Luke Gregory, Coach for Hire (FBCB Dynasty)

[GoBlue2419]

This FBCB dynasty will follow the career of a young coach as he attempts to climb the ladder of NCAA Division 1 basketball. Our young coach is Luke Gregory, 34 years old in 2012, and where his head coaching career begins will be at the whim of whatever athletic director is brave enough to give him a chance. (The save actually started in 2011, where Luke started the 2011 season unemployed.)

Luke's basketball story began in Arlington Heights, Illinois, where he played high school basketball at John Hersey High School. He followed up his All-State career by playing at the University of Michigan, where he had a decent, but not extraordinary career. Upon graduation from Michigan, he was named the Head Basketball coach at his alma mater, Hersey High School, where he stayed for 5 years. After those 5 years, he joined the Michigan coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he has received rave accolades for his performance the last 6 years.

With this dynasty, I will be exporting the draft classes, and once the new FBPB is released, I will import them into that and follow the career of any of Luke's former players who go on to professional glory.

Luke's starting skills:
- Recruiting: 100
- Scouting: 40
- Offense: 30
- Defense: 70

Career Goals
- Win 20 games in a regular season - MET, 2013-2014 (Holy Cross, 22-9), 2015-2016 (Richmond, 30-6), 2016-2017 (Richmond, 25-9), 2017-2018 (Notre Dame, 21-12), 2018-2019 (Notre Dame, 29-10)
- Win a Regular Season Conference Championship - MET, 2013-2014 (Holy Cross)
- Win a Conference Tournament - MET, 2016-2017 (Richmond - Atlantic 10)
- Reach the NCAA Tournament - MET, Richmond (2015-2016, 2016-2017), Notre Dame (2017-2018, 2018-2019)
- Reach the Final Four - MET, Notre Dame (2018-2019)
- Become Head Coach at Michigan
- Win the National Championship
- Win the National Championship at Michigan
- Win a Conference Coach of the Year Award
- Win a National Coach of the Year Award
- Earn a Top 10 Recruiting Class - MET, 2017-2018 Notre Dame (#1), 2018-2019 Notre Dame (#6)
- Secure a Top 20 Overall Recruit - MET, 2017-2018 Notre Dame - PG Neil Westover (#7)
- Earn the #1 Recruiting Class - MET, 2017-2018 Notre Dame
- Secure the #1 Recruit in the Country
- Have a player picked in the 1st Round of the NBA Draft - MET, 2019 - PG Neil Westover (#7), Notre Dame
- Have a player picked #1 overall in the NBA Draft

Dynasty Setup
- Using Real Coaches file
- Limited Conference Movement, though I may adjust conferences to match real world movement.
- Conference Prestige changes
- Current rules otherwise

Other Notes
- Any time I take a new job, I must take at least one assistant coach with me.

[GoBlue2419]

Career Honors
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/coach_history20.jpeg

All-Americans
2018-2019 3rd Team - SG Horace Deffresnes (Notre Dame, ACC) - 18.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 2.2 SPG

1st Team All-Conference Players
2013-2014 - PG Michael Snavely (Holy Cross, Patriot League) - 12.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.3 SPG
2014-2015 - SG Kenny Langley (Holy Cross, Patriot League) - 12.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.2 SPG
2017-2018 - SF Johnnie Tramel (Richmond, Atlantic 10) - 15.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.9 APG, 0.9 SPG
2018-2019 - SG Horace Deffresnes (Notre Dame, ACC) - 18.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 2.2 SPG

Conference Freshman of the Year
2014-2015 - C Dana Greaves (Holy Cross, Patriot League) - 11.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.4 BPG
2018-2019 - PG Craig Kruse (Notre Dame, ACC) - 15.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.0 SPG

[britrock88]

Yay, more FBCB!

[GoBlue2419]

Holy Cross Hires New Men's Basketball Coach

Worcester, Massachusetts (May 1, 2012) - The College of the Holy Cross announced the signing of its new Head Men's Basketball Coach today, as the school introduced 34-year-old Luke Gregory. The Crusaders job will be Gregory's first college head coaching job. He replaces Milan Brown, who was hired by Harvard as the Crimson Head Coach.

Holy Cross is coming off of a 23-9 season in 2011-2012, winning the Patriot League before losing in the first round of the postseason NIT Tournament. Despite losing leading scorer Max Cuff, expectations for the Crusaders include an NCAA Tournament appearance.

[GoBlue2419]

Notable Coaching Moves for the 2012-2013 Season

Retirements
- Roy Williams, North Carolina
- Phil Martelli, St. Joseph's
- Rick Majerus, St. Louis
- Jeff Bzdelik, Wake Forest

Coaching Hires
- Memphis - Steve Prohm (from Murray State)
- Mississippi State - Mike Davis (from UAB)
- North Carolina - Rick Stansbury (from Mississippi State)
- Wake Forest - Josh Pastner (from Memphis)

[GoBlue2419]

Previous coach Milan Brown took all 3 assistants with him to Harvard, so I can build my own staff. The suggested budget for coaches is $128,000.

I make the following offers:
- Recruiting Coordinator - 33-year-old Brian Cardinale (with Centenary last season)
- Lead Scout - 30 year-old Edward Franco (with Radford last season)
- Coaching Assistant - 31-year-old John Byington (unemployed)

Franco and Byington accept the offer and join my first coaching staff. Cardinale declines, instead taking the Recruiting Coordinator job at Fordham.

I next make an offer for the Recruiting Coordinator job to Homer Granados, who was an assistant at San Jose State. Granados declines also, taking over the job Franco vacated at Radford to come to Holy Cross.

Finally, my next offer is accepted, and Steven Lawrence accepts the job as Recruiting Coordinator.

Here is a look at the 2012-2013 Holy Cross Coaching Staff:
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossStaff_12-13.jpeg

[britrock88]

Notable Coaching Moves for the 2012-2013 Season
Coaching Hires
- North Carolina - Rick Stansbury (from Mississippi State)

Hmm...

[GoBlue2419]

Hmm...

Yes, interesting is an understatement. They did go 28-5 last season, but lost in the NCAA Round of 32.

[GoBlue2419]

June 2012

We finish up non-conference scheduling pretty easily, as every offer we sent out was accepted. Our 2012-2013 non-conference schedule will be:
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossNonConfSched_12-13.jpeg

Our conference schedule sets up as:
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossConfSched_12-13.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f8/Holy_Cross_Crusaders.svg/150px-Holy_Cross_Crusaders.svg.png
Facts About Holy Cross
Enrollment: 2872
Basketball Arena: Hart Recreation Center (3600 capacity, built 1975)

http://www.goholycross.com/information/directory/facility_photos/hart-court.jpeg

Basketball History at Holy Cross

Top Players in Holy Cross History
- Bob Cousy
- Tom Heinsohn

Most Coaching Wins in Holy Cross History
1. George Blaney (357-276, 22 seasons)
2. Ralph Willard (192-117, 10 seasons)
3. Lester Sheary (155-36, 7 seasons)

Team History Facts
- Holy Cross won the NCAA Championship in 1947
- Has not won an NCAA Tournament game since 1953

[GoBlue2419]

2012-2013 Holy Cross Roster

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCross_12-13_Roster.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

Heading into the fall, the projected starting lineup looks to be:

C - Lee Hamby (Sr)
PF - Willard Middleton (Fr)
SF - Rudolph Reese (Sr)
SG - Damon Sigler (Jr)
PG - Michael Snavely (Jr)

We will have four scholarships available for recruiting. Main focus will be on C, PF, and either PG/SG. Our recruiting budget is $14,294/month.

[GoBlue2419]

As recruiting kicks off, we are targeting the following players:
- C Sal Tindall (#304)
- SF James Green (#596)
- SF Fletcher Cervantes (#660)
- PG Harold Honaker (#322)
- SF Dennis Nez (#345)
- SF Douglas Reiner (#182)
- SG Kenneth Gillis (#125)
- SF Andrew Roberts (#259)
- PF Tony Dewitt (#176)
- PG Perry Gibson (#210)
- SG Zane Ambrose (#169)

After scouting a number of players, we extend scholarships to Tindall, Gillis, and Gibson. Gillis and Gibson are reaches, but local kids who would really help us. Tindall really likes us right now, in fact has us #1 on his list. He is a very good post defender and rebounder, has pretty good offensive skills, and would give us some size.

[GoBlue2419]

As we move into September, it's down to a two team race for Gillis between us and Harvard. Right now Harvard is #1 on his list. Gibson has us third right now behind Rhode Island and Brown. Unfortunately we have now fallen to #2 on Tindall's list also as Boston College has offered him.

We also now extend a scholarship offer to Tony Dewitt.

[GoBlue2419]

Nov 2012
- We receive word from Sal Tindall that he has decided to attend Boston College.
- Gillis still has us #2 behind Harvard.
- Gibson has dropped interest in Brown and it is between us and Rhode Island. RI is still #1 though.
- We begin looking into SG Alvaro McNeil (6-4, 202). He is a JuCo kid (Connecticut CC), the #1091 ranked recruit, but from our scouting he appears to be a very solid inside scorer, passer, rebounder, and perimeter defender. One of the key attributes I am looking for are kids who defend well.

(One area of this game I am still trying to figure out is when to cut bait and move on to another recruit. I probably miss out on some decent players because I have waited too long on someone I won't get.)

[GoBlue2419]

November 2012 Games

11/16 - loss to UMass, 75-44 - The first game in Luke's coaching career was one to forget, as UMass completely dominated this one. Rudolph Reese and Andrew Renz led the Crusaders in scoring with 11, while Willard Middleton and Glen Wilson grabbed 7 rebounds each. We shot a paltry 28% from the field for the game. Starting point guard Michael Snavely sprained his knee 5 minutes into the game, which did not help matters. He will be out a week or so.

11/20 - beat Binghampton 70-49 - what a difference one game can make. Just as we were dominated by UMass, this time we led from start to finish in this game. Starting center Lee Hamby scored 18 points to lead the way, and Damon Singler grabbed 5 rebounds. Nine team steals, led by Renz with 3, were one of the keys to victory, as was shooting 53% as a team.

11/24 - beat Central Connecticut State 75-69 - our first close game, we pulled this one towards the end. Snavely returned from his sprained knee, and scored 16 points, including three 3-pointers, to pace the team. Glen Wilson came off the bench to grab 8 rebounds to lead the team. Nine team steals again also contributed to the win.

11/27 - beat Dartmouth 78-73 - Four players with double figures in points led to a solid team win. Rudolph Reese led with 15, while Kenny Langley scored 12 off the bench, followed by Oscar Thornton with 11 in reserve, and Snavely with 10 points. Snavely had 8 assists with just 1 turnover from his point guard position also. Willard Middleton grabbed 8 boards. We shot 21-25 from the free throw line.

We end the month 3-1, feeling pretty good about the way the team is playing. We have managed to limit turnovers, while forcing turnovers by the opposition, playing solid man-to-man or matchup zone defense.

[GoBlue2419]

Dec 2012

In recruiting news, Gibson lets us know he will be attending Rhode Island. With Gillis, we are still trailing behind Harvard, and we are #2 for Dewitt behind Brown. McNeil has us #1. We also extend a scholarship offer to SF Dwayne Yale (*, #1088), a strong three-point shooter and post defender.

12/1 - beat James Madison 67-58 (4-1) - Despite 25 points from James Madison's Chris Marino, we manage to pull this one behind a pretty solid defensive effort. We limit JM to 32% shooting overall, and 31% from beyond the arc. Lee Hamby led the way with 19 points, while Kenny Langley added 14 points in his first start at SG. Foul trouble hampered Snavely's effectiveness, finishing with just 5 points before eventually fouling out. Middleton and Reese led the way with 6 rebounds each.

12/4 - lost to George Mason 88-63 (5-1) - We got pounded on the boards in this loss, outrebounded 47-31. GM's Freddie Joyce scored 31 points to lead all scorers, fueled by 6 three-pointers. Michael Snavely led us with 15 points, while Langley added 10 points. Langley also led the team in rebounds with 6. Nineteen turnovers also helped lead to our demise.

12/8 - lost to #4 Georgetown 82-52 (5-2) - This one was never in doubt for the Hoyas, jumping to an early 9-0 lead and cruising the rest of the way. Lee Hamby scored 12 points and added 7 rebounds, while Snavely scored 10 points along with 8 assists. We missed all 11 three-pointers we attempted, and also turned the ball over 21 times.

12/11 - beat Bryant 70-58 (5-3) - After losing two straight, we get back on the winning side in this one. We shot 54% as a team, despite hitting only 2 of 15 three-point attempts. Snavely led us in scoring with 17 points, while adding 8 assists with only 3 turnovers. Willard Middleton grabbed 11 rebounds to help pace us to a 40-28 rebounding advantage. The team assisted on 19 of 29 total field goals made.

12/15 - beat Fordham 61-50 (6-3) - Two straight wins after this game. Lee Hamby led with 14 points, while Snavely led us with 6 rebounds. He also added 7 assists. Fordham shot just 29% as a team, while we shot 54%. Three-point shooting was porous for both teams, with Fordham hitting 4 of 19, while we hit just 2 of 11.

12/18 - lost to #1 UConn 85-55 (6-4) - In another game we were sorely outmatched, we lose big to another Top 10 team. 37% shooting as a team and 23 turnovers contributed to the loss. Snavely led us in scoring with 16 points, adding 7 assists, though he turned the ball over 6 times. Willard Middleton grabbed 8 rebounds to lead the team. Connecticut moved to 11-0 with this win.

12/22 - lost to Yale 77-65 (6-5) - In a dismal shooting display by both teams, Yale squeaks out this one behind 11 three-pointers. Both teams shoot just 35% overall however. Kenny Langley led us in scoring with 14 points, and Lee Hamby added 11. Hamby, Langley, Middleton, and Glen Wilson all grabbed 5 rebounds to tie for the team lead. Yale's 55-38 rebounding advantage helped their cause.

12/29 - beat Monmouth 90-71 (7-5) - We close out the month of December getting back in the Win column against Monmouth. We shot 54% from the field, and 50% (10-20) from the three-point line. Lee Hamby led the way with 19 points, and Snavely chipped in 16 points. Oscar Thornton, Willard Middleton, and Rudolph Reese also scored in double digits, with 12, 11, and 10 ponts respectively. Snavely also dished out 11 assists while turning the ball over just 1 time. Eleven team steals contributed to the great team effort.

Michael Snavely leads the team in scoring at the end of December, averaging 11.3 points a game, followed by Kenny Langley at 9.6 and Lee Hamby at 9.5. Freshman Willard Middleton leads the team in rebounding at 5.6 per game, with Glen Wilson averaging 4.9 a game. Snavely averages 5.8 assists per game.

[GoBlue2419]

Jan 2013 Update

Recruiting News
- Gillis commits to Harvard and Dewitt commits to Brown.
- We do get two commitments however. Alvaro McNeil and Dwayne Yale commit to us. Yale probably won't play much as a freshman, but McNeil could be a key scorer for us next year.
- A couple players we are now looking at are SG Gavin Ludwig (6'4" - **, #695), an Australian who is a very good 3-pointer, but will be a junior eligibility-wise, and C Lane McNutt (6'9" - *,#1520), who may not ever play a key role, but could be a solid rebounder and post defender off the bench.

Games
1/1/13 - beat Liberty 72-68 (8-5) - David Bowman scored 27 points for Liberty, but it was not enough, as we pull out the home win. Snavely scored 15 points, also contributing 8 assists with only 1 turnover, Oscar Thornton added 13 points off the bench, and Kenny Langley scored 11 points. Willard Middleton grabbed 7 rebounds to lead the way also. As a team, we get assists on 20 of 29 field goals made.

1/5/13 - Loss to Brown 64-59 (8-6) - A disappointing loss as we shoot 35% from the field, but 85% (22-26) from the free throw line. Snavely is the only player in double figures, with 11 points. Middleton goes 1-8 shooting and Kenny Langley misses all 5 shots he takes. Snavely turns the ball over 5 times as well.

- After this game, we decide to slow down the pace slightly and run more structured plays.

1/8/13 - Loss to Fairfield 72-68 (8-7) - Another close loss, another disappointing loss. Fairfield was 3-11 coming into this game. Lee Hamby leads us in scoring with 14 points, Kenny Langley scores 12, and Rudolph Reese and Snavely add 11 points. Reese, Langley, and Glen Wilson tie for the lead in rebounds with 6. Langley struggles from the field again, hitting just 2 of 12 shots.

1/12/13 - Beat Colgate 79-69 (9-7, 1-0) - Our first conference game, and we get back in the win column. Balanced scoring fuels us to the victory, as Reese and Sigler score 12 points, while Hamby and Middleton add 11. Snavely picks up 7 assists, while equaling Reese with 6 rebounds to lead the team. We shoot 55% from the field, and 46% (5-11) on three-pointers. Colgate's Alvin Hendley scores 26 points.

1/16/13 - Loss to American 81-64 (9-8, 1-1) - American dominated this one, beating us on the boards 43-33. Nineteen turnovers did not help our cause. Snavely has probably his worst game of the year overall, as he turns the ball over 9 times. He does lead us in scoring with 12, the only Crusader in double digits. Glen Wilson does grab 9 rebounds in 17 minutes of playing time.

1/19/13 - Beat Lehigh 78-70 (10-8, 2-1) - Lee Hamby was unstoppable in this game, scoring at will. He scores 29 points to lead the way, doing that despite hitting only 6 of 14 free throw attempts. He also grabbed 10 rebounds. Damon Sigler, back in the starting lineup due to Langley's poor shooting, scores 12 points, not missing a shot from the field (3-3) or free throw line (4-4). Rudolph Reese also scores 11 points. Snavely assists on 7 baskets. Langley plays well coming off the bench, scoring 9 points on 3-4 shooting from downtown.

1/23/13 - Beat Navy 76-56 (11-8, 3-1) - We come out of the blocks quickly, and never look back. Hamby has another outstanding game, scoring 19 points, despite playing only 20 minutes due to foul trouble. Kenny Langley also plays well again coming off the bench, scoring 14 points. Willard Middleton led us in rebounds with 7, and Snavely dishes out 7 assists. We win the overall rebounding match-up, grabbing 36 to the Midshipmen's 25.

1/26/13 - Loss to Lafayette 75-64 (11-9, 3-2) - After two straight wins, we lose again. David Meyer hits 6 three-pointers to doom us, leading Lafayette with 26 points. Michael Snavely led us in scoring, with 16 points, while Hamby scores 15 points, though he makes only 4 of 12 attempts. Glen Wilson grabbed 10 rebounds, and Willard Middleton added 9 rebounds.

1/30/13 - Beat Army 74-59 (12-9, 4-2) - We get our second win over a service academy. As a team we shot 52% from the field, and 76% from the free throw line. Rudolph Reese and Kenny Langley led us in points with 14 each, Snavely added 13, and Hamby scored 10 points. Snavely also grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 4 assists. Reese, Sigler, and Snavely also had 3 steals each.

After the month of January, Lee Hamby leads us in scoring with an 11.2 PPG average, while Snavely is close behind him at 10.9 PPG. Kenny Langley is averaging 9.3 points a game. Willard Middleton leads us in rebounding at 5.4 per game, and Glen Wilson is averaging 5.3. Snavely is averaging 5.4 assists a game, and Rudolph Reese is averaging 1.4 steals per game. Hamby leads us in shooting at 56% from the field, while Damon Sigler is hitting 92% of his free throws (22-24). Hamby leads us in PPS at 1.39, followed by Snavely at 1.29.

Around the NCAA
- The current Top 10 is:
#1 Florida (20-2)
#2 Marquette (19-1)
#3 Duke (18-2)
#4 Connecticut (18-3)
#5 North Carolina (18-2)
#6 Wake Forest (18-3)
#7 Villanova (17-3)
#8 Oklahoma State (18-3)
#9 Butler (19-4)
#10 Ohio State (16-3)

[GoBlue2419]

Feb 2013 Update

Recruiting
- We extend a scholarship offer to the Australian Ludwig. He currently has us #1 on his list.

2/2/13 - beat Bucknell 78-58 (13-9, 5-2) - A great second half led to this win. We trailed at halftime, 27-25, before shooting lights out in the second. Glen Wilson led us in scoring with 14 off the bench, while Lee Hamby and Oscar Thornton off the bench added 12 points, with reserve Andrew Renz adding 10 off the bench as well. Wilson added 10 rebounds, and Hamby had 7. Bucknell missed all 10 three-pointers they attempted.

2/6/13 - Lost to Colgate 78-72 (13-10, 5-3) - We start the second round of Patriot League play with a loss to Colgate. Alvin Hendley had another solid game against us, scoring 19 points this time. Colgate shoots 54% from the field, to 41% for us. Snavely, Wilson, and Thornton tie for the team lead with 11 points, and Reese adds 10. Wilson also picked up 12 rebounds. He is showing he may be the best 6th man in the conference. Middleton is doing just enough to hold on to his starting job, but Wilson deserves more minutes. We actually outrebound Colgate 39-27, but their shooting was the key to this one.

2/13/13 - Lost to American 68-59 (13-11, 5-4) - We lose to American again. Sigler leads us in scoring with 13 points, while Hamby adds 11. Despite playing with a broken finger, Wilson grabs 6 rebounds, tied with Hamby for the team lead. We shoot just 2-14 on three-pointers. Foul trouble plagues Snavely and Middleton throughout this game. Snavely finishes with just 5 points in 19 minutes of playing time.

2/16/13 - Lost to Lehigh 63-57 (13-12, 5-5) - we fall for the 3rd straight game. Oscar Thornton scores 14 off the bench, and Damon Sigler adds 11 points. Middleton and Reese tie for the team lead in rebounds with just 5 each as we get out-rebounded 38-31. Three-point shooting continues to struggle as we hit just 3 of 19 attempts.

2/20/13 - Lost to Lafayette 68-40 (13-13, 5-6) - We get hammered in this pitiful showing for our 4th straight loss. We shoot just 29% from the floor, hitting only 1 of 11 three-pointers, making just 9 of 20 free throw attempts, all while getting out-rebounded 44-33. No one reaches double-digits in points for us, with Sigler, Snavely, and reserve Ricky Kelly all scoring 6 to lead the team. Glen Wilson grabbed 8 rebounds.

2/23/13 - beat Navy 61-60 (14-13, 6-6) - We finally win a game, beating Navy for the second time, though it took a basket by Snavely with 6 seconds left to do it. Willard Middleton leads in scoring with 11 points, and Damon Sigler adds 10. Glen Wilson leads in rebounds with 6. We shoot better in this one, 44% from the field and though we only attempted 7 three-pointers, we hit 4 of them. We do lose Reese for 8 days with a sprained knee though.

2/27/13 - beat Army 69-63 (15-13, 7-6) - Another win over a service academy, beating Army for the second time this season. Oscar Thornton scores 12 points to pace the team, with Snavely and Renz adding 11. Middleton and Wilson grab 6 boards each to lead the team.

End of Feb Stats
Hamby continues to lead in scoring at 10.3 a game, followed by Snavely at 10.0. Wilson leads in rebounding, averaging 5.8 per game, while Snavely contributes 5 assists per game.

Hamby continues to lead the team in shooting percentage at 52% from the field, while Sigler is shooting 79% from the free throw line to lead the team. Kenny Langley is hitting 34% of his three point attempts (32-95) to lead the team.

[GoBlue2419]

Mar 2013 Update

Recruiting
- Ludwig still has us #1 on his list, but no commitment yet.

Games
3/2/13 - Beat Bucknell 74-49 (16-13, 8-6) - We end the regular season on a good roll, winning three straight and absolutely dominating Bucknell in this game. Similarly to our first game against Bucknell, this one is closer at half than the final score seems to imply. We were up by 12 at the break, but another good second half allows us to pull away. Hamby and Snavely each score 14 points, while Oscar Thornton scores 10 points off the bench. Wilson grabbed 9 rebounds and Hamby pulled down 8. Every player played and scored in this game, a good send-off into the Patriot League Tournament.

Patriot League Tournament
1st Round Matchups
#1 American vs #8 Bucknell
#2 Lafayette vs #7 Navy
#3 Colgate vs #6 Army
#4 Holy Cross vs #5 Lehigh

3/6/13 - Lost to Lehigh 72-57 (16-14) - Well, the good run we were on does not carry over into the Patriot League Tournament as we fall to 5th seed Lehigh in a game we should have won. As the 4th seed, nineteen turnovers were our demise, as well as below par shooting from beyond the arc (4-14). Michael Snavely played well, scoring 18 points, with 5 assists and just 1 turnover. Damon Sigler did not play well however. He scored just 2 points and had 7 turnovers. Lee Hamby scored 11 points and had 5 rebounds in his final collegiate game, while Glen Wilson grabbed 11 rebounds in his final game.

Semi-Finals
American 69, Lehigh 55
Colgate 71, Navy 48

Final
American goes on to win the Conference Tourney, earning the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They defeated Colgate in the final 77-58.

[GoBlue2419]

2013 NCAA Tournament

#1 Seeds
Kansas
Marquette
Florida
Wake Forest

Interesting 1st Round Games
- 9th Seed Wisconsin beats 8th Seed Tennessee 80-56 in the West Region.
- 12th Seed West Virginia beats 5th Seed Butler 76-60 in West Region.
- 2nd Seed Oklahoma State beats 15th Seed College of Charleston 104-41 in Midwest Region.
- 14th Seed North Dakota State beats 3rd Seed New Mexico 61-58 in Midwest Region.
- 13th Seed Missouri State beats 4th Seed Baylor 79-62 in South Region.
- 12th Seed Niagara beats 4th Seed Pitt 64-61 in East Region.
- 14th Seed American loses to 3rd Seed Villanova 71-65 in East Region.

Round of 32 Notable Games
- 12th Seed West Virginia beats 4th Seed BYU in West Region.
- 9th Seed Air Force beats #1 Seed Marquette 59-50 in Midwest.
- 7th Seed Stanford beats 2nd Seed Oklahoma State 80-54 in Midwest.
- 11th Seed Tulsa beats 14th Seed North Dakota State 67-64 in Midwest.
- 13th Seed Missouri State beats 5th Seed Memphis 71-64 in South.
- 12th Seed Niagara beats 4th Seed Mississippi State 79-74 in East.
- 7th Seed Creighton beats 2nd Seed St. Joseph's 64-58 in East.

Sweet 16 Notable Games
- 7th Seed Creighton beats 3rd Seed Villanova 78-62 in East.

Final Four
(2) Ohio State 96, (1) Florida 70
(5) Texas 87, (7) Creighton 78

Final
(5) Texas 65, Ohio State 54

[GoBlue2419]

Final 2012-2013 Summary

Final Stats
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossFinalScoringStats_12-13.jpeg

Shooting Stats
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossFinalShootingStats_12-13.jpeg

Season Awards
- PF Willard Middleton named to Patriot League All-Freshman Team

Departing Seniors
C Lee Hamby (Starter)
SF Rudolph Reese (Starter)
PF Glen Wilson
SF Oscar Thornton

Final Recruiting Notes
- SG Gavin Ludwig (6'4" - **, #695) and C Lane McNutt (6'9" - *,#1520) both commit to us in April.

Final Recruiting Class
SG Gavin Ludwig (6'4" - **, #695)
SF Dwayne Yale (*, #1088)
SG Alvaro MacNeil (*, #1091)
C Lane McNutt (6'9" - *,#1520)

We have the 289th ranked recruiting class. No one will awe you on paper, but particularly with Ludwig and MacNeil, I feel like they will help us next year.

[GoBlue2419]

2013-2014 Notable Coaching Moves

- Florida State - Leonard Hamilton retires. Hire Brad Stevens from Butler.
- Butler - hires Ken McDonald from Western Kentucky to replace Stevens.
- Houston - hires John Groce from Ohio.
- Ohio - hires Tommy Amaker from East Tennesse State to replace Groce (2nd move in 2 seasons for Amaker).
- Minnesota - Tubby Smith retires. Hires Dave Rose from BYU.
- Northwestern - Bill Carmody retires. Hires Joe Mihalich from Niagara.
- Syracuse - Jim Boeheim retires. Hires Greg McDermott from Creighton.
- Texas - Rick Barnes retires. Hires Johnny Dawkins from Stanford.
- Stanford - hires David Carter from Nevada to replace Dawkins.

[GoBlue2419]

2013-2014 Preseason Overview

- Current Goal: Win the conference championship.
- Job Evaluation: Board currently delighted with my performance.
- Budget: recruiting budget falls to $13,319/month.
- Team Prestige: falls from 45 to 41.

We receive an invitation to play in the Las Vegas Shootout as the #13 seed.

Recruiting Overview
- We have 4 scholarships available
- Will lose our starting PG Michael Snavely, 6th man SG Damon Sigler, 8th man PF Ricky Kelly to graduation .

[GoBlue2419]

September 2013 Update

We are currently looking at the following recruits:
- C Paul Rokus (**, #611)
- C Dana Greaves (**, #698)
- PF Demarcus McLain (**, #488)
- C Chris Albertson (***, #452)
- SG Louis Getz (*, #755)
- PG Dennis Catlett (***, #408)
- PG Jamaal Nash (***, #257)
- SF Oliver Denison (**, #539)
- SF Kenny Brayton (***, #436)
- SF Ramon Appel (***, #414)

Thus far we have offered scholarships to Getz (Very High - #1 on his list), Rokus, (Very High - #2 behind Dartmouth), and we reach for Nash (Average - #4 behind Brown, Providence, and Maine).

[GoBlue2419]

October 2013 Update

- Rokus has moved us to #1 on his list.
- Nash's interest jumps to "Very High", but we are still #3 on his list, jumping ahead of Maine.
- We extend a scholarship offer to C Dana Greaves, who currently has us #1 on his list.

[GoBlue2419]

Here is our 2013-2014 Schedule:

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossNonConfSched_13-14.jpeg
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossConfSched_13-14.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

Nov 2013 Preseason Update

- Both Getz and Rokus commit
- Nash declines, will attend Providence
- Greaves has us #1

Our rotation at the start of the season will be:

C - Howard Dang, Fr* (6'9, 265) - Jefferson, LA
PF - Willard Middleton, So (6'9", 224) - Warrensburg, NY
SF - Alvaro Macneil, Jr (6'4", 212) - West Hartford, CT
SG - Gavin Ludwig, Jr (6'4", 189) - Wentworth, Australia
PG - Michael Snavely, Sr (6'2", 208) - Hyannis, MA
6th - SF/SG Damon Sigler, Sr (6'4", 211) - Morgantown, WV
7th - SG Kenny Langley, Jr (6'1", 202) - Watervliet, NY
8th - PG Andrew Renz, Jr (6'0", 184) - Williamstown, MA
9th - C/PF Ricky Kelly, Sr (6'8", 245) - Marlborough, MA
10th - PG Stephen Baskerville, Jr* (6'1", 214) - Philadelphia, PA
11th - C/PF Edmundo Natividad, So (6'7", 237) - Warren, MA
12th - PF Sanford Kyle, Fr* (6'5", 252) - Syracuse, NY
13th - SF Dwayne Yale, Fr (6'5", 237) - Fairhaven, MA
14th - C Lane McNutt, Fr (6'8", 260) - Tupper Lake, NY

[GoBlue2419]

November 2014 Games

11/16/14 - beat Citadel 72-56 (1-0) - 21 points from Snavely, 17 from MacNeil, 12 from Ludwig. Dang had 7 rebounds, 6 for Middleton and Ludwig. Snavely was 3-8 three-pointers. 46% shooting, 6-23 threes (26%).

11/19 - beat Columbia 62-52 (2-0) - MacNeil 15 pts, Middleton 11 pts, 11 reb. 7 rebounds from Dang. 8 assists from Snavely, 1 turnover, 3 steals, 9 points. Held Columbia to 29% shooting. We shot 36% from the field.

11/23 - beat Canisius 58-50 (3-0) - 22 points from Ludwig, 11 from Snavely. Nine boards from Dang, 7 from Middleton and MacNeil. 3 steals by Snavely. Held Canisius to 29% shooting. We shoot 6-26 from three, 13-17 within three. Dang plays 29 minutes and has no shots.

- We are now ranked #25 in the Mid-Major Poll

11/26 - lost to Rhode Island 75-67 (3-1) - 21 points from Ludwig (4 threes). 6 rebounds from Middleton. 5 assists from Snavely. Perry Gibson, who we really wanted, scores 13 for RI.

11/30 - beat Quinnipiac 67-65 (4-1) - Ricky Kelly hits a jumper with 23 seconds left for the winning basket. 17 points from MacNeil, 12 from Sigler, 10 from Snavely. Macneil has 10 rebounds.

At the end of November, Gavin Ludwig leads us in scoring with 13.4 per game, followed by Alvaro Macneil at 12.6, and Michael Snavely at 11.6 a game. Willard Middleton leads us in rebounding with 7.4 per game, followed by Alvaro Macneil and Howard Dang at 6.2 each. Snavely is also averaging 4.8 assists per game.

[GoBlue2419]

December 2013 Update

- Dana Greaves commits to us.

12/3 - lost to Albany 76-72 (4-2) - 19 points from Snavely, along with 11 assists and 4 assists. 11 from Sigler and 10 from Macneil. Albany shot 56% from the field.

12/7 - beat Mount St. Mary's 80-77 (5-2) - Mount St. Mary's missed a three at buzzer that would have tied the game. We got 21 points from Snavely, 16 from Ludwig, and 10 from Macneil. Macneil also had 7 assists. Six boards from Dang, Sigler and Middleton to lead the way. We shot 48% on three-pointers, 51% overall, but only 50% from the line. Snavely had 8 turnovers also.

12/10 - lost to Niagara 83-62 (5-3) - We shot just 39% from the field, 53% from the line. We have to start shooting free throws better if we want to have any success. Ludwig had 15 points (4 threes), 12 from Snavely, and 11 from Sigler. Snavely had 7 assists also. Niagara shot 28-35 from free throw line and 7-13 from threes to fuel their win.

After the Niagara game, we decide we are too reliant on our outside shooting, and we need to work to make Middleton a bigger part of the offense. We make Ludwig and Middleton our go-to players in the gameplan.

12/14 - beat William & Mary 64-51 (6-3) - 19 pts from Snavely, 10 points from Middleton along with 9 rebounds. Sigler had 10 boards. Ludwig shot just 2-12, including 0-8 from threes. W&M shot 33% from the field. We had a 37-18 half-time lead, but hold on for the win.

12/19 - lost to 7-1 Oregon 61-58 (6-4) in the first round of the Las Vegas Shootout - Snavely missed a three at the buzzer that would have tied the game. Fourteen points from Middleton, 11 from Dang, and 10 from Macneil. 8 boards by Dang. Snavely has 5 turnovers, 4 from Ludwig.

12/28 - beat Drexel 62-40 (7-4) - It took us 3:22 to score our first point, but from then on it was all Holy Cross. Drexel shot just 25% from the field and was just 1-13 from beyond the arc. Snavely scored 16 points, including 4 three-pointers, and Macneil added 11. Middleton contributed 8 rebounds. Drexel finished with no scorers in double-figures for points.

12/31 - lost to Temple 82-73 (7-5) - Despite 29 points from Ludwig (5 three-pointers, 11-14 shooting overall), Temple was too much for us. Temple PF Deon Coffin put the nails in our coffin with 26 points and 18 rebounds as he was simply unstoppable. It could have been worse has he hit just 10 of the 20 free throws he shot. Alvaro Macneil added 13 points for us, as well as 9 rebounds. Snavely had 8 assists, but turned the ball over 7 times. Temple turned the ball over just 8 times.

At the end of December, Snavely now leads the team in scoring, with 13.2 per game, with Ludwig right behind him at 13.1, and Alvaro Macneil is averaging 11.0 per game. The leading rebounder at this point of the season is Willard Middleton at 6.0 a game. Howard Dang is right behind him at 5.9. Snavely is averaging 5.7 assists per game, and 1.8 steals a game.

From the free throw line, our big three is really struggling. Snavely is shooting just 53%, while Macneil is shooting 57%, and Ludwig is shooting a horrendous 49%. In contrast, he is shooting 34% on three-pointers. Middleton is our best free throw shooter, shooting 83% (20-24).

