but Sockwell gets it and resets the offense. Down 68-67 with just under 7 minutes left.

Yeager misses a wide open 3 and then allows Craven who is on him due to a switch to drive right by him for a dunk that is only stopped by Peterson fouling him hard.

With 5 minutes left, Sockwell picks up a 4th foul. I sit him and put back in Brickens, Chancler, and Radenovic with Peterson and Singleton.

We are down 71-68.

A minute later, Chancler hits a 3 to put us up 74-73. He has 20 which is a career high, I believe.

Radenovic with a 12 foot jumper to tie it at 76 with 2:44 to go.

Brickens get a wide open 6 foot shot and misses it :( They get 2 quick baskets to make it 80-76.

We bring Sockwell in with 2 minutes to go. Chancler with a quick 3!!

Tamayo responds with a nice hook shot over Peterson.

We try to get a good shot for Chancler, but nothing is there.. we try to work it in to Peterson, but he is having trouble with Tamayo.. Singleton with an open 3.. he shoots and it rims out.

Capel at the other end draws a foul. He makes both FT's to make it 84-79.

Singleton has it stolen from him, but he steals it right back.. He gets a good look for Chancler who takes a 3... and misses it. Sockwell with an over the back call fouls out of the game. We're done. We get Tamayo to foul out with 22 seconds left, but we are still down 86-79.

We lose the game 89-83.

Fletcher gets player of the game with 13 points, 7 assists, 4 steals, and 4 boards. He only shot 1 of 5 from the arc as Bennett proved that he really is a good perimeter defender, but Fletcher was 11 of 12 from the line :(

First time I haven't seen the high scorer get the award. Craven had 21 points, 10 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block.

Konryn had 17 points and was 3 of 6 from the arc.

Tamayo had 13 points, 5 boards, and 2 blocks despite only playing 22 minutes.

Capel with 13 points and 8 boards.



Chancler led our scoring with 26 points and 2 boards. He shot 10 of 15, 5 of 7, and 1 of 2 in a career high performance.

Bennett with 7 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals. He sho 1 of 5 but was 4 of 4 from the line.

Kou with 1 point and 1 board in 17 minutes. He has lost his starter job.

Radenvoic with 11 points, 1 board, and 1 assist in 23 minutes. He shot 4 of 9, 1 of 3, and 2 of 2.

Peterson with 13 points, 12 boards, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks in a monster performance that just wasn't quite enough.

Sockwell played 9 minutes less but he had 10 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.

Singleton was hot down the stretch which is why he played until the end. He finished with 5 points and 5 assists on 2 of 5 shooting.

[Eaglesfan27]

In a simulated game, we lose at BC (who were 15-3) 87-73. Bennett led us with 15 points and 5 assists. Brickens had 12, Sockwell 10, and Peterson 6. Radenovic in his 1st start had 3 points, 3 boards, and a block. Chancler came back to early and had 5 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

Our next game is at Miami. They are 13-3. Their best player SF Elijah Shehan is injured and is out for the game due to a wrist injury. He is rated 88 overall and is a 6'7 260 pound player who can shoot the 3 very well.

However, they have no less than 5 great 3 point shooters.

Sophomore PG Umrad Hancock is starting and is an unbelievable 3 point shooter. He was the #1 player in H.S. 2 years ago and is almost certainly going pro after this year. He is averaging 12 ppg and 4.3 apg despite sharing time with another great point guard behind him. He is rated 85 overall and is heavily slanted towards offense. His defense is just ok.

SR PG Leo Minor is also seeing about 20 mpg because he is also an unbelievable 3 point shooter who is more balanced defensively. He isn't as athletic but it's close. He is rated 84 overall. He is averaging 9.3 ppg and 3.3 apg.

JR Backup SF (but starter for now) Vakeaton Logie is a 6'6 210 pound 3 point specialist. He is also a good rebounder but almost all of this shots are from the arc. He is averaging 10 ppg and 6.2 rpg. He is rated 84 overall.

JR SG Deantoine Lamptey is a 6'4 225 pound amazing 3 point shooter. Seriously, I'd love to have just 1 of these kids. Amazing collection of shooters. He is averaging 9.7 ppg and 2.5 rpg. He is rated 84 overall.

JR PF Chester Munns is a 6'8 220 pound rebounding dynamo and a decent post scorer. He is averaging 10 ppg and 8 rpg. He is rated 83 overall.

Backup PG Harding Grochowalski is a slower PG who is a 3 point specialist. He is even better than anyone I have. He is averaging 6 ppg despite limited PT.

Their only weakness is inside with limited backups on the interior. They have a very good freshman starting at center though. Donnells Keeler is an athletic 6'11 250 pound center who is very good offensively but mediocre as a defender. He is rated 79 overall. He is averaging 7.5 ppg as he fouls out a lot.

Their backup PF's are both small and they don't have a backup center on the roster. Hopefully, we can get their starting PF and C in foul trouble and force the to play small and pound it inside on them. I think that is our only chance to stay in the game.

[Eaglesfan27]

Tied at 13 with 14 minutes to go as Peterson gets a rest. Our offense is coming from everyone while they are relying on their guards and hitting 3's.

Up 21-20 with 9:52 to go as Radeovic and Chancler have each hit 2 3's.


We didn't work it inside enough or effectively in the 1st half, but our 3 point shooting has kept us in the game. Down 40-35 at the half.


Lamptey has led their offense with 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting including 2 of 4 from the arc.

We have every starter with 5 or 6 points in what has to be our most balanced scoring of the year. Yeager also has 6 off the bench. The only disappointment is that Sockwell is 1 of 5 and Peterson is 2 of 5.


Oh yeah, I guess I've never really paid attention to Miami basketball before. I didn't realize they have a duck mascot.

A rough start to the 2nd half as we don't score for the first 5 minutes. No one is hitting the outside shots now and they are playing Peterson tough, but he is our only source of offense right now. Down 51-41 with 14 minutes to go and he needs a break. I bring in the entire 2nd unit.


We are down 61-49 with 10 minutes to go. Our interior scoring is starting to really click now, but they are bombing us from outside.


They just keep drilling 3's to further their lead. The closest we ever get it is the final margin of 14. We lose the game 85-71.

Peterson led us with 14 points, 5 boards, and 2 blocks. He shot 7 of 17 and was never to the line :(

Sockwell with 10 points, 2 boards, and a block. He shot 5 of 10 and was 0 of 5 from the line.

Chancler, Radenovic, and Brickens all went cold in the 2nd half. They each finished with 6. Bennett caught fire for a bit and ended up with 14 points but only had 2 assists. Yeager missed every shot in the 2nd half.


Lamptey led them with 18 points. Keeler was 2nd with 14. Minor and Grochowalski each had 10. Logie and Hancock each had 8.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are now 10-7 (1-4) and I'm fighting the temptation to sim the rest of this season to get to the next one so I can get some more outside talent around my guys.

I decide to sim the game against Powerhouse Maryland who has surprisingly struggled due to an injury to their top player. They are 11-5 still and ranked 17th in the polls.

We lose at home 84-81. Radenovic was our leading scorer with 15 points thanks to 11 of 12 FT shooting.

Kason had 13 points and 7 assists. Chancler with 8 points and 8 boards. Peterson with 13 points, 5 boards, and 2 blocks. Sockwell with 4 points, 6 boards, and 2 blocks.


I'll decide tomorrow if I'm going to sim the rest of the year. Our next game is against an extremely talented Georgia Tech team that has an overall rating that is 9 points higher. However, they are only 12-6.


Edit: Changed my mind. I'm simming it through now. We just don't have enough developed outside shooters. Chancler could be a much bigger player than I thought next year as our staff says he is developing the quickest of any player on my roster, particularly his 3 point shooting. However, I know this team isn't doing anything in the tourney, and that is the point now that I'm here.

[Eaglesfan27]

We lose badly to Georgia Tech, 96-58. Peterson fouled out in just 13 minutes and had 0 points. That will hurt his rookie of the year chances but that isn't reason enough for me to finish this year out as I'm anxious to see what the team can do next year.


Speaking of next year, a recruiting update:

We are hearing that Kurt Hicks the lone 3 star PF that I'm recruiting really wants to go to Bowling Green and that if they offer him a scholarship he is going to pick them. Otherwise, he is ours. I'm not sure if I should want him if they don't offer...

Everything looks great in the recruitment of Colin Sutton. The big PG should be competing with Raitis for PT next year and hopefully one of them will turn out to be a big time player.

It is looking likely we will lose PF Chris Dillon to Miami.

We are way behind Maryland for SG Cherokee Birley. If they don't offer, we have a good shot at getting him.

Damian Bruce has narrowed it down to us and North Carolina State. The Australian kid apparently likes this area of the country.



We lose at Clemson 93-51. Peterson was held to 9 points and 3 boards and he led our team in scoring.


Next up is 16-5 North Carolina which has turned things around as their young players are developing very quickly. They are now among the league powers in overall rating. We lose them to 91-75. Bennett led us with 18 points. Peterson was 2nd with 12 points, 5 boards, and 5 blocks! Then again, their starting center had 30 points and their PG had 28.

We are now 10-11, but the AD tells me that he still has faith in my ability to turn this program around.

[Eaglesfan27]

Riddick has returned from his injury.

After a few promising games, Radenovic has really fallen off and Kou is stepping up. I put him back in the starting lineup.


We lose to Miami (18-4) 85-70. Sockwell led us with 16 points, 6 boards, and a block. Peterson with 5 points and 5 boards in 25 minutes. Bennett with 14 points and 5 assists.


Finally, a team worse than us in overall talent. VT is 5-14. We go to their place and win 72-60. Brickens led our team with 15 points, 5 boards, and a block.


Time for a quick look at Niagara as we enter the last few weeks of Feb:

They are 23-3 (14-2) and are 2nd in the MAAC behind Siena. Nice to see them doing well still. Darn, Marco Christopher, the 5 star PG, has taken over the starting job :( Ahh, Simmons has been out for the last few weeks with a broken wrist. Their starting center has been out or a few weeks with a seperated shoulder as well. Makes their run even more impressive! Christopher has pulled up his scoring average to 8ppg now that he is starting but Simmons and Matera (the starting center) are still their leading scorers.

[Eaglesfan27]

We lose at GT, 90-68. Sockwell with 21 points and 8 boards. Riddick with 16 points and 3 boards. Peterson with 10 points.

We have one last OOC game stuck in the end of our schedule, Louisville. They are a program that has been down this year and are only 12-13. We win against them 84-69. Radenovic led us with 17 points. He is the likely starter next year since Kou will be graduating and I don't have any clear stud freshman SF coming in. Then again, one of the freshman we are recruiting might step up and take that job.


We lose to NC State 88-77. Brickens led us with 19 points. Peterson had 14 points, 5 boards, and 2 blocks.


Maryland is back on track and they easily handle us 88-70 to advance to 21-5. Sockwell goes down in the game and his season is over with a seperated shoulder :( Radenovic led us with 16 points off the bench.


We beat a struggling Virginia squad 92-72. Riddick led us with 22 points and 6 boards.

Our final game of the regular season is hosting Clemson who are 14-16. We win it 69-65. Peterson led us with 12 points, 11 boards, and 4 blocks.

We are now 14-15 as the ACC conference tourney begins.

[Eaglesfan27]

We start off with the extremely talented BC squad. They finished the year 21-9. They beat us 88-74. Kason had 21 points and 7 assists in his final college game.

Clemson pulls off a miracle and beats North Carolina then Duke, then North Carolina State to advance to the ACC Final. They get beat by Maryland in the final 78-64.


Here are the final ACC Standings from the regular season:

1. Maryland 25-5 (13-3)
2. Duke 22-7 (12-4)
3 FSU 23-8 (11-5)
4. Miami 22-8 (11-5)
5. GT 21-9 (11-5)
6 North Carolina State 19-13 (10-6)
7. North Carolina (injuries hit the last few weeks) 20-10 (9-7)
8. BC 22-10 (8-8)
9. Wake Forest 14-16 (4-12)
10. Clemson 17-18 (3-13)
11. Virginia 10-20 (2-14)
12. VT 6-21 (2-14)

[Eaglesfan27]

Selection Sunday Show Highlights:

North Carolina is listed as a bubble team. Other big bubble teams are Cal (21-11), LSU (22-10), and Kansas (20-10)


#1 Seeds: Maryland (East), Florida (South), West Virignia (Midwest), and Houston (West)


East Regional Matchups:

LSU got in as a #10 seed and will face #7 Detroit.

Interesting South Matchups:

#5 FSU vs #12 Dartmouth
Cal got in as a 11 seed, they will face #6 Michigan State
#7 GT vs #10 Troy (who was also a bubble team)

Midwest Matchups:

Texas is in as a 10 seed and will face #7 Villanova.
#2 UNLV will face a high scoring Oral Roberts team.

West Matchups:

#8 Saint Joseph's vs #9 UConn
#4 Saint Louis vs #13 ULM
#6 Miami vs #11 Arizona
Duke is a 3 seed.
North Carolina is a 10 seed and will face Saint Mary's.

6 ACC Squads made it in. The Big Ten, Big East, and Big 12 each also had 6. The Pac-10 only had 4 teams. The SEC only had 3 teams.


North Carolina was left out of the tournament which is always surprising. BC was also snubbed.

[Eaglesfan27]

USC finished the year 16-14 (6-12.) They are probably the only team I will leave Wake for unless I'm fired of course.


Niagara fell apart down the stretch and didn't make the tourney :( They finished the year 24-5 (13-5.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Final 4:

#2 Alabama vs #6 Miami and #1 Florida vs #7 Villanova. Miami and Florida are the 2 most talented teams left in the tourney. Duke lost in the 2nd round to Miami. In fact, Miami is the only ACC team to make it past the 2nd round.

Alabama beat Miami 72-71. Florida beat Villanova 100-68.


In the National Championship Game, Alabama won 76-75. Alabama's PG had 22 points and 5 assists to lead his team.



Garik Petersen, a senior center for Florida, won the player of the year. He averaged 22 ppg, 7 rpg, and 2.4 blocks per game.

Alex Konare, a SR C from Western Michigan, won the mid major player of the year. He averaged 21.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg, and 2.1 bpg.

Billy Donovan won Coach of the Year. He is now 55 and has a career record of 623-241.

Garik Petersen won Big Man of the Year.

Wow! Even after simming the rest of the year, Marion Peterson won Freshman of the Year!! His averages dropped once I started simming, but he finished with 11.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg, and 1.7 bpg.

No ACC players on either 1st or 2nd team All-American.

Marion was the only freshman to make the All-Freshman Team.

Austen Munns of Virginia won ACC Player of the Year. He averaged 21.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg, and 1.4 bpg.

Marion won ACC Freshman of the Year.

Georgia Tech had the only non-senior on the ACC 1st team, their P Monty Bakinde who averaged 16.4 ppg and 5.3 apg.

Chancler joined Peterson on the ACC All-Freshman Team. Duke also had 2 players on it, PG Devin Gatten and SF Dominick Vanttaja.



Good News! Wake Forest has offered me a 3 year extension which I accepted.

[gi]

Gratz on the extension! Good luck on the recruiting front.

[Eaglesfan27]

An impressive list of players graduating:

PF Brickens (82), PG Bennett (80), PF Riddick (78), SF Kou (76), PG Dixon (73), PG Collins (62), C Fulton (58), PG Turner (55). None of them was drafted.


Time to hopefully fill those scholarships (well most of them):


First we have the coaching Carousel...

It looks like Niagara's coach might leave.. he is being considered for some big jobs.. :(

FSU hire's WMU's head coach after firing the current coach.

BC's coach retired. They hire the head coach from Oral Roberts!

UCLA hires Drexel's Head Coach to replace their retired head coach!

San Francisco tries to hire me. I turn them and Valparaiso down and let everyone know that I'm not looking to make any backwards steps ;)

USC didn't fire Tim Floyd so no job moves for me this year.

Niagara's Head Coach didn't get any great job offeres, so he stayed :)



We didn't have any guys transfer away but with we didn't get any guys either. :(

Duke lost one of their young SG's who chose to transfer to Appaachian State!?!

Texas Tech lost a very good young PG who left to go to Detroit.



We have a good 1st day of recruiting as we get 2 committments:

PG Colin Sutton who is the 6'4 203 pound Mr. Basketball from Virignia. He is supposed to be a very good shooter, passer, and defender with good athleticism. He is a 4 star player ranked 81st overall and 34th among PG's. He averaged 14.8 ppg, 6.1 apg, and 2 spg in the ABL. He also shot 50% from the floor and 44% from the arc.

We also got 3 star PF Kurt Hicks. He is 6'8 202 pounds and ranked 271st overall and 39th among PF's. He averaged 10.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, and 2.5 bpg in the ABL. He is reportedly a good 3 point shooter and I'm hoping he can fill the Bowers role.

A refresher on our early signees:

PG Raitis Baldwin is a 6'2 182 pound PG who is also a 4 star player. He was ranked 62nd overall and 31st among PG's. He was Mr. Basketball in Ohio this year. He averaged 9.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.6 apg, and 2.9 spg in the ABL. He shot 37% from the floor and 30% from the arc. He is supposed to be a very good shooter though who is a great off ball defender.

We also got 6'6 205 pound SF Chakowby Pardon. He is a 4 star player who is ranked 88th overall and 18th among SF's. He is a solid but not spectacular shooter, but has spectacular athleticism. He averaged 13.4 ppg, 8.0 rpg, and 2 bpg in the ABL. He shot 36% from the floor and 32% from the arc.

I have 3 scholarships open now but only plan on filling 2 more. Preferably with either 2 SG's, or a 1 SG and a Forward.

[Eaglesfan27]

We lose out on several big names in the 1st week of recruiting. Specifically, I rally wanted Homer Chadwick, but I knew he was a very long shot. The Los Angeles player goes to Oregon.

Mr. Basketball for North Carolina wanted to come here, but I never offered a scholarship since I already had too many PG's I was recruiting. The 5'10 PG goes to Charlotte instead.

I wanted SF Earl Blackwell but he chose to stay close to home and will go to Texas A&M.

