The return of SDSU VC: 2011-2012

[SirFozzie]

(I'm stepping in because we've had two weeks without any sign of continuing after VT's 2010 season.. Do we need to set a new order?)

No movement on the coaching front, all the programs are below us.

The Draft:

2011 Pro Basketball Entry Draft

1. Miami: SG *Ryan Boykin (Alabama) - 15.2 PPG, 4.2 APG.
2. Phoenix: PF *Tom Bosl (Michigan State) - 15.2 PPG, 10.9 RPG.
3. Portland: PF *Martin Camara (Tennessee) - 14.8 PPG, 10.9 RPG.
4. Milwaukee: PF *Clifford Murphy (Maryland) - 10.7 PPG, 11.9 RPG.
5. Utah: PF *Andre Coulibaly (Texas) - 12.7 PPG, 11 RPG.
6. Dallas: PF *Jaron Knight (Michigan State) - 10.6 PPG, 9 RPG.
7. San Antonio: SF *Vidal Watson (Massachusetts) - 14.1 PPG, 11.1 RPG.
8. Philadelphia: PG *Shawn Winder (HighSchool) - 34 PPG, 8.6 APG.
9. L.A. Lakers: SF Kyle Dunkley (Arizona) - 17.1 PPG, 12.4 RPG.
10. Sacramento: C *Drew Lane (UCLA) - 9.2 PPG, 12.8 RPG.
11. Chicago: C *Torraye Granger (Oklahoma) - 7.2 PPG, 11.5 RPG.
12. Washington: SG *Tarise Morrisey (Auburn) - 12.7 PPG, 3.8 APG.
13. Memphis: PF *Jeff Spitler (South Florida) - 13.4 PPG, 9.4 RPG.
14. Golden State: C *Bobby Ramsey (Ohio State) - 6.2 PPG, 13.5 RPG.
15. New Jersey: C *Jay Hymes (Connecticut) - 8.5 PPG, 12 RPG.
16. Cleveland: PF *Derek Watson (Mississippi) - 13.5 PPG, 11 RPG.
17. Atlanta: PF *Kori Jackson (Utah) - 12.2 PPG, 11.5 RPG.
18. Detroit: PG *Antwaan Cleveland (UAB) - 11.8 PPG, 5.9 APG.
19. L.A. Clippers: PG *Zeljko Lekivicius (HighSchool) - 38 PPG, 9 APG.
20. Denver: SG *Jason Byrd (St. Johns) - 13.8 PPG, 2.5 APG.
21. Indiana: SG *Lance Bell (Georgia Tech) - 14.5 PPG, 3.3 APG.
22. Boston: SF Brandon Wardle (Providence) - 19.5 PPG, 11.5 RPG.
23. Seattle: C *Jay Kelly (Gonzaga) - 9.2 PPG, 11 RPG.
24. Orlando: PF Matt Perry (Memphis) - 13.7 PPG, 12.6 RPG.
25. Houston: SF Sam Williams (Villanova) - 20.5 PPG, 11.9 RPG.
26. Minnesota: PF *Clarence Graves (Georgia) - 12.1 PPG, 12.1 RPG.
27. Toronto: SF Grant Walker (Oklahoma) - 15.1 PPG, 12.1 RPG.
28. Charlotte: PG Brian McKenzie (Connecticut) - 12.8 PPG, 6.2 APG.
29. New York: C *Kyle Oliver (Wake Forest) - 7 PPG, 10.2 RPG.
30. Miami: PF *Mike Radford (West Virginia) - 10 PPG, 11.5 RPG.
31. Phoenix: SG Roshown Deverage (Georgia) - 13.6 PPG, 3.4 APG.
32. Portland: PF *Jason Bollman (Missouri) - 11 PPG, 10.8 RPG.
33. Milwaukee: SG Eddie Hankins (Temple) - 15.8 PPG, 3.6 APG.
34. Utah: C *Terry Stephens (George Washington) - 6.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG.
35. Dallas: SF Rudy Baily (Texas Tech) - 15.7 PPG, 13.5 RPG.
36. San Antonio: SF Derrick Williams (Indiana) - 20.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG.
37. Philadelphia: PF *Davin Riley (Alabama) - 7 PPG, 8 RPG.
38. L.A. Lakers: PF Chauncey Williams (Washington) - 15.6 PPG, 13.8 RPG.
39. Sacramento: PF *Marco Johnson (Mississippi St.) - 9.8 PPG, 11.4 RPG.
40. Chicago: SG *Cory Parker (Seton Hall) - 13.3 PPG, 3.4 APG.
41. Washington: SG Travon Oates (North Carolina) - 13.8 PPG, 3.2 APG.
42. Memphis: C Chris Oconner (Providence) - 10.6 PPG, 13.8 RPG.
43. Golden State: PG *Nick Stewart (Arizona State) - 10.9 PPG, 5.7 APG.
44. New Jersey: SF Keith Smith (Minnesota) - 20.1 PPG, 14.4 RPG.
45. Cleveland: PF Aaron Rosen (Illinois) - 13.1 PPG, 15 RPG.
46. Atlanta: C Justin Butler (St. Johns) - 10.5 PPG, 13.8 RPG.
47. Detroit: PF *David Heard (North Carolina) - 10.9 PPG, 9.2 RPG.
48. L.A. Clippers: PF *Tyrhon Shueller (Washington) - 8.9 PPG, 9.2 RPG.
49. Denver: PG *Juan Boythe (Texas Tech) - 10.4 PPG, 6.2 APG.
50. Indiana: SF Martin Camara (Syracuse) - 19.3 PPG, 12 RPG.
51. Boston: C *Dana Shivers (Memphis) - 7.5 PPG, 9.2 RPG.
52. Seattle: SF Lee Collier (Missouri) - 15.8 PPG, 8.9 RPG.
53. Orlando: SF B.J. Greene (Utah) - 18.4 PPG, 11.2 RPG.
54. Houston: PF Dusty Clayton (Miami) - 16.2 PPG, 13 RPG.
55. Minnesota: SF Oliver Martin (Michigan) - 15.3 PPG, 10.4 RPG.
56. Toronto: C *Correy Seymour (Arizona) - 6.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG.
57. Charlotte: C *Darrin Young (Arizona) - 5.9 PPG, 10.4 RPG.
58. New York: SF A.J. Jones (Auburn) - 17.5 PPG, 9.2 RPG.

