Coach Toby Whittaker: Audet Somniare, Parat Laborare (FBCB)

[MoonlightGraham]

Hi again, everyone.

I had so much fun with my Graham Sims dynasty (https://forums.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=98835) for Fast Break College Basketball that I decided to return to this wonderful game for another story.

The laptop on which I played Coach Sims' save has been retired, and I installed a "clean" copy of FBCB on my new computer. I've spent some time over the past month or so editing the database to create the college basketball world in which my new story will take place. Our main character will be Coach Toby Whittaker, whose career had just begun when my story ended. I've magically turned the clock back three decades or so, giving Coach Whittaker a chance to begin his career in the 2010s.

I've added two conferences to Division I for this story: the New England Conference and the Centennial Conference. Both leagues are closely based on real Division III conferences. Here's a look at their membership:

New England Conference: Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts, Wesleyan, Williams.

Centennial Conference: Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Haverford, Johns Hopkins, McDaniel, Muhlenberg, Swarthmore, Ursinus, Washington (MD).

Our story will begin in the spring of 2013.

Coach Whittaker is 25 years old. He grew up in Falls Church, Virginia, and after a successful high school career at St. Stephens & St. Agnes School, Toby walked on at the University of Virginia. In his four years in Charlottesville, he saw just over 100 minutes of court time in 19 appearances. He completed his B.A. in History with the Class of 2010.

Toby knew his talent would take him only so far as a player. He was still in high school when he first expressed his interest in coaching, and his coaches at UVA encouraged and fostered his interest in the profession. Head coach Tom Schumann offered Toby a position as a graduate assistant, and for two seasons, Coach Whittaker worked on the Cavaliers' staff while he completed his M.A. in Higher Education.

Now, Coach Whittaker is teaching and coaching at St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville. While he loves what he's doing, he dreams of heading a college program of his own one day. As the 2013/14 season begins, we join Coach Whittaker as he waits for an opportunity to enter the Division I coaching ranks.

Game Notes: I added about 250 high schools to my game's database, mostly independent schools from the Northeast and Middle Atlantic states. I let a random number generator choose the school where Coach Whittaker is coaching high school ball; it picked STAB, and I constructed Toby's backstory from there.

The Latin motto of the title roughly translates to "He dares to dream, he prepares to work." My apologies to my high school Latin teacher if my translation is a bit off. ;)

[MoonlightGraham]

I'll begin the tale of Coach Whittaker's universe by fast-simming through a season or two, or three, or four. At the end of each season, I'll look at the offers Toby has received. If one of them looks like a good fit for him, I'll have him take it.

Coach Whittaker will begin his career as a Level 5 coach. That will make him roughly as talented as the coaches at most smaller programs. For example, all the coaches in the Centennial and New England Conferences are Level 5.

[Chas in Cinti]

Following...

[MoonlightGraham]

Following...

It'll be great to have you along, Chas! Hopefully Coach Whittaker's story will be as much fun as Coach Sims' was.

Toby has landed his first job, and I'll be back soon to set the stage for the beginning of his coaching journey.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2019

Toby Whittaker was announced today as the new head men's basketball coach at Amherst.

https://i.imgur.com/7QyaibA.jpeg

The Mammoths have struggled throughout the six-year history of my universe.

AMHERST TEAM PERFORMANCE

Season Team W L CW CL Rank RPI PRS Result
----------------------------------------------------------------
2018 Amherst 12 19 8 10 273 261 9 No Postseason
2017 Amherst 5 25 4 14 363 366 8 No Postseason
2016 Amherst 13 19 7 11 262 268 10 No Postseason
2015 Amherst 10 20 8 10 306 318 10 No Postseason
2014 Amherst 10 20 6 12 289 337 11 No Postseason
2013 Amherst 8 23 6 12 317 355 12 No Postseason

A 58-126 mark over those six seasons cost coach Donny Baker his job. The resulting loss of Prestige--from 12 to 9--has dropped Amherst to the tenth-lowest mark in all of Division I. Coach Whittaker has quite a job ahead of him.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2019

I couldn't afford to spend more than $30,000/year on assistant coaches' salaries, but I ended up being able to find three coaches I'm fairly happy with.

https://i.imgur.com/DXy1Kdt.png

Our staff is at least as good as most of the other programs in the New England Conference. Forrest Gill is a Level 1 coach, and the Davids are both Level 0.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2019

Recruiting season is about to begin. We have $7,819 to spend each month, and we have four scholarships to offer. We will have to concentrate our efforts on players who live close to home.

After projecting our depth chart for the next two years, I've identified our recruiting priorities. We need a big man and a point guard who will be ready to step in right away. We need another big man with whom we could be patient, and we could probably use a wing. Ideally, they'll all be good defenders--we're way too easy to score against--but the PG absolutely must be.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2019

Amherst has recruited about as successfully as you'd expect a school with ratings for 9 in Prestige and 10 in Facilities, and a budget of less than $10K/month to do. There are 367 Division I schools in our universe. The Mammoths' recruiting classes have ranked #338, #367, #313, #317, #168, and #356 (the class that placed last had no recruits).

The Mammoths have signed two three-star players, both arriving via the JUCO ranks with the Class of 2018. If Coach Whittaker is going to raise the standard of the Amherst program, he'll need to attract more players of this quality.

One very promising prospect, New York big man Richard Zamudio, expressed Very High interest last month. I liked his stats (23.6 PPG, 9.8 RPG, #196 national ranking) so much that I offered him a scholarship right away. Unfortunately, Richard caught the eye of at least five more prestigious programs, all of whom offered him, too. Richard took us completely out of his top five list, so we'll probably move along.

We're in better shape with another post player, three-star center Carson Shears.
#32 C Carson Shears
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 244
High School: Coventry High School
Hometown: Coventry, CT
GPA: 2.79
Test Score: 1080
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 28 28 12 9 35 12 36 50 36 32 36 40 44 83 22 0
Potential: B D D F C C D A D C C B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12.4 3.0 12.5 1.0 1.5 0.67 1.9 0.9 3.1

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.6 10.1 .552 1.3 2.7 .491 0.0 0.0 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Amherst, Central Connecticut State, Brown, Williams, Bates

In a perfect world, Carson would be a better defender than he projects to be. He's got some good inside moves, however, and he's comfortable handling the ball. He's worth keeping an eye on, and he likes us a lot.

Josiah Pennington is a 6'4" wing with a lethal jump shot and a willingness to challenge the opposing team's best player on defense.
#5 SG Josiah Pennington
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-4
Weight: 182
High School: Shepherd Hill High School
Hometown: Dudley, MA
GPA: 3.06
Test Score: 1070
Rating: **

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 19 57 35 31 31 37 29 22 57 40 27 27 72 31 64 59
Potential: D A A C C D D D B B C D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.6 1.2 4.8 2.7 1.8 1.54 2.1 0.6 2.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.2 16.7 .550 0.7 1.1 .636 1.6 3.5 .457

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Wesleyan, Quinnipiac, Bryant University, Tufts, Amherst

Nobody has offered Josiah a scholarship yet, but we're about to change that. We'll also recruit him heavily; until I look at the finances more closely, I don't know how heavily.

The most intriguing defensively-talented point guard on our list is Doyle Cannon.
#32 PG Doyle Cannon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 5-10
Weight: 158
High School: Stoneham High School
Hometown: Stoneham, MA
GPA: 2.35
Test Score: 1040
Rating: **

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 44 46 54 72 51 22 39 34 42 50 27 19 70 51 35 67
Potential: C B C A A D C C C C C B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.7 1.5 5.3 2.7 1.3 2.12 1.5 0.4 2.3

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.5 9.4 .473 0.7 1.0 .650 1.2 3.6 .319

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: East Region #21 PG
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Providence, Amherst, Trinity, Hartford, Yale
After recruiting so many studs with Graham Sims at Villanova, I have to remind myself that a C rated player can be a star in a small conference. And, if we've scouted him accurately, Doyle has a jumper that can play in any league. We'll offer him a scholarship, too.

I decide to bring Shears, Pennington, and Cannon to campus for a visit, and I also invite another big man, Michael Grigsby. Coach Whittaker will visit Cannon, and his recruiting assistant, David Getty, will visit Shears. We can't afford to do anything else.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2019

I'm pleased with how our recruiting efforts went last month.

Carson Shears still has us at the top of his list, and none of his other favorites have made him an offer. The same is true of Josiah Pennington.

We'll be in a battle for the commitment of Doyle Cannon, who holds offers from Yale, Amherst, Trinity, and Colby. That's how Doyle ranks the four programs right now.

The most promising news of all might be coming from very, very close to home. Local boy Michael Grigsby looks like he could be a great fit for us.
#15 C Michael Grigsby
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 220
High School: Amherst Regional High School
Hometown: Amherst, MA
GPA: 3.15
Test Score: 1040
Rating: **

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 75 20 51 10 14 0 46 62 11 42 16 13 27 81 22 0
Potential: B B C D D F B A D C C D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.7 2.9 11.0 0.4 2.3 0.15 0.9 0.7 3.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.9 15.7 .569 2.9 4.2 .687 0.0 0.2 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: East Region #25 C
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: *Amherst, *Bates, *Colby, Tufts, Williams
The experts give Michael only two stars, but he's an All-State player, a proven scorer and rebounder at the high school level with ratings that support the stats.

I'm sending Coach Whittaker to visit all four of the guys who hold offers from us. I can afford to send Coach Getty to the Cannon residence, taking what might be one last shot to pry Doyle out of the clutches of Yale.

Wish us luck...

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2019

Oh, dear.

First, the good news. Carson Shears still likes us best. We're the only program who has offered him a scholarship, so that might be the reason why. Still, I'm high on him, and I hope we get good news from him on Decision Day next month.

Two of our other targets had their heads turned by offers from more prestigious programs. Wesleyan (Prestige 20) is courting Josiah Pennington. Bates (Prestige 20) is trying to lure Michael Grigsby away from his hometown school. And Doyle Cannon has cut his list to two, but we still trail Yale (Prestige 26). Pennington and Grigsby have lowered their expressed interest in us to High.

Is it worth pursuing these three guys any longer? There are quite a few players on our call list who don't have any offers in hand, and several of them don't have any program on their list but Amherst. Unfortunately, they look about as good as the guys who would sign up as walk-ons.

What should I do? I have some thinking to do, don't I?

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2019

After thinking over our position a little more, I took a closer look at the players on our call list. I had been asking myself "Are they good enough to dominate the NEC?, and if my answer was "I don't think so," I was disregarding them. That wasn't a very helpful attitude. Amherst is one of the least significant programs in the country right now.

Now, when I look at a recruit, I'm asking myself "Can he do anything that can make us a better team?" Even if that "thing" is "give us a better option for ten minutes off the bench," that's an improvement.

I acquired that mindset honestly; it was the result of my experience with my last FBCB save. Graham Sims' first recruiting class at Lafayette contained Rhett King, (https://forums.operationsports.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=3397818&postcount=135) Venceslás Castillo, (https://forums.operationsports.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=3397833&postcount=136) Hubert Song, (https://forums.operationsports.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=3397841&postcount=137) and James Sanders. (https://forums.operationsports.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=3397847&postcount=138) The recruiting rankings gave King one star, Castillo two, and Song and Sanders three each.

That four-man class gave the Leopards 394 starts and 13,078 minutes of basketball. They earned seven spots on the All-Patriot League teams between them, each of them gaining that recognition at least once. Sanders, the Big Colonel, was Patriot League Player of the Year twice and a professional draft pick. Coach Sims' first recruiting class transformed the Lafayette program and propelled him into a Hall of Fame coaching career.

I'm in a very different position now. When Coach Sims started at Lafayette, the Leopards' Prestige was 27, and Coach Sims was 10 points better at Recruiting than Coach Whittaker is now. I can't expect to attract players as highly regarded as those in Coach Sims' first class.

But, on the other hand, Coach Sims and I found a hidden gem in one-star Rhett King, the original rebounding/shot blocking/defending Blue Collar Man. If I can mine more King-like treasures, who do two or three things well, Amherst will start winning more games.

I decided to stick with the four players I had offered for one more month, because I discovered some guys on my list who seem to be able to do a few basketball things fairly well and who don't have any interest in playing for anyone but us. If our first choices turn us down, I'll pursue some of these backup plans.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2019
Decision Day

Today, Carson Shears becomes the first recruit of the Toby Whittaker era at Amherst. Carson's potential as a shot blocker, an inside scorer, and a forceful rebounder--especially on the defensive glass--should earn him significant playing time as a freshman. Welcome to the Amherst family, Carson!

Josiah Pennington announces his commitment to Wesleyan, but our other two targets are still making up their minds. Michael Grigsby still prefers Bates and Doyle Cannon still lists Yale first, but we remain in the running for their signatures. Should I give them another month's worth of recruiting effort, or should I move on?

Shears' commitment checks one item off our "to-do list," a big man who should contribute early. We really need a lockdown perimeter defender; is there a likely candidate on our call list?

Bryan Currin is a promising option. He's a rangy, 6'4" guard from New York with a secure handle and the potential to develop into a good shooter and a fairly good defender. We're the only team on Bryan's list.

When I look at the players who have some interest in playing for us whom we haven't contacted, I see a few intriguing players. One of them is an Aussie point guard named Claude Audley, who averages almost four steals per game. He might be worth considering.

There's also Hans Fluegel, a "small" forward from Germany who packs 253 pounds on a 6'6" frame. His stat line suggests a versatile player who, not surprisingly, is comfortable playing close to the basket.

Evaluating Audley and Fluegel would cost us more than half of our recruiting budget. Neither of them have been spotted by any other programs yet.

I've decided to take one more shot at signing Grigsby and Cannon. We'll also offer a scholarship to Currin, and invite him to campus for a visit. I've added Fluegel and Audley to our call list, and we'll evaluate them next month, when we have the funds to do so.

[MoonlightGraham]

Here's the roster for the 2019/2020 Amherst Mammoths:
AMHERST General

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph Wells 1 PF Jr* 6-5 233 Yes 53 OK Fort Valley, GA
Jesse Scott 3 PG Sr 6-2 194 Yes 45 OK Madison, IL
David McQuiston 4 PG Jr 5-11 166 Yes 27 OK Attica, NY
Matthew Kennedy 5 SF Sr 6-6 217 Yes 25 OK South Glens Falls, NY
Léon Hespel 13 SF Sr* 6-7 216 Yes 39 OK Colmar, France
Drew Lehr 15 C Sr 6-9 236 Yes 21 OK North Collins, NY
Alan Rasberry 20 PG Fr 6-1 181 Yes 69 OK Bronx, NY
Dominic Moss 23 PF Jr* 6-6 236 Yes 79 OK Siler City, NC
Spencer Lund 24 C Fr* 6-9 223 Yes 47 OK Attica, NY
Pierre Chauvin 25 C So 7-0 227 Yes 77 OK Carmel, NY
Perry Jordan 33 SG Jr 6-3 176 Yes 23 OK Voorheesville, NY
Anselme Catoire 34 PF Fr 6-8 245 No 54 OK Arnage, France
Frederick Goff 41 C Fr* 6-11 317 No 68 OK Tyngsborough, MA
Robert Wood 43 SG So 6-3 203 No 33 OK Wapato, WA
Sam Riley 45 SF Jr* 6-4 215 Yes 79 OK Houston, TX


How did their first training camp with Coach Whittaker go?
AMHERST Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph Wells 2 1 1 0 1 0 3 1 3 0 2 2 1 3 0 10
Jesse Scott 0 2 1 1 9 9 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 7
David McQuiston 1 3 4 3 0 1 1 2 1 2 2 0 1 1 1 8
Matthew Kennedy 2 2 0 3 3 1 1 1 2 2 4 0 0 3 0 12
Léon Hespel 1 2 4 2 1 1 1 1 0 3 3 3 1 1 1 6
Drew Lehr 3 1 0 0 1 1 7 3 2 0 1 8 0 2 1 5
Alan Rasberry 2 2 4 4 4 6 0 0 0 2 2 0 3 4 1 28
Dominic Moss 4 1 2 0 3 1 8 4 3 2 3 5 2 3 1 5
Spencer Lund 2 1 1 0 1 1 2 0 2 1 1 2 0 3 1 10
Pierre Chauvin 9 3 1 1 3 1 4 2 3 0 1 7 2 5 0 12
Perry Jordan 3 3 5 5 5 1 2 2 2 2 2 1 0 1 0 7
Anselme Catoire 4 0 2 2 2 0 4 2 2 0 2 2 3 10 1 20
Frederick Goff 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 6
Robert Wood 0 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 6
Sam Riley 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 7

The team's star is senior point guard Jesse Scott. He's a highly skilled ballhandler and a creative passer, and he significantly improved both aspects of his game in camp. Jesse is one of the few Green players in the NEC, and we expect him to be among the league's top guards. He averaged 5.1 APG last season; don't be surprised if he surpasses that mark this year.

He'll be joined in the backcourt by junior Perry Jordan. Perry has started 61 games for the Mammoths, the most of any player on the roster. He's been a potent scorer; he averaged 16.1 PPG and should score his 1000th career point before the New Year. We'll have to keep an eye on Perry's academic standing, because he's a fairly indifferent student.

Senior Matthew Kennedy will start at small forward. Like Scott, he arrived as a JUCO transfer last season, and he made an impact from Day One with his scoring. Matthew is especially deadly from behind the arc (37.9% last season). His 14.2 PPG was second on the team.

Drew Lehr started 19 games last season, and he'll return to the starting five at power forward for his senior year. He's an aggressive rebounder, and he led the team with 7.8 RPG in 2019. Drew has some post moves in his toolbox, but he's a weak defender and a weak student.

Seven-foot sophomore Pierre Chauvin will be the starting center for the second straight season. Despite his Francophone name, he's from just across the border in eastern New York. Pierre's offensive ability and a knack for blocking shots sets him apart from the other bigs on our roster.

We're much deeper in the backcourt than we are up front. Junior David McQuiston and sophomore Alan Rasberry are the most talented reserves, but they'll possibly find playing time scarce with Scott and Jordan ahead of them. McQuiston is the better shooter and defender; Rasberry the better distributor.

The best of the reserve bigs is Dominic Moss. The redshirt junior started 12 games last year. He's a superb rebounder who averaged 7 boards per game last season. First years Spencer Lund and Anseleme Catoire are raw, but at least one of them will have to play. Lèon Hespel can provide an offensive boost off the bench. Catoire and Hespel are French imports.

The fact that last year's 12-win team was almost the best in Amherst history says a lot about the program. The Mammoths return all five players from last year's preferred starting lineup, so there's a chance we might be better this time around. Our AD expects us to avoid last place in the league, and I feel fairly confident of our chances to do that. I'd be delighted with a .500 season and a winning record in the NEC.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 17, 2019
Amherst 99, Muhlenberg 91 (OT)

---------------------------------------------------------
Muhlenberg (0-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Eduard Halbritter C 33 6-11 3-3 4 6 0 3 16
Daniel Beam PF 37 4-13 0-0 4 13 3 3 8
William Howe SF 27 7-15 6-7 0 4 0 5 22
Deon Springer SG 37 1-7 3-4 0 3 6 5 6
Edward Pecoraro PG 41 6-12 5-5 2 4 6 4 17
James Poisson PF 18 5-7 1-1 1 5 2 3 12
Jamie Payton C 13 1-2 2-2 0 3 0 2 4
Jim Gleeson C 5 0-0 0-0 1 3 0 0 0
Bryan Helms SG 10 1-4 0-0 1 2 0 2 2
Carl Sullivan SF 4 1-1 1-3 0 1 0 0 4

Turnovers: 13 (D.Beam 3, W.Howe 3, E.Pecoraro 5,
J.Payton 1, J.Gleeson 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (E.Halbritter 2, J.Payton 1)
Steals: 3 (D.Beam 1, W.Howe 1, E.Pecoraro 1)
3P FGs: 6-24 (E.Halbritter 1-3, D.Beam 0-2, W.Howe 2-8,
D.Springer 1-5, E.Pecoraro 0-2, J.Poisson 1-1, B.Helms
0-2, C.Sullivan 1-1)

Amherst (1-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 32 6-11 1-1 0 3 3 2 13
Drew Lehr PF 38 6-10 4-4 2 11 1 3 16
Matthew Kennedy SF 32 8-11 8-12 1 7 1 4 29
Perry Jordan SG 37 3-13 4-4 2 6 6 2 12
Jesse Scott PG 33 6-11 0-1 1 4 7 5 12
David McQuiston SG 13 1-4 1-2 0 1 2 0 4
Alan Rasberry SG 12 1-3 3-3 0 0 1 1 5
Dominic Moss PF 15 1-3 0-2 3 5 0 2 2
Robert Wood SG 4 0-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 0
Spencer Lund PF 5 2-2 2-3 0 0 1 1 6
L on Hespel SF 4 0-1 0-0 1 2 1 1 0

Turnovers: 8 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 1,
P.Jordan 1, J.Scott 2, S.Lund 1, L.Hespel 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 1)
Steals: 6 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 1, P.Jordan
2, J.Scott 1)
3P FGs: 8-22 (M.Kennedy 5-6, P.Jordan 2-10, D.McQuiston
1-3, A.Rasberry 0-1, R.Wood 0-1, L.Hespel 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
The Toby Whittaker era begins with an exciting overtime victory that delighted a big crowd at LeFrak Gymnasium. Matthew Kennedy was the star, hitting all five of his three-point tries and finishing with 29 points. Our guards produced 13 assists with only 3 turnovers.

We recovered from the shock of a 7-0 run by the Mules that sent the game into overtime, winning the extra period 14-6.
Record: 1-0.


November 21, 2019
Amherst 93, Yale 86

--------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (2-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 26 7-8 3-6 2 8 1 4 17
Drew Lehr PF 34 5-11 9-12 4 9 1 3 19
Matthew Kennedy SF 32 7-14 7-7 0 1 2 1 25
Perry Jordan SG 32 3-10 2-4 1 4 4 4 8
Jesse Scott PG 31 3-3 1-2 1 6 6 4 7
David McQuiston SG 9 1-2 1-2 0 2 2 0 4
Alan Rasberry PG 9 0-1 0-1 0 1 1 0 0
Dominic Moss PF 13 2-3 2-4 1 6 1 1 6
Robert Wood SG 4 1-1 2-3 0 0 1 0 4
Spencer Lund PF 7 1-1 1-2 0 1 0 2 3
Léon Hespel SF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (D.Lehr 2, M.Kennedy 4, P.Jordan 3,
J.Scott 2, A.Rasberry 2, S.Lund 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (P.Chauvin 2)
Steals: 4 (P.Chauvin 1, M.Kennedy 1, J.Scott 1, R.Wood
1)
3P FGs: 5-19 (M.Kennedy 4-10, P.Jordan 0-6, D.McQuiston
1-2, A.Rasberry 0-1)

Yale (0-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Thomas Delaney PF 15 2-4 2-2 3 6 1 5 6
Kevin McGehee PF 10 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 5 0
Tony Price SF 29 6-12 0-0 1 3 1 2 12
Robby Davis SG 21 4-10 2-4 0 2 2 3 11
Tad Parson PG 31 3-9 2-2 0 3 5 3 10
Kelly Mattox SG 11 2-3 1-2 1 3 3 5 6
Devon Casteel SG 19 6-7 1-2 0 2 1 4 15
Jose Riley PG 8 2-4 3-3 1 2 1 0 7
Tim Crook C 21 3-7 3-6 2 4 1 5 10
Billy McCown C 21 2-5 0-0 1 6 2 3 4
Andre Thomas PF 12 2-5 0-0 2 2 1 2 5

Turnovers: 14 (T.Delaney 2, T.Price 1, R.Davis 2,
T.Parson 4, K.Mattox 1, D.Casteel 2, T.Crook 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (T.Crook 1)
Steals: 3 (R.Davis 1, B.McCown 2)
3P FGs: 8-17 (T.Price 0-1, R.Davis 1-3, T.Parson 2-4,
K.Mattox 1-1, D.Casteel 2-3, J.Riley 0-1, T.Crook 1-2,
B.McCown 0-1, A.Thomas 1-1)

Player of Game: C Pierre Chauvin (AMH)
Big games from all three frontcourt starters result in a victory in a road game at Yale.

Matthew Kennedy once again lights up the scoreboard, but it's the all-around excellence of Pierre Chauvin that makes him the PotG.

We score in the nineties again...without much contribution from Perry Jordan, who is 2-for-16 from behind the arc. Perry entered the season shooting 40 percent from deep for his career, so I'm not concerned yet.
Record: 2-0.


November 24, 2019
Amherst 88, Fairfield 64

----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (3-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 24 5-8 2-2 1 4 0 3 12
Drew Lehr PF 26 4-6 1-1 5 10 4 4 9
Matthew Kennedy SG 29 5-13 4-6 1 3 1 2 18
Perry Jordan SF 31 8-15 3-3 0 5 2 3 22
Jesse Scott PG 26 5-8 0-0 1 4 6 4 10
David McQuiston PG 12 4-7 0-2 0 1 0 0 9
Alan Rasberry PG 12 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 1 3
Dominic Moss PF 14 1-1 1-2 1 6 1 2 3
Robert Wood SG 6 0-1 0-0 1 1 1 0 0
Spencer Lund C 13 0-1 0-0 1 4 2 1 0
Léon Hespel SF 3 0-0 2-2 0 2 0 0 2
Joseph Wells PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 1,
P.Jordan 1, J.Scott 4, D.McQuiston 2, R.Wood 1, S.Lund
1, L.Hespel 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (D.Moss 1)
Steals: 5 (P.Chauvin 2, M.Kennedy 3)
3P FGs: 9-23 (M.Kennedy 4-10, P.Jordan 3-9, D.McQuiston
1-1, A.Rasberry 1-2, R.Wood 0-1)

Fairfield (1-3, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Wallace Plumb C 32 2-6 7-12 2 3 0 1 11
Steven Leija PF 27 1-7 5-6 2 8 0 4 7
Norris Cook SF 20 2-6 0-0 3 6 0 1 4
Wesley Pereyra SG 28 3-10 2-3 2 3 2 2 11
Bret Labbe PG 26 4-9 2-4 0 1 1 2 13
Kevin Johnson SG 12 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 2
Royce Tomlin PG 14 2-5 0-0 2 5 2 1 4
Calvin Harp SF 15 1-4 0-0 1 2 1 1 3
Richard McDonald PF 18 1-4 2-2 1 6 1 2 4
August Alejandro SF 7 2-5 0-0 1 2 0 1 5

Turnovers: 16 (W.Plumb 2, S.Leija 1, N.Cook 4,
W.Pereyra 4, R.Tomlin 2, C.Harp 1, R.McDonald 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (R.Tomlin 1)
Steals: 3 (N.Cook 1, K.Johnson 2)
3P FGs: 8-23 (W.Plumb 0-1, N.Cook 0-1, W.Pereyra 3-9,
B.Labbe 3-4, R.Tomlin 0-2, C.Harp 1-2, A.Alejandro 1-4)

Player of Game: SF Perry Jordan (AMH)
Another journey to the Connecticut coast turns out well, as we return with our third straight victory.

Perry Jordan begins to awaken from his offensive slump, and Matthew Kennedy continues to find the basket with regularity.

Meanwhile, Drew Lehr is averaging a double-double; he steps up tonight to cover for a rough night from Pierre Chauvin.
Record: 3-0.


November 29, 2019
Davidson 87, Amherst 63

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Amherst (3-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 17 4-6 4-8 2 4 1 4 12
Drew Lehr PF 31 1-11 3-5 5 11 0 3 5
Matthew Kennedy SF 26 4-10 1-3 1 3 4 4 10
Perry Jordan SF 30 5-12 2-2 0 2 0 1 14
Jesse Scott PG 32 2-4 2-2 4 7 6 1 6
David McQuiston SG 12 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 2 3
Alan Rasberry SG 10 1-4 0-0 1 1 1 4 3
Dominic Moss PF 14 1-6 0-0 3 5 1 2 2
Robert Wood SG 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Spencer Lund C 14 1-4 2-2 1 2 1 1 4
Léon Hespel SF 8 0-2 2-2 1 2 0 1 2
Joseph Wells PF 4 1-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 2

Turnovers: 9 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 4, P.Jordan 1,
J.Scott 1, D.McQuiston 1, S.Lund 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (P.Chauvin 1, P.Jordan 1)
Steals: 1 (P.Jordan 1)
3P FGs: 5-21 (M.Kennedy 1-4, P.Jordan 2-6, D.McQuiston
1-3, A.Rasberry 1-3, D.Moss 0-2, R.Wood 0-1, L.Hespel
0-2)

Davidson (3-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Joseph Farrell C 28 4-5 2-2 1 7 1 3 10
William Salinas PF 24 1-1 4-6 1 6 1 4 6
Bud Silva SF 31 10-20 8-9 3 7 2 2 30
Chris Eshelman SG 32 3-6 3-3 3 3 4 3 10
Jerrell Cummins PG 28 2-10 6-6 0 4 2 0 11
Dave Cantu PG 16 2-3 1-1 1 2 0 0 6
Garrett Dalton PG 4 0-1 3-5 0 0 0 0 3
Charles Kenyon C 20 2-4 1-2 2 5 0 2 6
Freddy Brown SF 8 1-2 1-2 0 2 0 2 3
Tyree Hoekstra PF 7 1-1 0-0 1 3 1 1 2
Scottie Rusk SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
William McCoy C 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0

Turnovers: 8 (W.Salinas 2, B.Silva 1, J.Cummins 2,
D.Cantu 1, C.Kenyon 1, F.Brown 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (J.Farrell 1, B.Silva 1, C.Kenyon 2,
W.McCoy 1)
Steals: 4 (B.Silva 1, C.Eshelman 1, D.Cantu 2)
3P FGs: 6-22 (B.Silva 2-9, C.Eshelman 1-2, J.Cummins
1-5, D.Cantu 1-2, G.Dalton 0-1, C.Kenyon 1-2, F.Brown
0-1)

Player of Game: SF Bud Silva (DAVDS)
A very good Davidson team breaks the spell with a complete performance.

The Wildcats do a much better job defending us, holding us to 21-for-65 shooting and 5-for-21 from three-point range.

We're going to have to tighten up defensively, or we'll find ourselves losing to teams, like tonight's opponent, who can slow our roll.
Record: 3-1.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2019

Persistence pays off this time, as Doyle Cannon announces his commitment to play for us today!

If we've scouted Doyle's defensive ability accurately, he would be the second-best perimeter defender on the team right now. Unless we've mis-evaluated him really badly, he'll be good enough to join our backcourt rotation from Day One.

Michael Grigsby is still making up his mind. He continues to prefer Bates, and he rates his interest in our program as High. Bryan Currin is also still waiting to decide, although we're the only program he has on his list.

I'm looking forward to seeing what our scout sees in Claude Audley and Hans Fluegel, both of whom we're paying the money to evaluate this month. Both are given only one star by the recruiting experts, but (1) they could be wrong and (2) even if they're not, Claude and Hans might still be very useful players.

If Michael and Bryan commit next month, it might not matter.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2019
Amherst 68, Franklin & Marshall 66

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Amherst (4-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 29 7-12 0-0 2 8 3 1 14
Drew Lehr PF 33 2-8 2-2 7 11 0 3 6
Matthew Kennedy SF 31 5-16 3-3 1 3 0 1 16
Perry Jordan SG 30 6-9 1-2 3 7 3 4 15
Jesse Scott PG 35 5-16 0-0 0 3 4 1 11
David McQuiston SG 10 1-3 0-0 0 3 0 1 2
Alan Rasberry SG 10 1-2 0-0 0 0 1 1 2
Dominic Moss PF 13 1-5 0-0 3 4 1 2 2
Spencer Lund PF 5 0-0 0-0 1 1 1 1 0
Léon Hespel SF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 1 0
Joseph Wells PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (P.Chauvin 1, M.Kennedy 1, P.Jordan 2,
J.Scott 3, D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 1, D.Moss 2)
Blocked Shots: 2 (D.Lehr 1, D.Moss 1)
Steals: 7 (P.Chauvin 2, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 1, J.Scott
3)
3P FGs: 6-20 (M.Kennedy 3-10, P.Jordan 2-4, J.Scott
1-2, D.McQuiston 0-1, A.Rasberry 0-1, D.Moss 0-2)

Franklin & Marshall (0-4, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Charles Taylor C 20 3-4 1-2 2 5 1 3 7
Dominique Ortiz PF 30 7-13 2-3 6 15 2 1 16
Jaime Bridges SF 21 1-8 4-8 1 3 0 0 6
Ricardo Perez SG 28 7-17 1-2 1 1 5 0 17
Lamont Self PG 29 2-2 0-1 3 4 4 2 5
Tony Martin SG 18 0-5 0-0 1 2 0 1 0
Randy Thomas PG 5 2-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 4
Royal Maples SF 19 4-5 0-2 0 6 0 3 10
Paul Birt C 19 0-3 1-2 4 9 2 1 1
Jack Wells C 8 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Chris Carter PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 18 (C.Taylor 2, D.Ortiz 3, J.Bridges 1,
R.Perez 2, L.Self 1, T.Martin 3, R.Maples 4, P.Birt 1,
C.Carter 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (P.Birt 1)
Steals: 5 (D.Ortiz 1, L.Self 1, R.Maples 2, P.Birt 1)
3P FGs: 5-12 (J.Bridges 0-1, R.Perez 2-7, L.Self 1-1,
T.Martin 0-1, R.Maples 2-2)

Player of Game: C Pierre Chauvin (AMH)
A three-point dagger from Matt Kennedy and a big, big defensive stop on the Diplomats' final possession seal an exciting away victory that runs our record to a sweet 4-1.

All five starters make significant contributions, especially Pierre Chauvin, who does a little bit of everything.
Record: 4-1.


December 7, 2019
Amherst 89, Haverford 81

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Haverford (1-4, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Paul King C 35 4-8 0-0 6 14 2 4 8
Hugh Carnes PF 27 2-7 0-0 1 7 0 5 4
Jack Williams SF 25 6-16 8-8 0 4 3 3 21
Elliot Dumas SG 33 3-7 2-2 0 3 4 5 11
Delmar Brannen PG 31 5-8 1-1 1 2 8 2 12
Michael Daniels PG 15 5-10 2-2 0 2 3 2 13
Cory Hostetler PF 14 0-3 0-0 0 1 0 2 0
Arlie Jones SF 15 3-8 4-6 0 1 1 1 12
Erick Bailey PF 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (P.King 1, H.Carnes 1, J.Williams 2,
E.Dumas 1, D.Brannen 1, C.Hostetler 1, A.Jones 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (H.Carnes 1)
Steals: 5 (H.Carnes 1, J.Williams 1, E.Dumas 1,
D.Brannen 2)
3P FGs: 8-26 (J.Williams 1-5, E.Dumas 3-6, D.Brannen
1-3, M.Daniels 1-4, C.Hostetler 0-2, A.Jones 2-6)

Amherst (5-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 29 4-11 6-8 3 8 2 1 14
Drew Lehr PF 34 3-6 4-8 4 9 1 1 10
Matthew Kennedy SF 33 12-23 4-8 4 10 3 3 35
Perry Jordan SG 22 5-13 5-6 2 8 1 4 15
Jesse Scott PG 30 2-4 2-2 2 6 10 4 6
David McQuiston SG 13 0-3 2-4 1 3 1 0 2
Alan Rasberry SG 15 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 3 0
Dominic Moss PF 11 1-2 0-0 1 4 0 0 2
Robert Wood SG 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Spencer Lund PF 6 0-0 2-2 0 0 1 0 2
L on Hespel SF 3 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 3

Turnovers: 12 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 4,
P.Jordan 1, J.Scott 3, A.Rasberry 1, D.Moss 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Lehr 2, D.Moss 1)
Steals: 5 (M.Kennedy 1, P.Jordan 1, J.Scott 1,
D.McQuiston 1, S.Lund 1)
3P FGs: 8-23 (M.Kennedy 7-16, P.Jordan 0-5, D.McQuiston
0-1, L.Hespel 1-1)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
Back home in the Connecticut Valley, the Mammoths spot the visiting Fords a 33-30 halftime advantage before turning up the tempo in a furious second half.

Matthew Kennedy is electric, the big men play well, and Jesse Scott leads the band like a maestro. More of this, please.
Record: 5-1.