As expected, Chris Dillon chose Miami. :(


Guys we still have out there and offered:

SG Cherokee Birley. He really wants to go to Maryland, but they haven't offered. He wants to stay close to his home in NYC, but we still have a good shot at getting him if Maryland doesn't offer. He'd be my only small player on my squad, but I still like the athleticism and shooting he could bring to our squad. He averaged over 15 ppg in the ABL. We fly him down the see the campus this first week.


The end of the 1st week brings bad news. Cherokee Birley chose to sign with PSU who came out of left field :(

The more I see of Damian Bruce, the more I become worried about what he really is especially since I can't go watch any of his games in Austrailia...

Still, my assistant who is an expert evaluator loves the film. Looks like he will be my main SG target.

We are starting to look at 3 star SF Teddy Henning from Brooklyn. He is a 6'7 215 pound SF who is supposed to be a good shooter and decent defender. I have my best evaluator going to his game to watch him play.


I'm going to take a look at Taurance Visockis from Rhode Island. He is a 6'2 SG who reportedly is a very good shooter

In the 3rd week, I take a closer look at all of those players (without offering any of them yet) and also fly Teddy Henning in to visit the campus.

I'm close to offering Henning the last scholarship that I plan on offering.


2nd to last week of recruiting and it is time to make a decision as guys are going..

I'm not completely sold on Teddy Henning, but he did well in the ABL with 12.6 ppg and 7.5 rpg. There aren't any good PF's worth getting out there and at least he has enough size to play a bit of PF if we go small. I like the idea of having another taller SF that can shoot. I decide to offer him the scholarship. It is between us and Michigan State from the kid from Brooklyn. He is ranked 368th overall and 72nd among SF's.

We decide to press on in trying to get Damian Bruce as well since he is the only 4 star player still left out there among SG's.

Taurance Visockis is the backup planin case it looks like Bruce is just going to remain in Australia or sign with NCST, but we lead for Bruce at the moment.


As we enter the last week of recruiting, Bruce ends the suspense and signs with us. Hopefully, the limited tapes are right on him. Teddy also gladly signs with us. We have our class of 6. I'll keep the last scholarship unless I see some gem that just slipped through the cracks.. otherwise, it will remain for either a transfer or to be used next year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Hmm. None of the transfers were truly great players and our staff does spot a guy who they think could be an important role player for us since Peterson and Sockwell are the only 2 legitimate big guys on the roster now...

Patrice Abram is a 6'11 245 pound center from Santa Ana, CA. He is a 3 star player who is ranked 438th overall and 38th among centers. Our staff thinks he is a defensive specialist who rebounds well.. I need the insurance in case my guys foul out or just to give them breathers. I decide to offer him..

Will be interesting to see if he'll take it or not on such short notice...


He gladly signs with us over UCSB. So, no transfers for us. Then again, only 1 was a really good player last year and he went to a small school close to home.

Now to get to spring and take a look at the roster and see what we really got...

[Eaglesfan27]

Our class is ranked 15th!

The top 10:

1. Maryland: 4 All Americans, 4 5 star players!
2. UNLV: 2 All Americans both 5 stars, 2 4 stars, and 1 3 star.
3. Washington: 1 5 star player, 3 4 star players.
4. LSU: 2 All American 5 star players, 2 4 star players, 1 3 star player.
5. Alabama: 1 5 star, 3 4 stars, and 3 3 stars.
6. Oregon
7. Florida
8. Temple
9. Michigan State
10. Duke

[Eaglesfan27]

We replace our game on November 17th with a game at Niagara. The rest of the schedule remains unchanged.

A look at the roster by position:

The 2 Mr. Basketball PG's are both disappointing on first blush and neither is likely to start the 1st game at least.

Sophomore Michael Singleton has developed nicely. He is 6'1 185 pounds and is rated 76 overall. Has the best speed of the group and has really improved his 3 point shot during the offseason. He is the best defender of the group. Biggest weakness is stamina and consistency.

Colin Sutton is now 6'5 205 pounds and that works in his favor of possibly starting. He is almost as quick as Michael. He is a better 3 point shooter and a better passer but he isn't as good defensively as advertised and our staff thinks his potential was greatly overrated when we first looked at him. They don't think he is going to show much growth. He is rated 73 overall.

Freshman Raitis Baldiwn is 6'2 182 pounds. He is the slowest of the group and the worst defender. He is also the worst passer. However, he is the best 3 point shooter of the group, but struggles to shoot off the dribble and cannot create his own shot. He is rated 68 overall and our staff also believes his potential was greatly overrated. They are recommending redhsirting him, but I could see his 3 point shooting coming in handy some games..


While our freshman PG's are a disappointment, our International Freshman SG is a very pleasant surprise!

Damian Bruce is 6'1 195 stll, but he is very fast. In fact, he might be the fastest guy on the roster. He is also a solid 3 point shooter, a very good defender, and a good passer. His biggest weakness is his tendency to gamble and get into foul trouble. Rated 77 overall.

Sophomore Vidal Chancler continues to work on his game in the offseason and has become an above average 3 point shooter. He is a very good defender, particularly when he plays the passing lanes. Rated 77 overall.

JR Iker Yeager continues to improve and grow as he gained another inch and is now 6'4 222 pounds. He has become a servicable defender and is the best 3 point shooter on our roster which sadly still isn't great. He is rated 71 overall.

JR Martin Daniel is 6'3 205 and isn't bad as bad anymore. He has good athleticism and might see the floor occasionally if we have injuries at the position. Rated 70 overall.

RS FS SG Kory Watts is developing very slowly. Rated 65 overall and will never see the court.


Our freshman SF is just slightly disappointing as well:


SR SF Roscoe Radenovic looks like the clear starter. He is the better shooter, better defender (but it is very close), and the better passer. He is 6'6 215. He is rated 76 overall now.

FR SF Chakowby Pardon is 6'6 209. He isn't the shooter I expected, but he is a dynamic slasher who can finish very well at the rim. He is a great rebounder for his size. He also is a good shot blocker for his size with great leaping ability. Our staff doubts that he will improve much over the years.

SF Teddy Henning is 6'8 215 pounds. He is a very good 3 point shooter right now and could be a great one as he progresses. He is a liability as a defender though. He isn't much of a rebounder either. Our staff is recommending redshirting him and I'm considering it because I think he could become a special shooter with enough time to develop.. then again, I could use his offensive firepower when other guys are cold and just live with his defense.

PF:

I should list Sockwell here since he'll be our starting PF due to the lack of other solid options which makes me very glad I did pull the triggr on Abram...


Kurt Hicks is just slightly disappointing as well. He is 6'8 205 pounds now. He isn't quite as good as I expected from the arc, but he can definitely make it if open. He is a bad defender and isn't very quick. May have real trouble guarding SF's (which Bowers could do.) Also, a horrible passer. Rated 69 overall.

FR PF Jeremiah Quinn is a walkon from Glendale, Arizona. He is 6'9 201 pounds. Terrible in almost every area. Rated 55 overall.


Center is our undisputed strength of the team.

Marion Peterson continues to improve, although he remains 7'1 254 with no weight gain. He is now rated 99 in inside scoring! He is a 90 dunker. He is a good but not great post defender but is a great shot blocker. He is a good rebounder. Rated 81 overall. No range beyond a few feet. He is a good passer for a big man.

J.R. Sockwell gained 15 pounds and is now 7'1 269. He is the better midrange shooter and can even hit the occasional 3. Not a great post defender and not as good at shot blocking. He is the better rebounder. Has great stamina. Rated 78 overall.

Freshman Patrice Abram is now 6'11 257. He is a very pleasant surprise and I'm really glad I didn't hold this for a transfer. He is a surprisingly good interior scorer, the best post defender of the 3 of them, and the best at guarding perimeter defenders of the 3. He isn't a shot blocker despite his size and he isn't a great rebounder. Has excellent stamina. Rated 73 overall.


Our projected starting 5:

PG Singleton
SG Bruce (our staff thinks he will win the job from Chancler - we'll see)
SF Radenovic
PF Sockwell
C Peterson

6th man Chancler (or Bruce)
Key bench guys: Pardon, Abram. Sutton and Yeager will also get time.


Now, the tricky part of this all... we've heard from several sources that Marion Peterson is likely to go pro after this season. So, do I dare redshirt guys who could help us win this year while he is here.. specifically Raitis whose 3 point shooting could be critical if we are down and Henning.. tough decision.

[Eaglesfan27]

I decide to go against our staff's recommendation and will not redshirt Raitis or Henning. They'll get some time in games where we need more outside shooting.


A quick look at the early recruiting scene:

I only have 1 scholarship this year so it will be a tough decision. I'm going to go after a dream prospect for the early period.

There are 2 5 star kids who are local. It would seem obvious to make a strong play for 1 of them:

K.D. McCoy is a 6'8 208 pound PF from Fayetteville, NC. He is a 5 star All American who is ranked 11th overall and 1st among PF's. He averaged 9 ppg and 16 rpg in the ABL. He is a great rebounder who can shoot and play defense. Duke and NC State are at the top of his list.

A.B. Kampman is a 6'5 200 pound SF from Charlotte, NC who is also an All-American. He is ranked 20th overall and 3rd among SF's. He averaged 16.6 ppg and 7.4 rpg. He is extremely fast and can shoot very well. He has less interest in us and currently favors Pitt and GT.

We invite McCoy to campus and I personally fly to Kampman's home in the 1st week of the season.

We are also pursuing Lamont Sherrod and have been since last year. Of course last year we didn't know that he would be the #1 SF this year. He is ranked 9th overall. He is a 6'7 200 pound player from Pasadena, TX. Our staff believes he is 1 of the top 3 shooters in the country. He averaged just over 15 ppg and 8 rpg in the ABL. I fly out to his home as well.

We also have a high amount of interest from JC SF Jon Paul Jelenic who is a 5 star player from San Antonio. I have one of my assistants fly out to meet him as I'm pretty sure he is all A&M or Texas.

[Eaglesfan27]

Wow. We have actually have a good shot at getting K.D. McCoy to sign with us early! It's between us and Duke.. and with the very high interest he is showing in us, he is the one that I offer scholarship to.


In the following week, days before we play our first regular season game, we get bad news. McCoy has been offered by Duke and he is going there barring them pulling his offer. I'm sre that isn't happening, so I pull his offer.

Our staff loves Jon Paul Jelenic the 5 star JC SF and we are very much in the race for him still. We have zero chance for Sherrod who is strongly leaning towards Texas. We still have a chance at Kampman, but our staff likes Jelenic more.. I hope they are right.

We offer Jelenic and have him fly to the campus. He tells us that we are his #1 option right now.

We also have Sherrod fly in even though he is either Texas or Texas A&M.



Our first game of the year is at Wofford. They are much lower rated than we are and we are expected to win comfortably. Their best player and only good player is Sophomore Center Leighton Cornette who is 6'11 259 and is a good interior scorer. The rest of the squad is horrible with no one other players rated higher than 67.

[Eaglesfan27]

A surprisingly slow start. Bruce has missed his first 2 shots, but he shows great quickness and speed out there. We are up 7-6 with 13:30 to go as we bring in Chancler, Pardon, and Abram. I'm really excited by the athleticism and dunking ability I've seen out of Pardon in practice...


With 10:19 to go, we are on a 8-0 run but Michael is tired. Colin Sutton comes into the game for the first time.

We were up 20-10 but we give up a 6-0 run. I call a TO in disgust and get our starters back in. Up 20-16 with 5 minutes left in the half.

A bad first half. We gave up too many turnovers (particularly by Peterson and Sockwell) and we allowed too many open shots which they hit. We are up 26-24 at the half.

Chancler is the player of the half. He had 9 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal.

19:42 to go and Bruce scores his first points with a pump fake and quick drive into the lane where he is fouled.

Up 40-36 with 15:40 to go. Everyone except Peterson rests.

Up 52-41 with 9:41 to go. Chancler is really heating up. I decide to get Henning into the game to see if he can add to the offensive onslaught. Peterson gets to rest for a few. I really like how Colin's height has disrupted their passing lanes.

I know our team unity is low and we are playing on the road, but I can't believe we are only up 60-59 after they hit a 3. 3 minutes left.

They take the lead several times in the last 3 minutes, but Peterson or Sockwell always responds. We finally get it to a 5 point lead and they hit a 3 to make it 68-66 with 17 seconds left. They foul Singleton to try to keep the game going.

He makes both FT's. They miss a quick 3 and we get it Bruce who is so fast that he runs off about 5 seconds before they catch him to foul him. He hits both FT's to give us our final score.

We win the game 72-66.

Chancler was the player of the game with 20 points, 2 boards, 2 steals, and an assist. He shot 7 of 13, 5 of 8, and 1 of 2.

Singleton with 8 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers.

Bruce with 10 points, 2 boards, and a steal. He shot 2 of 5, 2 of 3, and 4 of 4.

Radenovic with 2 points, 3 boards, and 1 assist. I may end up playing some 3 guard lineups in the future with Chancler and Bruce on the floor.

Sockwell with 10 points, 8 boards, and 2 blocks. He shot 4 of 8 and 2 of 2 from the line.

Peterson with 11 points, 7 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. He shot 3 of 7 and 5 of 8 from the line.

Pardon with 5 points, 1 assist, and 2 steals. He shot 2 of 5 in his debut.

Abram with 0 points, 9 boards, and 2 assists.

Sutton with 2 points, 2 boards, 1 steal, and 1 block as well as generally good defense that disrupted the passing lanes.

Henning with 4 points and 1 turnover. He shot 1 of 2 and 2 of 2 from the line.

Baldwin didn't play and I'll try to rectify that in our 2nd game. Neither did Yeager who I don't want to completely forget about.

[Eaglesfan27]

We start our MAAC reunion tour with a game against Manhattan (which was not scheduled by me) and I decide to sim that one instead of the 3rd game which is our game against Niagara.

In the simulated game, it is unexpectedly close, but we win at home 72-65. Peterson was our leading scorer with 19 points, 7 boards, and a steal. He shot 7 of 18, 1 of 2, and 4 of 6.

Sutton had 11 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals in just 12 minutes.

Bruce had 10 points and 4 assists.

Radenovic had 0 points, 0 boards, 1 assist, and 1 turnover.

Chancler played 31 minutes and had 7 points, 7 boards, and 3 steals.



Next up is at Niagara. They are 3-0. They are led by Israel Simmons who is now a senior that is rated 85 overall! He is expected to be drafted after graduating. He is averaging 11 ppg. Garik Blizzard, their SG is rated 84 overall and is a very fast player who can beat anyone on my roster down the court. He is also flirting with the draft, except he would be leaving a year early. Backup PG Marco Christopher is now a sophomore who is rated 80 overall. He is playing 28 minutes per night and is their leading scorer at 12 per game. Center Andy Matera is a very good inside scorer who is averaging over 21 ppg. He is rated at an 80 overall. Elliah Halsch is a solid rebounding PF whois rated 78 overall. They have a good bench too led with 2 solid centers who are both rated 76 and are each 6'10 in the 240-250 pound range.


On the recruiting front, word is that Jelenic wants to be close to his parents in San Antonio. Therefore, he has moved Baylor ahead of us on his list and we are going to have a tough time prying him out of Texas. Sherrod is a solid commit for Texas as soon as he can send in the papers. It looks unlikely we are going to get any of the 5 star kids early.

[Eaglesfan27]

So, I'm starting my game at Niagara and I notice their overall roster strength score is better than mine and multiple teams in the ACC. Heh. I guess the new coach has done a really good job of building on what I left there. They also have much much better unity.


After we miss our first shot, Simmons blows by Singleton and then dishes it back out to Garik Blizzard who drills the open 3.


With 13:29 left, Simmons and Matera are killing us. Matera can hit from 12-14 feet and is a good inside scorer. However, he is a weak defender and Peterson has 9 already with 2 dunks. We give Peterson, Radenovic, and Bruce a rest. It's been a very fast tempo game so far.

With 10:55 to go, Simmons sits and Christopher comes into the game for them. Lisinic has been hitting 3's the last 2 possessions and has 7 points for them. Glad to see he became a valuable contributor to the team.

After a miss by Christopher, we get a fastbreak in which Chancler throws up a great alley oop that finished with great flair by Pardon!

With 9:22 to go, Singleton rests and Raitis Baldwin comes into the game for the 1st time. Peterson also comes back resting Sockwell.

With 9 minutes left, they bring back Simmons who is playing SG with Christopher remaining at PG.

After Simmons gets a few minutes of rest, they bring him back and go with a 3 guard alignment of Christopher, Simmons, and Blizzard. Lisinic who has been their top scorer needs the break. We are tied at 30.

First play after that, Simmons steals it.. passes it ahead to Christopher who slams it on the break. Their crowd is going crazy.

That starts a 6-0 run before Bruce answers, but Blizzard hits a 3 and then Simmons hits a 12 footer to make it 41-32.

We go into the half down 46-38.

Our biggest issue right now is too many turnovers. We've turned it over 10 times compared to 5 for them.

Matera is the player of the half with 14 points and 5 boards. Most of his shots are from 12 to 14 feet. Simmons has 7 points, 3 assists, and 2 turnovers.

Peterson leads us with 12 points, 3 boards, and a block. Pardon with 8, Bruce with 7, and Radenovic with 6.


We are trying to slow things down but they keep running at every opportunity. We are down 55-44 with 14:39 to go.

With 10:02 to go, we tie it at 62. We are on a 10-0 run.

After begin tied at 71, we allow a steal by Simmons which leads to a 3 by Lisinic. Bruce misses an answering 3 and they get a 14 footer by Christopher on the wing. Down 76-71 with 3 minutes to go.

I decide to go with Singleton, Bruce, Chancler, Sockwell, and Peterson for the best offensive chances.

Matera strips it from Peterson right before he went up for a dunk. Matera with a 14 footer at the other end.

Singleton with a 3 to keep us in it. Blizzard with a drive in the lane gets a 5th foul on Peterson :( They hit both FT's to make it 80-74.

Bruce at the other end with a quick jumper and then Singleton steals it.. he passes to Chancler who misses a midrange shot.. Sockwell with the board but he misses the putback.. they get the rebound :(

We intentionally foul Matera who hits both FT's.

Bruce misses a quick 3.. Sockwell gets the board, but has it stolen when he tries to pass out.

I thought it was definitely over.. but with 9 seconds left Bruce hits a 3.. then Singleton steals it and Chancler hits a 3! 84-82 with 3.3 seconds left...