.400 Sports Network
Pro Basketball Desk

[SirFozzie]

Our recruiting class is not in the top 20, and we go with three star recruiting service hardcourt.com and have about 7500 a week left over.

San Diego State Schedule

Date IP Rank .400 Rank CRI Opponent Record Score W/L
11/10/2011 - - - Miss Valley St. 0-0 - -
11/17/2011 - - - @Oral Roberts 0-0 - -
11/19/2011 - - - @George Washington 0-0 - -
11/24/2011 - - - San Diego 0-0 - -
11/26/2011 - - - Eastern Wash. 0-0 - -
11/30/2011 - - - Yale 0-0 - -
12/4/2011 - - - Butler 0-0 - -
12/8/2011 - - - Rutgers 0-0 - -
12/10/2011 - - - Army 0-0 - -
12/12/2011 - - - Indiana Purdue 0-0 - -
12/17/2011 - - - Wofford 0-0 - -
12/22/2011 - - - SW Texas State 0-0 - -
12/24/2011 - - - @Lafayette 0-0 - -
12/27/2011 - - - Air Force 0-0 - -
12/31/2011 - - - Colorado State 0-0 - -
1/3/2012 - - - @New Mexico 0-0 - -
1/7/2012 - - - @Wyoming 0-0 - -
1/12/2012 - - - Brigham Young 0-0 - -
1/14/2012 - - - Utah 0-0 - -
1/26/2012 - - - @Utah 0-0 - -
1/27/2012 - - - @Brigham Young 0-0 - -
2/2/2012 - - - @Air Force 0-0 - -
2/5/2012 - - - @Colorado State 0-0 - -
2/7/2012 - - - @UNLV 0-0 - -
2/12/2012 - - - New Mexico 0-0 - -
2/13/2012 - - - Wyoming 0-0 - -
2/19/2012 - - - UNLV 0-0 - -
2/23/2012 - - - @American 0-0 - -
2/24/2012 - - - @Northern Arizona

[SirFozzie]

Here's something new for this dynasty, Scouting Reports!

Scouting Report for Freshman SG Chris Crawford

Offensive Skills: Chris lacks the skills needed to be threat with the dribble right now. He will need more training before making any kind of impact in this area. Chris has been working on his jumpshot, but has not quite mastered it yet. He is not going to worry too many opponents from the outside at this point.

Defensive Skills: Chris is not a good defender. He has slow feet and tends to grab more. He will get in foul trouble if he has to cover anyone with decent quickness.

Rebounding Skill: Chris is a real liability on the boards. Rebounding is simply not his strength and I do not see him ever really getting much better.

Intangibles: Chris looks lost a lot on the floor. Even when he is in good position, it seems more based on luck than him preparing. Chris has missed a couple of big shots in his career and that makes him a little jittery in late game situations. Most of the time it is just nerves, but you really never know.

Current Role: Chris is simply a practice body right now. Blowouts and situations where we are decimated by injury figure to be the only times he will play.

Future Role: Chris does not seem to be in the mix this season. And, unfortunately, I do not see him getting to the point where he can be a starter down the line. At best, he will be depth off the bench.

[SirFozzie]

Scouting Report for Sophomore SF Jerome Robinson

Offensive Skills: Jerome has been working on his jumpshot, but has not quite mastered it yet. He is not going to worry too many opponents from the outside at this point. Jerome is still raw as a ball handler. His passing is adequate, but he needs to make better decisions with the ball.