The current Top 10 in the NCAA is:
1. Xavier (11-0)
2. Villanova (12-0)
3. Tennessee (13-0)
4. Oklahoma State (12-0)
5. North Carolina (12-1)
6. Arizona (12-1)
7. Michigan State (11-1)
8. Duke (12-1)
9. Syracuse (11-1)
10. Notre Dame (11-1)

[GoBlue2419]

January 2014 Update

- we lose Andrew Renz to academic suspension.
- we offer a scholarship to PG Trinidad Wilkerson (JuCo, *, #1029)

1/4/14 - beat Savannah State 77-62 (8-5) - We shoot 54% from the field overall, and 41% from threes. The team assists on 17 of 29 field goals. Macneil scores 16, Ludwig with 12. Both have 5 rebounds to lead team also.

1/7/14 - beat NJIT 75-69 (9-5) - We shoot 51% from the field, 41% from threes, and 82% free throws (14-17) to win, despite turning the ball over 17 times. Ludwig and Langley score 14 points, and Sanford Kyle, buried way down the bench, scores 10 points and gets 7 rebounds in 10 minutes of PT due to foul trouble by Dang and Middleton. Snavely gets 12 assists. We win the rebounding battle 38-21. On a downside though, we lose Macneil for 51 days due to a torn ligament, and Ricky Kelly for 44 days due to dislocated shoulder.

1/11/14 - lost to Colgate 90-64 (9-6, 0-1) - Conference play begins. This game was fairly close, 32-25 with 6:45 left in the 1st half. But then Colgate went on a 22-9 run to end the half with a 54-34 deficit. Colgate shot 62% as a team from the field, 60% from three (9-15). Ludwig scores 14, Langley 11. Dang gets 7 rebounds. Six assists for Snavely.

1/15/14 - beat Army 78-49 (10-6, 1-1) - 23 points from Snavely, 15 from Middleton, 12 from Langley, 10 from Ludwig. Middleton also grabs 9 rebounds, and Snavely dishes out 6 assists with just 1 turnover. 47% from field, 46% from three (10-22). Howard Dang was injured in this one, out 22 days due to concussion, so depth is becoming a problem.

1/18/14 - beat Navy 76-63 (11-6, 2-1) - 28 points from Snavely on 10-15 shooting (4-6 threes), 19 points from Ludwig. Six boards by Sigler and Snavely. Walk-on Edmundo Natividad scores 8 points in his first collegiate start. We're hurting though now, only get 8 points from the bench.

1/22/14 - lost to Bucknell 62-61 (11-7, 2-2) - Ludwig misses a jumper at the buzzer after Bucknell's James Estrada hits 2 free throws with 14 seconds left to take the lead. We shot just 36% from the floor. Bucknell turns the ball over 20 times. Snavely scores 16, Ludwig hits 15, 14 from Middleton. Ludwig also grabs 6 rebounds. Get just 5 points from the bench, who shoot 1-7.

1/25/14 - beat Lafayette 54-51 (12-7, 3-2) - Sigler scores 14 points, Ludwig scores 13. Seven boards from Sigler. Snavely was in foul trouble for much of the game, but walkon Stephen Baskerville played very well in his place, scoring 6 points, turning the ball over just once in 17 minutes. Lafayette has no one in double figures.

1/29/14 - beat Lehigh 76-67 (13-7, 4-2) - Ludwig scores 23 points on 8-10 shooting (5-7 threes), Snavely scores 18 points, and Sigler scores 16, despite shooting just 3-10. Snavely also gets 7 assists, though he does turn the ball over 6 times. He also leads in rebounds with 6. Thirteen points from the bench.

At the end of January, Ludwig is back in front, leading us with 13.9 PPG, followed by Snavely at 13.5. Middleton still leads in rebounding at 5.5, with Dang right behind him at 5.4. Snavely is averaging 5.5 assists a game, and 1.5 steals a game.

Free throw shooting is improving. Ludwig is at 55%, Snavely at 59%, Sigler at 79%, Middleton at 84%, Dang at 78%. Ludwig is also shooting 39% from three-point land.

[Young Drachma]

Reading along.

[GoBlue2419]

February 2013 Recap

- Wilkerson has us #1 on his list
- Also interested in SG Deangelo Widmer (*, #1283), PG Cliff Kitts (*, #1250), PG Clint Northrop (*, #1407)

Conference Standings
Colgate 5-1
Bucknell 5-1
Holy Cross 4-2
American 4-2
Navy 3-3
Lafayette 2-4
Lehigh 1-5
Army 0-5

Ludwig and Snavely 4th and 5th in conference in scoring. Lehigh's Gary Trejo leads at 18.7.

American's John Martin and James Chun are 1-2 in rebounding at 7.9 and 7.5.

Snavely leads the conference in assists. Has a 2.2 assist per game lead over 2nd place.

Snavely 3rd in conferece in steals. Leader is Army's Courtney Urban at 1.7.

Current Top 10
1. Xavier (17-2)
2. Duke (17-2)
3. Arizona (19-2)
4. Notre Dame (17-3)
5. Oklahoma State (17-2)
6. Villanova (17-2)
7. Syracuse (17-3)
8. Illinois (16-4)
9. Michigan State (16-4)
10. Tennessee (16-4)

2/1 - beat American 69-66 (14-7, 5-2) - We shoot 53% from field. Sanford Kyle comes off the bench to score 13 points, while Snavely and Natividad score 12, Langley hits for 11, and Middleton scores 10. Middleton also gets 11 rebounds. Snavely dishes out 10 assists.

* Bucknell loses two and Colgate loses one this week to set up a tie at the top between us and Colgate coming into our game.

* Dang is back from injury now.

2/8/14 - beat Colgate 82-68 (15-7, 6-2) - We shoot 53% from the field, and hold Colgate to 42%. We also shoot 48% from three (11-23)15 of 19 free throws, and out rebound them 35-27. Ludwig scores 25 points (5-7), Langley hits 17, Sigler goes for 15, and Snavely gets 12 points. Snavely also grabs 7 rebounds, and passes for 8 assists, with just 2 turnovers. Langley hits all 6 shots he takes, including both threes.

2/12/14 - beat Navy 55-29 (16-7, 7-2) - Navy shoots just 24% from the field overall, and 14% (2-14) from three. Ludwig scores 15 pts behind 4-5 threes, and Sigler scores 10. Sigler also gets 7 rebounds. Snavely again in foul trouble, but Baskerville plays well again in reserve. If Renz comes back from academic suspension, he may have lost his backup PG role.

2/15/14 - beat Army 58-49 (17-7, 8-2) - Poor shooting all around, as we shoot 36% and Army shoots 35%, but we shoot 10 more attempts then they do. We also win the turnover battle, 10-16. Middleton scores 17 points, and Snavely adds 12. Dang secures 11 rebounds, while Snavely dishes out 6 assists. Ludwig scores just 3 points in his lowest point output of the season. Dang also blocks 3 shots.

* Ricky Kelly back from injury for the upcoming Lafayette game.

2/19/14 - beat Lafayette 64-55 (18-7, 9-2) - 15 pts from Snavely (despite shooting 4-15, including 2-10 from downtown), 12 from Kelly in his return, 11 from Middleton, and 10 from Sigler. Middleton grabs 12 rebounds, and Snavely assists on 6 baskets. Delbert Diller leads Lafayette with 18 points.


* We are currently 11-1 at home, and holding on to a one game lead over Colgate for 1st in the conference. Bucknell has lost 5 straight conference games this month, so American has moved into 3rd place.

2/22/14 - beat Bucknell 62-50 - (19-7, 10-2) - Rebounding is the key here, as we grab 37 to their 25. Snavely scores 15 points (again shoots poorly though, this time 6-15), and Ludwig adds 10 along with Kelly. Middleton gets 8 rebounds. Snavely dishes out 6 assists.

* Macneil comes back from injury before the upcoming Lehigh game.

2/26/14 - beat Lehigh 87-78 (20-7, 11-2) - Conference leading scorer Gary Trejo goes off for 34 against us,but we pull out the win for our 9th straight win and 20th overall. Ludwig gets back into the scoring groove with 20, while Snavely adds 15, and Sigler and Macneil, in his return, score 10 each. We shoot 56% as a team, while hitting 23-27 free throws. Our shooting touch and rebounding edge (36-27) overcome 18 turnovers, including 8 by Snavely. Macneil also grabs 9 rebounds, and Middleton adds 7.

[GoBlue2419]

Reading along.

Thanks YD - I appreciate it! Let me know if there is anything you would like to see or have any feedback.

[GoBlue2419]

March 2014 Regular Season Recap

3/1 - Trinidad Wilkerson commits.

3/1/14 - beat American 86-77 (21-7, 12-2) - with the win over American, we win the Patriot League Regular Season Crown! 51% shooting from the field, 39% from three help secure the win. Ludwig scores 16 points, Macneil scores 13, and Middleton adds 11, along with 11 rebounds. Langley also gets 3 steals.

Final Regular Season Stats
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossFinalRegSeasonStats_13-14.jpeg

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossFinalRegSeasonShootingStats_13-14.jpeg

Final Patriot League Standings
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/PatriotLeagueRegSeasStandings_13-14.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

2013-2014 Patriot League Conference Tournament

- We are the #1 seed in the conference tourney, and will play 8th-seed Army.

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2013-14_patriot_tourney_start.jpg

[GoBlue2419]

First Round - beat Army 63-54 (22-7, 12-2) - This was closer than it should have been, and closer than the score indicates, as free throws at the end made the deficit larger. Like the last Army game, poor shooting was the theme in this game, as the Cadets shot 36%, while we shot 37%. Richard Tobey carried them, with 17 points, the only Army player in double figures. We had a balanced scoring attack, with Middleton scoring 12, Snavely with 11, and Macneil and Ludwig with 10 each. Middleton also grabbed 9 boards, while Macneil added 8. Macneil did turn the ball over 7 times however.

On a sour note, Snavely fractured his nose in the game, and is currently at 86%. Not sure we can afford to let him sit though.

Other first round games
Bucknell 71, Lehigh 68
Colgate 69, Navy 52
American 87, Lafayette 57

Second Round Matchups
(1) Holy Cross vs (4) Bucknell
(2) Colgate vs (3) American

[GoBlue2419]

* Snavely is up to 96% by the Semi-final game, so no doubt he is playing.

* Bucknell's starting center Quinn Sanders fractured his arm in the Lehigh game, and is out.

Semi-final - lost to Bucknell 64-51 (22-8, 12-2) - we play possibly our worst game of the season. We shoot 37%, miss all 16 three-pointers the team attempted, and turn the ball over 21 times, including 6 by Snavely. His protective shield must have bothered him, though he stresses it did not. Howard Dang scores 12 points to lead us, and is the only player in double figures for us. He also grabs 7 boards. Macneil goes 3-12 shooting, including 0-4 on threes. Somehow Snavely accumulates 10 assists though. Dang also registers 4 steals.

[britrock88]

Hey, hey, NIT! Better than nothing.

[GoBlue2419]

Patriot League Final

Colgate crushes Bucknell 97-61. Alvin Hendley scores 23 for Colgate, while Andrew Honge scores 22. Colgate shoots 57% from the field, and turns the ball over just 8 times to Bucknell's 21.

3/16/14 - We get an invite to the NIT Tournament as the #7 seed in the West Region! We play #2 seed Virginia on March 20th. Virginia is 20-12, and went 8-8 in the ACC. They are led by SG Mitch Swanson, who is averaging 17.2 PPG.

[GoBlue2419]

NIT First Round Game

3/20/14 - Lost to Virginia 73-64 - Turnovers kill us again, which is frustrating because it has not been a huge problem all year. But 21 against a better team will kill you. Ludwig scored 18 points to lead the way, and Snavely ends his career with 14 points, 11 assists, but 6 turnovers. Ludwig added 10 rebounds. Virginia shot just 38% from the field, to our 44%, but beat us in the rebounding battle, 42-35, and turned the ball over just 14 times.

[GoBlue2419]

2014 NCAA Tournament

#1 Seeds
Xavier - West
Notre Dame - Midwest
Duke - South
Oklahoma State - East

1st Round Notable Games
- Notre Dame beat 16th Seed Bethune-Cookman 114-57
- 12th Seed Oakland beat 5th Seed Michigan State 80-76 in Midwest
- 11th Seed Tennessee beat 6th Seed BYU 87-70 in Midwest.
- 11th seed UCLA beat 6th seed Charlotte 69-63 in South.
- 15th seed Colgate beat 2nd seed Arizona 89-82 in East.
- 11th seed Oregon beat 6th seed Alabama 75-52 in East.

Round of 32 Notable Games
- 8th seed Cincinnati beat 1st seed Xavier 92-71 in West.
- 5th seed Stanford beat 4th seed Kentucky 75-65 in West.
- 6th seed Marquette beat 3rd seed New Mexico 109-103 in West.
- 7th seed Auburn beat 2nd seed Kansas 82-73 in Midwest.
- 10th seed Virginia Tech beat 2nd seed Louisville 76-68 in South.
- 5th seed St. Joseph's beat 4th seed Villanova in a Philly battle 81-72 in East.
- 8th seed Michigan beat 1st seed Oklahoma State 76-64 in East.
- 7th seed Syracuse beat 15th seed Colgate 93-65 in East.

Sweet Sixteen Notable Games
- 6th seed Marquette beat 2nd seed 78-65 in West.
- 8th seed Michigan beat 5th seed St. Joseph's 62-50 in East.

Great 8
West - (6) Marquette beat (8) Cincinnati 92-83.
Midwest - (1) Notre Dame 117, (3) Tulsa 76
South - (1) Duke 64, (3) Florida 56
East - (3) North Carolina 91, (8) Michigan 87

Final Four
(1) Duke 84, (6) Marquette 67
(3) North Carolina 82, (1) Notre Dame 71

Championship
(1) Duke 95, (3) North Carolina 71

NIT Championship
Memphis 83, North Carolina State 57

CBI Championship
Connecticut 103, Wright State 73

CIT Championship
Western Michigan 91, Utah Valley 75

[GoBlue2419]

2013-2014 Awards

- NCAA Player of the Year - PG Douglas Godsey (Sr, Xavier) - 17.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 6.4 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
- NCAA Freshman of the Year - SF Darrick Wimbush (Notre Dame) - 15.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.4 BPG
- NCAA Coach of the Year - Jerry Slocum, Youngstown State (21-11, 12-6)

All-American 1st Team
C - JR Zachary Vaughan (Duke) - 10.8 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.3 BPG
PF - SR Paris Alston (Sienna) - 14.4 PPG, 11.9 PPG, 1.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 2.7 BPG
SF - JR Gilbert McKinley (North Carolina) - 11.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG - SR Garrett Comeau (Notre Dame) - 24.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 2.6 SPG, 0.7 BPG
PG - SR Douglas Godsey (Xavier) - 17.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 6.4 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-American 2nd Team
C - JR Larry Rudd (UMass) - 13.5 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.8 BPG
PF - SR Deon Coffin (Temple) - 13.6 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.6 APG, 1.3 BPG
SF - SR Stanley Beard (North Carolina) - 18.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG - SR Gary Phillips (San Diego State) - 13.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.6 SPG
PG - SR John Guest (Connecticut) - 22.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Patriot League Awards
- Player of the Year - JR PF Gary Trejo (Lehigh) - 18.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.8 SPG
- Freshman of the Year - SG Kurt Chambers (Lafayette) - 9.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
- Coach of the Year - Matt Langel (Colgate) - 20-14, 11-3

Patriot League 1st Team
C - SR James Chun, American
PF - JR Gary Trejo, Lehigh
SF - SR James Bancroft, American
SG - SO Otis Worcester, Lehigh
PG - SR Michael Snavely, Holy Cross

Patriot League 2nd Team
C - SR Alexander Moen, Lehigh
PF - SO Andrew Stonge, Colgate
SF - JR Arlen Lukens, Lafayette
SG - JR Gavin Ludwig, Holy Cross
PG - SR Glenn Clemons, American

Patriot League All-Freshman Team
C - Howard Dang, Holy Cross
PF - Joseph Risinger, Bucknell
SF - Albert Denny, Colgate
SG - Kurt Chambers, Lafayette
PG - Camilo Moya, American

[britrock88]

Championship
(1) Duke 95, (3) North Carolina 71


Looks like the sim engine broke. :p

[GoBlue2419]

Final 2013-2014 Patriot League Standings

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/PatriotLeagueFinalStandings_13-14.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

Looks like the sim engine broke. :p

Ha! Yeah! HeavyReign, there should be a constraint in the game that Duke cannot win championships!

[GoBlue2419]

Final 2013-2014 Holy Cross Stats

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossFinalStats_13-14.jpeg

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossFinalShootingStats_13-14.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

Holy Cross says goodbye to the following seniors:

Michael Snavely
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/snavely_career.jpg

Damon Sigler
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/sigler_career.jpg

Ricky Kelly
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/kelly_career.jpeg

David Beam
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/beam_career.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

We finish up recruiting with the 256th ranked class. Our incoming freshmen are:

- C Paul Rokus, Jr (**,#611 ) - 6'9", 202 - (16.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.5 BPG), Groveton High School, NH
- C Dana Greaves (**, #698) - 6'11", 246 - (18.3 PPG, 7.3 RPB, 0.7 BPG), Killingly High School, CT
- SG Louis Getz (*, #755) - 6'2", 176 - (25.7 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 7.7 APG, 1.9 SPG), Somers High School, NY
- PG Trinidad Wilkerson (*, #1029) - 6'0", 181 - (14.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 7.4 APG), New York CC, NY

Top 10 Recruiting Classes
1. Kansas
2. Villanova
3. California
4. Florida
5. Connecticut
6. Oklahoma
7. Wake Forest
8. Wisconsin
9. Louisville
10. BYU

[GoBlue2419]

May 2014

- Our prestige remains at 41.
- Our recruiting budget gets a boost though. It is now up to $18,194/month.

I also received a call from Coach Beilein at Michigan, where I was an assistant before getting the Holy Cross job. He stunned me by letting me know he had decided to retire. He was just 61, but he had decided he had had enough. I would love to coach at Michigan someday, but I know I am not ready yet. I'll bide my time, hone my skills, and hopefully the opportunity will be there some day.

[GoBlue2419]

2014-2015 Notable Coaching Moves

Some interesting, big name coaching retirements occur this offseason. Coach K goes out on top at Duke, as he retires fresh off of the National Championship. Both major schools in Michigan will have new coaches this season. As well as Wisconsin, so the Big 10 will have a different look.

- Arkansas - Mike Anderson retired, hired Mark Few from Gonzaga.
- Gonzaga - hired Steve Fisher from San Diego State to replace Few.
- Duke - Mike Kryzewski retired. Hired Mike Brey from Notre Dame to replace him.
- Notre Dame - hired Kevin Stallings from Wake Forest to replace Brey.
- Louisville - Rick Pitino retired. Hired Chris Lowery from Southern Illinois to replace him.
- Michigan - John Beilein retired. Hired Matt Langel from Colgate to replace him.
- Michigan State - Tom Izzo retired. Hired Doug Wojcik from Tulsa to replace him.
- Wisconsin - Bo Ryan retired. Hired Steve Alford from New Mexico to replace him.

[GoBlue2419]

July 2014 Recruiting

As we start recruiting this offseason, we are looking at the following players currently:

- PG Charles McDonnell (**, #542)
- SF John Morgan (***, #409)
- PG Garry Castro (***, #289)
- SF Jere Hershberger (**, #598)
- SF David Manriquez (**, #675)
- PF Johnny Swank (***, #460)
- PG Cleveland Cramer (***, #184)
- PG Tony Rashid (***, #203)
- PF Dorian Dearborn (**, #575)
- PG Edward Grant (***, #112, 5th on list)
- PG Nicholas Wells (***, #192)

- we immediately offer PG Edward Grant. He is a longshot, but we'll see what happens.

[GoBlue2419]

September 2014 Recruiting Update

- Grant moved us to #3, but UConn is #1 and offered him, so it doesn't bode well.
- We offer Nicolas Wells (#2, behind Harvard who had already offered him. We're the only 2).
- We offer Charles McDonnell (#1 now)
- We offer Hershberger (#2 behind Lafayette, who have offered him).

[GoBlue2419]

November 2014 Recruiting Update

- Grant declines to attend UConn
- McDonnell declines to attend Army.

[GoBlue2419]

2014-2015 Roster

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCross_14-15_Roster.jpeg

Depth Chart
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCross_14-15_PreseasonDepthChart.jpeg

Schedule
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossNonConfSched_14-15.jpeg
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossConfSched_14-15.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

11/14 - loss to Centenary 81-74 (0-1) - Centenary shoots 58%, Gerard Ramirez scores 28 points for them in the win. Dana Greaves scores 17 points for us in his first collegiate game, while Middleton scores 11 and Macneil scores 10. Middleton had 8 rebounds. We shoot 50% from field.

11/18 - beat Belmont 79-70 (1-1) - Belmont shoots 38% from the field. Ludwig scores 18, Langley 16, Middleton and Macneil and 13. Middleton grabs 11 rebounds, while Greaves and Macneil get 7 boards. Wilkerson dishes out 5 assists and has no turnovers. Howard Dang gets a stress fracture and will miss 34 days.

11/22 - beat Charleston Southern 74-61 (2-1) - We limit CSU to 38% from the field, while we shoot 51%. Greaves scores 17 points, Langley scores 15, Macneil 14. Middleton grabs 10 boards, with Greaves and Ludwig grabbing 8. Macneil also grabs 7 boards and has 7 assists.

11/25 - beat Buffalo 67-59 (3-1) - Middleton scores 17, keyed by 4 threes, Ludwig 13, Macneil 11, Greaves 10. Seven boards for Middleton and Macneil.

11/29 - beat Appalachian State 79-77 (4-1) - Good news and bad news in this game.

The good news - Greaves scores and hits the free throw with 3 seconds left to win this one. Appalachian State's Demetrius Adams goes for 25 points. Greaves and Ludwig score 17, Langley best 14, and Wilkerson scores 12. Middleton grabs 7 rebounds. Langley also dishes out 6 assists.

The bad news - Macneil tears a ligament just like last year, out 45 days.

[GoBlue2419]

December 2014 Update

- Dorian Dearborn commits

- Hershberger declines for Lafayette, Manriquez declines for CMU, and Wells declines to attend Harvard.

Current Top 10
1. Syracuse (5-0)
2. Illinois (4-0)
3. North Carolina (4-0)
4. Notre Dame (6-0)
5. Florida (6-0)
6. Arizona (3-0)
7. West Virginia (3-0)
8. Ohio State (5-0)
9. Villanova (3-0)
10. Wake Forest (6-0)

12/2 - lost to Clemson 92-77 (4-2) - On the boards is where we lost this one primarily, as well as three-point shooting for Clemson (16-34). Langley scores 20, while Greaves, Ludwig, and Renz all score 12. Paul Rokus, Jr. gets 6 rebounds in his most PT of the year.

12/6 - lost to Grambling State 75-67 (4-3) - we shoot just 37% from the field. Ludwig and Wilkerson score 11, Greaves and Langley score 10. Middleton grabs 11 rebounds.

12/9 - lost to Yale 77-60 (4-4) - Yale's Tony Fritts goes off for 35 points, including 8 threes, to almost single-handedly beat us. Greaves goes for 21 points and 6 rebounds. Wilkerson adds 10 points.

12/13 - lost to Dayton 80-72 (4-5) - We shoot just 38% from the field. Dayton's Abraham Gilbert scores 26. Langley goes for 20 for us, while Ludwig had 14, and Middleton and Getz add 12. Greaves grabs 8 boards.

12/16 - lost to Gardner-Webb 85-72 (4-6) - Gardner-Webb shoots 59% from the field, and 44% from threes. Langley goes for 16, Wilkerson scores 15, Greaves goes for 14, and Ludwig scores 11. Middleton grabs 9 rebounds.

12/20 - beat Florida A&M 63-43 (5-6) - Florida A&M shoots just 26% as a team. Ludwig scores 17 and Greaves adds 11. Seven boards for Greaves, Middleton, and Langley. Wilkerson dishes out 5 assists with just 1 turnover.

* Dang returns from injury.

12/23 - beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 64-58 (6-6) - both teams shoot poorly. 32% for us, 36% for APB. We win the rebounding game 48-37. Greaves scores 17, Langley scores 14. Greaves grabs 10 rebounds.

12/27 - beat Chicago State 84-72 (7-6) - Langley goes for 27 points (5 threes), Greaves adds 17, and Wilkerson goes for 10. Middleton gets 8 rebounds.

12/30 - beat Central Arkansas 78-70 (8-6) - Despite 20 turnovers, we manage to pull out the win. Rebounding once again the key. Ludwig scores 24 points, Middleton adds 13, Wilkerson 11, and Langley gets 10. Middleton grabs 10 rebounds.

At the end of December, Langley leads us in scoring at 13.8 PPG, followed by Greaves at 12.7, and Ludwig at 11.9. Leading rebounder is Willard Middleton at 7.9 RPG, with Greaves at 5.5. Trinidad Wilkerson leads in assists at 3.1, and Langley leads in steals at 1.4.

[GoBlue2419]

January 2015 Update

1/3 - lose to Boston College 75-55 (8-7) - We shoot just 30% from the field, and get out rebounded 42-29. Ludwig scores 11 and Langley scores 10. Middleton and Dang grab 6 rebounds.

Conference Play begins

1/7 - beat Bucknell 99-56 (9-7, 1-0) - the highest point total in my coaching career. We shoot 30-36 from the free throw line here. Force 21 Bucknell turnovers. Wilkerson goes for 20, 18 for Langley, 14 for Greaves, and 12 for Middleton and Ludwig. Middleton grabs 10 boards. Ludwig also dishes out 6 assists.

* Macneil returns from his injury

1/10 - beat Navy 86-73 (10-7, 2-0) - Navy shoots just 38% from the field. We win despite turning the ball over 23 times. Wilkerson scores 15 points, Greaves and Ludwig score 14, Macneil adds 12, Renz scores 11, and Langley adds 10. Macneil also grabs 14 rebounds. Macneil turns the ball over 8 times, Wilkerson 6 times. Macneil also grabs 3 steals.

1/14 - lost to American 50-48 (10-8, 2-1) - 32% shooting was our downfall, and 19% from three-pointers. Macneil scores 14 points. Greaves grabs 10 rebounds.

1/17 - beat Army 81-73 (11-8, 3-1) - Better shooting, 50% from field and threes, and out rebounding Army 40-28 were the key to this win. Ludwig scores 18 points, 16 for Wilkerson, and 10 for Langley. Middleton also rebounds 12 shots. Greaves dishes out 5 assists. We were down 44-30 at halftime.

1/24 - beat Colgate 80-58 (12-8, 4-1) - Colgate shoots just 38% from the field, and 12% from beyond the arc. We out rebound them 41-34. Macneil scores 23 points, Greaves adds 12, Renz goes for 11, and Dang chips in 10. Dang also grabs 10 rebounds.

1/28 - lost to Lehigh 97-92 (12-9, 4-2) - Otis Worcester scores 23, and Gary Trejo goes for 20 for Lehigh, now 6-0 in the conference. Lehigh goes 33-43 from the free throw line, the key stat in their win. Greaves scores 17, Macneil adds 16, 14 for Langley, 12 for Ludwig, and 11 for Wilkerson. Middleton and Macneil grab 9 rebounds.

1/31 - beat Lafayette 68-42 (13-9, 5-2) - We limit Lafayette to 28% shooting, and they hit just 1 of 11 three-point attempts, while turning the ball over 19 times. Langley scores 14, Ludwig adds 12, and Wilkerson scores 12. Greaves adds 10 rebounds.


At the end of January, Langley still leads in scoring at 12.6 per game, with Dana Greaves at 12.0, and Ludwig is scoring at an 11.8 per game pace. Middleton leads in rebounding at 7.8 a game, and Macneil is averaging 6.3 rebounds a game. Macneil also leads now in assists per game at 2.9, and Langley also leads in steals with 1.3 per game.

In the Conference race, the standings currently are:
Lehigh (7-0)
Holy Cross (5-2)
Navy (4-3)
Bucknell (3-4)
Colgate (3-4)
American (3-4)
Lafayette (2-5)
Army (1-6)

[GoBlue2419]

February 2015 Update

2/4/15 - beat Navy 57-38 (14-9, 6-2) - Middleton scores 13, Greaves scores 10. Macneil grabs 9 rebounds. Navy shoots just 33% from the field, 9% from beyond the arc.

2/7/25 - lost to Bucknell 62-50 (14-10, 6-3) - Three-point shooting killed us in this game, as we hit just 3 of 22 as a team. Greaves leads us in scoring with 9 points. Middleton grabs 8 rebounds, but also has 5 turnovers.

2/11/15 - beat Army 60-56 (15-10, 7-3) - Turnover margin is 17 for Army to 8 for us. We shoot just 35% from the field, 23% from three-point line. Greaves scores 15, Macneil adds 13 and 13 rebounds, while Wilkerson scores 12. Macneil also adds 5 assists.

2/14/15 - beat American 82-70 (16-10, 8-3) - This one was closer than the final score indicated, but rebounding an defense at the end of the game secured the win. Ludwig scored 16 points, Langley added 14, Greaves had 11, and Wilkerson scored 10. Ludwig also had 9 rebounds. Eleven team steals contributed to the victory.

* We are one game back of Lehigh at this point.

2/21/15 - beat Colgate 66-64 (17-10, 9-3) - Ludwig missed two free throws with :06 left, then Colgate comes down and Stephen Brown hits a three at the buzzer. Fortunately we had a 5 point lead before the final shot. Colgate's Andrew Stonge scored 24, but it wasn't enough. Langley hit 18 for us, Ludwig scored 13. Macneil grabbed 13 rebounds and Middleton added 11, helping fuel us to a 43-32 rebounding advantage. We also won the turnover battle 17-10.

* Due to Lehigh's loss at American, we are tied going into our game at Lehigh. They are 15-12 overall, 9-3 in the conference. Lehigh is led by last year's Patriot League Player of the Year Gary Trejo. The power forward is currently averaging 17.4 PPG (leading the conference), 7.8 RPG (second in the conference).

2/25/15 - lost to Lehigh 73-65 (17-11, 9-4) - We manage to slow Trejo down, giving up just 13 points to him, but balanced scoring for them propels them to the win. Michelle (real name in the game) Jenkins scores 14, Trejo with 13 along with John Savoy, while Otis Worcester scores 11. Langley leads us with 13 points, Ludwig scores 12, and Wilkerson scores 11. Middleton and Dang both get 7 rebounds.

* On a negative note, Macneil is injured again. He fractured his jaw and will miss about 2 weeks. The conference tourney starts in just over a week, so hopefully he will be ready to go in the semi-final round if we win the first game.
* The loss also secures the regular season crown for Lehigh. Even if they were to lose their last game, we have lost twice to them this year.

2/28/15 - lost to Lafayette 85-75 (17-12, 9-5) - Lafayette shoots 56% to our 46%, and shoots 32 free throws to our 13, which were the keys to their win. Renz fouled out, and Ludwig, Langley, Getz, and Dwayne Yale all had 4 fouls. Getz picked up 4 in 7 minutes of PT. Langley scored 25 points for us, behind 5 threes, while Greaves added 13. Middleton led with 9 rebounds. Getz did get three steals in his 7 minutes, but also turned the ball over 3 times.

[GoBlue2419]

March 2015 Update

- SG Mario Baker (*, #1019) commits.
- For the 3rd time this season, Lane McNutt complains about playing time. Right now he is just not good enough to warrant more time, so I don't foresee that changing.

Here are the seedings for the Patriot League Tournament:
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCross14-15_PatriotTourney.jpeg

- Alvaro Macneil is still out for about 9 days as we start the tourney, so we probably will not get him back until possibly the Final if we go that far.

[GoBlue2419]

2015 Patriot League Tournament First Round

beat Lafayette 57-55 (18-12, 9-5) - we force 20 Lafayette turnovers, but the game came down to the final possession, when Lafayette missed a three, got the offensive rebound, and then missed another jumper with 3 seconds left. Langley scored 16, Getz scores 11 off the bench, and Ludwig scores 10. Greaves gets 8 rebounds to lead the team.

[GoBlue2419]

2015 Patriot League Semi-finals

We beat Navy 75-67 (19-12, 9-5) - despite 21 points from Navy's Carl Adams, we pull out the win, thanks to turning the ball over only 4 times, and getting to the free throw line 32 times (making 21). Greaves leads us with 16 points, Getz gets 12 in another pretty good game off the bench, and Wilkerson adds 10. Middleton grabs 9 rebounds.

* this is the first time we have gotten to the Conference Tournament finals in my time at Holy Cross.

* Macneil is able to play in the Final.

[GoBlue2419]

2015 Patriot League Tournament Final

This game goes to OT, where poor free throw shooting by both teams keeps the game close. With 1:00 left in OT, Langley hits a three to make it 91-90. We foul Gerald Canty with 43 seconds left, and he hits 1 to make it 92-90. We get the rebound, bring it down court, where Ludwig gets fouled in the act of shooting with :26 left. He makes only one, to make it 92-91. We immediately foul Canty on the inbounds pass, where he misses both free throws, and Dang gets the rebound. Ludwig then misses a three with 9 seconds left, and Lehigh's Matthew Trantham gets the rebound, and we foul him. He makes one to make it 93-91. Langley misses a shot at the end that would have sent it into a 2nd OT.

As a result of the loss, we miss out on the NCAA Tournament again, and lose to Lehigh for the 3rd time this season.

We do get an invitation to the CIT Tournament as the #2 seed.

Our record is now 19-13 on the season.

[GoBlue2419]

2015 CIT Tournament Round 1

3/18/15 - We lose to St. Mary's 83-76 (19-14, 9-5) - We lose this one from the three-point line, making just 3 of 17 we attempt. Wilkerson scores 21 in the loss, while Middleton scores 10 points. Macneil grabs 10 rebounds in his final game, adding 5 assists as well.

With the loss, we fall one win short of two consecutive 20 win seasons.

[GoBlue2419]

2015 NCAA Tournament

#1 seeds
Marquette
Notre Dame
North Carolina
Syracuse

1st Round Notable Games
West - 13th Seed Santa Clara beats 4th seed Florida 75-70
West - 12th seed UNLV beats 5th seed USC 93-89
West - 10th seed UConn beats 7th seed Virginia Tech 73-65
West - 11th seed Gonzaga beats 6th seed Alabama 77-71
South - 14th seed Mount St. Mary's beats 3rd seed Missouri 57-54
South - 11th seed Missouri State beats 6th seed Duke 76-75
East - 12th seed Northeastern beats 5th seed Michigan State 91-89

Round of 32 Games
Midwest - 9th seed New Mexico beats 1st seed Notre Dame 72-64
South - 7th seed Georgetown beats 2nd seed Tennessee 95-87

Round 16
West - 3rd seed Oklahoma beats 2nd seed Arizona 63-36
Midwest - 9th seed New Mexico beats 5th seed Wisconsin 81-80
Midwest - 3rd seed Illinois beats 2nd seed Texas 78-59
East - 3rd seed Wake Forest beats 2nd seed Vanderbilt 62-57

Round of 8
West - 3rd seed Oklahoma beats 1st seed Marquette 75-54

Final Four
(1) North Carolina 81, (3) Oklahoma 80 - NC's Frank Archambault gets a tip-in with 14 seconds left for the win.
(3) Illinois 64, (1) Syracuse 62 - Illinois's William Childers gets a layup with 23 seconds left for the winning basket.