Darn it.. we can't catch Simmons who broke away from Singleton and they run off 3 seconds before we foul him. He misses the FT's, but it doesn't matter as there is only .2 seconds left.


We lose 84-82. Hopefully, the rest of the year will make us a quality win for them that will help them get into the tourney.


Matera was the player of the game with 22 points, 9 boards, 3 steals, and a block.

Simmons had 11 points, 5 assists, 5 turnovers, and a block for them. He shot 3 of 7, 1 of 3, and 4 of 5.

Garik Blizzard had 15 points and 6 assists for them. He shot 5 of 13, 3 of 7, and 2 of 2.

Lisinic had 16 points and 6 boards. He shot 5 of 11, 4 of 7, and 2 of 2. C

We held Christopher to 7 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 3 of 7, 0 of 0, and 1 of 2.



Peterson led us with 22 points, 7 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block. He shot 10 of 13, 0 of 0, and 2 of 4.

Chancler had 14 points, 3 boards, and 2 assists in 21 minutes. He shot 5 of 8, 3 of 4, and 1 of 2.

Bruce had 12 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals in 22 minutes but he shot 5 of 13.

Sockwell with 6 points, 10 boards, 5 assists, and 3 blocks. He shot 3 of 9.

Pardon with 12 points, 2 boards, and 2 steals. He shot 5 of 7.

Baldwin with 3 points, assists, and 2 boards in 15 minutes. He shot 1 of 3, 1 of 2, and 0 of 0.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is in the Blackjack Shootout Tourney, which I think is humorous. I decide to sim the first game of the tourney which is against a much weaker Delaware squad. We win 95-86. Radenovic led us with 23 points, 4 boards, and a block. He shot 8 of 13, 2 of 4, and 5 of 7.

Sockwell had 17 points, 6 boards, and a block. Peterson had 13 points, 5 boards, and a block.

Chancler led the bench with 12 points and 4 assists. Bruce only had 5 points and 1 assist. Singleton had 0 points but had 8 assists. Baldwin had 7 points and 2 assists and hit every shot he took.

Our next game in the tourney is against a good South Florida squad that is 3-1. They are a team that has a strong frontcourt and a decent backcourt.


We are just a bit over a week away from the 1st day recruits can sign early.


Edit: Forgot to mention that while their frontcourt is talented, they are very small. Their biggest player is 6'8 230.

[Eaglesfan27]

We start off with Bruce hitting 2 outside shots, then we start pounding it inside to take advantage of the size of our guys. Up 10-4 with 15:30 to go in the half.

Also, we are trying out some 1-3-1 zone matchup that we haven't used in a very long time to mix things up when teams get in a stretch of shooting well.

Up 14-7 with 13:40 to go. We rest Sockwell and Singleton, Abram and Sutton come in.

A 8-0 run tes it at 16 with 11 minutes to go before Radenovic hits a 3 for us to end it.

Up 26-18 with 9:12 to go. We rest all of our starters who are still in the game and bring back Sockwell.

Singleton returns with 7:03 to go. Up 29-20.

Up 35-20 with 4:14 to go, Bruce and Peterson return to the game.


We are up 48-33 at the half.

Sockwell is the player of the half with 10 points, 4 boards, and a block.

Bruce has 11 for us at the half. He is 4 of 6, 3 of 4, and 0 of 0 so far.




We are up 56-39 with 14:51 to go as Singleton sits down for Sutton.


We are up 68-46 with 9:38 to go. Balanced scoring from my team today.


Up 74-56 with 5:15 to go, we get Baldwin and Henning into the game.


We win the game 84-66.


Peterson was the player of the game with 14 points, 9 boards, 4 assists, and 1 block. He shot 6 of 7 from the field, and 2 of 2 from the line. He only played 25 minutes today since I pulled him early with the big lead.

Sockwell had 16 points, 7 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal, and a block. He shot 7 of 11, 0 of 1, and 2 of 2. He played 30 minutes.

Singleton with 8 points, 4 assists, and 3 turnovers. He shot 3 of 7. He played 23 minutes.

Bruce with 13 points, 1 board, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He shot 4 of 8, 3 of 5, and 2 of 2. He played 25 minutes.

Radenovic with 8 points, 3 boards, 2 steals, and a block. He shot 3 of 8, 2 of 6, and 0 of 0. He played 23 minutes.

In 15 minutes, Chancler only had 4 points, 3 boards, and a steal. He shot 2 of 6, 0 of 3, and 0 of 0.

Pardon had 4 points, 3 boards, and a steal in 17 minutes. He shot 1 of 5, 0 o 3, and 2 of 2.

Abram with 4 points, 4 boards, and a block in 19 minutes. He shot 2 of 4.

Sutton with 5 points and an assist in 12 minutes. He shot 2 of 2 and 1 of 2 from the line.

Baldwin with 5 points and an assist in 5 minutes. He shot 1 of 2, 1 of 1, and 2 of 2.

Henning with 3 points in 5 minutes. He shot 1 of 1.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is at a very good Iowa team. They have 4 very good guards. SR PG Andy Mulholland is the best of the bunch. He is 6'0 188. He is a great passer, great defender, extremely fast, and is a good shooter. His only weakness is that he does commit a lot of fouls. He is rated 87 overall.

Jerry Grant is a 6'4 219 pound JR SG who is the fastest player on their team and is a great 3 point shooter. He is averaging 19 ppg this year. He is rated 86 overall. He is expected to go pro after this year.

Quincy Mendez is a 6'3 210 pound SR PG who is rated 85 overall. He is a great defender, and a very good shooter. He is also a great passer. He is rated 85 overall.

Sophomore PG Marcel Camper is a 6'2 182 pound slasher with great athleticism who can also pass well. He isn't the shut down defender the other players are but he is good. He is rated 83 overall.

Freshman Center William Ivey isn't bad either. He is 6'10 230 and is a defensive specialist. He doesn't score a lot, but he is a tremendous shot blocker and good post defender who can rebound well. He is rated 81 overall.

Sophomore PF Hugh McKnight is the weak link of the main players. He is a 6'7 220 pound player who doesn't excel in any area but his strength is rebounding. He is rated 75 overall.

SF Richard Root is a 6'7 205 pound Sophomore who is a 3 point shooter primarily. He is a poor defender. He is rated 78 overall.

Their entire bench is rated 73 or higher in overall talent. Should be a huge challenge.

[Eaglesfan27]

I tell my guys to play a slow tempo this game to try to neutralize their athletic advantage at the guard positions and to work it inside to try to get their front court in foul trouble.

Both are working early, we are up 6-5 with 16:13 to go and we get a 2nd foul on Ivey.

With 12:51 to go, we go to our bench. We are down 12-9.

Our defense is getting shredded by backdoor cuts. Down 25-21 with 7:10 to go. We get our starters back into the game.

Our defense really clamped down the last 7 minutes. Down 30-28 at the half. I like our slow paced attack and tough defense that I saw. I'll probably slow things down more in future games too. This is also the first game we really worked in the 1-3-1 matchup zone.


Sockwell and Peterson each lead our team with 8.


Leading 48-43 with 10:36 left as we go to the bench. They must play better than they did in the 1st half.

Good job by them, particularly Chancler on offense and Abram on defense. We are up 59-55 with 4:20 left as our starters all return.

Radenovic with back to back jumpers from the wing combined with great defense has us up 63-55 with 2:26 to go.

They foul us the last minute and get some 3's to make it close, but we win the game 67-63.

Peterson was the player of the game with a tremendous defensive performance. He had 14 points, 7 boards, 6 blocks (a new career high), 3 assist, and 2 steals. He shot 7 of 12, 0 of 0, and 0 of 4.

Singleton with 2 point, 4 assists, a block, and 2 turnovers.

Bruce with 11 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He shot 5 of 7, 1 of 3, and 0 of 0.

Radenovic with 7 points, 5 boards, and a block. He shot 3 of 7, 0 of 3, and 1 of 2.

Sockwell with 15 points, 5 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He shot 7 of 9, 1 of 1, and 0 of 3.

Chancler with 7 points in 15 minutes.

Pardon with 4 points and 2 steals in 12 minutes.

Abram with 4 points, 0 boards, and 1 block in 20 minutes.

Sutton with 3 points, 1 board, 1 assist, and 1 steal in 12 minutes.


A very nice road upset for us to advance to 5-1!

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is hosting 5-2 Vanderbilt. They don't have any stars but they have a bunch of very good players. Their best player is SF Walt Burrowes. He is a 6'7 215 pound SF who is a great midrange shooter. He is also one of the best dunkers in college basketball and has good athleticism to get to the rim. He is rated 80 overall. His weakness is his defense. He is averaging 10 ppg and 6 rpg.

SR Center Anand Whitney is 7'0 240. He is a below average defender but is an excellent passer and scorer. He is very good from out to 14 feet. He is rated 79 overall. He is averaging 16 ppg and 8 rpg.

PG Warren Kandji is a 6'1 191 pound junior. He is a great 3 point shooter, a good passer, and a good ball handler. He is also above average defensively. He is rated 78 overall. He is averaging 8 ppg and 5 apg.

SG Cortney Jordan is a 6'7 220 pound SR who prefers to post up his man. He doesn't have a very good jump shot, but he is good around the rim. Defensively, he is very good and he has exceptional speed. He is rated 78 overall. He is averaging 9 ppg.

JR PF Bennet Laurie is a 6'8 230 pound player who is a great shot blocker. He is an above average post scorer with some range on his shot. He also has great ability in the clutch. His biggest weakness is his tendency to get into foul trouble and his stamina. He is rated 78 overall. He is averaging 10 ppg, 9 rpg, and 1 bpg.

The bench is strong with PG Ralph Swoger, a freshman 3 point specialist, freshman SF Dwon Keeler, a strong defender, and SG Matthew Berrelleca, an all around solid player.

[Eaglesfan27]

Vanderbilt scores 4 fast break points before my attempts to slow it down actually work. We are tied at 6 with 15 minutes left in the half when Sockwell picks up his 2nd foul on what I thought was a clean block. I rest him for Abram.

Up 17-16 with 9:51 to go, we bring back Sockwell and rest those starters who still haven't had a break.


We go back to our starters with 4:02 left. We are up 30-26.


Sockwell with a great 4 minutes. His short to midrange jumper is on fire and he is getting some open looks when they double down on Peterson.

We are up 40-32 at the half.

Sockwell is the player of the half with 12 points, 6 boards, 1 steal, and 1 assist.

Up 49-43 as Peterson picks up a 3rd foul with 13:42 to go in the game. We rest several of our starters.

Up 56-54 with 8:42 to go, we get Peterson, Radeovic, and Singleton back into the game.

Up 64-55 with 4:32 to go as Peterson has scored the last 6 points and had a big block (as well as altering another shot.)

They are hitting some 3's now, but Peterson or Sockwell is scoring on every possession for us. 68-61 with 2:46 to go.

Radenovic with an open 3 and he makes it! 71-62.

After missing an earlier one, Sockwell hits an open 3! 74-64.



Radenovic with a three to end it. 77-64 win. :)




Sockwell was the player of the game with 21 points, 11 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He shot 10 of 14, 1 of 2, and 0 of 0. When he has his jumper going, he is virtually unstoppable. I just hope he doesn't end up going pro with Peterson this year which is a distinct possibility.

Peterson with 16 points, 8 boards, 4 assist, and 2 blocks.

Singelton with 5 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals.

Bruce with 1 points, 1 board, and 1 assist. He shot 3 of 6, 2 of 5, and 3 of 4.

Radenovic with 8 points, 1 board, 3 assists, and a block. He shot 2 of 4, 2 of 3, and 2 of 4.

Chancler was 1 of 7 and only had 2 points.

Pardon with 8 points and 2 boards. He shot a perfect 3 of 3 and 2 of 2 from the arc.

Abram with 6 points, 5 boards, and a block in 20 minutes.

Raitis Baldwin played 11 minutes and missed his only shot. He did have 2 assists and a board.


Now, we start the early recruit signing stage....

[Eaglesfan27]

As expected, Lamont Sherrod, the #1 SF in the nation signs close to home with Texas. He is going to be a monster scorer.

As expected, K.D. McCoy signs with Duke. He is the #1 PF in the nation and I would have loved to get him, but I knew it was futile to keep pursuing him.

Several 4 stars that I was pursuing as backup options also sign with Michigan State, Michigan, NC State, and Texas Tech.


The good news is that Jon Paul Jelenic did not sign with Baylor. He is still debating between our offers and hasn't made up his mind. If he signs early, it will probably be with Baylor. If he doesn't sign early, I like our chances to change his mind.



I decide to sim our only game this week which is at a 2-5 Yale team that we should handle easily. With our new slower tempo, it is closer than expected, but we win 56-53. Sockwell and Peterson both fouled out early. Still, they both led us in scoring. Peterson had 14 and Sockwell had 10.


Now to see if we lose our guy to Baylor...

[Eaglesfan27]

We didn't! He is going to wait a while longer to pick his school! I think this gives us a great chance at getting him. However, Houston has also entered the fray and they could be a serious challenger for his services.


Georgia Tech got the other big prospect from North Carolina when A.B. Kampman signed with them. He is the #3 SF in the country and #20th overall. We pursued him early, but he never showed much interest in us.

Pitt got a great shooter when they signed SF Russ Schifino this week.



We are now 7-1 and face off next at a tough Louisville squad. They are 6-3.

They are led by star PG Rob Meyer. He is 6'3" and 200 pounds. He was the 9th best player 4 years ago and it is surprising he stuck around for his senior year. He is expected to be a high 1st round pick this year. He is a great shooter, an excellent defender, and a playmaker. He is a true coach on the floor. He is averaging 12.3 ppg and 6.3 apg. He is rated 87 overall.

Sophomore Center Clayton Logan is considering going pro as well this year. He is a 7'0 220 pound shot blocking machine, who is also a good rebounder, and can score a bit. He is averaging 9.6 ppg, 10.1rpg, and 2.4 bpg. He is rated 83 overall.

They have 2 excellent PF's who are both rated 81. Sophomore Luis Victor is 6'8 240 pounds and is the offensive player between the two. He has 3 point range and can hit from almost anywhere on the court. Hall Tran is a 6'11 230 pound player who can shoot well, but is a great defender. Victor is averaging 14 ppg and Tran is averaging 10 ppg along with 2.4 blocks per game.

Freshman SG Paris Jameson is a 6'3 195 pound slasher who has tremendous quickness. He is averaging 8 ppg and almost 3 steals per game with his very quick hands. He is rated 76 overall.

The bench is strong 4 deep with the other big bench player being Center Corwin Mann. He is 6'10 265 and is mostly a defensive presece.

[Eaglesfan27]

Browser crash made me lose most of my 1st half summary. It's been a physical game with Radenovic getting into early foul trouble.

We are down 24-20 with 6 minutes to go in the half. Peterson has been most of our offense today.


At halftime, we are down 33-29. Each side is shooting just under 40%. It is amazing how much better our defense is with this slow down offense. We are playing strong transition defense and really letting our big forwards buckle down on defense.


Victor leads them with 9 points and 9 boards and is the player of the half.

Peterson leads our squad with 13 points, 4 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block (should be 2 except for a BS goal tending call.)



They start of the half with a 8-0 run. We bring in Chancler and Abram with 16 minutes to go. Down 41-29.

We are letting them run now and they are tearing us apart.


Down by 18 with 8 minutes to go, we get our best 3 point shooting lineup in there with Baldwin, Bruce, and Henning in the game.

Bruce is having a terrible game, missing wide open 3's all game long and playing bad defense.


We just can't close the gap. We lose the game 82-56.

Meyer led the team with 18 points and 5 assists. He shot 7 of 9, 2 of 2, and 2 of 2. He also had 3 steals and 2 blocks.

Victor finished with 14 points, 10 boards, and 2 blocks for them.


Peterson led us with 21 points, 7 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. He shot 8 of 16, 1 of 1, and 4 of 5.

No one else had more than 7 which is what Chancler had in 22 minutes.

Bruce ended up the night 1 of 10.


We drop to 7-2, but our next game is against a very weak UT-Arlington squad followed by an even weaker CS Northridge.

[Eaglesfan27]

We win our simulated game against UT-Arlington 108-45! Sockwell led us with 33 points, 4 boards, and 4 blocks. Peterson had 20 points, 5 boards, and 3 blocks. Radenovic had 11 points, 8 boards, and 2 blocks. Singleton had 15 points and 7 assists. Bruce had 6 points and 2 boards. Chancler did much better off the bench with 10 points, 11 boards, and 4 assists. Chancler is close to re-earning his starting spot.


I decide to sim the game against CS Northridge which is surprisingly close despite being at our place. We win 72-64. Peterson led our squad with 24 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, and 1 block. Sockwell and Radenovic each had 10. Chancler again out played Bruce with 8 points, 6 assists to Bruce's 6 points and 3 assists.


Our next game is hosting a Boise State squad that is 1-10 but actually have good talent on their roster. Specifically, they have 3 great shooter. SG Evan Williingham is only 5'10 165 pounds, but he can shoot from anywhere on the court. He is rated 77 overall with all of the defensive skills being his weak areas. PG Darrell Horton is 6'2" 183 pounds and he is just as good of a 3 point shooter. He is average in most other areas. He is rated 76 overall. Freshman SF Rostislav Cross is a 6'8 215 pound SF who can shoot the 3 very well and is the type of player I'd like to have. He isn't very good defensively though. In fact, no one on this team is very good defensively which may explain their 1-10 record.

Their biggest center is only 6'9 220 and isn't very talented. He is rated 68 overall. Their PF is 6'9 220 as well and is rated 71 overall with decent abilities in rebounding.

Chancler will move back into the starting lineup for this game.

[Eaglesfan27]

After a good start, we allow a 9-0 run. I call a timeout with 14:30 to go and down 13-7. We sub in Sutton and Bruce for more defensive intensity.

Their speed and 3 point shooting is killing us! We can't lose to this 1-10 team :( We are down 33-19 with 7 minutes left in the half.


Down 45-33 with 1:20 to go in the half as Peterson picks up a 3rd foul. Raitis Baldwin and Chancler have been hitting some 3's to try to get us back into it.