December 9, 2019
Amherst 88, Ball State 69

---------------------------------------------------------
Ball State (5-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Zacarías Rubio C 16 0-1 0-0 1 3 2 4 0
Lynn Faught PF 29 2-8 3-5 0 4 2 3 7
Johnnie Robertson SF 16 3-8 2-2 0 1 1 4 10
Linwood Adams SG 25 6-9 2-2 0 4 2 4 16
Phillip Soler SF 24 1-7 2-2 5 5 2 2 5
Edward Palomo SG 16 2-7 2-2 1 4 2 3 7
Trevor Love PG 20 2-4 3-4 1 5 0 0 8
James Hunter PG 2 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 0
Ramon Lotz SG 10 1-2 0-0 1 3 0 1 2
Melvin Blanc SF 7 3-4 0-0 1 1 0 3 6
Robert Hawk SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Timothy Leigh PF 17 2-5 2-4 3 4 0 1 6
Richard Mason C 18 1-4 0-0 0 3 1 4 2

Turnovers: 18 (Z.Rubio 1, L.Faught 1, J.Robertson 1,
L.Adams 3, P.Soler 3, E.Palomo 1, R.Lotz 3, T.Leigh 2,
R.Mason 3)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 8 (J.Robertson 2, L.Adams 1, P.Soler 2, T.Love
2, R.Lotz 1)
3P FGs: 7-19 (J.Robertson 2-3, L.Adams 2-3, P.Soler
1-4, E.Palomo 1-4, T.Love 1-3, R.Lotz 0-1, T.Leigh 0-1)

Amherst (6-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 27 4-7 5-7 2 5 0 1 13
Drew Lehr PF 32 3-4 3-4 4 11 2 3 9
Matthew Kennedy SF 30 8-16 4-5 0 0 3 4 25
Perry Jordan SF 32 5-15 6-8 1 11 2 1 18
Jesse Scott PG 31 5-9 1-3 1 2 4 1 12
David McQuiston SG 11 0-3 0-0 0 1 1 2 0
Alan Rasberry SG 9 1-2 4-4 0 0 0 0 6
Dominic Moss PF 12 0-0 0-0 3 5 0 4 0
Robert Wood SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Spencer Lund C 8 0-1 1-2 0 2 1 0 1
Léon Hespel SF 6 1-1 2-4 0 0 0 0 4
Joseph Wells PF 1 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (P.Chauvin 2, P.Jordan 4, J.Scott 6,
A.Rasberry 1, L.Hespel 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 4, D.Moss 1,
S.Lund 1)
Steals: 6 (D.Lehr 1, P.Jordan 3, S.Lund 1, L.Hespel 1)
3P FGs: 8-24 (M.Kennedy 5-10, P.Jordan 2-8, J.Scott
1-3, D.McQuiston 0-3)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
This is a big win for us. Ball State enters the game ranked #25 in the Mid-Major poll. Their Prestige is 36, and they play in the Mid-American Conference, a solid Level 3 league.

Matthew Kennedy moves into 9th place on the national scoring leaderboard with another productive game. He's the NEC's leading scorer; we also boast the top rebounder (Drew Lehr) and assist man (Jesse Scott).

Our seniors are playing like men, and that bodes well for our continued success.
Record: 6-1.


December 11, 2019
Amherst 71, Maine 54

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (7-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 21 2-7 1-2 0 2 0 3 5
Drew Lehr PF 32 3-8 3-3 5 13 0 3 9
Matthew Kennedy SF 31 6-16 4-4 0 2 1 2 19
Perry Jordan SG 23 3-9 0-0 2 9 3 4 8
Jesse Scott PG 33 1-4 1-2 1 4 9 0 3
David McQuiston SG 13 2-4 1-2 3 4 0 2 7
Alan Rasberry SG 15 2-5 1-2 1 4 1 1 7
Dominic Moss PF 15 3-5 2-2 4 8 1 1 8
Spencer Lund PF 12 0-1 0-0 1 2 0 1 0
Léon Hespel SF 5 2-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 5
Joseph Wells PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (P.Chauvin 3, D.Lehr 3, M.Kennedy 1,
J.Scott 2, D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 1, D.Moss 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (D.Lehr 1)
Steals: 2 (P.Chauvin 1, P.Jordan 1)
3P FGs: 10-25 (M.Kennedy 3-12, P.Jordan 2-5,
D.McQuiston 2-3, A.Rasberry 2-4, L.Hespel 1-1)

Maine (4-4, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Rene Woods C 25 1-5 2-4 2 7 0 4 4
James Jones PF 25 1-4 2-2 1 7 2 2 4
Jason Easley SF 26 0-6 4-8 1 3 1 4 4
Tony Waggoner SG 31 9-18 2-2 1 4 0 3 22
John Jones PG 27 2-6 1-2 0 0 0 1 6
Keith Jonas PG 12 1-1 1-2 0 2 1 2 4
Charles Landers SG 14 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 0
Tyrone Gallion PG 3 1-1 1-2 0 0 0 0 4
Calvin Alejandro SF 6 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 0
Emerson Porter PF 13 0-5 0-0 2 3 0 1 0
Gerald Johnston C 14 3-4 0-0 1 4 0 1 6
Freddy Lawson PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 10 (R.Woods 4, J.Jones 1, J.Easley 3,
J.Jones 1, K.Jonas 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (J.Jones 1, F.Lawson 1)
Steals: 7 (J.Jones 1, J.Easley 1, T.Waggoner 3, J.Jones
2)
3P FGs: 5-17 (R.Woods 0-1, J.Jones 0-2, T.Waggoner 2-6,
J.Jones 1-3, K.Jonas 1-1, T.Gallion 1-1, C.Alejandro
0-2, E.Porter 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Tony Waggoner (MAINE)
We allow a fine guard, Tony Waggoner, to score 22 points, but we handle everyone else in Maine colors and pick up another win on the road. Honestly, the game's over by halftime, and quite a few Black Bears fans aren't around for the final whistle.

They miss Lèon Hespel's five points in five minutes and an eye-popping dunk from Dominic Moss, but they probably wouldn't have enjoyed those events anyway.

I wonder if we'll appear in the Mid-Major poll next week?
Record: 7-1.

[Young Drachma]

Looking forward to my annual return to this game in the fall.

[MoonlightGraham]

Looking forward to my annual return to this game in the fall.

I'm back myself, after a hiatus of two summer/early autumn months or so. The return of "real" college basketball inspired me to come back to my hoops world, which is refreshingly unlike what the real version has become.

I'll really be back, with some actual content, very soon! Thanks for stopping by!

[MoonlightGraham]

December 15, 2019
Villanova 92, Amherst 79

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Amherst (7-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 28 6-9 4-7 2 4 2 3 16
Drew Lehr PF 33 2-4 6-9 6 13 2 2 10
Matthew Kennedy SF 34 9-22 7-8 3 6 2 3 29
Perry Jordan SF 33 4-16 2-6 1 5 3 2 11
Jesse Scott PG 35 5-11 0-0 2 3 5 5 11
David McQuiston SG 13 0-1 0-0 0 2 2 4 0
Alan Rasberry SG 4 1-1 0-0 1 1 0 0 2
Dominic Moss PF 13 0-1 0-0 1 8 1 1 0
Spencer Lund C 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Léon Hespel SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (D.Lehr 4, P.Jordan 4, J.Scott 1,
D.McQuiston 2)
Blocked Shots: 6 (D.Lehr 3, M.Kennedy 2, D.Moss 1)
Steals: 1 (J.Scott 1)
3P FGs: 6-26 (D.Lehr 0-1, M.Kennedy 4-13, P.Jordan 1-8,
J.Scott 1-2, D.McQuiston 0-1, D.Moss 0-1)

Villanova (5-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Robbie Gaynor C 26 5-8 1-2 6 10 0 4 11
Charles Crozier PF 29 9-15 6-8 1 10 0 4 24
Scott Crotty SF 30 6-16 3-3 2 6 5 4 16
James Ivie SG 32 4-8 5-6 0 5 4 4 16
Darrell Ballou PG 33 3-8 2-2 0 4 7 4 11
Joel Ford PG 16 2-3 1-1 1 2 1 4 6
Robert Hardnett PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Henry Riccio SF 7 1-4 2-2 0 1 1 0 5
Brian Millett PF 14 0-2 0-0 1 3 1 1 0
Jerry Varela C 11 1-2 1-1 1 1 0 0 3

Turnovers: 7 (C.Crozier 2, S.Crotty 1, J.Ford 2,
H.Riccio 1, B.Millett 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Crozier 1, J.Varela 2)
Steals: 3 (S.Crotty 2, J.Ford 1)
3P FGs: 9-20 (S.Crotty 1-5, J.Ivie 3-4, D.Ballou 3-7,
J.Ford 1-1, H.Riccio 1-3)

Player of Game: PF Charles Crozier (VLNV)
For twenty minutes or so, the college basketball world prepares for a remarkable upset. Coach Whittaker's boys lead the powerful Wildcats, 41-37, at halftime, threatening to steal a W from the Big East tough guys.

Cinderella misses her ride home from the ball, however. The Mammoths launch a barrage of threes with poor results, and can't stop the more talented Wildcats from scoring. The result is a predictable 13-point victory for the home team.
Record: 7-2.


December 18, 2019
Lafayette 74, Amherst 72

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Amherst (7-3, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 27 1-4 2-2 1 4 1 4 4
Drew Lehr PF 34 3-8 2-2 2 11 1 4 8
Matthew Kennedy SF 32 11-20 2-4 4 9 0 3 31
Perry Jordan SG 33 4-10 2-2 2 8 2 3 10
Jesse Scott PG 33 6-17 0-0 3 9 9 4 13
David McQuiston SG 12 1-5 0-0 0 1 0 1 3
Alan Rasberry SG 6 0-1 0-0 1 1 0 0 0
Dominic Moss PF 11 1-4 0-0 1 4 0 2 3
Robert Wood SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Spencer Lund PF 8 0-2 0-0 0 2 0 1 0
Léon Hespel SF 3 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 1 0

Turnovers: 9 (P.Chauvin 1, M.Kennedy 3, P.Jordan 1,
J.Scott 2, D.McQuiston 1, S.Lund 1)
Blocked Shots: 9 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 6, J.Scott 1,
S.Lund 1)
Steals: 2 (M.Kennedy 1, J.Scott 1)
3P FGs: 10-25 (M.Kennedy 7-15, P.Jordan 0-2, J.Scott
1-1, D.McQuiston 1-4, A.Rasberry 0-1, D.Moss 1-2)

Lafayette (8-3, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Trenton Acosta C 28 2-8 2-5 4 10 1 0 6
Larry Watson PF 30 6-15 5-7 1 5 1 2 17
K. Turnbow SF 24 5-9 0-3 1 5 1 4 12
Harold Rayfield SG 32 2-8 3-7 1 2 3 0 7
Shane Wortham PG 28 5-9 3-4 0 5 2 2 17
Jacinto Brady PG 17 1-6 2-4 2 3 1 2 5
Gary Kiger SG 3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Charley Williams PF 17 2-3 0-0 1 6 1 1 4
Charles Clark SF 13 1-1 0-0 1 3 1 1 2
Ronald Lacasse C 10 1-3 2-2 1 6 0 0 4

Turnovers: 7 (K.Turnbow 3, S.Wortham 2, J.Brady 1,
C.Williams 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (L.Watson 2, S.Wortham 1, C.Williams
1, R.Lacasse 1)
Steals: 2 (H.Rayfield 1, C.Williams 1)
3P FGs: 7-21 (T.Acosta 0-4, K.Turnbow 2-2, H.Rayfield
0-4, S.Wortham 4-8, J.Brady 1-2, R.Lacasse 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
Matthew Kennedy has the chance to end the story of a very engaging contest with a game-winning three, but his effort won't drop. We trail Lafayette by five points with a minute to play, so the fact MK had a chance to win it for us speaks well of our refusal to give up, as well as the value of his own stellar play.

Kudos, too, to Jesse Scott, who barely misses a triple double.
Record: 7-3.


December 22, 2019
Amherst 80, Navy 67

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Navy (3-7, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Laurence Lafond C 22 5-14 5-9 1 8 2 4 15
Rod Schramm PF 19 2-6 0-0 2 6 0 4 4
Kevin Barber SF 30 3-10 1-2 3 3 2 3 9
Elisha Gross SG 33 4-12 0-0 2 8 2 3 9
Brian Parks PG 27 4-9 1-1 3 4 3 4 10
Chris Gomez PF 14 2-4 0-2 0 4 2 1 4
Tyree Johnson SG 14 1-3 2-2 2 3 2 1 5
Ira Smith C 12 0-1 1-2 1 1 0 3 1
Michale Collins PF 12 1-3 0-0 2 3 0 1 2
G. Oshaughnessy SF 6 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Leland Wood SG 8 3-4 0-0 0 1 0 0 6
Léandre Segard PG 1 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 0 2

Turnovers: 12 (L.Lafond 2, R.Schramm 1, K.Barber 3,
E.Gross 3, B.Parks 1, C.Gomez 1, L.Wood 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (K.Barber 1)
Steals: 4 (K.Barber 1, E.Gross 1, L.Wood 2)
3P FGs: 5-26 (K.Barber 2-6, E.Gross 1-8, B.Parks 1-6,
C.Gomez 0-2, T.Johnson 1-3, L.Wood 0-1)

Amherst (8-3, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 24 4-7 6-8 3 9 1 4 14
Drew Lehr PF 34 2-8 2-3 4 11 1 3 6
Matthew Kennedy SF 26 2-10 1-2 1 3 3 3 6
Perry Jordan SF 25 2-4 3-4 0 4 3 4 8
Jesse Scott PG 36 9-14 2-2 0 1 1 2 22
David McQuiston SG 15 3-3 3-4 1 3 2 0 9
Alan Rasberry SG 10 1-1 4-4 0 0 0 0 7
Dominic Moss PF 11 0-3 1-2 2 7 2 1 1
Robert Wood SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Spencer Lund PF 9 0-2 0-0 0 2 0 0 0
Léon Hespel SF 7 1-4 2-2 0 1 1 0 5
Joseph Wells PF 1 1-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 2

Turnovers: 10 (D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 2, P.Jordan 3,
J.Scott 1, A.Rasberry 1, D.Moss 1, R.Wood 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (S.Lund 1, L.Hespel 2)
Steals: 3 (M.Kennedy 1, D.McQuiston 2)
3P FGs: 6-14 (M.Kennedy 1-7, P.Jordan 1-2, J.Scott 2-2,
A.Rasberry 1-1, L.Hespel 1-2)

Player of Game: PG Jesse Scott (AMH)
The Midshipmen aren't as talented as our previous two opponents, so we celebrate our return home with a return to winning ways.

On a night when Matthew Kennedy can't shake loose his defender or make the shots he gets, we rely on stifling defense and the scoring of Jesse Scott to create the desired outcome in our last non-conference game of the season.
Record: 8-3.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 26, 2019

2019 New England Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------
Amherst 0 0 .000 8 3 .727 116 9
Hamilton 0 0 .000 6 3 .667 117 35
Wesleyan 0 0 .000 5 4 .556 39 20
Bates 0 0 .000 5 4 .556 150 20
Tufts 0 0 .000 5 4 .556 300 21
Trinity 0 0 .000 4 5 .444 209 21
Bowdoin 0 0 .000 3 6 .333 185 15
Middlebury 0 0 .000 3 7 .300 202 29
Colby 0 0 .000 1 8 .111 176 8
Williams 0 0 .000 0 9 .000 328 19

I'm pleased with how our non-conference schedule played out. We lost the three games I didn't think we had a chance of winning (and nearly stole one of them), while winning all the games I thought we might win.

None of the New England Conference teams grabbed a signature win. Bates came closest, losing 77-73 to Virginia Tech. Hamilton also scared Michigan, losing 58-52 in Ann Arbor. Wesleyan lost 100-96 to a Delaware team that's currently 9-1 and ranked #10 among mid-majors.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 28, 2019

Amherst 92, Middlebury 87

--------------------------------------------------------
Middlebury (3-8, 0-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Richard Grigg C 20 4-5 2-4 0 1 1 3 10
Andrew Brown PF 23 3-8 3-5 5 13 1 4 9
James Jose SF 22 4-14 6-6 0 7 1 4 17
Allan Nelson SG 30 4-7 0-0 4 6 4 0 11
Leo Turner PG 15 1-2 2-2 0 0 4 4 5
Paul Good C 23 5-8 1-5 1 4 0 4 11
James McCoy PG 16 2-4 0-0 0 4 2 4 5
Chris Dana PF 23 2-2 1-2 0 4 0 1 5
Milton Hatfield PG 16 1-3 0-0 0 1 3 1 3
Palmer Heffernan C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Andre Simard SF 7 3-4 2-2 0 1 0 2 9
Yannic Defrance PG 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2

Turnovers: 14 (R.Grigg 1, A.Brown 2, J.Jose 1, A.Nelson
2, P.Good 1, J.McCoy 3, C.Dana 2, M.Hatfield 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (C.Dana 1)
Steals: 3 (J.Jose 1, A.Nelson 1, J.McCoy 1)
3P FGs: 10-21 (J.Jose 3-9, A.Nelson 3-5, L.Turner 1-2,
J.McCoy 1-3, M.Hatfield 1-1, A.Simard 1-1)

Amherst (9-3, 1-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 25 6-12 3-12 5 9 1 3 15
Drew Lehr PF 29 2-5 0-0 5 7 1 3 4
Matthew Kennedy SF 29 4-14 3-4 2 4 3 3 14
Perry Jordan SG 35 9-18 0-0 2 4 2 2 20
Jesse Scott PG 37 7-11 2-2 4 9 6 2 17
David McQuiston SG 13 3-6 3-6 0 1 1 0 11
Alan Rasberry PG 3 0-2 1-2 0 0 0 0 1
Dominic Moss PF 16 3-7 0-0 3 7 0 3 6
Robert Wood SG 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0
Spencer Lund PF 9 2-3 0-2 1 2 0 0 4
Léon Hespel SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Joseph Wells PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 5 (M.Kennedy 1, J.Scott 3, J.Wells 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (D.Lehr 1, D.Moss 1)
Steals: 3 (M.Kennedy 1, J.Scott 2)
3P FGs: 8-26 (M.Kennedy 3-9, P.Jordan 2-8, J.Scott 1-1,
D.McQuiston 2-4, A.Rasberry 0-1, D.Moss 0-3)

Player of Game: PG Jesse Scott (AMH)

I expected Jesse Scott to be a big part of any success our team experiences this year, and so far I've been right. Tonight, he stuffs the scoreboard like a Christmas bird and leads us to victory in Toby Whittaker's NEC coaching debut.

Only three Mammoths turn the ball over, for a total of five times.
Record: 10-3 (1-0).


January 1, 2020
The Twenty-Twenties begin with a piece of negative news. Michael Grigsby will be returning home to Amherst as a visiting player, as he commits today to play at Bates.

These bad tidings are made less so by the reports we receive after we take a close look at Hans Fluegel.
#31 SF Hans Fluegel
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 253
High School:
Hometown: Dresden, Germany
GPA: 3.06
Test Score: 1330
Rating: *

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 8 30 62 60 27 22 59 29 45 21 48 50 43 61 71 11
Potential: C D B B D D A B C D C B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.8 3.7 8.8 2.3 2.1 1.10 1.5 2.3 3.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.8 10.8 .440 2.8 3.7 .757 0.6 2.7 .208

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: Foreign #56 Overall, Foreign #9 SF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Amherst
I'd say Hans is miscast as a three if it weren't for his ability to shoot from three-point distance. That talent transforms him into a promising post prospect who can affect a game in several positive ways. Hans is also a very good student.

Coach Whittaker is going to cross the Atlantic for a visit to Dresden with a scholarship offer in hand.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 2, 2020

Amherst 91, Bates 76

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bates (6-6, 1-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
David Harris C 33 5-10 8-10 3 10 1 1 18
Andrew Freese PF 34 2-19 4-4 4 7 3 2 8
Brandon Buell SF 28 3-6 1-2 1 6 1 4 9
Kobe Daniel SG 34 5-10 6-6 0 4 5 1 21
Amos Carrington PG 24 3-7 0-0 1 2 1 4 7
Clemente Shaw SF 20 2-4 5-6 1 3 2 2 9
Terrance Lorenzen PG 13 2-3 0-0 2 2 0 0 4
Junior Witcher PF 6 0-0 0-0 0 2 1 4 0
Chris Wise SG 2 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Joe Montgomery C 7 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (D.Harris 4, A.Freese 1, B.Buell 3,
C.Shaw 2, T.Lorenzen 2)
Blocked Shots: 5 (K.Daniel 1, A.Carrington 2, C.Shaw 2)
Steals: 4 (B.Buell 1, K.Daniel 2, C.Wise 1)
3P FGs: 8-20 (B.Buell 2-5, K.Daniel 5-8, A.Carrington
1-3, C.Shaw 0-1, T.Lorenzen 0-1, C.Wise 0-2)

Amherst (10-3, 2-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 20 6-8 5-6 1 6 1 4 17
Drew Lehr PF 22 2-7 2-3 4 8 3 3 6
Matthew Kennedy SG 29 8-18 1-2 4 9 1 2 23
Perry Jordan SF 32 5-10 0-0 2 8 4 3 12
Jesse Scott PG 33 4-10 2-2 0 1 8 1 10
David McQuiston SG 13 1-2 2-2 0 2 3 0 5
Alan Rasberry SG 9 2-3 1-2 1 1 0 0 6
Dominic Moss PF 16 1-5 0-0 2 5 0 3 2
Robert Wood SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Spencer Lund C 12 2-4 0-1 2 3 0 2 4
L on Hespel SF 3 0-0 2-2 0 2 1 2 2
Joseph Wells PF 8 2-4 0-0 1 3 1 0 4
Frederick Goff C 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 1, P.Jordan 4,
J.Scott 1, D.McQuiston 2, D.Moss 1, L.Hespel 1,
J.Wells 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Lehr 2, D.Moss 1)
Steals: 5 (D.Lehr 1, P.Jordan 2, D.McQuiston 1, D.Moss
1)
3P FGs: 10-25 (M.Kennedy 6-14, P.Jordan 2-5, J.Scott
0-1, D.McQuiston 1-1, A.Rasberry 1-1, D.Moss 0-3)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
The day after Michael Grigsby commits to Bates, he watches his future team lose to us. We have four players who score in double figures, and all four of them reach that standard against the Bobcats tonight.

Jesse Scott adds to his credentials as the best point guard in the league. I love that 8:1 assist-turnover ratio. It's 2.64 for the season, best among qualifying players in the NEC.
Record: 10-3 (2-0).


January 4, 2020
Amherst 76, Trinity 62

---------------------------------------------------------
Trinity (6-7, 2-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ed Gregory C 28 1-8 3-3 5 8 1 3 5
Todd Cousin PF 29 3-9 0-2 3 8 3 0 6
Douglas Gomes SF 20 3-8 0-3 1 3 2 1 6
Douglas Coppola SG 26 5-7 2-3 0 3 0 2 16
Kelley Monaghan PG 28 3-6 0-0 0 3 4 3 7
Edward Uhl SF 25 2-8 0-0 1 6 2 1 5
Ryan Wilkes SG 17 1-5 1-1 2 3 2 2 3
Archie Markey C 15 3-4 0-0 2 5 0 1 7
Brian McDonald C 3 1-2 0-0 0 2 1 1 2
Richard Mackie PG 8 2-2 0-0 1 1 1 1 5
Jimmie Jones SF 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 18 (T.Cousin 2, D.Coppola 3, K.Monaghan 2,
E.Uhl 6, R.Wilkes 2, A.Markey 2, R.Mackie 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (T.Cousin 2, A.Markey 2)
Steals: 7 (T.Cousin 1, D.Gomes 2, D.Coppola 2, E.Uhl 1,
R.Mackie 1)
3P FGs: 8-20 (D.Coppola 4-5, K.Monaghan 1-2, E.Uhl 1-7,
R.Wilkes 0-2, A.Markey 1-2, R.Mackie 1-1, J.Jones 0-1)

Amherst (11-3, 3-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 25 2-4 0-1 1 7 2 2 4
Drew Lehr PF 31 4-10 0-1 4 10 3 3 8
Matthew Kennedy SF 30 8-12 0-0 2 3 1 2 20
Perry Jordan SG 32 7-16 2-3 2 7 4 2 17
Jesse Scott PG 33 6-12 2-2 1 2 4 3 14
David McQuiston PG 13 2-5 0-0 0 2 1 0 5
Alan Rasberry SG 8 1-2 0-0 0 1 2 0 3
Dominic Moss PF 14 1-3 0-0 1 3 2 1 2
Spencer Lund PF 10 1-3 1-2 0 1 0 2 3
Léon Hespel SF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (P.Chauvin 2, M.Kennedy 1, P.Jordan 1,
J.Scott 4, D.McQuiston 1, S.Lund 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (P.Jordan 1)
Steals: 7 (M.Kennedy 2, P.Jordan 3, D.McQuiston 1,
S.Lund 1)
3P FGs: 7-19 (M.Kennedy 4-6, P.Jordan 1-5, J.Scott 0-3,
D.McQuiston 1-3, A.Rasberry 1-2)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
This is a very solid team win at home. We're outrebounded by a Trinity team that has lots of guys who can clean the glass, but otherwise, we execute our plan smoothly.

I want to give some love to a couple of the bench players who have been key contributors to this year's team. Dominic Moss has our team's best rebound rate and is a plus defender. David McQuiston has given Amherst teams valuable minutes as a backcourt reserve for three seasons now; he doesn't do one thing superbly, but he does most things fairly well.
Record: 11-3 (3-0).


January 6, 2020
Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Dayton (70) 11-2 1797 1 Atlantic 10 Conference
2. San Diego State (2) 12-1 1726 3 Mountain West Conference
3. Utah 11-1 1653 4 Mountain West Conference
4. Fresno State 11-2 1548 5 Western Athletic Conference
5. Utah State 10-2 1450 10 Western Athletic Conference
6. UNLV 12-2 1339 7 Mountain West Conference
7. Central Michigan 11-2 1330 9 Mid-American Conference
8. Gonzaga 12-2 1303 2 West Coast Conference
9. Charlotte 11-2 1272 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
10. Tulsa 12-2 1114 13 Conference USA
11. Massachusetts 11-2 1113 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
12. Creighton 11-4 1004 6 Missouri Valley Conference
13. La Salle 10-2 979 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. Siena 11-2 828 19 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
15. Xavier 7-3 792 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. Saint Joseph's 10-2 746 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Temple 8-3 687 25 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. Bradley 11-4 568 11 Missouri Valley Conference
19. UTEP 10-3 553 24 Conference USA
20. Northern Iowa 12-3 409 NR Missouri Valley Conference
21. Florida International 10-3 291 17 Sun Belt Conference
22. Cal State Fullerton 11-3 256 NR Big West Conference
23. Southern Utah 10-3 123 20 Summit League
24. Amherst 11-3 119 NR New England Conference
25. Stephen F. Austin 9-3 77 NR Southland Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Northeastern 9-3 75 Colonial Athletic Association
William & Mary 10-4 72 Colonial Athletic Association
Butler 10-4 54 Horizon League
Sam Houston State 8-3 36 Southland Conference
Delaware 9-4 31 Colonial Athletic Association
Eastern Kentucky 10-4 31 Ohio Valley Conference
Saint Mary's 12-4 23 West Coast Conference
Lafayette 12-4 1 Patriot League
We appear in the Mid-Major poll for the first time! :)


January 9, 2020
Tufts 74, Amherst 73

--------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (11-4, 3-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 29 5-10 3-6 4 6 0 1 13
Drew Lehr PF 31 5-6 1-2 4 8 4 4 11
Matthew Kennedy SF 34 5-18 0-0 5 10 2 3 10
Perry Jordan SG 34 5-15 6-7 2 6 1 2 17
Jesse Scott PG 34 2-8 2-5 1 3 6 2 6
David McQuiston SG 9 3-7 1-1 0 0 0 2 9
Alan Rasberry PG 4 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 1 0
Dominic Moss PF 11 1-3 0-0 3 4 0 2 2
Robert Wood SG 4 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Spencer Lund C 10 2-3 1-1 0 0 0 0 5
Léon Hespel SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 6 (D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 3, J.Scott 1, D.Moss
1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Lehr 2, S.Lund 1)
Steals: 6 (P.Jordan 2, J.Scott 3, D.McQuiston 1)
3P FGs: 3-23 (M.Kennedy 0-10, P.Jordan 1-7, J.Scott
0-1, D.McQuiston 2-5)

Tufts (8-6, 3-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Gregory Cool C 15 3-4 0-2 1 3 1 4 6
Tony Santos PF 32 8-10 4-7 2 6 0 4 20
Neal Cleland SF 30 6-12 2-2 0 2 2 1 15
Brian Halter SG 34 5-13 0-0 4 8 1 4 14
Joshua Lytle PG 32 2-7 0-0 2 7 12 3 5
James Self C 17 2-5 0-0 3 6 0 4 4
Jamel Doney PG 16 2-2 0-0 0 5 1 1 4
Antoine Tedeschi PG 6 0-0 1-2 0 1 1 0 1
Kenneth Burnham PF 16 1-5 1-1 1 3 1 1 3
Brian Ashley C 2 1-1 0-0 0 0 1 1 2

Turnovers: 16 (G.Cool 5, T.Santos 1, B.Halter 2,
J.Lytle 3, J.Self 1, J.Doney 1, A.Tedeschi 1,
K.Burnham 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (G.Cool 1, K.Burnham 2)
Steals: 2 (T.Santos 1, K.Burnham 1)
3P FGs: 6-20 (N.Cleland 1-6, B.Halter 4-8, J.Lytle 1-4,
K.Burnham 0-2)

Player of Game: PF Tony Santos (TUF)
And then we lose.

Brian Halter, a shooting guard who is, in fact, very good at shooting, hit a triple with time running out to give the Jumbos a victory. Their gym exploded; their student section stormed the court. It was a moment those kids won't ever forget.

We, especially Matt Kennedy, shot horrifically from behind the arc, but otherwise we played good basketball. MK is allowed to have a crappy game sometimes.

These things happen. Next game.
Record: 11-4 (3-1).


January 11, 2020
Amherst 79, Bowdoin 74

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (12-4, 4-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 17 3-5 1-6 2 5 1 5 7
Drew Lehr C 34 1-2 1-2 1 9 1 3 3
Matthew Kennedy SF 33 8-21 4-7 1 2 2 3 26
Perry Jordan SF 33 4-8 1-3 2 8 3 2 11
Jesse Scott PG 35 6-14 2-4 1 2 5 4 14
David McQuiston SG 12 1-1 3-5 1 2 2 0 5
Alan Rasberry SG 3 2-2 0-0 0 1 0 1 5
Dominic Moss PF 16 3-6 0-0 4 6 2 1 6
Robert Wood SG 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Spencer Lund PF 11 0-2 0-1 2 4 0 2 0
Léon Hespel SF 3 0-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Joseph Wells PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 7 (P.Chauvin 1, M.Kennedy 1, J.Scott 2,
D.McQuiston 2, S.Lund 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (D.Lehr 1, P.Jordan 1)
Steals: 4 (P.Jordan 1, D.McQuiston 1, D.Moss 1, R.Wood
1)
3P FGs: 9-24 (M.Kennedy 6-14, P.Jordan 2-3, J.Scott
0-3, A.Rasberry 1-1, D.Moss 0-1, L.Hespel 0-2)

Bowdoin (4-11, 1-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Cesar Singletary C 26 3-4 0-4 2 11 3 3 6
Dennis Steele SF 23 5-7 4-5 2 5 1 0 15
Gene Spinks SF 31 7-16 3-3 1 4 1 4 20
Vassily Gonchar SG 24 2-8 1-3 1 3 3 5 5
Lev Yashkevich PG 26 1-6 0-0 0 3 1 1 3
Andres Bojorquez PF 29 3-4 4-4 3 7 1 5 11
Cletus Dehart C 19 1-3 3-5 2 7 2 3 5
Raleigh Weeks SG 17 3-5 0-1 1 5 2 2 7
Justin Forster PG 2 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Maynard Rascon SG 3 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 2

Turnovers: 15 (G.Spinks 3, V.Gonchar 3, L.Yashkevich 2,
A.Bojorquez 3, C.Dehart 2, R.Weeks 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (V.Gonchar 1, A.Bojorquez 1, C.Dehart
1)
Steals: 2 (D.Steele 1, M.Rascon 1)
3P FGs: 7-24 (D.Steele 1-1, G.Spinks 3-10, V.Gonchar
0-3, L.Yashkevich 1-4, A.Bojorquez 1-1, C.Dehart 0-2,
R.Weeks 1-3)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
A Bowdoin team that has struggled this season plays a prideful game against us at home, and we barely escape with a victory. Had we shot free throws well--we were 12-for-28--the game wouldn't have been close.

We're tied with Wesleyan for first place in the New England Conference. Hamilton (4-2) is right behind us.
Record: 12-4 (4-1).


January 16, 2020
Amherst 83, Wesleyan 74

---------------------------------------------------------
Wesleyan (9-7, 4-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Hupprecht Meyer C 31 3-8 2-2 2 7 2 0 9
William Baker PF 22 2-9 0-2 1 7 1 2 4
David Millen SF 26 8-14 3-4 4 5 0 0 19
Justin Roche SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Timothy Quade PG 36 3-8 2-3 2 4 1 1 8
Jeff Ecker C 18 3-5 8-8 6 8 0 2 14
Albert Boozer SG 34 3-10 1-2 0 4 3 1 8
Brad Kohler SF 21 2-7 2-6 0 3 0 0 6
Eric Prichard PF 9 1-2 1-2 0 3 2 0 3
Kevin Jenkins SF 3 1-2 0-0 1 1 0 1 3

Turnovers: 10 (W.Baker 1, D.Millen 2, T.Quade 1,
J.Ecker 1, A.Boozer 4, B.Kohler 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (B.Kohler 1)
Steals: 3 (H.Meyer 1, W.Baker 1, A.Boozer 1)
3P FGs: 3-11 (H.Meyer 1-1, W.Baker 0-1, A.Boozer 1-3,
B.Kohler 0-4, K.Jenkins 1-2)

Amherst (13-4, 5-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 21 3-6 1-2 0 3 1 4 7
Drew Lehr PF 18 1-5 0-0 1 5 2 4 2
Matthew Kennedy SF 32 8-18 1-2 3 7 5 3 20
Perry Jordan SF 34 10-19 0-0 1 6 1 2 26
Jesse Scott PG 35 3-10 0-0 0 2 8 3 6
David McQuiston SG 10 1-2 0-0 1 4 2 0 2
Alan Rasberry SG 4 2-4 0-0 1 2 1 0 6
Dominic Moss PF 13 4-5 0-0 5 7 0 3 8
Robert Wood SG 2 0-0 0-0 0 2 1 0 0
Spencer Lund C 19 0-2 0-0 0 2 0 2 0
Léon Hespel SF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Joseph Wells PF 9 3-4 0-0 3 3 1 1 6

Turnovers: 11 (D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 2, P.Jordan 3,
J.Scott 3, R.Wood 1, S.Lund 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (D.Lehr 1)
Steals: 5 (M.Kennedy 3, J.Scott 1, D.Moss 1)
3P FGs: 11-28 (M.Kennedy 3-11, P.Jordan 6-12,
D.McQuiston 0-1, A.Rasberry 2-4)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
For years, Amherst, Williams, and Wesleyan have been known as the Little Three. The name almost certainly arose in reference to the traditional Big Three of the Ivy League: Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Little Three rivalries are always passionate and nearly always hard-fought. Tonight, the prize is first place in the NEC.

Our veteran backcourt combines for 46 points and 13 rebounds as we hold off a spirited challenge from the Cardinals.
Record: 13-4 (5-1).

[MoonlightGraham]

January 18, 2020
Amherst 86, Williams 64

---------------------------------------------------------
Williams (4-13, 4-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Art Nelson C 28 2-4 7-9 1 2 0 4 11
Géraud Delecambre PF 29 2-7 2-8 0 4 1 2 6
Carl Estrella SF 29 4-11 0-0 4 7 1 2 9
Mark Campbell SG 25 1-5 2-2 1 3 1 3 4
Tim Chase PG 24 4-11 3-4 1 3 1 3 12
L. Desmulliers PG 25 3-6 1-2 1 2 0 0 7
Alfred Rosado SF 10 3-5 0-0 1 1 1 1 8
Steven Lipscomb C 22 1-8 2-2 3 8 2 2 4
Jean Mann SF 5 1-3 0-2 0 1 0 1 3
Manuel Rogers SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 11 (A.Nelson 1, G.Delecambre 1, C.Estrella
1, M.Campbell 2, T.Chase 3, L.Desmulliers 2, A.Rosado
1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (A.Nelson 1, G.Delecambre 1, T.Chase 1)
Steals: 4 (G.Delecambre 2, T.Chase 1, L.Desmulliers 1)
3P FGs: 5-18 (C.Estrella 1-5, M.Campbell 0-3, T.Chase
1-3, L.Desmulliers 0-2, A.Rosado 2-2, J.Mann 1-3)

Amherst (14-4, 6-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 21 4-6 2-3 2 5 1 4 10
Drew Lehr PF 12 0-1 1-2 1 3 0 4 1
Matthew Kennedy SF 28 7-12 5-6 1 1 4 2 23
Perry Jordan SG 30 6-15 3-3 2 8 3 3 15
Jesse Scott PG 32 8-15 0-0 2 8 5 1 17
David McQuiston SG 13 2-4 2-4 0 5 2 1 7
Alan Rasberry SG 11 1-1 0-0 0 3 0 1 3
Dominic Moss PF 17 1-4 0-0 2 6 1 4 2
Robert Wood SG 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Spencer Lund C 21 1-4 1-1 1 4 1 2 3
Léon Hespel SF 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 1 0
Joseph Wells PF 9 2-2 1-3 3 5 1 1 5

Turnovers: 14 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 4,
P.Jordan 1, D.McQuiston 4, A.Rasberry 1, D.Moss 2)
Blocked Shots: 4 (M.Kennedy 1, D.Moss 1, S.Lund 1,
J.Wells 1)
Steals: 3 (M.Kennedy 2, P.Jordan 1)
3P FGs: 7-15 (M.Kennedy 4-5, P.Jordan 0-5, J.Scott 1-2,
D.McQuiston 1-2, A.Rasberry 1-1)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
The second Little Three matchup at LeFrak Gym went even better, as we routed our arch-rival Williams. The Ephs had no answer for any of our three perimeter players, and we held them to 35% shooting for the game.