Final
(1) North Carolina 74, (3) Illinois 63


- NIT Championship - (4) Wright State 67, (1) Auburn 55
- CBI Championship - (3) Hawaii 76, (8) Manhattan 65
- CIT Championship - (12) Louisiana-Monroe 75, (3) Old Dominion 72

[GoBlue2419]

Final 2015 Patriot League Standings
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/PatriotLeagueFinalStandings_14-15.jpeg

National Awards
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2014-2015_NCAA_Awards.jpeg

Patriot League Awards
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2014-2015_PatriotLeague_Awards.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

Final 2015 Holy Cross Stats

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossFinalStats_14-15.jpeg

Final 2015 Holy Cross Shooting Stats

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/HolyCrossFinalShootingStats_14-15.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

Holy Cross will bid farewell to the following departing seniors:

- SG Kenny Langley (125 GP, 7.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.8 SPG)
- PG Andrew Renz (106 GP, 3.6 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 0.8 APG)
- SF Gavin Ludwig (64 GP, 12.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.0 SPG)
- SF Alvaro Macneil (39 GP, 9.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.5 APG)
- PG Stephen Baskerville (56 GP, 1.4 PPG, 0.6 RPG)

Also departing, via transfer, will be:
- C Lane McNutt (14 GP, 0.4 PPG, 1.7 RPG)

[GoBlue2419]

We end up with the 191st ranked Recruiting Class:

- PG Irvin Huber (Canada) - ***, #490
- PG Daniel Jablonski (Canada) - ***, #501
- PF Dorian Dearborn (Rondout Valley HS, New York) - **, #575
- SG Mario Baker (Westfield HS, Virginia) - *, #1019

Top 10 Recruiting Classes
1. North Carolina
2. Florida
3. Connecticut
4. Marquette
5. Kentucky
6. Tennessee
7. Ohio State
8. BYU
9. West Virginia
10. Arizona

[GoBlue2419]

2015-2016 Conference Changes

- Wisconsin-Milwaukee moves to MVC
- Evansville moves to Horizon League

[GoBlue2419]

2015-2016 Head Coaching Round

I receive my first job offers as Head Coach Round 1 commences, though none of them interest me, so I decline all of them. The teams offering me head coaching jobs are:
- UC-Santa Barbara (Prestige =38)
- Southern Utah (27)
- Lafayette (23)
- Idaho State (30)

In round 2, I receive 8 more offers, a couple of which are very intriguing:
- Wisconsin-Milwaukee (68)
- Weber State (52)
- South Alabama (56)
- San Diego (52)
- Richmond (63)
- Northeastern (54)
- Mount St. Mary's (37)
- Montana (50)

The two I am mulling over, and the reasons why, are (I'm trying to make any coaching-move decisions based on rationale I might use in real-life):

- Wisconsin-Milwaukee - Would get me back close to home. High budget, coming off of a very good season (23-9). #183 recruiting class. Just moved to the Missouri Valley Conference from the Horizon League. Expectations - play in a postseason tournament.

- Richmond - good academic school, higher budget, #38 recruiting class, coming off of a 23-8 season, and their leading scorer is returning. Expectations - play in a postseason tournament.

[collegesportsfanms]

Wisconsin-Milwaukee is always a good school to go to, and the fact they are playing in the MVC now makes it better. I would go there if I were you.

[GoBlue2419]

Spiders Hire New Head Coach

Richmond, VA (June 1, 2015) - The University of Richmond has announced the signing of its new Head Men's Basketball Coach today, as the Spiders introduced former Holy Cross head coach Luke Gregory. Gregory replaces Chris Mooney, who was recently named the West Virginia head coach. Gregory has been at Holy Cross for three seasons, compiling a 57-37 record in his time with the Crusaders.

Richmond is coming off of a season in which the Spiders went 23-8 overall, and 12-4 in the Atlantic 10, losing in the NIT First Round. The Spiders return 3 starters from last year's team, including leading scorer Jackie Tesch (15.2 PPG). Richmond also had the 38th best recruiting class, pointing to a bright future provided they made the right coaching hire.

[GoBlue2419]

Wisconsin-Milwaukee is always a good school to go to, and the fact they are playing in the MVC now makes it better. I would go there if I were you.

I tend to agree with you, but after looking at Richmond's roster, it was too hard to pass up. They have the potential to do some things, quicker at least than Milwaukee, provided I don't mess it up.

[collegesportsfanms]

You couldn't go wrong with either choice honestly. Good luck at Richmond. I love FBCB and I wish I had my computer fixed so I could get back to my dynasties. Will be following along. Feel free to follow my whatifsports NCAA dynasty that I have going as well!

[GoBlue2419]

You couldn't go wrong with either choice honestly. Good luck at Richmond. I love FBCB and I wish I had my computer fixed so I could get back to my dynasties. Will be following along. Feel free to follow my whatifsports NCAA dynasty that I have going as well!

Thanks for following! FBCB is really a great game. I've had a lot of starts and stops in my solo careers over the years, but am really enjoying this one so far, and looking for a long-term career here.

And yes, I'm enjoying yours as well!

[GoBlue2419]

Notable Head Coaching Changes for 2015-2016

- Arizona State - fired Herb Sendek. Hired Bill Grier from San Diego as his replacement.
- Cal - Mike Montgomery retired. Hired Randy Rahe from Weber State as his replacement.
- Holy Cross - hired Duke assistant coach Antonio Tuck as my replacement.
- Providence - fired Ed Cooley. Hired Robert Burke from Mount St. Mary's as his replacement.
- UAB - hired Murray Bartow, son of former UAB coach Gene Bartow, from Troy.
- Washington - fired Lorenzo Romar. Hired Rob Jeter from UAB.
- West Virginia - Bob Huggins retired. Hired Chris Mooney from Richmond.
- UW-Milwaukee - hired Mo Cassara from Hofstra.

[GoBlue2419]

Here is the current top 10 for Coaching Wins In-Game (wins included real-life wins up to 2011):

1. Mike Kryzewski - 993 (retired)
2. Jim Calhoun - 964 (UConn)
3. Jim Boeheim - 907 (retired)
4. Bob Huggins - 788 (retired)
5. Mike Montgomery - 694 (retired)
6. Jerry Slocum - 689 (Youngstown St)
7. Cliff Ellis - 673 (Coastal Carolina)
8. Roy Williams - 669 (retired)
9. Rick Pitino - 664 (retired)
10. Rick Byrd - 657 (IUPUI)

[GoBlue2419]

Recap of NCAA Champions

2012 - Texas (30-8)
2013 - Duke (35-4)
2014 - North Carolina (36-2)

[GoBlue2419]

Assistant Coach Hiring

As part of one of my rules for this dynasty, I must bring at least one assistant coach with me any time I change jobs, and so I bring John Byington with me as my coaching assistant.

I offer the job of recruiting coordinator to 27-year-old Darren Garrick, who has not held any previous coaching jobs in college basketball. But I think he is going to be a very good recruiter.

I offer the job of lead scout to 38-year-old Paul Marion, who also has not previously held any coaching jobs.

Both accept my initial offers ($130,000 for Garrick and $150,000 for Marion), so my coaching staff is set after one round.

So for 2015-2016, here is your Richmond Spiders coaching staff:
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/RichmondStaff_14-15.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Richmond_Spiders_logo.svg/150px-Richmond_Spiders_logo.svg.png

Facts about the University of Richmond
Enrollment: 4,250 (2,767 undergrad)
Basketball Arena: Robins Center (Capacity: 9,017)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Robins_Center_Gameday.JPG/800px-Robins_Center_Gameday.JPG

Basketball History at Richmond

Top Players in Richmond History
- Johnny Newman (1982-1986)
- Kevin Anderson (2007-2011)
- Mike Perry (1977-1981)

Most Coaching Wins in Richmond History
1. Dick Tarrant (239-126, 12 seasons)
2. Malcolm Pitt (197–169, 21 seasons)
3. Frank Dobson (168–112, 18 seasons)

Team History Facts
- has never won the NCAA Championship.
- Reached the Sweet Sixteen in 1988 and 2011.
- became the first 15 seed to knock off a 2nd seed when it beat Syracuse in 1991.
- hold the distinction of being the only basketball program to win NCAA tournament games as a 12, 13, 14, and 15 seed.

[GoBlue2419]

2015-2016 Offseason News

We do not extend any offers to transfer candidates.

We receive an invite to the GDS Classic Tournament as the #5 seed.

Our 2015-2016 Budget
- Total Budget: $561,250
- Staff Salaries: $330,000
- Season Recruiting Budget: $231,250
- Monthly Recruiting Budget: $23,125

Training Facilities
- Current Rating: 61
- Conference Rank: 3

Initial Recruiting News/Actions:
- 3 scholarships available - we are losing our starting PG, SG, PF
- Initial Very High Interest recruits: C Richard Boman (***, #349), PG Octavio Kirkland (***, #317), C Chris Delp (***, #399)
- Initial High Interest recruits: SF Paul Ortega (***, #240), PG Chris Moore (***, #185), PG Solomon Hackett (***, #384)

[GoBlue2419]

August 2015 Update

Recruiting
- Very High Interest - C Lavrenti Tverdovsky (***), C Broderick Klatt (***), C Neal Kuehl (***), C Richard Boman (***, #349), PG Octavio Kirkland (***,#317), C Chris Delp (***, #399), SF Wilford Baker (***)

- High Interest - SF Paul Ortega (***), PG Chris Moore (***), PG Solomon Hackett (***)

We extend scholarship offers to C Mark Cannon (***, #176), PG Brian Lefebrve (***, #129).

[GoBlue2419]

September 2015 Update

- Very High Interest - C Tverdovsky, PG Kirkland, C Delp
- we offered Ortega

[GoBlue2419]

October 2015 Update

- Very Highs - SF Ortega (#2 behind Maine), C Tverdovsky (#1), C Delp (#3)
- Highs - PG Lefebrve (#2), C Figueroa, C Kuehl (#3), PG Kirkland (#5)

[GoBlue2419]

November 2015 Update

- Paul Ortega commits.
- Cannon declines to go to Siena.
- Lefebrve declines to go to Bowling Green.
- Very Highs - none
- offered Kuehl and PG Freddy Chase (****, #95)

[GoBlue2419]

Renn Ruled Academically Ineligible

Richmond, Virginia (November 5, 2015) - Ross Renn, Richmond's prized recruit, has been ruled academically ineligible for the first half of the 2015-2016 season. Renn, a 4-star recruit ranked #47 in the country, struggled immediately with his classes, and did not achieve the required GPA for the first trimester this fall.

New Richmond Head Coach Luke Gregory expressed disappointment, but remained optimistic nonetheless. "Ross is a wonderful talent, and his time will certainly come, but I am very confident in the rest of the team," he remarked. "We have some great experience coming back, and we'll be in a good position when Ross is able to play," he continued.

Renn is a 6'1", 175 shooting guard from North Dorchester High School in Hurlock, Maryland.

[GoBlue2419]

Richmond Roster - 2015-2016 Season
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/Richmond_15-16_Roster.jpeg

The starting lineup will be:
PG - Charles Doak
SG - Jackie Tesch
SF - Johnnie Tramel
PF - Fredric Mott
C - Quinton Goodell

The main players off the bench will be:
C/PF David Willard
C/PF Wallace Rodriguez
SG Micah Tolson
PG Chuck Whittemore

[GoBlue2419]

2015-2016 Richmond Schedule

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/RichmondNonConfSched_15-16.jpeg
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/RichmondConfSched_15-16.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

2015-2016 Preseason Top 24

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2015-2016_PreseasonPoll.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

We open the season with the GDS Classic Tournament:

11/10/15 - beat 12th seed Cornell 68-57 (1-0) - we start my Richmond career off with a win. Cornell shot just 32% from the field. We weren't a whole lot better, at 40%, and we only made 5 of 18 three-point attempts, but Cornell hit just 4 of their 14 attempts. Jackie Tesch scored 24 points, and Charles Doak added 20. Quinton Goodell was the game's leading rebounder with 11. Last year's second leading scorer, Fredric Mott, was in foul trouble all game, and only played 17 minutes and scored just 2 points.

11/12/15 - beat 4th seed Indiana 61-41 (2-0) - our defense was outstanding here, limiting Indiana to 32% shooting and causing 22 turnovers. Indiana also made only 1 of 15 three-point attempts. They didn't score for the first 4:43 of the game. Mott rebounded from the Cornell game with a solid 16 point, 7 rebound effort. Tesch added 15 points, Doak had 14, and Goodell scored 10, while grabbing 9 rebounds. Tesch added 5 assists as well. I don't expect us to be a great three-point shooting team, and we struggle again, going 1 for 9.

11/19/15 - beat Washington State 83-70 (3-0) - The win gives us the Championship for the GDS Classic Tournament. Keys to this win were rebounding and limiting turnovers. We turned the ball over just 9 times, and won the rebounding edge, 34-30, while also shooting 53% from the field. Mott and Doak both scored 18 to lead the way, followed by Tesch with 15, and David Willard came off the bench to score 10. Goodell grabbed 13 rebounds also, while he, Johnnie Tramel, and Doak each had 4 assists. We hit 6 of 17 threes, so shot better this game overall.

[GoBlue2419]

Remainder of November Update

11/24/15 - beat VCU 70-60 (4-0) - We win the battle of Richmond, beating our intra-city rivals behind another very good defensive effort. We hold them to 34% shooting overall, and 13% from 3-point land. We shot 48% overall, and hit 7 of 12 three-pointers. Micah Tolson led us in scoring, coming off the bench to score 13 points, including 2 three-pointers. Mott and Tramel added 11, and Tesch scored 10. Goodell had 11 rebounds.

* After the game, we are ranked #25 in the nation, the first time I have had a team ranked in this career.

11/28/15 - beat #21 Virginia 79-76 (5-0) - Coming off of being ranked for the first time in my young coaching career, we beat the first ranked opponent I've beaten in my career in this battle of Virginia. This one came down to the wire, and thanks to two missed free throws by Doak with 11 seconds left, was closer at the end than I wanted. Virginia rebounded Doak's second miss, went down quickly and hit a three to bring it to within one point. Tramel got fouled on the inbounds pass, and hit both free throws for the final outcome. Virginia's SG Willie Bade was averaging 24 PPG coming into the game, and thanks to great outside defense, we managed to hold him scoreless. Their starting PG went off though, scoring 32 points, hitting 10 three-pointers (10 of 17). Virginia shot 49 three-pointers overall, hitting 19 of them. For us, Tesch scored 24 points, including 3 three-pointers, while Tramel scored 18, Doak had 16, and Mott added 10 points. Goodell comintued to dominate the boards, grabbing 14 rebounds.

[GoBlue2419]

December 2015 Update

- We start December ranked #21.
- Kuehl declines, going to St. Peter's instead.

Current Top 10
1. Texas (5-0)
2. Florida (6-0)
3. Arizona (5-0)
4. Illinois (4-0)
5. Stanford (5-0)
6. Wisconsin (4-0)
7. Vanderbilt (5-1)
8. Connecticut (5-1)
9. Ohio State (4-0)
10. Kansas (2-0)

12/1/15 - beat Holy Cross 78-50 (7-0) - My old team came in to this game 4-0. Holy Cross shot just 32% from the floor, and 5 of 29 on threes. Meanwhile, we shot 53%. Mott scored 17, and Micah Tolson came off the bench to add 17 as well, to lead us in scoring. Tesch added 16 points. Mott also grabbed 9 rebounds and blocked 3 shots. Tesch dished out 5 assists. Trinidad Wilkerson scored 14 for Holy Cross.

12/5/15 - beat Norfolk State 56-51 (8-0) - This one was way too close. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, Norfolk State hitting just 3 of 17 threes, and we hit just 2 of 11. Tesch led all scorers with 14 points, while Mott added 12, and Doak scored 11. Mott grabbed 9 rebounds, and Doak dished out 5 assists.

* We've now moved up to #16 in the polls.

12/8/15 - beat American 64-63 (9-0) - Phew, this one was too close for comfort. American hit a three at the buzzer to pull within 1, but Doak missed two free throws with 25 seconds left to leave the door open for my old Patriot League competitor. Tesch scored 24 to lead the way, while Doak added 18 points. Mott grabbed 9 rebounds, though he had 5 turnovers as well. American hit 7 of 15 threes to help keep this one close.

12/12/15 - beat Seton Hall 57-44 (10-0) - We limit the Pirates to 34% shooting and force 19 turnovers to pull off the victory. While we ourselves only shot 35%, we held a slight edge in rebounding (37-34), and turned the ball over just 10 times. Mott scored 14 points to pace the team, and Doak added 10. Goodell picked up 10 rebounds to lead the way. Mott also blocked 3 shots and picked up 6 rebounds.

* On the negative side of things, both Doak and Goodell were injured in this game. Doak will be out about a week with a sprained ankle, but Goodell will miss about 45 days with a stress fracture. Goodell is averaging 9.5 rebounds a game, so we will need to make that up. David Willard will move into the starting lineup at center, and Wallace Rodriguez will play more to make up the lost minutes. For the next week, Tesch will move to PG and Micah Tolson will start at SG. Chuck Whittemore should get more PT as well.

* We are now 14th in the Polls.

12/15/15 - beat Army 62-52 (11-0) - We shoot poorly, but force 21 Army turnovers, and get to the line 35 times, hitting 30 of them, to pull out the win. Army, who fell to 0-8 on the year, had no players in double-figure scoring. Jackie Tesch scored 16 points to lead all scorers, followed by Mott with 15, and Willard and Tolson with 11 each. Mott grabbed 10 rebounds as well. Willard hit all 7 free throws he attempted, Tolson hit all 6, and Tesch went 9-10. Tesch did go just 1-10 on three-pointers.

* Doak is healthy again for our game at Fairfield

12/18/15 - beat Fairfield 51-47 (12-0) - our poor shooting continues, hitting just 32% of our shots. Fortunately our strong team defense continues as well, limiting Fairfield to 32% as well. We won the battle of the boards as well, 45 to 39. Tesch led us with 12 points, while Doak added 10 in his return to the lineup. Micah Tolson grabbed 8 rebounds, coming off the bench to lead the way.

* We move up to #13 in the latest edition of the Polls.

12/26/15 - beat Providence 77-57 (13-0) - Slightly better shooting (40%), but again defense is the name of the game, holding Providence to 35% and forcing 19 turnovers. All five starters reached double-digits in scoring, with Tesch and Doak scoring 16 each, 13 for Willard, 12 for Tramel, and 11 for Mott. Willard had 13 rebounds, and Mott added 10 boards. Tesch also compiled 6 assists. Providence's Jamaal Nash, who I really wanted at Holy Cross, scores just 6 points on 2 of 13 shooting.

* We move up to #11.

Jackie Tesch is leading us in scoring at the end of December, at 17.1 PPG, followed by Charles Doak at 13.5, and Fredric Mott at 11.5. Quinton Goodell is leading us in rebounding at 9.5 RPG, followed by Mott at 6.5. Tesch is averaging 3.1 APG, and Doak is leading in steals at 1.5 SPG. Mott is also leading us in blocks with 1.5 per game.

[GoBlue2419]

January 2016 Update

- Freddy Chase commits.
- Chris Delp declines to attend Hampton.
- We offer a scholarship to Russian C Lavrenti Tverdovsky.

- Ross Renn returns from academic suspension. With the team playing well, we'll play him as our 6th man (SG) for now and assess things in a few weeks.

- both C Tim Caron and PG Trey Kempf express frustration at lack of playing time.

- Holy Cross is currently 6-7. UWM is 6-6.

Current NCAA Top 10
1. Florida (13-0)
2. Illinois (10-1)
3. Texas (11-1)
4. Connecticut (13-1)
5. Michigan State (12-1)
6. Villanova (10-1)
7. Ohio State (10-0)
8. Arizona (11-1)
9. Georgetown (11-2)
10. Mississippi State (10-2)

Games
1/2/16 - beat Dartmouth 82-56 (14-0) - Defense, defense, defense - we hold Dartmouth to 33% shooting, while shooting 55% ourselves, which allowed us to overcome 20 turnovers. A big rebounding advantage, 47-29, contributed much as well. Tesch scored 22 points, Mott added 14, Tramel had 13, and Doak had 10 points. Ross Renn scored 8 points in 15 minutes in his debut, coming off the academic suspension. Willard added 11 rebounds and 9 points also. Doak dished out 9 assists, turning the ball over just twice. Tramel and Tesch each had 5 turnovers. Mott blocked 6 shots.

1/9/16 - loss to North Carolina A&T 63-51 (14-1) - And the streak ends . . . . . Shooting woes and foul trouble plagued us in this game. Mott played only 14 minutes due to foul trouble, and Tramel fouled out in 10 minutes of PT. As a team we shot just 33% overall, and 2 of 15 from beyond the arc. Tesch is the only player to reach double-digits for us, scoring 10 points, though he shot 2-15, and 0-7 on three-pointers. Willard grabbed 9 rebounds to lead the way. We only turned the ball over 8 times, but only forced 11. Meanwhile, Renn scores 9 points in 11 minutes, so I will need to figure out how to get him more PT, if not starting him.

* Start A10 Play

- we fall to 17th

1/13/16 - beat St. Joseph's 73-65 (15-1, 1-0) - We play our first conference game, my first A10 game, on the road at St. Joe's, and come away with the win. We managed to hold them to 38% shooting, shooting 46% ourselves. I kept Renn as the 6th man, but he scored 19 points, getting 27 minutes of playing time. To get him more time, I decide to utilize a 3 guard lineup more often. Tesch added 18 points, while Tramel had 11, and Mott scored 10. Mott also had 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 6 blocks in an incredible all-around performance. St. Joseph's SG David Hutchinson led all scorers with 24 points.

1/16/16 - beat George Washington 69-68 (16-1, 2-0) - With a hostile crowd at GWU hurling insults and various epithets against his mother, Jackie Tesch calmly steps to the free throw line with 3 seconds left and hits two free throws to win the game for us. GWU's Earle Cramer fouled him unbelievably, surely a mental breakdown he will not forget. We shot 48% to their 40%. Doak led us with 14 points, followed by Tesch with 13, Mott with 12, Renn with 11, and Willard with 10. Willard also grabbed 8 rebounds. Doak added 5 assists, and Mott blocked 7 shots.

- Jackie Tesch suffered a concussion, but clearly came back to play in this game. I'm sure to take some heat for playing him despite a concussion. Maybe the head knock prevented him from hearing the crowd on those last two free throws. We will be out for 4 days, so shouldn't miss any games.

* We move up to 15th

1/20/16 - we lose to La Salle 51-48 (16-2, 2-1) - our first conference home game, and both teams stunk up the gym. La Salle hits just 29% of their shots, but we hit just 27% of ours, including just 5 for 25 on three-point attempts. Tesch scored 16 to lead us, but shot just 6-18, and 2-9 from three-point land. David Willard added 11 points and 11 rebounds. Mott blocked 4 shots. Tramel went 2-10, Doak went 2-11, and Renn went 1-8.

1/23/16 - beat UMass 71-61 (17-2, 3-1) - The turnover battle is where this game was won. We turn the ball over just 9 times, and force 18 turnovers from the Minutemen. Jackie Tesch scored 26 points behind 5-7 shooting on threes, Tramel added 13, and Mott scored 10 points. Willard grabbed 9 boards, with Mott adding 8 rebounds. He also blocked 2 shots.

* With the La Salle loss, we fall to 20th.

* Goodell returns from his injury.

1/27/16 - we lose to St. Bonaventure 72-65 (17-3, 3-2) - A 28 to 12 free throw attempt difference contributed to this loss. Foul trouble for Mott, Tramel and Willard limited their effectiveness, and as such, the Bonnies front-line took over. We were led by 16 points from Tesch, 12 from Tramel, and 10 from Doak. Mott added 8 rebounds and 2 blocks to go with his 9 points. Doak had 6 assists. We shot 42% while St. Bonaventure shot 46%. Tesch hit just 6 of 20 shots. Goodell scored 8 points and had 7 rebounds in his return.

* Tesch suffered another concussion in this game, but will not miss any days.

1/31/16 - beat Temple 80-71 (18-3, 4-2) - Jackie Tesch had his career high in points, scoring 32, to fuel us to the victory. He shot 13 for 21, including 4 of 7 from three-point land, helping propel us to 48% overall. Tramel added 13 points and Mott scored 11. We held Temple to 35%, and 2 of 12 from beyond the arc. We held Temple's leading scorer, SG Michael Hilliard, to just 4 of 22 shooting.

At the end of January, Tesch leads us in scoring at 17.9 PPG, Doak is averaging 10.9, and Mott is scoring at a 10.7 PPG rate. Goodell is averaging 9.1 RPG and Mott is averaging 6.6 RPG. Tesch is averaging 3.1 APG, Doak is averaging 1.3 SPG, and Mott is averaging 2.4 BPG.

Tesch is shooting 42% from the field overall, 31% on three-pointers, and 78% from the free throw line. Goodell is our leading shooter at 49% overall, Tolson is hitting 40% of his threes, and David Willard is hitting 89% of his free throws.

[GoBlue2419]

February 2016 Update

- Tverdovsky commits.
- Tesch is leading the conference in scoring.

Conference Standings at start of February
St. Bonaventure - 6-0
#20 Richmond - 4-2
Temple - 4-2
St. Joseph's - 4-2
UMass - 3-3
La Salle - 2-4
Duquesne - 2-4
Rhode Island - 2-4
Fordham - 2-4
George Washington - 1-5

Current Top 10
1. Texas (18-2)
2. Florida (19-2)
3. Connecticut (20-2)
4. Arizona (19-2)
5. North Carolina (20-2)
6. Villanova (17-3)
7. Mississippi State (17-3)
8. Marquette (17-3)
9. Georgetown (17-3)
10. Oklahoma (17-4)

Recap of Feb Games
2/3/16 - beat Rhode Island 62-58 (19-3, 5-2) - We limit them to 38% shooting, they get to the free throw line just 8 times, shoot just 8-30 on three-point attempts, and we are able to overcome getting out rebounded 44-34. We also turned the ball over just 7 times. Tesch follows up his career high of 32 with another game of 32 points, going 12-21 from the floor. Doak added 11 points, while Goodell grabbed 10 rebounds. Perry Gibson, who I recruited hard at Holy Cross, is the starting PG for Rhode Island, and scored 8 points.

2/6/16 - beat George Washington 62-55 (20-3, 6-2) - we pick up our 20th win of the season in this home game. We limit GWU to just 33% shooting, forced 17 turnovers, and out rebounded them 41-36. GWU PG Benedict Barnes scored 22 points, and backcourt mate Earle Cramer (he of the bad foul in the previous game) added 18 points, but no one else had more than 3 for them. Meanwhile, Ross Renn led us in scoring with 17 points, and was the only Spider in double-digits. Quinton Goodell grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds, and Mott blocked 3 shots.

* We move up to #19 in the Polls.

2/10/16 - we beat Temple 77-74 (21-3, 7-2) - Free throws were the difference in this home game. We hit 16 of 19 from the charity stripe, including two from Goodell with 18 seconds left to increase the lead, while Temple made just 4 of 11 free throws. We held a slight rebounding advantage (47 to 43), but shooting was pretty even. We did make just 3 of 20 threes however. But we got 19 points from Tesch, 15 from Doak, 14 from Goodell, and 10 from Renn. Goodell also broke his career high in rebounds, set just one game previously, with 18 against the Owls.

2/13/16 - we beat UMass 61-50 (22-3, 8-2) - Once again free throws were the difference, but this time it was primarily the number of attempts. We shot 22 free throws, hitting 16 of them, and UMass shot just 6. They also shot just 33% from the field overall, and 20% from threes (6-30). We didn't shoot much better, 38%, but we hit 5 of the 9 threes we attempted. Tesch scored 20, Mott scored 13, and Renn added 10. Meanwhile, Goodell and Tramel both grabbed 9 rebounds, and Mott blocked 3 shots.

* we move to #17 in the Polls.

2/17/16 - we beat Duquesne 54-42 (23-3, 9-2) - Another dual poor-shooting game, ad Duquesne shoots 30% and we shoot 31%. Keys to the victory were "slightly" better 3 point shooting, as we hit 7 of 26 to their 3 of 15, and Duquesne turned the ball over 16 times to our 9. Tesch led us in scoring again with 16 points, and Renn added 14. Mott grabbed 9 rebounds and blocked 3 shots. Doak finished with 4 assists and no turnovers.

2/20/16 - we beat La Salle 71-56 (24-3, 10-2) - We hold them to 35% shooting, and poor free throw shooting hampered them as well, as they made just 13 of 24 shots. We limited our turnovers again, with just 9. Ross Renn scored 19 points to lead us, and Mott added 16 points, while Tramel and Tesch each scored 10. Goodell grabbed 16 rebounds. Mott blocked 5 shots as well.

* we move to #14

2/24/16 - lose to St. Joseph's 73-63 (24-4, 10-3) - St. Joseph's hit 53% of their threes, 9 of 17, which was the key to their win at our place. Shooting overall was close, 46% for them, 44% for us, turnovers was 15 to 14. St. Joe's had a slight rebounding advantage as well, 35-30. Their PG, David Hutchinson, went big again against us, going for 22 this time. Charles Doak led us in scoring, with 13 points, while Johnnie Tramel added 11. Goodell again played the Windex Man, grabbing 13 rebounds.

2/27/16 - we beat St. Bonaventure 80--65 (25-4, 11-3) - we hold the Bonnies to 36% shooting, and just 4 of 19 from beyond the arc, to avenge our earlier loss to them. Ross Renn had the highest scoring game of his young career, going for 26 points, while Tramel added 16 (4 threes), and Goodell scored 10. Goodell also grabbed 12 rebounds, while Mott blocked 5 shots. We shot 48% from the floor, 33% on threes (8-24).

* we fall to #18

[GoBlue2419]

March 2016 Update

We enter March tied with St. Joseph's for 1st place in the conference, both of us at 11-3. St. Bonaventure and Temple are right behind us at 10-4.

Tesch is averaging 17.1 PPG, Renn 10.8, Mott, 10.2, and Doak 10.1 PPG. Goodell leads the conference in rebounding at 10.5, while Mott is averaging 2.6 blocks per game.

NCAA Top 10
1. Florida (27-3)
2. Texas (24-4)
3. Arizona (27-2)
4. UConn (24-5)
5. Marquette (24-5)
6. Villanova (23-6)
7. Mississippi State (24-5)
8. Oklahoma (23-6)
9. North Carolina (23-5)
10. Michigan State (24-5)

Games Recap
3/2/16 - we beat Fordham 81-64 (26-4, 12-3) - We hit 9 of 15 three-pointers, and shoot 47% overall, while Fordham shoots 44%. But Fordham gets to the line just 9 times, and we dominate on the boards, grabbing 42 team rebounds to their 27. Tesch scores 24 points to pace us, with Mott adding 19, Tramel scoring 12, and Doak adding 11. Goodell grabbed 12 rebounds to lead both teams. Tesch's points were helped by 4 of 6 three-point shooting. Both Tesch and Goodell also had 5 assists each.

* we come into the final regular season game tied with St. Joseph's for 1st place, both at 12-3. They play Fordham (9-19, 5-10), while we play Rhode Island (11-16, 5-10).

3/6/16 - we beat Rhode Island 76-68 (27-4, 13-3) - St. Joseph's won their game against Fordham, so with our win we tie for the regular season conference title. We shot 54% from the field to help propel us to victory, along with 19 Rhode Island turnovers. Fredric Mott scored 19 points to lead the way, with Tesch chipping in 18, and Goodell scored 12. Goodell also grabbed 13 rebounds. Doak dished out 5 assists and did not turn the ball over before fouling out.

* we move up to #16

[GoBlue2419]

2015-2016 Atlantic 10 Tournament

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2015-16_a10_tourney_start.jpeg

We have the #1 seed, so get a 1st Round bye.

[GoBlue2419]

2016 A10 Tournament Second Round

- we beat Fordham 75-72 (28-4, 13-3) - Down 38-31 at half-time, we played a very good second half to pull this one out. Both teams played well, shot well, but it came down to rebounding, and we out rebounded them 37 to 31. We had five players in double-figures, starting with Tesch, pouring in 18 points, while Mott added 15, Doak scored 12, and Goodell and Renn added 10 points each. Goodell cleaned up on the glass again, grabbing 14 boards, while Mott and Tesch each added 8 rebounds.

Other Second Round Games
UMass beat Temple 78-69
St. Joseph's beat La Salle 72-61
GWU beat St. Bonaventure 90-86

[GoBlue2419]

2016 A10 Tournament Semi-finals

- we beat UMass 79-71 (29-4, 13-3) - We outshoot the Minutemen 48% to 40%, and only turn the ball over 5 times to propel us to the win in this semi-final matchup. UMass hit 12 of 27 three-pointers and 13 of 16 free throws to help keep the game close though. Mott led us in scoring with 19 points, while Doak added 15, Tesch scored 11, and Tramel chipped in 10. Goodell was a major force on the glass again with 15 rebounds. Doak did not turn the ball over from his PG position, while dishing out 4 assists.

- GWU upset St. Joseph's 83-81 in the other game.

[GoBlue2419]

2016 A10 Tournament Finals

- we lose to GWU 79-62 (29-5, 13-3) - this one is a travesty of officiating like I have not seen. The foul total is 23 called on us, just 7 called on GWU. We shoot 2 stinking free throws the whole game. Fortunately we are a lock for the NCAA Tournament at this point, or this game would really sting, but what a joke by this officiating crew. Now to be fair, our 38% shooting, and 24% from beyond the arc didn't help, but they shot 31 free throws to our 2. Both Tesch and Renn scored 15 points, while Goodell grabbed 10 rebounds. But Tramel fouled out, playing just 13 minutes, while both Mott and Goodell were limited because of foul trouble.

[GoBlue2419]

Despite the loss in the A10 Tourney Final, we are dancing, the first time in my head coaching career my team makes the NCAA Tournament!! We end up as a 5th seed in the West Region, and will face off against 12th seed Idaho State (25-6, 11-5). GWU is the 16th seed in the West thanks to their A10 Tourney win.

[GoBlue2419]

2016 NCAA Tournament

#1 seeds
West - Texas
Midwest - Marquette
South - Florida
East - Arizona

Idaho State Scouting Report
The Bengals (Prestige: 30, current RPI: #82) are led by SG Stuart Brough, who is averaging 18.8 PPG and 6.3 RPG. They also get scoring from SF Michael Murphy, 14.6 PPG, and PG Dominic Morris, 14.4 PPG. This perimeter trio makes up the vast majority of their scoring on average. PF Charles Hickock is averaging 10.5 RPG, so it should be a good battle between him and Goodell. Hickock also averages 2.4 blocks per game. Idaho State averages 77.3 points a game, and gives up an average of 67.5. They make 46% of their shots, good for 33rd in the nation, and 39% of their threes, good for 16th in the country. Free throw shooting is a weakness, hitting just 63% as a team. They average 13.8 turnovers a game. Their biggest win of the year was beating Gonzaga 70-61 on 11/23/15.

[bbgunn]

Congratulations on the NCAAs!

This is my favorite dynasty right now. Keep it up!

We need more FBCB dynasties. If I had enough computer time, I would get the game myself and start one.

If you have time, can you check up on Hawaii? I know they won the CBI a few seasons ago.

[GoBlue2419]

Congratulations on the NCAAs!

This is my favorite dynasty right now. Keep it up!

We need more FBCB dynasties. If I had enough computer time, I would get the game myself and start one.

If you have time, can you check up on Hawaii? I know they won the CBI a few seasons ago.

Thanks bbgunn! I appreciate it. I'm not sure I have enough computer time myself, but I'm enjoying this dynasty too much.

As for Hawaii, here is how they have done thus far:
2011-2012 - 17-14 (8-8) - no postseason
2012-2013 - 20-11 (9-7) - no postseason
2013-2014 - 13-18 (4-12) - no postseason
2014-2015 - 25-9 (11-5) - CBI Champion
2015-2016 - 23-10 (11-3) - since this is where I am in the dynasty, I can tell you they also make the NCAA Tournament this year, as a 13th seed, but lose in the 1st Round to 4th seed Michigan State, 68-63.

[GoBlue2419]

2016 NCAA Tournament Round 1

We beat Idaho State 65-49 (30-5, 13-3) - My first NCAA Tournament win, and our 30th win of the season (most wins in one season in RIchmond history)! We hold them to 32% shooting from the field, and 23% from the three-point line, while turning the ball over 17 times. Tesch scored 22 points to lead the way, while Mott added 12. Goodell grabbed 9 rebounds. We blocked 7 shots as a team, with Mott getting 2 blocks and Charles Doak blocking 2! Meanwhile, Idaho State PF Charles Hickock blocked 7 shots.