At halftime we are down 49-35. They are shooting 50% from the arc on 7 of 14 shooting. We are 4 of 14 from the arc. Time to go back to pounding it inside rather than falling into the trap of trying to outshoot them from outside. Also, we are being hurt badly by turnovers and points off turnovers as they are running a full court trap that is giving our ball handlers trouble.

Willingham has 22 points for them at the half on 8 of 10 shooting, 3 of 4 from the arc, and 3 of 4 from the line.


We just never find an answer for their 3 dynamic 3 point shooters. We lose a very embarassing game at home 101-67.

Chancler is supposed to be an excellent defender but he could not keep up with Willingham's speed. Willingham led them with 29 points on 11 of 16 shooting. Horton had 22 points and 11 assists. Cross had 19 points and 12 boards. Very embarassing defensive performance.


Sockwell lead our tam in scoring with 19 points, 6 boards and a steal. He shot 8 of 17, 0 of 2, and 3 of 3.

Peterson with 13 points, 6 boards, and 2 assists.

Chancler had 9 points, 4 boards, 4 assists, and 2 steals in 29 miutes. He shot 3 of 11.

Bruce with 8 points, 3 boads, and 3 steals in 25 minutes. He shot 3 of 9, 0 of 3, and 2 of 2.

Radenovic was abused defensively and only had 4 points and 3 bards. He shot 1 of 5 from the field.

[Eaglesfan27]

I planned on simming the next game against a weak Valparaiso team, but I want to get an easy win under my belt after that horrible performance. Valparaiso only has 1 good player, SR SG Scott Perry and he isn't a great 3 point shooter, although he is above average. He is rated 79 overall. All of their players have overalls of under 70 and none of them are great 3 point shooters.

[Eaglesfan27]

Not the easy game I was hoping for.. we are down 15-10 with 13 minutes to go as Singleton and Peterson get a breather.

One good thing.. we have them in the bonus with 11:40 to go in the half.


With 9:16 to go, we take our first lead on a Chancler 3. 20-18.


After a Peterson slam, our crowd is going crazy. We get off a 8-0 run..

We use that to build a 10 point lead which lasts at halftime. We are up 38-28.

Pierce and Perry each have 10 for them, but Chancler is the player of the half with 9 points on 3 of 6 shooting, 3 of 5 from the arc.

Peterson has 9 and Radenovic 7 at the half.

We are up 50-40 with 13 minutes to go in the game as I bring in Sutton, Pardon, and Abram.

Peterson is back with 8 minutes to go. We are up 59-48.


We win the game 72-60 as Peterson scores consistently down the stretch.

Peterson is the player of the game with 22 points, 7 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He shot 10 of 16, 0 of 0, and 2 of 4.

Sockwell with 8 points, 11 boards, 6 assists, and a block.

Singleton with 2 points and 2 assists in 21 minutes.

Chancler with 9 points for the game. He only played 22 minutes.

Radneovic with 9 points and 4 boards in 22 minutes.

Bruce with 7 points, 2 boards, and 2 assists in 21 minutes.

Pardon with 9 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals in 17 minutes.

Sutton with 0 points and 3 assists in 19 minutes.

Baldwin with 3 points in 5 minutes. He hit his only shot.

Henning with 3 points and an assist in 5 minutes.

[Eaglesfan27]

A quick look at Niagara. They are 12-1 and are 1st in the mid major poll. They have a overall roster strength than we do still. Matera is leading the team at 17 ppg. Simmons is averaging 14 ppg. Christopher is 3rd on th team with 8 ppg.


In recruiting news, all sources indicate Jelenic is staying close to home at either Baylor or Houston. Therefore, we decide to rescind his offer.

We start more actively looking at a wider net of 3 and 4 star players who might fight our team needs. I think our shooters are going to continue to develop, I want to find a shut down defender if I can...

I decide to come hard after a local kid who I overlooked before. B.A. Gardner is a 6'7 229 pound PF who our staff believes is a very good defender. He is a 3 star player who is close to being a 4 star. He is ranked 182nd overall and 25th among PF's.


We win our simulated game against a weaker Ohio squad 75-71. Pterson led our squad with 22 points, 4 boards, and 2 blocks. Sockwell had 13 points, 12 boards, and a block. Pardon had 13 points and 3 boards off the bench.

We are 11-3 as we enter into conference play with a very difficult game at Georgia Tech. They are 10-1 and are 2nd in the media poll. They are loaded with 4 star players and a very deep bench:

PF Scooter Gross is a 6'6 211 pound sophomore from New Orleans. He is rated 88 overall. He is a dynamic inside and outside scorer. He can shoot from 3 as well as a variety of great scoring moves inside. He is also a big time rebounder for his size. He is averaging 13 ppg and 10 rpg. He was the #1 player in the country 2 years ago in H.S. He is expected to go pro after this season.

PG Monty Bakinde is banged up and is questionable for the game. He is 6'2 177 pounds and is from Springfield, MO. He is extremely fast and is a great 3 point shooter. He is also one of the best defenders in the country on the perimeter. He is rated 88 overall. He is expected to be in the NBA next year. He was the #14 player overall in H.S. a few years ago. He is averaging 14 ppg and 5 apg.

Center Jamie Andrisevic is a 6'11 250 pound player from Mobile, Alabama. He is rated 87 overall. He is a great post defender, a very good inside scorer, and a a great rebounder. He is averaging 20 ppg, 8rpg, and 2 bpg. I don't know how, but they have kept him for 4 years. He is expected to be a high 1st round pick next year. He was the 24th player overall in his class.

SG Tanoris Moreno is a 6'5 226 pound junior from Jackson, MS. He is incredibly fast. He is a great perimeter defender who can really break down defenses. He is averaging 10.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4 apg, and 2 spg. He may go pro this year. He was the 22nd player in his class.

SF is their only weakness and as a result one of their 4 backup guards who are rated above 80 will probably play a lot of SF. In total, they have 9 players rated 80 or higher which is the most I've seen on any team.

If the game becomes a blowout, I will sim to the end.

[Eaglesfan27]

I become very worried when Boykin, one of the backup SG's who is playing SF for this team hits 2 3's to start the game and put us down 6-0.

However, we get a few stops and a few inside baskets from Sockwell and Peterson to tie it at 6.

With 15 minutes to go, we get a 2nd foul on Andrisevic. We are down 10-8.


After some horrible defensive performances against lesser teams, we are putting on one of our best defensive efforts of the year. I'm using my entire bench as guys are getting exhausted from constantly hustling, but it's working.

We are up 39-35 at the half.

Peterson is the player of the half with 14 points, 2 boards, and 2 assists. He doesn't have any blocks but he has altered some shots.

Sockwell has 11 points, 3 boards, and 2 assists.

No one else on the team has more than 3 at the half, but almost everyone has scored.

We are tied at 50 with 13 minutes to go. My starters are all tired. Everyone except Sockwell rests.

They have a 6-0 run to go up 61-55 before Abram hits a baseline jumper to cut it to 4. We then trade baskets. 63-59 with 7 minutes to go as Peterson comes back into the game.

Singleton and then Radenovic hit 3's to tie it at 65! Peterson had a block between the 2 baskets. 5 minutes left.


Both centers trade FT's before Peterson gets a stop on their center, ignites a fastbreak which leads to Bruce being fouled! He hits both FT's and we are up 69-67.

Moreno responds with a shot just inside the arc. He has been much better shooting the 3 than I expected. He has 24 points to lead their team.

Sockwell misses a dunk!

They get fouled on the other end and hit both FT's to take a 71-69 lead.

Peterson backs his man down and slams it in over him. Tied at 71. Peterson has 24. 2 minutes left.

Andrisevic with a putback tip after they missed the 3. Peterson responds with a jump hook to tie it at 73.

Sutton who is playing because he has been our best defender at PG with a steal.. he gets it quickly to Peterson in the post who slams it! 75-73 we lead with a little over a minute left.

We get a defensive stop but Chancler loses his mind and tries a breakaway slam which he misses! They get the ball back.. with 3 seconds left they shoot in the post.. a miss but he was fouled by Sockwell.

Gross makes both FT's to tie it at 75.

We call a timeout to set up a quick 3 attempt.. they steal the inbound pass.. dribble up the court and shoot the 3 at the buzzer.. it misses! We are going to OT.


We win the tip. Peterson scores first on a simple jump hook. He is tired, but he is staying in the game. He now has 30.

Bakinde responds with a 3 over Sutton. Chancler with a quick 12 footer makes it 79-78.

Boykins with a jumper. Peterson at the other end with an inside basket and the foul but he misses the FT. Pardon gets the board.. passes it to Peterson who is stripped in the post. They get a fast break basket by Bakinde. They are up 82-81.

Chancler misses a 3, has good defense to stop a 3 point attempt, and then draws a foul at the opposite end to get to the line. He misses both FT's and then can't stop Moreno from hitting a midrange jumper. Down 84-81 with under 2 minutes to go.

Peterson is very tired but he still manages to make a hook shot. 84-83.

They miss a 3. They collapse on the inside defensively.. Sockwell kicks it out to Pardon for an open 12 footer which he usually makes but he misses this one. They get the board. They attempt a quick 3 which misses, but they get the offensive board. We have to foul with only 30 seconds left. Gross hits both FT's.

They collapse on Peterson.. he passes it out.. it is swung around to Singleton for an open 3.. he misses it. Peterson with an offensive board! He is fouled before he can slam it. He misses both FT's :(

Andrisevic makes both FT's. We try to look for an open 3.. Pardon is the only one who has a good look.. he takes it and.. makes it!! 88-86. 10 seconds left.

Bakinde misses the first FT! He makes the 2nd. Down by 3 with 8 seconds left. I call a timeout to get Yeager and Henning into the game, I'd like to get Yeager an open look.

They are covering Yeager well.. Singleton ends up taking a contested 3 at the buzzer.. it spins around the rim.. and out.

We lose 89-86.

Moreno was the player of the game. He finished with 26 points, 3 board, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He shot 9 of 11, 1 of 3, and 7 of 8.

Boykin with 21. Bakinde with 11 and 8 assists. Gross with 14 points and 8 boards. We held Andrisevic to just 8 points and 8 boards.


Peterson led our team with 34 points, 6 boards, 3 assists, and a block. He shot 14 of 18, 0 of 0, and 6 of 12.

Singleton with 3 points and 3 assists. He shot 1 of 5, 1 of 3, and 0 of 0. I should have put Raitis Baldwin in for that last shot.

Chancler with 7 points, 5 assists, and a steal. He shot 3 of 5.

Radenovic with 11 points and a board.

Sokwell with 11 points, 9 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block.

Pardon led the bench with 7 points and 3 boards. He shot 3 of 8.

[Eaglesfan27]

We have one last OOC game against a cupcake in Charleston Southern. They are 2-8 and very weak. We win the game 65-55. Sockwell with 17 point,s 9 boards. Peterson with 10 points, 12 boards and 6 blocks. Radenvoic with 11 points and 6 boards.

Our next game is hosting a FSU squad that is completely rebuilding. They are among the weakest teams in the ACC this year. As a result, they are 6-5. Part of the reason they have been struggling is that their top PG has been out for a few weeks, but he is back today for this game.

Gilbert Richard is a 6'2 190 pound PG from Miami. He is rated 88 overall. His biggest strenghts are 3 point shooting, passing, and defense. He is averaging 11ppg, 5 apg, 5 rpg, and 2 spg. He is expected to go in the 1st round in the upcoming draft.

SR SF Miles Ervin gave us problems last year and will continue to do so. He is 6'9 255 and very talented. He has an overall of 84. He is a very physical player who is a good defender and a great dribbler.

The rest of the starting 5 are all freshman or sophomores and they aren't that talented, and the bench isn't deep. Pg Dillion Falls is a 5'11 175 pound PG from Lakeland, Florida. He is rated 74 overall. He isn't very fast and our defense should be able to contain him.

SG Sherman Defares is a sophomore who is 6'2 215. He is a 3 point specialist who is rated 73 overall. He is averaging 10 ppg.

Freshman PF Cedrick Avery is rated 72 overall but he is out for this game. They don't have a true center on the roster and will probably go with a 4 guard rotation around backup PF Manuel Whelchel who is 6'10 245 and the only big man who is injured on the roster. Manuel is rated 65 overall and doesn't have any strengths.

I'll play that game later tonight or tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

We start off allowing them to hit 2 3's to jump to a 6-0 lead.

After getting a few stops, we tie it at 8 with 16 minutes to go in the half.

We are allowing ourselves to fall into a track meet today. Both sides running and shooting quickly. Chancler is drilling some quick 3's.

We are up 28-22 with 9 minutes left in the half.

Bruce got on fire for the last 5 minutes. We are up 50-40 at the half.



Peterson is the player of the half with 10 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, and 1 block.

Chancler and Bruce also each have 10 points. Singleton and Sockwell each have 6 and Radenovic has 4. Our offense is clicking in every facet right now.


A strong start to the 2nd half. We are up 60-44 with 14:40 to go in the game. We are doing better on Ervin who had 15 in the first half.

A 8-0 run by our second unit has up 76-61 with 5:20 to go.

We win the game 86-70.

Peterson is the player of the game with 23 points, 6 boards, 4 assists, and a block. He shot 11 of 13, 0 of 0, and 1 of 4. I wish there was some way I could convince him not to go pro this year. Our shooters are developing nicely and with him, Sockwell, and the shooters, I think we could be an incredible team next year.

Bruce with a career high game, 19 points and 1 board. He shot 7 of 10, 4 of 6, and 1 of 1. He is becoming an excellent 3 point shooter.

Chancler finished with 10 points. He shot 3 of 6, 2 of 4, and 2 of 2 for the game. He is also becoming an excellent 3 point shooter.

Singleton with 5 points and 4 assists.

Radenovic with 8 points, 2 boards, and 3 assists.

Sockwll with 14 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block.

Pardon had 5 off the bench. Abram had 0 points and 6 boards in 25 minutes.

[Eaglesfan27]

Next up we play at BC. They are #3 in both polls with a perfect 14-0 record. However, we are fortunate that 2 of their players will be out, their starting PG and a backup SG.

Their top player is SG Ingo Pulice (odd name.) He is a 6'4 215 pound SG from Rhode Island. He does everything very well. He is rated 87 overall and is expected to be a very high 1st round pick this year in the draft. He is averaging 17 ppg, 5 rpg, 4.4 apg, and 2 spg. He was the 33rd player overall in HS his senior year.

PF Derek Hunter is a 6'10 231 pound junior from Baltimore MD. He is average defensively, but does everything well on offense. He is rated 86 overall. He is averaging 12.4 ppg and 3.6 rpg. He was the 28th ranked player in his class.

SF Rostislav McKinney is a 6'7 240 pound SF from NYC. The junior is a shut down defender and a good offensive player as well with his strength being the midrange jumper. He is ranked 85 overall. He is averaging 6.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.4 spg, and 1.2 bpg. He was the 63rd ranked player in his class.

SF Jack Moody is a 6'6 229 pound senior from Brooklyn. He is a tremendous defender who is also one of the best midrange shooters in the country (91 rating). He is rated 85 overall. He is averaging 16 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 spg, and 1.4 bpg. He was the 168th player in his class.

Since the top PG is injured, they will start Dwyane Swain at PG. He is a senior from the Bronx. He is 6'4 188 pounds. He is an average defender who is a very good passer. He is rated 83 overall. He is averaging 6 ppg and 5 apg. He was the 43rd player in his class.


The Center is Branduinn Alford a 7'0 244 pound player from Waltham, MA. He is a sophomore who was the 206th player in his class. He is a great inside scorer who is weak defensively and is soft on the boards. He is averaging 11 pp, 3.5 rpg, and 0.5 bpg. He is rated 78 overall.

Their bench is solid to about 9 deep.

After we get back from playing them, we host Duke a few nights later.

[Eaglesfan27]

Looking at our stats from this year and last, the shooting percentages are a bit too high. I'm lowering all shooting sliders by 1 for both sides.

[Eaglesfan27]

We start out very well. 10-4 with 15 minutes to go in the half. Chancler and Radenovic have each hit a 3 for us.

Up 12-11 with 12 minutes to go as our bench comes in.

Up 25-18 with 5 minutes to go in the half as our starters return.


We are up 29-28 at the half. We are shooting 50% from the field and they are shooting 40%. We are playing at a very slow pace.


Peterson is our leading scorer with 8 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block. Pardon has 6. 2 players have 5.


We are tied at 34 with 15 minutes to go in the game.


Down 39-36 with 11:35 to go as our starters get a break.

With the altered sliders, Sockwell is no longer hitting 3's (a good thing) or hitting the open 12 or 14 footers (I'm not so sure, his rating is fairly good in that category) and we aren't getting open easy baskets for Peterson thanks to the room that Sockwell created.

Down 46-40 with 6:45 to go.

I have Baldwin and Henning in the game to try to hit some 3's.

Down 50-42 with 4 minutes to go. We get all of our starters back into the game.

Pulice is heating up down the stretch and has hit their last 3 baskets.

Chancler can't stop him. He has 10 straight points to put us away. Down 60-48 with under 2 minutes to go.



We lose the game 62-52.

Pulice was the player of the game with 14 points, 5 boards, and an assist.

Swain and Hunter each had 12 for them.


Peterson led us with 12 point,s 5 boards, 2 assists, and 4 blocks. He shot 5 of 13, 2 of 4.

Chancler and Radenovic each had 10 for us.

Sockwell with 7 points and 6 boards.

Pardon with 6 points, 3 boards, and 2 blocks had a nice 15 minutes off the bench.

We shot 41% from the field and they shot 43%.

[Eaglesfan27]

We host a 10-5 Duke team that is much better than we are. They beat us 72-60. They were led by their senior center who had 26 points, 8 boards, and 6 blocks. I'm really surprised Tamayo came back for this year. Peterson held him to 11 of 24 shooting, 4 of 8 from the line.

Radenovic led us with 16 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Peterson had 15 points, 9 boards, and a block.

Sockwell had 2 points, 4 boards, 2 assists, and a block.

Singleton with 4 points and 4 assists.

Chancler with 10 points and 2 boards.


Our next game is at North Carolina. They are 10-5 and are evenly matched with us.

Their best player is PF Rashaun Konare. He is a 6'7 240 pound junior from Philly. He is one of the best shot blockers in the country and is an all around good defender who is above average offensively. He is averaging 13.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg, and 2.9 bpg. He is rated 81 overall.