Our victory establishes a new program record for wins in a season, and it's not yet February.
Record: 14-4 (6-1).


January 23, 2020
Amherst 80, Colby 64

----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (15-4, 7-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 25 4-7 0-0 1 9 1 3 8
Drew Lehr PF 34 5-12 1-2 6 13 0 1 11
Matthew Kennedy SF 31 7-16 0-0 1 3 4 3 20
Perry Jordan SF 33 7-12 1-1 0 5 1 3 19
Jesse Scott PG 35 5-15 3-4 3 7 2 2 13
David McQuiston SG 12 2-3 3-3 1 1 0 0 7
Alan Rasberry SG 8 0-0 2-2 0 0 1 0 2
Dominic Moss PF 14 0-2 0-0 0 4 0 2 0
Spencer Lund C 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Léon Hespel SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Joseph Wells PF 2 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 2 0

Turnovers: 11 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 2, J.Scott 5,
D.McQuiston 1, D.Moss 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Lehr 3)
Steals: 5 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 1, P.Jordan
1, J.Scott 1)
3P FGs: 10-20 (M.Kennedy 6-11, P.Jordan 4-6, J.Scott
0-1, D.McQuiston 0-1, D.Moss 0-1)

Colby (3-15, 1-7):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Bryan Samons C 27 5-7 2-4 1 5 0 1 12
Lanny Block PF 31 3-10 2-4 6 12 0 3 8
Byron Shultz SF 22 7-11 0-0 0 3 0 4 17
Gus Morgan SG 35 0-7 0-0 6 10 8 2 0
Joseph Flake PG 32 4-13 2-4 2 6 1 1 11
Lloyd Dole PG 20 2-7 0-1 0 2 4 2 5
James Wills SG 7 1-2 2-2 0 0 0 1 4
Daryl Franklin SF 4 1-2 1-2 0 1 0 0 4
Hans Grossman C 21 1-7 0-0 2 4 0 0 3

Turnovers: 13 (L.Block 4, B.Shultz 3, G.Morgan 4,
L.Dole 1, D.Franklin 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (L.Block 2, H.Grossman 1)
Steals: 4 (G.Morgan 1, J.Flake 1, J.Wills 1, D.Franklin
1)
3P FGs: 7-26 (L.Block 0-1, B.Shultz 3-6, G.Morgan 0-5,
J.Flake 1-6, L.Dole 1-5, D.Franklin 1-2, H.Grossman
1-1)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
Everybody pitches in as we travel to Maine and defeat a floundering Colby team. Their coach, Kenneth Meek, has to be on the hottest of hot seats; his Mules teams have lost at least 21 games in four consecutive seasons and seem well on their way to making it five.

We sink half of our 20 three-point attempts. We've been shooting well lately.
Record: 15-4 (7-1).


January 25, 2020
Hamilton 75, Amherst 71

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (15-5, 7-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 28 2-3 1-4 0 4 2 3 5
Drew Lehr PF 23 1-2 2-2 4 9 0 4 4
Matthew Kennedy SF 24 5-11 5-6 1 5 1 4 18
Perry Jordan SG 33 9-19 5-5 1 6 2 3 27
Jesse Scott PG 35 2-9 0-0 0 2 7 2 4
David McQuiston SG 11 1-4 2-3 0 0 4 1 5
Alan Rasberry SG 6 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Dominic Moss PF 13 0-1 0-2 2 4 0 0 0
Robert Wood SG 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Spencer Lund C 12 1-1 2-3 1 3 0 2 4
Léon Hespel SF 7 1-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 2
Joseph Wells PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (D.Lehr 3, M.Kennedy 3, P.Jordan 2,
J.Scott 3, D.McQuiston 2)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 4 (M.Kennedy 2, P.Jordan 1, D.McQuiston 1)
3P FGs: 8-23 (M.Kennedy 3-6, P.Jordan 4-8, J.Scott 0-2,
D.McQuiston 1-4, A.Rasberry 0-2, L.Hespel 0-1)

Hamilton (13-6, 6-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Wallace Browder C 30 1-4 2-2 2 7 1 2 4
Gerald Grantham PF 10 0-1 1-2 1 2 0 4 1
Andrew Clark SF 28 3-17 2-2 1 5 1 3 9
Sean Averill SG 32 8-14 3-3 0 5 2 1 21
Daniel Elam PG 29 4-8 1-1 1 5 4 0 11
Ward Thibodeaux PG 13 3-3 0-0 1 4 3 0 8
Alex Woodham PF 6 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 4 2
Dennis Herrington SG 11 1-2 0-0 0 2 1 0 2
Basil Derosier SF 9 1-3 4-5 0 0 0 0 7
Ken Rogers PF 18 2-4 4-4 2 3 2 1 8
David Delrio C 13 0-1 2-2 1 5 0 4 2
Kelley Shearer SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 13 (G.Grantham 2, A.Clark 1, S.Averill 3,
D.Elam 3, D.Herrington 2, K.Rogers 1, D.Delrio 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (W.Browder 4, A.Woodham 1,
D.Herrington 1, D.Delrio 1)
Steals: 7 (A.Clark 2, S.Averill 3, W.Thibodeaux 1,
B.Derosier 1)
3P FGs: 8-23 (A.Clark 1-9, S.Averill 2-5, D.Elam 2-3,
W.Thibodeaux 2-2, D.Herrington 0-1, B.Derosier 1-3)

Player of Game: SG Sean Averill (HAM)
A trip to Hamilton is one of the toughest challenges an NEC team can face. The Continentals are, by far, the most prestigious team in our league, the result of five consecutive trips to the postseason. They'll probably play well into March this year, too.

The home team earns their victory with an inspired second half comeback. Again, we don't play badly; they simply play a bit better. And Hamilton's victory brings them within a game of the NEC lead, which we now share with Bates.
Record: 15-5 (7-2).


January 30, 2020
Amherst 89, Trinity 84

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (16-5, 8-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 32 2-12 3-4 2 7 5 3 7
Drew Lehr PF 36 2-7 0-0 7 15 2 3 4
Matthew Kennedy SF 36 11-19 1-1 3 5 1 3 28
Perry Jordan SG 31 8-17 2-5 0 7 1 3 20
Jesse Scott PG 38 7-14 1-2 2 3 7 2 15
David McQuiston SG 16 1-4 4-4 0 1 2 1 6
Alan Rasberry SG 7 0-0 0-0 0 1 2 1 0
Dominic Moss PF 14 3-5 0-0 2 3 3 0 6
Robert Wood SG 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Spencer Lund C 7 0-1 0-0 1 2 1 1 0
Léon Hespel SF 4 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 1 3
Joseph Wells PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 1,
P.Jordan 2, J.Scott 2, A.Rasberry 1, D.Moss 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Lehr 2, D.Moss 1)
Steals: 5 (P.Jordan 1, J.Scott 2, D.McQuiston 2)
3P FGs: 8-21 (M.Kennedy 5-10, P.Jordan 2-6, J.Scott
0-2, D.McQuiston 0-2, L.Hespel 1-1)

Trinity (8-12, 4-6):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ed Gregory C 34 4-11 2-2 2 8 1 2 10
Todd Cousin PF 32 6-9 3-4 6 14 5 2 15
Douglas Gomes SF 24 8-15 3-6 1 6 3 2 19
Douglas Coppola SG 33 5-17 0-0 2 4 0 1 11
Kelley Monaghan PG 32 5-5 3-3 1 2 4 3 15
Edward Uhl SF 28 2-10 2-2 2 6 2 3 6
Ryan Wilkes SG 9 3-4 1-1 1 1 1 1 8
Archie Markey PF 17 0-2 0-0 1 4 1 1 0
Brian McDonald C 5 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0
Richard Mackie PG 11 0-3 0-0 0 0 1 1 0

Turnovers: 11 (E.Gregory 2, T.Cousin 1, D.Gomes 1,
K.Monaghan 3, E.Uhl 2, R.Wilkes 1, B.McDonald 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (E.Gregory 1, A.Markey 2)
Steals: 4 (D.Gomes 1, D.Coppola 3)
3P FGs: 4-12 (E.Gregory 0-1, D.Gomes 0-1, D.Coppola
1-3, K.Monaghan 2-2, E.Uhl 0-2, R.Wilkes 1-1, R.Mackie
0-2)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
I really wish Drew Lehr, Jesse Scott, and Matthew Kennedy weren't seniors. I should like to coach them for more than one season. It seems that at least two of the three of them play well in every single game.

At the same time, I'm glad Perry Jordan and Pierre Chauvin aren't graduating.

I owe Perry an apology; he's scored over 1100 points in his career, and I completely forgot to recognize his entrance into the 1000-point club. There's only one other member: Don Orcutt '18, who is Amherst's all-time leading scorer with 1315 points. Perry should easily surpass that total, possibly even this season.
Record: 16-5 (8-2).

[MoonlightGraham]

February 1, 2020
Recruiting News

Our pursuit of Bryan Currin pays off today, as he announces his commitment to play for us next season. I just realized I never posted his "hero card." Here it is:

#0 PG Bryan Currin
--------------------------------------
Height: 6-4
Weight: 186
High School: Greenwich High School
Hometown: Greenwich, NY
GPA: 2.93
Test Score: 1080
Rating: *

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 14 16 26 40 51 37 0 17 18 18 30 36 83 27 42 4
Potential: D B D D A C F D B C D D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12.6 0.9 4.1 6.1 2.0 3.05 2.1 1.1 2.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.6 11.9 .466 0.8 1.4 .571 0.7 3.4 .209

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Committed to Amherst
Rankings: None
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: *Amherst
I like the fact that Bryan never considered playing anywhere but Amherst. He projects as a useful combo guard who should, at worst, give us a versatile rotation option. He's arriving in the same class as Doyle Cannon, and we have two other solid underclass guards on the roster already (Alan Rasberry and David McQuiston), we don't need Bryan to be a magic man from the moment he arrives on campus.

Welcome to the Mammoth family, Mr. Currin!

American (prestige 37) has discovered Hans Fluegel, and they've offered him a scholarship. Hans still prefers Amherst, but we can't match the recruiting efforts the Eagles can devote to signing him. If Hans didn't have an offer from American, I wouldn't hesitate to battle for him...but we're up against a program that leads us 37-8 in Prestige and 48-10 in Facilities. Coaches Whittaker and Getty are better recruiters, but not that much better.

Let's find another big man to check out. How about Thomas Fernandez, a seven-footer from Litchfield, CT? He lists Harvard, Williams, and Marist as his top three schools, but nobody has offered him a scholarship. He expresses High interest in playing for Amherst, without us paying any attention to him at all.

Thomas averages 15.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, shooting 52%. His grades are good and his test score is high. I'd prefer to wait until we've had a chance to evaluate Thomas before we offer him a scholarship, but it's February. Time is of the essence now. Because we already have a three-star big man, Carson Shears, on board, I can afford to gamble on Fernandez. You had your chance, Hans. I'm pulling your offer and extending it to Thomas instead.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 1, 2020
Amherst 122, Bates 120 (OT)

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (17-5, 9-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 20 6-7 1-2 1 2 1 4 13
Drew Lehr C 34 5-6 5-6 0 5 3 4 15
Matthew Kennedy SF 34 10-18 5-7 1 4 1 4 29
Perry Jordan SF 36 7-11 6-8 0 9 5 4 23
Jesse Scott PG 37 8-11 7-8 0 0 11 2 23
David McQuiston SG 12 1-3 2-2 0 3 1 2 4
Alan Rasberry SG 13 1-2 2-4 0 1 2 2 5
Dominic Moss PF 14 1-1 2-3 1 6 0 0 4
Robert Wood SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Spencer Lund PF 10 2-3 0-0 0 0 1 4 4
Léon Hespel SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 3 0 0
Joseph Wells PF 7 1-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 2
Frederick Goff C 4 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0

Turnovers: 17 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 3,
P.Jordan 4, J.Scott 4, A.Rasberry 2, D.Moss 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (D.Lehr 1)
Steals: 7 (M.Kennedy 2, P.Jordan 1, J.Scott 4)
3P FGs: 8-19 (M.Kennedy 4-10, P.Jordan 3-6, D.McQuiston
0-2, A.Rasberry 1-1)

Bates (13-8, 7-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
David Harris C 25 4-10 2-4 5 6 6 5 10
Andrew Freese PF 39 10-15 4-5 6 18 3 5 24
Brandon Buell SF 35 4-10 7-9 0 1 5 5 17
Kobe Daniel SG 36 7-14 5-7 1 2 4 5 23
Amos Carrington PG 37 10-18 6-8 2 4 6 4 29
James Lingerfelt SG 15 3-6 0-0 0 0 0 3 8
Clemente Shaw SG 10 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Terrance Lorenzen PG 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Junior Witcher PF 20 2-2 5-6 2 6 2 0 9
Joe Montgomery C 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0

Turnovers: 15 (A.Freese 3, K.Daniel 5, A.Carrington 4,
C.Shaw 1, J.Witcher 2)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 8 (B.Buell 2, K.Daniel 2, A.Carrington 3,
J.Lingerfelt 1)
3P FGs: 11-24 (B.Buell 2-4, K.Daniel 4-8, A.Carrington
3-6, J.Lingerfelt 2-5, C.Shaw 0-1)

Player of Game: PG Jesse Scott (AMH)
Wow. Just wow.

Both teams come out firing, and many of those shots are going in. Bates takes a 56-50 lead into the intermission, but Perry Jordan and, then, Matthew Kennedy sink threes to tie the score.

The lead changes 11 times during the next 17 minutes. Two Kennedy free throws give us a 102-100 lead, but Brandon Buell sends the game into overtime with two foul shots of his own as the clock reads 00:01.

Five minutes of extra play ensue, interrupted frequently by Bates players who foul out of the game. By the time the final buzzer sounds, four of the five Bobcats starters have been disqualified, and the fifth has four fouls of his own. Meanwhile, five of our guys have four personals.

As befits a game when 56 personal fouls are called (29 for them, 27 for us) and 80 free throws are attempted, the game is decided at the charity stripe. The last shooter standing is Perry Jordan, and he coolly sinks two shots with no time remaining.

Bates' Andrew Freese plays majestically in defeat.
Record: 17-5 (9-2).


February 6, 2020
Amherst 73, Bowdoin 52

---------------------------------------------------------
Bowdoin (4-18, 1-11):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Cesar Singletary C 26 0-4 0-2 2 7 2 2 0
Dennis Steele SF 20 3-9 1-4 1 5 1 3 7
Gene Spinks SF 17 4-10 1-4 2 5 0 4 9
Vassily Gonchar SG 22 2-2 0-0 0 5 2 0 4
Lev Yashkevich PG 26 3-10 4-4 0 4 2 1 11
Andres Bojorquez PF 30 3-9 1-3 6 8 3 1 8
Cletus Dehart C 20 4-7 0-0 0 3 0 2 8
Raleigh Weeks SG 21 2-11 0-0 4 4 2 2 5
Justin Forster PG 4 0-4 0-0 0 0 0 2 0
Maynard Rascon SG 11 0-3 0-0 1 3 0 1 0
Dewitt Smith C 2 0-0 0-0 1 1 1 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (D.Steele 2, G.Spinks 2, V.Gonchar 1,
L.Yashkevich 2, R.Weeks 1, M.Rascon 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Steele 1, G.Spinks 1, L.Yashkevich
1)
Steals: 4 (G.Spinks 1, L.Yashkevich 2, R.Weeks 1)
3P FGs: 3-21 (G.Spinks 0-4, L.Yashkevich 1-4,
A.Bojorquez 1-2, C.Dehart 0-1, R.Weeks 1-6, J.Forster
0-3, M.Rascon 0-1)

Amherst (18-5, 10-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 28 3-6 4-6 2 10 3 1 10
Drew Lehr PF 30 3-5 0-0 2 9 2 5 6
Matthew Kennedy SG 28 6-17 0-0 0 3 3 2 17
Perry Jordan SF 34 6-12 6-6 0 6 3 1 21
Jesse Scott PG 30 4-9 0-0 1 3 3 5 9
David McQuiston SG 15 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 0 3
Alan Rasberry SG 8 0-1 2-2 1 3 0 1 2
Dominic Moss PF 13 1-1 0-1 0 1 0 1 2
Robert Wood SG 3 0-0 2-2 1 2 0 0 2
Spencer Lund C 7 0-2 0-0 0 4 0 0 0
L on Hespel SF 2 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 0 1
Joseph Wells PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (P.Chauvin 3, M.Kennedy 2, J.Scott 2,
A.Rasberry 1, D.Moss 1, R.Wood 1, S.Lund 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Lehr 3)
Steals: 3 (P.Chauvin 2, J.Scott 1)
3P FGs: 10-22 (M.Kennedy 5-12, P.Jordan 3-6, J.Scott
1-1, D.McQuiston 1-2, A.Rasberry 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Perry Jordan (AMH)
Bowdoin brings a 1-10 conference mark to LeFrak Gym, where the Mammoths haven't lost all season long. The outcome doesn't surprise anyone.

The visitors make only 3 of 21 long shots, and shoot just over 30% overall. Meanwhile, Matt Kennedy does what he does, and Pierre Chauvin completes a nice double-double.
Record: 18-5 (10-2).


February 8, 2020
Tufts 76, Amherst 74

---------------------------------------------------------
Tufts (12-11, 7-6):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Tony Santos PF 32 4-9 3-3 3 8 2 0 11
Gregory Cool PF 19 5-8 1-3 2 6 0 4 11
Neal Cleland SF 30 4-8 0-0 1 6 2 4 11
William Rapp SG 26 2-10 0-0 1 2 1 1 5
Joshua Lytle PG 36 8-15 2-3 2 5 7 3 23
James Self C 22 2-3 0-0 1 5 1 2 4
Brian Halter SG 19 2-5 0-0 0 1 0 1 5
Jamel Doney SG 7 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 2 3
Antoine Tedeschi PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Kenneth Burnham PF 6 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 3
Brian Ashley C 1 0-1 0-0 1 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (T.Santos 2, G.Cool 1, W.Rapp 2, J.Lytle
4, B.Halter 3)
Blocked Shots: 1 (J.Self 1)
Steals: 3 (N.Cleland 1, J.Lytle 2)
3P FGs: 12-23 (N.Cleland 3-4, W.Rapp 1-5, J.Lytle 5-7,
B.Halter 1-4, J.Doney 1-1, K.Burnham 1-2)

Amherst (18-6, 10-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 30 2-6 5-5 2 6 2 3 9
Drew Lehr PF 35 5-9 0-0 5 9 0 1 10
Matthew Kennedy SF 33 6-13 2-3 0 4 4 1 16
Perry Jordan SG 35 4-11 3-5 0 6 1 1 14
Jesse Scott PG 36 5-11 0-0 1 2 5 3 11
David McQuiston SG 10 2-3 4-4 0 4 1 1 9
Alan Rasberry SG 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Dominic Moss PF 10 2-3 1-1 1 1 0 2 5
Robert Wood SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Spencer Lund C 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 3 0
L on Hespel SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 2, M.Kennedy 2,
P.Jordan 1, J.Scott 1, D.McQuiston 1, D.Moss 1, S.Lund
2)
Blocked Shots: 4 (D.Lehr 3, P.Jordan 1)
Steals: 5 (P.Chauvin 2, P.Jordan 2, D.McQuiston 1)
3P FGs: 7-23 (M.Kennedy 2-8, P.Jordan 3-9, J.Scott 1-3,
D.McQuiston 1-2, D.Moss 0-1)

Player of Game: PG Joshua Lytle (TUF)
Gregory Cool lives up to his name, scoring with five seconds left to clinch an upset victory that breaks Toby Whittaker's 10-game home winning streak.

Perry Jordan comes within inches of stealing the game right back, but his long three-ball hits the rim and bounces harmlessly away. If we'd shot better on our other three-point attempts (we went 7-for-23) we wouldn't have needed Perry to try to work some last-second magic.

Now we're tied with Hamilton for the league lead, making our game with them on February 20 even more crucial.
Record: 18-6 (10-3).


February 13, 2020
Amherst 89, Williams 64

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (19-6, 11-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 25 5-7 2-3 1 10 1 2 12
Drew Lehr PF 22 4-6 2-2 2 9 1 4 10
Matthew Kennedy SF 29 6-13 0-2 1 3 5 1 12
Perry Jordan SF 31 5-9 3-3 1 7 4 4 16
Jesse Scott PG 32 6-11 2-3 2 7 9 4 15
David McQuiston SG 10 1-4 2-2 0 1 1 0 4
Alan Rasberry PG 9 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 0 0
Dominic Moss PF 15 3-7 1-2 2 4 1 1 7
Robert Wood SG 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Spencer Lund C 16 4-8 3-3 2 3 1 3 11
Léon Hespel SF 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Joseph Wells PF 3 0-0 2-2 0 2 0 0 2

Turnovers: 9 (P.Chauvin 3, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 3,
P.Jordan 1, J.Scott 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (P.Chauvin 2, D.McQuiston 1, D.Moss 1)
Steals: 7 (P.Chauvin 1, M.Kennedy 1, P.Jordan 3,
J.Scott 1, S.Lund 1)
3P FGs: 4-14 (D.Lehr 0-1, M.Kennedy 0-6, P.Jordan 3-4,
J.Scott 1-1, D.McQuiston 0-1, D.Moss 0-1)

Williams (6-18, 6-7):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Art Nelson C 24 2-10 2-3 2 5 0 4 6
Géraud Delecambre PF 32 3-10 2-4 2 7 2 3 8
Carl Estrella SF 28 3-9 2-4 2 5 1 1 9
Mark Campbell SG 20 2-8 0-0 1 3 0 3 6
Tim Chase PG 26 4-10 4-5 1 3 0 2 12
L. Desmulliers PG 25 2-6 0-0 0 3 3 2 6
Alfred Rosado SG 12 3-6 3-4 1 3 0 0 10
Steven Lipscomb C 22 3-4 1-2 2 3 1 3 7
Jean Mann SF 7 0-1 0-0 0 2 3 0 0
Manuel Rogers SG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Eddy Santiago PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (A.Nelson 1, C.Estrella 3, M.Campbell 2,
T.Chase 1, A.Rosado 3, S.Lipscomb 2, J.Mann 2)
Blocked Shots: 2 (L.Desmulliers 1, S.Lipscomb 1)
Steals: 3 (G.Delecambre 1, A.Rosado 1, S.Lipscomb 1)
3P FGs: 6-18 (A.Nelson 0-1, C.Estrella 1-4, M.Campbell
2-5, T.Chase 0-2, L.Desmulliers 2-4, A.Rosado 1-2)

Player of Game: SF Perry Jordan (AMH)
We take the frustrations from our loss at Tufts out on Williams in the second half, breaking open a game we led 39-37 at the end of 20 minutes. The key to our success is our defense, which limits the Ephs to 34% shooting.

Redshirt freshman Spencer Lund plays very well in relief of Drew Lehr. Spencer and Drew are two of six Amherst players who score in double figures.
Record: 19-6 (11-3).

[Young Drachma]

I love that FBCB despite all the changes in college basketball is still a really fast easy solid number generator for all this. I'd love it to be updated, but I'm just glad it's mostly useful enough for this sort of thing. I always start in the winter playing it again, so this is getting me excited to dive back in, especially the D3 angle.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 15, 2020
Wesleyan 63, Amherst 60

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (19-7, 11-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 19 2-4 3-6 2 10 0 4 7
Drew Lehr PF 32 1-7 4-4 6 11 1 3 6
Matthew Kennedy SF 23 6-14 3-6 4 6 0 3 18
Perry Jordan SF 32 3-14 2-4 0 6 3 2 9
Jesse Scott PG 34 2-7 3-3 0 2 4 0 7
David McQuiston SG 13 1-5 2-2 0 1 0 1 4
Alan Rasberry SG 11 0-3 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Dominic Moss PF 13 2-4 0-1 2 6 0 1 4
Robert Wood SG 3 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Spencer Lund C 13 1-5 1-2 2 5 2 2 3
Léon Hespel SF 4 1-1 0-0 3 3 0 1 2
Joseph Wells PF 4 0-2 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 8 (D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 3, P.Jordan 2,
J.Scott 1, D.Moss 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Lehr 1, S.Lund 2)
Steals: 5 (D.Lehr 1, P.Jordan 2, J.Scott 1, A.Rasberry
1)
3P FGs: 4-24 (M.Kennedy 3-11, P.Jordan 1-8, J.Scott
0-1, D.McQuiston 0-1, A.Rasberry 0-1, D.Moss 0-1,
R.Wood 0-1)

Wesleyan (14-11, 8-6):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Hupprecht Meyer C 30 3-6 2-3 3 10 1 3 9
William Baker PF 24 5-9 4-7 3 9 0 4 14
David Millen SF 14 2-9 0-0 0 2 2 4 4
Mark Howard SG 23 4-10 2-2 2 7 2 4 11
Timothy Quade PG 36 1-4 0-2 3 4 2 2 3
Justin Roche SG 22 2-6 0-0 1 4 5 3 5
Jeff Ecker C 18 4-7 2-2 2 10 1 2 10
Albert Boozer SG 17 2-7 1-2 0 3 0 1 5
Brad Kohler SF 7 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 0 2
Eric Prichard PF 8 0-3 0-2 0 0 0 0 0
Kevin Jenkins SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (W.Baker 2, D.Millen 2, M.Howard 2,
T.Quade 1, J.Roche 3, A.Boozer 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (H.Meyer 2, A.Boozer 1)
Steals: 4 (M.Howard 2, T.Quade 1, A.Boozer 1)
3P FGs: 4-14 (H.Meyer 1-1, M.Howard 1-2, T.Quade 1-2,
J.Roche 1-3, J.Ecker 0-1, A.Boozer 0-4, B.Kohler 0-1)

Player of Game: C Hupprecht Meyer (WES)
We don't win and we don't deserve to win. I'm amazed we came as close to victory as we do.

Alan Rasberry, in the game for his shooting prowess, has a chance to tie the game with a three, but he misses. His misfire was the 21st of the game for us, in 25 attempts. Overall, we shoot 19-for-68.

Hamilton has played one fewer conference game than we have; their record is 11-3. We really, really need to beat them when they visit us in five days.
Record: 19-7 (11-4).


February 20, 2020
Amherst 98, Hamilton 86

---------------------------------------------------------
Hamilton (18-8, 11-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Wallace Browder C 29 4-5 2-2 1 7 2 3 10
Gerald Grantham PF 20 2-4 1-2 2 4 1 4 5
Andrew Clark SF 28 5-13 0-0 0 6 3 4 13
Sean Averill SG 31 8-15 3-6 1 4 2 4 22
Daniel Elam PG 30 6-9 3-4 1 2 1 4 18
Ward Thibodeaux PG 14 1-4 1-2 1 1 2 2 4
Alex Woodham PF 22 2-5 0-2 3 7 2 1 4
Dennis Herrington PG 10 0-0 3-4 0 2 3 1 3
Basil Derosier SG 7 0-1 0-0 1 1 1 1 0
Ken Rogers PF 8 3-5 1-1 0 2 0 0 7
David Delrio C 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Kelley Shearer SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (G.Grantham 1, A.Clark 3, S.Averill 2,
D.Elam 1, W.Thibodeaux 1, A.Woodham 3)
Blocked Shots: 4 (W.Browder 3, A.Woodham 1)
Steals: 4 (D.Elam 1, A.Woodham 1, B.Derosier 2)
3P FGs: 10-26 (A.Clark 3-8, S.Averill 3-9, D.Elam 3-5,
W.Thibodeaux 1-3, B.Derosier 0-1)

Amherst (20-7, 12-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 29 3-7 2-5 2 5 2 1 8
Drew Lehr PF 20 2-3 1-2 1 5 1 4 5
Matthew Kennedy SF 34 8-21 5-5 2 7 5 1 25
Perry Jordan SG 20 6-8 8-8 1 3 0 4 21
Jesse Scott PG 24 2-7 0-0 1 3 5 4 4
David McQuiston PG 13 3-7 0-0 2 4 2 2 8
Alan Rasberry SG 15 4-5 4-6 0 2 3 4 15
Dominic Moss PF 14 0-0 2-2 1 3 2 0 2
Robert Wood SG 8 0-1 0-0 0 2 0 0 0
Spencer Lund PF 14 1-2 2-2 1 2 1 2 4
Léon Hespel SF 5 2-3 1-1 0 1 0 0 6
Joseph Wells PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 1 0

Turnovers: 8 (P.Chauvin 2, P.Jordan 1, J.Scott 2,
D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 1, L.Hespel 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 1, R.Wood 1)
Steals: 1 (M.Kennedy 1)
3P FGs: 11-26 (M.Kennedy 4-12, P.Jordan 1-3, J.Scott
0-1, D.McQuiston 2-4, A.Rasberry 3-3, R.Wood 0-1,
L.Hespel 1-2)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
The twentieth victory of our season is the biggest yet, because it allows us to recapture a half-game advantage over Hamilton in the NEC race.

Guards Perry Jordan, Matthew Kennedy, and Alan Rasberry provide the scoring, and everyone takes good care of the basketball. The Continentals' excellent sophomore guard, Sean Averill, plays well, and they get a typically solid performance from senior Daniel Elam. Hamilton is a good team who deserves to play some postseason basketball.
Record: 20-7 (12-4).


February 22, 2020
Amherst 69, Colby 64

--------------------------------------------------------
Colby (5-22, 3-13):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Bryan Samons C 29 5-9 1-2 3 5 2 3 11
Lanny Block PF 30 2-6 3-4 5 20 1 2 7
Byron Shultz SF 25 3-17 0-0 2 8 2 0 8
Gus Morgan SG 36 3-17 4-4 3 6 1 4 13
Joseph Flake PG 27 5-10 2-4 7 9 2 4 14
Lloyd Dole PG 22 3-7 2-2 1 4 0 5 9
James Wills PG 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Daryl Franklin SF 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Donnell Silvas C 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Hans Grossman PF 19 0-3 2-2 0 2 1 4 2
Arthur Pete SG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (L.Block 1, B.Shultz 4, G.Morgan 2,
J.Flake 1, D.Franklin 1, H.Grossman 2, A.Pete 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (H.Grossman 2)
Steals: 5 (B.Samons 1, G.Morgan 2, L.Dole 1, H.Grossman
1)
3P FGs: 8-24 (L.Block 0-1, B.Shultz 2-10, G.Morgan 3-7,
J.Flake 2-2, L.Dole 1-2, H.Grossman 0-2)

Amherst (21-7, 13-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 26 0-7 3-6 0 2 0 0 3
Drew Lehr PF 21 3-7 2-2 5 10 1 4 8
Matthew Kennedy SF 32 7-13 5-6 0 3 1 2 22
Perry Jordan SG 31 7-12 1-2 1 5 1 3 19
Jesse Scott PG 34 4-10 1-5 2 6 5 1 9
David McQuiston SG 10 0-4 3-4 1 3 2 1 3
L on Hespel SF 11 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Alan Rasberry SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Dominic Moss PF 15 1-2 0-2 1 6 0 2 2
Spencer Lund C 14 0-1 3-4 2 5 1 0 3
Joseph Wells PF 5 0-3 0-0 0 2 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (P.Chauvin 2, M.Kennedy 2, P.Jordan 2,
L.Hespel 2, D.Moss 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 1, P.Jordan 1,
L.Hespel 1)
Steals: 4 (M.Kennedy 1, D.McQuiston 2, S.Lund 1)
3P FGs: 7-19 (M.Kennedy 3-8, P.Jordan 4-7, J.Scott 0-1,
D.McQuiston 0-3)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
It's Senior Day at Amherst, and we send our four players from the Class of 2020 out with a victory over Colby that ends up being closer than it needed to be.

I'd have liked to give walk-on Léon Hespel a start, but we're still battling Hamilton for the conference title. (Had Léon not started 12 games last season, I'd have given him the chance to hear his name announced with the starters.)

Drew Lehr, Jesse Scott, and Matthew Kennedy all acquit themselves well in their final home games.
Record: 21-7 (13-4).


February 26, 2020
Cornell 81, Amherst 72

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (21-8, 13-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 20 3-7 3-3 1 9 1 4 9
Drew Lehr PF 20 3-3 0-0 2 8 2 5 6
Matthew Kennedy SF 18 3-11 0-0 1 2 2 4 8
Perry Jordan SG 18 2-7 4-4 0 2 0 5 9
Jesse Scott PG 35 3-9 5-6 2 6 8 2 11
David McQuiston SG 16 0-5 0-0 0 2 0 1 0
Léon Hespel SF 17 7-9 0-0 0 4 1 3 16
Alan Rasberry SG 12 2-5 0-0 0 0 1 0 5
Dominic Moss PF 15 0-1 1-2 2 5 0 1 1
Robert Wood SG 1 1-1 0-1 0 0 0 0 2
Spencer Lund C 16 1-3 2-4 2 4 0 2 4
Joseph Wells PF 8 0-3 0-0 0 0 0 2 0
Sam Riley SF 3 0-0 1-2 0 1 0 1 1

Turnovers: 13 (P.Chauvin 2, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 2,
P.Jordan 2, J.Scott 1, D.McQuiston 2, A.Rasberry 1,
S.Lund 1, J.Wells 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (D.Lehr 3, D.Moss 1)
Steals: 3 (P.Chauvin 1, J.Scott 2)
3P FGs: 6-19 (P.Chauvin 0-1, M.Kennedy 2-6, P.Jordan
1-3, J.Scott 0-2, D.McQuiston 0-1, L.Hespel 2-4,
A.Rasberry 1-2)

Cornell (10-12, 5-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris McLellan C 31 4-9 7-7 6 12 1 3 16
James Powell PF 19 4-9 3-4 3 6 0 5 11
Richard Hernandez SF 35 10-20 7-17 1 5 0 2 31
Jesse Lomeli SG 30 2-10 1-4 3 7 2 1 5
Charles Trawick PG 36 0-3 2-2 1 6 6 2 2
Coleman Lindsay C 23 3-8 2-3 2 8 0 3 8
Joshua Michaud PF 5 0-2 0-0 1 2 1 0 0
Darrin Poore SG 17 3-5 1-3 0 3 0 1 8
Steven Russell SF 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 0
Antoine Davis PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 11 (C.McLellan 1, J.Powell 1, R.Hernandez 2,
J.Lomeli 1, C.Trawick 3, C.Lindsay 1, D.Poore 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (C.Lindsay 1)
Steals: 5 (C.McLellan 1, C.Trawick 4)
3P FGs: 6-25 (C.McLellan 1-1, J.Powell 0-3, R.Hernandez
4-10, J.Lomeli 0-3, C.Trawick 0-3, C.Lindsay 0-3,
D.Poore 1-2)

Player of Game: C Chris McLellan (CRNL)
Compared to us, Cornell is a big team. Beating them at their place would have been a very nice result, but it's not to be.

Richard Hernandez drops 31 on us. He's Cornell's all-time leading scorer and one of the Ivy League's best players. We can't handle their senior big man Chris McLellan, either.

If we win at Middlebury tomorrow, we clinch the New England Conference regular season title and the top seed in the conference tournament. If we lose, Hamilton could win the league by beating Trinity at home.
Record: 21-8 (13-4).