* A negative in this game though is Fredric Mott sprained his knee. We'll have to watch it closely over the next day and a half to see if he can go in the 2nd Round game.

Other 1st Round Notable Games:

West
- (16) GWU beat (1) Texas 77-74!!
- (10) Clemson beat (7) Houston 118-81
- (11) Iowa beat (6) Stanford 68-57

Midwest
- (12) Kent State beat (5) Oklahoma State 78-68
- (11) Syracuse beat (6) Ohio State 78-70

South
- (13) Western Kentucky beat (4) North Carolina 74-73

East
- (15) Jacksonville beat (2) Mississippi State 83-77

[collegesportsfanms]

Congrats on the first round win coach Gregory, but wow, what an upset with GW beating Texas! I keep telling everybody that a 16 will beat a 1 someday in the real NCAA mens tournament.

[GoBlue2419]

Congrats on the first round win coach Gregory, but wow, what an upset with GW beating Texas! I keep telling everybody that a 16 will beat a 1 someday in the real NCAA mens tournament.

Thank you! Yeah, with the parity in college basketball nowadays, it sure is a lot more likely than it used to be.

[GoBlue2419]

2016 NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

We will face 4th seed Michigan State, who got by 13th seed Hawaii 68-63.

Michigan State Scouting Report
Record: 25-8, 10-6
Prestige: 92

SG Gerald Alexander is leading scorer at 16.2 PPG, followed by C Blaine Hartnett, 14.1 PPG, and PG Dennis Devaney, 12.5 PPG. Leading rebounder is PF John Andrews, averagingg 10.2 RPG. Andrews also blocks 3.3 shots a game. As a team, they average 76.3 points a game, and give up 65.6 a game. They get out-rebounded on average by 1.8 a game, but turn the ball over just 11.3 times a game as a team, good for 3rd in the nation. They shoot 43.7% overall, and 36% from threes. Their biggest win of the year was probably beating Illinois (#15) 73-60 on 1/30/16.


* Mott is at 87% health, so we're going to play him, but lower his minutes.

[GoBlue2419]

2016 NCAA Tournament 2nd Round Results

- we lose to Michigan State 65-48 (30-6, 13-3) - We shoot just 30% overall, and 17% from the three-point line. They were just the better team. Tesch is the only player in double-digits points for us, with 13. Michigan State's PG Dennis Devaney scored 20, and C Blaine Hartnett added 17. Their PF John Andrews grabbed 18 rebounds. Goodell had 11 rebounds for us. Andrews also blocked 6 shots.


Other Second Round Notable Games

West
(10) Clemson beat (2) St. Louis 76-68

Midwest
(8) Missouri State beat (1) Marquette 81-79
(7) Virginia beat (2) Vanderbilt 82-79

South
(9) Fresno State beat (1) Florida 79-68
(6) UConn beat (3) Illinois 69-53

East
(9) Arkansas beat (1) Arizona 95-87

[GoBlue2419]

Rest of the 2016 NCAA Tournament

Sweet Sixteen Notable Games
Midwest - (9) Fresno State beat (5) Wisconsin 92-87
East - (3) Minnesota beat (2) Mississippi State 88-79

Round of 8 Notable Games
West - (3) Missouri demolished (4) Michigan State 101-56
East - (4) Villanova beat (3) Minnesota 81-52

Final Four
(3) Missouri 86, (2) Notre Dame 77
(3) Oklahoma 96, (4) Villanova 85

Championship
(3) Oklahoma 73, (3) Missouri 68

[GoBlue2419]

Other Tournament Winners
NIT - Wright State 95, Kansas 87
CBI - Virginia Tech 80, Boston University 65
CIT - Maryland-E Shore 73, Centenary 63

National Award Winners
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2015-2016_NCAA_Awards.jpeg

Atlantic 10 Award Winners
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2015-2016_A10Conf_Awards.jpeg

- I was really thinking I might get the A10 Coach of the Year Award, but alas, congrats to Coach Schmidt.

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Final 2015-2016 Richmond Spiders Stats
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/RichmondFinalRegSeasonStats_15-16.jpeg

Final 2015-2016 Richmond Spiders Shooting Stats
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/RichmondFinalRegSeasonShootingStats_15-16.jpeg

- Tesch finished 3rd in the conference in scoring. Leading scorer was Perry Gibson (RI) with 17.8.
- Goodell led the conference in rebounding with 10.9.
- Mott was 2nd in the conference in blocks at 2.3.

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Final 2015-2016 Atlantic 10 Standings
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/A10ConfFinalStandings_15-16.jpeg

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Recruiting Recap

Our recruiting class is ranked #53.
1. PG Freddy Chase - Yorktown High School, NY (****, #95)
2. C Paul Ortega - Greenwich High School, NY (***, #240)
3. C Lavrenti Tverdovsky - Russia (***, #398)

Top 10 Recruiting Classes
1. Ohio State
2. Wake Forest
3. Kansans
4. Texas
5. UNLV
6. USC
7. Villanova
8. Tennessee
9. Memphis
10. Stanford

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2016-2017 Offseason News

A10 Players selected in the NBA Draft
St. Joseph's PF Frank York selected #6 overall.

Walk-on C Tim Caron decides to transfer.

Due to last season's success, the budget gets an increase of $73,074.
- Total Budget - $660,574
- Season Recruiting Budget - $330,574
- Monthly Recruiting Budget - $33,057

Our prestige jumps up to 70.
My hot seat rating moves to Green/Cool.
Our season expectation is to compete for the conference championship.

Notable Head Coaching Changes
- Miami (FL) - Jim Larranaga retired. Hired Todd Howard from Western Kentucky to replace him.
- Mississippi State - Mike Davis retired. Hired Saul Phillips from Missouri State to replace him.

[GoBlue2419]

We bid farewell to the following seniors:

- PG Charles Doak (Roanoke, VA - Northside HS) - Doak did not become a starter until his senior season, but he had a very solid senior year. For his career, he played in 97 games total, starting 36 games. He scored 513 points for his carrer, averaging 5.3 PPG. Coming out of high school he was a *** recruit, ranked #316 overall.

- PF Fredric Mott (Richmond, VA - John Marshall HS) - A hometown boy, Mott was a three-year starter, and will go down as one of the best rebounders in Richmond history. He finished his career with 606 total rebounds, or 4.7 per game for his career. He scored 1079 points, good for 8.4 per game, in the 129 games he played in his career. He started 101 games over the four years. He came to Richmond as a *** prospect, ranked #120 overall.

- SG Jackie Tesch (Lynchburg, VA - Brookville HS) - Tesch finishes his career with 1340 points. He played in 129 games, starting 67 of those games. For his career he averaged 10.4 points per game, including 15.4 his junior year, and 17.1 his senior season. He also grabbed 326 rebounds, dished out 224 assists, and picked up 83 steals. He made 155 three-pointers over his career, including 73 his senior season. He was named 2nd Team All-Conference his senior season as well. Coming out of high school, Tesch was a *** Prospect, ranked #100 overall.

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Recruiting - we have 3 scholarships available - we will lose PF and 2 C's.

- initial Very High Interests in us - C David Roberson (***, #479), PG Buck Brown (***)
- we offer PF John Johnson (****, #33), C Jonathan Wright (****, #87), C Frank Williams (***, #103)

[GoBlue2419]

August Recruiting Update

- Wright has us #4 (Duke, Notre Dame, Maryland, Richmond, NC State)
- Williams has us #2 (Boston College, Richmond, Boston U,
- Johnson has us #3 (Maryland, St. John's, Richmond, George Mason)

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October Recruiting Update

- Very Highs - Johnson, Wright, Williams, PG Melvin Butler (***), C David Roberson (***), PG Eddie Salazar (***)

- Highs - PG Gregory Lee (***)

- Johnson (#1 ahead of St. John's and Maryland - neither has offered)
- Wright (#1, ahead of Maryland (offered), Duke, NC State, and Notre Dame, who have not)
- Butler (#1, ahead of Columbia, Hartford, Maryland, George Mason)
- Roberson (#2 behind Hampton, who has offered)
- Salazar (#1, only one on list)
- Williams (#1, ahead of Boston College (offered), Syracuse, Villanova, Michigan State, who have not).

[GoBlue2419]

November Recruiting Update

Williams commits to us.

Very Highs - Johnson, Wright, Salazar
Highs - none

- Johnson - #1, ahead of St. John's, Maryland, Notre Dame, Kansas
- Wright - #1, ahead of just Maryland, who has offered also.

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2016-2017 Richmond Spiders Roster

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/Richmond_16-17_Roster.jpeg

- Freshman Paul Ortega has been ruled academically ineligible.
- Freshman walk-on PF William Swaim will be redshirted.

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2016-2017 Richmond Spiders Schedule

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/RichmondNonConfSched_16-17.jpeg
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/RichmondConfSched_16-17.jpeg

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2016-2017 Richmond Spiders Depth Chart

Starting Line-up
C - David Willard, Sr
PF - Quinton Goodell, Sr
SF - Johnnie Tramel, So
SG - Ross Renn, So
PG - Chuck Whittemore, So

6th - Freddy Chase, Fr (PG/SG)
7th - Wallace Rodriguez, Sr (PF/C)
8th - Micah Tolson, Jr (SF/SG)
9th - Fredric Kennon, So (SG)
10th - Trey Kempf, So (PG)
11th - Joel Deweese, So (PG)
12th - William Hayes, So (PF)
13th - Lavrenti Tverdovsky, Fr (C/PF)

We'll probably play 8 guys regularly, and then Hayes and Tverdovsky will probably see action depending on foul trouble for Willard, Goodell, and Rodriguez.

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2016-2017 Preseason Top 24 Poll

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2016_2017PreseasonTop24.jpeg

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November Games Update

Coaches Invitational Tournament
11/6/16 - beat Air Force 68-60 (1-0) - Air Force shot just 35% to our 46%, the main difference in this game. Ross Renn scored 22 point to lead us in scoring, while Chuck Whittemore scored 14 and Quinton Goodell scored 10. Goodell also grabbed 9 rebounds. Renn also dished out 4 assists to lead the team.

11/7/16 - beat #13 Florida 94-90 (2-0) - This was an amazing game. Ross Renn and Florida's David Beale put each other's teams on their backs, and it was a shootout between them. Renn finished with 29 points, while Beale put up 33, coming off of a 34 point game in Florida's first game. A good portion of Renn's points came from the free throw line, where he went 15-20, while shooting 6-12 from the field. Tramel added 17 points, David Willard had 14, Freddy Chase added 12, and Micah Tolson scored 10. Quinton Goodell was a pure freak on the glass, grabbing a career high 19 rebounds, while Wallace Rodriguez was also in double-figures, grabbing 10 rebounds. Renn did have 8 turnovers though, to put a little damper on his performance. The team turned the ball over 25 times, but getting to the free throw line 47 times, hitting 35 of them, overcame those TOs.

11/13/17 - lose to #11 Illinois 75-70 (2-1) - Another game where we turn the ball over a lot, 20 times to be exact, but 53% overall, and 52% three-point shooting, keeps us in the game. Illinois shot 43% overall, and 47% on threes, and won the rebounding battle 35-24. Ross Renn scored 21 points to lead all scorers, and Whittemore and Chase scored 12 each, and Goodell chipped in 11. Goodell grabbed 7 rebounds to pace the team. Renn turned the ball over 6 times, so that is now 14 turnovers in 2 games. Both Whittemore and Chase hit 4 threes each.

11/21/17 - beat Old Dominion 81-63 (3-1) - Despite 18 turnovers, we shot 49% from the field, and out rebounded ODU 44-32 to pull off the win. Goodell scored 20 points to lead the way, grabbing 15 rebounds in the process. Micah Tolson added 17 off the bench, and Renn scored 14 points. Renn has 8 turnovers once again. The kid scores (4 threes), but he is careless with the ball, something we are going to have to address.

11/26/17 - beat Kentucky 71-63 (4-1) - Kentucky falls to 0-2 as we pull of the win at UK. We outshoot them 42% to 37%, and 36% to 22% on three-pointers. We out rebounded them 42-38 also. Tramel scored 15 to lead the way, with Goodell scoring 14, and Willard and Renn score 10 each. Goodell also grabbed 13 rebounds. Renn was able to cut down on his turnovers to just 3.

11/30/17 - beat VCU 70-59 (5-1) - Defensively we limit VCU to 33% shooting from the field overall, and 31% from threes, and grab 37 rebounds to their 27. Tramel scored 26 points to lead the way, with Renn scoring 11 to continue his streak of games in double-figure points. Willard led the team in rebounding with 9, as Goodell was limited due to foul trouble. Tramel shot 4-9 from beyond the arc.

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December 2016 Update

- Wright ends up declining to go to Maryland.
- Johnson ends up declining to go to St. John's.
- we offer scholarships to PG Charles Gallo (***)

12/7/17 - beat Alabama A&M 71-69 (6-1) - Alabama A&M hit a three at the buzzer to pull within 2, but it was not enough in this one. We force 22 turnovers by Alabama A&M, but they shoot 48% from the three-point line and out-rebound us 37-30 to keep this one close. We shot 43% overall, but 27% on threes, and manage to cut down on turnovers with just 11. Renn scored 17 to lead the way, with Whittemore scoring 14, and Tramel added 11 points. Wallace Rodriguez led the team in rebounding with 8. Renn shoots 2-10 on three-pointers, and turns the ball over 4 times. Tramel picks up 6 assists.

12/10/17 - beat College of Charleston 75-68 (7-1) - We were trailing 35-33 at half-time, but a solid 2nd half gets us the win. We shot 48% from the field, and 50% (11-22) on three-pointers, to help pace the comeback. Renn scores 20 points behind 4 three-pointers, with Chase and Tolson scoring 13 apiece. Goodell pulls down 14 rebounds to lead both teams. Freddie Chase also picks up 3 steals.

* Ross Renn received a bruised jaw in this game, and may be out for about 8 days.

12/14/17 - beat Butler 71-65 (8-1) - Renn ends up playing, and contributes to the win. The foul line was where this game was won, as almost all statistical areas were even except free throws. We shot 14-19 from the line, while Butler shot just 9 free throws, making 6 of them. David Willard led us in scoring with 15, while Renn and Tramel scored 14 each. Both Willard and Goodell pulled down 7 rebounds each, and Chuck Whittemore dished out 6 assists.

12/17/17 - beat Delaware State 51-39 (9-1) - We win a sloppy game against a severely undermanned Delaware State squad. Dressing just 9 players, DSU fell to 0-8 on the season. This game was just 13-13 at half-time, but both teams picked up their play in the 2nd half. Not to give you the wrong idea though, it was still not pretty. We shot 35% overall from the floor, but only turned the ball over 7 times. Delaware State shot just 29%. Renn scored 20 points to lead all scorers, and Tramel added 12. Wallace Rodriguez grabbed 9 rebounds.

* We moved into the Top 25, at #25, after this game.

12/21/17 - we beat Houston Baptist 77-52 (10-1) - We shot 48%, and out-rebounded Houston Baptist 43-26 to key the victory. HBU shot 40% overall, and turned the ball over 15 times. Renn scored 19 points, Tramel added 14, and Willard chipped in 10 points. Willard also grabbed 13 rebounds, while Goodell added 9.

* we move up to #22

Scouting Report for #24 West Virginia - very balanced scoring as all 5 starters are averaging double-digits in points, and no one more than 13.3 PPG. As a team they are averaging 70 points a game, but giving up only 53.8 points a game (3rd lowest in the country), so play very solid defense. They are coached by the man I replaced at Richmond, Chris Mooney. They lead the nation in fewest fouls, at 14.3 a game, and 2nd in the nation with 8.4 blocks per game.

12/28/17 - lose to West Virginia 68-51 (10-2) - Poor shooting was our downfall here, as we shoot just 34% overall, and hit only 3 of 18 three-pointers. Tramel is the only Spider in double-digits, with 11 points, which means this is the first game all season Renn does not reach double-digits in points. Willard pulled down 8 rebounds to lead the team. Tramel turned the ball over 5 times. WVU PF Chester Hyatt blocked 4 shots, and the Mountaineers blocked 6 as a team.

[GoBlue2419]

January 2017 Update

- Paul Ortega is eligible.

- PG Gallo declines to attend St. Peter's.
- we offer scholarship to PG Benjamin Brandmaier (***, #117, from Germany) & PF Tyron Helmuth (***, #142, from Canada)

Renn is leading us in scoring at this point, averaging 17.0 PPG, while Johnie Tramel is averaging 12.4 PPG. Quinton Goodell is averaging 8.9 RPG, followed by David Willard at 7.0 RPG. Tramel also leads in assists at 2.7 APG, and Freddy Chase leads us in steals at 1.4 SPG. Goodell is shotting 52.2% from the floor, while Renn is shooting 33% from threes (27-82) and Tramel is shooting 39% (24-62). Willard is shooting 81% on free throws (25-31), and Renn is shooting 73% (53-73).

The current NCAA Top 10 is:
1. Syracuse (14-1)
2. Wisconsin (13-1)
3. Ohio State (11-1)
4. Duke (14-0)
5. Marquette (13-0)
6. North Carolina (13-2)
7. Kansas (12-1)
8. Michigan State (10-1)
9. Memphis (11-2)
10. Minnesota (10-1)

We are ranked #22 as we start January.

1/2/17 - beat Colgate 70-54 (11-2) - Strong defense led the way for us, limiting them to 35% overall, 25% from the three-point line, and out-rebounding them 43-27. Micah Tolson came off the bench to score 20 points, the only player in double-digits. Goodell pulled down 12 rebounds, and Willard grabbed 11. Tolson also dished out 4 assists.

* we fell out of the Top 25 with the West Virginia loss.

1/7/17 - beat Winston-Salem 75-67 (12-2) - We were down by 2 at half, but outscored them 41-31 in the second half. We shot 43% overall, while they shot 37% from the field, and 37% on threes. Renn gets back in the scoring mode, going for 17 points, while Tramel scored 14, and Goodell added 10. Goodell also grabbed 11 rebounds.

* Goodell fractured his nose in this game. Will be out around 6 days it is expected.

* A10 Play begins

1/11/17 - beat St. Joseph's 78-54 (13-2, 1-0) - Despite getting 31 from SG David Hutchinson, our overall team defense and rebounding fueled this win, which was the 100th win of my career! St. Joe's shot just 33% overall and15% on threes, while we shot 43% overall, and 52% (11-21) from the three-point line. Tramel scored 23 for us, while Renn and Chase added 12 points each. Willard also grabbed 13 rebounds. Goodell dished out 5 assists from his PF position. Tramel's 23 points were helped by 5 of 8 shooting on threes.

* My overall record now is 100-45 for my career.

1/14/17 - lose to St. Bonaventure 81-63 (13-3, 1-1) - This game was ugly all-around. We had 22 turnovers, St. Bonnie had 19. The Bonnies shot 63% from the field though to secure the win. St.B SG Rodney Calabro led all scorers with 20 points. For us, Renn scored 17 points, Tramel added 14, and Whittemore scored 10. Goodell added 8 rebounds. Renn had 6 turnovers, Goodell had 5, and Chase had 4.

1/17/17 - beat Rhode Island 82-73 (14-3, 2-1) - We shot 51% from the floor, and 50% on threes. Tramel and Renn both went for 21 points as both hit 3 threes. Goodell grabbed 11 rebounds. Renn dished out 5 assists. Rhode Island SF Ramon Appel goes for 22, and Perry Gibson scores 19.

1/21/17 - beat George Washington 85-81 (15-3, 3-1) - This game saw some high-scoring from three players. GWU SF Justin Ledezma led all scorers with 28 points, while David Willard had 24 for us, and Tramel added 21. Wallace Rodriguez also scored 15 for us, and Renn chipped in 11. Rodriguez also grabbed 8 rebounds to lead us in that category. Meanwhile, Tramel led us with 6 assists.

* Goodell is suffering from patellar tendinitis, and will miss about 13 days.

1/25/17 - lose to UMass 80-63 (15-4, 3-2) - UMass hit 14 of 19 three-pointers, and shot 54% overall, proving to be too much for us to overcome. We struggled to 36% shooting, and 30% from the three-point line. Renn scored 21 points and Tramel added 18 points. Wallace Rodriguez, starting for the injured Quinton Goodell, grabbed 11 rebounds, but shot only 2-10. Tramel turned the ball over 5 times.

* Jim Calhoun passed Mike Kryzewski for the most wins all-time, with 994, after UConn's game against Central Florida on 1/25/17.

1/28/17 - lose to Duquesne 77-64 (15-5, 3-3) - Poor shooting is our downfall, shooting 34% from the field and just 4 of 23 on three-pointers. Meanwhile, Duquesne shot 53% from the field. Renn scored 17 points, Willard added 15, and Freddie Chase added 11 off the bench. Willard also grabbed 12 rebounds.

[GoBlue2419]

February 2017 Recap

- Tyron Helmuth declines to attend Indiana.
- We offer a scholarship to PG Brian Avila (***, #).

- Paul Ortega complains about lack of playing time.

- we are 9-0 at home, but just 4-4 on the road.

Current Conference Standings
1. #9 Temple (6-0)
2. St. Bonaventure (4-2)
3. Duquesne (4-2)
4. Richmond (3-3)
5. Massachusetts (3-3)
6. Rhode Island (3-3)
7. St. Joseph's (2-4)
8. George Washington (2-4)
9. Fordham (2-4)
10. La Salle (1-5)

Ross Renn is leading us in scoring still at 16.5 PPG, while Tramel is now averaging 13.9 PPG. Goodell is averaging 8.8 RPG and Willard is at 7.2 RPG. Tramel is averaging 2.3 APG, Chase is averaging 1.6 SPG, and Willard is averaging 0.5 BPG.

Current NCAA Top 10 - and current coach
1. Duke (19-2) - Mike Brey
2. North Carolina (18-4) - Rick Stansbury
3. Marquette (21-0) - Buzz Williams
4. Wisconsin (18-3) - Steve Alford
5. Ohio State (17-3) - Thad Matta
6. California (17-3) - Randy Rahe
7. Houston (19-2) - John Groce
8. Syracuse (18-4) - Greg McDermott
9. Temple (20-1) - Fran Dunphy
10. Michigan State (16-4) - Doug Wojcik

February Games
2/1/17 - beat La Salle 74-55 (16-5, 4-3) - 50% shooting from the field, and just 33% from La Salle, overcame 20 turnovers. La Salle also turned the ball over 21 times, so this one was a fairly sloppy game. Ross Renn scored 25 points to lead us in scoring, while Johnnie Tramel added 16. Goodell and Willard grabbed 12 and 11 rebounds respectively, helping propel us to the advantage in rebounding. Renn shot 5-7 on three-pointers. La Salle's SG Erich Baker scored 16 points to lead them.


2/4/17 - beat St. Bonaventure 81-68 (17-5, 5-3) - Thanks to strong shooting, 56% overall, and 44% on threes, we pull off the big win against St. Bonaventure, who were a game ahead of us in the conference race (though we are both behind Temple). Renn continued his high scoring, getting 24 points, while Willard added 14, Tramel had 11, and Freddie Chase scored 10. Quinton Goodell pulled down 10 rebounds. Renn did turn the ball over 6 times, but also shot 4-10 on threes, and grabbed 5 rebounds. SF Richard Siegel scored 20 points to lead St. Bonaventure.


2/8/17 - beat Duquesne 66-50 (18-5, 6-3) - We outshoot Duquesne 43% to 30% overall, and 40% to 16% from the three-point line, to pull out the win. Renn had his third straight 20+ point game, scoring 21, while Tramel added 16 and Chuck Whittemore scored 11. Whittemore also dished out 6 assists. Goodell grabbed 10 rebounds. Renn shot 4-8 on threes, and Whittemore went 3-3. Duquesne's leading scorer was PF Arthur Stoker, who scored 11.


2/11/17 - beat George Washington 83-60 (19-5, 7-3) - We continue solid 3-pt shooting, hitting 46% of them tonight. GWU hit just 28% of theirs, while shooting only 36% overall. We also limit our turnovers to 8 total, and shoot 28 free throws to GWU's 9 total. Tramel scored 17 to lead us, Freddy Chase added 16 off the bench, Renn scored 14, Willard had 13, and Goodell added 11. Goodell and Willard dominated the boards, grabbing 14 and 13 respectively. GWU's Earle Cramer, the conference's 3rd leading scorer, scored 24 points to lead them.


2/15/17 - beat Fordham 79-67 (20-5, 8-3) - We reach 20 wins on the season with the victory over Fordham. We shot 43% on three-pointers as the good shooting continues. We won the rebounding battle, 35-28. Renn scored 19 points, Micah Tolson added 16, and Goodell and Tramel chipped in 12 points. Goodell also picked up 13 rebounds. Tramel shot 2-3 on threes, Renn went 3-7, Chase hit 3 of 4, and Tolson hit 3 of 8. Paul Ortega also hit a three off the bench. Fordham's SG James Autrey led them with 13 points.


* David Willard dislocated his knee in the Fordham game, and will be out about 25 days. We will miss him for sure, and probably means he misses some of the A10 Tournament, if not all of it. Wallace Rodriguez will start in his place.


2/18/17 - we beat Rhode Island 71-64 (21-5, 9-3) - The win over Rhode Island is our 6th straight win. We outshoot them 49% to 33% overall, 35% to 16% on threes, which helped us overcome 20 turnovers. Renn led us with 18 points, while Tramel scored 16, and Goodell added 11. Goodell grabbed 13 rebounds, and Rodriguez grabbed 12 in Willard's absence. Rodriguez also blocked 2 shots. Rhode Island SG Perry Gibson led them in scoring with 15 points.

* Temple is ranked #3 in the nation now, 26-1 overall, 12-0 in the conference.

2/21/17 - lose to St. Joseph's 67-53 (21-6, 9-4) - Our shooting comes back down to earth, shooting 37% overall, and 30% from the three-point line. We also shot just 9 free throws, but then hit only 3 of them. Renn scored 15 points, and Goodell and Rodriguez added 10 points each. They both also grabbed 13 and 12 rebounds respectively. St. Joseph's David Hutchinson, the conference's leading scorer, scored 25 points to lead them.

* Goodell went over the 1000 rebound mark for his career in this game.

* Temple beat Rhode Island today also, which means they clinch the regular season A10 title.


2/25/17 - lose to UMass 69-64 (21-7, 9-5) - Two losses in a row now. The difference here was free throws, as UMass shot 29 of them, hitting 22, while we shot just 18, and only hit 12 of them. Otherwise stats were pretty even - 39% shooting for them, 38% for us, 16 turnovers for them, 15 for us. They did get 40 rebounds to our 35. Renn scored 18 points to lead us, while Tramel added 13. Goodell led us in rebounding with 9. UMass SG David Dixon led them in scoring with 25 points.

[GoBlue2419]

March 2017 Update

- PG Brian Avila (***, #475) commits.

- PG Brandmaier still has us #1, and we are the only school in his top 5 (Georgetown, St. Joseph's, Conn, Louisville) to offer him.

Conference Standings
1. #3 Temple (14-0)
2. Richmond (9-5)
3. Rhode Island (8-6)
4. St. Bonaventure (8-6)
5. St. Joseph's (7-7)
6. Duquesne (7-7)
7. UMass (6-8)
8. Fordham (5-9)
9. La Salle (3-11)
10. George Washington (3-11)

NCAA Top 10
1. Duke (26-3)
2. California (24-4)
3. Temple (28-1)
4. Wisconsin (24-5)
5. North Carolina (23-7)
6. Kansas (24-5)
7. Syracuse (23-6)
8. Memphis (23-4)
9. Michigan State (22-6)
10. Marquette (24-5)

Bubble Watch
- Right now we and Temple are both considered locks for the NCAA Tournament.
- Rhode Island (17-11, 8-6) is on the bubble, but currently projected to be out.

3/1/17 - lose to #3 Temple 71-51 (21-8, 9-6) - the difference between us and Temple is made evident in this game, as they just shut us down. Their enveloping defense limits us to 32% shooting, and causes us to turn the ball over 22 times. Tramel is the only player in double-digits points for us, with 15. Renn scored 9 on 2-12 shooting (1-6 on threes). Tramel turned the ball over 6 times, and Renn had 5 turnovers. Goodell did manage to grab 11 rebounds. Temple's PF Charles Vassallo scored 16 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead them.

3/4/17 - beat La Salle 62-61 (22-8, 10-6) - A three-pointer from Chuck Whittemore at the buzzer was the game-winner in this one after La Salle's Erich Baker hit a jumper with :06 left to put them ahead. We shot just 35% from the field, while La Salle shot 40%. Rebounds were even, 41 to 40 in favor of us, turnovers were even at 13 each. They shot 25 free throws, hitting 16 of them, and we shot just 13, hitting only 7 of them. The main difference was three-point shooting, where we went 9-27 (33%) while they shot 3 of 15 (20%). Tramel scored 14 points to lead us in scoring, while Whittemore added 11. Goodell had 12 rebounds. Chase picked up 3 steals also. La Salle SF Jose Cross led them in scoring with 13 points.

[GoBlue2419]

2017 Atlantic 10 Tournament

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2016-17_a10_tourney_start.jpeg

First Round
Fordham 62, La Salle 59
Duquesne 83, GWU 74


Second Round
* Willard is at 95% for our game against Duquesne, and we will go ahead and play him.

- we beat Duquesne 80-69 (23-8, 10-6) - The key difference in this game was rebounding, where we out-rebounded them 35 to 25. They shot 52% overall, and 54% from three-point line (7-13), while we shot 48% overall, and 46% from the three-point line (10-22). They turned the ball over 17 times to our 13. Tramel scored 20 points to lead us, followed by Renn with 17, and Freddy Chase with 10. Goodell grabbed 7 rebounds to lead the way for us. Freddy Chase got 3 steals. Paul Ortega played a solid game off the bench, getting 8 points on 3 of 4 shooting (including 2 threes), and four rebounds, including 3 offensive rebounds. Duquesne's SG Werner Tibbetts led them with 17 points.

Temple 62, Fordham 47
St. Joseph's 59, St. Bonaventure 50

Rhode Island 101, UMass 87

Third Round
- we beat Rhode Island 76-63 (24-8, 10-6) - This was a sloppy game, with Rhode Island turning it over 19 times, and we turned it over 23 times. We shot 54% from the field though, and 53% on three-pointers. We also hit 71% of our free throws, while Rhode Island only hit 4 of their 10 free throws. Renn scored 22 points to lead all scorers, Tramel added 18 points, and Paul Ortega scored 11 points off the bench. Goodell grabbed 9 rebounds, while Willard added 8 boards. Chuck Whittemore dished out 8 assists, while turning the ball over just once. Renn, however, turned it over 7 times, but he did rack up 4 steals as well. Perry Gibson led Rhode Island with 13 points.

St. Joseph's 69, Temple 59 - the big upset here, as St. Joseph's dominates the boards, getting 37 rebounds to Temple's 27, and shooting 23 of 29 on free throws. Conference leading scorer David Hutchinson scored 23 points, behind 14 of 16 from the free throw line, to pace St. Joseph's.

Final
- we beat St. Joseph's 97-65 (25-8, 10-6) - This may have been our best overall game of the year, and was most definitely the best game of Johnnie Tramel's career. Tramel was pure monster, and St. Joe's had no answer for him. He hit 15 of his 21 shots, including 8 of 14 from beyond the three-point line, meaning he was 7 for 7 inside the line, for 39 points. Renn added 19 points, and Willard chipped in 14 points. Goodell grabbed 10 rebounds to lead us on the boards. Renn also dished out 5 assists, and turned the ball over just once. Freddy Chase picked up 3 steals. We were able to stifle David Hutchinson, holding him to 13 points, thanks to a tough, double-teaming strategy. SF James White led them in scoring with 14.


With the win, this is now my first Conference Tournament Championship as a head coach! We were considered a lock for the NCAA Tourney before this, but this guarantees we are going dancing for the second year in a row.

[GoBlue2419]

2017 NCAA Tournament First Round Matchup

- we end up as the 7th seed in the South Region, facing 10th seed Alabama (22-9, 9-7) in the First Round.
- Temple is the only other A10 team to make it, and picks up the #1 seed in the East Region.

#1 Seeds
West - California
Midwest - Wisconsin
South - Duke
East - Temple

Round 1
- Alabama Scouting Report - Alabama (Prestige: 81) averages 81.0 PPG while giving up 69.7. They went 14-2 at home, and 6-5 on the road. They are the 4th highest scoring team in the country. They shot 46% from the field overall, and 39% from the three-point line, good for 14th in the nation. Their PPS is 1.34, good for 20th in the nation. Defensively, they give up 44% from the field overall, and 36% from the three-point line. They shoot just 66% from the free throw line as a team. Their record against 1-50 RPI teams was 2-7, 51-100 was 7-1, 101-200 was 8-0, and 200+ was 5-1. Their current RPI rank is #28, while ours is 35.

Starting Lineup
PG - Steven Parmer, Fr (10.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.2 APG)
SG - Leigh Bumbardner, So (13.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.2 APG)
SF - Garrett Doucette, Sr (13.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.5 SPG)
PF - Charles Staggs, So (15.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.1 SPG)
C - Kevin Babineaux, Sr. (5.1 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.3 BPG)

[GoBlue2419]

2017 NCAA Tournament First Round

- we lose to Alabama 100-90 (25-9, 10-6) - this one was a track meet, and Alabama was able to outlast us. Alabama shot 55% overall, and 42% from the three-point line, while we shot 48% overall, and 46% from the three-point line. They beat us on the inside though, out rebounding us 39 to 25, getting 17 from Staggs and 15 from Babineaux, and 4 blocks from Babineaux. Renn led us with 28 points, while Tramel added 11. Goodell and Renn led us in rebounds with just 6 each. Whittemore picked up 5 assists. Renn did shoot 6 of 9 from the three-point line. Steven Parmer led Alabama with 21 points.

With the win, Alabama moves on to play 2nd seed Memphis, who beat Furman 113-94, and our season comes to an end.

Other notable 1st Round Games
West - (12) Sacramento State 76, (5) Fresno State 69
West - (10) Minnesota 77, (7) West Virginia 73
Midwest - (15) Oral Roberts 68, (2) Kansas 60
Midwest - (11) USC 89, (6) Vanderbilt 68
East - (12) Jacksonville 58, (5) Penn State 52
East - (10) Arkansas 75, (7) St. John's 70

[GoBlue2419]

Remainder of 2017 NCAA Tournament

Round of 32
West - (12) Sacramento State 86, (4) Houston 77
West - (10) Minnesota 104, (2) Texas A&M 90
West - (6) Villanova 81, (3) Clemson 65
Midwest - (9) Tulsa 77, (1) Wisconsin 72
Midwest - (5) Creighton 87, (4) North Carolina 72
Midwest - (11) USC 112, (3) Nevada 111
South - (9) Cincinnati 73, (1) Duke 60
South - (10) Alabama 91, (2) Memphis 90

Sweet Sixteen Round
West - (10) Minnesota 68, (6) Villanova 60
Midwest - (9) Tulsa 84, (5) Creighton 83
South - (10) Alabama 74, (3) Florida 70

Round of 8 Games
West - (1) California 72, (10) Minnesota 64
Midwest - (7) Michigan State 81, (9) Tulsa 64
South - (10) Alabama 86, (5) Arizona 75
East - (2) Syracuse 64, (1) Temple 60

Final Four
California 68, Alabama 60
Michigan State 94, Syracuse 91

Final
Michigan State 68, Syracuse 59

Other Tournaments
NIT - Missouri State 90, Kent State 61
CBI - Quinnipiac 78, Florida A&M 71
CIT - Charleston Southern 84, Centenary 49

[GoBlue2419]

2016-2017 End of Season Summary

- In April PG Brandmeier commits to us.