SR PG Tom Bing is 5'11 175. He is from High Point, NC. He is a player who relies on his superior speed and first step. He is averaging 10 ppg and 5 apg. He is rated 80 overall.

SF Timothy Thompson is from New Zealand. He is a 6'5 245 pound Senior. He is a mediocre shooter who is in for defense and athleticism. He is rated 79 overall.

SG Perry Hampton is a senior who is 6'3 215. He is a decent shooter who is a poor defensive player. He is from Durham, NC. He is rated 78 overall.

Freshman Center Booker Daley is from Hampton, VA. He has potential, but he is very raw and doesn't do much well yet. His best attribute is his passing. He is rated 70 overall and won't play much in most games as they'll go to a smaller 3 or 4 guard lineup.

[Eaglesfan27]

Halfway through the season and my only player discussing going pro early is Peterson.


Niagara is now 18-2 (8-0) and is 16th in the media poll and 18th in the coaches' poll! They are 1st in the MAAC by 2 games. Simmons has upped his scoring average to 14 ppg.

From talking to our contacts in the league, Simmons is viewed as a 2nd round draft pick right now. Garik Blizzard is also considering going pro early from that team and word is that he might be a 1st round pick.


After we play North Carolina, our next 2 games should be very challenging. First we'll have a very talented Miami team that is 16-1 and 3rd in the polls. A few days later we'll travel to play a 16-2 Maryland team that is 10th in the polls.

[Eaglesfan27]

Now, it is time to play my first game at North Carolina...


The game starts well but a 8-0 run puts them up 12-3.

We come back with 3's by Radenovic and Chancler. Down 14-9 with 13 minutes to go in the half as our starters return to the game.


More than any team I've played this year, they are collapsing on our big guys early giving some great looks at 3's. Our best shooters are hitting some, so I'm feeling good about the lowered shooting sliders.


Down 26-19 with 7 minutes left. Our starters return.

Chancler with back to back 3's to tie it at 29 with 2:46 to go in the half.


Down 33-31 at the half. Bing is the player of tha half with 10 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals.

Chancler leads our team with 11 points.

Ramos with back to back sequences where he gets a foul, makes the shot, and the foul shot against Sockwell. Down 44-37.

14 minutes left and Sockwell now has 4 fouls.

A 12-0 run has us down 52-37. I try out something I've been toying with for a bit, Bruce at PG and Chancler at SG. Bruce is my fastest player and I think he could be good at PG.

The home crowd is going crazy and we just can't do anything right. It extends to a 16-0 run before Peterson hits a FT. 56-38. 10 minutes left.

We close within 12 several times, but even with an uptempo attack, we never get closer. We lose the game 79-63.

All 5 of their starters were in double digits. Ramos was the player of he game with 16 point,s 13 boards, 6 assists, and 1 block. He shot 5 of 8, 1 of 1, and 5 of 5 from the line. The smaller PF played center all game long and dominated with his superior speed.

Peterson led our squad with 18 points, 8 boards, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. He shot 4 of 13 from the field and 10 of 12 from the line.

Sockwell had 6 points, 15 boards, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. He shot 3 of 9.

Singleton didn't put up anything but 1 turnover. He shot 0 of 4. He is going to lose his starting job soon if he doesn't pick it up.

Chancler with 14 points, 2 boards, and steals. He shot 5 of 14, 4 of 12, and 0 of 0.

Radenovic with 10 points, 2 boards, and 1 assist. He shot 3 of 8.


Bruce with 11 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals off the bench. He shot 4 of 12.


Our record is now 13-7 (1-4) :(

[Eaglesfan27]

We host Miami next which has the strongest roster in the country. I decide to sim it and it is surprisingly close but we lose 67-61. PG Umrad Hancock who is one of the top 5 players in the country has 15 points and 5 assists to lead Miami in the win.

Sockwell led us with 13 points, 2 boards, and 3 blocks.


Our next game is on the road at Maryland. They have the best center in the country, IMO and I don't expect it to be close so I decide to sim it. We pull off the upset 72-70! Peterson outplayed their center and got him into foul trouble. As a result he only had 13 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, and 4 blocks. Peterson had 15 points, 11 boards, and 5 blocks to lead us in the win. Chancler also had an efficient 14 points and Sockwell had 13.


Our next game is a very winnable game at home against a Virginia team that is slightly weaker than we are. They are 13-6 (3-4.)

They have 4 players that are either questionble or out, including 2 key bench players.

Their best player is PG Hassan Kou. He is a stocky 6'4" 235 pound PG who is banged up but will play. He is a SR who is rated 83 overall. He does everything well but doesn't truly excel in any 1 area. He is averaging 12 ppg, 5 rpg, 5 apg, and 2 spg.

SG Dameon Parks is a 6'7 225 pound senior from Norfolk, VA. He he has tremendous speed and quickness and is a great dunker. He is also average or above average in all other areas with no real weaknesses. He is rated 81 overall. He is averaging 12ppg, 4.6 rpg, and 3.2 apg.

PF Hecton Malaman is 6'6 235 pounds. He is a sophomore from Queens. He is a weak defender and above average scorer. He is aaveraging 11 ppg and 8 rpg. He is rated 76 overall.

SF Clyde Leadbetter is a 6'7 225 pound player from Syracuse, NY. He is rated 75 overall. His biggest strength is defense where he is above average. His biggest weakness is rebounding. He is averaging 7 ppg and 1.5 rpg.

Center Kory Malaman is the tallest player I've ever seen in this game. He is 7'6" 270 pounds. He is banged up for this game but will probably play. He is a sophomore from Newport News, VA. He is average at best in scoring and doesn't do anything particularly well except dunk. His biggest weakness is his durability and stamina. He is rated 75 overall. He is averaging 9ppg, 3.6 rpg, and 1 apg.

The bench is weak and really only has 2 quality guys who are both questionable - SF Dominik Morban and PG Marc Kummer.

[Eaglesfan27]

A good first 5 minutes but a terrible 2 minutes after that. Down 18-11 and they are on a 7-0 run when I bring in my subs.

Down 29-19 with 7:45 left in the half.

Down 40-28 at the half. With the change in sliders Peterson even his 99 inside scoring can't hit reliably. He is 1 of 7. Then again, they have one huge guy guarding him and it is affecting his hook shot.

Sockwell leads our team with 8 points and 3 boards. He is shooting 3 of 7.


Peterson comes out much more aggressive in the 2nd half, using some of the double moves in the post that he has been working on. He has 6 straight points but with 15 minutes left he is exhausted. On the plus side, he has gotten Malaman into foul trouble with those moves.


We are down 47-40.

We are outrunning them now.. down 51-47. Sockwell is exhausted and Peterson still needs rest, so we try Henning at PF..

With 8 minutes left, Bruce with a drive into the lane for a floater that ties it at 60.

With 5 minutes left, Radenovic hits a 3 to give us our first lead in a long time. 68-65.

With 4 minutes left, Peterson draws a 4th foul on Malaman.

We go on a 15-0 run. Up 78-65 before they score again.

With 2 minutes left, Malaman fouls out.

We win the game 84-75.


Peterson was the player of the game with 20 points, 11 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. He shot 7 of 15, 0 of 0, and 6 of 10.

Sockwell with 14 points, 10 boards, and 2 blocks. He shot 6 of 10, 0 of 0, and 2 of 4.

Radenovic with 12 points, 5 boards, and 1 assist. He shot 3 of 6, 1 of 1, and 5 of 6.

Pardon with 10 points and 1 steal. He shot 2 of 3 and 6 of 6 from the line.

Chancler with 11 points on 5 of 8 shooting, 1 of 3 from the arc.

Singleton with 6 points and 4 assists. He shot 3 of 4.

Bruce with 4 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals.

Henning with 0 points and 3 boards in 7 minutes.

[Eaglesfan27]

Georgia Tech is another team that we have very little chance against even at home. We lose to them 73-64. Peterson led the team with 19 points and 4 boards. Sockwell with 12 points, 5 boards, and 2 blocks. Singleton with 9 points and 2 assists. Chancler with 11 points, 4 boards, and 3 assists. Radenovic with 4 points, 4 boards, and 1 block.

We are 15-9 now with a stretch of 4 winnable games against Clemson, NC State, FSU, and VT. I'll be playing all of these out over the next week or so.


Niagara is now 23-2 (14-0.) They are 12th in the media poll and 14th in the coaches' poll. They are routinely beating MAAC opponents by 30-35 points. The only close game they have had in conference play this year was against Siena which they won 76-64. Their only losses are to West Virginia (currently #1 in both polls) and a fluke loss to St. Francis of NY (5-19.) We still appear to be the highest RPI team they have beaten.

Our next game is at Clemson. They are 12-10 (2-7.) They have been hit by injuries. 3 of their top guys are probable for today with minor leg injuries.

Their best player is Freshman PF Mitchell Finley from Daytona Beach, FL. He is a 6'8 210 pound PF who can shoot the 3 and rebound well. He is a very weak post defender. His overall is an 81. He is averaging 9 ppg and 7 rpg.

PG Stward Forney is a JR from Palm Bay, FL. He is a 6'2 187 pound player who does everything well. He is rated 81 overall. He is averaging 11 ppg and 5.5 apg.

Center Borko Janiszewski is a 6'10 250 pound sophomore from Knoxville. He is a top tier shot blocker and an overall solid defender. He is rated 80 overall. He is averaging 10 ppg, 6 rpg, and 2.6 bpg.

SF Nick Callans is a 6'7 228 pound JR from Akron, Ohio. He has tremendous speed for his size and is quicker than some of the point guards on my roster. He is a great finisher around the rim and not a bad midrange shooter. He is their leading scorer at 17 ppg.

SR SG Brooks Valentine is a 6'6 210 pound player from Owensboro, KY. He won't stay in long during most games. He is their only poor starting player with no strengths besides his size. His best attribute is that he is a good shot blocker for a SG and he has good speed. He is averaging 3 ppg.

[Eaglesfan27]

Everything goes right for us the first 4 minutes. We jump to a 10-0 lead.

We are up 22-12 with 10 minutes to go in the 1st half.


My 2nd guessing of lowering the shooting sliders is over. I'm glad I did it. After a few weak games offensively, we are busting out against this Clemson squad. We are up 49-25 at the half.

We've done a really great job of running when the opportunity has been there and slowing it down when it wasn't a good opportunity, rather than just always slowing it down like we were previously.


Bruce and Chancler are both on fire. Chancler is the player of the half with 13 points and a board. He has shot 5 of 6, 2 of 3, and 1 of 2.

Bruce is the 2nd leading scorer with 10 points on 4 of 6, 2 of 3, and 0 of 0 shooting.

Sockwell, Radenovic, and Peterson each have 6 points.


Now, we are slowing things down with a huge lead. Our starters rest, possibly for the rest of the game, with a 63-35 lead and 11 minutes to go in the game.

With a 74-43 lead and 6 minutes to go, everyone from the end of the bench goes in - Raitis Baldwin, Yeager, and Henning.

We win 78-49. :)


Peterson is the player of the game with 9 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. I'm surprised the game gave it to him and not the usual highest scorer. He shot 3 of 8, 0 of 0, and 3 of 7.

Singleton with 7 points, 1 assist, and 2 steals. He shot 3 of 5.

Chancler with 16 points, 2 boards, and an assist. He shot 6 of 8, 3 of 4, and 1 of 2.

Radenovic with 9 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, and 3 steals. He shot 3 of 5, 2 of 2, and 1 of 1.

Sockwell with 8 points, 8 boards, 2 assists, and a block.


Brue with 15 points and 2 assists in just 15 minutes off the bench. He shot 6 of 9, 3 of 4, and 0 of 0.

Sutton had 8 points, 3 assist, and a steal in 15 minutes. He shot 3 of 4, 2 of 3, and 0 of 0 as everyone was nailing their 3's tonight.

Baldwin had 3 points, Pardon 2, and Henning 1.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are now 16-9 and are facing a very winnable game at home against NC State. They are 14-10 (5-5.)

NC State relies heavily on their star SG Deki Nichols. He is a 6'4 204 pound senior from Raleigh, NC. He is rated 88 overall and he is a dominant scorer. He can slash, dunk, shoot the 3, shoot the midrange, and post up well. He has a tremendous first step with elite top end speed. He is an above average defender as well. He is averaging 19.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.9 spg, and 1 bpg. He is projected to be a lottery pick in the upcoming draft. He was the 56th player in his class a few years ago.

They also rely heavily SF Josiah Caskill. He is a 6'6" 210 pound senior from Greensboro, NC. He is a great defender who is an above average offensive player. He is rated 83 overall. He is averaging 9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.2 spg.

Trammell Frey is a 6'4 240 pound SR PG who is above average in most areas but doesn't excel in any area. He is from State College, PA. He is averaging 8 ppg and 4 apg.

Freshman PF Florentino Santos is a 6'9 228 pound player from Bowie, MD. He is a very good rebounder and is average in other areas. He is rated 76 overall. He is averaging 6 ppg and 6 rpg.

PF/C tommie Simms is a junior who is 6'10 251 pounds. He is from Chesapeake, VA. He is a good post scorer and is average in every other area. He is rated 75 overall. He is averaging 10 ppg and 4.6 rpg.

The bench isn't very talented and they lack size. The only player who is really dangerous is Harold Ainge who is a 3 point specialist that is the best shooter on their team. However, he is below average in every other area and is only rated 71 overall.

[Eaglesfan27]

Peterson is pushing his man around and dominating early. 14-11 with 12 minutes to go as our starters get a break.

Pardon is having a great game so far - he really rebounds well for a 6'6 guy with his great leaping ability.

Up 25-23 with 5 minutes left in the half.

We are up 31-28 at the half. We are winning because of 18-10 rebounding advantage.

Peterson is the player of the half with 8 points and 4 boards. Pardon has 7 points and 4 boards at the half. As a result, Pardon will start the 2nd half over Radenovic who has 0 points and 1 board.

With a nice drive, Pardon gets a 3rd foul on Santos with 17 minutes to go in the game.

Pardon with a great breakaway jam to get the crowd going, but we fail to turn that into a run. Tied at 41 with 11 minutes to go.

6 minutes left and Nichols has scored 6 straight points. I get Chancler and my starters back into the game. Chancler has done an amazing job on him and Bruce is just too short to effective guard him. We are up 50-48.

Peterson with an offensive board putback and the foul! He misses the FT.

After a Peterson basket, Pardon steals it in the backcourt and is fouled on a dunk attempt. He hits both FT's to give us a 58-53 lead with 3:34 to go.

1:34 to go, Nichols with a nice drive to the basket.. makes it and gets fouled. He misses the FT that leaves them down by 1. 58-57.

Pardon blows by his man but is fouled before he can dunk. He misses both FT's.. but Peterson with the offensive board.. he gathers.. he puts down a monster 2 handed dunk and is fouled! He misses the FT but Pardon gets the offensive board!! We reset the offense with a minute left.

Singleton and Peterson run a perfect pick and roll.. Singleton lobs it up for an alley-oop! 62-57 with 29 seconds to go.

Nichols with a quick 3 off the screen.. nothing but net. 25 seconds left. Up 62-60.

Singleton makes both FT's after being intentionally fouled. Nichols misses a very quick 3. Peterson gets the board and is fouled. He makes 1 of 2.

We close it out 66-60.

Peterson is the player of the game with 21 points, 9 boards, and 1 block. He shot 9 of 14, 0 of 0, and 3 of 8.

Singleton with 6 points and 3 assists.

Chancler with 6 points, 4 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He also played great defense. He shot 3 of 11, 0 of 6, and 0 of 0. He held Nichols to 5 of 15 shooting (well actually 3 of 13 since 2 baskets were when he was resting.)

Radenovic with 0 points, 1 board, and 1 steal in 18 minutes.

Pardon with 13 points, 6 boards, and 2 steals in 22 minutes. Padon shot 4 of 9, 1 of 2, and 4 of 6.

Sockwell with 7 points and 11 boards. He shot 2 of 5, 0 of 1, and 3 of 6.

Bruce had 4 points and missed all 3 of his 3 point attempts tonight.


A 20 win regular season is looking like a reachable goal.

[Eaglesfan27]

Forgot to do the full preview on FSU. We definitely have to watch out for their PG. We are tied at 7 with 15 minutes to go in the half.

Down 12-9 with 13 minutes to go as our starters rest.

A 8-0 run has us down 18-9 before I call timeout and try to talk to the guys.

Bruce with a 3, but hey quickly run off another 7-0 run and their home crowd is going wild. Down 25-12 with 7:40 to go in the half. Time to get the starters back into the game.

Peterson and Sockwell with a 8-0 run to get us back within 5.

It's back and forth after that. Down 36-30 at the half.


Defares is killing us and is the player of the half. The SG has 14 points on 4 of 5 shooting, 3 of 3 from the arc, and 3 of 3 from the line.

Ervin, their spectacular SF, has 9 points, 5 boards, and 2 assists against us in the 1st half.


Peterson leads us with 10 points, 4 boards, and an assist but he is tired a bit going into the 2nd half. He played 15 minutes in the 1st half.

Pardon has 5 points and 3 boards.

Peterson with a great start to the 2nd half gets us within 3, 43-40. However, after that our team seems worn down. We are down 48-40 with 13:25 to go as I rest Peterson and several starters.

Sockwell with a personal 6-0 run. We are down 50-46 with 10 minutes left.

Down 58-50 with 7 minutes left. Sockwell is exhausted and leaves the game but Peterson returns.


With 5:01 to go, Chancler with a nice dunk to close within 2. Down 58-56.

Peterson gets a stop.. Pardon gets an open look on the wing after a screen by Peterson.. Pardon makes it! Tied at 58! They call a timeout and we get every starter in except Pardon remains in the game.

They respond with a 3 by Defares :( Chancler had been keeping him quiet the entire 2nd half up to that point.

We get a fastbreak attempt after a steal.. Pardon tries an open 3.. and misses. They hit a 12 footer on the other end. Down 63-58.

Down 65-60 with 2 minutes left. Pardon is cold so Radenovic returns.

With 1:04 to go, Peterson hits a hook shot in the lane. 65-62.

Sockwell gets a stop. 35 seconds left as we call timeout.