February 29, 2020
Amherst 88, Middlebury 85

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (22-8, 14-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 23 5-8 0-1 0 3 1 4 10
Drew Lehr PF 29 6-9 1-2 3 9 0 4 13
Matthew Kennedy SG 31 10-19 4-5 3 7 1 2 27
Perry Jordan SF 34 6-11 2-5 1 6 6 2 17
Jesse Scott PG 36 2-8 3-4 2 2 7 1 7
David McQuiston SG 8 1-4 1-2 0 0 1 0 4
Alan Rasberry SG 8 1-1 2-2 0 0 1 2 4
Dominic Moss PF 12 2-7 0-0 6 7 2 1 4
Robert Wood SG 3 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 0 0
Spencer Lund C 7 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 4 2
Joseph Wells PF 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Frederick Goff C 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 2,
P.Jordan 2, J.Scott 1, D.McQuiston 1, D.Moss 1)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 8 (D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 2, P.Jordan 3, J.Scott 2)
3P FGs: 7-16 (M.Kennedy 3-7, P.Jordan 3-4, J.Scott 0-1,
D.McQuiston 1-3, D.Moss 0-1)

Middlebury (12-17, 9-9):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Richard Grigg C 28 3-5 4-5 0 6 1 2 10
Andrew Brown PF 28 2-8 3-4 0 7 2 3 7
James Jose SF 19 3-7 0-0 2 4 0 4 7
Allan Nelson SG 30 6-8 4-4 3 4 2 2 17
Leo Turner PG 27 1-2 1-2 0 0 5 3 4
Paul Good C 17 3-7 6-7 1 4 1 0 12
James McCoy PG 19 1-5 1-1 1 4 2 4 3
Chris Dana SF 16 3-4 2-2 0 0 2 3 8
Milton Hatfield SG 5 1-1 2-2 0 1 0 0 5
Palmer Heffernan C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Andre Simard SF 10 4-5 3-3 1 4 0 2 12

Turnovers: 15 (R.Grigg 2, A.Brown 2, J.Jose 3, L.Turner
1, J.McCoy 4, C.Dana 2, M.Hatfield 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (A.Brown 1, L.Turner 1, C.Dana 2,
M.Hatfield 1)
Steals: 5 (R.Grigg 1, A.Nelson 2, L.Turner 2)
3P FGs: 5-16 (A.Brown 0-1, J.Jose 1-4, A.Nelson 1-2,
L.Turner 1-1, P.Good 0-2, J.McCoy 0-3, M.Hatfield 1-1,
A.Simard 1-2)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
Toby Whittaker's Amherst Mammoths win the New England Conference's regular season championship, narrowly defeating Middlebury up in Vermont. Senior Matthew Kennedy is, fittingly, the star. If he's not named the conference Player of the Year, I'll be shocked.

Hamilton is upset by Trinity, which removes the need for a tiebreaker to decide the championship and the #1 seed in next week's tournament.
Record: 22-8 (14-4).

[MoonlightGraham]

I love that FBCB despite all the changes in college basketball is still a really fast easy solid number generator for all this. I'd love it to be updated, but I'm just glad it's mostly useful enough for this sort of thing. I always start in the winter playing it again, so this is getting me excited to dive back in, especially the D3 angle.

I'm glad you're getting the urge to play some FBCB again. I can relate completely to what you say about the game.

I'm about to turn 41, so I have a feeling I'm younger than many of the forum members, but I remember well the "good old days" of college basketball in the 1990s and 2000s. I have memories of the eight-team ACC and the nine-team Big East, with teams that were located in the conference's natural geographical areas. I still enjoy watching college basketball, but I miss the "old days" when I could tell you which teams were in every major conference. I can't do that now. Neither can my daughter and her friends who like college hoops.

For that reason, I really enjoy being able to create a throwback universe in FBCB. The rosters have continuity (especially since I don't let guys turn pro early). Transfers have to sit out a year. I do this for the story, and I think those rules help me build my narrative.

I realigned the conferences in my universe once before, and I might do it again sometime. For now, I'm enjoying my gently tweaked college hoops world.

Thanks for stopping by!

[MoonlightGraham]

March 1, 2020
Recruiting News

Let's take a look at Thomas Fernandez, who is still considering the Amherst offer we made him last month.
#31 PF Thomas Fernandez
---------------------------------------------
Height: 7-0
Weight: 210
High School: Litchfield High School
Hometown: Litchfield, CT
GPA: 3.21
Test Score: 1140
Rating: *

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 0 29 21 36 20 52 40 23 51 8 22 5 21 60 23 30
Potential: F D B D C C D D A D D D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15.4 3.6 11.1 3.0 2.0 1.48 1.1 2.9 2.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.0 13.5 .515 1.5 2.7 .537 0.1 1.2 .043

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: *Amherst, Bowdoin, Marist, Williams, Harvard
Our scouting team is far from the best in the business, and I can't help but wonder if they're way off with a few of Thomas's ratings. It's hard for me to believe a seven-footer who blocks three shots a game in high school could actually be Grade F in this ability. It's also tough for me to reconcile a 0/F rating for inside play with Thomas' field goal percentage and shot volume.

I'm gambling that Thomas is better than that. Perhaps that defensive rating is fairly accurate. I need him to provide backup for Pierre Chauvin and Carson Shears, and I think he'll fit that role well enough.

We'll bring Thomas to campus this month, and Coaches Whittaker and Getty will visit him at home.

[Young Drachma]

I'm glad you're getting the urge to play some FBCB again. I can relate completely to what you say about the game.

I'm about to turn 41, so I have a feeling I'm younger than many of the forum members, but I remember well the "good old days" of college basketball in the 1990s and 2000s. I have memories of the eight-team ACC and the nine-team Big East, with teams that were located in the conference's natural geographical areas. I still enjoy watching college basketball, but I miss the "old days" when I could tell you which teams were in every major conference. I can't do that now. Neither can my daughter and her friends who like college hoops.

For that reason, I really enjoy being able to create a throwback universe in FBCB. The rosters have continuity (especially since I don't let guys turn pro early). Transfers have to sit out a year. I do this for the story, and I think those rules help me build my narrative.

I realigned the conferences in my universe once before, and I might do it again sometime. For now, I'm enjoying my gently tweaked college hoops world.

Thanks for stopping by!

That's such a good point that at this point FBCB is basically a time portal into the old college basketball landscape. I run enough mods that I can get the scoring into the modern era and have player usage run differently, but I do think it's cool that you can run the old conferences and that it's good with you having hundreds of college teams all running at once, but it still runs pretty swiftly.

I've done some old FBCB dynasties where I create D3 universes and this one is going to make me dust them off, since I actually keep those files saved thankfully. But yeah, keep up the good work. I usually make Johns Hopkins go back to the UAA, hah and I also create new high schools in-game, especially ones in my local areas or back home that I'm familiar with, often to juice the amount of talent coming from a region.

[MoonlightGraham]

That's such a good point that at this point FBCB is basically a time portal into the old college basketball landscape. I run enough mods that I can get the scoring into the modern era and have player usage run differently, but I do think it's cool that you can run the old conferences and that it's good with you having hundreds of college teams all running at once, but it still runs pretty swiftly.

I've done some old FBCB dynasties where I create D3 universes and this one is going to make me dust them off, since I actually keep those files saved thankfully. But yeah, keep up the good work. I usually make Johns Hopkins go back to the UAA, hah and I also create new high schools in-game, especially ones in my local areas or back home that I'm familiar with, often to juice the amount of talent coming from a region.

Thanks very much!

I've added about 300 private schools from the Northeast and Middle Atlantic states into my game. It took quite a bit of time, but it's fun to see recruits from them appear in the game.

It might be fun to try a D3 universe sometime. It would take some time to put it together, but it would be a lot of fun. :)

[MoonlightGraham]

March 6, 2020
New England Conference Tournament, Second Round
(1) Amherst 77, (8) Trinity 66

----------------------------------------------------------
Trinity (14-17, 9-9):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ed Gregory C 24 3-7 2-4 1 2 0 4 8
Todd Cousin PF 31 0-3 0-2 2 9 3 2 0
Douglas Gomes SF 17 2-8 4-6 1 3 1 2 8
Douglas Coppola SG 30 4-13 0-0 2 4 3 1 10
Kelley Monaghan PG 32 5-12 0-1 2 3 1 3 14
Ryan Wilkes SG 15 4-7 0-0 1 1 0 2 9
Archie Markey C 16 2-5 1-2 4 6 0 0 5
Edward Uhl SG 20 3-6 0-0 1 3 1 3 8
Brian McDonald C 9 0-0 2-2 0 6 0 0 2
Richard Mackie PG 5 0-2 0-2 0 1 1 0 0
Jimmie Jones SF 2 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2

Turnovers: 7 (E.Gregory 2, T.Cousin 1, D.Coppola 2,
K.Monaghan 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (E.Gregory 1, D.Coppola 1, A.Markey 1)
Steals: 6 (E.Gregory 1, D.Gomes 1, D.Coppola 2,
K.Monaghan 1, E.Uhl 1)
3P FGs: 9-22 (D.Coppola 2-6, K.Monaghan 4-9, R.Wilkes
1-1, E.Uhl 2-5, R.Mackie 0-1)

Amherst (23-8, 14-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 28 3-6 1-2 1 6 1 2 7
Drew Lehr PF 34 1-2 1-2 4 9 1 4 3
Matthew Kennedy SF 33 6-18 4-4 5 10 2 2 20
Perry Jordan SF 34 4-9 5-6 0 9 1 2 15
Jesse Scott PG 19 2-2 1-2 1 1 4 4 5
David McQuiston PG 15 4-6 4-4 0 1 1 2 15
Alan Rasberry PG 16 2-10 0-0 0 1 0 1 5
Dominic Moss PF 11 2-3 0-0 0 2 0 1 4
Robert Wood SG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Spencer Lund C 6 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Léon Hespel SF 2 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3
Joseph Wells PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 2,
P.Jordan 2, J.Scott 2, A.Rasberry 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 3)
Steals: 3 (D.Lehr 1, J.Scott 1, A.Rasberry 1)
3P FGs: 11-29 (M.Kennedy 4-11, P.Jordan 2-3,
D.McQuiston 3-5, A.Rasberry 1-8, D.Moss 0-1, L.Hespel
1-1)

Player of Game: SF Matthew Kennedy (AMH)
Only the bottom four finishers in the ten-team NEC play in the first round of the conference tournament, so our first action takes place on the tourney's second day.

David McQuiston excels in a relief role, spelling the foul-plagued Jesse Scott at point guard as we advance to the semifinals.

Congratulations to Perry Jordan, whose 15 points make him Amherst's all-time leading scorer. He surpasses Don Orcutt '18, and he does so in only three seasons.
Record: 23-8.


March 7, 2020
New England Conference Tournament Semifinal
(1) Amherst 67, (4) Tufts 53

----------------------------------------------------------
Tufts (17-14, 10-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Gregory Cool C 32 5-11 2-4 4 8 0 2 12
Tony Santos PF 32 2-9 0-0 3 4 1 2 4
Neal Cleland SF 30 4-6 0-0 3 8 0 3 10
William Rapp SG 26 2-7 2-4 2 5 3 3 6
Joshua Lytle PG 36 6-13 2-3 2 4 6 3 17
James Self C 17 1-6 0-0 0 3 0 4 2
Brian Halter SG 17 0-6 0-0 1 1 1 1 0
Jamel Doney PG 4 1-3 0-0 1 1 0 2 2
Antoine Tedeschi PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Kenneth Burnham PF 4 0-0 0-0 1 2 0 1 0

Turnovers: 11 (G.Cool 3, T.Santos 2, N.Cleland 4,
W.Rapp 1, A.Tedeschi 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (G.Cool 1, N.Cleland 1)
Steals: 7 (G.Cool 1, N.Cleland 1, J.Lytle 3, J.Self 1,
B.Halter 1)
3P FGs: 5-20 (N.Cleland 2-4, W.Rapp 0-5, J.Lytle 3-5,
B.Halter 0-4, J.Doney 0-2)

Amherst (24-8, 14-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 29 1-4 1-2 0 5 1 3 3
Drew Lehr PF 35 4-7 2-2 5 9 2 1 10
Matthew Kennedy SF 28 3-10 1-2 1 2 1 3 8
Perry Jordan SF 34 6-12 3-4 1 9 2 3 17
Jesse Scott PG 36 7-11 4-5 3 6 2 3 18
David McQuiston SG 13 0-4 1-2 1 2 2 1 1
Alan Rasberry SG 7 1-2 2-2 1 2 1 1 5
Dominic Moss PF 11 1-2 1-2 3 5 0 0 3
Spencer Lund C 5 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Léon Hespel SF 2 1-2 0-0 1 1 1 0 2

Turnovers: 12 (D.Lehr 2, M.Kennedy 1, P.Jordan 3,
J.Scott 4, D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 1)
Steals: 2 (P.Jordan 1, J.Scott 1)
3P FGs: 4-15 (M.Kennedy 1-8, P.Jordan 2-5, A.Rasberry
1-2)

Player of Game: PG Jesse Scott (AMH)
The Jumbos do a good job of containing Matthew Kennedy, but guards Perry Jordan and Jesse Scott combine for 35 points and 15 rebounds to seal a victory that puts us in the championshp game.

This game probably marks the end of Tufts guard Joshua Lytle's career. He's a two-time NEC Player of the Year, with over 1200 points, 600 assists, and 600 rebounds to his credit; he's the conference's all-time assist leader.

The latest Bubble Watch has us outside the NCAA tournament field, so we'll have to win tomorrow to earn a ticket to the Big Dance. Win or lose, we should find ourselves invited to a postseason tournament...but it would be really nice to make the big one.
Record: 24-8.


March 8, 2020
New England Conference Championship
(1) Amherst 90, (2) Hamilton 88 (OT)
---------------------------------------------------------
Hamilton (22-10, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Wallace Browder C 26 1-6 2-2 0 4 0 5 4
Gerald Grantham PF 33 6-10 1-2 4 7 0 4 13
Andrew Clark SF 30 7-12 0-0 0 3 1 4 17
Sean Averill SG 35 9-19 1-2 0 3 1 2 24
Daniel Elam PG 31 6-15 0-1 4 5 7 4 17
Ward Thibodeaux PG 18 1-6 0-0 2 6 4 4 3
Alex Woodham PF 23 1-2 2-2 3 8 1 4 4
Dennis Herrington PG 15 1-2 0-0 0 1 3 2 2
Basil Derosier SG 6 1-2 0-0 0 1 1 2 2
Ken Rogers PF 8 1-1 0-0 1 2 0 1 2

Turnovers: 14 (G.Grantham 5, A.Clark 1, S.Averill 2,
D.Elam 1, W.Thibodeaux 3, D.Herrington 2)
Blocked Shots: 7 (W.Browder 2, G.Grantham 3, A.Woodham
2)
Steals: 5 (G.Grantham 1, S.Averill 1, D.Elam 2,
W.Thibodeaux 1)
3P FGs: 14-33 (W.Browder 0-1, A.Clark 3-5, S.Averill
5-12, D.Elam 5-10, W.Thibodeaux 1-4, D.Herrington 0-1)

Amherst (25-8, 14-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 32 5-8 8-12 2 9 2 0 18
Drew Lehr PF 40 1-5 2-2 4 10 1 4 4
Matthew Kennedy SF 38 5-17 5-7 2 8 2 1 17
Perry Jordan SF 29 6-11 9-10 1 3 0 4 24
Jesse Scott PG 37 2-7 9-14 3 5 7 4 13
David McQuiston SG 12 1-1 2-2 0 3 0 1 4
Alan Rasberry PG 11 2-5 1-1 0 1 1 1 5
Dominic Moss PF 15 1-4 1-4 3 5 0 0 3
Robert Wood SG 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Spencer Lund PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
L on Hespel SF 3 0-0 2-2 0 0 1 0 2

Turnovers: 12 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Lehr 1, M.Kennedy 2,
P.Jordan 4, J.Scott 1, A.Rasberry 1, D.Moss 2)
Blocked Shots: 5 (D.Lehr 4, D.Moss 1)
Steals: 5 (M.Kennedy 1, P.Jordan 2, J.Scott 1,
A.Rasberry 1)
3P FGs: 5-14 (M.Kennedy 2-7, P.Jordan 3-5, J.Scott 0-1,
D.Moss 0-1)

Player of Game: C Pierre Chauvin (AMH)
Perry Jordan coolly sinks two free throws with 13 seconds left in overtime to give us a victory that earns us the NEC tournament championship and a spot in the NCAA tournament field! It will be Amherst's first national tournament invitation.

We open the game with an assertive 11-2 run, but the doughty Continentals rally back and cut the lead to a bucket by the final media timeout of the first half. That's the margin at halftime, too: Amherst 35, Hamilton 33.

Again, Toby Whittaker's team comes out firing at the beginning of the half, opening a five-point gap; again, Hamilton reels us in, and they take a 58-53 lead. We battle back, and with 1:07 to play, we're ahead 75-69.

Hamilton has two outstanding guards: sophomore Sean Averill and senior Daniel Elam. They knock down three triples in the next 67 seconds, the last, from Elam, tying the score at 78 and sending the game to overtime. Elam has a chance to win the game for the Continentals, but he misses a three with a second left.

Honestly, Hamilton probably wins this game if they hadn't fouled us so often. We shoot 54 free throws and make 39 of them, both school records by a wide margin. Meanwhile, the Continentals attempt only nine and make 6.

However it happens, it's a win, and we're off to the Big Dance!
Record: 25-8.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 15, 2020
There's a big watch party for the NCAA tournament selection show at LeFrak Gym. A large crowd of purple-clad fans, including a large segment of the student body, joins Coach Whittaker and his players as they learn about their tournament seeding.

A huge cheer erupts as "AMHERST" appears on the line for the #12 seed in the East Region. The Mammoths' opponent will be the formidable Connecticut Huskies.

Two other NEC teams have been selected for the CBI tourney. Hamilton (22-10) is the #2 seed, while Bates (19-11) is seeded #8.


March 19, 2020
NCAA East Region, First Round
(5) #18 Connecticut 77, (12) Amherst 64

----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (25-9, 14-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 26 3-10 2-4 2 5 4 1 8
Drew Lehr PF 32 3-5 2-3 3 9 0 4 8
Matthew Kennedy SF 31 5-11 6-10 1 5 1 2 19
Perry Jordan SG 31 5-17 1-1 1 5 0 2 12
Jesse Scott PG 32 2-7 2-4 0 4 6 3 6
David McQuiston PG 11 0-2 0-0 2 3 1 2 0
Alan Rasberry SG 9 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 3
Dominic Moss PF 14 1-4 0-0 1 4 0 0 3
Robert Wood SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Spencer Lund C 8 1-1 1-2 1 2 1 1 3
Léon Hespel SF 5 0-2 2-2 1 4 1 0 2

Turnovers: 8 (M.Kennedy 4, P.Jordan 2, J.Scott 2)
Blocked Shots: 6 (P.Chauvin 2, D.Lehr 1, J.Scott 1,
D.Moss 2)
Steals: 2 (M.Kennedy 1, S.Lund 1)
3P FGs: 6-23 (M.Kennedy 3-7, P.Jordan 1-9, J.Scott 0-1,
D.McQuiston 0-1, A.Rasberry 1-1, D.Moss 1-3, L.Hespel
0-1)

Connecticut (25-9, 12-6):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Dan Montelongo C 25 3-10 1-1 2 5 1 2 7
John Blaylock PF 30 3-10 5-6 7 15 0 4 11
Garth Brunner SF 23 4-9 0-0 1 6 2 4 10
Stephen Bridges SG 32 5-10 0-1 1 6 5 1 15
Roger Miskin PG 29 5-14 4-6 3 11 2 3 18
Chris Vereen PG 20 2-7 0-0 0 2 0 4 5
Emery Armstead PG 14 2-2 0-0 1 2 1 2 6
Kyle Williams SF 11 1-4 0-0 2 2 1 0 2
Dillon Vasquez SF 4 1-2 0-0 1 2 0 0 2
Jeffrey Ewing C 11 0-0 1-2 0 1 0 1 1
Gregory McGarry C 2 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 8 (J.Blaylock 1, G.Brunner 3, R.Miskin 3,
K.Williams 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (J.Blaylock 1, G.Brunner 1, R.Miskin 2)
Steals: 6 (G.Brunner 3, S.Bridges 1, C.Vereen 2)
3P FGs: 14-35 (G.Brunner 2-6, S.Bridges 5-8, R.Miskin
4-12, C.Vereen 1-5, E.Armstead 2-2, K.Williams 0-2)

Player of Game: SG Stephen Bridges (UCONN)
We're a fairly popular "hipster pick" in bracket pools; as one analyst remarks, "First-year coach Toby Whittaker has Amherst playing solid, fundamental basketball. They don't turn the ball over and, while they prefer to push the pace, they can adapt to a more rugged style when it's called for."

We certainly don't embarrass ourselves in our first NCAA tournament game. UConn has four starters between 6'5" and 6'8" who can guard all five spots, and they prevent us from finding our rhythm offensively. At the same time, however, we annoy the Huskies enough to limit them to 37% shooting, and we turn the ball over only eight times.

Matthew Kennedy approaches his scoring average in his final Amherst game. Drew Lehr's 8 points and 9 rebounds are close to his season marks, too. Jesse Scott's 6 assists give him 201 for the season; that's 60 more than any other Amherst player has ever had.

It's been a great ride, and it ends with a performance we can be proud of.
Record: 25-9.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 1, 2020
Recruiting Update

Was Thomas Fernandez impressed by Amherst's run to the NCAA tournament? Perhaps he was, because he didn't wait much longer to accept our offer.

The experts think Thomas is a Red/Red player; in other words, they view him as being roughly as good as a walk-on. I can't help thinking he's better than that. He completes a recruiting class that features two bigs and two guards. Welcome to the Amherst family, Thomas!

[MoonlightGraham]

April 5, 2020
Tennessee defeats Maryland, 92-84, to win the NCAA championship. The Vols, champions of the South Region, defeated Florida, 77-71, to earn a spot in the championship game. The Terrapins got there by defeating Wake Forest, 78-63.

Bates went all the way to the CBI championship, where they lost to Ohio, 90-80. Hamilton was upset by Stony Brook, 60-44, in the first round.

2019 New England Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst 14 4 .778 25 9 .735 66 9
Hamilton 13 5 .722 22 11 .667 156 35
Bates 12 6 .667 22 13 .629 134 20
Tufts 10 8 .556 18 15 .545 198 21
Wesleyan 10 8 .556 16 14 .533 174 20
Williams 9 9 .500 10 21 .323 278 19
Middlebury 9 9 .500 13 18 .419 317 29
Trinity 9 9 .500 14 17 .452 240 21
Colby 3 15 .167 5 25 .167 353 8
Bowdoin 1 17 .056 4 26 .133 364 15

2019 NEW ENGLAND AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR SF Matthew Kennedy Amherst 20.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.1 APG 0.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR PF William Baker Wesleyan 10.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.3 APG 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Toby Whittaker Amherst 25 - 9 (14 - 4)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR David Harris Bates 11.3 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.7 BPG
PF SR Drew Lehr Amherst 7.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.2 SPG, 1.5 BPG
SF SR Matthew Kennedy Amherst 20.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG JR Perry Jordan Amherst 15.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Joshua Lytle Tufts 11.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 6.2 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SO Pierre Chauvin Amherst 10.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PF SR Todd Cousin Trinity 6.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG
SF SO David Millen Wesleyan 14.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG SR Kobe Daniel Bates 13.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.7 BPG
PG SR Jesse Scott Amherst 10.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 5.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Bryan Samons Colby 6.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PF FR William Baker Wesleyan 10.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SF FR James Jose Middlebury 13.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG FR Mark Campbell Williams 6.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Leo Turner Middlebury 6.0 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG

To nobody's surprise, Matthew Kennedy was chosen the NEC Player of the Year. He's joined on the first All-League Team by classmate Drew Lehr and junior Perry Jordan. Matt and Perry finished 1-2 among NEC scorers, and Drew was the conference's #2 rebounder. Perry was also, far and away, the best rebounder among NEC guards.

Sophomore center Pierre Chauvin and senior guard Jesse Scott earn spots on the second team. Jesse was second in the league in assists.

All five Amherst starters, plus their coach, were NEC honorees this season.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 6, 2020
AMHERST TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 9 Record Vs 1-50: 0-2 Poll Rank: NR
Season Record: 25-9 Record Vs 51-100: 0-1 RPI Rank: #66
Conference Record: 14-4 Record Vs 101-200: 8-6
Home Record: 12-1 Record Vs 200+: 17-0


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 81.0 1 6 Points 74.7 10 338 Points 6.3 2 45
O.Reb 13.4 1 9 O.Reb 13.4 10 353 O.Reb 0.0 7 176
D.Reb 28.4 1 9 D.Reb 27.2 9 329 D.Reb 1.2 3 104
Rebounds 41.8 1 4 Rebounds 40.6 10 356 Rebounds 1.2 3 125
Assists 16.7 1 22 Assists 13.9 10 260 Assists 2.9 1 21
Steals 4.2 8 330 Steals 4.5 1 12 Steals -0.2 7 199
Blocks 3.1 3 164 Blocks 2.7 7 89 Blocks 0.3 4 125
Turnovers 10.6 1 1 Turnovers 12.2 7 320 Turnovers -1.6 3 66
Fouls 19.1 3 125 Fouls 20.9 4 55 Fouls -1.8 3 61
FG% .441 4 115 FG% .413 2 54 FG% .028 1 67
FT% .686 4 174 FT% .672 4 122 FT% .013 3 138
3P% .346 2 153 3P% .342 8 188 3P% .004 7 165
PPS 1.25 5 155 PPS 1.18 3 62 PPS .078 2 75
Adj. FG% .498 1 128 Adj. FG% .470 4 60 Adj. FG% .028 2 72
I'm very pleased with our first season at Amherst. We beat every team we faced who was roughly as good as we are, and held our own against teams who were a bit better. And we were very, very tough to beat at home.

No team in college basketball committed fewer turnovers than we did, and we were also among the top ten teams in scoring and rebounding. Those rebounding stats are skewed a bit by the fact that New England Conference teams tend to shoot very poorly. There are a lot of rebounds available, and that's why our rebounding margin is only decent.

AMHERST Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jesse Scott PG 34 34 33.1 10.8 1.4 4.0 5.9 0.9 0.1 2.1 2.6 3.8
Perry Jordan SG 34 34 31.0 15.9 1.0 6.2 2.3 1.0 0.1 1.8 2.8 6.4
Matthew Kennedy SF 34 34 30.4 20.1 1.8 4.7 2.1 0.9 0.1 1.8 2.5 5.7
Drew Lehr PF 34 34 29.9 7.8 3.7 9.4 1.3 0.2 1.5 1.1 3.3 5.3
Pierre Chauvin C 34 34 25.4 10.1 1.5 5.9 1.4 0.4 0.4 1.0 2.7 4.6
Dominic Moss PF 34 0 13.5 3.1 2.1 4.9 0.6 0.1 0.4 0.6 1.4 1.4
David McQuiston SG 34 0 12.1 4.8 0.4 2.0 1.2 0.4 0.0 0.8 0.9 2.8
Spencer Lund C 34 0 9.8 2.1 0.6 1.9 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.4 1.3 1.1
Alan Rasberry SG 34 0 8.8 3.3 0.2 0.9 0.6 0.1 0.0 0.5 0.9 0.8
Léon Hespel SF 33 0 4.1 1.9 0.2 0.8 0.5 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.5 0.0
Joseph Wells PF 23 0 3.7 1.0 0.5 1.1 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.4
Frederick Goff C 3 0 3.3 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 -2.0
Sam Riley SF 1 0 3.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 -1.0
Robert Wood SG 27 0 2.8 0.4 0.1 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 -0.9

AMHERST Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jesse Scott PG 34 34 1124 367 48 135 201 31 2 73 89 130
Perry Jordan SG 34 34 1054 542 35 210 77 34 5 60 94 217
Matthew Kennedy SF 34 34 1034 683 60 160 72 29 5 62 86 195
Drew Lehr PF 34 34 1015 265 127 319 44 8 52 38 111 179
Pierre Chauvin C 34 34 862 344 52 202 48 14 13 34 91 158
Dominic Moss PF 34 0 458 107 70 166 21 3 14 22 47 49
David McQuiston SG 34 0 413 164 14 68 40 13 1 26 31 96
Spencer Lund C 34 0 333 73 22 64 18 6 7 13 43 37
Alan Rasberry SG 34 0 298 112 8 31 22 3 0 17 29 27
Léon Hespel SF 33 0 136 62 7 26 15 1 3 7 16 0
Joseph Wells PF 23 0 86 23 11 25 6 0 1 3 7 9
Frederick Goff C 3 0 10 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 -6
Sam Riley SF 1 0 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 -1
Robert Wood SG 27 0 75 10 3 14 5 2 1 4 2 -25

AMHERST Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jesse Scott PG 148 329 .450 60 89 .674 11 39 .282 1.12
Perry Jordan SG 185 419 .442 103 134 .769 69 202 .342 1.29
Matthew Kennedy SF 229 525 .436 105 147 .714 120 322 .373 1.30
Drew Lehr PF 98 215 .456 69 94 .734 0 2 .000 1.23
Pierre Chauvin C 128 250 .512 88 152 .579 0 1 .000 1.38
Dominic Moss PF 45 113 .398 15 34 .441 2 24 .083 0.95
David McQuiston SG 46 126 .365 49 68 .721 23 70 .329 1.30
Spencer Lund C 24 65 .369 25 39 .641 0 0 .000 1.12
Alan Rasberry SG 32 79 .405 29 37 .784 19 45 .422 1.42
Léon Hespel SF 19 39 .487 16 19 .842 8 19 .421 1.59
Joseph Wells PF 10 24 .417 3 5 .600 0 0 .000 0.96
Frederick Goff C 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0.00
Sam Riley SF 0 0 .000 1 2 .500 0 0 .000 1.00
Robert Wood SG 3 11 .273 4 7 .571 0 5 .000 0.91

I didn't realize until just now that the same five players started every game for Amherst this season. I am pretty sure I've never had that happen before. One reason why: the five starters were clearly much better than their backups, and they all stayed healthy all year long.

I'll start writing Senior Tributes once players I've recruited come through the program. I'll tip my hat to each of the three scholarship seniors, each of whom are among Amherst's best players to date.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 11, 2020

I'm not surprised when no Amherst player is drafted by a professional team.

2019 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
194. Amherst New England C Carson Shears *** 0 0 2 0 2
205. Wesleyan New England SG Mark Johnson *** 0 0 1 1 2
229. Colby New England SG Elijah McDonnell *** 0 0 1 0 3
266. Bowdoin New England C Richard Lewis ** 0 0 0 2 2
269. Bates New England C Michael Grigsby ** 0 0 0 2 1
304. Trinity New England PF Forrest Albright ** 0 0 0 1 3
312. Hamilton New England PG Jack Minton ** 0 0 0 1 1
314. Middlebury New England PG Arnulfo Allen ** 0 0 0 1 1
317. Williams New England C Chadwick McComas ** 0 0 0 1 0
339. Tufts New England PF Charles Brand * 0 0 0 0 2

I'm delighted, however, to see our recruiting class is rated the best in our league. Wesleyan's Mark Johnson is the highest-ranked newcomer, with our Carson Shears and Colby's Elijah McDonald right behind him.

We give coaching assistant Forrest Gill a $10,000 raise to keep him on our staff. His new salary will be $40,000/year.

Our success last year raises our Prestige to 17. That's a new all-time high for our program! And the AD announces an upcoming facilities upgrade that will take effect by next season.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2020
Recruiting Preview

We will be even busier with recruiting this season than we were last time, with five offers to give. A year from now, Toby Whittaker could have nine of his own recruits on his roster.

Our five scholarship seniors include big men Joseph Wells and Dominic Moss and wings Sam Riley, Perry Jordan, and David McQuiston. Jordan, of course, has been a huge contributor, a starter for three seasons. Moss, who transferred from Army, started 12 games as a redshirt sophomore, played almost 500 minutes last year, and might start this season. McQuiston has been a valuable rotation player throughout his career and will probably reprise that role again this year; the same is true for Wells. Riley has barely played.

As I look at our roster, I notice we don't really need to bring a big man in this season. Eight of our players are listed as centers or power forwards, and only two will graduate. On the other hand, Riley is the only player listed at SF, and we have two true point guards, both freshmen. Versatile wing players might be a good focus for our recruiting efforts this year.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2020

Our first call list includes a number of intriguing players. We actually have a player or two we're interested in who can't fit on our 20-player call list yet.
AMHERST Recruiting

Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Allison SF 6-6 239 *** Very High Connecticut
Mathew Morales SF 6-6 224 *** Very High New Hampshire
Robert Dotson SF 6-6 230 *** Very High New York
Gus Rossi SF 6-4 196 *** Very High Massachusetts
Matt McGowan PF 6-9 224 ** Very High Massachusetts
Jason Mata C 6-8 242 ** Very High New York
James Hamby SF 6-6 245 ** Very High Massachusetts
John Hulett SG 6-3 184 ** Very High Connecticut
Ross Hare PG 6-2 188 ** Very High Massachusetts
Timothy Metts C 6-8 229 ** Very High Massachusetts
Bradford Williams SF 6-11 243 ** Very High Connecticut
Owen Elliott SG 6-3 184 * Very High Connecticut
Louis Sweitzer PG 6-3 192 * Very High Connecticut
Otto Jones PF 6-9 222 * Very High Connecticut
Brian Murray SF 6-6 212 * Very High Massachusetts
Oliver Harris PF 6-8 242 * Very High Massachusetts
Michael Truelove SG 6-0 181 * Very High Massachusetts
James Jurado SG 6-3 204 * Very High Massachusetts
Mitchel Turner PF 6-7 232 *** High New York
Eusebio Hammond SF 6-6 222 ** High New York
Clement Wyman SF 6-6 222 ** High Maine


Let's take a closer look at a few of them.
#35 SF Chris Allison
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 239
High School: Tolland High School
Hometown: Tolland, CT
GPA: 2.78
Test Score: 1220
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 51 29 52 39 33 16 18 26 26 32 23 9 47 60 54 14
Potential: C C A C D C F D D D B F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17.0 2.0 4.8 2.8 2.6 1.10 1.2 0.2 1.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.7 12.9 .516 3.1 4.1 .765 0.6 2.6 .231

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: East Region #39 Overall, East Region #10 SF
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Providence, Amherst, Wesleyan, Holy Cross, Yale
Chris Allison is a rare athlete: a three-star recruit in two different sports. In football, he's an edge rusher, and in basketball, a "small" forward. We like Chris's potential as a three-level scorer who won't neglect his duties at the other end of the floor. The #208 player in the nation, he would be the highest-ranked recruit Amherst has ever signed.

#40 PF Matt McGowan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 224
High School: St. John's Preparatory School
Hometown: Danvers, MA
GPA: 3.14
Test Score: 1220
Rating: **

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 23 11 60 13 36 35 44 42 50 15 9 40 11 70 42 43
Potential: D D A D D C C B A F F B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.4 2.1 7.9 0.9 2.4 0.38 0.4 1.4 2.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.7 8.2 .577 2.0 3.0 .678 0.0 0.3 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: East Region #100 Overall, East Region #20 PF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Amherst, Tufts, Boston University, Hartford, Rhode Island
I know I said we wouldn't really be looking to sign a big this year. Then I saw Matt McGowan, who looks like he would be a great fit for our program. He's not a big scorer, but he rebounds and blocks shots, and he projects as an imposing interior defender.

#11 PG Ross Hare
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-2
Weight: 188
High School: Stoneham High School
Hometown: Stoneham, MA
GPA: 3.35
Test Score: 1210
Rating: **

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 22 36 18 41 41 26 28 15 15 51 32 0 84 49 42 62
Potential: C C D C B C C F F C D F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.3 2.0 3.4 6.2 2.4 2.64 1.4 0.1 1.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.3 11.0 .391 1.4 2.3 .622 0.3 3.5 .086

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Tufts, New Hampshire, Amherst, Central Connecticut State, Bowdoin

Ross Hare is a quick, athletic point guard with a smooth handle. He shows potential as a playmaker, and if we're scouting him accurately, he would be the best perimeter defender on our roster. We have two freshman point guards on our roster already, but we're taking a long look at Hare, too.

#24 SF Bradford Williams
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-11
Weight: 243
High School: Waterford High School
Hometown: Waterford, CT
GPA: 2.40
Test Score: 1010
Rating: **

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 0 24 37 78 3 27 21 35 36 38 42 32 34 67 47 48
Potential: C C C B F C B D C C C C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.5 1.9 6.8 2.8 3.9 0.73 2.1 1.5 2.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.2 20.4 .450 2.1 3.7 .575 2.1 5.8 .357

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: East Region #25 SF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut State, Bryant University, Amherst,
Wesleyan
Despite the fact he stands a hair under seven feet tall, Bradford Williams does most of his damage on the perimeter. He has a smooth jumper with three-point range, and his length makes him a disruptive force on defense. He's a unicorn, and I like him.

#3 SG Owen Elliott
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-3
Weight: 184
High School: Notre Dame High School
Hometown: West Haven, CT
GPA: 3.41
Test Score: 1310
Rating: *

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 32 66 93 50 24 19 4 10 19 29 16 0 40 26 23 81
Potential: D B A A C B C D C D D F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14.1 1.3 3.8 2.0 3.0 0.65 1.3 0.2 2.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.8 11.6 .496 0.5 0.5 1.000 2.1 5.2 .398

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Amherst
Owen Elliott isn't regarded very highly by recruiting experts, who seem to focus on the things he's not. Owen isn't a twitchy, elite athlete. He struggles a bit to create shots, and he doesn't project as a great defensive player. I'm choosing to focus on what Owen is: an exceptionally good shooter.

I'm going ahead and offering scholarships to each of these five players. Each of them will visit Amherst this month, and the remaining funds in our budget will pay for Coach Whittaker's visit to the Allison home.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2020

Chris Allison changed out almost every school on his top five list last month. We're still there, but we're now his fourth choice. He holds offers from Amherst, Yale, and Holy Cross, and he prefers Wesleyan, who hasn't offered him yet.

With five scholarships to offer and not quite $9000 to spend each month on recruiting, I'm not sure how much longer we can afford to keep pursuing Chris. It's a shame, because he's a talented player.