Final A10 Standings
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/A10ConfFinalStandings_16-17.jpeg

Richmond Final Stats
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/RichmondFinalRegSeasonStats_16-17.jpeg

Richmond Final Shooting Stats
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/RichmondFinalRegSeasonShootingStats_16-17.jpeg

NCAA Awards/All-American Team
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2016-2017_NCAA_Awards.jpeg

Atlantic 10 Awards/All-American Team
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2016-2017_A10Conf_Awards.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

2017-2018 Offseason Summary

A10 Players selected in NBA Draft:
- Temple PG Waldo Seal selected in the 2nd Round, #42 overall.

- Our prestige jumps to 74 (+4)

- John Byington would like a pay increase, from $40,000 to $60,000.
- I agree, and we give it to him.

- Walk-on PG Trey Kempf decides to transfer.

- Our AD lets me know the school has determined that we will upgrade our training facilities.
- Our current rating is 61, which is 4th in the A10.

- I received 20 coaching bonus points, so I give 15 to offense and 5 to defense. My new ratings are:
- Recruiting - 100
- Scouting - 40
- Offense - 45
- Defense - 75

- my Current Coaching Level has moved to 8 as well.
- my Current Hot Seat rating is Green/Cool.

Notable Head Coaching Moves
- Appalachian State - fired Jason Capel.
- Butler - Fired Ken McDonald. Hired Steve Hawkins from Wright State to replace him.
- Centenary - hired Corliss Williamson from Central Arkansas.
- Coastal Carolina - Cliff Ellis retired.
- UConn - Jim Calhoun retired. Hired Fran Dunphy from Temple to replace him.
- Florida Atlantic - fired Mike Jarvis.
- Georgia - Fired Mark Fox. Hired Rob Senderoff from Tulsa.
- Georgia Tech - Fired Brian Gregory. Hired Randy Bennett from Nevada.
- Iowa - Hired Paul Hewitt from Northern Iowa.
- Iowa State - Fired Fred Hoiberg. Hired Jose Manor, an assistant with Kansas.
- Minnesota - Dave Rose retired. Hired Fran McCaffrey from Iowa.
- Northwestern - Joe Mihalich retired. Hired Daron Gilliam, an assistant from Marquette.
- UNLV - Dave Rice fired. Hired Jim Hayford from Santa Clara.
- Utah - Larry Krystowiak fired. Hired Kerry Keating from Fresno State.
- Western Michigan - hired Todd Bozeman from Western Carolina.

* Jim Calhoun retires as the all-time winningest coach, with 1002 wins.
* Cliff Ellis retires with 694 wins, which is tied for 6th among coaches who have been active in this dynasty.
* The active coaches with the most wins are Jerry Slocum (Youngstown State), who has 717, and Rick Byrd (IUPUI), who has 686. John Calipari has 631 wins currently, Lon Kruger has 624, and Bill Self has 602.

There was a lot of change in the A10 this offseason:
- Duquesne - Ron Everhart retired. Hired Steve Massiello from George Mason.
- Fordham - Tom Pecora retired. Hired Tod Franko from American.
- Rhode Island - Jim Baron retired. Hired Cliff Warren from Jacksonville.
- St. Joseph's - Hired Dan Hurley from Wagner, replacing Blaine Taylor, who became the Dayton coach.
- Temple - Hired King Rice from Monmouth, replacing Fran Dunphy, who became the UConn coach.

[GoBlue2419]

2017-2018 Preseason Recruiting

- we have 1 scholarship available, and we free up one more by cutting PG Joel Deweese.
- we are losing SG Micah Tolson

- Initial Very Highs - SF Lindsay Geist (***, #228), PF Porter Larosa (***, #271)
- Initial Highs - SF Willy Stubblefield (***, #415), SG Pat Thomas (***, #189), PG William Beck (***, 445), C Brian Allen (***, 458), SF Dwayne Carswell (***, #226), PF Mark Embree (***, #356), C Edward Hong (***, 394), PF Gregory Boldt (***, #353)

* we offer a scholarship to C James Velilleux (****, #99) and PF Malcolm Adams (****, #79).

August
- Adams - interest drops to 'Low'. We revoke the offer.
- we extend an offer to C Joseph Dever (****, #62) - he has just 2 teams listed, Georgia Tech and Richmond. He's questionable for qualifying though.
- no Very High or High interest.

September
- High - PF Mark Embree
- Veilleux - has us #5 behind Duke, NC, Wake Forest, Georgetown (Average)
- Dever had a 660, now up to 850 - has us #2 behind Georgia Tech. We will have him visit, and if he still lists them above us, we'll bail. We do have a higher prestige rating though, and Coach Randy Bennett's recruiting rating is 50.

October
- Veilleux moves us up to #2 behind Duke, who has not offered him yet.
- Dever has us #2 still. We'll give it one more month.

November
- Dever still has us #2, so we revoke the offer.
- we offer the scholarship to C Paul Lenhart (****, #47) - he has us #5, behind Florida, Central Florida, Florida State, and Wake Forest. Only Central Florida has offered.
- Veilleux moves us up to #1.

[GoBlue2419]

2017-2018 Richmond Spiders Roster

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/Richmond_17-18_Roster.jpeg

Our lineup will be:
C - Tverdovsky
PF - Williams
SF - Tramel
SG - Renn
PG - Chase

6th - Whittemore (PG/SG)
7th - Tolson (SG/SF)
8th - Brandmaier (PG)
9th - Avila (PG)
10th - Kennon (SG)
11th - Ortega (C/PF/SF)
12th - Hayes (PF)
13th - Baylor (C)
14th - Swaim (PF)

Our schedule is:
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/RichmondNonConfSched_17-18.jpeg
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/RichmondConfSched_17-18.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

November 2017 Games

* We start the season ranked #14 in the Mid Major Top 25 Poll.

11/11/17 - beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 87-47 (1-0) - We were on fire against A-PB, shooting 60% overall, and 42% from the three-point line. We force 23 turnovers by them, and they shoot just 37%, and 13% from the three-point line. Renn scored 20 points, Lavrenti Tverdovsky scored 15, and Frank Williams and Freddy Chase scored 12 each. Tverdovsky grabbed 8 rebounds. Tramel and Whittemore had 5 assists, and Renn had 4. Tverdovsky had 3 steals, but Renn did turn the ball over 6 times. SF Zachary Stouffer scored 13 for A-PB off the bench.

Alaska Invitational Tournament
11/17/17 - beat UTEP 70-60 (2-0) - UTEP turned the ball over 18 times, and made just 1 of 13 three-point attempts. We shot 39% from the field overall, and 33% (11-33) from beyond the arc. Tramel scored 16 to lead the team, with Tolson scoring 11 and Tverdovsky and Chase scoring 10. Renn added 9 points. Frank Williams had 13 rebounds, and Tverdovsky added 12 boards. As decent as we shot from the three-point line, Renn went 1-9, Tverdovsky went 1-6, Chase went 1-5. On the flip side, Williams hit 1-2, Tramel hit 3-5, Tolson went 3-3, and Brandmaier went 1-1.

11/18/17 - beat Arkansas 93-77 (3-0) - We hit 14 of 30 three-pointers, which was really the key to this victory. We also shot 48% overall, while Arkansas shot 38%, and 30% from the three-point line. We were able to overcome 18 turnovers because of the good shooting, including 27-33 from the free throw line. Tramel led us in scoring again, this time with 23 points, while Micah Tolson scored 13, and Renn and Whittemore added 10 each. Tverdovsky grabbed 11 rebounds to lead all players. Joseph Oliver led Arkansas with 21 points.

11/19/17 - beat Virginia 82-71 (4-0) - By beating Virginia, we won the Alaska Invitational Tournament. We shot 44% from the field, and shot 17 more shots overall than Virginia, which helped us overcome shooting just 6 free throws total. We hit 14 of 40 three-point shots, for 35%, while Virginia went 6 for 30. Tramel was the Player of the Tournament, finishing this game with 20 points, while Tverdovsky added 14 and Chase scored 11. Tverdovsky led us in rebounding with 8 boards. Tramel also dished out 7 assists. Virginia SG Elmer Zambrano led them in scoring with 18 points. This is the 2nd straight year we beat our in-state rival Virginia.

* We are now ranked #1 in the Mid Major Top 25 Poll.

11/27/17 - lose to Connecticut 74-47 (4-1) - The players must have still been feeling the effects of the Thanksgiving holiday, because this was brutal. We shot just 27% overall, and 18% (6-33) from the three-point line. We also got out-rebounded 51-41. Renn and Chase each scored 12 points to lead us in scoring. Williams grabbed 9 rebounds, and Tverdovsky pulled down 8 boards. Renn turned the ball over 6 times, and PF Frank Williams had 4 turnovers. Renn shot 2-11 on threes, and Micah Tolson went 1-7. UConn was just 1-2 coming into this game. THey were led in scoring by SG Gabriel Scherry.

11/29/17 - beat Boston University 71-49 (5-1) - The team took out its frustration from the UConn game out on the Terriers, and particularly Ross Renn. He has had a slow start to the season, but hopefully he has shaken off the rust and is ready to go. He scored 33 points tonight, all without shooting a free throw. He hit 7 of 10 three-pointers, and 13 of 22 overall. Tramel added 11 points. Renn also grabbed 9 rebounds to lead the team. Oren Hartford led Boston U with 11 points.

[GoBlue2419]

December 2017 Update

- Veilleux déclines to attend Duke.
- offer PF James Gonzalez a scholarship (****, #91)
- C Paul Lenhart has us #5 behind Florida, Florida State*, Central Florida*, and Wake Forest.

* we are now ranked #18 in the Mid Major Top 25 Poll.

12/2/17 - beat Coastal Carolina 94-80 (6-1) - we shot 60% from the field overall, and 50% (13-26) from the three-point line. Renn scored 21 to lead the way, followed by Tverdovsky with 20, Tramel with 19, and Chase with 16. Tramel also grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 8 assists. Four 3s from Renn (4 for 6) and 3 from Chase. Coastal Carolina's Andrew Raspberry scored 20 to lead them.

* we move up to #9 on the Mid Major Top 25 Poll. Conference-mate Rhode Island is currently #1, UMass is #3.

12/6/17 - beat Bucknell 78-58 (7-1) - Twenty Bucknell turnovers helped us to the win. We shot 48% to their 47%, and out-rebounded them 33 to 28. Renn scored 19 to lead us in scoring, Chase added 13, and Frank Williams scored 10. Freddy Chase also grabbed 7 rebounds to lead the team, and Chuck Whittemore picked up 5 assists. Paul Ortega picked up 3 steals off the bench. Augustine Whitcombe led Bucknell in scoring with 20 points.

* Now up to #6 in the Mid Major Poll.

12/11/17 - beat Old Dominion 72-66 (8-1) - 53% shooting overall, 48% three-point shooting, and winning the rebounding battle 37-28 were the keys to overcoming 25 turnovers by us. The second half of this game was just a mess. We had a 42-33 half-time lead, but got outscored 33-30 in the second because of sloppy play. Freddy Chase had 7 turnovers, Renn had 5, and Tramel had 4. Tramel finished with 22 points though, while Renn had 16, and Chase had 13. Tramel shot 5 for 9 from beyond the arc. Frank Williams was our leading rebounder with 8.

* Ross Renn scored the 1000th point of his career in the ODU game.

12/14/17 - beat Davidson 91-88 (9-1) - This one went to overtime, and was nip and tuck all the way. Davidson's Rob Bowlin hit 1 of 2 free throws with :13 left in regulation to tie it, but could have put them up one. We come down and get 3 seconds called on Micah Tolson. Chuck Whittemore hit 1 of 2 free throws with three seconds left in OT to put us up by three and secure the victory. Renn led us in scoring with 20, followed by Tverdovsky with 18, and Tramel with 17. Tramel grabbed 9 rebounds, while Tverdovsky and Williams had 7 each. Whittemore picked up 6 assists off the bench, and may be playing himself back into the starting lineup. Tramel had 6 turnovers, and Renn had 5 turnovers on the negative side of the stats. Davidson was led in scoring by Clay Martin with 20 points.

* we are now #4 in the Mid Major Poll. Rhode Island is still #1, and UMass is #7 thanks to a loss to Sacred Heart.

12/20/17 - lose to #18 North Carolina 89-86 (9-2) - Another OT game, this time a loss, but we played well against a Top 20 team. Freddy Chase hit a three with :20 left in regulation to tie it up and send it to overtime. Overtime was close the whole way, and we had a shot to tie it up at the end, but William Hayes missed a three from the corner at the buzzer. Freddy Chase had his best game as a collegiate player, scoring 29 points to lead us, aided by 8 of 12 shooting from beyond the three-point line. Renn scored 16 points, and Whittemore and Tolson scored 13. Tramel, Renn, and Tverdovsky all fouled out. Tverdovsky grabbed 11 rebounds to lead us in that category. Tramel dished out 5 assists. North Carolina was led by Jules Wyrick, who scored 26 points and had 12 rebounds. North Carolina shot 56% from the field overall.

* we fall to #7 in the Mid Major Poll.

12/27/17 - beat Coppin State 73-61 (10-2) - Thanks to holding Coppin State to 35% shooting, and just 21% on threes, we pull out the win. We shot 45% overall, and 38% (13-34) on threes. Renn scored 25 points to lead us, while Chase scored 21, and Tramel added 18. Williams and Chase grabbed 8 rebounds each. Tramel dished out 5 assists. Chase was 5-12 on threes, Renn was 4-12, and Tramel was 4-6. Baltasar Cortes led Coppin State with 18 points.

12/30/17 - beat Louisville 92-77 (11-2) - Louisville came into this game unranked, but 10-3, and feature one of the best players in the country, SG Cameron Bailey. I'm not afraid to say I was very nervous about this game. I decide to slow down the pace we normally play with, and run a less-structured offense, and it pays off. We shot 51% from the floor overall, and 46% from the three-point line (15-33), and 72% from the free throw line (21-29). Our shooting, plus Louisville shooting just 42% overall, and 33% on threes, allowed us to overcome getting out-rebounded 42-29. Johnnie Tramel wanted to let everyone know he could hang with Bailey, and he did just that, scoring 26 points. Bailey had 25 points for Louisville in this shoot-out. Renn added 18 for us, and Chase finished with 16 points. Renn also dished out 5 assists, while Tverdovsky led us in rebounding with 6. Freddy Chase had 4 steals as well.

* we move back up to #4 in the Mid Major Poll.

Renn leads us in scoring at this point, averaging 17.4 PPG. Tramel is second at 15.4, and Chase is averaging 13.0. Tverdovsky is our leading rebounder, at 7.5 RPG, while Frank Williams is averaging 6.8. Tramel is averaging 3.6 APG, Chase is averaging 1.7 SPG, and Tverdovsky is averaging 0.8 BPG.

Freddy Chase is our leading shooter, shooting 53% overall. He is also our leading three-point shooter percentage-wise, hitting 45% of the threes he takes. Renn has made the most threes, 37, and is shooting 40% from the three-point line.

The current NCAA Top 10 is:
1. Duke (15-0)
2. Villanova (11-0)
3. Texas A&M (13-0)
4. Marquette (13-0)
5. Syracuse (13-1)
6. Kansas (12-1)
7. Maryland (13-0)
8. Memphis (12-1)
9. Pittsburgh (13-2)
10. Cincinnati (12-1)

Rhode Island is currently 17th in the polls, and is the only A10 team ranked.

[GoBlue2419]

January 2018 Update

- Lenhart declines the scholarship, choosing to attend Florida State.
- we offer a scholarship to C Edward Hong (***, #394) - Mr. Basketball in Delaware.

1/3/18 - lose to NJIT 68-52 (11-3) - we shot 3 free throws total . . . . . three. How is that possible? We shot 34% overall, and just 20% from the three-point line. Our team is going to be a team of living by the three, dying by the three this year. Ross Renn was our leading scorer, with 13 points. Paul Ortega grabbed 7 rebounds off the bench. Daron Comfort led NJIT in scoring with 16.

Start of Conference Play
* we are #8 in the Mid Major Poll

1/8/18 - beat La Salle 83-63 (12-3, 1-0) - This was the Renn and Tramel Show. As a team, we shot 53% overall, and 40% on threes, while turning the ball over just 8 times. Turnovers has been an area of concern, so this makes me happy. I gave the players a little more flexibility before this game, and it seemed to work. We'll see if it lasts. We also decided to take advantage of our depth and press more regularly. But anyway, back to Renn and Tramel. Renn scored 32 points and Tramel scored 28. Tramel hit 6 of 11 threes, and Renn hit 5 of 7. Frank Williams grabbed 7 rebounds to lead us. Renn also picked up 4 steals, and Tramel added 3. Raphael Tomlin led La Salle in scoring with 14 points.

1/13/18 - beat Duquesne 102-70 (13-3, 2-1) - We were on fire from the three-point line, leading to this dismantling of Duquesne. We hit 18 of the 32 threes we attempted (56%), with Tramel and Renn each going 3-5, Chase hit 5 of 8, Brandmaier hit 2 of 3, Williams was 2 of 4, and others with 1 three made. Tramel scored 21 to lead us, followed by Chase with 20, and Renn with 19, while Ortega hit for 15 off the bench. Tverdovsky led us in rebounding with 8. Renn also had 3 steals. Carlos Watson led Duquesne with 15 points.

* we are ranked #4 in the Mid Major Poll.

1/17/18 - lose to #15 Rhode Island 83-60 (13-4, 2-1) - Live by the three, die by the three . . . . . We hit just 9 of 33 beyond the arc, and shoot 38% overall, while getting hammered on the boards (49 to 29). Tramel led us with 13 points, and Tolson scored 10 off the bench. Williams grabbed 9 rebounds. Meanwhile, Tverdovsky played 20 minutes, because of foul trouble, but failed to get ONE rebound. Tracey Bankston led Rhode Island with 27 points.

1/20/18 - beat Fordham 87-77 (14-4, 3-1) - This game was seemingly played at the free throw line, as Fordham shot 42 free throws, and we shot 32 from the charity stripe. We hit 26 of our 32 though, and they hit just 23 of their 42. THey also turned the ball over 22 times, which wasted their 51% shooting. Tramel scored 23 points to lead us, while Renn had 17, Tolson scored 15, and Williams added 12. Williams grabbed 9 boards, and Tverdovsky grabbed 7. Fordham C German Whitehurst scored 19 points to lead them in scoring.

* Johnie Tramel scored the 1000th point of his career in this game.
* Chuck Whittemore sprained his ankle and is expected to miss around 8 days.
* we are ranked #8 in the Mid Major Poll.

1/24/18 - lose to St. Joseph's 60-46 (14-5, 3-2) - Shooting again is the theme here, both poor shooting on our part and difficulty getting to the free throw line. We shot 33% overall, and just 25% from the three-point line (8 of 32). We also get out rebounded once again. Renn scored 16 points, and Tramel added 10. Tverdovsky grabbed 12 boards, while Williams added 10. Freddy Chase picked up 4 steals. Jose Pouliot scored 16 points to lead St. Joseph's.

1/27/18 - beat St. Bonaventure 85-76 (15-5, 4-2) - Things settled down some after a fiery first half that saw us go into the locker room with a 48-42 lead. This game, was the opposite of the last one. One of the keys to the win was getting to the line 36 times, where we only hit 20 of them, but St. Bonaventure got to the line just 18 times. We shot 51% overall, 42% from the three-point line, while they shot 54% overall and 30% from the three-point line. Renn went off for 30 points, helped by 4 threes, while Chase scored 15, and Tramel added 12. Williams grabbed 12 rebounds to lead us. Whittemore picked up 3 steals in his return to the lineup. Rodney Calabro led St. Bonaventure with 18 points.

* we are ranked #10 in the Mid Major Poll.

1/31/18 - beat Temple 84-77 (16-5, 5-2) - Not a pretty game, as Temple turned the ball over 20 times, but we had 21 turnovers. They shot 35% overall, 21% on threes, while we shot 42% overall, but 40% on threes. Rebounds were even at 49 each. Renn scored 25 to lead us, with Tramel adding 18, Tverdovsky with 13, and Chase with 12. Tverdovsky grabbed 16 rebounds, Tramel had 8, and Williams and Renn each had 7. Tramel did turn the ball over 6 times. Henry Tu led Temple with 14 points.

Current Conference Standings
1. #12 Rhode Island (6-1)
2. Richmond (5-2)
3. Temple (5-2)
4. Massachusetts (5-2)
5. Duquesne (4-3)
6. St. Joseph's (4-3)
7. St. Bonaventure (2-5)
8. Fordham (2-5)
9. La Salle (1-6)
10. George Washington (1-6)

Renn leads us in scoring at 18.4 PPG, Tramel is averaging 15.8 PPG, and Chase is averaging 11.8 PPG. Tverdovsky and Williams are both averaging 7.3 rebounds per game. Tramel and Chase are both averaging 3.0 assists per game, and Renn leads us in steals at 1.5 per game. Tverdovsky is averaging 0.6 blocks per game to lead us in that category.

[GoBlue2419]

February 2018 Update

2/3/18 - lose to George Washington 81-64 (16-6, 5-3) - Poor shooting once again, 32% overall and 33% from the three-point line (8-24), leads to our demise in this game. Renn scored 27 points to lead all scorers, and Brandmaier added 12 points. Williams grabs 9 boards, and Tverdovsky picked up 8 boards. Andrew Velazquez led GWU with 18 points. They out-rebounded us 50-37.

* we are ranked #12 in the Mid Major Poll.

2/7/18 - lose to St. Joseph's 71-58 (16-7, 5-4) - Two straight conference losses . . .Once again its poor shooting and getting out-rebounded. We shot 38% overall, though we did hit 41% of our threes. But we got pounded on the glass, 40-27. Chase scored 18 points, and Renn added 12. Williams had 7 rebounds to lead us. Renn turned the ball over 6 times, Tramel 5 times. Chase picked up 3 steals.

2/10/18 - beat Duquesne 87-80 (17-7, 6-4) - we rebound from the consecutive losses with a win over the Dukes. We shoot better overall, 50%, but hit only 28% on our threes. But we did hit 80% of our free throws (24-30). Chase scored 20, thanks to 10-11 from the free throw line, Renn had 18, and Tverdovsky, Williams, and Tramel had 11 each. Williams, Renn, and Chase all had 7 rebounds to lead the team. Tramel and Chase each had 5 assists as well. Renn picked up 3 steals also. Carlos Watson had 18 points for Duquesne.

* Bubble Watch - right now we are projected as out of the NCAA Tournament, so we need to get going. #19 Rhode Island is considered a lock at 22-3, and Temple is projected in at this point (17-6).

* Stay at #12 in the Mid Major Poll.

2/14/18 - beat Fordham 77-55 (18-7, 7-4) - We forced 23 Fordham turnovers, and limited them to 35% shooting from the field. Meanwhile, we shot 43% overall and 28% on threes. We were out-rebounded 33 to 23 as well. Renn scored 13 to lead us, Chase and Williams scored 12, and Tverdovsky added 11. Tverdovsky pulled in 9 rebounds to lead us there. Whittemore dished out 6 assists. Freddy Chase got 5 steals, and Tverdovsky blocked 2 shots. James Autrey led Fordham with 16 points.

2/17/18 - beat #19 Rhode Island 95-93 (19-7, 8-4) - Due to the rebounding issues, I decide to start William Hayes at PF and move Williams to C, bringing Tverdovsky off the bench. It makes us smaller, as Williams is 6-7 and Hayes is 6-5, but Hayes is probably our best rebounder, and is a better post defender than Tverdovsky. Well, the move pays off in this game at least. Renn going for 27 points helps as well, but Frank Williams scored 18 points in the center position, with Tramel adding 16 points. Hayes was our leading rebounder, with 9, while Williams had 8. Chase dished out 6 assists, though he also turned the ball over 6 times. Hayes blocked 2 shots in addition, scoring 9 points also. Renn picked up 3 steals. Ramon Appel led Rhode Island with 20 points.

* We are now #8 in the Mid Major Poll.

* we have now moved to an "In" projection for the Tournament.

2/21/18 - beat La Salle 92-63 (20-7, 9-4) - The move of Hayes to the starting lineup really seems to be working thus far, contributing to our 20th win of the year, and 4th in a row after the consecutive losses. Hayes led us in rebounding again with 9 boards, while Williams had 8 and Tverdovsky had 8th off the bench. Tramel led us in scoring with 24 points, Renn and Tverdovsky scored 14, and Tolson added 10. Jose Cross scored 16 to lead La Salle.

2/25/18 - lose to Temple 78-52 (20-8, 9-5) - The old shooting bugaboo returned as we shot just 33% overall, and 9 of 30 from the three-point line. Temple out rebounded us also, 39-32. Renn scored 19 and was the only Spider in double-digits points. Williams got 7 boards, whilel Hayes and Tverdovsky each had 6. George Heredia scored 18 points to lead Temple.

* We are ranked #8 still in the Mid Major Poll.

2/28/18 - lose to UMass 108-98 (20-9, 9-6) - We lose in OT. UMass shot 37 free throws, hitting 29 of them, while we shot only 10, hitting just 5 of them. UMass also shot 50% from the field, and 46% from the three-point line, while we shot 45% overall, and 39% from threes. Renn scored 23, Tramel scored 22, Tolson scored 16, and Chase added 13. Williams pulled down 10 rebounds to lead us, but Hayes picked up only 3 boards in 34 minutes of action. UMass SG David Dixon was the man, going for 39 points behind 7 threes.

* we're now officially out of the Regular Season Conference title.

A10 Standings
1. #17 Rhode Island (11-4)
2. Temple (11-4)
3. St. Joseph's (11-4)
4. Richmond (9-6)
5. UMass (8-7)
6. Duquesne (7-8)
7. St. Bonaventure (6-9)
8. Fordham (5-10)
9. La Salle (4-11)
10. George Washington (3-12)

Richmond Scoring
Ross Renn, 18.6 PPG
Johnnie Tramel, 15.0 PPG
Freddy Chase, 11.1 PPG

Richmond Rebounding
Frank Williams, 7.3 RPG
Lavrenti Tverdovsky, 7.0 RPG
Johnnie Tramel, 4.4 RPG

Richmond Assists
Johnnie Tramel, 3.0 APG
Freddy Chase, 2.9 APG

Richmond Steals
Freddy Chase, 1.6 SPG
Ross Renn, 1.6 SPG

Richmond Blocks
Lavrenti Tverdovsky, 0.6 BPG

Leading Shooters (Overall)
Freddy Chase, .484
Chuck Whittemore, .472
Ross Renn, .455

Three-point Shooting
Benjamin Brandmaier, .450 (18-40)
Chuck Whittemore, .408 (20-49)
Frank Williams, .407 (24-59)

Free Throw Shooting
Benjamin Brandmaier, .893 (25-28)
Micah Tolson, .826 (19-23)
Ross Renn, .792 (80-101)

[britrock88]

2/30/18

The future is weird.

[GoBlue2419]

The future is weird.

The previous leap year was cancelled due to poor health by the general populace, but it was made up in 2018.

Post actually updated with the right date.

[GoBlue2419]

March 2017 Pre A10 Tournament Update

- 3/2/18 - beat St.Bonaventure 97-94 (21-9, 10-6) - we rebound from the two consecutive losses with the win in our final regular season game. We shot 53% overall, and 44% from the three-point line. St. Bonaventure shot well also, hitting 53% overall, and 8 of 14 threes. Renn scored 25 points, Chase had 20, Tramel had 15, Williams had 13, and Hayes added 11. Hayes also grabbed 9 rebounds, and Williams picked up 7 rebounds. Tramel dished out 7 assists. On the negative side, Renn had 8 turnovers. Chase hit all 4 threes he attempted. Renn went 5-11 from the three-point line. Gene Oloughlin led St. Bonaventure with 33 points.

* we are #9 in the Mid Major Poll

* Bubble Watch now has us out.

[GoBlue2419]

2018 Atlantic 10 Tournament

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2017-18_a10_tourney_start.jpeg

1st Round
Fordham beat La Salle 69-47
St. Bonaventure beat GWU 64-56

[GoBlue2419]

Remainder of 2018 A10 Tournament

Second Round
3/9/18 - beat UMass 83-73 (22-9, 10-6) - We jumped out to a big 23 point lead in the first half as UMass was ice cold. But they got hot in the last 5 minutes of the half to pull within 16, 44-28, at the half. Tramel scored 16 points in the first half to lead the way. One change to the lineup I made was starting Chuck Whittemore at PG instead of Freddy Chase because of Whittemore's defense. UMass SG David Dixon is averaging 20 points a game, and we needed to try to slow him down. In the second half, UMass kept firing, and every time they looked to be threatening, we would hit a big three to provide a little more cushion again. Foul trouble kept things interesting for us, but in the end, we shot well enough to win it. Tramel finished with 28 points, and Renn had 22. Tramel hit 4 threes and Renn hit 6 of the 9 he shot. Williams grabbed 9 rebounds. David Dixon finished with 20 points, bu the did it on just 5 of 12 shooting.

Fordham beat Temple 70-69
Rhode Island beat St. Bonaventure 52-41
St. Joseph's beat Duquesne 68-50

Semi-finals
3/10/18 - beat Fordham 90-74 (23-9, 10-6) - We shot very well in this game, shooting 54% overall, and 52% from the three-point line. We also rebounded well enough to grab 32 boards to their 28, contributing to the victory. Tramel and Renn shot very well from deep, Tramel hitting 5 of 11 threes and Renn hit 4 of the 6 he took. William Hayes grabbed 9 boards to lead the team, and also dished out 5 assists. Harvey Brown scored 15 to lead Fordham.

Finals
3/11/18 - beat #20 Rhode Island 86-82 (24-9, 10-6) - In the first half we capitalized on 10 Rhode Island turnovers, getting a number of fast break points, and jumping out to a 42-32 lead. In the second half, Rhode Island's leading scorer Tracey Bankston picked up two quick fouls in the first 34 seconds, and had to sit with four fouls for much of the half. Rhode Island would get the deficit down to 2 points a few times, but then a big three or easy bucket would build our lead back up. But then with 4:18, Rhode Island took the lead 71-70 on a basket by Chris Stepp. Chase immediately came back down and hit a three to give us a 1 point lead. After a Rhode Island miss, Chase came down and hit another three to give us a 4 point. Much of the rest of the game was spent at the free throw line by both teams as foul trouble became prevalent. Tramel fouled out with 2:54 left, and then Renn fouled out with 2:01 left. Rhode Island pulled within one again with 1:20 left, before another Chase three put us back up by 4 with :52 seconds left. Chase then committed a foul on Ellsworth Poche, who hit two free throws to pull back within 2 with :43 left. After Chase hit one of two free throws after that, Rhode Island's Kevin Cintron hit a jumper to pull them back within 1 with :36 left. Tolson then hit 1 of 2, Rhode Island missed, and Tolson got fouled for two shots with :10 left and a 2 point lead. He hit both to put us up by 4, and that was the final margin. Freddy Chase was the star of the game, hitting 24 points, many of them key buckets at critical moments. He was 6 of 7 from the three-point line. Tramel finished with 15 points before fouling out, while Renn had his least productive game of the season, tallying only 3 points, shooting 1 for 15 overall, and 1-12 on threes. William Hayes grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the team.

With the win, we ensure we make the NCAA Tournament and Selection Sunday will be a much more enjoyable day for us.

[GoBlue2419]

2018 NCAA Tournament First Round

#1 Seeds
West - Kentucky (28-6)
Midwest - Texas A&M (28-6)
South - Duke (32-1)
East - Villanova (32-1)

- we end up the 8th seed in the East Region, and will open up the Tournament with 9th seed Maryland (24-8).
- Rhode Island is the 6th seed in the East Region, facing 11th seed Illinois.
- Temple was a 12b seed in the South, playing 12a Nevada in the Play-in game.

Big name teams not making the Tournament
- Notre Dame - after making the Tournament from 2011-2015, including losing in the Championship in 2011, and reaching the Final Four in 2013 and 2015, it is now two years in a row they fail to earn a bid. This year they are 19-12 (5-7).
- Ohio State - OSU has made the tournament every year since 2011, including a loss in the Championship and 2 Sweet Sixteen appearances, but are 19-12 (9-7) this season, and fail to qualify.
- UConn - Going just 13-19 this year in their first year since Jim Calhoun retired, UConn fails to make the Tournament for the first time since 2013.
- Michigan - my alma mater fails to make the Tourney, going 13-17 (5-11). This is now 2 years in a row they have failed to make the tournament.
- Butler - Butler goes 14-17 (4-12), and has now missed the Tournament 4 seasons in a row.
- Hawaii - because bbgunn has asked about them, Hawaii goes 14-16 and misses out on the postseason altogether.

* Rumors about coach firings start swirling this time of year, and some of the names being talked about as victims to the chopping block are Tom Crean at Indiana, Darrin Horn at South Carolina, and Chris Mack at Xavier. My name has been thrown around as potential candidates for some of these jobs.

Maryland Scouting Report
Maryland is 24-8, and went 9-7 in the Big 10, currently ranked #24. They aren't a high scoring team, averaging 69.0 points a game, but they only give up 60.0 points a game. Their leading scorers are senior SG Archie Aguero (13.9 PPG), freshman SF Charles Magness (12.3 PPG), and junior PG Johnie Palm (11.2 PPG). Their leading rebounders are junior C Arnoldo Bruns (6.2 RPG) and freshman C Jonathan Wright (5.0 RPG), the player I was really hoping to get along with Frank Williams in last year's recruiting class. They are not a great rebounding team, averaging 32.4 per game, good for 302nd in the nation, but shoot the three very well (37.9% as a team), and don't turn the ball over very often, averaging 11.8 per game. Their biggest win, and only win against a ranked team, was a Feb. 13th win over #17 Michigan State, 85-55.

Their starting lineup:
C - Arnoldo Bruns, 6-10, 270 lbs., JR (4.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG)
PF - Bryan Beeman, 6-8, 231 lbs., SO (5.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.3 BPG)
SF - Charles Magness, 6-6, 238 lbs., FR (12.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG)
SG - Archie Aguero, 6-2, 206 lbs., SR (13.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.6 SPG)
PG - Johnie Palm, 6-0, 183 lbs., JR (11.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.2 SPG)

[Crapshoot]

Enjoyable read!

[GoBlue2419]

Enjoyable read!

Thanks Crapshoot!

[GoBlue2419]

2018 NCAA Tournament First Round

3/17/18 - beat Maryland 90-75 (25-9) - As poorly as Renn played in the Rhode Island game, he quickly and emphatically made amends in the first half. He scored 25 points in the half and dished out 4 assists. We trailed for most of the half, but pulled ahead with about 3:40 left, and then built the lead to a 47-37 lead at the break. He came out firing again in the second half, scoring 8 quick points in the first 6:08. But then at that point, he picked up his 4th foul, and had to sit for awhile. We had a 57-45 lead when he sat. Instead of suffering with his absence, we built a bigger cushion, creating a 22 point differential at one point. In the end, our great shooting, 55% overall, 50% (16-32) from the three-point line, were just too much for Maryland. We out rebounded them 31-26, aiding in the victory as well. Renn finished with 36 points on 9-14 shooting from the three-point line, while Tramel scored 14, and Williams and Brandmaier, playing very well off the bench in extended minutes with Renn's foul trouble, scored 11 each. Williams led us in rebounding with 6, so it was a very balanced, team-focused rebounding effort.


Other Notable First Round games

West
(12) BYU beat (5) Wake Forest 63-61

Midwest
(13) Stephen F. Austin beat (4) California 85-77
(11) Wichita State beat (6) Texas Tech 59-51

South
(12a) Nevada beat (12b) Temple 71-59
(15) UNC-Asheville beat (2) Kansas 70-66
(10) Gonzaga beat (7) Iowa 88-71

East
(10) Baylor beat (7) Vanderbilt 82-60.
(6) Rhode Island beat (11) Illinois 84-78

[GoBlue2419]

2018 NCAA Tournament Second Round Matchup

We will play 1-seed Villanova (ranked #2), who beat Florida International 85-53 in the First Round.