Defensive Skills: Jerome shows signs of being a good defender, but sometimes loses concentration while covering his man.

Rebounding Skill: Jerome has improved his effort and consistency on hitting the boards. He is not a top rebounder yet, but that is not because of a lack of desire on his part. He just needs more practice on his footwork and blocking out.

Intangibles: Jerome tends to be in the right position most of the time on defense. He is also a little shaky on moving without the ball on offense. He really needs some work on making good decisions on and off the ball. Jerome is not what I would call a team player. He is more worried about his numbers than the success of the team and some players have picked up on this.

Current Role: Jerome is simply a practice body right now. Blowouts and situations where we are decimated by injury figure to be the only times he will play.

Future Role: Jerome does not seem to be in the mix this season. And, unfortunately, I do not see him getting to the point where he can be a starter down the line. At best, he will be depth off the bench.

[SirFozzie]

Scouting Report for Sophomore PG Bernard Jenkins

Offensive Skills: Bernard has developed into a very good quarterback of the offense. He makes good decisions with the ball and can really worry defenses with his handling ability. Bernard is a very good outside shooter and would be a nice offensive option for most teams.

Defensive Skills: Bernard shows signs of being a good defender, but sometimes loses concentration while covering his man.

Rebounding Skill: Bernard is a real liability on the boards. Rebounding is simply not his strength and I do not see him ever really getting much better.

Intangibles: We think that Bernard just needs some more seasoning from an awareness standpoint. His decision making and defensive positioning is not where it should be. Bernard has a presence in the lockeroom and is very good at keeping his teammates focused. He is a valuable member of this team in that regard.

Current Role: Bernard appears to be a role player on this squad. He may get a few minutes, but probably will not play much unless we have some injuries.

Future Role: Bernard has progressed a bit since last season and is still a good talent. He may not get the minutes he deserves this season, but do not give up on him. His best days are yet to come.

[SirFozzie]

Scouting Report for Sophomore PG Michael Jones

Offensive Skills: Michael has developed into a very good quarterback of the offense. He makes good decisions with the ball and can really worry defenses with his handling ability. Michael is a very good outside shooter and would be a nice offensive option for most teams.

Defensive Skills: Michael looks be one of our better perimeter defenders this season. He moves his feet well and has quick hands when defending.

Rebounding Skill: Michael is a real liability on the boards. Rebounding is simply not his strength and I do not see him ever really getting much better.

Intangibles: We think that Michael just needs some more seasoning from an awareness standpoint. His decision making and defensive positioning is not where it should be. Michael is not what I would call a team player. He is more worried about his numbers than the success of the team and some players have picked up on this.

Current Role: Michael looks to be a starter on this team right now. He has good skills and should be a valuable member on the team this season.

Future Role: Michael has the potential to be a good player on this team and has really improved since last season. Now, that he has had one season in the program, I am excited to see how he does this year.

[SirFozzie]

Scouting Report for Senior PF Tim Grant

Offensive Skills: Tim can be a nice offensive threat if we get him the ball deep this season. He has made some great progress with his shooting and post play.

Defensive Skills: Tim has nice footwork as a post defender, but he does not have the strength to matchup against top inside scorers.

Rebounding Skill: Tim has improved his effort and consistency on hitting the boards. He is not a top rebounder yet, but that is not because of a lack of desire on his part. He just needs more practice on his footwork and blocking out.

Intangibles: Tim tends to be in the right position most of the time on defense. He is also a little shaky on moving without the ball on offense. He really needs some work on making good decisions on and off the ball. Tim is not what I would call a team player. He is more worried about his numbers than the success of the team and some players have picked up on this.

Current Role: Tim appears to be a role player on this squad. He may get a few minutes, but probably will not play much unless we have some injuries.

Future Role: Tim is still in a rut from a player progression stanpoint. He seems to have the talent to be a bigtime player, but he just has yet to put it all together. Unfortunately, the clock is ticking for his college career.

[SirFozzie]

Scouting Report for Sophomore C Ferron Cooper

Offensive Skills: Ferron has some good inside moves and can even step back and hit the jumper to keep teams honest.

Defensive Skills: Ferron is a real tough inside defender. Most teams will stay away from him as he can really bother a shot with his presence.

Rebounding Skill: We do not feel Ferron is a good rebounder at this point. He tends to miss some assignments and just lacks an overall tenacity needed to be a consistent guy on the boards.

Intangibles: Ferron tends to be in the right position most of the time on defense. He is also a little shaky on moving without the ball on offense. He really needs some work on making good decisions on and off the ball. Players tend to really listen to Ferron when he talks. He has the ability to pull guys together late in the game will make a good coach some day.

Current Role: Ferron appears to be a role player on this squad. He may get a few minutes, but probably will not play much unless we have some injuries.

Future Role: Ferron needs a little more seasoning and development before really contributing on this team. He had a nice offseason and has improved in some areas. I think next season could be his year to shine.