Fortunately, we're in a better position with the other talented players we're recruiting.

Matt McGowan picked up offers from Hartford and Colgate, but we remain his top choice. Ross Hare was offered by Maine, and they're in the pole position now, with us running right behind. We're tops on the lists of Bradford Williams and Owen Elliott, neither of whom have received another offer.

This month, we'll send Coaches Whittaker and Getty to visit McGowan and Hare. Toby will call on Elliott and Williams by himself; he's a more persuasive recruiter than the coaches he's competing against for these players. I can't afford to spend any money wooing Allison, so I'm almost resigned to losing him.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2020

Colgate has dropped out of the running for Matt McGowan. His choice appears to be down to us or Hartford, and he lists us as his favorite.

Bradford Williams still holds only his Amherst offer. He's also expressing interest in Long Island and Sacred Heart.

It appears Owen Elliott has made up his mind; he's back to listing only one school among his favorites, and it's Amherst.

Ross Hare's situation remains unchanged; he's likely to pick Maine over Amherst. And Chris Allison has us listed third on a three-team list, behind Yale and Holy Cross.

Decision Day approaches rapidly. McGowan, Williams, and Elliott might very well commit to us on November 1. Hare and Allison will probably commit to other schools.

I take a look at players who have at least an Average degree of interest in playing for Amherst, and who haven't received any offers. Two players catch my eye: Andrew Angell, a point guard from New York, and George Dillon, a wing from Australia.

Angell is a three-star player, the #86 player in the East. He does a bit of everything on the court: 9.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.1 APG. Dillon, a two-star player, gets buckets: 27.7 PPG.

I'm going to do something wild (at least for me). I pull our offers from Hare and Allison and give them to Angell and Dillon. I can't even afford to evaluate Dillon right now, but YOLO, right?

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2020
Decision Day

First, the really good news. Owen Elliott makes it official: he's bringing his gorgeous jump shot to Amherst. Will he be a lethal weapon off the bench, able to change the course of a game with a flurry of baskets? Or will he be a Matthew Kennedy, a player every opponent makes the focus of their defensive game plan? I'm looking forward to finding out. Welcome aboard, Owen.

Matt McGowan is still contemplating offers from Amherst and Hartford. Bradford Williams is also waiting, but he has no other offers to consider.

#2 PG Andrew Angell
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-2
Weight: 195
High School: Xaverian High School
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
GPA: 2.67
Test Score: 1030
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 26 30 48 34 42 68 29 40 33 28 34 45 81 24 67 44
Potential: A D C D C B B D C C D C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.4 2.3 8.7 6.6 2.2 3.05 1.3 1.1 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.0 8.9 .449 1.0 1.4 .704 0.5 3.0 .150

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Average
Rankings: East Region #86 Overall, East Region #21 PG
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Seton Hall, Hofstra, *Amherst, St. Peter's, Drexel
Andrew Angell's ratings turn out to be as good as I hoped they'd be. He'd like to play for Seton Hall or Hofstra--they're more prestigious programs, and they're closer to his Brooklyn home--but neither school has made him an offer. We're going to bring him to campus this month, and perhaps he'll decide an offer in the hand is worth two...somewhere else.

George Dillon has now mentioned the possibility of playing for Penn State, but his Amherst offer has raised his interest level to High.

If we send Coach Whittaker to Australia, we can't afford to do much else. I decide to concentrate on recruiting McGowan and Williams as hard as we can this month. Hopefully that will mean we can sign them, and then we can spend all our capital on Dillon.

As expected, Chris Allison commits to Yale, and Ross Hare says yes to Maine. At least they won't be competing against us in the NEC.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 8, 2020

Here are your 2020/21 Amherst Mammoths...
Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryan Currin 0 PG Fr 6-4 189 Yes 11 OK Greenwich, NY
Joseph Wells 1 PF Sr* 6-5 233 Yes 53 OK Fort Valley, GA
David McQuiston 4 SG Sr 5-11 167 Yes 27 OK Attica, NY
Doyle Cannon 13 PG Fr 5-10 160 Yes 22 OK Stoneham, MA
Alan Rasberry 20 PG So 6-1 181 Yes 69 OK Bronx, NY
Dominic Moss 23 PF Sr* 6-6 237 Yes 79 OK Siler City, NC
Spencer Lund 24 C So* 6-9 224 Yes 47 OK Attica, NY
Pierre Chauvin 25 C Jr 7-0 231 Yes 77 OK Carmel, NY
Thomas Fernandez 31 PF Fr 7-0 216 Yes 79 Redshirt Litchfield, CT
Carson Shears 32 C Fr 6-7 245 Yes 75 OK Coventry, CT
Perry Jordan 33 SG Sr 6-3 178 Yes 23 OK Voorheesville, NY
Anselme Catoire 34 PF So 6-8 247 No 54 Redshirt Arnage, France
Frederick Goff 41 C So* 6-11 317 No 68 Unhappy Tyngsborough, MA
Robert Wood 43 SG Jr 6-3 208 No 33 Unhappy Wapato, WA
Sam Riley 45 SF Sr* 6-4 215 Yes 79 OK Houston, TX
Let's see how their fall training went:
AMHERST Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryan Currin 2 2 2 2 4 4 0 2 2 2 2 2 1 6 3 32
Joseph Wells 1 1 1 0 1 0 3 1 2 0 1 1 0 2 1 6
David McQuiston 1 2 3 2 0 1 1 2 1 2 2 0 1 1 0 8
Doyle Cannon 2 2 2 4 8 2 2 2 2 4 4 2 1 2 1 16
Alan Rasberry 1 2 3 2 3 4 1 1 0 2 2 0 1 2 1 11
Dominic Moss 3 1 1 0 2 1 1 1 2 2 2 4 1 3 1 5
Spencer Lund 3 1 1 0 1 2 4 1 3 1 1 3 1 3 0 10
Pierre Chauvin 9 3 2 1 3 2 5 2 3 1 1 8 2 5 0 12
Thomas Fernandez 2 2 2 2 2 2 6 4 8 2 2 4 1 8 2 26
Carson Shears 4 2 2 0 4 0 4 8 2 2 2 2 1 8 3 18
Perry Jordan 4 3 5 5 5 1 2 2 2 3 3 1 1 1 0 7
Anselme Catoire 2 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 5 0 10
Frederick Goff 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 1 1 2 0 1 6
Robert Wood 0 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 5
Sam Riley 0 1 0 3 0 1 1 1 1 3 2 0 1 1 1 8

Two starters from last year's NEC champions return, and they're both very good: wing Perry Jordan and center Pierre Chauvin.

Jordan has started 95 games in his Amherst career. He's averaged in double figures each year, pouring in 16 PPG for the last two. I wouldn't be surprised if he exceeds this figure, as he'll be the team's primary offensive focus.

Chauvin, too, has been a starter since he arrived on campus. The big man took big strides forward last year, improving in every facet of his game. He spent time working on his inside moves this fall, and should be an even more dangerous scorer this season.

Dominic Moss, who started 12 games in 2018/19, will have another opportunity to see how he fares as a member of the starting five. He's a top-flight rebounder and a decent shot blocker. I'm concerned about his relative lack of improvement during camp, however. Promising freshman Carson Shears, who worked hard to prepare himself for college ball, might challenge Moss for his starting spot.

Senior David McQuiston has waited patiently for his chance to start, and he'll get it this year. He's made himself into a well-rounded guard who does a bit of everything.

Alan Rasberry will be the starting point guard. He served as Jesse Scott's freshman understudy last season, and now it's his team to run. First year player Doyle Cannon will also see some playing time here.

Spencer Lund, who appeared in all 34 contests last season, will again be counted on as a valuable frontcourt reserve. Senior Sam Riley and freshman Bryan Currin are also available. Freshman recruit Thomas Fernandez will redshirt this season.

Last season, first year coach Toby Whittaker led the Mammoths back to a 25-win season and a trip to the Big Dance. Without New England Conference Player of the Year Matthew Kennedy, first team All-NEC forward Drew Lehr, and the aforementioned orchestrator Scott, it will be difficult for Coach Whittaker to reprise that performance.

Still, I think this team is good enough to approach 20 wins, and if at least one of the new starters can play like a star, the ceiling is a bit higher still. Perry Jordan might be the best player in the league. Pierre Chauvin is the real deal, too. I wouldn't sleep on these guys.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 14, 2020
Holy Cross 85, Amherst 83 (OT)

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (0-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 36 5-11 3-7 2 4 1 4 13
Dominic Moss PF 32 1-6 2-2 3 8 0 1 4
Perry Jordan SG 40 11-23 4-6 2 7 2 3 30
David McQuiston SG 20 2-4 2-3 1 1 2 4 6
Alan Rasberry PG 30 5-7 3-4 0 5 4 1 17
Doyle Cannon PG 18 1-3 6-6 0 3 3 2 9
Spencer Lund C 26 0-2 4-6 0 2 0 2 4
Carson Shears PF 13 0-0 0-0 3 4 0 1 0
Sam Riley SF 8 0-0 0-1 0 2 2 1 0
Joseph Wells SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Robert Wood SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 20 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Moss 2, P.Jordan 4,
D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 4, D.Cannon 3, S.Lund 2,
C.Shears 1, S.Riley 1, R.Wood 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (S.Lund 2)
Steals: 7 (P.Jordan 3, A.Rasberry 4)
3P FGs: 9-19 (D.Moss 0-2, P.Jordan 4-7, D.McQuiston
0-2, A.Rasberry 4-6, D.Cannon 1-2)

Holy Cross (1-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Rickey Acevedo C 22 2-3 0-2 1 4 1 5 4
Alexander Just PF 41 5-11 0-0 4 10 2 3 10
Mario Olivares SF 24 4-6 0-0 1 5 3 3 10
Gary Wells SG 39 11-18 12-14 0 4 4 1 39
Graig Boland PG 39 3-4 1-1 0 2 5 4 7
Andrew Dasilva SG 21 2-5 0-0 0 1 1 5 5
Paul Stokes SF 12 2-6 1-2 2 3 1 2 6
Anton Burke PF 17 2-5 0-0 0 2 0 2 4
Andrew Revels C 7 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 1 0
John Mayes PF 2 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 0

Turnovers: 21 (R.Acevedo 2, A.Just 3, M.Olivares 1,
G.Wells 7, G.Boland 3, A.Dasilva 3, P.Stokes 1,
A.Burke 1)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 9 (R.Acevedo 1, A.Just 1, M.Olivares 2, G.Wells
1, G.Boland 2, P.Stokes 1, A.Burke 1)
3P FGs: 9-20 (M.Olivares 2-2, G.Wells 5-10, G.Boland
0-1, A.Dasilva 1-2, P.Stokes 1-4, J.Mayes 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Gary Wells (HLYCR)
Paul Stokes' three-pointer gives the home team an overtime victory over the Mammoths in our season opener.

We forget to guard Gary Wells, whose superb effort undoes an almost-as-impressive showing from Perry Jordan.

The worst part of this? We committed 20 turnovers. Bleh.
Record: 0-1.


November 18, 2020
Amherst 67, Muhlenberg 49

----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (1-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 33 6-14 2-4 1 9 3 1 14
Dominic Moss PF 9 2-2 1-2 0 3 0 4 6
Perry Jordan SF 32 4-16 0-0 1 6 4 3 10
David McQuiston SG 33 1-10 2-2 3 7 3 0 5
Alan Rasberry PG 25 4-8 0-0 1 2 1 2 11
Doyle Cannon PG 13 2-5 2-4 0 1 0 2 7
Spencer Lund C 26 2-2 0-0 5 8 2 4 4
Carson Shears PF 22 3-9 1-4 7 12 0 1 7
Sam Riley SF 4 0-0 2-2 1 2 0 0 2
Robert Wood SG 2 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 0 1

Turnovers: 15 (P.Chauvin 2, D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 1,
D.McQuiston 4, D.Cannon 1, S.Lund 3, C.Shears 3)
Blocked Shots: 1 (S.Lund 1)
Steals: 9 (P.Jordan 4, A.Rasberry 2, S.Lund 2, S.Riley
1)
3P FGs: 8-25 (D.Moss 1-1, P.Jordan 2-10, D.McQuiston
1-7, A.Rasberry 3-4, D.Cannon 1-3)

Muhlenberg (0-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jamie Payton C 19 0-8 0-0 2 6 1 4 0
James Poisson PF 28 2-6 5-7 2 14 2 0 9
William Howe SF 23 5-8 1-3 2 3 0 1 11
Jonathan Davis SG 30 2-6 1-3 3 6 3 2 5
Edward Pecoraro PG 36 5-13 1-4 0 2 2 3 11
Dustin Dale SF 22 4-8 1-2 0 3 2 3 10
Jim Gleeson C 25 1-2 1-2 1 6 1 0 3
Justin Lin SG 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 2 0
Carl Sullivan SF 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Bryan Helms PG 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Hubert Holleis PF 8 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 2 0

Turnovers: 18 (J.Payton 1, J.Poisson 1, W.Howe 3,
J.Davis 2, E.Pecoraro 5, D.Dale 4, J.Gleeson 1, J.Lin
1)
Blocked Shots: 8 (J.Payton 2, J.Poisson 2, W.Howe 2,
J.Davis 1, J.Gleeson 1)
Steals: 4 (W.Howe 2, E.Pecoraro 1, J.Lin 1)
3P FGs: 1-8 (J.Davis 0-2, E.Pecoraro 0-1, D.Dale 1-4,
J.Lin 0-1)

Player of Game: PG Alan Rasberry (AMH)
We secure our first victory of the young season at Muhlenberg, where Carson Shears demonstrates his potential in relief of Dominic Moss. It's definitely a night to forget for David McQuiston.
Record: 1-1.


November 21, 2020
Amherst 94, Haverford 78

---------------------------------------------------------
Haverford (1-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Hugh Carnes C 29 0-2 0-0 1 8 0 2 0
Cory Hostetler PF 30 4-7 0-0 1 2 3 5 8
Jack Williams SF 23 4-10 8-10 1 3 1 4 16
Dwain Fowler SG 30 4-10 4-4 2 4 6 1 16
Delmar Brannen PG 26 4-8 0-1 0 2 0 1 9
Michael Daniels PG 16 5-8 1-2 1 2 2 2 14
David Mitchell SG 9 1-4 2-2 0 0 0 2 5
Arlie Jones SF 21 2-5 0-0 0 0 1 2 5
Kevin Sweeney SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Erick Bailey PF 9 1-1 0-0 0 2 0 1 2
Carlo Desalvo C 7 0-0 3-4 1 3 0 1 3
Douglas Anderson C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 10 (H.Carnes 2, J.Williams 1, D.Brannen 1,
M.Daniels 2, D.Mitchell 1, A.Jones 1, C.Desalvo 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Hostetler 2, E.Bailey 1)
Steals: 2 (H.Carnes 2)
3P FGs: 10-23 (C.Hostetler 0-1, D.Fowler 4-8, D.Brannen
1-2, M.Daniels 3-6, D.Mitchell 1-3, A.Jones 1-3)

Amherst (2-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 30 8-12 1-2 2 11 0 3 17
Dominic Moss PF 26 1-4 2-4 4 7 2 1 4
Perry Jordan SF 23 7-12 3-3 0 1 0 3 21
David McQuiston SG 30 4-10 2-3 2 6 4 3 12
Alan Rasberry PG 10 2-3 4-4 1 1 2 2 10
Doyle Cannon PG 28 5-9 3-3 2 4 6 3 15
Spencer Lund C 25 3-7 3-4 3 4 1 2 9
Carson Shears PF 8 0-1 0-0 1 1 0 1 0
Sam Riley SF 8 0-1 0-0 0 2 2 1 0
Bryan Currin PG 2 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Joseph Wells SF 3 2-3 0-0 1 3 0 0 4
Robert Wood SG 7 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 2 0

Turnovers: 10 (P.Chauvin 2, D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 1,
D.McQuiston 3, A.Rasberry 3)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 4 (D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 2, D.Cannon 1)
3P FGs: 10-21 (P.Jordan 4-6, D.McQuiston 2-6,
A.Rasberry 2-3, D.Cannon 2-5, S.Riley 0-1)

Player of Game: PG Doyle Cannon (AMH)
It's our home opener, and we raise our NEC championship banner before we win a shootout with the visiting Fords.

Alan Rasberry twisted his knee painfully and will miss about a week, but Doyle Cannon played superbly in his absence. Especially notable: Doyle's six assists and zero turnovers.

Pierre Chauvin and Perry Jordan played like All-Conference stars, too.
Record: 2-1.


November 25, 2020
Amherst 75, Princeton 64

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (3-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 16 3-5 4-5 0 3 0 4 10
Dominic Moss PF 22 0-2 2-4 1 4 2 4 2
Perry Jordan SF 35 4-16 9-10 1 10 1 2 19
David McQuiston SG 32 2-5 7-8 0 3 3 2 13
Doyle Cannon PG 25 3-6 2-2 2 3 2 2 9
Spencer Lund C 28 3-4 2-3 2 4 0 3 8
Carson Shears PF 16 0-2 1-2 0 3 1 0 1
Sam Riley SF 12 2-3 0-0 1 4 1 0 4
Bryan Currin PG 4 0-0 0-1 0 1 0 0 0
Joseph Wells SF 7 3-6 1-2 2 4 0 1 7
Robert Wood SF 2 0-0 2-2 0 0 1 1 2
Alan Rasberry SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (P.Chauvin 2, P.Jordan 2, D.McQuiston 2,
D.Cannon 1, S.Lund 3, C.Shears 1, S.Riley 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (S.Lund 1, C.Shears 1, J.Wells 1)
Steals: 5 (D.Moss 1, D.McQuiston 2, S.Riley 2)
3P FGs: 5-12 (P.Jordan 2-5, D.McQuiston 2-3, D.Cannon
1-4)

Princeton (1-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Johnnie Rodney C 27 2-9 2-6 6 8 0 4 6
Kris Hom PF 35 4-7 3-4 4 8 1 3 12
Richard Fallon SF 28 2-15 6-6 1 6 1 5 10
Monty Bruno SG 11 2-6 0-0 1 2 1 5 6
Manuel Staley SG 24 1-5 4-4 0 2 1 3 7
Shelton Ables PG 31 2-7 0-0 3 8 4 2 5
Scottie Kimbro C 15 1-1 0-0 0 2 0 1 2
V. Terwilliger SG 20 2-8 2-2 0 2 1 1 7
Wes Cantwell SF 4 0-0 2-3 0 0 0 1 2
Shane Tatro PG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Dougie Grice SG 3 3-4 0-0 1 1 0 1 7

Turnovers: 13 (J.Rodney 3, K.Hom 2, R.Fallon 1, M.Bruno
2, M.Staley 2, S.Ables 2, V.Terwilliger 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (J.Rodney 2, R.Fallon 1, V.Terwilliger
1)
Steals: 3 (J.Rodney 1, K.Hom 1, M.Staley 1)
3P FGs: 7-30 (J.Rodney 0-2, K.Hom 1-3, R.Fallon 0-2,
M.Bruno 2-6, M.Staley 1-5, S.Ables 1-5, V.Terwilliger
1-5, D.Grice 1-2)

Player of Game: SG David McQuiston (AMH)
We tighten up our defense considerably in the second half, pulling away from the Tigers to win our third straight game.

Perry Jordan scores 19 points, but he needs 16 shots to do so. Props to Spencer Lund for another good game off the bench.
Record: 3-1.


November 28, 2020
Amherst 97, Elon 92

----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (4-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin SF 28 7-15 2-2 1 6 4 4 16
Dominic Moss PF 27 3-6 0-1 2 7 1 3 7
Perry Jordan SF 23 7-13 6-6 3 6 2 4 24
David McQuiston PG 20 3-5 2-2 0 2 4 5 11
Alan Rasberry SG 27 3-4 0-0 0 1 4 4 7
Doyle Cannon PG 20 4-7 7-9 0 0 0 1 18
Spencer Lund C 27 4-6 2-2 0 1 1 3 10
Carson Shears PF 12 0-3 1-2 1 4 4 2 1
Sam Riley SF 7 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 1 0
Joseph Wells PF 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Robert Wood SG 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 3

Turnovers: 16 (P.Chauvin 2, D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 2,
D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 4, D.Cannon 1, S.Lund 1,
C.Shears 2, S.Riley 2)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 6 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Moss 2, D.McQuiston 1,
A.Rasberry 2)
3P FGs: 13-20 (D.Moss 1-1, P.Jordan 4-6, D.McQuiston
3-5, A.Rasberry 1-1, D.Cannon 3-6, R.Wood 1-1)

Elon (1-3, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lino Wilson C 28 1-1 4-7 2 7 1 3 6
David Kumar PF 27 2-5 0-0 0 2 2 3 4
Carl Smith SF 34 10-18 7-8 0 1 2 3 33
Kenneth Thao SG 31 4-8 3-3 0 3 4 2 13
R. Whittington PG 32 5-6 4-4 2 5 3 4 16
Carmelo Geyer SG 12 1-5 3-6 1 2 0 2 6
William Petersen PF 12 4-6 3-5 2 3 0 2 11
Evert Brandl C 13 0-1 0-0 0 6 1 0 0
Gary Bazan PG 6 0-1 0-0 1 1 2 2 0
Eddie Edwards SF 5 1-2 1-2 0 2 0 2 3

Turnovers: 19 (L.Wilson 2, D.Kumar 2, C.Smith 6, K.Thao
3, R.Whittington 4, W.Petersen 2)
Blocked Shots: 6 (L.Wilson 1, D.Kumar 4, C.Geyer 1)
Steals: 5 (C.Smith 2, R.Whittington 1, C.Geyer 1,
W.Petersen 1)
3P FGs: 11-24 (D.Kumar 0-1, C.Smith 6-9, K.Thao 2-6,
R.Whittington 2-2, C.Geyer 1-5, E.Brandl 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Perry Jordan (AMH)
Fans of defense should not look at this box score, because there wasn't much of that on display in this fast-paced, high-scoring game down in North Carolina.

We're tending to let one dude burn it up. This time it's Carl Smith. To be fair, Carl averaged 20 a game last season, so Carl does this to quite a few teams.

Alan Rasberry returns to action, so Doyle Cannon contributes as an almost unstoppable bench scorer.
Record: 4-1.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2020
Recruiting Update

Matt McGowan makes his choice, and he chooses Amherst.

Matt can play. He's a top 100 player at his position nationally and a top 100 player regionally. A fairly low-volume shooter, he makes a lot of the shots he does take. Consider him a Blue Collar Man with a bit more offensive talent. He's also an excellent student, which will allow him to devote more time to developing his basketball skills. (We have several guys on the team who are seriously challenged by Amherst's demanding classes.)

Welcome to Amherst, Matt!

Bradford Williams is still making up his mind. Perhaps he's asking himself if he wants to play college basketball at all, since nobody but Amherst has offered him a scholarship. Andrew Angell continues to hope for an offer from Hofstra. As far as I know, we're the only program who has made Andrew an offer.

The same is true for Aussie George Dillon. We can afford to evaluate him this time, and Coach Whittaker is heading Down Under to visit him and his family this month.

We'll spend the rest of our recruiting funds on visits to Andrew and Bradford. We can't afford to send Coach Whittaker to the Williams residence this time, however. Maybe Coach Getty can seal the deal.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2020
Amherst 84, Bucknell 80

---------------------------------------------------------
Bucknell (0-5, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Rob Schneider C 29 2-4 0-0 1 10 2 4 4
Lester Teran PF 32 7-12 3-6 6 11 2 5 18
Gerald Goodsell SF 14 2-11 3-4 1 2 1 5 8
Joshua Williams SG 30 7-15 3-4 0 3 1 0 18
Carlos Giese PG 28 3-6 3-5 0 3 3 3 10
Joe Lambert SF 18 2-4 0-0 0 2 1 4 4
Kim Cruce PF 16 1-2 0-0 0 4 1 2 2
Harold Carpio SF 19 2-6 6-8 1 7 1 1 12
Alden Black PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Basil Barrios SG 11 1-1 2-2 0 0 2 1 4

Turnovers: 13 (R.Schneider 1, L.Teran 1, G.Goodsell 3,
J.Williams 1, C.Giese 3, J.Lambert 1, K.Cruce 1,
B.Barrios 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (R.Schneider 1, L.Teran 1, C.Giese 1)
Steals: 3 (R.Schneider 1, G.Goodsell 1, J.Williams 1)
3P FGs: 6-22 (R.Schneider 0-1, L.Teran 1-3, G.Goodsell
1-3, J.Williams 1-7, C.Giese 1-2, J.Lambert 0-2,
H.Carpio 2-4)

Amherst (5-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 27 6-14 2-6 1 3 1 3 14
Dominic Moss PF 22 2-7 2-2 2 6 3 3 7
Perry Jordan SF 35 6-14 9-10 2 9 3 1 21
David McQuiston SG 26 1-7 0-0 2 3 2 2 2
Alan Rasberry SG 34 4-13 4-4 2 7 1 3 14
Doyle Cannon PG 12 3-5 1-1 0 4 3 2 10
Spencer Lund C 24 4-4 1-1 2 4 1 4 9
Carson Shears PF 10 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 1 2
Sam Riley SF 5 1-1 0-1 0 1 0 3 3
Joseph Wells PF 5 0-0 2-2 0 1 0 0 2

Turnovers: 10 (P.Chauvin 3, P.Jordan 1, A.Rasberry 3,
D.Cannon 1, S.Lund 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (P.Chauvin 1)
Steals: 8 (D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 2, D.McQuiston 1,
A.Rasberry 1, S.Lund 2, J.Wells 1)
3P FGs: 7-26 (D.Moss 1-4, P.Jordan 0-4, D.McQuiston
0-3, A.Rasberry 2-9, D.Cannon 3-5, S.Riley 1-1)

Player of Game: SF Perry Jordan (AMH)
A winless Bucknell team comes to visit us, and they nearly leave with their first victory of the season. We shoot better than 50 percent on two-point shots, and that saves us, because we fling bricks from behind the arc.

Perry Jordan is a very good basketball player. His scoring exploits are already well-known...but he has a very good chance to end his career ranked second all-time in rebounds and assists, too. I wish I'd had the chance to coach him all four years.
Record: 5-1.


December 4, 2020
#13 Creighton 90, Amherst 56

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (5-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 30 4-13 0-2 3 6 1 0 8
Dominic Moss PF 24 2-4 0-0 0 3 1 3 5
Perry Jordan SF 29 5-17 4-5 0 5 3 1 15
David McQuiston PG 22 2-5 2-2 2 5 3 3 6
Alan Rasberry SG 19 3-4 1-1 0 2 0 4 8
Doyle Cannon PG 20 1-2 0-0 0 2 4 2 2
Spencer Lund C 24 1-5 2-6 1 1 0 1 4
Carson Shears PF 13 1-4 0-1 1 4 0 0 2
Sam Riley SF 8 1-1 1-2 0 3 0 1 4
Joseph Wells SF 4 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 2
Robert Wood SG 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 0

Turnovers: 17 (P.Chauvin 2, D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 5,
D.McQuiston 3, A.Rasberry 2, D.Cannon 1, S.Lund 1,
C.Shears 1, R.Wood 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Moss 1, S.Lund 1, C.Shears 1)
Steals: 3 (D.McQuiston 1, D.Cannon 2)
3P FGs: 4-12 (D.Moss 1-2, P.Jordan 1-4, D.McQuiston
0-2, A.Rasberry 1-1, D.Cannon 0-1, C.Shears 0-1,
S.Riley 1-1)

Creighton (6-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Paul Jurado C 23 4-6 0-0 1 4 3 3 8
Gregory Schenck PF 31 2-6 3-3 4 10 3 2 7
Mitchell Bridges SF 29 5-12 0-0 1 6 0 0 14
Daniel Corpuz SG 23 8-14 2-3 0 5 3 4 22
Jason Garcia PG 31 4-9 3-4 1 3 3 2 13
Scott Bernier PG 9 1-1 3-3 1 4 2 3 5
James Rummel PG 14 4-8 4-6 0 2 0 1 13
Clifford Clark C 18 4-4 0-0 2 5 1 4 8
Edward Grant PF 7 0-2 0-0 0 2 2 0 0
Frank Glass SF 6 0-0 0-1 0 0 1 1 0
Ronald Blount SG 6 0-1 0-0 0 3 0 0 0
Kenneth Holden PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 10 (G.Schenck 1, M.Bridges 2, D.Corpuz 2,
J.Garcia 1, S.Bernier 1, C.Clark 1, F.Glass 2)
Blocked Shots: 6 (G.Schenck 3, C.Clark 3)
Steals: 8 (P.Jurado 1, G.Schenck 1, D.Corpuz 2,
J.Garcia 2, J.Rummel 1, E.Grant 1)
3P FGs: 11-22 (M.Bridges 4-6, D.Corpuz 4-9, J.Garcia
2-6, J.Rummel 1-1)

Player of Game: SG Daniel Corpuz (CRHTN)
Creighton tops the Mid-Major poll for a reason. They play defense as well as anyone in the nation, and they demonstrate their ability against us tonight. We can't get the looks at the basket that are there against our more typical opponents. And, when the Blue Jays have the ball, they take advantage of their superior skill and athleticism.
Record: 5-2.


December 7, 2020
Amherst 69, Sacred Heart 66

--------------------------------------------------------
Sacred Heart (2-5, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Antoine Hall C 28 1-6 0-0 0 3 1 1 2
Abraham Motley PF 30 1-3 1-2 3 7 1 5 3
Hank Hartfield SF 34 8-16 2-3 5 12 3 3 21
Elmer Luna SG 34 6-10 0-1 1 5 4 1 13
Henry Moss PG 23 6-11 3-5 0 0 3 2 20
Efrain Coulson PG 7 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 1 0
Marcos Pumphrey PG 16 2-5 1-2 2 2 1 1 6
Danny Roberts PG 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Marlon Carleton SF 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Jack McHale PF 13 0-2 1-2 0 1 0 1 1
William Danford C 9 0-1 0-1 1 3 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (A.Motley 4, H.Hartfield 4, E.Luna 2,
M.Pumphrey 1, D.Roberts 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (W.Danford 1)
Steals: 7 (A.Hall 1, H.Hartfield 3, E.Luna 1, H.Moss 1,
E.Coulson 1)
3P FGs: 10-24 (A.Motley 0-2, H.Hartfield 3-7, E.Luna
1-3, H.Moss 5-8, E.Coulson 0-1, M.Pumphrey 1-3)

Amherst (6-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 33 10-17 2-3 4 9 1 1 22
Dominic Moss PF 23 1-2 0-0 1 4 1 4 2
Perry Jordan SF 34 7-17 3-4 2 6 3 4 20
David McQuiston PG 24 3-6 2-2 3 8 5 0 9
Alan Rasberry SG 33 2-6 4-4 1 3 3 2 9
Doyle Cannon PG 14 0-3 0-0 0 0 1 2 0
Spencer Lund C 24 2-5 1-2 1 4 0 3 5
Carson Shears PF 12 1-2 0-0 0 4 1 1 2
Sam Riley SF 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Robert Wood SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 12 (P.Chauvin 2, P.Jordan 5, D.McQuiston 1,
D.Cannon 3, S.Lund 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (P.Chauvin 1)
Steals: 8 (P.Jordan 2, D.McQuiston 2, A.Rasberry 4)
3P FGs: 5-19 (P.Chauvin 0-1, D.Moss 0-1, P.Jordan 3-9,
D.McQuiston 1-4, A.Rasberry 1-2, D.Cannon 0-2)

Player of Game: C Pierre Chauvin (AMH)
Pierre Chauvin scores a career-high 22 points, just misses a double-double, and leads us to victory against Sacred Heart in front of our home crowd.

We don't shoot well from long range again, which makes it even more important that we defend well. We do just enough to win.
Record: 6-2.


December 11, 2020
Amherst 91, Colgate 84

----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (7-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 34 4-10 6-7 3 9 2 3 14
Dominic Moss PF 26 4-7 3-5 4 8 3 3 11
Perry Jordan SF 32 4-14 11-14 2 9 3 4 21
David McQuiston PG 19 3-6 0-0 0 2 1 4 8
Alan Rasberry SG 34 6-11 9-9 0 0 1 0 23
Doyle Cannon PG 15 1-2 1-1 0 3 0 0 3
Spencer Lund C 24 2-3 0-0 2 5 0 3 4
Carson Shears PF 12 1-1 3-4 1 2 0 0 5
Sam Riley SF 4 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 2 2
Bryan Currin PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Joseph Wells PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Robert Wood SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 10 (P.Chauvin 2, P.Jordan 2, D.McQuiston 3,
A.Rasberry 1, D.Cannon 1, S.Riley 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Moss 1, S.Lund 3)
Steals: 2 (D.Moss 1, S.Riley 1)
3P FGs: 6-21 (D.Moss 0-2, P.Jordan 2-10, D.McQuiston
2-3, A.Rasberry 2-4, D.Cannon 0-1, S.Riley 0-1)

Colgate (1-5, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Eric Mosley C 30 2-3 3-4 5 11 2 5 7
Domenic Thoma PF 24 2-7 3-4 2 7 1 5 7
Marcus Alvardo SF 28 6-14 0-0 2 5 3 2 15
Morris Merritt SG 17 1-2 0-0 0 1 3 4 3
Antony Foreman PG 32 3-8 0-0 1 2 5 2 7
Kent Blake PG 16 3-5 3-4 0 1 1 0 12
Gabriel Hammel SG 19 5-13 3-3 1 1 0 2 16
Brian Francis PF 11 2-3 1-2 1 5 1 2 6
Kenneth Selby C 12 0-5 1-2 1 2 0 2 1
Chris Murphy SF 8 3-5 2-2 1 1 1 1 10
Joe Cardinale C 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 10 (E.Mosley 4, M.Merritt 3, B.Francis 1,
K.Selby 1, C.Murphy 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (E.Mosley 1, D.Thoma 1)
Steals: 7 (E.Mosley 1, M.Alvardo 1, M.Merritt 1,
A.Foreman 1, K.Blake 1, G.Hammel 1, B.Francis 1)
3P FGs: 14-32 (M.Alvardo 3-7, M.Merritt 1-2, A.Foreman
1-5, K.Blake 3-4, G.Hammel 3-7, B.Francis 1-1, K.Selby
0-2, C.Murphy 2-3, J.Cardinale 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Alan Rasberry (AMH)
This time the hero is sophomore Alan Rasberry, whose career-best 23 points spark us to victory against the Red Raiders of Colgate.

Colgate's reserves nearly steal the game from us in the second half. They spark a 10-1 run that gives their team a four-point lead, before we regain control of the situation. Dominic Moss's excellent work on the offensive glass makes a big difference.
Record: 7-2.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 15, 2020
#25 Notre Dame 88, Amherst 79

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (7-3, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 21 2-6 3-6 3 6 2 4 7
Dominic Moss PF 28 3-8 0-0 5 11 1 4 6
Perry Jordan SF 33 11-21 1-2 2 6 1 4 28
David McQuiston PG 27 1-7 3-4 1 3 1 3 5
Alan Rasberry SG 32 4-10 0-0 1 1 1 2 11
Doyle Cannon PG 13 3-5 0-0 0 3 1 0 7
Spencer Lund C 22 1-1 0-0 0 3 2 3 2
Carson Shears PF 10 4-5 2-2 1 3 1 1 10
Sam Riley SF 10 1-1 0-0 0 2 4 0 3
Joseph Wells SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Robert Wood SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (P.Chauvin 2, D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 5,
D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 4, D.Cannon 1, R.Wood 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (D.Moss 2, S.Lund 2)
Steals: 3 (D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 1, S.Lund 1)
3P FGs: 10-26 (D.Moss 0-3, P.Jordan 5-10, D.McQuiston
0-3, A.Rasberry 3-6, D.Cannon 1-3, S.Riley 1-1)

Notre Dame (8-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Daniel Jackson C 4 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Alfonso Henry PF 31 7-13 7-13 0 6 1 3 21
Charles Knott SF 32 8-16 3-4 4 5 3 3 20
David Shafer SG 31 5-9 0-2 1 4 6 2 11
David Germany PG 26 5-7 2-3 0 2 6 3 13
Marcos Barker PG 20 1-1 0-0 0 6 3 1 2
John Ortiz SG 13 3-7 0-0 1 2 4 1 7
Kevin Flack SF 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Chris Curry C 31 3-5 4-4 1 6 1 3 10
Benjamin Sublett C 10 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2

Turnovers: 7 (D.Shafer 1, D.Germany 3, M.Barker 2,
C.Curry 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (A.Henry 3, C.Knott 2, D.Shafer 1)
Steals: 5 (D.Shafer 3, M.Barker 1, C.Curry 1)
3P FGs: 4-16 (C.Knott 1-4, D.Shafer 1-4, D.Germany 1-3,
J.Ortiz 1-5)

Player of Game: SF Charles Knott (ND)
We play a much more competitive game against a ranked opponent in South Bend tonight. It's a four-point game at the 8:00 media timeout of the second half.

Perry Jordan, in particular, demonstrates he belongs on the court with high major players; several times, the Notre Dame broadcast team compliments him for the all-around quality of his game. He also demonstrates his leaping ability with a rim-shaking two-handed dunk.
Record: 7-3.