Villanova Scouting Report
Villanova is 32-1 on the season thus far, and went 15-1 in the Catholic Conference. They are led by PG Steve Peaslee, who averages 13.8 PPG, and SF Clay Smith, who also averages 13.8 PPG. As a team, they average 77.6 PPG and give up just 57.4 PPG. Their scoring defense is 4th in the nation. They average 9 steals a game, good for 2nd in the nation, and turn the ball over just 11.8 per game, good for 9th in the nation. They also force 19.5 turnovers a game, which leads the nation. Their lone loss was against Xavier on January 16th, losing at Xavier 86-76.

Starting Line-up
C - Daniel Morales, 7-0, 223 lbs, SO (7.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG)
PF - Shannon Snodgrass, 6-8, 239 lbs, SR (7.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.9 BPG)
SF - Clay Smith, 6-6, 221 lbs, JR (13.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.2 SPG)
SG - Bernard Hardie, 6-4, 193 lbs, FR (10.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.2 SPG)
PG - Steve Peaslee, 5-9, 180 lbs, SR (13.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.9 APG, 2.3 SPG)

[GoBlue2419]

2018 NCAA Tournament

3/18/18 - lose to Villanova 75-49 (25-10) - This one was very close for much of the first half, in spite of us shooting less than 20% from the field. But Villanova started pulling away towards the end of the half, and ended up taking a 32-16 lead into the locker room. It didn't get much better in the second half, as we didn't score until 3:20 had elapsed when Micah Tolson hit a three. That made the score 46-19. The lead increased to 30 for a good part of the half, but we made a valiant effort, eventually getting it down to 17, but that was as close as it got. In the end, they were just too good defensively. We hit just 28% of our shots overall, 28% of our threes (9-32), and had 15 turnovers. Villanova shot 46% overall, and 44% from the three-point line (8-18), and out rebounded us 40 to 30. Renn led us in scoring with 16 points, but was the only Spider in double-digits. He and Tverdovsky both grabbed 6 boards, leading the team. Clay Smith led Villanova with 19 points, and Shannon Snodgrass grabbed 10 rebounds.


Other Notable Second Round Games

West
(8) Oklahoma State beat (1) Kentucky 79-61
(12) BYU beat (4) Arizona 71-63
(7) LSU beat (2) Cincinnati 100-95

East
(6) Rhode Island beat (3) Stanford 77-74

Sweet Sixteen
West
(8) Oklahoma State beat (12) BYU 68-65
(3) Virginia Tech beat (7) LSU 86-78

Midwest
(1) Texas A&M beat (5) Oklahoma 93-68
(3) North Carolina (2) Marquette 88-64

South
(1) Duke beat (5) Florida 91-71
(3) Memphis beat (10) Gonzaga 78-72

East
(1) Villanova beat (5) Missouri 64-41
(2) Syracuse beat (6) Rhode Island 84-70

Great 8 Round
West - (3) Virginia Tech beat (8) Oklahoma State 70-68
Midwest - (1) Texas A&M beat (3) North Carolina 89-84
South - (1) Duke beat (3) Memphis 66-58
East - (1) Villanova beat (2) Syracuse 67-65

Final Four
(1) Duke beat (3) Virginia Tech 80-57
(1) Villanova beat (1) Texas A&M 82-66

Championship
Villanova beat Duke 71-68


NIT - Notre Dame beat UConn 82-81
CBI - DePaul beat Hofstra 85-68
CIT - UNC-Charlotte beat Georgia Southern 58-38

[GoBlue2419]

2017-2018 Richmond Spiders Season Summary

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/A10ConfFinalStandings_17-18.jpeg

Final Stats
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/RichmondFinalRegSeasonStats_17-18.jpeg

Final Shooting Stats
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/RichmondFinalRegSeasonShootingStats_17-18.jpeg

NCAA Awards
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2017-2018_NCAA_Awards.jpeg

Atlantic 10 Awards
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2017-2018_A10Conf_Awards.jpeg

- Renn finished 2nd in the conference in scoring, behind UMass's David Dixon at 20.6 PPG. Tramel was 6th.
- Williams finished 10th in the conference.
- Tramel finished 8th, Chase 9th in assists.
- Renn finished 9th in steals.
- Renn finished 2nd in turnovers.

We bid farewell to Micah Tolson, the only graduating senior on the team this year. Tolson, from Springarn High in Washington, DC, played in 130 games over his career, starting 1 game. He finished with 534 points scored, averaging 4.1 a game over his career. He grabbed 282 rebounds, dished out 95 assists. He shot 43% from the field overall, 37% from the three-point line, and 70% from the free throw line. Coming out of high school, Tolson was a *** recruit, ranked #311.

[GoBlue2419]

Recruiting Summary

Commits
- C Edward Hong (Seaford Senior HS, DE) - ***, #394

Our class ranked as the #236 class.

Top 10 Classes
1. Duke
2. Stanford
3. Nevada
4. Clemson
5. North Carolina
6. Minnesota
7. Texas
8. Memphis
9. Oklahoma
10. Villanova

Top A10 Class: Duquesne (#99)

[GoBlue2419]

2018-2019 Head Coaching Round

In the 1st Round of the Head Coaching Round, I receive a number of job offers:
- Xavier (Prestige:68) - $580,000
- UCLA (77) - $598,406
- Tennessee (74) - $587,437
- South Carolina (61) - $567,594
- Notre Dame (90) - $694,687
- New Mexico (71) - $516,250
- Nebraska (59) - $546,250
- Mississippi (65) - $568,750
- Minnesota (83) - $667,531
- La Salle (50) - $448,437
- Indiana (84) - $546,250
- Dayton (67) - $547,437
- Auburn (67) - $576,250

There are three jobs I am really focusing on, and trying to decide between them is tough:

- Notre Dame - Highest prestige, highest budget of the teams offering a job. They have had great success, play in the ACC, which may be the toughest conference overall. But they have missed the Tournament the last couple years, and the talent is down slightly, though they did go 24-12 last year. Also, the expectation right out of the gate is to reach the Final Four. And even though I am a Michigan fan in real life, my wife is a Notre Dame fan, her father and brother are ND grads, and I do like them more than the typical Michigan fan.

- Minnesota - Had a great season last year, as well as have a great recruiting class coming in. They play in the Big 10 of course, which is where my heart lies. Their prestige is middle of the pack in the Big 10 though, and accepting a job at a Big 10 school other than Michigan may make it difficult to ever get back to Michigan.

- Indiana - All the history. While they have struggled the last number of years, the chance to get them back to where they once were is intriguing. But of course, the road ahead will be long and arduous. There is also the issue of being in the Big 10, and getting the Michigan job at some point.


* Editor's note: The file I used to start the career had Indiana's prestige where it was legitimately at the beginning of the actual Tom Crean era, like 59 or so, so it's no wonder they have continued to struggle. At the turn of the calendar to this season in-game, I did bump their prestige up to 84. So if I were to take the Indiana job, it might feel a little bit like cheating, though that wasn't my intention when I increased their prestige.

[GoBlue2419]

Notre Dame Hires Richmond's Gregory as Coach
May 25, 2018

Notre Dame will name Richmond's Luke Gregory as its basketball coach and is expected to introduce him at a news conference today.

Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick confirmed the hiring, and Gregory reportedly met with the Richmond basketball team last night to announce his departure.

Gregory, who has been at Richmond the past three seasons, will replace Kevin Stallings, who retired after four seasons at Notre Dame, and Vanderbilt before that. Gregory has compiled an 80-25 record at Richmond, leading them to the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons. Prior to Richmond, Gregory was the head coach at Holy Cross, where he compiled a 57-37 record.

Notre Dame won the NIT Tournament last season, but has missed the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons. Expectations for Gregory are certain to include returning the team to March Madness.

The Irish are returning two starters from the NIT Champion squad of a year ago. Horace Deffresnes averaged 11.8 points a game last season, playing primarlily at shooting guard, hitting 38% of his three-point attempts. Deffresnes is a 6'4" senior hailing from France. Also returning from last season's starting lineup is center Casey Angle, who averaged 7.4 points a game and 6.1 rebounds as a sophomore.

Gregory is from Arlington Heights, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, where he played his high school ball, and the proximity of Notre Dame to Chicago, and his local roots, should be a great boon in recruiting the Chicago area. Despite being an alumnus and former player at Michigan, Gregory's father-in-law and brother-in-law are Notre Dame graduates, so he certainly has some familiarity with the school, its campus, and unique qualities.

[GoBlue2419]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fiQkni9TTBg/TbbSOO4iiWI/AAAAAAAADOI/XVWeLbcSJHs/s1600/notre+dame+logo.jpg

Facts about the University of Notre Dame
Enrollment: 11,733 (8,371 undergrad)
Basketball Arena: Purcell Pavilion at the Edmund P. Joyce Center (Capacity: 9,149)
http://graphics.fansonly.com/schools/nd/graphics/joycecenterbb.jpg

Basketball History at Notre Dame

Top Players in Notre Dame History
- Austin Carr (1968-1971)
- Adrian Dantley (1973-1976)
- Edward "Moose" Krause (1931-1934)
- Troy Murphy (1998-2001)
- Kevin O'Shea (1946-1950)
- David Rivers (1984-1988)
- Luke Harangody (2006-2010)

Leading Scorers in Notre Dame History
1. Austin Carr (1968-1971): 2,560 points
2. Luke Harangody (2006-2010): 2,476 points
3. Adrian Dantley (1973-1976): 2,223 points
4. Chris Thomas (2001-2005): 2,195 points
5. Pat Garrity (1994-1998): 2,085 points

Most Coaching Wins in Notre Dame History
1. Digger Phelps (393-197, 20 seasons)
2. George Keogan (327-97-1, 20 seasons)
3. John Jordan (199–131, 13 seasons)

Team History Facts
- National Champions in 1927 and 1936
- Reached the Final Four in 1978 and 2011* (in this dynasty)
- NIT Champions in 2018

[larrymcg421]

This mick wishes you good luck at Notre Dame!

[GoBlue2419]

This mick wishes you good luck at Notre Dame!

Thanks! With A.D. expectations of Final Four, I'm going to need some Irish luck, and a few pots with wins at the end of the rainbows!

[GoBlue2419]

Notable Head Coaching Moves

- Auburn - fires Tony Barbee. Hires Conrad Roop, an assistant from UNC-Asheville.
- Indiana - fires Tom Crean. Hires Pat Chambers from Penn State.
- Kansas State - Hired Jerry Slocum from Youngstown State.
- Minnesota - Fran McCaffrey retired. Hired Gregg Marshall from Wichita State.
- Richmond - Hired Alan Major from UNC-Charlotte to replace me.
- Tennessee - Fired Cuonzo Martin. Hired Bryce Drew from Valparaiso.
- Villanova - Jay Wright retired. Hired Billy Kennedy from Texas A&M to replace him.
- Texas A&M - Hired Frank Martin from Kansas State.
- UCLA - fired Ben Howland. Hired Steve Fisher from Gonzaga.
- Gonzaga - Hired Bill Coen from Rice to replace Fisher.

One other notable head coaching hire is my coaching assistant, John Byington, gets the head job at IPFW. He is the first assistant of mine to get a head coaching job.

[GoBlue2419]

Assistant Coaching Round

- with Byington getting the IPFW job, I need to hire a replacement. I end up moving Paul Marion to my coaching assistant position, so will now need to hire a new lead scout.

- I offer the job to Corey Bell, who was an assistant with Mark Few at Gonzaga and then Arkansas. He accepts.

Here is your 2018-2019 Notre Dame Coaching Staff
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/NotreDameStaff_18-19.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

As I move into the ACC, here is a look at the other coaches I will be facing in the conference:

Boston College - Steve Donahue (9th season - Level 9)
Clemson - Brad Brownell (9th season - Level 9)
Duke - Mike Brey (4th season - Level 11)
Florida State - Brad Stevens (5th season - Level 9)
Georgia Tech - Randy Bennett (1st season - Level 8)
Louisville - Chris Lowery (4th season - Level 9)
Miami - Todd Howard (2nd season - Level 6)
North Carolina - Rick Stansbury (6th season - Level 11)
North Carolina State - Mark Gottfried (8th season - Level 9)
Pittsburgh - Jamie Dixon (15th season - Level 14)
Syracuse - Greg McDermott (5th season - Level 11)
Virginia - Tony Bennett (10th season - Level 8)
Virginia Tech - Seth Greenberg (14th season - Level 9)
Wake Forest - Josh Pastner (6th season)

[GoBlue2419]

2018-2019 Preseason Recruiting Summary

3 seniors graduating - C/PF, SF/SG, C/PF, and I cut 2 walk-ons, so we have 5 scholarships available.

July
- we offer scholarships right off the bat to C Stewart Sherwin (*****, #2), C Damien Johnson (*****, #18), PF Victor Bettencourt (****, #51), PG Julius Goodman (****, #62), SF Mervin Fasano (***, #130)

August
- Johnson (#5 behind Minnesota (offered), Marquette, Wisconsin, and Arizona)
- Sherwin (Not in top 4 - Memphis, Kansas, Marquette, Michigan State, Wisconsin)
- Goodman (Not in Top 5)
- Bettencourt (Not in Top 5)
- we revoke offers to Fasano, Sherwin, Bettencourt, and Goodman
- we offer to SG Wilson Hadfield (****, #30), PG Craig Kruse (****, #29), C Floyd Perez (****, #70), and C Charles Eagen (****, #81)

September
- Kruse has us #1
- Johnson has us #3 behind Minnesota and Wisconsin
- Hadfield has us #2 behind Michigan State
- Eagen has us #3 behind Ohio State and Pitt
- Perez has us #2 behind Dayton

October 2018
- Johnson has us #2 behind Minnesota
- Eagen has us #2 behind Ohio State
- Perez has us #2 behind Dayton
- Hadfield has us #2 behind Michigan State
- Kruse has us as his only choice

- we revoke offers to Eagen, Perez, and Hadfield.
- offer to C Michael Sparks (****, #61), C Irvin Alsop (****, #76), C Raul Snodgrass (***, #123)

[GoBlue2419]

November 2018 Season Preview

- Recruiting - Kruse, Sparks, and Alsop all commit this month.

- We are ranked #18 in the NCAA Top 25 Preseason Poll.

Roster
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/NotreDame_18-19_Roster.jpeg

Lineup (Last year's stats listed)
C - Casey Angle (36 GS, 7.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.0 BPG, 28.1 Minutes per game)
PF - James Burdick (36 games, 2.2 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 11.0 minutes per game)
SF - Donn Lykins (4.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 12.9 minutes per game)
SG - Horace Deffresnes (36 GS, 11.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.7 SPG, 29.9 minutes per game)
PG - Scott Wendling (4.9 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 11.5 minutes per game)

6th - Gerald Leverett, C/PF (31 games, 0.7 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 3.7 minutes per game)
7th - Lucius Nesbit, PG/SG (12 games, 1.0 PPG, 0.3 RPG, 3.0 minutes per game)
8th - Thomas Dutcher, PF (N/A)
9th - Arnold Sanchez, SF (30 games, 0.6 PPG, 0.6 RPG, 0.3 APG, 2.7 minutes per game)
10th - Luigi Lunn, PG (N/A)
11th - Chris Vinson, PG (N/A)
12th - Graig Lampkin, SG (N/A)
13th - Wilmer Begley, PF (2 games, 0.0 PPG, 1.0 minute per game)

- Our key offensive players will be Deffresnes, Angle, and Lykins.

- Casey Angle is considered a draft prospect, projected to go in the late 2nd round, but not expected to leave early.

* Interesting side-note: Graig Lampkin is an alumnus of my (Luke Gregory's) high school, John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, IL.

[GoBlue2419]

November 2018 Games

Puerto Rico Challenge Tournament
11/18/18 - beat Murray State 110-103 (1-0) - We begin the tournament, and my Notre Dame coaching career, with an overtime win over a very pesky Murray State club. We had a 13 point lead at half, but they kept chipping away at the lead, before Murray State's Jim Barros put home a rebound dunk to tie the game 93-93 with 4 seconds. We pulled away in overtime thanks to foul trouble for Murray State, as they had 3 players foul out of the game. Horace Deffresnes led us in scoring with 30 points, including 10-10 shooting from the free throw line. Casey Angle added 18 points, while Scott Wendling chipped in 17, Donn Lykins had 16, and Gerald Leverett scored 14 off the bench. Angle grabbed 6 rebounds to lead us in that category, and Deffresnes also dished out 8 assists to lead us there. He also picked up 5 steals, with Lykins picking up 4 steals. We shot 62% for the game overall, and 57% from the three point line (8-14). Murray State shot 53% overall, 48% from threes.

* We have moved up to #12 in the NCAA Top 25 Poll. This is the highest I have been ranked in my career.


11/20/18 - beat Wright State 84-83 (2-0) - Two Scott Wendling free throws with :27 left give us the win in this game. Once again we let a double digit half-time lead slip away, as we led 50-40 after one half. Our defense is not pressuring shooters enough, as Wright State shoots 51% overall, and 52% on threes (14-27). On the plus side, we shot 56% overall, and 63% on threes (10-16), including 5-5 from Deffresnes. Deffresnes scored 22 points, followed by Wendling with 21, and Casey Angle with 16. James Burdick grabbed 8 rebounds, followed by Angle and Wendling with 7 each. Wendling also dished out 6 assists, though he did turn the ball over 4 times. But as a team we turned it over just 11 times. James Milner led Wright State with 18 points.

11/22/18 - beat East Carolina 74-49 (3-0) - We play better defense in this game, holding the Pirates to 28% shooting overall, and 21% from the three-point line. We didn't shoot all that well either, hitting 44% of our shots overall, but hit 39% of our threes (9-23). We won the rebounding battle 48-41. Deffresnes led us in scoring with 24 points, and Wendling added 11. Burdick grabbed 9 rebounds, and Angle grabbed 8 boards. Burdick picked up 3 steals, and Lykins dished out 4 assists to lead us. East Carolina's Charles Connor led them with 11 points.

* We have moved up to #9 in the Poll this week.

11/27/18 - beat Bradley 78-45 (4-0) - We force 23 turnovers and Bradley shoots just 35% overall, 28% from threes. We made 11 of 20 three-pointers we shot (55%), and shot 47% overall. Bradley did out-rebound us 33 to 32. Deffresnes scored 27 points to lead us, followed by Scott Wendling with 18, and Casey Angle with 12. Angle grabbed 7 rebounds to lead us on the boards, while Wendling dished out 6 assists. Angle blocked 2 shots as well, while Deffresnes and Wendling each tallied 3 steals. Deffresnes shot 6 of 13 on three-pointers. Bruce Windham led Bradley with 12 points.

[GoBlue2419]

December 2018

Recruiting Update
- Dyer has us #3 behind Duke (offered) and Alabama.
- Peery does not have us in his top 5, but we haven't really extended any effort at this point.

After the first month:
- Horace Deffresnes leads us in scoring at 25.8 PPG, followed by Scott Wendling at 16.8 PPG, and Casey Angle at 13.8 PPG.
- Angle leads us in rebounding at 7.0 RPG, with James Burdick averaging 6.0 RPG.
- Wendling is averaging 5.0 APG, Deffresnes at 4.5 APG.
- Deffresnes is averaging 3.0 SPG, Donn Lykins 2.0 SPG.
- Angle is averaging 2.0 BPG.
- Deffresnes is shooting 55% overall, 53% on threes (17-32), and 74% from the free throw line.

Current NCAA Top 10
1. Marquette, 4-0
2. Kansas, 4-0
3. UCLA, 2-0
4. Wisconsin, 5-0
5. North Carolina, 6-0
6. Seton Hall, 3-0
7. California, 3-0
8. Vanderbilt, 3-0
9. Notre Dame, 4-0
10. Mississippi, 3-1

Other ACC teams in the Top 25
Duke at #19 (3-1)
Florida State at #22 (3-1)

Games Review
12/1/18 - beat Purdue 73-51 (5-0) - We forced 24 Purdue (now 1-3) turnovers, while they shoot 40% from the floor overall, and just 18% (2-11) from the three-point line. We picked up 13 team steals, led by 7 from Horace Deffresnes. No Purdue players score in double figures. Deffresnes scored 22 points to lead us, while Wendling adds 16 points, and Donn Lykins scores 11. Deffresnes also added 8 rebounds to his impressive stat line. The halftime score was 38-16.

* We move up to #8 in the NCAA Top 25 Poll.

12/4/18 - beat DePaul 66-42 (6-0) - The shaky defense seen in the first couple games has either been resolved, or Wright State and Murray State are two really good teams, as we limit DePaul to 32% shooting overall, and 14% on threes (1-7). We pick up 9 steals as a team, leading to 16 turnovers by the Blue Demons. Deffresnes scores 24 points to pace us, and Wendling chips in with 20. Burdick grabs 8 rebounds and Deffresness gets 7. Lucius Nesbit picked up 5 assists off the bench. Deffresnes added 4 steals, and also hit 5 of the 11 threes he attempted. Radhi Richbell led DePaul with 10 points.

12/8/18 - beat IPFW 89-76 (7-0) - We play John Byington, my old assistant, now the head coach at IPFW. They held on as long as they could, trailing by 1 at half (42-41), before we pulled away in the last 4 minutes. Keys to their making a game of this were rebounding (40-39 edge for us), limiting turnovers (just 14 for them), and shooting decently (42% overall). They also hit 74% of their free throws (25-34), while we hit 73% (19-26). Deffresnes scored 26 points to lead us, while Donn Lykins and Lucius Nesbit scored 13 each, and James Burdick scored 10 points. Casey Angle grabbed 10 rebounds to lead us in rebounding, with Burdick adding 9 boards. Deffresnes had 4 steals, and shot 4 of 6 on threes. Martin Gordon led IPFW with 17 points.

* Luigi Lunn broke his foot in the IPFW game and will miss 131 days. He is eligible for a medical redshirt, which we will take advantage of.

* Arnold Sanchez was injured as well, breaking his nose, and is expected to miss about 8 days.

* We are now #7 in the Poll.

12/11/18 - beat Cleveland State 70-46 (8-0) - We forced 22 turnovers, limited them to 33% shooting overall, and just 24% from the three-point line. We didn't shoot all that well either, 42% overall, and 25% (5-20) on threes. We out-rebounded them 42-32 also. Deffresnes scores 20 points to lead us, scoring at least 20 in every game this season thus far. Angle scored 13, Wendling adding 12, and Lykins scored 10. Lykins also grabbed 8 rebounds, and Angle added 7 rebounds. Lonnie Sturgis led Cleveland State with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

12/15/18 - lose to Michigan 85-73 (8-1) - The first time I have coached against my Alma Mater, and where my college coaching career began as an assistant, Michigan was 6-2 coming into this game, including a 2 point win over Cleveland State and coming off of a 2 point loss to Wright State, so we should have won this game. But we struggled from the three-point line, hitting just 24% (6-25), while they hit 12 of 29 from the three-point line. They out rebounded us 41-35 as well. Deffresnes scored 22 points to continue his streak of 20+ point games, while Burdick scored 14, Angle added 13, and Wendling scored 11. Burdick also grabbed 11 rebounds, while Angle picked up 9 boards. Wendling dished out 6 assists, though he also turned the ball over 4 times. Deffresness shot 16 three-pointers, and hit just 4 of them. Michigan's Jerald Feeney scored 24 points to lead all scorers, and Herschel Banks added 23.

* Casey Angle badly sprained his ankle, and will miss around 23 days. This really hurts our depth as we now have no one taller than 6'6" off the bench.

* We fall to #12 in the Polls.

12/18/18 - lose to Columbia 64-59 (8-2) - A huge win for Columbia, shooting is our downfall. We shot 38% overall, just 26% from the three-point line, and only shot 9 free throws. We beat them handily on the boards, 48-30. And we turn the ball over 16 times, while they turn it over just 10. Deffresnes's streak comes to an end, as he scores just 12 points. But he does lead us in scoring, as he is the only Irish player in double-figures. Gerald Leverett grabbed 13 rebounds starting in place of the injured Angle. Avery Struble led Columbia with 17 points.

12/22/18 - lose to #13 Indiana (8-3) - We continue to really miss Angle, particularly defensively, as we cannot slow down Indiana's PF Tyron Helmuth (who I tried to recruit to Richmond). Helmuth scored 22 points, and we were forced to foul him often, sending him to the line 14 times, where he hit 12 of them. We had 4 players foul out, including backup PG Lucius Nesbit, who picked up 5 fouls in 7 minutes. Indiana shot 40 free throws to our 8. Fouls were 26 to 10 also. Wendling led us in scoring with 27 points (5-10 threes), while Deffresnes added 17 points. James Burdick led us in rebounding with 11 boards.

* After the three straight losses, we fall completely out of the Top 25 poll.

12/29/18 - beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 95-79 (9-3) - we get back on the winning side, despite APB shooting 54% overall, and 41% on threes. We hit 51% of our shots, while hitting 32% of our threes. One key difference is APB hit just 42% of their free throws. Deffresnes scores 21 to lead us, while Lykins adds 18, Burdick scored 14, and Nesbit added 10. Burdick grabbed 13 rebounds. Zachary Stouffer led A-PB with 18 points.

[GoBlue2419]

January 2019

- Peery declines to go to Marquette
- Dyer declines to go to Duke
- we offer PG Neil Westover (*****, #8) - only offer thus far is Nevada.
- we offer SF John Wall (*****, #19) - only offer in top 5 thus far is Temple.

As we head into January, here are the stats leaders:
- Scoring - Defressnes at 22.3 PPG, Wendling 14.2, Angle 10.8
- Rebounding - Burdick 8.0 RPG, Angle 7.0 RPG, Leverett 5.6 RPG
- Assists - Deffresnes 3.4 APG, Wendling 3.3 APG
- Steals - Deffresnes 2.9 SPG
- Blocks - Angle 1.9 BPG

Deffresnes is shooting 47% overall, 41% (44-107) on threes. Burdick is shooting 54% overall. Wendling is shooting 51% overall, 44% on threes (27-62).

1/2/19 - beat Toledo 70-49 (10-3) - We limit Toledo to 33% shooting, 17% from the three-point line, while out-rebounding them 42-30, for the win. Lykins leads us in scoring with 20 points, followed by Wendling with 14. Deffresnes has his first game not in double-digits, as he scores just 8 points. Burdick grabbed 12 rebounds to lead us there. Deffresnes did pick up 6 assists to lead the team in helpers. Britt Quesada led Toledo with 13 points.

1/5/19 - beat Chicago State 75-63 (11-3) - We shot just 36% from the floor, making this one closer than it should have been. We hit just 6 of 26 (23%) three-pointers also. Chicago State shot 41% overall, 30% on threes, and turned the ball over 20 times. Chris Vinson came off the bench and scored 20 points, Deffresnes scored 18 points, and Angle and Lykins scored 15 each. Burdick grabbed 13 boards, and Angle, back from injury, added 8 boards. Angle and Burdick each blocked 3 shots. Deffresnes hit just 3 of 15 threes. Robert Brown led Chicago State with 17 points.

* Lucius Nesbit broke his nose, and will miss around 9 days.

1/7/19 - beat Ball State 88-86 (12-3) - a win is a win, but yikes, this was not good. Ball State shot 48% overall, 43% on threes and 73% from the free throw line to keep this close. We shot 47% overall, 50% on threes (9-18), and 77% from the free throw line. Deffresnes scored 23 points, Lykins added 20, and Angle scored 16 points. Angle and Lykins also grabbed 10 boards each to lead us. Both Deffresnes and Wendling dished out 5 assists. Angle blocked 2 shots. Deffresnes shot 5 of 8 from the three-point line. James Furtado led Ball State with 18 points.

1/12/18 - beat Brown 72-62 (13-3) - While we won the battle, we take a big hit in the war in this game versus Brown. Horace Deffresnes scores 19 points in 19 minutes, but then broke his foot on a drive to the basket. He is expected to miss about 45 days, which really hurts as we are about to enter ACC play. Lykins led us in scoring with 23 points, while Casey Angle grabbed 17 boards to pace us on the glass. Angle also blocked a career-high 10 shots. Wendling added 6 assists, and Lykins also picked up 3 steals. Jacinto Goree led Brown with 14 points.

* We will begin the Deffresnes absence with Arnold Sanchez starting at SG, but we may try moving Wendling to SG and start Nesbit at PG. Sanchez is 6'5", so gives us a little more size in the starting lineup.

1/15/19 - lose to #12 UCLA 58-44 (13-4) - UCLA shut us down, limiting us to 26% shooting, 36% on threes, and out-rebounding us 47-38. Lykins led us with 17 points, and was the only player in double-digits for us. Angle grabbed 10 rebounds to pace the team. UCLA shot just 36% overall, and 27% on threes. Gary Shoup led the Bruins with 14 points, and Jules Penner added 11 rebounds.

1/19/19 - beat Navy 81-76 (14-4) - Once again, a game closer than it should have been. Navy held steady, despite turning the ball over 20 times. They shot 47% overall, 47% on threes (7-15), while we shot 51% overall, 36% from the three-point line. Navy out-rebounded us 34-32 as well. Lykins led us with 20 points, Arnold Sanchez added 13, Nesbit scored 11, and Angle and Chris Vinson scored 10 points. Burdick grabbed 11 rebounds.

* Begin ACC play

1/23/19 - lose to #23 Syracuse 65-63 (14-5, 0-1) - We made a valiant comeback, trailing at half 37-25, but it was a case of too little, too late. Neither team shot the bell well, 42% for us, 41% for Syracuse, but they shot 40% on threes to 25% for us. Syracuse also out-rebounded us 42-37. Casey Angle led us in scoring with 19 points, while Wendling added 14, and Lykins scored 11. Burdick pulled down 9 rebounds. Wendling dished out 6 assists and picked up 5 steals. SG Ambrose Lozoya led Syracuse with 19 points.

* The injury bug continues, as we lose Gerald Leverett to a broken foot. He is expected to miss about 56 days.This hurts as we now have no one taller than 6'6" on the bench.

1/26/19 - lose to #23 Syracuse 56-39 (14-6, 0-2) - In a strange scheduling twist, we play back-to-back games against Syracuse, and lose them both. We shot 32% overall, and just 1 of 14 on threes, while also turning the ball over 20 times. We are really struggling offensively with Jeffresnes out. Donn Lykins scores 14 points to lead us, but is the only player in double-digits. Burdick grabbed 12 rebounds. Lucius Nesbit dished out 5 assists. Ambrose Lozoya once again led Syracuse in scoring, this time with 17 points.

* after this game we insert Nesbit into the starting lineup at PG, and move Wendling to SG.

1/30/19 - lose to Pittsburgh 78-59 (14-7, 0-3) - We shoot better from the three-point line (42%), but shoot only 36% overall, and turn the ball over 20 times. Pitt, meanwhile, shoots 46% overall, and out-rebounds us 43-39. Nesbit and Sanchez scored 12 each for us, with Angle scoring 11, and Wendling adding 10. Burdick pulled down 11 rebounds, while blocking 2 shots, as did Angle. Wendling turned the ball over 7 times in his first game at the SG position. Pitt's C Rene Scott led them in scoring with 16 points.

[GoBlue2419]

February 2019 Update

Recruiting
- SF Wall declines to attend Temple.
- PG Westover has us #4 behind Wake Forest, Nevada (offered), Illinois
- Offered SG Ulrich Fleurkin (****, #48)

Stats
- Scoring - Deffresnes (20.9 PPG), Lykins (12.6 PPG), Wendling (11.5 PPG)
- Rebounding - Burdick (8.5 RPG), Angle (7.3 RPG)
- Assists - Deffresnes (3.6 APG), Wendling (3.1 APG)
- Steals - Deffresnes (2.4 SPG), Lykins (1.2 SPG)
- Blocks - Angle (2.2 BPG)
- Shooting - (Burdick 49%), Sanchez (46%)
- 3PT Shooting - Deffresnes (41%), Wendling (36%)
- Free Throws - Deffresnes (80%), Wendling (71%)

Conference Standings
1. #3 North Carolina (2-0)
2. #9 Wake Forest (2-0)
3. Louisville (3-0)
4. Florida State (1-0)
5. #24 Duke (2-1)
6. #17 Miami (2-1)
7. #11 Virginia Tech (2-1)
8. #13 Syracuse (2-1)
9. Boston College (1-1)
10. Pittsburgh (2-2)
11. Georgia Tech (1-2)
12. Virginia (1-3)
13. Notre Dame (0-3)
14. Clemson (0-4)
15. NC State (0-2)

NCAA Top 10
1. Kansas (20-0)
2. Ohio State (19-1)
3. North Carolina (19-1)
4. Marquette (17-1)
5. Maryland (16-3)
6. Illinois (17-2)
7. Texas (16-3)
8. Wisconsin (15-4)
9. Wake Forest (17-3)
10. Indiana (16-3)

Injuries
- Deffresnes (25 days left)
- Leverett (47 days left)

2/2/19 - beat #17 Miami 94-92 (15-7, 1-3) - on my 40th birthday, we get off the snide and finally get a win. This game was back and forth the whole time, nip and tuck. We took the lead for good with 1:09 left thanks to a Chris Vinson free throw. We shot 46% overall, and 46% from the three-point line, while Miami shot 46% overall but just 19% on threes. Casey Angle led us in scoring with 18 points, Arnold Sanchez added 14, Lykins had 13, and Lucius Nesbit scored 11. Sanchez also grabbed 11 rebounds. Angle blocked 4 shots, while Wendling had 3 steals. Leon Iglesias scored 16 to lead Miami.

* The current Bubble Watch has us out.

2/9/19 - beat Florida State 68-66 (16-7, 2-3) - A James Burdick layup with 3 seconds left gave us the win in another tight game that obviously came right down to the wire. We shot 42% overall, and just 22% on threes, while Florida State shot 41% overall and 27% on threes. We out-rebounded the Seminoles 41-38. Donn Lykins led us in scoring with 21 points, and Angle and Burdick chipped in 12 each. Angle also grabbed 11 rebounds. Burdick blocked 3 shots as well. We shot 21 free throws, making 14 of them, while Florida State got to the line just 7 times, making 4 of them. Joe Baker led the Seminoles in scoring with 15 points.

* The current Bubble Watch now has us in.

2/13/19 - beat Boston College 61-59 (17-7, 3-3) - We get our third win in a row, and our third win in a row by 2 points. This time it was Donn Lykins scoring the winning basket, shooting a short jumper in the lane with :23 left. We won despite shooting just 35% overall, and made only 29% of our threes (5-17). Boston College shot 40% overall, and hit 5 of 9 threes. We pounded the glass though, getting 48 rebounds to their 36, which was one of the keys to the win. Lykins scored 18 points to lead us, and Wendling added 11. Burdick grabbed 10 rebounds, and Angle and Lykins added 9. Angle blocked 3 shots. Chase Aker led Boston College with 16 points.

2/16/19 - beat Miami 74-63 (18-7, 4-3) - We are on a roll now with Deffresnes's return getting closer. This one was won on the boards and at the free throw line. We won the war of the boards 42-33, and we hit 33 of the 39 free throws we attempted. On the flip side, Miami shot just 10 free throws, making 7 of them. Lykins scored 20 points, Burdick added 14, Nesbit scored 11, and Sanchez scored 10. Burdick pulled down 10 rebounds, and Angle and Thomas Dutcher grabbed 9 boards. Jack Shill led Miami with 14 points.

2/20/19 - lose to NC State 71-57 (18-8, 4-4) - NC State PG Mac Webster was the catalyst for the Wolfpack victory, going for 21 points and dishing out 7 assists. NC STate shot 45% overall, and hit 38% of their threes, while he hit just 39% of our shots overall, and 33% from threes. Wendling scored 18 points, Lykins scored 14, and Angle scored 11. Angle, Lykins, and Dutcher led us in rebounds with 7 each.

* Deffresnes will be back for our next game, at Georgia Tech.

2/27/19 - lose to Georgia Tech 70-59 (18-9, 4-5) - Deffresnes's return wasn't enough to pick up the victory. He scored 21 points in his return, but he was the only player in double-figures in points. As a team, we shot 36% overall, and hit 44% of our threes (10-23), including 5-8 for Deffresnes. Burdick led us with 10 rebounds, and he and Angle also blocked 3 shots each. Georgia Tech SG Winston Ramirez led them with 22 points.