[SirFozzie]

Scouting Report for Junior SG Dexter Edwards

Offensive Skills: Dexter has developed into a very good quarterback of the offense. He makes good decisions with the ball and can really worry defenses with his handling ability. Dexter is a very good outside shooter and would be a nice offensive option for most teams.

Defensive Skills: Dexter shows signs of being a good defender, but sometimes loses concentration while covering his man.

Rebounding Skill: Dexter is a real liability on the boards. Rebounding is simply not his strength and I do not see him ever really getting much better.

Intangibles: Dexter tends to be in the right position most of the time on defense. He is also a little shaky on moving without the ball on offense. He really needs some work on making good decisions on and off the ball. Dexter is one of those guys you need to keep in a padded cell whenever possible. He always seems to have some kind of nagging injury that sets him up for a big fall. Be careful when counting on this guy.

Current Role: Dexter should vie for a starting spot, but may end up as a key player off the bench to spell the starters.

Future Role: Dexter has progressed nicely for this program and should really start to come into his own as a team leader and top performer here soon.

[SirFozzie]

Scouting Report for Junior SF Will Yeaton

Offensive Skills: Will has been working on his jumpshot, but has not quite mastered it yet. He is not going to worry too many opponents from the outside at this point. Will shows signs of being a good passer and is a capable ball handler. His skills are a little better than most small forwards in this area.

Defensive Skills: Will is capable on defense, but he has not shown the desire or consistency needed to be a quality defender yet.

Rebounding Skill: We do not feel Will is a good rebounder at this point. He tends to miss some assignments and just lacks an overall tenacity needed to be a consistent guy on the boards.

Intangibles: Will looks lost a lot on the floor. Even when he is in good position, it seems more based on luck than him preparing. Will is not what I would call a team player. He is more worried about his numbers than the success of the team and some players have picked up on this.

Current Role: Will is simply a practice body right now. Blowouts and situations where we are decimated by injury figure to be the only times he will play.

Future Role: Will is what we call a JAG (just another guy). There is nothing that he really offers this team from a talent standpoint and gets by on guts alone. While admirable, he will not ever be a starting player in this league.

[SirFozzie]

Scouting Report for Junior C Alex Day

Offensive Skills: Alex is an elite post scorer and has great footwork on offense. Once he gets the ball deep, forget about it.

Defensive Skills: Alex has nice footwork as a post defender, but he does not have the strength to matchup against top inside scorers.

Rebounding Skill: Alex can dominate the glass when he is motivated. We have him as one of the top rebounders on the team, maybe even in the conference.

Intangibles: Alex can sense the flow of the game and find the open player when he has the ball. You cannot teach these skills, so he is naturally blessed with good court vision. Alex is not what I would call a team player. He is more worried about his numbers than the success of the team and some players have picked up on this.

Current Role: Alex should vie for a starting spot, but may end up as a key player off the bench to spell the starters.

Future Role: We are eager to see how Alex does this season. He developed some better skills in the offseason and might be peaking from an ability standpoint.

[SirFozzie]

Scouting Report for Senior C Damon Brown

Offensive Skills: Damon can be a nice offensive threat if we get him the ball deep this season. He has made some great progress with his shooting and post play.

Defensive Skills: Damon is a real tough inside defender. Most teams will stay away from him as he can really bother a shot with his presence.

Rebounding Skill: Damon can dominate the glass when he is motivated. We have him as one of the top rebounders on the team, maybe even in the conference.

Intangibles: Damon tends to be in the right position most of the time on defense. He is also a little shaky on moving without the ball on offense. He really needs some work on making good decisions on and off the ball. Damon has shown a tendency to hit big shots, but I am not sold on him just yet. Maybe after this season he will make me a believer.

Current Role: Damon looks to be a starter on this team right now. He has good skills and should be a valuable member on the team this season.

Future Role: We are eager to see how Damon does this season. He developed some better skills in the offseason and might be peaking at the right time from an ability standpoint.

[SirFozzie]

Scouting Report for Senior PF Kerry Washington

Offensive Skills: Kerry is an elite post scorer and has great footwork on offense. Once he gets the ball deep, forget about it.

Defensive Skills: Kerry is one of the top post defenders in the league. He can block shots, deny the inside pass and has the strength to keep opponents off the block.

Rebounding Skill: Kerry can really clear the glass. He has great positioning, is quick off his feet and is a textbook rebounder. Teams should video him hitting the boards as an instruction for their players. He is just that good.

Intangibles: Kerry can sense the flow of the game and find the open player when he has the ball. You cannot teach these skills, so he is naturally blessed with good court vision. Kerry has shown a tendency to hit big shots, but I am not sold on him just yet. Maybe after this season he will make me a believer.

Current Role: Kerry is one of the better players on this team. He should be a starter and we will need him to have a good year if we want to make our expectations.