December 18, 2020
Amherst 82, #23 Virginia 68

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (8-3, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 34 7-15 6-7 2 5 0 3 20
Dominic Moss PF 25 1-1 1-2 0 10 0 3 3
Perry Jordan SF 29 8-18 5-6 3 8 3 5 23
David McQuiston SG 26 4-11 8-11 3 4 2 1 17
Alan Rasberry SG 34 2-5 3-4 1 5 6 0 7
Doyle Cannon PG 11 1-3 2-2 0 0 0 4 4
Spencer Lund C 24 1-2 0-0 2 3 1 3 2
Carson Shears PF 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Sam Riley SF 4 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 3
Bryan Currin PG 3 1-3 0-0 0 0 0 1 2
Joseph Wells SF 1 0-1 1-2 1 1 0 0 1
Robert Wood SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (P.Chauvin 2, P.Jordan 2, D.McQuiston 2,
A.Rasberry 2, S.Lund 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (D.Moss 1)
Steals: 6 (P.Chauvin 1, D.McQuiston 2, A.Rasberry 2,
S.Riley 1)
3P FGs: 4-16 (P.Jordan 2-7, D.McQuiston 1-6, A.Rasberry
0-1, S.Riley 1-1, B.Currin 0-1)

Virginia (6-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Olen Guth C 31 3-5 2-2 1 8 1 2 8
Charles Gaynor PF 27 3-7 0-0 2 6 1 4 6
Scott Morrison SF 12 3-4 0-0 1 2 0 5 6
Emanuel Morgan SG 35 4-17 3-4 2 7 3 3 11
Parsifal Schütz PG 24 3-5 3-6 0 2 1 3 11
Irvin Guay SG 11 1-4 3-4 1 2 1 4 5
Marcus Murray PG 14 1-3 0-0 0 0 0 2 2
Justin Castillo PF 25 6-9 1-5 5 10 3 2 14
David Cotton SF 18 1-4 3-4 1 4 1 2 5
Emmanuel Solberg PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 17 (O.Guth 2, C.Gaynor 1, E.Morgan 5, I.Guay
2, M.Murray 2, J.Castillo 2, D.Cotton 2, E.Solberg 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (O.Guth 4, E.Morgan 1)
Steals: 1 (J.Castillo 1)
3P FGs: 3-13 (C.Gaynor 0-1, E.Morgan 0-5, P.Sch tz 2-3,
I.Guay 0-1, M.Murray 0-1, J.Castillo 1-1, D.Cotton 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Perry Jordan (AMH)
Is this the biggest win of Toby Whittaker's coaching career?

Coach Whittaker returns to Charlottesville, where he played for four years, and receives a warm welcome from the crowd at the John Paul Jones Center. The same fans grumble and boo as the teams leave the floor at the end of the first half, as the visitors from Amherst hold a 40-26 lead. And they aren't congenial at the final buzzer, either; the coach from UVA's Class of 2010 has punished his alma mater with a decisive victory.

We're not good from three-point range again tonight, but the Cavaliers are even worse. And we take care of the basketball while forcing them into 17 turnovers.

Pierre Chauvin outplays UVA's senior pivotman Olen Guth, who was a high school All American. David McQuiston achieves a career high with 17 points, and Perry Jordan is Perry Jordan.
Record: 8-3.


December 23, 2020
2020 New England Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst 0 0 .000 8 3 .727 79 17
Tufts 0 0 .000 5 4 .556 138 22
Bates 0 0 .000 5 5 .500 157 22
Williams 0 0 .000 4 5 .444 153 19
Wesleyan 0 0 .000 3 6 .333 282 22
Trinity 0 0 .000 3 6 .333 350 21
Hamilton 0 0 .000 1 7 .125 180 36
Bowdoin 0 0 .000 1 9 .100 184 13
Middlebury 0 0 .000 1 9 .100 320 26
Colby 0 0 .000 0 10 .000 307 8
The teams of the New England Conference typically struggle against the non-conference opponents they face in November and December. Most of the NEC teams' victories come against similar programs: Ivy League and Centennial Conference teams, and an assortment of "directional schools" from across the country.

Our victory at Virginia is the most impressive result for NEC teams so far this season. We also held our own against a ranked Notre Dame team.

Bowdoin nearly pulled off an even bigger upset, losing 62-61 at #18 West Virginia. Middlebury gave #20 Central Michigan (!!) a tough fight, too, before losing 68-59.

It seems strange to begin conference play in December, but here we go...

[MoonlightGraham]

December 24, 2020
Amherst 80, Hamilton 76

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (9-3, 1-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 31 11-16 6-7 3 10 4 4 28
Dominic Moss PF 23 2-6 0-0 3 9 1 4 4
Perry Jordan SF 34 6-13 0-0 2 5 1 2 15
David McQuiston SG 29 6-11 2-2 1 3 3 1 17
Alan Rasberry PG 33 5-12 1-2 3 3 2 1 14
Doyle Cannon PG 8 0-2 0-1 0 0 3 2 0
Spencer Lund C 19 1-3 0-1 0 2 1 3 2
Carson Shears PF 15 0-0 0-2 0 2 0 1 0
Sam Riley SF 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Joseph Wells PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Robert Wood SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 10 (P.Chauvin 2, D.Moss 3, D.McQuiston 1,
A.Rasberry 3, S.Lund 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (P.Chauvin 1)
Steals: 5 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Moss 1, A.Rasberry 1,
D.Cannon 1, C.Shears 1)
3P FGs: 9-20 (P.Jordan 3-6, D.McQuiston 3-5, A.Rasberry
3-9)

Hamilton (1-8, 0-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Wallace Browder C 28 1-3 2-2 1 10 1 2 5
Gerald Grantham PF 32 4-7 1-3 3 7 0 3 9
Andrew Clark SF 27 3-12 3-4 0 0 2 1 9
Sean Averill SG 23 4-7 1-1 0 2 1 3 10
Ward Thibodeaux PG 28 6-9 2-2 0 2 6 3 17
Dennis Herrington SG 15 3-5 0-0 1 1 1 1 7
Jack Minton PG 6 1-2 0-0 0 1 1 1 2
Ken Rogers PF 13 0-4 2-2 1 2 0 2 2
Basil DeRosier SF 17 4-6 0-0 2 5 3 3 10
David Del Rio C 6 2-4 1-1 1 3 0 1 5
Kelley Shearer SF 4 0-0 0-0 1 1 1 0 0
Dwight Reddy PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (W.Browder 2, G.Grantham 2, S.Averill 2,
W.Thibodeaux 3, D.Herrington 2, K.Rogers 1, B.DeRosier
1, D.Del Rio 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (A.Clark 1)
Steals: 1 (W.Thibodeaux 1)
3P FGs: 8-17 (W.Browder 1-1, A.Clark 0-4, S.Averill
1-2, W.Thibodeaux 3-5, D.Herrington 1-1, B.DeRosier
2-4)

Player of Game: C Pierre Chauvin (AMH)
Hamilton's season hasn't started out well, but they give us all we can handle in our NEC opener, played while Santa Claus is setting off on his iconic journey.

Pierre Chauvin again plays like a boss, and we hold the Continentals' excellent guard Sean Averill to eight points below his average. We also do a better job of finding good shots from distance, now that we're not being challenged by power conference athletes.
Record: 9-3 (1-0).


December 26, 2020
Amherst 71, Tufts 48

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (10-3, 2-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 25 5-8 2-4 2 3 0 3 12
Dominic Moss PF 28 0-1 1-2 4 11 3 3 1
Perry Jordan SF 21 8-10 1-1 1 3 2 3 20
David McQuiston SG 27 3-6 3-6 0 7 1 0 10
Alan Rasberry SG 19 2-7 0-0 0 3 3 4 6
Doyle Cannon PG 23 2-7 3-3 2 2 1 2 7
Spencer Lund C 22 2-4 0-1 1 3 1 2 4
Carson Shears C 13 1-1 0-0 1 4 0 2 2
Sam Riley SF 8 1-2 1-1 0 1 1 0 3
Bryan Currin PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Joseph Wells PF 5 1-2 2-2 1 1 0 0 4
Robert Wood SG 10 1-3 0-2 2 3 1 0 2

Turnovers: 9 (P.Chauvin 2, D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 2,
D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 2, R.Wood 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (P.Chauvin 1, S.Lund 2, C.Shears 1)
Steals: 4 (P.Jordan 1, A.Rasberry 2, J.Wells 1)
3P FGs: 6-17 (P.Jordan 3-4, D.McQuiston 1-3, A.Rasberry
2-3, D.Cannon 0-5, S.Riley 0-1, R.Wood 0-1)

Tufts (6-5, 1-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Gregory Cool C 27 5-16 2-3 3 8 1 4 12
James Self PF 35 1-4 0-0 5 11 5 1 2
Neal Cleland SF 27 2-4 1-2 1 1 2 3 6
William Rapp SG 27 3-8 0-1 1 3 0 3 9
Jamel Doney PG 28 1-5 2-2 0 2 2 2 4
Brian Halter SF 22 2-8 1-4 0 2 0 3 5
Antoine Tedeschi PG 11 1-1 1-2 0 0 0 1 3
Taylor Lopez SG 5 2-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 5
Kenneth Burnham PF 16 0-2 2-2 1 1 2 1 2
Albert Somerville PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 10 (G.Cool 2, N.Cleland 2, W.Rapp 2, J.Doney
4)
Blocked Shots: 2 (G.Cool 1, J.Self 1)
Steals: 1 (G.Cool 1)
3P FGs: 5-20 (J.Self 0-1, N.Cleland 1-1, W.Rapp 3-7,
J.Doney 0-4, B.Halter 0-5, T.Lopez 1-2)

Player of Game: SF Perry Jordan (AMH)
We deliver lumps of coal to the Tufts Jumbos on the day after Christmas.

Gregory Cool is just that; a very cool player. He's the conference's leading rebounder, and the choice at center on the All-League first team will probably come down to him or Pierre Chauvin.

Dominic Moss plays the most Dominic Moss game possible, snaring 11 rebounds and attempting only one field goal. It's not uncommon for Blue Collar Men like Dom to end their careers with more rebounds than field goal attempts, but an 11:1 ratio like he just compiled is as Blue Collar as it gets.
Record: 10-3 (2-0).


December 31, 2020
Amherst 69, Middlebury 67

---------------------------------------------------------
Middlebury (2-11, 1-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Richard Grigg C 26 0-2 3-6 1 8 1 4 3
Paul Good PF 18 1-7 0-4 2 7 1 4 2
James Jose SF 29 7-21 6-8 0 6 2 1 22
Arnulfo Allen SG 31 5-10 0-0 1 5 2 2 13
Leo Turner PG 26 2-5 2-4 3 4 2 4 7
James McCoy PG 19 3-6 0-1 1 2 0 2 8
Jerry Parker PF 19 1-3 2-4 1 7 0 0 4
Chris Dana PF 18 1-4 0-0 0 5 0 2 2
Palmer Heffernan C 5 2-3 0-0 2 2 1 3 4
Milton Hatfield SG 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Andre Simard SF 5 1-3 0-0 1 1 1 0 2
Yannic Defrance PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Wendell Pieper PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 10 (P.Good 1, J.Jose 3, A.Allen 1, L.Turner
3, J.Parker 1, A.Simard 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (R.Grigg 2, A.Allen 1, C.Dana 3)
Steals: 2 (J.Jose 2)
3P FGs: 8-21 (J.Jose 2-8, A.Allen 3-5, L.Turner 1-2,
J.McCoy 2-4, A.Simard 0-2)

Amherst (11-3, 3-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 20 5-5 3-8 1 6 1 4 13
Dominic Moss PF 28 2-5 0-0 4 10 1 2 4
Perry Jordan SF 30 6-19 5-6 4 10 1 4 19
David McQuiston PG 27 0-8 3-4 1 2 2 2 3
Alan Rasberry SG 34 5-15 4-6 0 7 4 2 15
Doyle Cannon PG 16 3-6 0-1 0 4 0 1 7
Spencer Lund C 24 0-4 4-6 2 6 1 3 4
Carson Shears PF 8 1-2 0-0 1 3 0 1 2
Sam Riley SF 8 0-2 2-2 4 6 1 2 2
Joseph Wells SF 4 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 1, D.McQuiston 3,
D.Cannon 1, S.Lund 1, C.Shears 1, S.Riley 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (S.Lund 1, C.Shears 1)
Steals: 5 (D.McQuiston 2, A.Rasberry 2, D.Cannon 1)
3P FGs: 4-24 (D.Moss 0-2, P.Jordan 2-8, D.McQuiston
0-6, A.Rasberry 1-5, D.Cannon 1-2, S.Riley 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Alan Rasberry (AMH)
Pierre Chauvin takes our last shot of 2020, taking a feed from David McQuiston and finishing with authority from the dunker's spot. And then we make a crucial defensive stop to secure a victory over an upset-minded Middlebury team.

"Do not try a three-point shot," Toby Whittaker tells his team in the huddle before his team's last possession. Every Mammoth nods his head. While they don't know exactly how poorly they've shot threes tonight, they know it's been bad.

James Jose, who has been mis-named as Jose James by at least one play-by-play announcer, scores 22 points in a barely-losing effort.
Record: 11-3 (3-0).

[Young Drachma]

LOL i was like "James Jose or Jose James" myself tbh.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 1, 2021
Recruiting Update, plus

Good news: Bradford Williams gives us his commitment today. Listed as a small forward despite his 6'11", 240-plus pound frame, Bradford is agile enough to play outside and strong enough to get physical in the paint.

Decent news: We're still in the running for George Dillon.
#4 SG George Dillon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-3
Weight: 204
High School:
Hometown: Maitland, Australia
GPA: 2.70
Test Score: 870
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 20 69 44 15 12 25 22 28 46 37 37 13 66 48 97 85
Potential: C B A D B C D C C C D D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27.7 2.2 7.0 4.6 2.0 2.28 1.8 0.4 2.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12.4 21.9 .566 2.1 3.2 .656 0.8 2.4 .340

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: Foreign #17 Overall, Foreign #8 SG
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: *Amherst
It looks like George's big numbers are backed by solid skills. Coach Whittaker will make another quick trip to New South Wales this month to (hopefully) seal the deal.

Not good news: Andrew Angell finally receives the offer he wanted, so he commits to Hofstra.

Really bad news: Carson Shears receives his first semester grades, and he will be academically ineligible for the remainder of the season. Carson, my dude, this is one hundred percent on you. You finished high school with a 2.79 GPA, and scored 1080 on your test. Your Intelligence score is 75. You shouldn't be failing classes.

I'm wondering if I should remove Thomas Fernandez's redshirt. For now, I'm leaving things the way they are, but I won't hesitate to make a change if it's needed.

Now it's time to look at a few of the players who haven't received any offers yet. Perhaps there's a hidden gem yet to be discovered. I'll evaluate some of the players who are putting up good numbers in high school and see if any of them might be good fits for us.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 2, 2021
Williams 70, Amherst 67

--------------------------------------------------------
Williams (8-5, 4-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Art Nelson C 36 4-11 3-9 1 7 1 3 11
Géraud Delecambre PF 30 3-6 2-4 1 8 1 3 8
Carl Estrella SF 30 5-8 1-2 3 10 2 2 13
L. Desmulliers SG 30 4-6 2-4 1 3 0 1 10
Mark Campbell PG 34 4-5 2-2 0 4 5 3 10
Steven Lipscomb PF 20 1-4 1-2 1 5 0 3 3
Alfred Rosado SG 16 1-8 3-4 0 2 1 2 5
Jean Mann SF 13 2-5 2-2 0 1 0 2 7
John Pearson PG 8 0-0 0-0 0 1 2 0 0
Harold Carter PG 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Phil Villalba C 4 1-1 1-3 0 0 1 1 3

Turnovers: 15 (A.Nelson 4, G.Delecambre 1, C.Estrella
1, L.Desmulliers 2, M.Campbell 4, A.Rosado 1, J.Mann
1, J.Pearson 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (A.Nelson 2, G.Delecambre 2,
P.Villalba 1)
Steals: 4 (G.Delecambre 1, L.Desmulliers 2, M.Campbell
1)
3P FGs: 3-7 (C.Estrella 2-2, L.Desmulliers 0-1,
A.Rosado 0-1, J.Mann 1-3)

Amherst (11-4, 3-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 29 4-10 3-8 1 4 1 5 11
Dominic Moss PF 35 1-6 1-2 3 9 1 4 4
Perry Jordan SF 27 3-10 2-4 1 4 4 4 9
David McQuiston PG 29 5-13 0-0 2 4 3 3 14
Alan Rasberry SG 38 4-14 3-6 2 6 4 2 13
Doyle Cannon PG 16 2-5 0-0 4 7 3 1 4
Spencer Lund C 26 5-11 2-2 5 7 0 2 12
Robert Wood SF 16 0-1 0-0 0 5 0 3 0
Sam Riley SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0
Joseph Wells PF 5 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 1 0
Frederick Goff C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (P.Chauvin 2, P.Jordan 4, D.McQuiston 2,
A.Rasberry 3, D.Cannon 1, S.Lund 2, R.Wood 1, S.Riley
1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (S.Lund 1)
Steals: 3 (D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 1, D.Cannon 1)
3P FGs: 8-28 (D.Moss 1-4, P.Jordan 1-2, D.McQuiston
4-9, A.Rasberry 2-10, D.Cannon 0-2, R.Wood 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Carl Estrella (WILL)
After a relatively unimpressive preseason, Williams has turned things up a notch for NEC play. They take over the top spot in the conference standings tonight, and they do it in the way they'd like most: by beating their arch-rival (us) in the rival's gym.

We shoot terribly and turn the ball over 16 times, yet we still have a chance to tie the game on our last possession. David McQuiston takes the first shot and misses, but we get the rebound and reset. Partially through our own carelessness and partially because of good defense from the Ephs, the last chance falls to Dominic Moss, who has attempted 68 three-pointers in his career and made 10 of them. Not surprisingly, Dominic misses this one too.
Record: 11-4 (3-1).


January 7, 2021
Amherst 72, Trinity 59

----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (12-4, 4-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 28 3-9 0-0 3 9 0 2 6
Dominic Moss PF 31 1-5 1-2 4 7 0 3 3
Perry Jordan SF 33 7-21 2-2 1 8 2 2 21
David McQuiston PG 25 3-10 0-0 1 3 3 0 8
Alan Rasberry SG 29 7-9 0-0 1 2 2 4 16
Doyle Cannon PG 15 2-3 0-0 1 2 3 1 4
Spencer Lund C 19 2-2 0-0 2 3 0 4 4
Robert Wood SG 9 3-3 1-1 0 3 2 0 8
Sam Riley SF 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Joseph Wells PF 5 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 0 2

Turnovers: 12 (D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 2, D.McQuiston 1,
A.Rasberry 5, R.Wood 2, J.Wells 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (R.Wood 1)
Steals: 2 (P.Jordan 1, D.Cannon 1)
3P FGs: 10-26 (P.Jordan 5-13, D.McQuiston 2-7,
A.Rasberry 2-4, D.Cannon 0-1, R.Wood 1-1)

Trinity (4-10, 1-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ed Gregory C 34 4-8 0-0 1 4 1 0 8
Emon Bonte PF 34 1-2 1-3 2 8 2 3 3
Richard Summers SF 28 3-8 0-3 1 4 1 3 8
Douglas Coppola SG 29 5-12 0-0 3 6 5 3 12
Kelley Monaghan PG 28 6-12 0-0 2 5 2 1 14
Edward Uhl SF 15 1-3 0-0 2 3 0 0 2
Ryan Wilkes SG 10 2-6 1-4 3 4 0 0 5
Daryl Youngman PG 8 1-3 0-0 0 0 1 1 3
Nacho Pardo C 9 1-3 1-2 2 3 0 1 4
Jimmie Jones PF 2 0-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (E.Gregory 2, E.Bonte 2, R.Summers 2,
D.Coppola 4, K.Monaghan 3, D.Youngman 1, N.Pardo 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (E.Gregory 1)
Steals: 7 (E.Gregory 1, D.Coppola 1, K.Monaghan 4,
D.Youngman 1)
3P FGs: 8-25 (R.Summers 2-5, D.Coppola 2-6, K.Monaghan
2-3, E.Uhl 0-1, R.Wilkes 0-2, D.Youngman 1-3, N.Pardo
1-3, J.Jones 0-2)

Player of Game: SF Perry Jordan (AMH)
We win this game with defense, making up for another so-so shooting performance.

It seems like each game features one Mammoth who takes a lot of threes and misses many of them. Tonight's culprit was David McQuiston, who shot well the game before.
Record: 12-4 (4-1).


January 9, 2021
Amherst 98, Wesleyan 96

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (13-4, 5-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 29 7-9 7-13 3 7 1 3 21
Dominic Moss PF 19 1-1 0-0 1 2 1 4 2
Perry Jordan SF 31 6-14 10-12 1 5 2 4 27
David McQuiston PG 26 1-9 1-2 1 2 1 3 3
Alan Rasberry SG 33 6-11 2-2 1 5 3 1 18
Doyle Cannon PG 12 3-7 5-6 1 5 1 1 12
Spencer Lund PF 25 2-7 1-2 1 6 3 2 5
Robert Wood SG 12 1-1 2-2 0 3 3 2 5
Sam Riley SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Joseph Wells PF 11 2-4 1-2 2 4 0 1 5

Turnovers: 10 (P.Chauvin 1, P.Jordan 4, D.McQuiston 1,
A.Rasberry 2, D.Cannon 1, R.Wood 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (P.Chauvin 4, S.Lund 2)
Steals: 4 (D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 1, D.McQuiston 1,
D.Cannon 1)
3P FGs: 11-24 (P.Jordan 5-9, D.McQuiston 0-3,
A.Rasberry 4-7, D.Cannon 1-4, R.Wood 1-1)

Wesleyan (6-9, 2-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Hupprecht Meyer C 26 3-7 3-4 4 8 1 4 10
William Baker PF 26 8-14 6-9 2 4 3 4 22
David Millen SF 25 7-10 3-4 1 7 6 2 18
Avery Roberts SG 27 2-6 0-0 3 5 1 2 5
Justin Roche PG 28 3-13 2-5 1 2 6 4 9
Jeff Ecker C 14 5-5 1-1 0 0 0 4 12
Albert Boozer SG 13 3-4 3-3 0 3 2 2 9
Mark Johnson SF 20 3-5 2-2 0 4 2 3 8
James Prine PG 6 1-3 0-0 0 2 0 1 3
Eric Prichard C 12 0-0 0-0 0 5 0 0 0
Clemente Ralph PF 2 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (H.Meyer 2, W.Baker 1, D.Millen 3,
A.Roberts 1, J.Roche 3, J.Ecker 1, A.Boozer 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (M.Johnson 1, C.Ralph 1)
Steals: 7 (W.Baker 1, A.Roberts 1, J.Roche 2, J.Ecker
1, M.Johnson 2)
3P FGs: 6-13 (H.Meyer 1-2, D.Millen 1-2, A.Roberts 1-2,
J.Roche 1-3, J.Ecker 1-1, A.Boozer 0-1, J.Prine 1-1,
C.Ralph 0-1)

Player of Game: C Pierre Chauvin (AMH)
With 24 seconds remaining in a tie game, everyone in the Wesleyan gym knows we'll try to get the ball in Perry Jordan's hands. That's exactly what Toby Whittaker draws up, and his players execute the plan well. Perry's 12-footer from the left wing isn't the shot he wanted, but it drops, and we win.

Neither team plays much defense and both teams shoot well. That's how you get a combined score that almost reaches 200.

Williams loses at home to Bates, so both we and the Ephs are 5-1 in the league.
Record: 13-4 (5-1).


January 16, 2021
Amherst 84, Colby 64

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (14-4, 6-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 26 4-10 6-13 2 9 1 3 14
Dominic Moss PF 28 2-7 0-1 5 15 4 3 4
Perry Jordan SF 31 7-15 10-12 1 4 0 2 28
David McQuiston PG 22 3-5 4-4 0 2 2 1 11
Alan Rasberry SG 26 4-5 2-2 0 2 2 4 13
Doyle Cannon PG 15 0-3 3-4 1 1 1 3 3
Spencer Lund C 21 0-1 1-2 2 5 0 4 1
Robert Wood SG 16 1-3 4-6 0 4 4 0 7
Sam Riley SF 7 1-1 1-2 0 0 0 1 3
Joseph Wells PF 8 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 2 0

Turnovers: 13 (P.Chauvin 3, D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 1,
A.Rasberry 2, D.Cannon 1, S.Lund 2, R.Wood 2, J.Wells
1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (P.Chauvin 3, R.Wood 1)
Steals: 7 (D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 1, D.McQuiston 1,
D.Cannon 2, S.Lund 1, S.Riley 1)
3P FGs: 9-15 (P.Jordan 4-6, D.McQuiston 1-1, A.Rasberry
3-4, D.Cannon 0-2, R.Wood 1-2)

Colby (0-17, 0-7):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Bryan Samons C 4 1-1 0-0 0 0 1 4 2
Hans Grossman C 30 1-4 0-2 1 6 2 3 2
Byron Shultz PF 27 3-9 3-4 1 5 1 3 11
Lloyd Dole SG 31 3-12 4-4 2 7 2 5 12
Joseph Flake PG 32 6-13 2-3 2 7 3 2 17
Elijah McDonnell SF 25 0-8 4-4 2 5 3 5 4
Daryl Franklin SF 17 1-4 3-4 2 3 0 3 6
Kenny Motley PG 7 1-2 1-2 0 0 0 0 4
James Wills SG 4 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 1 3
Jack Gaither C 8 0-2 0-0 1 1 0 4 0
Arthur Pete SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Rodger Frink PF 14 0-0 3-4 0 4 0 2 3
Phil White C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (H.Grossman 1, B.Shultz 3, L.Dole 4,
J.Flake 2, E.McDonnell 1, D.Franklin 2, J.Gaither 3)
Blocked Shots: 2 (H.Grossman 1, E.McDonnell 1)
Steals: 8 (J.Flake 4, E.McDonnell 3, K.Motley 1)
3P FGs: 10-28 (B.Shultz 2-7, L.Dole 2-8, J.Flake 3-6,
E.McDonnell 0-1, D.Franklin 1-2, K.Motley 1-2, J.Wills
1-1, J.Gaither 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Perry Jordan (AMH)
RPI confirms that winless Colby is indeed the worst team in Division I men's college basketball. When the White Mules are only three points behind us at halftime, Coach Whittaker challenges his players to make sure that the outcome of game can't turn on a play or two.

Dominic Moss and Perry Jordan respond as you'd hope seniors would do, asserting themselves in the second half and leading their team to a convincing victory. D-Moss's 15 rebounds are a career high.
Record: 14-4 (6-1).

[MoonlightGraham]

January 17, 2021
We're back in the Mid-Major Poll, coming in at #21 this week. Only two other teams from Level 1 conferences like the NEC are ranked: #16 Houston Baptist from the Great West and #22 Texas State from the Southland Conference. Both those teams have higher Prestige than we do; Houston Baptist is at 30 and Texas State is at 23; we're at 17.

Well done, Mammoths.


January 21, 2021
Amherst 54, Bowdoin 52

--------------------------------------------------------
Bowdoin (4-14, 3-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Cletus Dehart C 36 3-8 0-0 1 5 2 1 6
Maynard Rascon PF 16 0-2 0-0 2 2 0 4 0
Gene Spinks SF 32 5-11 2-4 1 9 0 3 14
Vassily Gonchar SG 24 1-6 2-2 0 1 0 1 4
Lev Yashkevich PG 26 0-4 3-5 1 2 1 0 3
Raleigh Weeks SG 16 4-5 1-2 1 1 1 0 11
Justin Forster PG 10 3-5 0-0 0 1 0 3 6
Gerald Reynolds SF 7 0-1 2-2 0 0 0 1 2
Frank Donald PG 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Chris Johnson SF 3 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 0 2
Dewitt Smith PF 26 2-3 0-0 0 5 1 0 4

Turnovers: 14 (M.Rascon 3, G.Spinks 4, V.Gonchar 1,
L.Yashkevich 2, R.Weeks 3, G.Reynolds 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (C.Dehart 3, M.Rascon 1, L.Yashkevich
1, D.Smith 1)
Steals: 5 (C.Dehart 1, G.Spinks 2, R.Weeks 1, D.Smith 1)
3P FGs: 4-13 (M.Rascon 0-1, G.Spinks 2-6, V.Gonchar
0-2, L.Yashkevich 0-1, R.Weeks 2-2, G.Reynolds 0-1)

Amherst (15-4, 7-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 29 7-12 2-4 2 7 0 3 16
Dominic Moss PF 32 1-9 1-2 9 15 0 0 3
Perry Jordan SF 28 2-15 4-4 2 4 3 5 9
David McQuiston SG 22 2-5 0-0 1 5 1 4 5
Alan Rasberry SG 34 4-9 2-2 0 2 4 3 11
Doyle Cannon PG 17 1-4 0-0 2 7 3 2 2
Spencer Lund C 25 1-4 0-0 3 4 1 0 2
Robert Wood SF 12 2-2 1-2 0 0 1 1 6
Joseph Wells PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 14 (P.Chauvin 2, P.Jordan 5, D.McQuiston 2,
A.Rasberry 1, S.Lund 2, R.Wood 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Moss 1, A.Rasberry 1, D.Cannon 1)
Steals: 9 (D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 1, A.Rasberry 6, R.Wood 1)
3P FGs: 4-16 (D.Moss 0-2, P.Jordan 1-5, D.McQuiston
1-2, A.Rasberry 1-5, D.Cannon 0-1, R.Wood 1-1)

Player of Game: SG Alan Rasberry (AMH)
And, just like that, we nearly give a game away at home.

Alan Rasberry saves our blushes with a crucial steal and breakaway layup with three seconds remaining. David McQuiston is also a hero, thanks to the bucket that tied the score at the 0:09 mark.

Rasberry's 6 steals and Dominic Moss's 15 rebounds (for the second straight game) are the stats that leap out off a page full of otherwise unremarkable numbers. Still, a win is a win.
Record: 15-4 (7-1).


January 23, 2021
Bates 90, Amherst 75

---------------------------------------------------------
Bates (11-8, 6-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Michael Grigsby C 24 1-8 1-2 3 7 0 2 3
Andrew Freese PF 34 6-12 10-11 1 9 3 0 22
Brandon Buell SF 30 4-10 4-6 5 7 3 4 12
James Lingerfelt SG 25 6-10 5-6 0 2 1 1 21
Stephen Driggers PG 27 5-7 5-6 2 4 5 4 16
Clemente Shaw SF 21 2-4 0-0 0 2 3 2 4
Terrance Lorenzen PG 11 2-3 0-0 1 1 0 1 4
Chris Wise SG 7 1-1 3-5 0 2 0 0 5
Winston Schwartz PF 14 1-2 1-2 0 5 1 0 3
Joe Montgomery C 7 0-1 0-0 1 2 0 1 0
Jason Gray C 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (B.Buell 1, J.Lingerfelt 2, S.Driggers 4,
C.Shaw 5, W.Schwartz 2)
Blocked Shots: 5 (A.Freese 2, S.Driggers 1, W.Schwartz
2)
Steals: 11 (M.Grigsby 1, B.Buell 3, S.Driggers 3,
C.Shaw 2, C.Wise 1, J.Montgomery 1)
3P FGs: 5-11 (B.Buell 0-4, J.Lingerfelt 4-5, S.Driggers
1-1, C.Shaw 0-1)

Amherst (15-5, 7-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 24 6-11 5-6 0 0 2 2 17
Dominic Moss PF 17 0-4 0-0 2 5 1 3 0
Perry Jordan SF 16 5-16 1-2 2 3 0 4 12
David McQuiston SG 24 2-7 0-0 1 2 5 2 4
Alan Rasberry SG 24 6-10 0-0 1 5 4 3 15
Doyle Cannon PG 22 3-7 0-0 2 4 1 1 8
Spencer Lund C 19 1-1 2-2 2 5 2 4 4
Robert Wood SG 18 0-1 0-0 1 4 1 3 0
Sam Riley SF 11 2-2 0-0 0 2 2 2 5
Joseph Wells PF 14 2-8 2-2 2 3 0 4 6
Bryan Currin PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Frederick Goff C 11 2-3 0-0 0 2 0 0 4

Turnovers: 17 (P.Chauvin 3, P.Jordan 2, D.McQuiston 2,
A.Rasberry 2, D.Cannon 4, S.Lund 1, R.Wood 1, J.Wells
2)
Blocked Shots: 2 (P.Chauvin 2)
Steals: 6 (D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 2, D.Cannon 2,
R.Wood 1)
3P FGs: 7-23 (D.Moss 0-1, P.Jordan 1-7, D.McQuiston
0-3, A.Rasberry 3-5, D.Cannon 2-5, R.Wood 0-1, S.Riley
1-1)

Player of Game: PF Andrew Freese (SPS)
And a loss is a loss.

We're never truly competitive in this game, because we (1) turn the ball over way too many times and (2) shoot badly. When we struggle, one or both of these things happen.

In the New England Conference, Amherst is understandably the opponent most teams want to beat, especially at Amherst. Bates is a good team, and when we make this many mistakes, a good team will beat us.

As the conference season reaches the halfway point, Williams retains their one-game lead over us in the NEC standings. Our next game is in Williamstown, so watch this space.
Record: 15-5 (7-2).


January 28, 2021
Williams 76, Amherst 70

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (15-6, 7-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 27 7-12 1-4 1 4 1 2 15
Dominic Moss PF 29 4-5 1-2 2 3 1 4 9
Perry Jordan SF 35 2-17 4-4 2 4 3 4 8
David McQuiston PG 21 2-6 0-0 0 3 2 5 4
Alan Rasberry SG 34 5-10 2-2 1 2 4 3 17
Doyle Cannon PG 21 2-3 0-0 1 7 1 3 6
Spencer Lund C 12 3-3 1-1 1 2 2 2 7
Robert Wood SG 5 1-1 0-2 0 1 1 1 2
Sam Riley SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Joseph Wells PF 10 1-2 0-0 0 2 1 1 2
Frederick Goff C 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0

Turnovers: 16 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Moss 2, P.Jordan 4,
D.McQuiston 4, A.Rasberry 2, R.Wood 1, J.Wells 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (F.Goff 1)
Steals: 7 (D.Moss 2, A.Rasberry 1, D.Cannon 2, S.Lund
1, J.Wells 1)
3P FGs: 7-20 (P.Chauvin 0-1, P.Jordan 0-6, D.McQuiston
0-2, A.Rasberry 5-8, D.Cannon 2-3)

Williams (13-7, 9-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Art Nelson C 30 2-4 2-4 1 4 2 2 6
G raud Delecambre PF 30 3-5 2-4 1 5 0 3 8
Carl Estrella SF 23 5-6 0-2 0 4 0 2 10
L. Desmulliers SG 27 3-8 8-8 0 9 3 3 15
Mark Campbell PG 32 3-5 4-6 2 5 1 4 10
Steven Lipscomb PF 11 2-4 2-4 1 2 0 2 6
Alfred Rosado SG 14 3-7 2-2 0 3 1 0 9
Jean Mann SF 12 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 1 2
John Pearson PG 9 0-0 3-5 1 1 1 1 3
Harold Carter PG 2 2-2 1-2 1 1 0 0 5
Phil Villalba C 7 0-0 2-2 0 0 1 1 2
Riley Rogers PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (A.Nelson 2, G.Delecambre 3, C.Estrella
3, L.Desmulliers 3, M.Campbell 3, J.Mann 1, H.Carter 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (A.Nelson 2, G.Delecambre 2, A.Rosado
2)
Steals: 9 (A.Nelson 2, G.Delecambre 1, C.Estrella 1,
L.Desmulliers 2, M.Campbell 1, A.Rosado 1, J.Pearson 1)
3P FGs: 2-7 (C.Estrella 0-1, L.Desmulliers 1-4,
A.Rosado 1-2)

Player of Game: SG Léopold Desmulliers (WILL)
Our path to the NEC regular season championship gets a lot harder, as the Ephs defend their home court and sweep the season series with us.

Again, turnovers are the problem. A sub-par game from Perry Jordan doesn't help, either. Williams has done a good job of keeping Perry under wraps; he's scored 17 points in two games against the Ephs, while averaging 19.0 per game for the season.
Record: 15-6 (7-3).