Singleton off a screen by Sockwell drives into the lane, hits a floater and gets fouled!! He misses the FT! They get the board. We have to foul with 23 seconds left. Ervin hits both FT's.

We can't get a quick 2.. we set up a good 3 by Chancler... he misses but Radenovic with an offensive board and a putback. Down 67-66 with 5 seconds left.

We are out of timeouts... oh crap. We get it to Chancler for a desperation 3 from around halfcourt.. it misses. Game over. 69-66 loss. A winnable road game gets away from us.

Ervin was the player of the game. The 6'9 SF had 20 points, 10 boards, 4 assists, and a steal. We held Defares to 3 points in the 2nd half. He ended up shooting 5 of 11, 4 of 6, and 3 of 4 as Chancler really locked down.


Peterson led our team with 22 points, 10 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Sockwell had 12 points and 10 boards.

Pardon with 9 points, 4 boards, and 2 steals. He shot 3 of 8.

Bruce was a terrible 1 of 7. Chancler was 3 of 10. He had 8 points. Singleton with 4 points and 3 assists. Radenovic had 5 points and 2 boards. He shot 2 of 7.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are now 17-10 with 4 regular season games left. Next up we host a 9-12 VT team that is only 2-9 in the ACC. They are about equal to us in overall talent.

They rely on 2 stars and a bunch of roleplayer around them.

Senior PF Denver McBride is their biggest star. He is 6'8 248 pounds and is rated 85 overall. His biggest strength is his low post offense and his overall defense. He is averaging 22 ppg, 6 rpg, and 1.5 bpg.

Senior PG Deron McCants is a great floor general who is 5'11 177. He is also rated 85 overall. He is a pass first PG who is averaging 9 ppg and 7 apg.

JR SG Slater Zahn is a guy who relies on great speed, but lacks that quick first step. He isn't a very good shooter and is only averaging 5 ppg as a result. He is 6'3 190 and is rated 77 overall.

SF Rashun Dunn is 6'5 190 and is a mediocre shooter who is a decent defender. He is averaging 5 ppg and 4 rpg. He is rated 75 overall.

Sophomore Center Roger McFadden is 6'7 235 pounds and is a weak offensive player and a decent defensive player. He is averaging 5 ppg, 4 rpg, and 1 bpg. Either of my big men should destroy him.

The bench is shallow with no size or any great threats. They don't have any good 3 point shooters.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are tied at 11 with 13 minutes to go in the half as our starters rest.

Down 22-21 with 6:33 to go as we have our starters come back into the game.

At halftime, we are up 35-27. We've held them to 33% shooting from the field.

Sockwell is the player of the half with 11 points and 6 boards. Peterson with 9 points, 11 boards, and a block at the half.


Up 44-36 with 12 minutes to go as our starters rest.

We let them close within 4, before Bruce ignites a 8-0 run.

Up 55-44 with 7:33 to go as our starters return.

A very strong finish. We win the game 74-55.

Peterson is the player of the game with 19 points, a career high 21 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. He shot 9 of 15, 0 of 0, and 1 of 2.

Sockwell with 13 point, 10 boards, 3 assists, and a steal. He shot 5 of 8, 0 of 0, and 3 of 4.

Radenovic with 11 points, 5 boards, and 2 steals. He shot 4 of 8, 1 of 2, and 2 of 2.

Singleton with 8 points and 2 assists. He shot 3 of 7, 1 of 3, and 1 of 2.

Chancler with 4 points and 2 boards. He shot 0 of 12, 0 of 6, and 4 of 6.


Bruce with 4 points and 3 assists on 2 of 4 shooting, 0 of 2, and 0 of 0.

Abram with a career high 10 points and 5 boards.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are in the last week of regular season recruiting now. B.A. Gardner looks like he will accept our offer but NC State is very much in it. After seeing him several more times, our staff thinks he is a better defender than we thought initially. They think he is a great combination of a top notch perimeter defender and an excellent post defender. They also think he is a better scorer than we first thought.

Niagara continues to roll through the MAAC. They are 25-2 (16-0.) They are 10th in both polls now. Israel Simmons is up to an 86 in overall rating. Blizzard is an 85. Simmons is averaging 14 ppg now.


Our next game is at #4 Miami. They are 23-3 and are playing great basketball. I decide this will be the last game we sim this regular season. We hang close but lose 83-80. Sockwell led us with 20 points, 5 boards, and 2 blocks. SPeterson had 13 points, 6 boards, and a block. Singleton was the only other player to reach double digits with 10.


We are now 18-11 and need to beat a great Maryland team at our place to have a shot at 20 regular season wins. Our only game after Maryland is Virginia at their place.

Maryland is 23-5 and 8th in the polls. They have 2 of the best players in the country and a very strong starting 5.

SF Taj Christian is a tremendous junior who is rated 90 overall now. He is 6'4 215 pounds. He often plays SG for them. He is the best dunker in college basketball with a 99 rating in that category. He can post up, hit the midrange, hit the 3 all with great skill. He is a tremendous shooter in traffic and off the dribble. He is as fast as many point guards and is a very good rebounder. He is a slightly above average defender. He is averaging 21.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg, and 2.8 apg. He was the #3 player in his class. He is from NYC. He is expected to be a Lottery pick in the upcoming draft.

Sophomore PF Chrisman Vopenhein is a 6'11 220 pound sophomore. He is rated 89 overall. He is one of the best shot blockers in basketball with a 98 rating. He is a great defender anywhere on the court. He has tremendous leaping ability. He is an above average shooter and a very good post player. His only weakness is his tendency to get in foul trouble against bigger forwards. As a result, he is only averaging 25mpg and only averaging 14 ppg, 6 rpg, and 2.3 bpg. He was the #4 player in his class. He has "A+" potential according to our staff and NBA scouts. He has a good chance at being the #1 pick in the NBA draft according to most experts. He is also from NYC.


Center Angel Bird is a 7'0 245 pound sophomore. He is rated 87 overall. He is a dominating interior scorer who can shoot the 12-14 foot jump shot. He is a good defender. He is extremely fast for his size and is very dangerous on the fast break. He is a bit soft on the offensive boards and tends to get dinged up. He has been playing limited minutes through injuries for the last few weeks and is only averaging 9.9 ppg and 5.4 rpg. He is also expected to go pro this year and should be a 1st-2nd round pick. He is also from NYC and was the #6 player in his class overall.

Senior PG Garik Hudson is the leader of the group. He is 6'2 191. He is rated 86 overall. He is a dynamic 3 point shooter, a stifling defender, and a good passer. He is rated 87 overall. He is averaging 15.5ppg and 5.4 apg. He is expected to be a late 1st round pick in the draft. He is from Washington, DC. He was the 65th player in his class.

SR SF Quentin Mason who plays a lot of minutes with Christian at SG is a 6'9 240 pound senior. He doesn't truly excel in any area but is good in every area. His best attribute is his stealing. He is averaging 9 ppg, 5 rpg, and 2 spg. He is the only member of the starting 5 not expected to be drafted.

The bench is strong 6 deep with the only weakness being the lack of a good backup Center. The most dangerous bench player is freshman PG Blair Rollins from Queens. He is already a great 3 point shooter. He was the 22nd player overall in this year's class.

[Eaglesfan27]

Maryland goes up 14-0 on us in the first 5 minutes.

By the 10 minute mark, we are down 26-4. They've managed to draw 3 fouls on Peterson and Sockwell. I've never been beaten so bad.

At the 5 minute mark, I decide just to sim to end as we have no chance to win this one. We are down 38-10.

We lose the game 94-28! :eek:

Bruce was our leading scorer with 5 points. Yeager also had 5.

Peterson had 2 points, 1 board, 1 assist, and 2 blocks in 17 minutes before he fouled out.

Sockwell fouled out in just 10 minutes. He finished with 2 points and a board. I wonder how bad this game hurt Peterson's draft stock.


Maryland had 24 points, 5 boards, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks from Christian.

Bird had 15 points, 8 boards, and 3 blocks.

Volpenhein had 21 points, 8 boards, and 2 blocks.

Hudson with 14 points and 5 assists.

Mason with 6 points, 10 boards, and 2 steals.

[hoopsguy]

Please tell me that Maryland fired their coach after this for running up the score on your team.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our last regular season game is at Virginia. They are 17-11. They are slightly less talented than we are. Their big center Kory Malaman is out with an injury that has ended his season.

They are led by PG Hassan Kou who is rated 83 overall. He is very fast despite being 6'4 230 and is a good 3 point shooter. He is averaging 13 ppg, 5 rpg, and 5 apg.

SR SG Dameon Parks is 6'7 225. He is rated 81 overall. He mostly relies on slashing and posting up. He is averaging 12 ppg.

PF Hector Malaman is a sophomore who is 6'6 232. He is above average in most areas and is a good 3 point shooter for a PF. He is rated 76 overall. He is averaging 11 ppg and 8 rpg.

With Kory Malaman out, they don't have a big center. The only other "pure" center on the roster is Dominik Schwartz, a freshman. He is 6'9 225. He is average or below average in most areas. He is rated 69 overall. He is averaging 2 ppg and 3 rpg.

SF Clyde Leadbetter is also average in most areas. He is 6'7 225. He is rated 74 overall. He is averaging 8 ppg.

[Eaglesfan27]

Please tell me that Maryland fired their coach after this for running up the score on your team.

:D

We'll get them back, if I don't go to USC before I turn this team completely around. If all of our guards stay until their senior year, we are going to be a great perimeter team in 2 years.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are up 12-11 with 12:33 to go as our starters rest.

Down 24-16 with 7 minutes left, we bring our starters back.

The team is not playing very well. We are down 39-31 at the half and our perimeter defense is the most disappointing aspect followed by our perimeter offense.

We've given up 9 points (all on 3's) to Leadbetter who leads their team. Parks has 8 for them.

Peterson leads us with 12 points, 6 boards, and 2 blocks. He is the only guy really hustling out there right now. However, he played 16 minutes and will need rest early in the 2nd half.

15 minutes to go, we are up 42-41. All of our starters are tired and will get a break. We'll go to our smaller lineup with Henning at PF and Abram at C.

Our bench does poorly at first, but Pardon has a breakaway slam that ignites a 11-0 run. Up 53-47 with 10:30 to go.

Over the next 3 minutes, they tie it at 53. With a little over 7 minutes to go, our rested starters return to the game.

Singleton with 2 3's and some really good defense from our starters down the stretch. Up 61-55 with 3 minutes left.

With 5.7 seconds left, they close to within 3, 65-62.

Singleton manages to evade the fouls for almost 5 seconds! He misses his FT but it doesn't matter. We win the game 65-62.

Peterson is the player of the game with 22 points, 9 boards, 3 assist, and 2 blocks. He shot 9 of 13, 0 of 0, and 4 of 5.

Singleton with 10 points and 4 assists. He shot 4 of 9, 2 of 2, and 0 of 0.

Chancler with 4 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, and 3 steals. He shot 2 of 6, 0 of 1, and 0 of 0.

Radenovic with 11 points, 4 boards, and 1 assist. He shot 4 of 8, 1 of 2, and 2 of 4.

Sockwell with 3 points, 8 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. He shot 1 of 6, 0 of 0, and 1 of 2.

Bruce led the bench with 9 points on 3 of 7 shooting, 1 of 3 and 2 of 2.

Pardon only with 4 points and a board in 15 minutes.


We finish the regular season at 19-12.

[Eaglesfan27]

Niagara finished their regular season 28-3 (18-0.) They are 10th in both polls. USC is 16-12 (10-8.)


End of Regular Season Stats:

Peterson is the team leaderin scoring wth 16.5 ppg. He is shooting 54% for the year. He also is averaging 6.9 pg, 1.7 apg, 0.8 spg, and 1.8 bpg. He is playing 27 mpg.

Sockwell is playing 26 mpg. He is averaging 11.6 ppg, a team high 7.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, and 1.2 bpg.

Singleton leads the team in assists with 2.8. He is averaging 5.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg, and 0.9 spg.

Chancler is the 3rd leading scorer with 8 ppg. He is also averaging 2.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, and 1.9 spg.

Radenovic is averaging 7.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, and 0.8 spg in 25 mpg.

Bruce is the leading bench player with 7 ppg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 rpg, and 1 spg. He is playing 21 mpg.

In only 14 mpg, Pardon is averaging 5.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.7 spg, and 0.4 bpg. When Radenovic leaves, he is the favorite to take over the starting SF job.

Singleton has shown the most growth this year according to our staff.


Our first ACC tourney game is against Clemson. They are 14-15 on the year. We beat them earlier in the year 78-49 and we should matchup favorably again. I'll play that later tonight.

[Eaglesfan27]

Final Regular Season ACC Standings:

1. #6 Miami 25-4 (13-3)
2. #4 BC 25-4 (13-3)
3. #7 Maryland 25-5 (13-3)
4. Georgia Tech 21-7 (10-6)
5. Duke 18-10 (10-6)
6. Wake Forest 19-12 (7-9)
7. NC State 15-15 (6-10)
8. Virginia 17-12 (6-10)
9. VT 12-14 (5-11)
10. FSU 11-16 (5-11)
11. North Carolina 14-15 (4-12)
12. Clemson 14-15 (4-12)

[Radii]

How is your RPI/Tournament chances?

[Eaglesfan27]

We are up 10-7 with 14:25 to go in the half. I rest Peterson and Chancler who have both been using a lot of energy.

Radenovic is really showing his senior leadership this game. Our coaches are raving about the improvement in his intangibles. He leads the guys on the floor on a nice run. We are up 26-14 with 8 minutes to go.

We are completely dominating them with size and I think they are one of the few ACC teams that we are quicker than. Up 32-16 with 6 minutes to go.

Some sloppy play in the last 5 minutes as we are running and gunning. We are up 42-27 at the half.

Radenovic is called the player of the half by the announcers. He has 8 points, 1 board, and 1 block. He has shot 3 of 5, 1 of 2, and 1 of 2.

I think Peterson is the real player of the half. He has 8 points, 6 boards, 1 assist, and 3 blocks. He has shot 4 of 7.

Sockwell also has 8 points, 2 boars, and 2 assists. He is also 4 of 7.


We are up 50-32 with 14:39 to go in the game. Our running game is going well again.

We definitely match up well with Clemson. We are again cruising towards a victory. Now up 66-36 with just over 10 minutes left.

68-39 with 10 minutes to go. We pull our starters hopefully for the rest of the game.

Up 80-48 with 4 minutes to go, so we bring in the guys who hardly ever play, Baldwin and Yeager.

Very close in score to our previous game against them, we win it 83-52.

Sockwell was the player of the game. He finished with 17 points, 5 boards, and 4 assists. He shot 7 of 10, 0 of 1, and 3 of 3. He played 23 minutes.

Peterson had 11 points, 8 board, 3 assists, and 4 blocks in 24 minutes. He shot 5 of 9, 1 of 1 (I accidently took that shot and couldn't believe it when it bounced around, bounced off the backboard, and in), and 0 of 0.

Singleton had 10 points and 2 assists. He shot 3 of 4, 1 of 2, and 3 of 3.

Chancler had 10 points and 5 boards. He shot 4 of 9, 2 of 6, and 0 of 0.

Radenovic had 10 points, 4 boards, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He shot 3 of 9, 1 of 4, and 3 of 4.

Bruce, Pardon, and Sutton each had 6 off the bench. Abram with 4 points and 8 boards. Yeager and Henning each had a basket.


Darn.. Maryland is next for us :(

If it gets to be a blowout, I'll be simming to end. Hopefully, 1 win in the ACC tourney and 20 wins overall is enough to get us into the Big Dance, but I doubt it is.

[Eaglesfan27]

How is your RPI/Tournament chances?

Our RPI is currently 43rd. Miami, Maryland, BC, Duke, and Georgia Tech are all teams in the ACC with better rankings. It'll be close for us if we lose to Maryland. I think we'll be on the bubble but might get in.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

With the bad performances by North Carolina, I'm thinking they might fire their coach this year. That is probably one of the few teams besides USC that would get me to leave Wake Forest.

[Eaglesfan27]

A MUCH better start. No score in the first 2 minutes, but we are getting the early fouls on them.

5 minutes into the game, Peterson gets a 2nd foul on Volpenhein. We are tied at 5.

Taj Christian is catching on fire. I'd love to have a player with his skills. We are hanging in though as Pardon is making some big baskets. Tied at 16 with 11 minutes to go in the half. Christian takes a seat which is a relief for us.

Pardon gets a 2nd foul on Mason. Sockwell is tired.. time to get Peterson back into the game. Tied at 21 with 9 minutes to go.

Christian returns to the game with 8:30 to go in the half.

5 minutes left in the half and they just got a 2nd foul on Peterson. Him and Sockwell staying out of foul trouble has made a huge difference today, so hopefully he doesn't pick up a 3rd.. I'm keeping him in.

Most of the half we kept it close, but they had a 8-0 run in the last 3 minutes. We are down 39-30 at the half. Taj Christian is the player of the half with 11 poiints, 3 boards, and 2 assists.

Peterson has had a great 1st half. He has gotten 4 of their players into foul trouble, he has altered some shots, and he has 9 points, 7 boards, and 2 assists in 16 minutes.


20 seconds into the 2nd half, Sockwell gets a 3rd foul on Volpenhein.

A minute later, they get a 3rd one of Peterson with a drive by Christian. A minute later Christian gets a 4th foul on Peterson :(

They start a 12-0 run after his 2 drives. :( Down 53-33. Our starters are exhausted. Time to go to the bench and hope they can stop the bleeding.

We keep closing the gap a bit, but they respond with one of their many scorers hitting a 3. Down 66-50 with 9:45 to go as we bring back Peterson to try to spark the defense. Sutton was a big part of our offense the last few minutes, but we bring back Singleton.

We can never get closer than 13 points. We lose the game 88-71.

Christian was the player of the game with 19 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, and 1 block. He shot 6 of 9, 3 of 3, and 4 of 4.

Hudson with 14 points and 6 assists.

Nashif, a backup SG with 19 pouints, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. He is one of their super bench guards and is rated 82 overall.


Sockwell led our team with 16 points, 12 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.


Peterson with 15 points, 11 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks before he fouled out in the last minute.

Chancler with 11 points and 5 boards. Radenovic, Pardon, and Sutton each had 8.