[GoBlue2419]

March 2019 Update

As we head into March, here is an updated look at the ACC standings:
1. #7 Wake Forest (7-1)
2. #11 Duke (8-2)
3. #10 Syracuse (8-2)
4. #3 North Carolina (7-2)
5. Louisville (6-4)
6. #12 Virginia Tech (5-4)
7. Notre Dame (4-5)
8. Florida State (3-4)
9. Pittsburgh (4-6)
10. Georgia Tech (4-6)
11. NC State (3-6)
12. Clemson (3-7)
13. Virginia (3-7)
14. Boston College (2-6)
15. Miami (2-7)

Notre Dame Stats
- Scoring - Deffresnes (20.9), Lykins (13.2), Wendling (11.3), Angle (10.6)
- Rebounding - Burdick (8.4), Angle (7.5), Lykins (5.3)
- Assists - Deffresnes (3.5), Wendling (2.9), Lykins (2.3)
- Steals - Deffresnes (2.4), Lykins (1.2)
- Blocks - Angle (2.3), Burdick (1.0)
- Shooting - Burdick (48%), Sanchez (47%), Wendling (46%)
- 3PT Shooting - Deffresnes (42%, 63-151), Wendling (36%, 42-118)
- Free Throws - Deffresnes (81%, 55-68), Wendling (74%, 40-54)

NCAA Top 10
1. Kansas (26-2)
2. Marquette (24-2)
3. North Carolina (25-3)
4. Illinois (25-2)
5. Ohio State (24-4)
6. Texas (22-5)
7. Wake Forest (23-4)
8. Wisconsin (21-6)
9. Maryland (22-5)
10. Syracuse (22-5)

Recruiting
- Westover and Fleurkin commit.

3/2/19 - lose to Virginia 83-63 (18-10, 4-6) - Deffresnes's return has not had the effect I thought it would, as we lose our 3rd straight. We shot 40% overall, 47% on threes, but get out-rebounded 39-31 and turn the ball over 18 times. Wendling led us in scoring with 19 points, and Angle added 12. Deffresnes led us in rebounding with 7. PF Steven Jankowski led Virginia in scoring with 18 points.

* Current bubble watch has us out.

3/6/19 - beat Clemson 83-74 (19-10, 5-6) - we break the losing streak, winning on the road at Clemson, thanks to outstanding free throw shooting (81% as a team), and good enough shooting (42% overall/33% on threes). We also forced 20 Clemson turnovers. Lykins scored 21 to lead us, while Deffresnes chipped in 17, and Wendling added 13. Burdick grabbed 9 rebounds, and Lykins pulled down 8. Deffresnes picked up 4 steals. Dewayne Montenegro scored 11 points to lead Clemson.

* Current bubble watch has us back in. My old team Richmond is also in according to the Bubble Watch.

3/9/19 - beat Louisville 66-60 (20-10, 6-6) - Despite being outshot 42% to 35%, out-rebounded 45-33, we pull out the win, our 20th of the season. Better three-point shooting (30% to 17%) and forcing 21 Louisville turnovers, were the key to the win. We shot 73% as a team from the free throw line, going 16 of 22. Lykins led us with 21 points, Deffresnes added 13, and Wendling scored 11. Deffresnes also grabbed 8 rebounds to lead the team. Casey Angle blocked 4 shots. Daniel McPhail led Louisville with 12 points.

* a negative coming out of the Louisville game is Deffresnes is suffering from severe migraines, and may miss around 8 days.

[bbgunn]

Ugh, tough conference campaign. Don't worry, we believe in you!

On a side note, sad to see that Hawaii has collapsed. They were making regular NCAA appearances for a short while!

[GoBlue2419]

Ugh, tough conference campaign. Don't worry, we believe in you!

On a side note, sad to see that Hawaii has collapsed. They were making regular NCAA appearances for a short while!

Appreciate the faith! Losing Deffresnes really hurt.

[GoBlue2419]

2019 ACC Tournament
We end up as the 6th seed in the ACC Tournament, and will play the winner of (11) NC State and (14) Boston College.

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2018-19_ACC_tourney_start.jpeg

1st Round
Virginia 86, Clemson 80
NC State 49, Boston College 46

With the NC State win over BC, we play the Wolfpack in the Second Round.

[GoBlue2419]

2019 ACC Tournament Second Round

- we lose to NC State 59-55 (20-11, 6-6) - Poor shooting is once again the name of the loss here. We shot 36% overall, 29% from threes, and only got to the free throw line 7 times. We also turned the ball over 18 times. Deffresnes played, and led us in scoring with 14 points, while Wendling added 13, and Lykins scored 10. Burdick grabbed 9 boards. Claude Dillon scored 18 points for NC State.

Georgia Tech 68, Pitt 50
Louisville 91, Virginia 79
Virginia Tech 74, Florida State 51

[GoBlue2419]

Rest of 2019 ACC Tournament

Quarterfinals
Wake Forest 61, Georgia Tech 58
Syracuse 59, Louisville 49
North Carolina 76, Virginia Tech 69
Duke 88, NC State 76

Semifinals
Wake Forest 90, Syracuse 81
North Carolina 86, Duke 77

Finals
North Carolina 82, Wake Forest 64

[GoBlue2419]

2019 Selection Sunday

* we earn an NCAA Tournament bid and will play in the West Region as the 11b team, playing California for the right to be the 11th seed.

#1 Seeds
West - Marquette
Midwest - Illinois
South - North Carolina
East - Kansas

ACC Teams in - Louisville (9) , Duke (4), North Carolina (1), Pittsburgh (11), Notre Dame (11), Virginia Tech (8), Syracuse (2), Wake Forest (4)

My Previous Teams
* Holy Cross is in the play-in game of the Midwest Region vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff. They earn that based on winning the Patriot League Tournament, as they went 14-18 (3-11) in the regular season.

* Richmond is the 7th seed in the South Region, and will face off against 10th seed Connecticut. The Spiders went 24-11 (10-6) on the regular season, and lost in the A10 Tournament Championship Game to Temple, 93-81.

[GoBlue2419]

2019 NCAA Tournament

Play-in Game - we beat Cal 72-69 (21-11) - Neither team shot well, (36% for us, 37% for them), but we got to the free throw line 11 more times then they did, making 13 more free throws then they did. We also won the rebounding battle 44-43. Lykins scored 18 points, Deffresnes and Burdick scored 13 each, and Wendling added 12. Angle rebounded 11 shots, and Burdick added 10 boards. Gabriel Porter led Cal with 17 points.


We play #15 Oklahoma, the 6th seed in the West. Their record is 24-8, and they were 12-4 in the Big 12. They are led in scoring by SF Damien Hurdle, averaging 18.3 PPG. PF John Bittner leads them in rebounding at 8.6 RPG, while their leading assist man is Francis Pope, who comes off the bench to average 4.3 APG. Bittner also averages 2.5 blocks per game. They average 76.8 PPG as a team, good for 22nd nationally, and give up an average of 66.5 PPG. They turn the ball over relatively often, 14.6 times per game, so maybe we can take advantage of that.

[GoBlue2419]

2019 NCAA Tournament

- we lose to Oklahoma 74-68 (21-12) - Once again, shooting is the issue, particularly three-point shooting where we went 8 for 32 (25%), while Oklahoma shot 9 of 21 (43%). Lykins scores 17 points, Deffresnes scores 15 in his final collegiate game, and Wendling adds 15. Burdick grabs 11 rebounds in his final game, and Deffresnes added 5 assists. Lykins also picked up 3 steals.

Other Notable 1st Round Games
West - (13) San Francisco beat (4) Texas Tech 54-51
South - (12) Long Island beat (5) Georgetown 78-67
South - (15) Jacksonville beat (2) Missouri 71-65
South - (11) Pittsurgh beat (6) Wichita State 69-59
South - (7) Richmond beat (10) UConn 77-75 - William Hayes hit a shot from the top of the key at the buzzer to win it.
East - (12) Hofstra beat (5) Indiana 62-49

Round of 32 Notable Games
West - (9) Louisville beat (1) Marquette 72-70
West - (7) Air Force beat (2) Ohio State 68-66
West - (6) Oklahoma beat (3) Michigan State
Midwest - (9) Vanderbilt beat (1) Illinois 75-69
Midwest - (6) Florida beat (3) Rhode Island 84-76
South - (12) Long Island beat (4) Wake Forest 71-70
South - (15) Jacksonville beat (7) Richmond 86-77
South - (11) Pitt beat (3) St. John's 68-62
East - (9) Belmont beat (1) Kansas 68-59

Sweet Sixteen
West - (5) Wisconsin beat (9) Louisville 64-56
West - (6) Oklahoma beat (7) Air Force 95-77
Midwest - (9) Vanderbilt beat (4) Duke 82-67
Midwest - (2) Texas beat (6) Florida 71-51
South - (1) North Carolina beat (12) Long Island 87-56
South - (15) Jacksonville beat (11) Pitt 64-63
East - (4) Mississippi beat (9) Belmont 62-43
East - (2) Syracuse beat (3) Maryland 74-71

Great 8
West - (5) Wisconsin beat (6) Oklahoma 65-62
Midwest - (9) Vanderbilt beat (2) Texas 85-75
South - (1) North Carolina beat (15) Jacksonville 94-71
East - (2) Syracuse beat (4) Mississippi 83-58

Final Four
(1) North Carolina beat (5) Wisconsin 75-71
(9) Vanderbilt beat (2) Syracuse 81-79 - Vandy's Antwan Trexler hit a jumper at the buzzer for the win.

Finals
(9) Vanderbilt beat (1) North Carolina 84-67

Other Postseason Tournaments
NIT - Utah State 84, Wright State 75
CBI - Baylor 80, Mercer 70
CIT - San Diego 61, Drexel 56

[GoBlue2419]

2018-2019 Season Summary

ACC Final Standings
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/ACCConfFinalStandings_18-19.jpeg

Final Notre Dame Stats
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/NotreDameFinalRegSeasonStats_18-19.jpeg

Final Notre Dame Shooting Stats
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/NotreDameFinalRegSeasonShootingStats_18-19.jpeg

NCAA Awards
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2018-2019_NCAA_Awards.jpeg

ACC Awards
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2018-2019_ACC_Awards.jpeg

- Deffresnes tied for the ACC scoring crown with Syracuse's Ambrose Lozoya.
- Burdick was 11th in the ACC in rebounding
- Deffresnes was 3rd in the ACC in steals
- Angle was 7th in the ACC in blocks

[GoBlue2419]

2019 Notre Dame Departures

- C Casey Angle has let me know that he has decided to leave early and enter the NBA Draft. That is a big loss as our recruiting class is definitely perimeter-friendly. We are losing 3 starters and our top forward off the bench.

Here are the players we bid farewell to this offseason:
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/deffresnes.jpeg
- POG 17 times
- 1st Team All-Conference (2018)
- 3rd Team All-American (2018)
- NIT Champion
- Rated *** and #361 out of HS

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/burdick.jpeg
- POG 3 times
- NIT Champion
- All-State in Ohio - *** and #412

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/leverett.jpeg
- NIT Champion
- All State in Michigan - ***, #309

http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/angle.jpeg
- POG 5 times
- NIT Champion
- All-State in Indiana - ****/#37

[nol]

Tough season, but 5 top-100 recruits should have your incoming class ranked pretty close to #1 in the country. That could be three career goals crossed off in just one season! Not sure how the hot seat will be after this year, but it could be a blessing in disguise if you want to coach at Michigan eventually. Once you're entrenched at a 90 prestige school in a power conference, the job offers dwindle down as schools consider you to be out of their league.

[GoBlue2419]

Tough season, but 5 top-100 recruits should have your incoming class ranked pretty close to #1 in the country. That could be three career goals crossed off in just one season! Not sure how the hot seat will be after this year, but it could be a blessing in disguise if you want to coach at Michigan eventually. Once you're entrenched at a 90 prestige school in a power conference, the job offers dwindle down as schools consider you to be out of their league.

Oh, good point about the job offers . . . . . I didn't think through that aspect too thoroughly when taking the Notre Dame job. Well, I suppose there could be worse things then being "stuck" at a 90-prestige school in a power conference, but as you say, if I can't get the Irish to the Final Four soon, I may not have to worry about that.

Stay tuned shortly for the results of recruiting.

[GoBlue2419]

2018-2019 Recruiting Summary

Here is the final list of our recruits for this season:

- PG Neil Westover - 6'2", 171 (Southwestern Randolph HS, NC) - *****, #8 - Mr. Basketball in North Carolina.
Our scouts give Westover's potential A's in Inside and Steals, B's for JPS, HND, PAS, ORB, and C's for FTS, 3PS, DRB, PSD, PRD, BLK. He has 100 quickness.

- PG Craig Kruse - 6'2", 178 (Coweta HS, OK) - ****, #29 - Mr. Basketball in Oklahoma.
Our scouts give Kruse's potential an A in HND, B's in JPS, PAS, BLK, and C's in INS, FTS, DRB, PSD, PRD, and STL. He has a 94 for quickness and 64 in jumping.

- SG Ulrich Fleurkin - 6'4", 186 (Canada) - ****, #48.
Our scouts give Fleurkin's potential A's in JPS, PAS, B's in FTS, 3PS, ORB, and C's in INS, HND, PSD, BLK. He has a 66 in quickness and 86 in jumping.

- PF Irvin Alsup - 6'8", 249 (Greenwood HS, PA) - ****, #76.
Our scouts give Alsup's potential A's in INS, ORB, PSD, and C's in 3PS, HND, PAS, DRB, BLK. He has 34 in quickness, 63 in strength, and 34 in jumping.

- SF Isaac Sparks - 6'4", 209 (Rensselaer Central HS, IN) - ***, #207.
Our scouts give Spark's potential an A in INS, B's in JPS, 3PS, PAS, ORB, and PRD, and C's in FTS, HND, and PSD. He has a 53 in quickness, 56 in strength, and 64 in jumping.

We end up with four of Top-100 recruits, and come in with the #1 recruiting class in the country! As much talent as we were able to bring in, it is very perimeter-focused, so our front-line play could be a struggle this coming season.

The Top 10 Recruiting classes go to:
1. Notre Dame
2. Kansas
3. Stanford
4. Temple
5. Virginia Tech
6. Vanderbilt
7. Michigan State
8. Oklahoma
9. Texas
10. Ohio State

Here are the Top 10 Recruits, and where they committed:
1. SG Ivory Ruggles (6-6, 185), Vacaville/Wood HS (CA) - CAL
2. C Stewart Sherwin (6-7, 243), Pleasant Plains HS (IL) - KANSAS
3. SG Antoine Wells (6-3, 182), Flomaton HS (AL) - ALABAMA
4. PF Morgan Zellers (6-4, 192), Cartersville HS (GA) - OHIO STATE
5. SG Octavio Brimmer (6-2, 192), Oneida HS, (NY) - TEMPLE
6. PF Thad Dobbins (6-6, 201), Leesburg HS (FL) - SOUTH FLORIDA
7. PG Neil Westover - NOTRE DAME
8. SG Chris Mohr (6-2, 178), Fayetteville/Starrs Mill HS (GA) - VANDERBILT
9. C Stephan Cancel (6-7, 209), Dallas/David W. Carter HS (TX) - TEXAS
10. SF Andrew Thibeault (6-4, 203), Sacramento/El Camino HS (CA) - STANFORD

[GoBlue2419]

2019-2020 Offseason Summary

- NBA Draft - Angle went 35th overall.

- John Byington went 12-17 in his first season at IPFW.

- Our prestige drops 1 to 89.
- My hot seat rating is still Yellow/Average
- Expectations are to reach the Final Four.

Conference Movement
- Murray State went to the Southern Conference from the Summit.
- Elon went from the Southern Conference to the Summit.

Notable Head Coaching Moves
- Boston College - fired Steve Donahue. Hired Scott Sutton from Air Force to replace him.
- UConn - Fran Dunphy retired. Hired Henry Long from Hofstra to replace him.
- Illinois - Bruce Weber retired. Hired Steve Lavin from St. John's to replace him.
- St. John's - hired Brad Stevens from Florida State.
- Florida State - Hired Roderick Bruno, an assistant from Boise State.
- NC State - fired Mark Gottfried. Hired Steve Payne from Southern Illinois to replace him.
- Purdue - fired Matt Painter. Hired Randy Monroe from Oral Roberts to replace him.

- We get invited to the Preseason NIT Tournament as the #3 seed.

[GoBlue2419]

2019-2020 Recruiting Overview

- we have 4 scholarships available - need to hit the frontline hard.

Initial Very Highs - PF Andrew Clegg (****, #68), PF Wilfred O'Malley (***, #443), SF Vernon Marquis (***, #441), SF Von Sierra (***, #245), C Reed Jacoby (***, #417), SF Troy Tucker (***, #261), C Francis Nichols (***, #219), C Andrew Stickler (***, #206), C Jonathan Fitzwater (***, #439)

- Initial offers go to Clegg, Leif Davis (*****, #18 - High), C William Ayala (*****, #7 - Average), SF Jerry Beatty (****, #29 - High)

[collegesportsfanms]

GoBlue, I see you are using real life coaches for your dynasty. Did you find a file somewhere that had them, or did you manually edit them? Reason I ask is because in addition to my whatifsports sim dynasty I have going on, I want to start my FBCB dynasty where I add a high school league from my state and make it a division 1 prestige 5 league. But I'm lazy and I don't want to have to take the time to manually edit all the coaches names. lol

[GoBlue2419]

I am. I got it from the FBCB2 thread in the Off Topics forum here (FBCB2 discussion: Full version now available - Front Office Football Central (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=75660)). It's from 2011 I think, so it's not current, but gave me real names at least to start with.

[collegesportsfanms]

thanks, I found the file and tried to download it, but now I can't find it in the game. Ugh, I may be better off creating my own coaches file by hand, it might take me less time to do that than to figure out how to download and install the file. lol

[GoBlue2419]

August 2019 Recruiting Update

- Clegg - High (#5 behind DePaul, Purdue, Northwestern, Illinois)
- Ayala - Average (not in top 5 - Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Memphis, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati)
- Davis - Average (not in top 5 - North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Cincinnati)
- Beatty - Average (not in top 5 - Illinois, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Indiana, North Carolina)

- We revoke the offers to Beatty
- extend an offer to C Tim Roberts (*****, #10) - has us #3 behind Arizona and Michigan State

[GoBlue2419]

September 2019 Update

- Roberts - Very High (#1, ahead of Arizona (not offered), Nevada, and Utah State)
- Clegg - Very High (#1 ahead of DePaul)
- Ayala - Average (#4 behind Ohio State (offered), Vanderbilt, Memphis)
- Davis - Average (not in top 5)

- revoke offers to Ayala and Davis
- offered PF Jim Hall (*****, #4) - not yet qualified but getting closer
- offered PF James Johnson (*****, #9) - #3 behind Kansas and Oklahoma, who have offered. We'll give it a month and see what happens.

[GoBlue2419]

October 2019 Update

- Roberts (#1, ahead of only Arizona, who has not offered)
- Clegg (the only school in top 5 now)
- Hall (#1, ahead of USC, Utah State, and Nevada) - has not yet qualified
- Johnson (#3 behind Oklahoma and Kansas) - will back out

- throw it all in for Andrew Hutchinson (*****, #13) - only us and Wisconsin (#1 right now)

[GoBlue2419]

November 2019 Update

- C Tim Roberts commits (****, #10).
- PF Andrew Clegg commits (****, #68).
- Hutchinson rejects to attend Wisconsin.

- Offer scholarship to SG Buster Despain (*****, #25)

- Early mock drafts are projecting Neil Westover to go in the lottery, and are predicting that he will more than likely enter the draft after this season.

[GoBlue2419]

2019-2020 Season Preview

Notre Dame Roster
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/NotreDame_19-20_Roster.jpeg

Starting-Lineup
PG - Craig Kruse
SG - Scott Wendling (* returning starter)
SG/SF - Neil Westover
PF - Thomas Dutcher
C - Donn Lykins (* returning starter)

6th - Irvin Alsup, C/PF
7th - Arnold Sanchez, SF
8th - Lucius Nesbit, PG
9th - Ulrich Fleurkin, SG
10th - Isaac Sparks, SF
11th - Luigi Lunn, PG
12th - Chris Vinson, PG
13th - Graig Lampkin, SG
14th - Wilmer Begley, PF
15th - Daniel Benighof, C/PF

We're going to go with a 3-guard lineup this season. We may struggle with interior defense/rebounding as we will be small. Lykins was our starting small forward last season, so while we will be smaller, we should be quicker and more athletic.

Notre Dame Schedule
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/NotreDameNonConfSched_19-20.jpeg
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/NotreDameConfSched_19-20.jpeg

2019-2020 Preseason Top 25 Poll
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/2019-2020_PreseasonTop25.jpeg
25. Clemson

* Side note: Richmond, my previous school, received some votes for Top 25 Poll.

[hoopsguy]

Enjoyable dynasty, except for fact that you are now coaching the Irish. Not sure Michigan is any better, but I'll try to look past the teams and enjoy the ride.

[GoBlue2419]

Enjoyable dynasty, except for fact that you are now coaching the Irish. Not sure Michigan is any better, but I'll try to look past the teams and enjoy the ride.

:) - I appreciate any following, whether reluctantly or wholeheartedly!

[GoBlue2419]

November 2019 Games

Preseason NIT
11/14/19 - beat North Texas 77-53 (1-0) - We force 24 North Texas turnovers with a pressing, in-your-face defense. We shot 46% overall, and 5 of 10 on threes, while they shot 42% overall, 25% on threes. We also picked up 10 steals as a team, led by Lykins with 5. Craig Kruse led us in scoring with 20 points, Westover added 17, and Wendling scored 11. Lykins also picked up 9 rebounds.Tony Coen led North Texas with 11 points.

11/16/19 - beat LSU 78-64 (2-0) - Once again, the pressuring defense forces 24 turnovers, allowing us to overcome getting out rebounded 41-29 and LSU shooting 49%. We shot 42% overall, and 35% from the three-point line. We also hit 18 of 21 free throws. We turned the ball over just 11 times. Kruse led us with 16 points, Lykins added 15, and Westover scored 11 points. Dutcher grabbed 8 rebounds. Kruse dished out 5 assists. Dutcher and Wendling picked up 3 steals each. Justin Wiggs scored 15 to lead LSU.

11/23/19 - beat Robert Morris 64-61 (3-0) - We win the first game of the Preaseason NIT, with defense and rebounding. We out rebounded Robert Morris 40-32, and forced 18 turnovers. We shot 41% overall, 25% on threes, while they shot 40% overall and 25% also on threes. Lykins scored 16 points to lead us, with Kruse adding 13. Dutcher and Kruse each pulled down 9 rebounds to lead us. Bertram Trueblood scored 19 points to lead Robert Morris.

* we move into the Top 25 at #18.

11/25/19 - we lose to #16 St. John's 74-60 (3-1) - We were down by just 1 at the half, but couldn't hang with St. John's due to poor shooting. We shot 33% overall, and 25% on threes (6-24), though we were chucking up the threes towards the end trying to get back in it. We force 17 turnovers and turn the ball over just 11 times ourselves, but the shooting was just too much to overcome, not to mention St. John's shot 56% overall and 50% (9-18) on threes. Lykins led us in scoring with 19 points, Westover added 16, and Wendling scored 14. Lykins shot just 8 of 21 though, and Craig Kruse hit just 2 of the 12 shots he took. Thomas Dutcher grabbed 11 rebounds to lead us there. Kruse also picked up 3 steals. Grover Cordero led St. John's with 22 points, who win the Preseason NIT Tournament.


11/27/19 - beat Kennesaw State 78-53 (4-1) - We force 19 turnovers and Kennesaw State hits just 2 of 14 threes. We shot 49% overall, 50% (7 of 14) on threes, and turned the ball over just 9 times. Kruse scored 18 points, Westover scored 15, and Lykins and Wendling added 12 each. Dutcher rebounded 10 shots to lead us, and Wendling dished out 7 assists, while Kruse had 5 assists. Wendling had 4 steals and Westover had 3 steals. Charles Rockwell scored 15 to lead Kennesaw State.

11/30/19 - beat Evansville 95-62 (5-1) - We play probably our best overall game of the young season thus far. We shot 57% from the field overall, 39% on threes, and forced 25 turnovers by Evansville. They did shoot 50% overall, but much of that was towards the end in scrub time. Kruse scored 21 points to lead us, Lykins added 20 points, and Westover and Lucius Nesbit scored 12 each. Dutcher pulled down 9 rebounds to lead our team. Wendling dished out 6 assists and Kruse had 5 assists. Westover and Wendling each had 3 steals. Evansville was led by Larry Moffatt with 19 points.

[britrock88]

Are 16-team preseason tourneys giving teams 4 games even if they lose in the early going now?

[GoBlue2419]

Are 16-team preseason tourneys giving teams 4 games even if they lose in the early going now?

I had my indicator for the start of the NIT Tournament in the wrong place above, which I have fixed, but the only teams that played 4 games in the Preseason NIT were St. John's and us, since we played in the Championship Game. It's the same in the other 16 team preseason tourneys as well. Now granted, I believe I am one FBCB update behind the current release, so it may have been fixed in this last release?

[britrock88]

Nah, I don't think it has. (Can't wait for FBCB3!) Thanks for clarifying.

[GoBlue2419]

December 2019 Update

- Hall (#1 - Very High)
- Despain (High - #4 behind Georgia Tech, Villanova, Duke - we are the only one who has offered thus far)

- with the way Kruse is playing thus far, we have concerns about losing both Westover and Kruse. So since we have two bigs committed already, we'll revoke the scholarship to Hall, but keep recruiting him in case he becomes eligible. We'll go after 2 guards hard now.

- offer PG Henry Hammer (*****, #19) - currently not in top 5, but none of them have offered yet.

12/4/19 - beat Monmouth 104-70 (6-1) - Defense leads to fast breaks, which can lead to lots of points. That was the case here as we played very good defense, forcing 27 Monmouth turnovers, limiting them to 41% shooting overall, and 31% from the three-point line. We shot 51% overall, and 60% (9-15) on threes. Lykins scored 24 points, Kruse added 19 points, Wendling chipped in 14, Westover scored 12, and Irvin Alsup added 11. Dutcher brought down 11 rebounds, and Kruse had 9 boards. Kruse also dished out 8 assists. Lykins hit 3 of 4 three-pointers. Charles Cramer led Monmouth with 13 points.

12/9/19 - beat St. Francis - PA 79-52 (7-1) - Rebounding was the big key here, as we grabbed 47 to their 32, particularly on the offensive glass, since we were out-shot, 47% to 44%. We only hit 7 of 21 three-pointers, and worse yet, hit only 8 of 17 free throws (Kruse 3-7, Lykins 2-5). Scott Wendling nearly matched his career high, scoring 24 points, with Kruse and Lykins adding 15 each, and Westover scoring 10. Dutcher pulled down 9 rebounds, and Kruse and Irvin Alsup added 7 each. Westover dished out 7 assists. Dewitt Juan led St. Francis with 10 points.

12/14/19 - lose at Marquette 96-60 (7-2) - Disaster!! This is the type of game that could come back to haunt us if we end up being a bubble team later on. Issues here were just 33% shooting from the field overall, and 18% (3-17) on threes. We also turned the ball over 19 times (14 Marquette steals). Kruse was really the lone highlight. He scored 20 points, shooting 8 of 17. Lykins was the only other player in double-digits with 13 points, but he shot 5 of 22. He did pull down 9 rebounds to lead us, while Dutcher and Alsup added 8 boards each. Horace Joshua and Brian Hayes scored 20 points each for Marquette to lead them.

12/18/19 - beat IUPUI 87-72 (8-2) - We rebound with a solid performance. We shot 58% from the field, though we hit only 3 of 11 three-pointers. But we turned the ball over just 6 times, while forcing 10 turnovers by IUPUI. They did out-rebound us 33-27 for one negative. Neil Westover had his biggest game as a collegiate player, scoring 31 points on 14 of 19 shooting overall, 2 of 4 on threes, while picking up 6 steals.. The other half of our freshman duo, Kruse scored 21 points (10-19 shooting), and fellow freshman Irvin Alsup added 11 points. Dutcher led us in rebounding with 8. Radko Nemchinov scored 18 to lead IUPUI.

12/21/19 - win at Purdue 83-77 (9-2) - A sloppy game, as Purdue turns the ball over 22 times and we have 18 turnovers. They shot 52% overall, and 40% on threes, while we shot 44% overall and 31% on threes. The key was rebounding (we out-rebounded them 40-34) and free throw shooting (22-32 for us, 9 of 17 for them). Lykins scored 22 points, Westover added 20, and Kruse scored 16. Dutcher pulled down 13 rebounds to lead the team, while Lykins grabbed 8 boards. Wendling dished out 5 assists and had 4 steals. Purdue had 4 players in double-digits scoring, with PF Dewey Cureton leading them with 16 points.

12/24/19 - beat North Dakota State 55-39 (10-2) - We do enough to pull off a win against a clearly overmatched team on Christmas Eve. ND State missed all 6 three-point shots it attempted, and shot 37% overall. We shot just 39% overall however, and 21% on threes. We out-rebounded them 39-30. Donn Lykins led us in scoring with 14, Kruse scored 13, and Westover added 11. Westover also led us in rebounding with 9. Michael Rooker led North Dakota State with 11 points.

12/28/19 - won at Arizona 77-75 (11-2) - After trailing 46-34 at half-time, we come back in the second before Neil Westover hits a jumper from the top of the key with :37 left to give us the win. This was pretty close all around in the end, with Arizona hitting 53% of their overall shots, while we hit 51%. Rebounding was 31-30 for us. We hit 20 of 29 free throws, while they hit 15 of 23. We hit 3 of 10 threes, Arizona hit 6 of 11. Craig Kruse hit for 28 points to pace us, with Lykins adding 19 points. Dutcher and Westover led us in rebounding with 7 each. Westover also had 3 steals. Demetrius Valentino scored 14 to lead Arizona (7-4).

Stats after Dec:
Leading Scorers: Kruse (17.2 PPG), Lykins (15.5), Westover (13.7)
Leading Rebounders: Dutcher (8.8 RPG), Lykins (5.3), Kruse (4.5)
Leading Assists: Wendling (3.8 APG), Kruse (3.5), Westover (2.5)
Leading Steals: Wendling (2.2 SPG), Westover (1.9), Kruse/Lykins (1.1)
Leading Blocks: Lykins (1.1 BPG), Kruse (0.5)
Leading Shooters: Alsup (50%), Westover (49%), Kruse (48%)
Leading 3PT Shooters (#): Westover, Lykins (19), Wendling (10)
Leading 3PT Shooters (%): Westover, Kruse (38%)
Leading Free Throws: Wendling (88%), Sanchez (86%)

- We're averaging 76.7 points per game (39th overall)
- Averaging 13.3 offensive rebounds a game (24th overall)
- Averaging 36.8 rebounds overall a game (111th overall)
- Averaging 8.4 steals a game (14th overall)
- Averaging 11.5 turnovers a game (22nd overall)
- Forcing 19.7 turnovers a game (leading the nation)

Top 10 Poll
1. Texas (13-0)
2. Wisconsin (10-1)
3. St. Joseph's (12-1)
4. Kentucky (11-0)
5. Villanova (12-1)
6. St. John's (12-0)
7. Tennessee (12-0)
8. Marquette (11-2)
9. Creighton (12-0)
10. Ohio State (11-1)

[bbgunn]

Woot! Nice start there.

[GoBlue2419]

January 2020 Update

* we are now ranked #24.
- Lampkin and Vinson complain about playing time.

- Hammer - Very high - we're #4 behind Duke, North Carolina, and Memphis, but they have not offered him yet.
- Desplain and Hall fail to qualify.

Start ACC Play
1/1/20 - beat NC State (12-2, 1-0) - We limit them to 31% overall, 19% on threes, and force 20 turnovers. On the flip side we shot 46% overall, 53% on threes (9-17). Wendling led us in scoring with 18 points, Westover added 16 points, Kruse scored 12, and Nesbit added 10. Lykins grabbed 9 rebounds, Westover had 8 boards, and Dutcher added 7. Wendling hit 4 of 5 from the three-point line. Wilbur Mosqueda led NC State with 14 points.

1/4/20 - beat Louisville 79-66 (13-2, 2-0) - Louisville turned the ball over 24 times, dooming them in this match-up. Each team shot 46% overall, with Louisville hitting 33% of their threes, and we hit 41% of ours. We won the rebounding battle 39-33. Westover scored 22 to lead us in scoring, with Kruse adding 15 and Wendling scoring 14. Dutcher pulled down 12 rebounds. Wendling dished out 6 assists and also picked up 6 steals. Westover also had 3 steals. Westover hit 5 of 14 three-pointers he shot. Clemente Struble led Louisville with 23 points, though he also had 8 turnovers.

* we have moved up to #17 this week.

1/8/20 - lose at Syracuse 100-71 (13-3, 2-1) - We turn the ball over 21 times, and Syracuse shoots 58% overall to our 40%. Lykins had 7 of the turnovers, and Arnold Sanchez had 4. Wendling scored 20 points to lead us, with Lykins scoring 19. Westover and Kruse scored 6 and 7 respectively, and Kruse shot just 3 of 12. Lykins and Dutcher both had 7 rebounds to lead us there. Paul Herald scored 29 for Syracuse (11-4, 2-1), while Andrew Sanchez added 20.

1/11/20 - lose at Georgia Tech 70-67 (13-4, 2-2) - We are now 2-3 on the road, compared with 8-0 at home. Our shooting struggles as the visiting team, as we shoot just 39% overall, 33% on threes (5-15). Kruse hits just 6 of 18 from the floor. Wendling led us in scoring with 17 points, Kruse had 15, and Lykins scored 15. Dutcher and Wilmer Begley led us on the boards with 6. Jordon Fowlkes led Georgia Tech (6-9, 2-2) with 18 points.

* We fall out of the Top 25 this week.

1/15/20 - win at Virginia 84-79 (14-4, 3-2) - We trailed at half, but pulled away in the 2nd half, primarily due to free throw shooting and rebounding. We out-rebounded them 52-43, and hit 17 of 20 free throws as a team. Overall we shot 43%, and 36% from three-point land. They shot 41% overall, and 32% on threes. Lykins scored a career-high 29 points to lead the way, while Westover and Nesbit scored 11 points each. Dutcher pulled down 10 rebounds, and Alsup added 8 boards. Wendling picked up 3 steals. PG Dorsey Ashford led Virginia (6-10, 3-2) with 20 points, and C Jasper Foltz had 19 rebounds.

1/22/20 - win at Clemson 86-75 (15-4, 4-2) - We again trailed at half, 47-42 this time, but play well in the 2nd half to pull out the win. Clemson turns the ball over 17 times, while we turned it over 11 times. We shot 47% overall, 33% on threes, while they shot 44% overall, 29% from the three-point line. We won the rebounding battle 40-38. Our fab freshmen led the way offensively, with Kruse scoring 24 and Westover getting 23. Wendling added 18, and Lykins scored 10. Westover also added 10 rebounds, and Dutcher pulled down 9 boards. Lykins also picked up 5 steals. Sterling Harley led Clemson (13-4, 3-3) in scoring with 14 points.

1/25/20 - beat Georgia Tech 79-73 (16-4, 5-2) - Another big game from Lykins fuels us to victory. He scored 26 points and had 9 rebounds to lead the way. Alsup scored 11 points off the bench, and Wendling added 10. Dutcher had 10 rebounds to lead the team. Craig Kruse had 8 assists, offsetting his off-shooting night (3-13), while also getting 7 rebounds. Wendling had 6 assists as well. Howard Rowe led Georgia Tech (6-12, 2-5) with 23 points.

* we move back into the Top 25 at #21.