January 30, 2021
Amherst 85, Middlebury 68

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (16-6, 8-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 29 4-8 7-10 1 7 1 1 15
Dominic Moss PF 21 1-2 1-2 2 7 0 3 3
Perry Jordan SF 31 6-17 3-4 1 8 2 1 15
David McQuiston PG 24 4-7 3-3 1 4 4 3 12
Alan Rasberry SG 29 6-8 4-5 1 6 2 3 17
Doyle Cannon PG 19 3-4 2-2 0 4 0 1 10
Spencer Lund C 22 2-4 1-2 1 1 0 3 5
Robert Wood SG 10 2-4 2-3 1 3 0 3 6
Sam Riley SF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Joseph Wells PF 11 1-2 0-1 0 2 1 1 2
Frederick Goff C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 1, A.Rasberry 4,
S.Lund 1, R.Wood 1, J.Wells 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (P.Chauvin 3, D.Moss 2, S.Lund 2)
Steals: 2 (P.Jordan 2)
3P FGs: 4-14 (P.Jordan 0-4, D.McQuiston 1-4, A.Rasberry
1-1, D.Cannon 2-3, R.Wood 0-2)

Middlebury (5-17, 3-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Richard Grigg C 24 2-7 0-0 0 3 1 3 4
Paul Good PF 30 4-13 2-5 2 7 1 2 10
James Jose SF 26 5-13 4-6 2 10 3 3 14
Arnulfo Allen SG 30 5-8 2-4 1 4 3 0 15
Leo Turner PG 25 2-5 0-0 1 2 5 2 5
James McCoy PG 18 2-6 2-2 0 0 2 3 7
Chris Dana PF 13 0-1 0-0 0 2 0 2 0
Jerry Parker PF 12 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 3 2
Palmer Heffernan C 5 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Milton Hatfield SG 5 2-5 2-2 1 2 0 1 8
Andre Simard SF 12 1-2 0-0 0 2 2 1 3
Yannic Defrance PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (R.Grigg 2, P.Good 1, J.Jose 4, L.Turner
1, C.Dana 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (A.Allen 1, L.Turner 1, C.Dana 2)
Steals: 3 (R.Grigg 1, J.Jose 2)
3P FGs: 8-21 (J.Jose 0-2, A.Allen 3-5, L.Turner 1-3,
J.McCoy 1-4, C.Dana 0-1, P.Heffernan 0-1, M.Hatfield
2-4, A.Simard 1-1)

Player of Game: C Pierre Chauvin (AMH)
See what happens when we don't turn the ball over? We can compensate for another woeful performance from three-point distance by spreading the ball around and making sure we take good shots.

I like seeing five Mammoths score in double figures.
Record: 16-6 (8-3).

[MoonlightGraham]

February 1, 2021

The Amherst athletic department is spending a lot of money sending basketball coaches to Australia to recruit George Dillon. This month, Coaches Whittaker and Getty are both traveling to the Land Down Under. Dillon still doesn't have an offer from any other team, so I suppose he and his family are deciding if he really wants to go to college in the other hemisphere.

The best news of the week comes from Williamstown, where the heretofore winless Colby Mules upset Williams!

February 4, 2021
Amherst 72, Wesleyan 71

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Wesleyan (10-12, 6-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Hupprecht Meyer C 20 0-3 0-0 2 6 4 5 0
William Baker PF 24 9-13 1-3 0 5 0 2 19
David Millen SF 24 5-15 1-1 5 8 2 2 11
Albert Boozer SG 24 2-6 0-0 1 3 5 1 4
Justin Roche PG 30 6-9 0-0 1 6 5 2 14
Jeff Ecker C 18 3-4 1-2 1 7 1 4 7
Mark Johnson SF 25 5-12 3-3 0 4 3 2 14
James Prine PG 14 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 2 0
Bobby Cantor SF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Eric Prichard C 14 1-5 0-0 1 5 0 1 2
Clemente Ralph PF 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (H.Meyer 1, D.Millen 2, A.Boozer 2,
J.Roche 1, M.Johnson 1, J.Prine 4, E.Prichard 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (H.Meyer 1, D.Millen 1, J.Roche 1)
Steals: 2 (A.Boozer 1, M.Johnson 1)
3P FGs: 3-9 (D.Millen 0-2, A.Boozer 0-1, J.Roche 2-2,
M.Johnson 1-4)

Amherst (17-6, 9-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 29 5-15 3-6 4 9 1 3 13
Dominic Moss PF 25 2-5 0-2 3 7 0 5 4
Perry Jordan SF 34 6-16 4-5 0 7 4 2 19
David McQuiston SG 24 3-9 0-0 3 4 0 1 7
Alan Rasberry SG 32 4-10 1-2 2 2 1 1 10
Doyle Cannon PG 16 3-5 0-0 0 1 1 0 7
Spencer Lund C 22 0-0 1-4 0 3 4 1 1
Robert Wood SG 9 3-4 2-3 0 3 1 0 9
Joseph Wells PF 8 1-1 0-0 1 2 1 0 2

Turnovers: 6 (P.Chauvin 1, D.Moss 1, D.McQuiston 2,
D.Cannon 1, J.Wells 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (P.Chauvin 2)
Steals: 6 (P.Jordan 1, D.McQuiston 2, D.Cannon 2,
J.Wells 1)
3P FGs: 7-22 (P.Jordan 3-5, D.McQuiston 1-5, A.Rasberry
1-7, D.Cannon 1-3, R.Wood 1-2)

Player of Game: SF Perry Jordan (AMH)
A quick peek at the final score might lead you to believe this game ended in dramatic fashion. Did Amherst hit a game-winning bucket at the buzzer? Did Wesleyan's attempt to win the game fall just short as time expired?

Nope. The last minute or so was a festival of turnovers, missed free throws, and generally crappy basketball.

I'm very pleased by the fact we committed only six turnovers, though three of them came in the last five minutes of the game.

According to Bubble Watch, were the second team out of the NCAA tournament field. We might have to win the NEC tourney to get another bid.
Record: 17-6 (9-3).


February 6, 2021
Trinity 86, Amherst 63

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Trinity (11-12, 7-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ed Gregory C 33 7-13 1-2 7 13 1 1 15
Emon Bonte PF 33 0-2 0-1 1 12 3 2 0
Richard Summers SF 28 5-9 8-9 3 6 1 3 19
Douglas Coppola SG 30 14-24 0-0 5 6 1 2 34
Kelley Monaghan PG 31 2-9 4-4 2 4 4 3 10
Edward Uhl SF 20 2-4 0-0 0 1 4 0 5
Ryan Wilkes SG 8 0-3 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Daryl Youngman PG 3 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Nacho Pardo C 8 0-0 0-0 1 1 1 0 0
Jimmie Jones PF 6 0-0 1-2 1 1 0 0 1

Turnovers: 16 (E.Gregory 1, E.Bonte 5, R.Summers 4,
K.Monaghan 1, E.Uhl 2, R.Wilkes 2, N.Pardo 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (E.Bonte 1, K.Monaghan 1, E.Uhl 1)
Steals: 9 (R.Summers 1, D.Coppola 4, K.Monaghan 1,
E.Uhl 2, J.Jones 1)
3P FGs: 10-23 (R.Summers 1-1, D.Coppola 6-12,
K.Monaghan 2-8, E.Uhl 1-1, R.Wilkes 0-1)

Amherst (17-7, 9-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin SF 24 3-6 1-6 0 2 1 4 7
Dominic Moss PF 28 2-5 0-0 4 8 2 1 4
Perry Jordan SF 11 3-4 0-0 0 1 0 4 9
David McQuiston SG 25 5-12 2-2 1 3 3 2 12
Alan Rasberry PG 32 4-9 1-1 1 3 3 3 10
Doyle Cannon PG 16 2-5 0-0 0 1 0 2 6
Spencer Lund C 28 2-7 0-0 2 6 3 1 4
Robert Wood SF 16 2-3 0-1 1 2 3 0 5
Sam Riley SF 6 2-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 6
Joseph Wells PF 12 0-2 0-0 1 2 0 1 0

Turnovers: 21 (P.Chauvin 2, D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 2,
D.McQuiston 4, A.Rasberry 3, D.Cannon 2, S.Lund 5,
R.Wood 1, S.Riley 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (D.Moss 2)
Steals: 5 (D.Moss 1, D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 1,
D.Cannon 1, S.Lund 1)
3P FGs: 9-18 (D.Moss 0-1, P.Jordan 3-4, D.McQuiston
0-3, A.Rasberry 1-3, D.Cannon 2-4, R.Wood 1-1, S.Riley
2-2)

Player of Game: SG Douglas Coppola (TRIN)
This disaster is the biggest home loss of the Toby Whittaker era, by a wide margin.

We turn the ball over a ridiculous amount of times, and we absolutely cannot guard Doug Coppola. He's a very good player with nearly 1000 points in three years, but tonight, he's a legend.

The NEC standings list us third in a group of teams with 9-4 records. Bates and Williams are ahead of us.
Record: 17-7 (9-4).


February 13, 2021
Amherst 81, Colby 66

--------------------------------------------------------
Colby (1-24, 1-13):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Bryan Samons C 28 8-14 2-4 5 8 2 3 18
Hans Grossman PF 31 4-12 2-4 2 4 1 4 10
Byron Shultz SF 27 1-6 5-5 0 4 1 3 7
Lloyd Dole SG 24 2-7 2-2 1 2 1 4 8
Joseph Flake PG 27 4-9 2-2 1 3 4 4 11
Elijah McDonnell SF 26 1-6 1-2 1 6 2 2 4
Daryl Franklin SF 10 1-2 0-0 1 1 0 1 2
Kenny Motley PG 6 0-1 1-2 0 0 2 1 1
James Wills PG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 1 0
Jack Gaither PF 14 2-5 0-0 3 6 1 0 5
Rodger Frink PF 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 2 0

Turnovers: 17 (H.Grossman 2, B.Shultz 4, L.Dole 3,
J.Flake 1, E.McDonnell 2, D.Franklin 1, J.Wills 1,
J.Gaither 2, R.Frink 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (D.Franklin 1, J.Gaither 1)
Steals: 7 (H.Grossman 2, L.Dole 1, E.McDonnell 2,
D.Franklin 2)
3P FGs: 5-17 (H.Grossman 0-3, B.Shultz 0-2, L.Dole 2-4,
J.Flake 1-3, E.McDonnell 1-2, D.Franklin 0-1,
J.Gaither 1-2)

Amherst (18-7, 10-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin SF 25 6-15 2-2 1 5 3 4 14
Dominic Moss PF 28 4-7 3-5 8 18 3 2 11
Perry Jordan SF 28 7-13 2-3 3 7 3 3 19
David McQuiston PG 22 0-10 4-4 1 3 1 1 4
Alan Rasberry SG 29 4-9 1-2 1 2 3 1 13
Doyle Cannon PG 15 4-6 1-2 2 3 2 2 10
Spencer Lund C 30 2-3 3-4 2 6 1 2 7
Robert Wood SG 10 0-2 2-4 1 1 1 1 2
Sam Riley SF 2 0-0 1-2 0 1 0 0 1
Joseph Wells PF 10 0-2 0-0 2 2 0 0 0
Frederick Goff C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 14 (P.Chauvin 3, D.Moss 3, P.Jordan 1,
D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 2, D.Cannon 1, S.Lund 2,
R.Wood 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (D.Moss 3, D.McQuiston 1)
Steals: 6 (P.Jordan 1, A.Rasberry 1, D.Cannon 2,
J.Wells 2)
3P FGs: 8-22 (D.Moss 0-1, P.Jordan 3-6, D.McQuiston
0-4, A.Rasberry 4-8, D.Cannon 1-3)

Player of Game: SF Perry Jordan (AMH)
We let a Colby team that has a single victory hang with us for 20 minutes. After a half of uninspiring action, we lead 26-24. But thanks to an imperious second half from Dominic Moss, we resume regular service in the second half. Check out Dom's rebounds and blocks.

Perry Jordan is named the PotG, and he was certainly good, but my vote would go to the big man from the Tarheel State.

Bates and Williams lose this week, so we return to the top of the league; those two teams have 10-5 conference records.
Record: 18-7 (10-4).


February 18, 2021
Amherst 84, Bates 75

--------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (19-7, 11-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 27 5-10 9-10 2 12 0 3 19
Dominic Moss PF 27 2-5 1-1 3 9 3 4 5
Perry Jordan SF 34 5-11 5-6 2 5 2 1 16
David McQuiston SG 25 4-11 6-7 2 5 3 3 15
Alan Rasberry SG 32 4-8 1-2 0 1 1 1 12
Doyle Cannon PG 19 3-7 3-4 0 1 1 2 10
Spencer Lund C 22 2-6 1-4 2 3 0 2 5
Robert Wood SF 7 1-3 0-0 1 4 1 0 2
Sam Riley SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Joseph Wells PF 5 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Frederick Goff C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (P.Chauvin 1, P.Jordan 4, D.McQuiston 1,
D.Cannon 2, S.Lund 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (P.Chauvin 2)
Steals: 9 (D.Moss 1, P.Jordan 1, D.McQuiston 2,
A.Rasberry 1, D.Cannon 3, J.Wells 1)
3P FGs: 6-20 (P.Jordan 1-4, D.McQuiston 1-4, A.Rasberry
3-7, D.Cannon 1-5)

Bates (15-11, 10-6):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Michael Grigsby C 27 5-9 1-2 1 9 0 3 11
Andrew Freese PF 36 6-10 2-4 3 8 2 4 14
Brandon Buell SF 22 2-7 0-0 1 2 2 5 4
James Lingerfelt SG 22 7-11 2-2 0 3 3 4 21
Stephen Driggers PG 30 4-10 1-2 1 4 7 3 12
Clemente Shaw SF 26 2-7 0-0 1 3 5 4 4
Terrance Lorenzen PG 8 0-1 2-2 0 1 0 0 2
Chris Wise SG 12 1-5 0-0 1 3 1 1 2
Winston Schwartz PF 11 1-2 0-0 0 4 0 1 2
Joe Montgomery C 5 0-1 0-0 1 1 0 2 0
Murray Casteel SF 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3
Jason Gray C 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (M.Grigsby 1, A.Freese 2, B.Buell 1,
J.Lingerfelt 2, S.Driggers 3, C.Shaw 3, C.Wise 1,
J.Montgomery 1)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 5 (J.Lingerfelt 1, S.Driggers 1, C.Shaw 2,
J.Montgomery 1)
3P FGs: 9-24 (A.Freese 0-1, B.Buell 0-2, J.Lingerfelt
5-7, S.Driggers 3-8, C.Shaw 0-2, C.Wise 0-3, M.Casteel
1-1)

Player of Game: C Pierre Chauvin (AMH)
We needed this one, and we come up to Maine ready to play. With the exception of our three-point shooting, which was again erratic, we do a lot of things very well.

Our scoring is nicely balanced, with an especially notable effort from Doyle Cannon. Bates center Michael Grigsby, a local kid we tried hard to sign last year, plays well for the Bobcats, but our Pierre Chauvin is even better.

Unfortunately, Dominic Moss complains of a sore back after the game. He's strained some muscles back there, and he'll probably be limited for a week or so.
Record: 19-7 (11-4).

[MoonlightGraham]

February 20, 2021
Amherst 73, Bowdoin 60

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (20-7, 12-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 32 6-12 2-4 2 9 4 3 14
Spencer Lund PF 37 6-9 4-5 5 9 1 3 16
Perry Jordan SF 16 5-6 4-4 1 7 2 4 15
David McQuiston PG 29 5-14 1-2 2 5 3 2 12
Alan Rasberry SG 34 3-11 0-2 0 1 7 2 9
Doyle Cannon PG 14 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 3 0
Robert Wood SF 17 0-3 0-0 1 4 0 2 0
Dominic Moss PF 10 1-3 3-4 3 5 1 2 5
Sam Riley SF 7 0-2 2-3 0 1 0 2 2
Joseph Wells C 2 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 0 0
Bryan Currin PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Frederick Goff C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 8 (P.Chauvin 1, S.Lund 1, P.Jordan 2,
D.McQuiston 1, D.Cannon 1, D.Moss 1, S.Riley 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (P.Chauvin 1, A.Rasberry 1)
Steals: 3 (D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 1, S.Riley 1)
3P FGs: 5-15 (P.Jordan 1-1, D.McQuiston 1-4, A.Rasberry
3-7, D.Cannon 0-1, R.Wood 0-1, S.Riley 0-1)

Bowdoin (9-18, 8-9):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Cletus Dehart C 16 1-2 4-4 3 8 1 4 6
Maynard Rascon PF 30 1-3 0-1 0 2 0 2 2
Gene Spinks SF 27 7-15 4-7 0 4 0 3 19
Vassily Gonchar SG 24 2-5 1-2 0 1 3 2 7
Lev Yashkevich PG 27 1-3 5-7 2 7 3 3 8
Raleigh Weeks SG 18 2-6 2-4 0 1 3 1 7
Justin Forster PG 10 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Gerald Reynolds SF 11 2-4 0-0 0 0 1 1 4
Frank Donald PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Chris Johnson SF 12 0-1 5-6 0 1 0 2 5
Dewitt Smith C 23 0-2 2-2 2 8 0 5 2

Turnovers: 16 (C.Dehart 2, M.Rascon 2, G.Spinks 5,
V.Gonchar 1, L.Yashkevich 1, R.Weeks 1, J.Forster 1,
D.Smith 3)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Dehart 1, G.Spinks 1, D.Smith 1)
Steals: 6 (G.Spinks 2, V.Gonchar 1, R.Weeks 1,
G.Reynolds 1, D.Smith 1)
3P FGs: 5-20 (M.Rascon 0-2, G.Spinks 1-6, V.Gonchar
2-4, L.Yashkevich 1-3, R.Weeks 1-3, G.Reynolds 0-1,
C.Johnson 0-1)

Player of Game: C Spencer Lund (AMH)
Until tonight, Spencer Lund had quietly established himself as an increasingly valuable role player for us. Spencer has been the first big man off the bench each night, playing 24 minutes a night--as much as Dominic Moss.

Tonight Spencer makes the first start of his two-year career to date, and he plays like a boss. He and Pierre Chauvin completely neutralize the Polar Bears frontcourt. His teammates support him well, and we take an assertive victory that gives Coach Toby Whittaker his second consecutive 20-win season at Amherst.
Record: 20-7 (12-4).


February 25, 2021
Amherst 77, Tufts 66

---------------------------------------------------------
Tufts (15-13, 8-9):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
James Self C 12 0-1 0-2 1 2 1 4 0
Gregory Cool C 33 6-11 2-4 1 4 1 3 14
Neal Cleland SF 25 2-9 0-0 1 6 3 2 4
William Rapp SG 24 4-4 2-2 2 4 1 3 11
Antoine Tedeschi PG 26 3-3 1-3 0 0 2 0 8
Brian Halter SF 25 2-11 0-2 2 4 3 2 4
Taylor Lopez PG 13 1-4 2-2 1 5 2 1 5
Kenneth Burnham PF 27 4-5 2-3 2 4 0 1 10
Tyron Huerta SF 3 2-2 1-2 0 0 0 0 7
Douglas Gillam SG 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Albert Somerville PF 8 1-1 1-1 1 4 0 0 3
Brian Ashley C 1 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (J.Self 1, G.Cool 3, N.Cleland 1, W.Rapp
2, A.Tedeschi 2, B.Halter 4, T.Lopez 1, K.Burnham 2)
Blocked Shots: 4 (G.Cool 1, K.Burnham 2, A.Somerville 1)
Steals: 6 (N.Cleland 1, A.Tedeschi 1, T.Lopez 1,
K.Burnham 1, T.Huerta 1, A.Somerville 1)
3P FGs: 5-19 (J.Self 0-1, N.Cleland 0-3, W.Rapp 1-1,
A.Tedeschi 1-1, B.Halter 0-7, T.Lopez 1-4, T.Huerta
2-2)

Amherst (21-7, 13-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 16 5-9 6-6 2 4 1 4 16
Spencer Lund C 28 5-8 2-4 3 5 3 3 12
Perry Jordan SF 33 7-10 0-0 0 2 6 1 18
David McQuiston PG 25 2-7 0-0 0 5 1 2 6
Alan Rasberry SG 31 3-8 2-2 0 2 2 3 11
Dominic Moss PF 24 4-8 3-4 5 8 1 1 11
Doyle Cannon PG 15 1-3 0-0 1 2 0 0 3
Robert Wood SG 9 0-1 0-0 0 2 0 3 0
Sam Riley SF 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Joseph Wells PF 12 0-3 0-0 0 2 2 2 0
Frederick Goff C 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 13 (S.Lund 1, P.Jordan 1, D.McQuiston 1,
A.Rasberry 1, D.Moss 2, D.Cannon 2, R.Wood 1, S.Riley
1, J.Wells 3)
Blocked Shots: 1 (D.Cannon 1)
Steals: 8 (P.Chauvin 1, P.Jordan 1, D.Moss 5, R.Wood 1)
3P FGs: 10-21 (P.Jordan 4-6, D.McQuiston 2-6,
A.Rasberry 3-8, D.Cannon 1-1)

Player of Game: SF Perry Jordan (AMH)
Thanks to some help from teams who upset the other front-runners, we clinch the NEC regular season championship with our victory against the Jumbos.

Dominic Moss is still a bit wonky, so Spencer Lund starts in his place once again. Once again, Spence is up to the task. Dominic will start again in two nights--it's his Senior Night--but I'm giving serious thought to returning Lund to the starting five for the conference tournament.

Perry Jordan has a chance to finish his Amherst career with 2000 career points. He has 1882 now, and with a long run in the NEC tournament, he might have enough games left to score 118 points.

Interestingly, Perry would have a better shot at reaching 2000 if we end up missing the NCAA field. We would be more likely to play deeper into one of the "lesser" tournaments.

Perry would prefer another trip to the Big Dance.
Record: 21-7 (13-4).


February 27, 2021
Amherst 77, Hamilton 74

---------------------------------------------------------
Hamilton (13-15, 10-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Wallace Browder C 29 1-3 2-2 1 10 0 4 4
Gerald Grantham PF 28 6-10 2-4 8 13 2 4 14
Andrew Clark SF 25 4-11 1-2 0 3 1 3 10
Sean Averill SG 29 4-13 5-6 1 2 0 1 16
Ward Thibodeaux PG 29 2-8 0-0 4 8 9 1 5
Jack Minton PG 8 3-3 3-4 0 0 1 0 11
Ken Rogers PF 12 1-3 0-0 0 1 0 2 2
Basil Derosier SF 21 4-9 0-0 1 5 3 3 9
Dennis Herrington PG 5 1-1 0-0 0 0 1 1 3
David Delrio C 10 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0
Kelley Shearer SF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Dwight Reddy PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 18 (W.Browder 6, G.Grantham 2, A.Clark 2,
S.Averill 2, W.Thibodeaux 1, J.Minton 1, K.Rogers 2,
D.Herrington 1, K.Shearer 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (W.Browder 1, G.Grantham 2, D.Delrio 2)
Steals: 6 (W.Browder 1, G.Grantham 1, A.Clark 1,
S.Averill 1, W.Thibodeaux 1, B.Derosier 1)
3P FGs: 9-22 (A.Clark 1-5, S.Averill 3-9, W.Thibodeaux
1-1, J.Minton 2-2, B.Derosier 1-4, D.Herrington 1-1)

Amherst (22-7, 14-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Dominic Moss PF 33 5-8 3-6 5 8 2 1 13
Joseph Wells PF 20 0-4 0-0 2 6 2 1 0
Sam Riley SF 20 1-2 1-2 1 4 0 2 3
Perry Jordan SG 37 11-23 9-11 1 2 3 4 36
David McQuiston PG 27 3-8 0-1 0 4 3 2 6
Pierre Chauvin C 26 3-9 2-2 1 7 5 1 8
Spencer Lund PF 12 1-2 0-0 0 0 1 1 2
Alan Rasberry PG 16 2-6 0-0 2 2 0 4 5
Doyle Cannon PG 4 0-1 0-0 1 1 1 0 0
Robert Wood SG 4 2-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 4
Frederick Goff C 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0

Turnovers: 10 (D.Moss 1, S.Riley 2, P.Jordan 3,
D.McQuiston 2, P.Chauvin 1, A.Rasberry 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (D.Moss 1)
Steals: 11 (D.Moss 2, J.Wells 1, S.Riley 2, P.Jordan 1,
D.McQuiston 2, P.Chauvin 1, R.Wood 2)
3P FGs: 6-19 (D.Moss 0-2, S.Riley 0-1, P.Jordan 5-11,
D.McQuiston 0-3, A.Rasberry 1-2)

Player of Game: SF Perry Jordan (AMH)
Perry Jordan enjoys a night to remember in his last game at LeFrak Gym, scoring a career-high 36 points. We need almost all of them, too. Hamilton's Sean Averill has a chance to send the game into overtime, but Dominic Moss ranges out and gets his fingertips on Averill's corner three.

Coach Whittaker is able to let all five of his seniors start the game. For Sam Riley and Joseph Wells, it's a once-in-a-career experience.

The 11 steals are a record for the Whittaker era, two short of the school record.
Record: 22-7 (14-4).

[MoonlightGraham]

March 1, 2021
Recruiting Update

Finally!

George Dillon commits today, completing our four-player recruiting class. A spectacular scorer in Australia, George looks like he'll develop into a potent offensive threat in American college hoops. He is the only three-star player in our incoming class, and he has a chance to start as a freshman.

Three trips to Australia, therefore, produce more than a gorgeous winter tan for Toby's wife Madeleine. Welcome to the Amherst family, George.


March 6, 2021
NEC Tournament, Second Round
(8) Bowdoin 70, (1) Amherst 55

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Bowdoin (11-20, 8-10):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Cletus Dehart C 35 4-7 1-2 2 6 0 4 9
Maynard Rascon PF 13 1-2 0-0 0 1 3 5 3
Gene Spinks SF 30 8-16 2-2 2 6 3 3 21
Vassily Gonchar SG 26 4-7 2-2 1 4 4 0 12
Lev Yashkevich PG 28 6-10 0-0 2 4 3 3 14
Raleigh Weeks SG 15 1-2 0-0 2 3 0 1 2
Justin Forster PG 10 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 2 0
Gerald Reynolds SF 9 1-6 0-0 0 1 0 1 2
Chris Johnson PF 5 0-3 1-3 0 0 0 0 1
Dewitt Smith PF 29 2-2 2-3 0 4 1 2 6

Turnovers: 18 (C.Dehart 2, M.Rascon 4, G.Spinks 2,
V.Gonchar 1, L.Yashkevich 3, R.Weeks 2, J.Forster 1,
G.Reynolds 1, D.Smith 2)
Blocked Shots: 5 (C.Dehart 2, J.Forster 1, D.Smith 2)
Steals: 16 (C.Dehart 1, M.Rascon 3, G.Spinks 1,
V.Gonchar 3, L.Yashkevich 1, J.Forster 1, G.Reynolds
1, C.Johnson 2, D.Smith 3)
3P FGs: 8-23 (M.Rascon 1-1, G.Spinks 3-9, V.Gonchar
2-4, L.Yashkevich 2-4, R.Weeks 0-1, G.Reynolds 0-3,
C.Johnson 0-1)

Amherst (22-8, 14-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 23 5-7 2-4 4 6 1 4 12
Spencer Lund PF 34 1-2 2-4 3 3 0 2 4
Perry Jordan SF 37 5-11 6-11 2 7 3 2 18
David McQuiston PG 28 1-8 0-0 0 3 0 3 2
Alan Rasberry SG 34 4-7 0-0 0 4 1 2 11
Dominic Moss PF 21 0-5 0-0 4 10 1 4 0
Doyle Cannon PG 12 2-4 0-0 0 1 0 0 4
Robert Wood SF 4 1-2 1-2 0 1 0 0 4
Joseph Wells PF 5 0-2 0-0 2 2 0 0 0
Sam Riley SF 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Frederick Goff C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 28 (P.Chauvin 3, S.Lund 1, P.Jordan 9,
D.McQuiston 8, A.Rasberry 4, D.Moss 1, D.Cannon 2)
Blocked Shots: 2 (S.Lund 1, P.Jordan 1)
Steals: 6 (P.Chauvin 1, S.Lund 1, D.McQuiston 1,
A.Rasberry 1, D.Moss 1, D.Cannon 1)
3P FGs: 6-17 (P.Jordan 2-5, D.McQuiston 0-3, A.Rasberry
3-3, D.Moss 0-2, D.Cannon 0-2, R.Wood 1-1, S.Riley 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Gene Spinks (SPS)
Oof.

A team that commits 28 turnovers in a single game will not win that game.

A team whose guards--both seniors--commit 17 turnovers between them will not win that game. Perry Jordan ties the Amherst record in that category, and David McQuiston falls one short. Poor David buries his face in a towel at the final buzzer, distraught over his eight-turnover, two-point, zero-assist nightmare.

Our 22-8 record and our decent RPI (it moves between 65-85) ought to be good enough to earn us a spot in a postseason tournament. Next week, we'll find out which one it will be.


March 7, 2021
Hamilton defeats Trinity, 63-47, to earn the New England Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Continentals, seeded sixth, beat Williams and Tufts along the way.


March 14, 2021
We learn we've been selected to play in the NIT. Seeded #6 in the Midwest Region, our first opponent will be #3 seed Florida State.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 17, 2021
NIT Midwest Region, First Round

(3) Florida State 76, (6) Amherst 68

----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (22-9, 14-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 37 6-13 4-4 0 4 2 3 16
Spencer Lund PF 30 2-4 0-2 2 6 3 5 4
Perry Jordan SF 37 9-19 4-4 1 4 2 4 22
David McQuiston SG 27 3-9 3-4 2 10 5 1 12
Alan Rasberry SG 32 1-4 0-0 0 0 4 3 3
Dominic Moss PF 16 4-5 0-0 1 3 0 3 9
Doyle Cannon PG 17 1-4 0-0 1 2 2 1 2
Robert Wood SF 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 10 (P.Chauvin 1, S.Lund 1, P.Jordan 3,
D.McQuiston 1, A.Rasberry 2, D.Moss 2)
Blocked Shots: 2 (S.Lund 1, D.Moss 1)
Steals: 4 (S.Lund 2, P.Jordan 2)
3P FGs: 5-21 (P.Jordan 0-6, D.McQuiston 3-8, A.Rasberry
1-3, D.Moss 1-2, D.Cannon 0-1, R.Wood 0-1)

Florida State (19-13, 7-9):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Isidro Daniels C 26 3-5 3-4 0 5 3 4 9
Frances Gary PF 36 2-7 4-7 3 10 1 2 8
Mike Reddy SF 32 7-13 6-6 2 9 5 2 24
Omar Egbert SG 30 4-9 3-4 2 4 2 3 13
Scotty Stowe PG 25 5-8 0-0 2 3 2 0 11
George Perry SG 25 3-8 0-0 1 2 4 3 8
Joshua Baranowski PG 3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Emory Guilford C 15 0-1 1-3 1 5 0 0 1
Ivan Collins SF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Marc Reynolds PF 4 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2

Turnovers: 14 (I.Daniels 4, F.Gary 2, M.Reddy 1,
O.Egbert 1, G.Perry 3, J.Baranowski 1, E.Guilford 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (G.Perry 1)
Steals: 4 (I.Daniels 1, M.Reddy 1, O.Egbert 2)
3P FGs: 9-24 (M.Reddy 4-7, O.Egbert 2-6, S.Stowe 1-4,
G.Perry 2-7)

Player of Game: SF Mike Reddy (FLST)
We aren't expected to beat an ACC team on the road, and we don't. But a six seed is expected to give a three seed a competitive game, and we do.

David McQuiston can feel better about the end of his Amherst career, as he posts a double-double, with 5 assists and a single turnover. Well done, David, and thanks for two fine seasons.

Perry Jordan can walk off the court for the final time with his head held high, too. I've decided to write a Senior Tribute for Perry. When you read it, you'll see why.

Hamilton has to survive a play-in game in the NCAA tournament. The 16a-seed Continentals lose to Middle Tennessee, 73-64.

Bates gives the NEC three teams in postseason tourneys, making it into the CIT field as the #13 seed. Their run is short, too; Chattanooga eliminates them by a 83-67 score.
Record: 22-9.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 5, 2021
The Connecticut Huskies win their first NCAA championship, defeating Pitt, 76-67 in an all-Big East final. Wisconsin and Texas were the other semfinalists.

March 5, 2021

2020 NEW ENGLAND AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR SF Perry Jordan Amherst 18.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.3 APG 0.8 SPG, 0.0 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR C Michael Grigsby Bates 6.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.2 APG 0.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Toby Whittaker Amherst 22 - 9 (14 - 4)

All-league 1st Team:
C SO William Baker Wesleyan 14.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PF JR Andrew Freese Bates 13.6 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.8 BPG
SF SR Perry Jordan Amherst 18.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.0 BPG
SG JR Sean Averill Hamilton 17.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Joseph Flake Colby 12.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C JR Pierre Chauvin Amherst 14.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG
PF SR James Self Tufts 7.1 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SF SR Carl Estrella Williams 9.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SO James Jose Middlebury 16.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Kelley Monaghan Trinity 12.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Michael Grigsby Bates 6.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PF FR Emon Bonte Trinity 6.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SF FR Gerald Reynolds Bowdoin 2.9 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.0 BPG
SG FR Elijah McDonnell Colby 9.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG FR Stephen Driggers Bates 10.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG

For the second straight year, an Amherst man is the conference Player of the Year. This time, it's the very deserving Perry Jordan. He's also named to the All-League team.

Pierre Chauvin reprises his role on the second team, and Toby Whittaker repeats as Coach of the Year.

2020 New England Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst 14 4 .778 22 9 .710 89 17
Bates 12 6 .667 17 14 .548 212 22
Williams 10 8 .556 15 15 .500 261 19
Trinity 10 8 .556 16 16 .500 285 21
Hamilton 10 8 .556 16 16 .500 171 36
Wesleyan 10 8 .556 14 16 .467 268 22
Tufts 8 10 .444 17 15 .531 234 22
Bowdoin 8 10 .444 11 21 .344 317 13
Middlebury 6 12 .333 8 22 .267 356 26
Colby 2 16 .111 2 28 .067 367 8

[MoonlightGraham]

AMHERST TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 17 Record Vs 1-50: 1-3 Poll Rank: NR
Season Record: 22-9 Record Vs 51-100: 0-0 RPI Rank: #89
Conference Record: 14-4 Record Vs 101-200: 3-1
Home Record: 9-3 Record Vs 200+: 18-5


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 75.9 1 40 Points 72.7 8 288 Points 3.2 2 92
O.Reb 12.6 1 27 O.Reb 10.8 6 203 O.Reb 1.8 1 54
D.Reb 25.9 4 95 D.Reb 26.1 7 281 D.Reb -0.2 6 197
Rebounds 38.5 2 37 Rebounds 36.9 8 267 Rebounds 1.6 2 109
Assists 14.1 2 116 Assists 14.7 10 324 Assists -0.6 6 212
Steals 5.6 4 175 Steals 5.6 5 162 Steals 0.0 4 154
Blocks 2.3 8 262 Blocks 3.5 10 265 Blocks -1.3 10 311
Turnovers 12.9 1 67 Turnovers 14.1 4 157 Turnovers -1.2 2 89
Fouls 20.0 5 235 Fouls 20.7 4 64 Fouls -0.7 3 123
FG% .433 5 180 FG% .440 8 220 FG% -.006 6 192
FT% .692 4 129 FT% .664 2 76 FT% .028 2 73
3P% .359 2 110 3P% .361 10 287 3P% -.003 5 184
PPS 1.26 4 151 PPS 1.26 5 202 PPS .002 3 167
Adj. FG% .493 5 162 Adj. FG% .500 9 234 Adj. FG% -.007 5 206
We weren't a very good defensive team this year. That's something I'm working on, trying to recruit players who can and will do their part on that end of the court.