At least, we were semi-respectable this game. Time to see if 20-13 gets us into the Big Dance.

[Eaglesfan27]

In the ACC tourney, Maryland beats Miami 76-72 in their next game.

Georgia Tech beat BC 92-90 to advance to the ACC Final.

Georgia Tech beats Maryland in the Final 102-88.


Time for the Selection Show...


We aren't listed as a bubble team.. Not sure if that is good news or not.

Prominent Bubble Teams: Illinois (17-13), Ohio State (20-11), Seton Hall (20-10), Nevada (24-7).


#1 Seeds: Villanova, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, and Boston College (1st time ever being a #1 according to the selection show.)


Interesting East Matchups:

#8 Penn State vs #9 Saint Joseph's
#4 Nebraska vs #13 Marist (looks like the MAAC got 2 teams in.)

Interesting South Matchups:

#8 Texas vs #9 USC (18-13 for the year)
#4 Texas Tech vs #13 Illinois State

Interesting Midwest games:

#4 Niagara vs #13 Northern Illinois (I don't remember ever getting that high of a seed.) Niagara lost in the Tourney Final to Marist apparently from the commentary.

Miami is a 3 seed.

I'm getting worried that we aren't getting in...


Interesting West Matchups:

#8 Iowa vs #9 Dayton
#5 Stanford vs #12 Fresno State
#6 Xavier vs #11 Charlotte

Maryland gets a 2 seed.

We aren't in :(

We are invited to the NIT. Our first opponent there is Cal Poly. I'll sim through those games.

[hoopsguy]

Bummer. Looking forward to seeing a nice step forward next season.

[Eaglesfan27]

We beat Cal Poly 72-50 in the first NIT game. Peterson had 16 points, 10 boards, and 2 blocks to lead us. Maybe the lack of post season success will keep him around?


We lose in the 2nd round of the NIT to Vermont 54-51. Peterson led our team with 8 points, 11 boards, and 3 blocks. He shot 3 of 13.

I'm expecting Maryland to be a Final Four team.. let's see who they are...


Ahh, BC and Maryland met in the Elite 8. BC got the best of Maryland 74-70.

In the East, #3 Washington beat #8 Penn State 92-84 to advance to the Final Four. Should be an easy opponent for BC.

#4 Texas Tech beat #1 W. Virginia and then #2 Michigan State 76-71 to advance to the Final Four from the South.

Memphis beat Georgia Tech 63-61 in the Elite 8 to advance from the Midwest.

BC beats Washington 86-76 to advance to the Title Game.

Memphis beats Texas 72-70 to advance.

BC wins 98-75 to win their first National Championship! Boston College was led by 22 points and 8 assists from their SG, Pulice. They had 23 points from Moody.


E.J. Sanders from Seton Hall as the player of the year. The 6'8 220 pound PF is rated 90 overall. The senior averaged 23.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg, and 1.5 bpg.

Roy Lloyd of Louisiana Monroe wins Mid-Major of the Year over either of the Niagara players. The 6'11 290 pound center is rated 81 overall and he averaged 20 ppg, 10.3 rpg, and 2.3 bpg.

Ingo Pulice of Boston College won Defensive Player of the Year. The 6'4 215 pound SG averaged 16 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.8 apg, 2.2 spg, and 1.1 bpg.

Sanders won Big Man of the Year.

PF Mitchell Finley of Clemson won Freshman of the Year. The 6'8 205 pound player is rated 81 in overall now and he averaged 6.8 ppg and 8 rpg.

Duke was the only ACC team represented on the First Team All-American List. Their center Demetrius Tamayo averaged 22.8 ppg and 8.6 rpg.

BC had Pulice on the 2nd team.

Tamayo won ACC Player of the Year.

None of my players made all-ACC.

Peteson was 2nd team All-ACC.

Bruce, Pardon, and Abram all made the All-Freshman ACC Team.


Time to find out if Peterson is coming back...

[Eaglesfan27]

YES! Peterson has decided to come back for his Junior Year! Radenovic is our only player leaving the team due to graduation.


Sad news :( Niagara's head coach is offered the best job out there this year. He is hired at Michigan State after their head coach retires. :(

Virignia Tech offers me their job, but that seems to be a step down.

Niagara is now considered the 5th best job available! They offer me the job as well. (All Teams below the one that just offered me will offer.) As hard as it is, I turn down Niagara. They end up hiring the head coach from Morehouse.

Other big coaching changes. LSU's coach retired. They offered the head coach from VCU.

Coach Pitino retired. They hired the coach from BYU.


I consider shaking up my assistant coaching staff but decide to remain loyal to William DeLeon and David Ortiz.


We do not get any transfers. Oakland got a VERY good point guard from Stanford. Belmont got an excellent PG from Washington.

I save this draft class in case I decide to a do a mini dynasty following careers, I will want to follow Simmons career.

[Eaglesfan27]

As expected, the first day available Jon Paul Jelenic signs with Baylor. His desire to stay close to home was just too strong to overcome.

Also as expected, B.A. Gardner signs with us on the 1st day possible. The 3 star PF is currently 6'7 229 and is rated 182nd overall and 25th among PF's His biggest strenghts according to our staff are defense, both on the perimeter and in the post. He is also a decent low post scorer. With his committment secured, we can start focusing on the soon to be Seniors that we will be recruiting throughout the upcoming year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Niagara's old coach (i.e. Michigan State's New Coach) pulls in the top recruiting class. Apparently, the guy is a bonafide recruiting guru. He gets 3 5 star players and 1 4 star player!

The top 10 classes are:

1. Michigan State
2. Miami
3. Pitt
4 Arizona
5. Kansas
6. Michigan
7. Texas Tech
8. Memphis
9. Boston College
10. Syracuse

USC was 15th.

Duke was 17th.

Niagara was 49th. They are back to getting 3 stars :(

Our class was somewhere around 200th. I guess only getting 1 guy and him only being a 3 star will do that.


Our AD plans an ambitious schedule with several very tough OOC games including on the road at Georgia, hosting Michigan State, Memphis, and Marquette. I don't touch the suggested schedule.


Now to look at the roster:

Junior Center Marion Peterson has improved the most this offseason! He is now rated 86 overall. He is also bigger at 7'1" 262 now. He has improved his strength and shot blocking the most. It's very early obviously, but scouts are projecting that he could be the #1 pick in next year's draft!! He has all of the tools to put up 20 and 10 this year.

JR Center (will still start at PF) J.R. Sockwell has improved a bit this offseason and is now rated 81 overall. He has improved his rebounding the most. He is now up to 272 pounds and is still 7'1".

SO Center Patrice Abram is now 6'11" 262. He has shown only a little improvement and is rated 74 in overall talent. His best area is his rebounding. He'll be the primary backup at C.

Freshma B.A. Gardner is the best pure PF on the roster. He has gained about 10 pounds and is now 6'7 238. He is rated 75 overall. Very solid opening ratings. As advertised, he is a very good post defender who is also strong on the perimeter. He is a good interior scorer when he gets position. His biggest weakness is his hands. He should be the primary backup at PF behind Sockwell.

Sophomore Kurt Hicks is 6'8 206 pounds. He has become a good rebounder and a passable defender. His best attribute is his 3 point shooting. He may get a bit of PT this year. He is rated 71 overall.

RS Walkon Freshman Jeremiah Quinn is rated 56 overall and will never see the court.

Sophomore SF Chakowby Pardon has improved a great deal and is ready to be the starting SF. He is still 6'6 but has gained a few pounds and is now 211. He is rated 77 overall and his best attributes are his ability to drive past his man with a quick first step and to dunk when he doesn't get stopped. I expect him to be our #1 option at genetrating contact when the big guys are getting smothered.

Sophomore Teddy Henning is now 6'8 219. He is rated 69 overall. His best attribute is his 3 point shooting which is good. However, he is below average or average in every other area. Still, I expect him to get a few minutes a game this year.

I only have 1 scholarship again and SF is the position I'm most likely going to pursue (I'll also pursue centers as I expect to have a scholarship open once Peterson declares at the end of the year.)


SG will be the position where I have the most interesting decision again..

Sophomore Damian Bruce has shown remarkable progress, the most progress besides Peterson. He has also gained an inch and some weight. He is now 6'2 197. However, he hasn't ost any speed with that gain. Damian is our fastest player, the guy with the best first step, and our best pure shooter besides Yeager. He is a good but not great defender. He is rated 81 overall. It'll be a battle between him and Chancler on who starts..

Vidal Chancler is now a junior and I'm a bit disappointed that he didn't improve as much in the offseason. He is the better finisher around the rim, the better defender, the bigger defender at 6'5" 227, and he is almost as good of a shooter as Bruce. With his height advantage, he might be as good since Bruce gets shots blocked. With the SG being the 3rd option behind the big men, I'll probably go with Chancler again as the starter. He is rated 80 overall.

SR Walkon Iker Yeager has earned a place in my heart for sticking with us and may get some PT. He has worked hard and has become a servicable defender. He is the undisputed best 3 point shooter on the roster which is another reason he should get some PT. He is 6'4 226 pounds and he can really shoot. He is rated 74 overall.

SR SG Martin Daniel is our one scholarship player who is graduating. I never liked him from the previous coach. However, if we need more speed out there, I should consider this kid. He is fast which is his best attribute. He is rated 72 overall.

RS SO Walkon Kory watts is rated 68 overall and won't see any action this year.

JR PG Michael Singleton has worked hard and has improved significantly. He is now rated 80 overall. He is 6'1 191. He has really improved his first step and should be able to penetrate into the lane better. He has also become a solid 3 point shooter. He isn't the great passer that I wish he was. He has become very solid defensively.

Sophomore Colin Sutton has shown the most improvement of any of the PG's. Also, I love his size. He is now 6'5" 215. He has become the 2nd best 3 point shooter on the team besides Yeager. However, he has a prolonged release and requires room to get his shot off unless a much smaller PG is on him. He is the best passer of our 3 point guards but is also the slowest. Despit that, he is a good defender who uses his size well. He is the clear backup PG.

Sophomore Raitis Baldwin has improved and is now rated 72 overall. His best attribute is his 3 point shooting. He is the weakest defender of the 3 and has the slowest 1st step. He'll only get a few minutes here and there.

SF and Center will be the focus of our recruiting with only 1 guaranteed scholarship opening.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our 1st week of games is a brutal week. We play an easy game against W. Carolina on Monday, then host a tough Memphis team on Friday, a decent Loyola team on Saturday, and then a very good Marquette team Sunday. I can't remember the game ever scheduling OOC games 3 days in a row before like that.

This first game should be an easy win. We are ranked 88 in overall rating, our highest since I've been here. They are rated 72 in overall roster strength. Their only dangerous player is SR SG Percy O'Donnell who is 6'4" 216 and is rated 79 overall. He is a decent shooter but is much better as a slasher. Sophomore Center Eric Friend is a 7'0 232 pound player but he isn't very skilled and only is rated 70 in overall rating and he is their 2nd best player. I'll play that game tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

Oh yeah, a quick look at Niagara which should be very good again this year with their starting 5 that the new coach inherited:

PG Marco Christopher is a junior who is now rated 84 in overall. Somehow, they convinced Garik Blizzard to come back as a senior. He is now rated 86 overall. My old SF Raul Lisinic is a 78 overall. Center Andy Matera is now a 82 overall. PF Randall Rodgers is 6'10 260 and is a 80 overall. That team should crush the MAAC again.


A quick early look at overall roster ratings of the ACC Teams as we begin the year:

1. BC lost most of their stars. Now an 88.
2. Wake Forest is also an 88.
3. Duke - 90.
4. FSU - 81 (worst I've seen in the ACC since I've been here.)
5. Clemson - 88 (best they have had since I've been here.)
6. Miami - 88
7. GT - reloaded with a great class, 93.
8. VT - 83
9. North Carolina - 82. Now, I see their problem. Their coach is the worst rated coach in the ACC. He apparently isn't developing their talent. I'm surprised he wasn't fired last year.
10. NC State - 82
11. Maryland - 90 (thankfully all of their biggest stars from last year went pro.)
12. Viriginia - 82.

If we can develop our guys, and the other teams don't develop too quickly, we have a good shot to make some noise in the ACC this year.


Niagara for comparision is now a 89.

[rjolley]

I'd like to see how the Maryland forwards do at the next level. They sound like a hard to defend 1-2 punch.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'd like to see how the Maryland forwards do at the next level. They sound like a hard to defend 1-2 punch.

I will do that mini-dynasty at some point where I focus on the careers of about a dozen guys. I'll definitely include them. They were among the best players I've ever played out games against and Taj Christian was incredible as well.

[Eaglesfan27]

After thinking about it some, I've decided on my starting 5. Our hallmark is going to be defense, so Chancler will get the starting nod. However, I'm also going to tighten up our bench length and will primarily be relying on 8-9 guys in close games. Bruce will get the majority of backup minutes at PG/SG. Henning by default will be a primary option at backup SF, although Gardner may get a look there as well. Abram will be the primary backup at C and possibly PF.

This 1st game should be an easy win that will allow everyone to play.

[rjolley]

Do you handle your backups, or let the computer do it?

[Eaglesfan27]

Peterson's shots just aren't falling early and we are trying to get him going. However, our defense has been lights out. Tied at 2 with 15 minutes to go in the half.

Peterson has been dubbed a Coach on the Floor by the game!

He and Singleton get a break with 14:30 to go in the game.

Pardon with a steal and breakaway jam followed by a 3 on our next possession. Our defense isn't as strong without Peterson's shot blocking/altering. We lead 11-7 with 12 minutes to go.

Pardon gets a 2nd foul on their starting SF with 12 minutes left. His ability to break guys down off the dribble is better than I thought.

Up 13-9 with 10 minutes to go. Pardon and Chancler get breaks as Singleton and Peterson come back into the game.

After missing his first 7 shots, Peterson finally hits a jump hook. Up 15-13.

7 minutes left and Gardner comes in for Sockwell. We are up 17-13.

4 and a half minutes left and Singleton picks up a 2nd foul. I decide to bring in Sutton for him as Bruce is going to the bench and Chancler is returning to SG. Pardon also returns to the game. Up 22-17.

A 6-0 run has them take the lead. I can't believe we are struggling so badly with their team. Pardon with a nice jam gives us back the lead, 25-24.

Peterson who is 1 of 10 sits for the last 2 minutes of the half as Sockwell returns.



We go into halftime up 25-24.




Pardon is the player of the half with 7 points, 4 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block.

16 minutes left and no one is hitting shots except for Pardon. I decide to bring in Yeager for some offensive firepower from the perimeter.

Peterson finally has a dunk with 13 minutes left. He is starting to heat up now. 2 shots in a row that have gone in. We are up 38-37.


Down 41-40 with 10 minutes to go. We go to a lineup of Bruce, Yeager, Chancler, Sockwell, Abram in order to rest Peterson and Pardon.

We are tied at 48 with 6 minutes to go. We are going with Bruce, Chancler, Pardon, Gardner, and Abram for the next minute or two before a well rested Peterson returns.

Abram gets an offensive board and the putback. 50-48.

We turn it over and they get a fastbreak slam. Tied at 50. We turn it over again but Pardon with a stop.

4 minutes left and we get our starters back into the game.

Pardon with an offensive board.. he tries a highlight dunk which he misses when he is fouled. He hits the 1st but misses the 2nd. Sockwell gets the board and goes right up for a powerful slam where he is fouled! He makes the FT to convert the 3 point play. 54-50.

Peterson with a defensive stop. At the other end, he gets an open look at a 8 footer and makes it. His hook shot is erratic tonight but he has hit 3 of those short range jumpers.

After another stop, Singleton leaks out and gets a fastbreak jam where is fouled. He hits the FT to put us up 59-50. I don't know if this team just wasn't motivated at home against a weaker opponent or if we have just finally tired out their team.

Pardon with a fastbreak slam after Peterson threw a great outlet pass to Singleton. With 2 minutes to go, we slow it down on our next possession. Up 61-50.



We win the game 67-52.


Sockwell was the player of the game. 12 points, 23 boards (a career high), 2 assists, and 2 blocks. He shot 4 of 5, 0 of 0, and 4 of 5. I REALLY need to remember to go to him more when Peterson is struggling.


Peterson finished with 15 points, 11 boards, 2 assists, and 3 blocks. He shot 6 of 18, 0 of 0, and 3 of 3.

Pardon with 17 points, 6 boards, 2 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block. He shot 7 of 15, 1 of 4, and 2 of 3.

Singleton with 10 points, 2 assists, and 1 board. He shot 3 of 6, 1 of 2, and 3 of 3.

Chancler with 2 points, 2 boards, and 1 assist. He shot 1 of 6, 0 of 3, and 0 of 0.

Abram led the bench with 6 points and 6 boards in just 10 minutes.

Bruce had 5 points and an assist. He shot 2 of 5, 1 of 3, and 0 of 0.

Gardner with 0 points, 2 boards, and an assist in his debut of 9 minutes.

Yeager was 0 of 2. He had 1 board and 2 assists in his 10 minute appearance.

[Eaglesfan27]

Do you handle your backups, or let the computer do it?

I do them manually.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is hosting #5 Memphis. They are 2-0. They have a 92 overall roster strength. Their coach is rated as 1 of the best in the nation. They have scored 96.5 ppg in their first 2 games.

Simon Hannan is their star SG. He is 6'4" 208. He is from Lincoln, NE. He is rated 89 overall. He is rated a 93 from the arc! He has 94 speed. His next best attribute is his 90 stealing. He is a relatively weak on ball defender though who tends to gamble. He is averaging 21.5 ppg in their first 2 games. He was the 10th player overall in his class a few years ago.

SF Ralph Hardaway is from Memphis, TN. He is a 6'4 215 pound mid range specialist. He is rated 89 in midrange shooting. He has great speed, defense, and ball handling (better than my point guards.) He is rated 88 overall. He is also a senior.

PG Jamar Sandes is a 6'2 193 pound junior also from Memphis, TN. He is rated 96 in passing and 89 in ball handling. He is a very good defender, a good shooter, and a surprisingly good rebounder for his size. He is rated 88 overall. He is averaging 6 ppg, 5 rpg, and 6 apg.