Future Role: Kerry has progressed nicely for this program and our hard work with this young player should pay off his senior season.

[SirFozzie]

Scouting Report for Senior PF Mario Roland

Offensive Skills: Mario can be a nice offensive threat if we get him the ball deep this season. He has made some great progress with his shooting and post play.

Defensive Skills: Mario is one of the top post defenders in the league. He can block shots, deny the inside pass and has the strength to keep opponents off the block.

Rebounding Skill: Mario can really clear the glass. He has great positioning, is quick off his feet and is a textbook rebounder. Teams should video him hitting the boards as an instruction for their players. He is just that good.

Intangibles: Mario can sense the flow of the game and find the open player when he has the ball. You cannot teach these skills, so he is naturally blessed with good court vision. Mario tends to crumble a bit when the spotlight is on him. He is not the guy I would want with the ball late in a big game down a point.

Current Role: Mario looks to be a starter on this team right now. He has good skills and should be a valuable member on the team this season.

Future Role: Mario has progressed nicely for this program and our hard work with this young player should pay off his senior season.

Derrick Phillips

[SirFozzie]

Scouting Report for Senior PG Maynard Allen

Offensive Skills: Maynard is one of the elite playmakers in college basketball. Everyone needs to be alert when he has the ball as he will find the open guy. Maynard is deadly accurate from the outside. Teams that leave him open on the perimeter will pay dearly.

Defensive Skills: Maynard has developed a reputation of shutting down top opposing scorers. With him in the lineup, we can really apply some pressure on the perimeter.

Rebounding Skill: Maynard is a real liability on the boards. Rebounding is simply not his strength and I do not see him ever really getting much better.

Intangibles: We think that Maynard just needs some more seasoning from an awareness standpoint. His decision making and defensive positioning is not where it should be. Maynard has missed a lot of practice time and been hampered in games because he just has the knack of being in the wrong place in the wrong time. At this rate I would not count on him to play all the games this season and expect atleast one or two injuries this year.

Current Role: Maynard is one of the better players on this team. He should be a starter and we will need him to have a good year if we want to make our expectations.

Future Role: Maynard has progressed nicely for this program and our hard work with this young player should pay off his senior season.

[SirFozzie]

That's all of em :)

We get the #2 seed in the Preseason ACT (WOW!) and will travel to New York, New York to take on #7 Mississippi Valley St.

[SirFozzie]

Game 1: Preseason ACT vs Miss Valley St Delta Devils (0-0)

Our starting Lineup:

PG: Allen
SG: Jones
SF: Washington
PF: Roland
C: Brown


Our game is simple. Get the ball inside.. work the shots inside and hope for the best. Washington shows this could be his breakout year in the first half, as he scores 14 first half points and 5 rebounds in the first 20 as well. We're shooting great.. turnovers seem to be a problem, as we give up 10 turnovers, so we're only up 35-33 at the break.

Washington ends up with a double double, 24 and 14, as we win 73-64. Allen gets hurt on a late game foul, but fortunately it's just a sprained wrist, he's day to day. This is our first ever preseason tournament win!

(1-0), Next: vs #3 seed South Alabama

[SirFozzie]

Game 2: Preseason ACT Semi-Final vs South Alabama Jaguars (1-0)

Since we don't have Allen for this game, we're a little short handed in the guard sense, but that's ok.. the ones we DO have make up for it. Under our new policy, we only take the wide open threes, and we make 5 of 9 in the first half to take a 44-27 lead into halftime. Washington has 10, Allen 9 (3 threes), Jenkins 7, and Edwards 5.

The 2nd half is a bunch of scrub ball, they only cut the lead down to 12 once, and a quick run by the starters who came back in ended that. Washington finished with 16 points, Crawford had 10 off the bench, and we're off to the final, 74-56 winners!

Another injury, as Yeaton goes down for two months with a broken hip..

But make way for the final, as SDSU will play at Madison Square Guarden against..

#9 Michigan.

[SirFozzie]

Game #3: Preseason ACT Final: vs #9 Michigan Wolverines (2-0)

We want to keep it close and make the big run, we do fairly well, 22-20 at one point, but then they realize we're not shooting free throws well at all so far, and send us to the line repeatedly. We're 10-23 from the line in the first half, and it's 43-29 at the halftime break.

We keep making mini runs, but they push it out, and despite Washington's 2nd double double, (22-11, including 17 2nd half points), we fall 78-62.