1/29/20 - lose to Miami 85-83 (16-5, 5-3) - Well, after moving back into the Top 25, we're sure to fall out again after this loss, our first loss at home this year. Irvin Alsup hit a three at the buzzer to bring us close, but not close enough. Miami shot 56% from the field, and hit 44% of its threes, allowing them to overcome 20 turnovers. We shot 44% overall, but shot just 32% on threes, and hit just 62% of our free throws. Kruse scored 20 to lead us, Westover added 19, Wendling scored 12, and Lykins hit for 11. Dutcher got 13 rebounds to lead all players. Westover picked up 4 steals. Carter Tardif scored 17 points to lead Miami (8-11, 2-6).

ACC Conference Standings after January
Virginia Tech (7-1)
Florida State (6-2)
Boston College (6-2)
Virginia (5-2)
Syracuse (5-3)
Notre Dame (5-3)
Duke (4-3)
Clemson (4-4)
Wake Forest (3-4)
North Carolina (3-4)
North Carolina State (2-6)
Pittsburgh (2-6)
Georgia Tech (2-6)
Miami (2-6)
Louisville (2-6)

[GoldenEagle]

Updates?

[GoBlue2419]

Yes, more should be coming soon. I've been on vacation and the dynasty postings caught up to where I am at in the save itself.

[Balldog]

This a very good read! Congrats on the success so far. I think I will be starting my own soon. I just want to tweak my start up files a little more.

[GoBlue2419]

This a very good read! Congrats on the success so far. I think I will be starting my own soon. I just want to tweak my start up files a little more.

Thanks Balldog! I appreciate it, and good luck on your dynasty. I look forward to reading along.

[GoBlue2419]

February 2020 Update

- Henry Hammer commits.
- Isaac Sparks, Graig Lampkin, and Chris Vinson complain about playing time.

Leading Scorers: Kruse (15.7 PPG), Lykins (15.3), Westover (13.8)
Leading Rebounders: Dutcher (9.0 RPG), Lykins (5.5), Kruse (4.7)
Leading Assists: Kruse (3.7 APG), Wendling (3.6), Westover (2.4)
Leading Steals: Wendling (2.3 SPG), Westover (1.9), Lykins (1.2)
Leading Blocks: Lykins (0.8 BPG)
Leading Shooters: Alsup (53%), Wendling (47.3%), Westover (47.1%)
Leading 3PT: Lykins (37.7% - 26-69), Wendling (37.3% - 28-75)
Leading FreeThrows: Sanchez (85% - 22-26), Wendling (82% - 46-56)

ACC Standings
Virginia Tech (7-1)
Florida State (6-2)
Boston College (6-2)
Virginia (5-2)
Syracuse (5-3)
Notre Dame (5-3)
Duke (4-3)
Clemson (4-4)
Wake Forest (3-4)
North Carolina (3-4)
NC State (2-6)
Pitt (2-6)
Georgia Tech (2-6)
Miami (2-6)
Louisville (2-6)

- 2/1/20 - lose at Louisville 70-63 (16-6, 5-4) - We really struggle on the road, now 4-4 away from South Bend. We shot just 37% overall, and 14% (2-14) on threes. Louisville, meanwhile, shot 54% overall, and 40% (4-10) on threes. Kruse scored 17 points, Lykins added 13, and Westover scored 12. Lykins and Dutcher both had 7 rebounds to lead us. Westover turned the ball over 5 times, and missed all 4 three-pointers he shot. Louisville (10-11, 3-6) was led by Joseph Monteiro with 17 points.

* as expected we fall out of the Top 25 again.

2/5/20 - win at Boston College 84-56 (17-6, 6-4) - This one was over early, as we play one of our best overall games of the year at BC. We shot 49% overall, 50% on threes (6-12), and hit 80% of our free throws. BC shot 30% overall, and just 2 of 19 on threes. Kruse scored 20 points to lead us, with Westover adding 19, Lykins with 14, and Ulrich Fleurkin hit for his career high with 12. Lykins pulled down 10 boards, and Dutcher added 8. Westover did have 6 turnovers, the only negative in the game, although Scott Wendling went scoreless. BC (14-6, 6-4) was led by Richard Robinson with 9 points.

2/8/20 - lose to North Carolina 89-74 (17-7, 6-5) - After playing our best game perhaps of the year against Boston College, we struggle against a struggling North Carolina team. NC hit 51% of their shots overall, and 35% from the three-point line, while we shot 38% overall, and 22% on threes. Lykins led us with 14 points, Kruse scored 13, Fleurkin scored 12 again, and Dutcher and Westover added 10 each. Alsup grabbed 10 boards off the bench. Westover hit only 1 of 8 three-point shots. Paul Withrow led North Carolina (12-10, 5-5) with 20 points.

* Besides the loss, the other piece of negative news coming out of the North Carolina game is Craig Kruse is struggling with patellar tendinitis, and will probably miss about 21 days.

2/12/20 - win at Florida State 89-86 (18-7, 7-5) - Nip and tuck the whole way, we held a one-point lead at half, and Florida State misses a three at the buzzer that would have tied it. We shot 44% overall, 27% on threes, while Florida State shot 40% overall, 33% on threes. We held a slight rebounding edge, 51-50, but turned the ball over 15 times to their 10. Lykins scored 26 points to lead all scorers, and also led all players with 10 rebounds. Westover and Alsup scored 13, Arnold Sanchez, starting in Kruse's absence, scored 12, and Fleurkin added 11 off the bench. Wendling dished out 9 assists, but missed all 8 three-point shots he attempted. Bart Godefroy led Florida State with 22 points.

2/15/20 - beat Virginia 82-75 (19-7, 8-5) - Despite stressing we don't need to shoot so many three-point shots, we still come out and shoot 19, hitting just 5 of them. But we shot 49% overall, and turned the ball over just 10 times, to help us get the win. Westover scored 22 to lead all scorers, Wendling added 21, and Lykins had 14. Lykins also had 11 rebounds to lead us there. Wendling dished out 6 assists. Westover also had 4 steals and blocked 2 shots, but also had 6 of our 10 turnovers. Steven Janowski led Virginia (9-14, 6-6) in scoring with 16 points.

2/19/20 - win at Virginia Tech 82-77 (20-7, 9-5) - We almost blow an 11 point half-time lead, but hold on for the W. Turnovers almost cost us, as we turn the ball over a season-high 27 times. Wendling and Westover each had 6 turnovers, and Lykins had 5. But a huge 50-33 rebounding advantage helped secure the win. Lykins had 15 points, Westover 14, Sparks 13 points in 6 minutes of PT, and 10 points each from Sanchez and Fleurkin. Wendling had 6 assists. Howard Crozier led Virginia Tech (17-8, 9-4) with 16 points.

2/22/20 - beat Duke 84-62 (21-7, 10-5) - we beat the Dukies and former ND coach Mike Brey in a surprisingly easy manner. Duke hit just 1 of 22 three-pointers they shot, and hit just 38% of their shots overall. We shot 44% overall, and 8 of 17 from the three-point line, and also out-rebounded the Blue Devils 46-38. Scott Wendling led us in scoring with 21 points, Lykins added 18, and Lucius Nesbit chipped in 13 points. Lykins and Dutcher both grabbed 8 rebounds. As a team we assisted on 20 of our total 27 field goals. Duke (17-8, 9-5) was led by Carey Scala with 21 points.

* One downer coming out of the Duke game is a sprained knee for Neil Westover. He is expected to miss around 8 days, which means we will be without both Westover and Kruse for possibly 2 games.

2/26/20 - lost at NC State 92-82 (21-8, 10-6) - NC State turned the ball over just 8 times, and shot 49% overall, and 85% from the free throw line (29-34) to key their victory. We won the rebounding battle, 43-34, but turned the ball over 15 times, while shooting 41% from the field. Lykins led us with 29 points, Wendling scored 20, and Ulrich Fleurkin added 14. Lykins also grabbed 10 rebounds to lead us. Thomas Dutcher also blocked 3 shots. PG Claude Dillon led NC State (16-12, 8-8) with 21 points.

2/29/20 - beat Syracuse 71-56 (22-8, 11-6) - We pick up a big win, helped in part by the return of Westover and Kruse. We forced 19 Syracuse turnovers, held them to 35% shooting overall, and 29% three-point shooting. We also grabbed 44 team rebounds to their 30. We shot 43% overall, and hit 6 of 15 threes. Wendling scored 22 points to lead us, while Kruse added 13 in his return, and Westover and Lykins chipped in 11 each. Dutcher grabbed 13 boards. Westover added 6 assists. Syracuse (19-10, 10-6) was led by SG Pascal Bauvin with 14 points, while PF Brent Joe blocked 5 shots.

[GoBlue2419]

March 2020 Update

ACC Standings
Florida State (11-5)
Virginia Tech (11-5)
Notre Dame (11-6)
Syracuse (10-6)
Duke (10-6)
Boston College (10-7)
Virginia (9-7)
North Carolina (9-7)
NC State (8-8)
Wake Forest (8-8)
Clemson (7-9)
Louisville (5-11)
Miami (5-11)
Pitt (4-12)
Georgia Tech (3-13)

- Chris Vinson, Isaac Sparks, and Graig Lampkin are all unhappy with the lack of playing time.
- SG Lee Cleveland declines our offer to attend Marquette.
- we offer a scholarship to SG Immanuel Krug (#302, Germany)

3/4/20 - beat Wake Forest 61-49 (23-8, 12-6) - Tough M2M defense fuels the win in our final regular season game, as we hold WF to 29% shooting overall, 19% on threes. Meanwhile, we shot 44% overall, 7 of 11 on threes. Westover scored 18 to lead us, with Lykins scoring 13, and Kruse adding 12. Westover added 8 rebounds, and Lykins blocked 3 shots. He also picked up 3 steals. Erwin Fussell led Wake Forest (16-13, 8-9) with 14 points.

* Florida State lost to Duke, and Virginia Tech beat Miami, so Virginia Tech wraps up the regular season ACC crown.
* We move back into the Top 25 Poll as the #23 team.

We end up as the 2nd seed in the ACC Tournament.

[GoBlue2419]

2020 ACC Tournament

ACC Bubble Watch
In - North Carolina (19-13)
Out - Florida State (20-10), Boston College (20-10)

ACC Tournament
1st Round
(12) Louisville beat (13) Miami 69-41
(14) Pitt beat (11) Clemson 60-55

2nd Round
(9) NC State beat (8) Virginia 63-62
(12) Louisville beat (5) Florida State 75-66
(7) North Carolina beat (10) Wake Forest 76-72
(6) Boston College beat (14) Pitt 94-75

Quarterfinals
We beat North Carolina 86-77 (24-8, 12-6) - Good shooting and defense key the win against North Carolina. We shot 53% overall, and hold NC to 40%, while forcing 15 turnovers, which allow us to overcome getting out-rebounded 46-30. All five starters scored in double figures, led by Wendling with 18, Kruse with 13, Dutcher and Westover with 12, and Lykins with 11. Dutcher also had 11 rebounds, while Wendling added 5 steals and 5 assists. PF Alex Adamski led North Carolina (19-13, 11-7) with 15 points.

(1) Virginia Tech beat (9) NC State 72-63
(4) Duke beat (12) Louisville 91-69
(3) Syracuse beat (6) Boston College 78-71

Semifinals
We beat Syracuse 60-54 (25-8, 12-6) - Both teams shot poorly, 36% for us, 30% for them, but Syracuse turned the ball over 19 times to just 7 for us. That was the key as Syracuse out-rebounded us 52-37. Irvin Alsup led us in scoring with 14 points, while Westover added 10. Dutcher pulled down 12 rebounds, while Westover added 3 steals. Paul Herald led Syracuse (22-11, 12-6) with 11 points.

* Westover sprained his ankle and will likely miss the ACC Championship Game.

(1) Virginia Tech beat (4) Duke 69-64

Finals
Virginia Tech beats us 69-68 - Seventeen turnovers doom us, as we shoot better than the Hokies and out-rebound them as well. We shot 48% overall, 31% on threes, to their 45% overall and 25% on threes. Lykins led us in scoring with 17 points, while Wendling and Kruse scored 10 points. Alsup pulled down 10 rebounds to lead us, while Dutcher added 9 boards. Ken Parrish led Virginia Tech (24-9, 13-5) with 18 points.

* We move up to #21 in the Top 25 Poll

[GoBlue2419]

2020 NCAA Tournament Preview

#1 Seeds
West - Wisconsin (31-3)
Midwest - Texas (30-3)
South - Missouri (27-4)
East - Marquette (27-6)

- we end up as the #4 seed in the East region, and will face 13th seed Monmouth.
- Other ACC Teams in Tourney - Duke (8th seed in Midwest), Virginia Tech (4th seed in South), Syracuse (7th seed in East), North Carolina (11b seed in East).

[GoBlue2419]

2020 NCAA Tournament Rounds 1 & 2

First Round
- we beat Monmouth 111-90 (26-9, 12-6) - This game was full-speed ahead the entire game. We scored 58 points in the 1st half, and shot 62% overall, and 50% (7-14) on threes. Monmouth hung in there with 54% shooting overall, 52% on threes, to help them overcome 22 turnovers. Wendling and Kruse both score 27 points to lead us, and Lykins added 21, while Lucius Nesbit scored 17 off the bench. Dutcher led us in rebounding with 8, Wendling added 6 steals, and dished out 7 assists. Williams Williams (yes, that is his name) led Monmouth (23-10, 13-5) with 17 points.

Other notable 1st Round Games
West - (1) Wisconsin beat (16) Chicago State 110-61.
West - (13) Fairfield beat (4) Florida 87-78
West - (12) Fresno State beat (5) Houston 77-62
Midwest - (8) Duke beat (9) Rhode Island 94-92
South - (4) Virginia Tech beat (13) Hampton 59-54
South - (15) Grambling State beat (2) St. John's 54-52
South (11) West Virginia beat (6) Colorado 65-43
East - (12) UMBC beat (5) Rice 73-72
East - (10) UConn beat (7) Syracuse 74-54
East - (14) Santa Clara beat (3) Kansas 68-66

Second Round
- we beat UMBC 63-55 (27-9, 12-6) - We trailed at half 32-25, but a strong 2nd half catapulted us to the win. Poor shooting was the name of the game, as we hit just 30% of our shots, and all 5 threes we attempted, while they shot just 27% overall, and 4 of 21 on threes. We got to the free throw line 39 times, making 31 of them, to spur on the win. Kruse led us with 19 points, and Wendling added 11. Thomas Dutcher was a behemoth on the glass, pulling down a career-high 22 rebounds. Daniel Childs led UMBC (27-7) in scoring with 9 points.

Other Notable 2nd Round Games
West - (13) Fairfield beat (12) Fresno State 59-43
Midwest - (7) Oklahoma beat (2) Memphis 73-62
Midwest - (6) Creighton beat (3) Tennessee 86-76
South - (4) Virginia Tech beat (5) USC 80-65
South - (15) Grambling State beat (7) Cincinnati 75-74
South - (11) West Virginia beat (3) Alabama 103-94
East - (8) Arizona beat (1) Marquette 83-74
East - (14) Santa Clara beat (6) Seton Hall 55-52

Sweet Sixteen
- this is the first time one of my teams has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. We will play 8th seed Arizona, who is 22-11 on the season. They are led by SG Wilford Carlin (14.2 PPG), PF Duane Gastelum (12.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG), SF Demetrius Valentino (10.1 PPG), and C Claude Burris (5.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG). They average 73.7 PPG as a team, and give up 65.4 points a game.

[GoBlue2419]

2020 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen Round

- we beat Arizona 78-61 (28-9, 12-6) - we advance to the Elite Eight with the win over Arizona. We jumped out to a 53-33 half-time lead, and really never looked back. We shot 47% overall, 40% on threes, while Arizona shot just 39% overall, 20% on threes. Kruse led us in scoring with 19 points, while Wendling added 16, and Nesbit scored 11 off the bench. Sanchez led us with 9 rebounds. Wilford Carlin led Arizona (22-12, 12-6) in scoring with 14 points.

Other Round of 16 Games
West - (1) Wisconsin beat (13) Fairfield 60-47
West - (3) Georgetown beat (2) Cal 55-45
Midwest - (1) Texas beat (4) Villanova 92-84
Midwest - (7) Oklahoma beat (6) Creighton 81-73
South - (1) Missouri beat (4) Virginia Tech 69-63
South - (11) West Virginia beat (15) Grambling State 65-53
East - (2) Arkansas beat (14) Santa Clara 61-42

We face #8 Arkansas, who is 30-7 on the season. They average 81.6 points a game, and give up 69.4 points per game. Their leading players include SG King Morin (), who averages 17.4 PPG, SF Joseph Oliver (), averaging 14.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and PF Broderick Smith (), averaging 13.5 PPG and 5.5 RPG.

[GoBlue2419]

2020 NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Round

- we beat Arkansas 77-72 (29-9, 12-6) - We advance to the Final Four!! Strong team defense was key here, as we held the Razorbacks to 35% shooting, while out-rebounding them 50-46. We also assisted on 21 of 27 field goals. We led at half 38-33. Donn Lykins led us in scoring with 24 points, while Irvin Alsup added 12, Sanchez and Fleurkin scored 11. Dutcher grabbed 16 rebounds, and Alsup had 10 boards. Kruse picked up 7 assists as well. Joseph Oliver led Arkansas with 14 points.

Other Round of 8 Games
West - (3) Georgetown beat (1) Wisconsin 79-69
Midwest - (1) Texas beat (7) Oklahoma 84-77
South - (1) Missouri beat (11) West Virginia 61-39


We will face #2 Texas in the Final Four Match-up. The Longhorns are 34-3, and went 14-2 in the Big 12 conference. Their key players are SG Michael Coney (Sr), averaging 22.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, SF Stanley Schauer (Jr), averaging 14.7 PPG and 5.0 RPG, PG Johnathon Trott (So), averaging 11.8 PPG and 7.4 APG, and C Sean Burse (Jr), averaging 10.2 PPG and 9.5 RPG. They average 81.3 points a game as a team, and give up just 64.7 per game.

[GoBlue2419]

2020 NCAA Tournament Final Four

- we lose to Texas 76-54 (29-10, 12-6) - and our season comes to a close, losing out to a much better team in Texas. We came out playing strictly zone after being primarily a man-to-man team, and it worked for a half, as we were down just 27-24 at half. But Texas started hitting most of their shots, and turned this one into a runaway. They shot 51% overall, and hit 42% of its threes (11-26), while we shot 37% overall, and hit just 4 of 17 threes. They also manhandled us on the boards, grabbing 42 rebounds to our 28. Lykins scored 17 points, and is the only Irish player in double digit points. He also led us in rebounding with 7. Wendling dished out 6 assists and picked up 3 steals in his final game in a Notre Dame uniform. Michael Coney led Texas with 21 points.

Missouri beat Georgetown 70-63.

Final
Missouri 90, Texas 77

[GoBlue2419]

2019-2020 Season Recap

NCAA Champion: Missouri (defeated Texas 90-77)
NIT Champion: Utah State (defeated Missouri State 74-68)
CBI Champion: Air Force (defeated Cornell 75-62, 64-56)
CIT Champion: Campbell (defeated VCU 69-55)

NCAA Player of the Year: SR SG Michael Coney, Texas (22.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.3 APG, 2.1 SPG)
NCAA Freshman of the Year: SG Antoine Wells, Alabama (23.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.0 APG)
NCAA Coach of the Year: Frank Haith, Missouri (33-4, 14-2)

All-American Team
C: SR Joseph Jones, Troy
PF: JR Daniel Bruce, Kansas
SF: SR James Goodin, Tennessee
SG: SR Michael Coney, Texas
PG: JR James Sommer, Boise State

* Craig Kruse named to the Freshman All-American Team

ACC Player of the Year: SO SG Byron Huthwaite, Duke (15.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.1 APG, 2.5 APG)
ACC Freshman of the Year: PG Craig Kruse, Notre Dame (15.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.0 APG)
ACC Coach of the Year: Seth Greenberg, Virginia Tech (26-10, 13-5)

All-ACC First Team
C: JR Steven Marshall, Duke
PF: SR Brent Joe, Syracuse
SF: SR Ricky Menard, Louisville
SG: SO Byron Huthwaite, Duke
PG: JR Dorsey Ashford, Virginia

All-ACC Second Team
C: SR Donn Lykins, Notre Dame
PF: SR Erwin Fussell, Wake Forest
SF: JR Earle Blair, Pittsburgh
SG: SO Carey Scala, Duke
PG: SO Raphael Bronson, Duke

All-ACC Freshman Team
C: Cedric Carter, North Carolina
PF: Richard Sarver, Georgia Tech
SF: Frank Patch, North Carolina
SG: Neil Westover, Notre Dame
PG: Craig Kruse, Notre Dame

[GoBlue2419]

Final 2019-2020 ACC Standings
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/ACCConfFinalStandings_19-20.jpeg

Final 2019-2020 Notre Dame Stats
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/NotreDameFinalRegSeasonStats_19-20.jpeg

Final 2019-2020 Notre Dame Shooting Stats
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/NotreDameFinalRegSeasonShootingStats_19-20.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

Final Recruiting Class

C Tim Roberts, 6'9", 208 lbs. (5*, #10) - Pleasant Grove HS, Utah - Mr. Basketball (Utah)
PG Henry Hammer, 6'2", 180 lbs. (5*, #19) - Triton HS, North Carolina
PF Andrew Clegg, 6'10", 217 lbs. (4*, #68) - Glenbard East HS, Illinois
SG Immanuel Krug, 6'1", 178 lbs. (3*, #302) - Germany

Our class ends ranked 6th best overall.

1. Illinois (1 5*, 4 4*)
2. USC
3. Stanford
4. North Carolina
5. Villanova
6. Notre Dame
7. Vanderbilt
8. Wisconsin
9. Oklahoma
10. Houston

I have my first recruit playing in the High School All-American Game, as Andrew Clegg scores 17 points, 5 rebounds, shooting 8-12 from the floor.

[GoBlue2419]

2020-2021 Preseason News

* Neil Westover does in fact decide to leave after his freshman year.
- he was the 7th overall pick in the NBA Draft.

- Our prestige jumps +3 up to 92.

- Graig Lampkin will transfer to another school due to lack of playing time. He's the player from my (Luke's) HS alma mater, Hersey High School, so I'm disappointed, but understand as he got basically no PT for us.

- My Coaching skills receive an improvement. I give 15 points to Coaching Offense, and 5 to Coaching Defense.

- Recruiting Coordinator Darren Garrick would like a raise to $160,000. He is currently making $140,000, and it is hard to argue given our last two recruiting classes, so I agree to it.

Head Coaching Round
- Coaching Assistant Paul Marion gets hired at Bucknell as their Head Coach.
- Oregon State offers me their head coaching job, but I decline.

Notable Head Coaching Moves
Central Florida - Hires King Rice, who was head coach at Temple.
Evansville - fires Marty Simmons. Hires Pat Knight from Lamar as his replacement.
Fairleigh Dickinson - hires Brian Gregory as head coach. Gregory was most recently an assistant at Ohio State after getting fired from Georgia Tech.
George Washington - hires Tommy Amaker from Ohio.
Kansas State - Jerry Slocum retired. Hired Morton Allmon, as assistant at Wyoming, as his replacement.
Kentucky - John Calipari retires. Hired Steve Masiello from Duquesne as his replacement.
Oregon - fired Dana Altman. Hired Keith Dambrot from Illinois State as his replacement.
Oregon State - fired Craig Robinson. Hired Tony Lizotte from Utah State as his replacement.
USC - Kevin O'Neill retired. Hired Napolean Coley from Cal State-Fullerton as his replacement.
Temple - hired Gib Arnold from Hawaii to replace King Rice.
Hawaii - hired Albert Esparza, an assistant from Kansas, as Head Coach.
UCLA - Steve Fisher retired. Hired Dan Hurley from St. Joseph's as his replacement.
Virginia - fired Tony Bennett. Hired Mitch Henderson from Princeton as his replacement.
Virginia Tech - Seth Greenberg retired. Hired Cliff Warren from Rhode Island as his replacement.

Assistant Coaching Round
- I offer Ben Jacobson, who was just fired as Head Coach at DePaul, the Coaching Assistant position. I offer him $140,000/year, and he accepts.

Transfer Period
- I offer a scholarship to SF Darnell Barrett (Jr), currently at Memphis. He was the 76th-ranked recruit coming out of high school, was a HS All-American, and Mr. Basketball in Arkansas that year, but has had little playing time at Arkansas thus far.
- he accepts.

- we receive an invite to the Las Vegas Shootout as the #2 seed.

[GoBlue2419]

July 2020 Update

- we just have 1 scholarship available. Our lone senior is PF Wilmer Begley, but he is a walk-on. Small forward is our biggest area of need probably.
- Initial Very Highs - SG Andrew Dixon (5*, #18), SF Deshawn Briggs (3*, #254), C Joel Rupp (3*, #138), C Eldridge Oquinn (3*, #219), PG Tyrell Lutes (3*, #210), PG Chris Hardman (3*, #161), C Tony Searles (3*, #163)

- we offer a scholarship initially to SG Daniel Crim (5*, #15), from Killian Senior HS, Florida.

[bbgunn]

Haha... had to laugh at Williams Williams...

[GoBlue2419]

August 2020 Update

The players we are really hitting hard are:
- SG Dexter Curley (5*, #9) - from Mt. Zion HS, IL
- SG Daniel Crim
- SF James Flynn (5*, #17) - from Wewahitchka Senior HS, FL
- SG Randall Abney (5*, #4) - from Boonville HS, Indiana (has not qualified yet)
- SF Colin Hill (5*, #7) - from Charlottesville HS, VA

[GoBlue2419]

September 2020 Update

Crim has an offer from Florida and has them #1, so we shift our offer to Curley.

[GoBlue2419]

November 2020 Update

- Curley declines our offer to attend Wisconsin.
- we extend an offer to SG Kenneth Abney (4*, #63) - Canada

- we decide to redshirt Immanuel Krug.

- Early mock draft projects think Roberts will be a Top 5 pick in the upcoming draft, and is a certainty to leave early.
- Projections for Clegg are late 2nd Round and he is not expected to leave early.

[GoBlue2419]

First two posts (Career History) updated after 2019-2020 season results.

[GoBlue2419]

2020-2021 Season Preview

Notre Dame Roster
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/NotreDame_2021_Roster.jpeg

Depth Chart
C - Tim Roberts (Fr)
PF - Irvin Alsup (So)
SF - Ulrich Fleurkin (So)
SG - Chris Vinson (Jr)
PG - Craig Kruse (So)
6th - C/PF Thomas Dutcher (Jr)
7th - PG/SG Henry Hammer (Fr)
8th - C/PF Andrew Clegg (Fr)
9th - PG Luigi Lunn (So)
10th - SF Issac Sparks (So)
11th - PF Wilmer Begley (Sr)
12th - C Daniel Benighof (So)
13th - SG Darrel McKeon (Fr)

Schedule
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/NotreDameNonConfSched_20-21.jpeg
http://www.domstenfamily.com/images/gregoryFBCB/NotreDameConfSched_20-21.jpeg

[GoBlue2419]

November 2020 Update

11/13/20 - beat Evansville 84-82 (1-0) - We start the season with a closer game than I expected. Evansville shot 53% overall, and 44% on threes, while also out-rebounding us 36-29. We shot well also, 54% overall, and 41% on threes, otherwise we may have lost this one. Tim Roberts had a big game in his first collegiate game,tallying 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Chris Vinson scored 18 points, Irvin Alsup added 12, Kruse had 11, and Ulrich Fleurkin scored 10. Kruse also added 10 assists for a double-double, while also getting 3 steals. Henry Bischoff led Evansville (0-1) with 21 points.

* We move into the Top 25 at #21.

11/17/20 - beat Ball State 62-60 (2-0) - Whew, another closer game than should have been. Still working through adjustments with 4 new starters from a year ago. Our front court was in foul trouble most of the game, with Alsup eventually fouling out. Kruse led us in scoring with 19 points, while Fleurkin added 9 rebounds to lead us there. We shot just 32% overall, and 3 of 13 on threes, but turned the ball over just 7 times. Ball State was led by Richard King with 23 points.

* We move up to #15 in the Polls.

11/24/20 - beat Bucknell 69-62 (3-0) - We do battle against my former assistant Paul Marion in his first head coaching gig. Bucknell actually led at halftime, 36-33. We shot just 37% overall, and 23% on threes, but the Bison shot just 34% overall. Roberts scored 18 points to lead us, while Fleurkin added 13 points. Alsup grabbed 11 rebounds to lead us. Roberts also blocked 4 shots. Henry Kile led Bucknell with 12 points.

11/28/20 - beat Auburn 84-73 (4-0) - We were able to overcome 31 points by Auburns Rolland Rundell for the win. We shot 49% overall, and 43% on threes, and picked up 46 rebounds to their 35. Roberts and Kruse scored 16 points each to lead us in scoring, while Vinson added 15, and Fleurkin scored 13 points. Roberts also grabbed 12 rebounds, and Kruse added 6 assists. Fleurkin and Vinson each hit 3 three-pointers.

* We move up to #11 in the Top 25 Poll.

[GoBlue2419]

December 2020 Update

* In perhaps a risky move that could offset our flow, I decide to move Dutcher back into the starting lineup at PF, and start freshman Henry Hammer at SG. Alsup will be the 6th man, and Vinson moves to 7th in our rotation.

12/1/20 - won at Michigan 90-74 (5-0) - Won against my alma mater again. Roberts had a huge game for us, scoring 32 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, to lead us. Kruse added 18 points, while also dishing out 8 assists. We picked up 13 offensive rebounds on our way to winning the rebounding battle 40-30. We also shot 54% overall, and 31% on threes, to Michigan's 45% overall. Michigan's (1-4) William McClinton led them with 17 points.

12/5/20 - beat Akron 51-39 (6-0) - A defensive battle here, with a 28-18 half-time lead for us. We shot 34% overall, 29% on threes, while Akron shot 32% overall, and 11% on threes. We dominated them on the glass, grabbing 48 rebounds to their 26. Roberts scored 12, and Hammer scored 10 to lead us. Roberts, Dutcher, and Clegg all grabbed 8 rebounds. Roberts also picked up 4 steals. Akron (2-4) was led in scoring by Fritz Pratt with 10 points.

* We are now ranked #8.

12/8/20 - beat Eastern Michigan 81-57 (7-0) - We shot 53% overall, and 55% from the three-point line, and out-rebounded EMU 40-30 for the big win here. Both Roberts and Fleurkin scored 20 points, Kruse added 14, and Hammer scored 10 points. Roberts picked up a double-double with 10 rebounds as well, while also blocking 6 shots. Fleurkin went 4-5 on threes. Kruse also added 7 assists. Eastern Michigan (1-5) was led by Agustin Singleton with 17 points.

12/12/20 - beat Butler 81-75 (8-0) - our unbeaten run continues with our third win over a fellow Indiana school. Rebounding was the key to this win, as we out-rebounded them 45-33, to offset Butler's slight shooting advantage. They shot 41% to our 40% overall, and they hit 40% of their threes to our 39%. Fleurkin scored 22 points, Hammer added 19, Roberts scored 16, and Kruse scored 12. Dutcher led us with 13 rebounds, and Roberts picked up another double-double by grabbing 12 boards. Edgar Wittman led Butler (5-2) with 22 points.

* We are now ranked #5.

Las Vegas Shootout
12/17/20 - beat Jackson State 67-48 (9-0) - A close 29-26 lead at half-time for us turned into a big margin by the end, thanks to stifling defense. Jackson State shot just 30% overall, and hit just 4 of their 20 three-pointers. Meanwhile we shot 42% overall and 29% from beyond the arc. We turned the ball over just 8 times as well, while Jackson State turned it over 19 times. Fleurkin scored 13 to lead us, while Roberts scored 12, and Kruse added 11. Dutcher led us in rebounding with 10 boards. Chris Vinson added 5 steals. Jackson State (3-6) was led by Raul Palacios with 19 points.

12/19/20 - beat Valparaiso 75-57 (10-0) - Another win over an Indiana-based school. We jumped out early and never looked back. We shot 44% overall, 43% on threes, while they shot 38% overall, 38% on threes. We forced 22 Crusader turnovers, while turning it over just 10 times ourselves. Kruse scored 17 points, Roberts added 15, Hammer had 14, Fleurkin scored 13, and Alsup added 10 points. Roberts and Dutcher both grabbed 9 rebounds, while Roberts also blocked 3 shots. Fleurkin went 3-6 from the three-point line. Robby Comstock led Valparaiso (4-6) with 16 points.

* We move up to #3 in the rankings.

12/20/20 - beat Bradley 83-68 (11-0) - We advance to the Las Vegas Shootout championship against #1 Wisconsin with this win. We shot 51% overall, and 40% (4-10) on threes, while Bradley shot 41% from the field, 40% (10-25) from the three-point line. They turned the ball over 19 times, which was a big part of their downfall. Roberts scored 15 points, Hammer added 14, Kruse and Clegg scored 12, and Alsup scored 11 points. Dutcher added 9 rebounds, and Roberts blocked 2 shots. Kruse had 6 assists. Bradley (8-4) was led by Charles Quintana with 13 points.

12/21/20 - lose to Wisconsin 83-61 (11-1) - A very disappointing effort, as we play porous defense to lose by 22. Wisconsin shot 61% overall to fuel their victory, while also out-rebounding us 38-29. We shot just 30% overall. We did turn the ball over only 8 times though, for one positive. Chris Vinson comes off the bench to be the only Irish player in double-digit points, with 13. Andrew Clegg led us in rebounding with 6. Wisconsin (11-0) was led by Gerald Boick with 25 points.

12/26/20 - beat Chicago State 84-57 (12-1) - We take out our frustrations for the Wisconsin loss on Chicago State. We shot 51% overall and hit 6 of 10 three-pointers. Chicago State shot 40% overall, and 47% on threes, but turned the ball over 19 times. We won the rebounding battle 44-35. Roberts led us with 16 points, Hammer added 15, Dutcher scored 14, Fleurkin added 11, and Alsup scored 10. Dutcher grabbed 12 boards also for the double-double. Hammer hit 4 of 6 three-pointers he attempted. Chicago State (3-8) was led by Gilbert Roby with 21 points.

* We fall to #9 in the Top 25 Poll.

ACC Season Begins
12/30/20 - we lose to #13 Boston College 78-72 (12-2, 0-1) - We blow a 40-31 half-time lead as we struggle with fouls in the 2nd half. Boston College shot 49% overall, and hit 33% of their threes, which allowed them to overcome 19 turnovers. We shot 37% overall, and 25% on threes. Roberts picked up another double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while also blocking 6 shots. Kruse scored 13 points, while Fleurkin and Hammer both scored 12 points. Kruse dished out 5 assists. Boston College (12-0) was led by Derrick Liggins with 15 points.

[hoopsguy]

Is the Michigan head coach on shaky ground? Seeing as how they were 1-4 after losing to you guys, it sounds like they might be having some issues.

If the job was to open up, are you well positioned to grab it at this point? Or would it be a long shot at this point?

[GoBlue2419]

Is the Michigan head coach on shaky ground? Seeing as how they were 1-4 after losing to you guys, it sounds like they might be having some issues.

If the job was to open up, are you well positioned to grab it at this point? Or would it be a long shot at this point?

It's possible, but he (Matt Langel, formerly at Colgate) has had them going in the right direction the last two seasons. This is his 7th year at Michigan. He got the job after taking Colgate to the Round of 32 in 2013, and here are his records at Michigan:

2014 - 19-13 (10-8), Loss in NCAA Round 1
2015 - 18-12 (8-8), Loss in NCAA Round 1
2016 - 15-15 (7-9), No postseason
2017 - 13-17 (5-11), No postseason
2018 - 21-14 (7-9), Loss in NIT Round 3
2019 - 25-8 (12-4), Loss in NCAA Round of 32

He's only 45, so certainly not going to retire any time soon. The Board of Trustees is currently satisfied with his performance, but the current goal is to compete for the conference championship, so I guess we'll see how patient the AD is if this season continues to go off the rails.

If it did open up, I would think I would be in a good position to get it. Being an alum, having good success at a high prestige school in a tough conference. The issue could be that Michigan is currently a 77 prestige, while Notre Dame is 92, so I don't know if that will hurt my chances.