PF Sylvester Gutierrez is also from Memphis. Apparently the city produces a lot of talent. He is questionable for this game with a knee injury. He is a 6'7" 240 pound senior. He is averaging 15.5 ppg and 8 rpg. He is a strong interior scorer who is a solid defender. He is rated 86 overall.

Sophomore Center Larry Elder is also from Memphis. He is a 6'9 235 pound defensive specialist at this point. He is a poor offensive player but is a very good post defender. He is an excellent shot blocker with great leaping ability. He is averaging 7 ppg, 8 rpg, and 1.5 bpg. He is rated 79 overall.

The bench is strong with SG Hal McGuire, a 6'4 210 pound 3 point specialist who is rated 80 overall, JR SF Sasha Frisby a 6'5 220 pound all around player rated 79 overall, and Freshman PG Torrin Didlake a 6'6 195 pound passing phenom who is rated 76 overall.

10 of their players are from Memphis, TN. Does the city really produce that much talent? Most I've seen on any team from that close to home.

[Eaglesfan27]

Jamar Sanders has had 2 early steals that have led to 4 fast break points by him, but his gambling style has also allowed Singleton to burn him twice for a 3 and a 2.

After Peterson has a block, we get out on the fast break.. Singleton throws a beautiful alley-oop to Pardon who makes a spectacular dunk. That gets our crowd going. Up 9-8 with 16 minutes to go.

Next possession Pardon hits a corner 3. I'm convinced that this team just doesn't hustle enough against bad teams. We are playing so much better this game even though it is higher scoring and it's not anything I'm doing differently. Up 12-8.

Our team is feeding off the crowd. Those plays start a 7-0 run than a 6-0 run after they hit a basket. We are up 20-10. Pardon has been the star of both runs with fast break baskets, mid range jumpers, steals, and a block. He has gotten Hardaway into foul trouble early.

I'm riding this lineup until they become exhausted or the lead starts shrinking.

9:44 to go and it is time to give the starters a rest as the crowd isn't carrying them anymore. We are up 27-15.

We go to the entire second unit to let the starters all rest. We'll go very slow down here just to buy time. Sutton, Bruce, Henning, Gardner, and Abram come into the game.

Memphis is using the half court trap more than any team I've ever played, but we are handling it ok so far.

Bruce and then Henning with back to back 3's to rebuild our lead. 35-20 with 5 minutes to go.

4:30 to go and we get our starters back into the game.

3:40 to go, Singleton gets a 2nd foul on Jamar Sanders.



We go into halftime up 45-30.


We've held them to 36% shooting! Great defense from our guys today.

Pardon is the player of the half with 14 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block.

Peterson has 11 points, 3 boards, and 3 assists.



1st minute of the 2nd half, Pardon gets a 3rd foul on Hardaway.

16 minutes left and they are closing the gap. 48-36. Sockwell has just picked up a 3rd foul but I'm leaving him in for a few more minutes.

Pardon ends their little run with a corner 3.

Pardon starts his own personal 6-0 run! A fastbreak dunk after a Sockwell block and a nice move on his man to draw a foul to prevent him from blowing by.

A totally different team out there. We use that Pardon run to start a 12-0 run overall.

With 9:42 to go, we are up 66-42. I rest my starters. Thanks in large part to Peterson, we are already shooting FT's every time they foul us.

The 2nd unit does a great job of finishing it out. Forget what I said earlier, we'll be going 10 deep most games and probably letting this 2nd unit work more together. Henning has made me a believer. He hit 3 3's in a row and it opened up his ability to drive.




We win the game 81-56.


Peterson was the player of the game. He had 15 points, 10 boards, a career high 7 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks. He shot 6 of 8, 0 of 0, and 3 of 3.

Singleton finished with 5 points and 3 assists. He shot 2 of 6.

Chancler with 10 points and 2 boards. He shot 4 of 8.

Pardon with a career high 20 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block. He shot 8 of 11, 2 of 2, and 2 of 4.

Sockwell with 8 points, 5 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. He shot 3 of 4, 1 of 1, and 1 of 2.

Bruce with 6 points on 2 of 6 shooting.

Gardner with 2 points, 2 boards, and an assist.

Sutton with 4 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in 15 minutes.

Abram with 0 points and 5 boards.

Henning finished with 11 points, 2 boards, and 2 assists. He shot 4 of 9, 3 of 7, and 0 of 0.

[hoopsguy]

Is that the most talented team that you have beaten so far with Wake? And by beat, I mean blew out.

[Eaglesfan27]

Next up we host a Loyola (IL) team that is 0-3 and has an overall rating of 77. I sim that one and will generally stick to simming every 3rd game. We win the simulated game 90-54. Peterson led us with 27 points and 5 boards. He shot 7 of 13, 1 of 1, and 12 of 16.

Sockwell had 12 points, Sutton 11, Bruce 10, Chancler 9, and Pardon 8.

Our next game is at home against a Marquette squad that is evenly matched with us in terms of overall rating. They are 3-1. They have 4 players who are slightly hurt and their starting center is out for this game with an Achilles Tendon Injury.

Steven Dixon is their star PG. He is rated 85 overall but is slightly hurt this game. He is 5'9 180. He is an excellent 3 point shooter and a great passer with good quickness.

Jomo Sterley is their SG who si a 6'1 218 pound scorer. He is a junior who was formerly freshman of the year. He is expected to go pro after this year and be a high pick. He has 90 rating in 3 point shooting, and is good in almost every other area. He is also rated 85 overall.

Sophomore SF Gervais Jagla is a slender 6'6 180. He is average in most areas but is excellent in shooting the 3. He is rated 79 overall. Pardon should be able to get him in foul trouble as he doesn't have the speed or defensive skill level to keep up with Pardon.

Andrew Swoger is a 6'6 208 pound PF who is a senior. He is good midrange shooter who is average in most other areas. He is rated 77 overall.

With their starting center out, they do not have a single player on the roster over 6'9" or 220 pounds. Hopefully, we can take advantage of their massive size disadvantage.

[Eaglesfan27]

Is that the most talented team that you have beaten so far with Wake? And by beat, I mean blew out.

Definitely. I'm not sure I've even managed to squeak by any teams that were that talented. Our team chemistry was horrible the last 2 years, but it is finally getting up there. I'm thinking that will lead to this team making some noise finally.

By the way, I forgot to mention what Chancler did to their SG. Chancler's perimeter defense is 96 and it really is showing. The first game he allowed the opposing SG to score 13, but it was on 4 of 16 shooting. This last game he held Hannan to 4 points on 1 of 12 shooting. Chancler is bigger than most SG's but has good enough speed to stay with them (89), 96 perimeter defense, and 94 stealing. Only thing is he doesn't have many steals yet, but I expect a big year defensively from him.

[Eaglesfan27]

We start off very sloppy. Too many turnovers and too many quick baskets allowed. Down 8-0 within 2 minutes.

Down 15-7 with 15 minutes to go in the half.

Down 19-15 with 10 minutes left as our defense has been much tighter. Our 2nd unit comes into the game.

Sutton with his 2nd 3 puts us ahead 23-21. He has scored all 8 points since the 2nd unit has been on the floor.

Tied at 24 with 4 minutes to go as our starters return.



We are tied at 36 at the half after a wild fast paced 4 minutes.



I spoke Chancler's praises too quickly. Sterley is beating him repeatedly off the dribble and has 13 points as a result. He is shooting 5 of 10.

Peterson is our leading scorer with 11 points. He also has 2 boards and 2 blocks. He is shooting 5 of 7.

Pardon with a coast to coast drive in which he just kept elevating and slammed it over his smaller man. 55-51 with 13 minutes later.

Next play after a steal by Chancler he throws it ahead to Peterson who was guarding his man at the top of the key.. their 6'8 center is in front of him.. Peterson slams it right over him! 57-51.

We are up 67-59 with 9:33 to go as our starters rest.

Terrible performance from the 2nd unit. We are tied at 69 with 4:50 to go. Our well rested starters return.

Peterson with a good outlet pass after a rebound ignites our fast break which ends with a Pardon slam. 71-69.

Chancler pokes the ball away from his man.. Pardon gets the loose ball after their SF dives and misses it.. Pardon with a breakaway windmill dunk. 73-69.

A 12 footer, followed by a 3 second call on Sockwell, followed by a nice layup ties it at 73. 2:20 to go.

Pardon hits a wing shot just inside the line but he is slow to get back and their SF responds with a 3. Down 76-75.

Pardon fakes out his man and is fouled before he can dunk. He hits both FT's. Peterson picks up his 4th foul at the other end. They hit both FT's.

Sockwell is fouled. He misses his FT's, but Peterson gets the offensive board and the putback slam. Up 79-78.

They miss a quick 3. Sockwell with the board.

We work the clock down to 2.. Pardon with the corner 3.. he misses it. 22 seconds left.

They pass it to Jagla who has had a good game against Pardon.. Pardon steals it from him! They foul Pardon. He hits both FT's.

They work it around looking for an open 3.. they shoot.. and miss.. Pardon with the board. They foul him with 1 second left. He hits both FT's.



We win the game 83-78.



Pardon is the player of the game. A career high 27 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 4 steals. Never expected this kind of production out of him. :) He shot 8 of 18, 2 of 6, and 9 of 10 from the line.

Peterson had 24 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He shot 11 of 14, 0 of 0, and 2 of 2.

Singleton with his best day. 10 points and 6 assists (3 or 4 to Pardon on the fast break) He also had 1 steal and 4 turnovers. He shot 2 of 2, 2 of 2, and 4 of 4.

Chancler with 4 points, 4 boards, and 2 assists. He had 3 turnovers. He shot 2 of 4. Sterley had 19 points against him but he held him to 7 of 16, 5 of 10 from the arc.

Sockwell with 7 points, 7 boards, 4 assists, and 1 block.


Sutton led the bench with 8 points. He shot 3 of 4, 2 of 2, and 0 of 0.





At 4-0, I'm a bit surprised to see we haven't cracked either of the polls.




After some consideration, I decide on who to offer our scholaship. SF Ron Bender is a 6'6 250 pound HS SR from Virginia Beach, VA. He is a 4 star player who is ranked 64th overall and 10th among SF's. I'm tempted to offer a local 5 star kid from Georgia that I really like, but he seems determined to stay close to home at Georgia Tech. I really like Bender because despite having a big body, he is extremely fast with a great first step and he is another athletic dunker. His defense is solid and he is a decent shot blocker. In the ABL, he averaged 14 ppg, 7 rpg, 3 apg, 1.5 spg, and 2.3 bpg. Similar numbers to Pardon from his days in the ABL. He shot 45% from the floor and 30% from the arc. Most importantly, the kid seems to want to come to our school. He could be an early signing. The only other schools in the mix with us are Duke, Maryland, and Miami.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is hosting Old Dominin. They are 0-2 and are ranked much lower with an overall roster strength of 74. I hope our team doesn't play down to their level again. I'll play this game later this week. A quick look at their starting 5:

SR PF Lowell Welch is their best player. He is 6'7 244. He is rated 75 overall. His strengths are inside scoring, FT shooting, and rebounding. He is a weak defender and a bad passer.

SR PG Abraham Nashif is a 6'3 210 pound senior. He is a very good 3 point shooter (84), a good FT shooter, and a good ball handler. He is slow and is a weak defender. He is rated 69 overall.

Center Everett Ballard is a 6'9 218 pound junior. He is a good rebounder but is weak in all other areas. He is rated 66 overall.

SG Deon Koger is a 6'4 222 pound freshman. He is average to below average in every area. He is rated 66 overall.

SF Elton Almanson is 6'7 214 pounds. He is below average in every area. He is rated 65 overall.

[Eaglesfan27]

We start off sloppy against the inferior competiton. Down 6-0 within 2 minutes.

It continues for the first 8 minutes. We are down 16-10 with 12 minutes to go in the half as our starters take a seat. Just no intensity on defense.

The 2nd unit is playing with much more intensity. We are up 22-21 with 8 minutes to go in the half.


Our starters return with 5 minutes to go in the half. We are up 28-25. Bruce has been huge for the offense with 10 points. Some really good defense until the last 2 minutes when the guys were getting tired.

Henning has 3 fouls already :(


My guys still aren't hustling enough on defense but it is a bit better.



We are up 40-32 at the half.



Bruce is the player of the half. He has 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting, 1 of 1, and 1 of 2.

Pardon has 8 points, Sockwell 6, and Peterson 4. We'll be going to Peterson much more in the 2nd half.


Now, that is more like it. We hold them scoreless for the first 6 minutes of the 2nd half. Unfortunately, our offense isn't great during that time. Still, we are up 48-34 with 14 minutes to go in the game when they finally score.

Our guys are tired and sloppy now. After they hit 2 3's, I call a timeout and get our bench back in. We are up 48-40.

Up 65-58 with 4 and a half minutes left as our starters return right after Henning fouls out.

With 2 minutes to go, Peterson with an outlet to Singleton who passes to Chancler who passes it for an alley-oop slam to Pardon! 73-63.





We win the game 76-63.


Pardon was the player of the game. His athleticism has brought a whole new dimension to our offense. He finished with 17 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 4 of 10, 0 of 5, and 9 of 10. He also had 3 turnovers.


Singleton with 3 points, 2 assists, and 2 turnovers. He shot 1 of 8.

Chancler with 4 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 2 of 5, 0 of 3, and 0 of 0.

Sockwell with 7 points, 8 boards, and 2 assists.

Peterson with 10 points, 13 boards, 1 assist, and 3 turnovers. He shot 5 of 10, 0 of 0, and 0 of 0.

Bruce with 13 points, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He shot 5 of 9, 2 of 3, and 1 of 2.

Sutton led the bench with 12 points and 4 assists in just 16 minutes. He shot 4 of 5 all from the arc.

Henning had 6, Abram and Gardner each had 2. Gardner also had 6 boards and a block.

[Eaglesfan27]

Next up is a road game at Georgia. Their overall talent level is a 79, much lower than I expected. It's the 6th game, so I sim it.

We win the game 72-58. Peterson led us with 20 points, 9 boards, and 3 blocks.

Singleton with 9 points and 7 assists. Chancler with 9 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals. Pardon with 9 points, 6 boards, and 2 blocks. Sockwell with 11 points, 4 boards, and 1 block.

Abram led the bench with 4 points.


One thing that I'm doing differently this year is that one of my assistants is barely helping in recruiting. I'm mostly keeping him delegated to training the team. We seem to be responding to that as everyone is already showing growth, with Chancler showing significant growth in all areas of his game. Pardon is also quickly improving.

We are 1 week away from the early signing week beginning so I fly out to Ron Bender's house again.

We are now 24th in the media poll but are still unranked in the Coaches' Poll.

The Media Poll Top 10:

1. Texas (4-0)
2. Nebraska (4-0)
3. Arizona (2-0)
4. Washington (6-0)
5. Pitt (3-0)
6. Illinois (3-0)
7. Ohio State (4-0)
8. Georgia Tech (3-1)
9. Memphis (5-2)
10. Oregon (3-1)


Niagara is having a tougher time without Simmons. They are 2-2 and are 2nd in the Mid Major Poll. Then again, both losses were to quality teams - Georgia Tech beat them 92-88 and Florida beat them 74-64. The rest of their OOC schedule is fairly easy on first glance.


USC is 4-2 and is 16th in the media poll and 19th in the coaches poll. That isn't going to get Floyd fired.


Ou next game is at home versus Michigan State. They are 1-1. They are equal to us in overall roster talent rating. They now have the former Niagara coach who beat us last year. Of course, they had the great recruiting class and it is clear to see that their top 3 freshman are very talented, but none of them start yet.

Vladimir Geiger is the star of the team. The SR SG is rated 91 overall! He is a 6'5 223 pound player from Chicago. He has elite speed at 96 that will be very tough for Chancler to handle. He is a great FT shooter (99 rating), a great dunker, a great 3 point shooter, a great ball handler, and a great passer. Defensively, he is above average in every area. His rebounding is his only real weakness. He is averaging 24 ppg, 5 rpg, 3 apg, 1.5 spg, and 1 apg. He was the 50th ranked player in his class.

PG Lamar Estrada is a 6'1 183 pound sophomore. He is rated 80 overall. He was the 10th ranked player 2 years ago. He is a decent shooter, a good asser, and a great defender. He is averaging 9 ppg and 2 apg.

PF Courtnei Sparks is 6'10 265 pounds. He is from Detroit. He is a very good interior scorer, a good shot blocker, and an otherwise average player. He is rated 79 overall. He is a junior. He is averaging 9.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, and 1.5 bpg. He was the 125th player in his class.


Center Darell Hicks is a 7'0 245 pound athletic big man who is a great shot blocker. He is also a good interior scorer. He isn't as fast as either of our big men, nor is he as strong. He has little range away from the basket. He is ranked 79 overall. He is averaging 22 ppg, 8.5 rpg, and 2 bpg. He was the 195th player overall in his class.

I missed that they are starting 1 of the freshman.Luther Boythe is a 6'4 200 pound SF from Aurora, IL. He is rated 78 overall which is the highest of the freshman. He was the 24th player overall in his class. He is a quick, athletic 3 who can shoot the 3 fairly well. He is also an above average defender.

The other 3 freshman anchor the bench.

SG Dallas Ames is a 6'2 194 pound player from Milwaukee, WI. He is ranked 77 overall. He is the best 3 point shooter on the team. He was 32nd overall in the class.

PG Harold Lavender is a 6'4 188 pound freshman from Evanston, IL. He is rated 76 overall. He is strongest at passing and handling the ball. He is a good midrange shooter. He was ranked 26th in the class.

Deantoine Mulligan is a 6'2 192 pound freshman PG from Toledo, OH. He is rated 75 overall. He is the best stealer on the team. He was the 57th player overall in the last class.

Overall, 4 very impressive freshman. The rest of their bench is subpar.

I'll play that game later this week.

[Radii]

One thing that I'm doing differently this year is that one of my assistants is barely helping in recruiting. I'm mostly keeping him delegated to training the team. We seem to be responding to that as everyone is already showing growth, with Chancler showing significant growth in all areas of his game. Pardon is also quickly improving.


Are you doing that by just not using him any for recruiting actions, or by doing something in one of the development menus?

[Eaglesfan27]

Are you doing that by just not using him any for recruiting actions, or by doing something in one of the development menus?

I'm just not using any of his recruiting actions. Keeping his free time and development time maxed out each week.