But still, with our injuries, 2-1 is a GREAT start :)

[SirFozzie]

We are no longer #60 in the nation. Where are we? Well.. take a look for yourself ;)

IP Top 25 Poll

Rank School Record Points Previous
1. Connecticut 3-0 1,873 2
2. Michigan 3-0 1,695 9
3. Arkansas 3-0 1,598 23
4. Maryland 2-1 1,367 7
5. St. Johns 2-1 1,252 11
6. Iowa State 1-1 1,125 4
7. San Diego State 2-1 1,037 60
8. Oklahoma State 1-1 957 17
9. Illinois 0-0 841 1
10. St. Bonaventure 1-1 790 61
11. South Alabama 1-1 731 71
12. Notre Dame 0-1 685 3
13. Boston College 0-0 650 5
14. Wichita State 1-1 600 84
15. Providence 0-0 549 6
16. Syracuse 0-0 511 8
17. Alabama 0-0 477 10
18. Kentucky 0-0 396 12
19. Bethune Cookman 1-1 348 105
20. Temple 0-0 284 13
21. USC 0-0 237 14
22. California 0-0 189 16
23. Florida 0-0 157 18
24. Arizona 0-0 141 19
25. Georgia 0-0 125 20

Others Receiving Votes: Mississippi 117, Stanford 108, North Carolina 93, Georgia Tech 77, Texas Tech 62, Memphis 46, Duke 31, Purdue 15, Miami 10, Tennessee 7, Massachusetts 4, Michigan State 4, Mississippi St. 3, Texas A&M 3, Texas 2, Iowa 2, Kansas 1, Cincinnati 1, Louisville 1, Missouri 1, Gonzaga 1.

Dropped out of Top 25: No. 21 Mississippi, No. 24 Stanford, No. 25 North Carolina, No. 15 Texas Tech, No. 22 Purdue

[SirFozzie]

Game 4: At Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (0-0)

Allen is back and back in the starting lineup for this one, and it's the back court that shines, as basically all of Oral Roberts university seems to be guarding Washington (only 4 points but 5 boards at the break), but that leaves Freshman SG Crawford to shine, and he does, scoring a career high 13 points in the first half alone, as we lead 39-31 at the break.

They promptly go on an 8-0 run to tie it at 39 all, :/

It's white knuckle play the entire 2nd half, and it's 65 all at the end of regulation, but we just hate OT, and fall 70-67 in OT. Crawford finished with 17, Washington with 10

[SirFozzie]

Game 5: At George Washington University

This was an Oops, I quick simmed game ;)

We squeaked a 65-62 win over the GW side, six players with at least 6 points, (Jones and Edwards 7, Grant, Allen and Roland each had 9, and Washington 13)

We're 3-2, and out of the top 25, but not far, #31.

[tucker342]

7. San Diego State 2-1 1,037 60

HOLY SHIT!!!! To bad that ranking didn't last very long. Keep up the good work.

[SirFozzie]

I'm definitely trying tucker, I'm definitely trying :)

Game 6: Vs San Diego Toreros (WAC,

The back court was our specialists in the last game I typed up, this time it's the front court. Between Grant (16), Roland (11) and Washington (7), our three front court players score 34 of our 42 first half points. It's still a close game at the break, 42-38, however, and we definitely want to rule supreme in San Diego... So I tell the boys now's the time to take control.

Unfortunately, San Diego has the same idea, and it's back and forth the entire way. Day has a chance to either tie it or win it or us at the end of the 2nd half, as he has two shots, down 1 with :03 to play. He makes the first, but misses the 2nd, so for the 2nd time in six games, we're headed to.. Oooooovertime.

(BTW.. The refs are so going to hear from me after I complain about this crew. At the end of regulation, we've taken 15 free throws. They've taken.. 36. Arrrrrghhh)

In OT, we're leading by 1 with San Diego having the ball, they take an off balance leaner which rolls around once.. twice.. and through at the buzzer.

86-85.

Excuse me for a moment

*@)$&@)$&@!!!!!

[SirFozzie]

Game 7: Vs Eastern Washington

We have a habit of playing squeakers, and for once we come out on the RIGHT side of one, as a Brown put back with 12 seconds to play gives us a 65-64 win, boosting us back on the plus side of .500 at 4-3.

Washington however, was awful, he went 2-13 with five boards, for only four points.


Here's what the rest of our non-conference schedule is looking like:

11/30/2011 - - - Yale 2-2 - -
12/4/2011 - - - Butler 1-3 - -
12/8/2011 - - - Rutgers 3-1 - -
12/10/2011 - - - Army 0-4 - -
12/12/2011 - - - Indiana Purdue 2-1 - -
12/17/2011 - - - Wofford 3-0 - -
12/22/2011 - - - SW Texas State 2-2 - -
12/24/2011 - - - @Lafayette 2-2 - -

I think we can pull off four-five wins, (that game over Rutgers will be pretty tough, and the Ivy League seemingly loves to whoop our asses all over the place, but there's some very winnanble games, and seven of the next eight are at home! We are: 4-3, 0-0

[SirFozzie]

Game Eight: Vs Yale Bulldogs 2-2

A barnburner, this isn't to start. At the first time out, we lead by a point, two-one. The two teams combined shoot 1 for 15, so we really need to get going.

We do a little better.. little being the operative word. Despite Yale only hitting 17% of their shots in the first half, we put them at the line enough (11-15) and shoot bad enough ourselves (31.3%) to only have a 24-20 lead at the break.

We do wake up in the 2nd half, Washington STILL isn't much to write home about, but he makes some tough shots, and we actually have a 14 point lead with 9 to play, 48-34

It's not going to be a pictrure perfect win, but any time we hold our opponents to 40 for the game, I'm happy. We win 59-40, and Washington finishes with 13 pts (on 4-13 shooting, plus a bunch of free throws) and 11 boards.

[SirFozzie]

Game Nine: Vs the Butler Bulldogs (1-4)

The first half is again scrapy, but then again, we're a scrappy kind of team. We shoot much better, But Butler slows it down, we lead 30-28 at the break, Washington seemingly out of his funk, going for 8 first half points off four of five shots.

We quickly get them in foul trouble in the 2nd half, within 5 minutes of the 2nd half, they have 7 team fouls, which is normally good, but we still have to hit those free throws! ;) In fact, we get used to hearing the whistle, as with 11:59 to play in the game, we're in two shot territory the rest of the way, with a 47-39 lead.

We take full advantage of the situation, shooting a mindboggling *25* 2nd half free throws, making 21 of them, en route to a 74-62 win. Washington had a double double (20 and 10 rebounds)m as did Roland (18 pts, 11 boards)

6-3, lookin good!

[SirFozzie]

Game Ten: Vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-2)

A win here will put us ay 7-3, and we'd be in great shape. It's nip and tuck most of the first half, as they get a last few minutes run to only trail 32-31 at the half,

Washington is pretty hot in the 2nd half, and again, we have a clear game plan. Get them in foul trouble and get to the line. We do fairly well at the line, 18-25 for the game, and Washington gets his usual double double (16 and 12), beating them 70-62, which is really good, because CRI wise, Rutgers (59) is the 2nd best team we've played (behind #37 Michigan)

[SirFozzie]

Game 11: Vs Army Black Knights

We're not really challenged in this one, a 12 point halftime lead becomes 21 midway through the 2nd half, and only a late run by the Black Knights keeps it from looking bad in the score line, 67-54 was the final. Stop me if you've heard this before, Washington is the man, with 18 points and 16 boards, Allen adds seven assists.

So that's five on the trot. However, the news is not all good, as Damon Brown herniates a disc in his back, and will miss eight weeks, meaning we'll see him near the end of the season. Good thing we have Day and Cooper to back him up!

Here's the stat report:
Number First Name Last Name Pos Games MPG PPG RPG APG TOPG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
15 Maynard Allen PG 9 27.3 8.8 0.3 5.0 5.7 1.1 0.0 44.9% 15.4% 57.7%
9 Michael Jones PG 11 25.6 8.3 1.0 3.0 1.6 1.1 0.2 46.8% 36.4% 68.8%
42 Kerry Washington PF 11 32.0 15.9 9.9 1.0 0.9 1.6 1.5 44.0% 38.5% 78.8%
33 Mario Roland PF 11 29.5 9.7 10.1 0.8 1.2 1.5 1.5 60.6% 0.0% 65.6%
18 Ferron Cooper C 11 15.0 2.4 1.8 0.4 0.9 0.0 0.5 57.1% 0.0% 40.0%
5 Bernard Jenkins PG 11 18.3 6.8 0.3 4.2 2.0 0.7 0.0 53.6% 25.0% 56.5%
17 Dexter Edwards SG 9 8.4 3.0 0.2 1.1 0.6 0.3 0.0 34.6% 60.0% 33.3%
29 Tim Grant PF 11 12.5 4.0 1.9 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.3 46.3% 50.0% 100.0%
4 Alex Day C 7 12.3 4.1 2.9 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.6 38.7% 0.0% 83.3%
41 Jerome Robinson SF 4 8.8 2.5 1.8 0.8 0.8 0.5 0.0 80.0% 100.0% 25.0%
32 Chris Crawford SG 6 15.2 6.8 0.8 1.5 1.0 0.2 0.0 46.7% 50.0% 100.0%
38 Will Yeaton SF 2 3.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0% 0.0% 0.0%
6 Damon Brown C 11 20.2 4.2 4.5 0.2 0.5 0.3 1.3 40.9% 0.0% 62.5%

[SirFozzie]

Our first two (of five) recruits sign on, and they're really not bad!

SG: Robbie Spence (6'3", 177) From Hughson HS in Hughson, CA.

Evaluation:
Offense: Good
Defense: Average
Handling: Below Avg
Rebounding: Avg
Athleticism: Avg
Potential: Excellent

HS Stats
10.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.5 APG, 38.0% field, 26.0 3's, 75% FT

Rated: ***, #24 SG, #108 Overall, #30 West

And..

Kenny Perez (6'1", 169) From Crete-Monee HS in Crete-Monee, IL

Offense: Good
Defense: Excellent
Handling: Good
Rebounding: Avg
Athleticism: Avg
Potential: Avg

HS Stats: 18.5 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, 36% 2 pters, 54% 3's(!!!) 61% FT

Rated: #44 SG, #41 Midwest, #200 overall.

Maybe move spence to a small (really small) forward?

[SirFozzie]

Week Seven is a Wash, as we finally get our winning streak snapped, 57-54 by University of Indiana-Purdue, as Washington's 19 and 13 game is for naught, But we bounce back nicely, defeating Wofford in a squeaker 63-61. Roland, Washington and Allen all had 12.

We are 9-4 so far, and have two chances to get ten wins in non-conference play, as we will welcome Southwest Texas State, and travel to Lafayette university.

We sign our third player, yes, another SG, but a JC transfer:

Ryan Blevins (6'2", 161) ****, #25 SG, #18 Midwest, #110 overall, from Moberly Ara CC, in Hamilton, IN.

Off: Excellent, Def: Avg, Handling: Below Avg, Rebounding: Below Avg, Athleticism: Good, Potential: Excellent.

Scoring 31 PPG and adding 6.4 RPG, he shoots a simply mind boggling 59% from the field and 42% from distance

[SirFozzie]

Game 14: Vs Southwest Texas St Bobcats (4-5)

We play fairly well in the first half, and are confidently better then our opposition. We lead 34-26 at the break, but the only reason why we don't have a double digit lead at halftime, is foul shooting, as we are only 8-15 from the line. Allen (11), Washington (7), and Roland (6) are our leading scorers.

We go on an 11-2 run to start the 2nd half, and lead 45-28 at one point, They're no quitters, however and keep trying to pull us back, to make a game of it. A three pointer cuts the lead to 62-54, with 4:28 to play, and we quickly throw the starters back in, and it's a 70-58 final. The good news is, all 11 players played, and all scored, led by Washington with 17 and 11.

So, 14 games into the season, we've already beaten last year's win total (VT went 9-21) and are 10-4. One conference game remains.

[SirFozzie]

Game 15: AT Lafayette Leopards (4-7)

Jones and Washington (11 and 8 first half points) help us shoot 54% inthe first half, and race out to a 36-23 lead. 2nd half is mainly scrub time, so Washington has what looks to be a bad game, only 12 pts and 11 rebounds but it's another double double.. and we win 67-53.

Here's our schedule for conference play: (and our end of season non-conference games) (the Number before their team is their CRI Ranking)

12/27/2011 - - 223 Air Force 5-7 - -
12/31/2011 - - 263 Colorado State 2-9 - -
1/3/2012 - - 228 @New Mexico 6-7 - -
1/7/2012 - - 117 @Wyoming 7-5 - -
1/12/2012 - - 241 Brigham Young 5-6 - -
1/14/2012 - - 265 Utah 3-9 - -
1/26/2012 - - 265 @Utah 3-9 - -
1/27/2012 - - 241 @Brigham Young 5-6 - -
2/2/2012 - - 223 @Air Force 5-7 - -
2/5/2012 - - 263 @Colorado State 2-9 - -
2/7/2012 - - 181 @UNLV 6-6 - -
2/12/2012 - - 228 New Mexico 6-7 - -
2/13/2012 - - 117 Wyoming 7-5 - -
2/19/2012 - - 181 UNLV 6-6 - -
2/23/2012 - - 242 @American 4-7 - -
2/24/2012 - - 160 @Northern Arizona 6-6 - -

16 games to go. 9 Wins would get us 20, but would that get us a Invite to the Big Dance? Heck, let's go for gusto ;) Win em all, and 27-4 would be a good record, eh? :) But seriously, a great first fifteen games of the year for the Aztecs

[klayman]

Don't stop until you're back to the final four :)

[SirFozzie]

Game 16: Vs the Air Force Falcons (5-7)

Air Force is another team that habitually give us problems, but this year, we pound it to them, controlling the glass, and letting our superior talent outshine their efforts in the first half, where we outrebound them 18-6, shoot 65% from the floor, and have a 34-18 lead at the break.

From there, we just build and build. Air Force does have one 8-2 run in them, but it's nowhere near enough to get them back into the game, and we win our league opener 70-48.

[SirFozzie]

Game 17 vs Colorado State Rams (2-10)

Hmm.. I know you're not supposed to be able to smell such things but I sniffed out.. a trap game, and boy was I right, CSU squeaks by us 68-64. We're not talented enough to win on talent alone. :/

12-5, 1-1 in conference

[SirFozzie]

To make things worse, Grant's season is finished after x-rays showed a fractured skull.

We're down , and it shows in week 9, as New Mexico kicks out butt, 85-65, but we manage to come back against Wyoming and stop the losing streak at 2 (our longest of the year, tied with ealier in the year), beating the Cowboys 65-60, Washington going for 20 and 11.

We finish out our recruiting year, by recuiting two more players, the 97th best player in the West, *** C Jackie Wright, and the #44 PG (#68 West) JJ Curtis