AMHERST Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perry Jordan SF 31 31 30.0 18.9 1.5 5.6 2.3 0.8 0.0 2.6 3.0 3.2
Alan Rasberry SG 31 29 28.5 11.5 0.7 2.8 2.5 1.2 0.1 2.0 2.3 2.1
Pierre Chauvin C 31 30 27.7 14.3 1.8 6.3 1.5 0.2 0.7 1.6 2.9 3.3
David McQuiston PG 31 31 25.4 8.4 1.2 4.0 2.5 0.8 0.0 1.9 2.2 2.9
Dominic Moss PF 31 27 24.7 5.0 3.1 7.7 1.3 0.7 0.5 0.9 2.9 2.5
Spencer Lund C 31 4 24.2 5.4 1.8 4.0 1.1 0.4 0.6 1.2 2.6 1.5
Doyle Cannon PG 31 1 16.2 6.1 0.7 2.5 1.4 0.7 0.1 1.0 1.5 1.9
Carson Shears PF 14 0 12.1 2.4 1.2 3.4 0.5 0.1 0.3 0.6 0.9 0.0
Robert Wood SG 29 0 7.3 2.3 0.3 1.5 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.6 0.9 0.7
Joseph Wells PF 28 1 6.4 1.4 0.7 1.5 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.4 0.6 -0.6
Sam Riley SF 28 1 5.9 1.6 0.3 1.3 0.5 0.3 0.0 0.5 0.7 -1.0
Frederick Goff C 10 0 2.7 0.4 0.0 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.3 0.4
Bryan Currin PG 7 0 1.9 0.6 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 -0.1


AMHERST Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perry Jordan SF 31 31 929 587 46 173 70 25 1 81 94 99
Alan Rasberry SG 31 29 884 356 23 87 79 38 2 62 70 66
Pierre Chauvin C 31 30 858 442 57 195 45 6 22 51 91 101
David McQuiston PG 31 31 787 261 37 123 76 26 1 59 68 89
Dominic Moss PF 31 27 767 156 97 240 40 21 15 29 89 79
Spencer Lund C 31 4 751 166 57 124 35 11 20 36 80 48
Doyle Cannon PG 31 1 501 189 23 78 44 23 2 32 48 58
Carson Shears PF 14 0 169 34 17 48 7 1 4 9 12 0
Robert Wood SG 29 0 213 68 8 44 20 5 2 18 26 19
Joseph Wells PF 28 1 178 39 19 42 7 8 1 11 17 -17
Sam Riley SF 28 1 166 46 7 37 14 9 0 13 20 -27
Frederick Goff C 10 0 27 4 0 3 1 0 1 0 3 4
Bryan Currin PG 7 0 13 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 -1


AMHERST Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perry Jordan SF 190 461 .412 131 161 .814 76 196 .388 1.27
Alan Rasberry SG 118 253 .466 54 68 .794 66 146 .452 1.41
Pierre Chauvin C 169 338 .500 104 172 .605 0 2 .000 1.31
David McQuiston PG 83 251 .331 62 78 .795 33 129 .256 1.04
Dominic Moss PF 59 151 .391 32 57 .561 6 33 .182 1.03
Spencer Lund C 63 126 .500 40 70 .571 0 0 .000 1.32
Doyle Cannon PG 61 137 .445 41 51 .804 26 80 .325 1.38
Carson Shears PF 13 32 .406 8 17 .471 0 1 .000 1.06
Robert Wood SG 21 42 .500 18 32 .563 8 17 .471 1.62
Joseph Wells PF 14 45 .311 11 15 .733 0 0 .000 0.87
Sam Riley SF 14 24 .583 11 18 .611 7 14 .500 1.92
Frederick Goff C 2 3 .667 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 1.33
Bryan Currin PG 2 4 .500 0 1 .000 0 1 .000 1.00
Perry Jordan led the NEC in scoring, with Pierre Chauvin also cracking the top ten. Pierre was third in field goal percentage among qualifying players, too. Dominic Moss was 8th in the league in RPG.

Alan Rasberry's three-point shooting percentage was outstanding, and Perry Jordan's was very good. On the other hand, we squandered a lot of possessions when David McQuiston let fly from long range.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 10, 2021

I accidentally ended my season before I could write a full Senior Tribute for Perry Jordan. Unfortunately, we'll have to settle for a quick look at how Perry features on the Amherst record boards:


Points: 1958; 1st (by over 600 points)
Rebounds: 655; 2nd
Assists: 246; 2nd
Steals: 100; 2nd
Field Goals Made: 664; 1st (by over 150 FG)
Free Throws Made: 387; 1st (by over 100 FT)
Three-Point Field Goals Made: 243; 1st (by 79 3PM)

Without a doubt, Perry is the best player in Amherst history. It will take a remarkably versatile player to take that title from him.

Thanks for the memories, Perry.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 10, 2021

No Amherst senior was selected in the professional draft. I thought Perry Jordan might have an outside chance, but it didn't come to be. He's pursuing a free agent contract, and a team would do well to take a flyer on him.

2020 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
139. Amherst New England SG George Dillon *** 0 0 1 2 1
164. Wesleyan New England PG McKinley Marine *** 0 0 1 1 0
173. Williams New England SF Robert Dotson *** 0 0 1 2 0
248. Colby New England PG Joseph Revels *** 0 0 1 1 0
264. Bates New England PF Arthur Green ** 0 0 0 1 1
277. Bowdoin New England PF David Monday ** 0 0 0 2 2
284. Middlebury New England SG John Cleaver ** 0 0 0 1 0
299. Tufts New England C Jackie St.Germain * 0 0 0 0 4
334. Trinity New England PG Scott Reese * 0 0 0 0 1
348. Hamilton New England SF David Stevens * 0 0 0 0 1


We only filled four of our five scholarship spots, but our class is still ranked highest in the New England Conference. As a thank you for his efforts in this area, I'm giving assistant coach David Getty a $20,000 raise. He'll now earn $50,000/year.

Wesleyan's McKinley Marine is considered the league's top newcomer. He's the first NEC player I've seen who has Blue potential.

Our short trip to the NIT raised our Prestige four points, to 21. The facilities upgrade we received has made a difference; our score of 22 is now third best in the league.

We also learn our AD has raised our budget for next season to $215,557. That will more than pay for the raise we gave Coach Getty.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2021
Recruiting Preview

Center Pierre Chauvin is the only senior on this year's team. We have a scholarship left over from last season, so we can make two offers to players from the Class of 2022.

Next year, we'll have four big guys on scholarship, plus a 6'11" "small" forward. We could definitely use another one, ideally a true center.

We'll have four wings and two point guards next year, so our second recruit could fill either of those two roles. In other words, we'll be looking at all kinds of players this recruiting season.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2021

Here's our initial call list:
Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert Harris PG 6-3 182 *** Very High Connecticut
Ivory Bahena PG 5-10 163 ** Very High Massachusetts
Don Gile SG 6-2 175 * Very High Massachusetts
Ralph Lingenfelter SG 6-0 193 * Very High Massachusetts
Chris Ross SG 6-6 207 * Very High New York
Rafael Diaz Moliner SF 6-7 239 * Very High Rhode Island
Truman Cruz PG 6-3 182 * Very High Massachusetts
Eric Hildebrand SG 6-5 181 * Very High New Hampshire
Dustin Doss SG 6-4 187 * Very High New York
Stan Cannon SF 6-7 251 * Very High Connecticut
Lane Saunders C 6-11 244 *** High Massachusetts
Joe Murphy SF 6-4 191 *** High Massachusetts
Paul Crank SF 6-6 237 *** High New York
Tate Mathewson PG 6-3 185 ** High Massachusetts
Dominique Massey SF 6-6 182 *** Average Massachusetts
Dasante Lee SF 6-7 203 *** Average Connecticut
Tyson Overcash SF 6-6 211 *** Average New York

Should I be alarmed that so few players rated higher than one star are expressing Very High interest in playing for Amherst?

Robert Harris is an exception to this trend.
#44 PG Robert Harris
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-3
Weight: 182
High School: James Hillhouse High School
Hometown: New Haven, CT
GPA: 3.36
Test Score: 1440
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 35 68 39 49 47 50 16 20 34 11 22 34 76 29 53 4
Potential: B B D B C C C D C F C D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.5 1.6 4.7 6.8 2.6 2.62 2.7 0.7 1.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.3 17.8 .524 0.8 1.2 .667 3.1 7.4 .415

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: East Region #71 Overall, East Region #16 PG
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Connecticut)
Top 5 Schools: Yale, Fairleigh Dickinson, Amherst, Marist, Massachusetts
Connecticut's Mr. Basketball, Robert is a well-rounded point guard who can score and facilitate. His Achilles heel--and it seems to be a very significant one--is a lackadaisical attitude toward playing defense. Can we overlook this flaw, surround him with willing defenders, and roll with his offensive game?

Lane Saunders is the most intriguing big man we looked at. In fact, he's the only big on our call list right now. (Note to self: give the rest of the slots on our list to big guys.)
#15 C Lane Saunders
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-11
Weight: 244
High School: Cushing Academy
Hometown: Ashburnham, MA
GPA: 3.04
Test Score: 1150
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 48 22 47 10 34 26 48 55 35 31 7 46 42 62 74 41
Potential: C D B D D D B B C D D B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19.7 2.8 9.4 1.0 2.5 0.41 1.0 2.3 3.3

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.7 14.0 .546 4.4 5.6 .777 0.0 0.1 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: High
Rankings: East Region #49 Overall, East Region #12 C
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: *Bryant, Amherst, Connecticut, Boston College, Harvard
Big, strong, and surprisingly athletic, Lane looks like he'd be a great fit for us. Bryant has already offered him a scholarship. We'll match their offer this month.

I decided to try the "instant offer" move with Dominique Massey, based on his stats and rankings alone. After evaluating him, I'm glad I did.
#21 SF Dominique Massey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 182
High School: Thayer Academy
Hometown: Braintree, MA
GPA: 3.21
Test Score: 1220
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 14 40 71 30 25 27 50 50 29 31 7 18 61 54 81 37
Potential: F D B C D D A B C D F C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.5 3.3 8.2 3.7 1.9 1.95 1.8 1.6 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.8 17.5 .501 2.8 4.0 .696 1.2 3.7 .329

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Average
Rankings: #33 SF, East Region #37 Overall, East Region #7 SF
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: *New Hampshire, *Amherst, Northeastern, Harvard, Boston College
Good news: Dominique likes us enough to visit campus.
Bad news: Dominique expresses only Average interest in playing for us. Is he so much in love with the idea of playing for New Hampshire that even his second-favorite program isn't all that appealing in comparison?

This month, we'll go all in with Massey and Saunders. We'll bring them to campus and have Coaches Whittaker and Getty visit them. We can also afford to invite Harris to visit.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2021

Lane Saunders picked up at least four offers this month: Amherst, Boston College, Harvard, and Williams. He's still leaning toward Bryant, but we're going to see if we can turn his head.

Dominique Massey has trimmed his list to two, but he still ranks New Hampshire higher than us. I'll apply maximum effort to Dominique's recruitment, too.

Another point guard has moved up our list: high two-star recruit Tate Mathewson.
#14 PG Tate Mathewson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-3
Weight: 185
High School: Phillips Academy
Hometown: Andover, MA
GPA: 3.52
Test Score: 1440
Rating: **

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 13 40 90 56 35 51 12 11 8 27 28 2 63 25 38 54
Potential: D D A C D A C C D D D F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.6 1.5 3.9 5.0 2.5 2.04 1.1 0.3 2.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.2 10.0 .420 0.5 0.6 .909 0.7 3.1 .226

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: East Region #24 PG
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: New Hampshire, Amherst, Bryant, Massachusetts, Yale
A terrific passer who shoots well enough to keep defenses honest, we think Tate is promising enough to keep a close eye on. We'll bring him to campus this month, too, and we can afford to have Toby visit Robert Harris.

I really wish we were the top choice for at least one of our recruits. Maybe another month's worth of effort will make a difference.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2021

We remain in second place with Lane Saunders and Dominique Massey. Did I reach too high with these guys? Are we not yet ready to put all our recruiting eggs in the three-star basket?

On the other hand, you might remember that there were very few two-star players who really liked us. Amherst's program has been trending upward since Coach Whittaker arrived. Recruiting only one-star players doesn't seem ambitious enough.

As Decision Day approaches, I'll send both Coaches Whittaker and Getty to visit each of these two players again. I'll also give some special attention to Tate Mathewson, who also has Bryant on his list. They haven't made him an offer yet, however.

Speaking of one-star players, I've spotted a few who might be good fits for us. SG Chris Ross and C Charles Spears are the most interesting among them. We'll take a closer look at them if we need to.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2021
Decision Day

We tried our best, but we couldn't convince Dominique Massey to sign with us. He'll be wearing New Hampshire colors next season.

Our pursuit of Lane Saunders took a positive turn, however. Bryant withdrew their offer to him, leaving us in the pole position. We'll make our pitch to Lane and his family again this month.

Although Bryant remains in the running for Tate Mathewson, the player prefers us. We'll offer our newly freed scholarship to Tate and send both coaches to visit him.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 7, 2021

Let's meet the 2021/22 Amherst Mammoths...
Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryan Currin 0 PG So 6-4 191 Yes 11 Redshirt Greenwich, NY
Owen Elliott 3 SG Fr 6-3 196 Yes 93 OK West Haven, CT
George Dillon 4 SG Fr 6-3 211 Yes 66 OK Maitland, Australia
Doyle Cannon 13 PG So 5-10 161 Yes 22 OK Stoneham, MA
Bradford Williams 15 SF Fr 6-11 246 Yes 31 OK Waterford, CT
Alan Rasberry 20 SG Jr 6-1 183 Yes 69 OK Bronx, NY
Brian Fletcher 21 SF Fr 6-4 199 No 61 OK Wayne, NJ
Spencer Lund 24 C Jr* 6-9 227 Yes 47 OK Attica, NY
Pierre Chauvin 25 C Sr 7-0 232 Yes 77 OK Carmel, NY
Thomas Fernandez 31 PF Fr* 7-0 227 Yes 79 OK Litchfield, CT
Carson Shears 32 PF So 6-8 247 Yes 75 OK Coventry, CT
Anselme Catoire 34 PF So* 6-10 256 No 54 OK Arnage, France
Matt McGowan 40 PF Fr 6-9 246 Yes 80 OK Danvers, MA
Frederick Goff 41 C Jr* 6-11 317 No 68 Unhappy Tyngsborough, MA
Robert Wood 43 SG Sr 6-3 216 No 33 Unhappy Wapato, WA

How did training camp go?
AMHERST Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryan Currin 1 1 1 1 3 3 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 0 12
Owen Elliott 2 6 6 6 2 2 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 1 6
George Dillon 2 8 8 6 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 6
Doyle Cannon 1 2 2 4 8 4 1 1 2 3 3 1 1 1 1 7
Bradford Williams 0 2 2 4 0 4 2 2 2 6 4 2 2 0 1 16
Alan Rasberry 2 2 4 3 6 9 1 1 1 3 3 1 1 1 0 8
Brian Fletcher 4 0 2 2 2 2 4 0 2 2 0 0 1 4 2 12
Spencer Lund 4 1 1 0 1 3 6 1 5 2 1 5 1 3 1 10
Pierre Chauvin 9 4 2 0 3 2 4 2 2 1 1 6 1 5 0 13
Thomas Fernandez 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 4 1 1 2 0 3 1 10
Carson Shears 3 2 1 0 3 0 3 5 1 1 1 1 1 4 0 7
Anselme Catoire 2 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 1 1 2 4 1 9
Matt McGowan 4 2 4 2 2 2 4 6 6 0 0 4 1 6 1 8
Frederick Goff 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 6
Robert Wood 0 1 1 1 3 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 0 6

The loss of three key seniors from last year's 22-win team will offer coach Toby Whittaker a significant challenge. The fact that one of those seniors was Perry Jordan, the best player in school history, makes the challenge that much more daunting.

This year's Mammoths will be Pierre Chauvin's team. The senior center has developed into an elite inside scorer, and he'll undoubtedly be the team's first offensive option. Pierre lacks the rebounding and shot blocking skills of a classic center, and he's not a great defender.

Joining him in the frontcourt will be redshirt junior Spencer Lund. A starting role is the logical next step in Spencer's career progression, after playing very well as the first big man off the bench. He's a bit better at Blue Collar Man things than Chauvin, while still providing a bit of offense.

The other returning starter is guard Alan Rasberry. Now a junior, Alan will feature as the team's lead guard. He worked hard on his passing and ballhandling in camp, and his credentials as a shooter have already been established.

Sophomore Doyle Cannon will begin the season as the other starting guard. Doyle and Alan are similar players. Will they work well together as a backcourt team, or will Coach Whittaker need to pair Rasberry with a different kind of player?

Highly regarded freshman George Dillon emerges from camp with the team's most lethal jumper. He'll start somewhere; he'll play the three if Cannon remains in the lineup. If he switches to the two, another freshman will start: 6'11" forward Bradford Williams. Despite his size, Williams is agile and athletic enough to guard perimeter players.

Carson Shears has quite a bit to prove, after academic difficulties ruined his freshman season. The former three-star recruit will deputize at center and power forward; he has the potential to develop into a versatile big man, but he'll need time.

Other players who could make an impact this season include freshman wing Owen Elliott, young posts Thomas Fernandez and Matt McGowan, and walk-on big man Anselme Catoire. Elliott and McGowan earned especially high marks for their work in camp.

There are quite a few questions surrounding this year's team. Chauvin and Rasberry are known quantities; Lund and Cannon played a lot last year, but each is assuming a more important role this time around. Every other player who is expected to contribute is a rookie or a youngster who hasn't played much college basketball.

The AD expects us to finish with a winning record in conference play. Coach Whittaker has gone 14-4 in the NEC for two straight seasons, but I hesitate to predict another year that successful this time around. Several players will have to take big steps forward for us to win 20 games again this year.

[Young Drachma]

Did Harris end up at FDU?

[MoonlightGraham]

November 13, 2021
Amherst 78, Muhlenberg 51

---------------------------------------------------------
Muhlenberg (0-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jim Gleeson C 23 2-6 0-0 2 3 0 4 4
Jamie Payton PF 17 2-6 3-5 0 4 1 5 7
Dustin Dale SF 30 5-11 0-1 1 1 2 1 11
Jonathan Davis SG 27 1-5 2-2 0 1 1 1 5
R. Kuntzmann PG 28 3-6 0-0 0 4 3 3 8
Justin Lin SG 16 1-3 1-3 2 5 0 0 3
Ron Steverson PG 11 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Hubert Holleis PF 22 3-8 5-6 1 5 2 0 11
James Greig C 17 0-1 2-3 1 6 1 1 2
James McLendon SF 8 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 1 0

Turnovers: 13 (J.Gleeson 2, J.Payton 1, D.Dale 2,
J.Davis 2, R.Kuntzmann 1, J.Lin 1, R.Steverson 1,
H.Holleis 2, J.Greig 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (J.Gleeson 1, J.Payton 1, D.Dale 1,
H.Holleis 1)
Steals: 2 (J.Gleeson 1, J.Payton 1)
3P FGs: 4-14 (D.Dale 1-4, J.Davis 1-3, R.Kuntzmann 2-4,
J.Lin 0-1, H.Holleis 0-2)

Amherst (1-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 29 7-15 7-9 2 10 1 1 21
Spencer Lund PF 12 2-4 0-1 2 2 0 5 4
George Dillon SF 34 4-9 4-4 1 5 0 2 14
Alan Rasberry SG 32 4-9 0-0 0 2 4 3 10
Doyle Cannon PG 29 4-6 0-0 1 5 1 1 11
Bradford Williams SF 20 0-3 0-2 0 2 0 2 0
Carson Shears PF 22 4-7 2-2 2 6 1 3 10
Owen Elliott SG 4 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Anselme Catoire C 15 4-5 0-0 2 5 0 3 8
Matt McGowan C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 7 (P.Chauvin 1, A.Rasberry 3, D.Cannon 1,
B.Williams 1, A.Catoire 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (P.Chauvin 3)
Steals: 6 (P.Chauvin 2, G.Dillon 1, A.Rasberry 2,
D.Cannon 1)
3P FGs: 7-16 (G.Dillon 2-3, A.Rasberry 2-6, D.Cannon
3-4, B.Williams 0-3)

Player of Game: C Pierre Chauvin (AMHST)
Our home opener goes just about as well as we could have hoped. Pierre Chauvin is a dominant force; look at how many ways he contributes! His supporting cast do their jobs, too.

Pierre enjoys a special moment late in the first half, when he sinks a free throw that gives him exactly 1000 career points.

A particular shout out goes to Anselme Catoire, who gives us 15 very solid minutes when Spencer Lund gets in foul trouble.
Record: 1-0.

November 16, 2021
Amherst 72, High Point 44

--------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (2-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 33 7-18 6-7 2 9 1 2 20
Spencer Lund PF 28 3-9 3-4 4 9 3 3 9
George Dillon SF 30 4-7 2-2 0 2 1 2 12
Alan Rasberry SG 33 4-8 2-2 0 4 4 3 12
Doyle Cannon PG 28 1-2 0-0 1 4 2 3 2
Bradford Williams SF 19 2-5 0-0 2 4 0 1 5
Carson Shears PF 14 2-3 0-0 0 1 0 1 4
Owen Elliott SG 10 2-3 2-3 1 3 2 1 7
Anselme Catoire C 5 0-0 1-2 0 2 0 0 1

Turnovers: 11 (P.Chauvin 2, S.Lund 5, A.Rasberry 2,
O.Elliott 2)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 5 (A.Rasberry 2, D.Cannon 2, B.Williams 1)
3P FGs: 6-15 (G.Dillon 2-4, A.Rasberry 2-6, B.Williams
1-4, O.Elliott 1-1)

High Point (1-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Daniel Potter C 26 1-1 0-0 0 6 2 4 2
Jordan Womble PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 4 0
Josiah Stockwell SF 28 1-9 0-0 0 3 1 3 2
David Crowther SG 31 7-14 3-4 0 2 0 4 20
Manuel Edgar PG 27 1-7 1-2 2 3 2 1 3
Corey Fassett SG 22 1-6 0-2 0 2 2 1 2
Robert Lewis PG 10 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 2 2
Irving Botts PF 35 4-7 0-1 2 6 2 1 8
Raymon Stines PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 1 0
Chris Lau PF 16 2-3 0-0 1 5 0 1 5

Turnovers: 18 (D.Potter 3, J.Stockwell 3, D.Crowther 5,
M.Edgar 1, C.Fassett 4, R.Lewis 1, R.Stines 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Potter 1, I.Botts 2)
Steals: 8 (D.Crowther 1, M.Edgar 2, C.Fassett 3,
I.Botts 1, C.Lau 1)
3P FGs: 4-17 (J.Stockwell 0-4, D.Crowther 3-5, M.Edgar
0-4, C.Fassett 0-3, C.Lau 1-1)

Player of Game: C Pierre Chauvin (AMHST)
Coach Whittaker tightened up his rotation a bit against the Panthers, and the result was again very positive.

Again, Pierre Chauvin is the best player on the court. Alan Rasberry and George Dillon provide scoring support, while Spencer Lund bangs down low and the rest of the guys help out in various ways.
Record: 2-0.


November 19, 2021
Canisius 96, Amherst 90

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (2-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 23 7-12 1-3 0 2 0 5 15
Spencer Lund PF 34 4-9 2-3 2 12 2 3 11
George Dillon SF 22 3-5 0-0 0 3 4 5 8
Alan Rasberry SG 31 9-10 2-2 1 5 3 5 27
Doyle Cannon PG 34 6-12 0-0 1 4 2 2 17
Bradford Williams SF 22 2-3 4-5 0 4 4 2 10
Carson Shears PF 15 1-5 0-2 1 1 3 4 2
Owen Elliott SG 11 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 3 0
Anselme Catoire C 8 0-2 0-0 0 1 0 1 0

Turnovers: 13 (P.Chauvin 1, G.Dillon 3, A.Rasberry 4,
D.Cannon 2, B.Williams 3)
Blocked Shots: 1 (G.Dillon 1)
Steals: 4 (G.Dillon 1, A.Rasberry 1, B.Williams 2)
3P FGs: 17-28 (S.Lund 1-1, G.Dillon 2-4, A.Rasberry
7-8, D.Cannon 5-9, B.Williams 2-3, O.Elliott 0-1,
A.Catoire 0-2)

Canisius (2-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
James O'Neil C 31 3-12 7-11 4 14 4 2 13
Bernie Bono PF 31 5-10 4-7 1 8 2 5 14
Randal Kincaid SF 29 3-7 3-4 0 2 3 2 9
Rogelio Calvo SG 31 10-20 6-8 2 5 2 1 33
Brady Andrew PG 33 4-5 4-5 3 4 4 2 13
Henry Hall SG 18 2-3 1-2 0 2 1 2 7
Merle Monroy SF 9 0-1 3-6 1 2 1 1 3
James Fried PF 10 1-2 1-2 0 0 0 3 3
Herbert Tafoya PF 7 0-0 1-2 1 2 0 0 1

Turnovers: 7 (J.O'Neil 2, B.Bono 1, R.Kincaid 2,
B.Andrew 1, H.Tafoya 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (B.Bono 1, M.Monroy 1)
Steals: 6 (R.Kincaid 3, B.Andrew 2, H.Hall 1)
3P FGs: 10-18 (R.Kincaid 0-1, R.Calvo 7-13, B.Andrew
1-1, H.Hall 2-3)

Player of Game: SG Rogelio Calvo (CANSS)
Canisius has a talented, veteran team; they start five seniors, and their top six players have a combined total of 454 collegiate games under their belts.

We put our opponents, especially Rogelio Calvo, on the free throw line much too often. One player who fouled out, Alan Rasberry, played the best game of his career before his departure.
Record: 2-1.


November 23, 2021
Amherst 83, DePaul 79

----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (3-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 30 3-8 6-10 0 1 0 4 12
Spencer Lund PF 29 1-3 0-0 1 4 2 4 2
George Dillon SF 29 4-6 0-0 5 8 5 2 8
Alan Rasberry SG 34 5-11 0-2 1 6 3 0 13
Doyle Cannon PG 29 5-10 4-4 0 4 2 0 18
Bradford Williams SF 20 3-5 7-9 5 5 1 1 14
Carson Shears PF 12 2-3 1-2 1 1 0 2 5
Owen Elliott SG 6 0-1 5-6 0 0 0 0 5
Anselme Catoire C 7 1-1 4-4 0 0 0 0 6
Robert Wood SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Matt McGowan C 2 0-2 0-0 1 2 0 1 0

Turnovers: 10 (P.Chauvin 2, S.Lund 2, G.Dillon 4,
D.Cannon 2)
Blocked Shots: 2 (P.Chauvin 1, G.Dillon 1)
Steals: 4 (G.Dillon 2, D.Cannon 1, C.Shears 1)
3P FGs: 8-21 (G.Dillon 0-2, A.Rasberry 3-8, D.Cannon
4-8, B.Williams 1-1, O.Elliott 0-1, M.McGowan 0-1)

DePaul (1-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Earnest Condon C 20 2-5 7-9 0 2 1 5 11
Lenard Beaumont PF 31 7-11 3-5 5 6 0 2 17
G. McChesney SF 24 2-10 0-0 2 4 3 3 5
Alexis Shoemake SG 27 6-8 0-0 0 3 1 3 16
Joshua Smith PG 31 2-5 0-0 1 3 9 4 6
Tony Serna PF 17 2-5 0-0 3 4 1 3 5
Mike Swenson SG 14 0-4 0-0 1 2 1 2 0
Karl McDonald C 11 2-3 2-2 2 5 0 4 6
Jarrod Glasser SF 14 1-3 0-0 2 4 1 1 2
Coleman Kissinger SF 9 3-4 2-2 0 1 0 4 11

Turnovers: 13 (E.Condon 3, L.Beaumont 1, G.McChesney 2,
J.Smith 3, M.Swenson 2, K.McDonald 2)
Blocked Shots: 2 (E.Condon 1, L.Beaumont 1)
Steals: 1 (C.Kissinger 1)
3P FGs: 11-28 (L.Beaumont 0-1, G.McChesney 1-5,
A.Shoemake 4-6, J.Smith 2-5, T.Serna 1-1, M.Swenson
0-4, K.McDonald 0-1, J.Glasser 0-1, C.Kissinger 3-4)

Player of Game: SF Bradford Williams (AMHST)
We recover from our defeat with a fine performance in an upset win at DePaul. Again, free throw shooting makes the difference, as we outscore the Blue Demons 27-14 from the charity stripe.

Freshman "stretch wing" Bradford Williams earns Player of the Game honors with 20 minutes worth of productive action. Bradford and classmate George Dillon seem to be adjusting well to the demands of college basketball.
Record: 3-1.


November 27, 2021
Amherst 75, Bucknell 65

---------------------------------------------------------
Bucknell (3-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lester Teran C 17 1-4 1-2 1 3 2 5 3
Kim Cruce PF 26 1-4 2-2 1 2 1 4 4
Harold Carpio SF 36 4-9 2-4 1 7 0 1 11
Geoffrey Baugher SG 35 6-12 2-5 0 5 2 3 18
Carlos Giese PG 36 4-8 4-5 1 2 0 3 14
Charles Porter C 29 3-8 0-3 1 3 0 3 6
Basil Barrios SG 8 1-1 0-2 0 1 1 2 3
Gerald Patten SF 4 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Jason Doby PF 8 1-2 2-2 1 2 1 3 4

Turnovers: 16 (L.Teran 2, K.Cruce 2, H.Carpio 1,
G.Baugher 3, C.Giese 4, C.Porter 2, B.Barrios 1,
J.Doby 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Porter 3)
Steals: 8 (H.Carpio 3, G.Baugher 1, C.Giese 2, C.Porter
2)
3P FGs: 8-23 (L.Teran 0-1, K.Cruce 0-1, H.Carpio 1-2,
G.Baugher 4-7, C.Giese 2-6, C.Porter 0-5, B.Barrios
1-1)

Amherst (4-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 23 13-19 5-9 1 3 1 4 31
Spencer Lund PF 33 4-9 0-1 2 4 0 3 8
George Dillon SF 24 0-3 0-0 1 6 0 4 0
Alan Rasberry SG 33 1-2 9-10 1 2 10 1 12
Doyle Cannon PG 36 4-9 2-2 2 11 2 3 11
Bradford Williams SF 19 2-3 0-0 3 5 1 2 5
Carson Shears PF 16 0-4 0-0 2 8 0 2 0
Owen Elliott SG 7 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Anselme Catoire C 7 0-1 6-6 1 1 1 2 6
Robert Wood SF 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Matt McGowan C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 18 (P.Chauvin 3, S.Lund 4, G.Dillon 4,
A.Rasberry 4, D.Cannon 1, B.Williams 1, O.Elliott 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (P.Chauvin 1)
Steals: 5 (G.Dillon 2, A.Rasberry 1, D.Cannon 2)
3P FGs: 3-9 (G.Dillon 0-1, A.Rasberry 1-1, D.Cannon
1-4, B.Williams 1-2, O.Elliott 0-1)

Player of Game: C Pierre Chauvin (AMHST)
Double-doubles from Alan Rasberry and Doyle Cannon, plus a career-high 31 points from Pierre Chauvin, allow us to compensate for 18 turnovers and defeat a tough Bucknell team.

Again, we're good at drawing fouls and converting them into points, as we make 22 of 28 free throws (79%).
Record: 4-1.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2021
Recruiting News

Excellent recruiting news, in fact! Lane Saunders commits to Amherst today!

The All-State honoree from Cushing Academy arrives as the highest-ranked recruit the Mammoths have ever signed. Lane is ranked #241 nationally, and #55 among centers nationwide. He's a productive scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker, and if we've scouted him accurately, he should be ready to compete for a starting position right away.

Welcome to the Amherst family, Lane!

Tate Mathewson picked up an offer from Brown last month, but he still lists Amherst as his top choice. Our coaches will continue to visit him and his family, and perhaps we'll ring in the New Year with news of another commitment.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2021
Amherst 61, Dartmouth 52

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (5-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 35 7-13 9-13 3 7 2 3 23
Spencer Lund PF 36 2-4 3-6 1 7 0 1 7
George Dillon SF 33 2-5 3-6 2 6 1 1 7
Alan Rasberry SG 34 1-7 9-10 1 3 1 4 12
Doyle Cannon PG 27 2-4 3-4 1 3 1 4 8
Bradford Williams SF 20 0-4 2-2 0 4 3 1 2
Carson Shears PF 8 0-1 2-4 0 0 0 2 2
Owen Elliott SG 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0
Anselme Catoire C 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Robert Wood PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (P.Chauvin 1, G.Dillon 3, A.Rasberry 4,
C.Shears 2, O.Elliott 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (P.Chauvin 1)
Steals: 3 (G.Dillon 1, A.Rasberry 1, D.Cannon 1)
3P FGs: 2-13 (G.Dillon 0-1, A.Rasberry 1-7, D.Cannon
1-3, B.Williams 0-2)

Dartmouth (1-4, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Mitchell Chiu C 22 1-5 1-2 2 7 2 5 3
Jack Schaaf PF 31 3-9 0-1 0 3 0 5 6
Gerald Pilkington SF 22 4-11 0-0 4 8 3 3 10
Albert Makowski SG 28 4-8 0-0 0 3 0 5 10
Maurice Deitz PG 16 1-2 0-0 1 2 0 5 3
William Dennis PG 14 0-2 0-0 1 2 0 5 0
Ron Yanez C 12 1-3 1-1 1 5 1 5 3
Stephen Pender SG 9 2-5 2-2 1 1 0 0 7
Colby Smith SF 19 2-7 3-3 4 4 1 1 8
Thomas Lach SF 11 0-0 0-0 1 2 0 1 0
Keenan Rodriguez PF 14 0-6 2-2 3 4 1 0 2
Grady Deering C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 18 (J.Schaaf 2, G.Pilkington 2, A.Makowski
2, M.Deitz 5, W.Dennis 2, C.Smith 3, T.Lach 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (J.Schaaf 2, C.Smith 1)
Steals: 2 (J.Schaaf 1, A.Makowski 1)
3P FGs: 7-27 (J.Schaaf 0-4, G.Pilkington 2-7,
A.Makowski 2-5, M.Deitz 1-2, W.Dennis 0-1, S.Pender
1-2, C.Smith 1-4, K.Rodriguez 0-2)

Player of Game: C Pierre Chauvin (AMHST)
I deliberately gave this year's Amherst team a fairly gentle non-conference schedule, because I wasn't sure how this group of players would handle matchups against major conference teams. Based on what I've seen so far, it appears that we'll be just fine against teams that don't have exceptionally good big men. Those teams can't contain Pierre Chauvin, and if at least one of his teammates plays a good game, we'll win.

That's a good description of our trip to Dartmouth. We don't shoot well at all, and we still manage to do enough to win.
Record: 5-1.


December 4, 2021
Amherst 74, Haverford 60

--------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (6-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 20 4-10 4-6 4 8 2 4 12
Spencer Lund PF 35 8-12 5-8 5 7 0 2 21
George Dillon SF 33 2-5 2-4 0 2 1 3 6
Alan Rasberry SG 33 2-5 0-0 2 3 4 1 5
Doyle Cannon PG 24 4-9 2-3 0 4 2 4 14
Bradford Williams SF 20 4-6 1-1 2 3 3 4 11
Carson Shears PF 19 1-2 1-2 2 7 0 3 3
Owen Elliott SG 9 0-2 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Anselme Catoire C 6 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 2

Turnovers: 7 (P.Chauvin 2, G.Dillon 3, A.Rasberry 1,
C.Shears 1)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 2 (A.Rasberry 1, D.Cannon 1)
3P FGs: 7-17 (A.Rasberry 1-4, D.Cannon 4-8, B.Williams
2-4, O.Elliott 0-1)

Haverford (2-3, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Hugh Carnes C 32 1-5 3-5 2 8 0 4 5
Erick Bailey PF 36 4-6 2-3 7 11 2 4 10
Jack Williams SF 30 3-10 5-6 1 3 0 2 12
Dwain Fowler SG 23 2-6 4-5 0 0 3 4 9
Michael Daniels PG 34 1-11 2-3 4 6 3 2 4
Austin Harden PG 6 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3
David Mitchell SG 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 4 0
Arlie Jones SG 20 4-7 4-5 2 4 1 2 13
Kevin Sweeney SF 9 0-1 2-2 0 1 0 0 2
Carlo DeSalvo C 5 1-1 0-0 2 3 0 1 2
Douglas Anderson C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (H.Carnes 1, E.Bailey 2, J.Williams 1,
D.Fowler 6, M.Daniels 2, A.Harden 1, C.DeSalvo 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (H.Carnes 1, E.Bailey 3)
Steals: 2 (D.Fowler 1, M.Daniels 1)
3P FGs: 4-19 (J.Williams 1-4, D.Fowler 1-5, M.Daniels
0-6, A.Harden 1-1, A.Jones 1-2, K.Sweeney 0-1)

Player of Game: PF Spencer Lund (AMHST)
Tonight it's Spencer Lund's turn to shine. Combined with secure ballhandling and a solid defensive effort, we do enough to hand Haverford a loss.

Our sixth, seventh, and eighth men all step up and contribute meaningfully, too. This team might have what it takes to do well in the NEC.
Record: 6-1.


December 8, 2021
Quinnipiac 86, Amherst 76

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (6-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 22 5-12 3-6 1 4 1 4 13
Spencer Lund PF 34 5-10 2-2 5 9 2 1 12
George Dillon SF 28 0-8 1-2 0 2 0 4 1
Alan Rasberry SG 25 2-3 1-1 0 1 6 4 6
Doyle Cannon PG 34 6-10 4-4 0 2 2 3 19
Bradford Williams SF 22 3-3 0-0 1 5 6 3 8
Carson Shears PF 18 2-4 1-1 1 3 0 2 5
Owen Elliott SG 11 4-6 0-0 0 2 0 1 12
Anselme Catoire C 6 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (P.Chauvin 3, S.Lund 2, G.Dillon 2,
A.Rasberry 5, D.Cannon 2, C.Shears 1, O.Elliott 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (P.Chauvin 1, A.Catoire 1)
Steals: 4 (G.Dillon 1, A.Rasberry 1, D.Cannon 1,
B.Williams 1)
3P FGs: 10-19 (G.Dillon 0-6, A.Rasberry 1-1, D.Cannon
3-5, B.Williams 2-2, O.Elliott 4-5)

Quinnipiac (3-4, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Rowland Foot C 30 4-7 0-1 1 4 2 3 10
Chris Guardado PF 32 2-3 1-2 1 8 2 3 5
Clayton Fenske SF 18 1-4 6-6 1 1 0 4 8
Jules Hanson SG 32 7-10 3-5 1 3 3 1 21
Michael Redman PG 36 6-12 3-4 0 7 6 3 17
Thomas Kiley PF 12 2-2 0-0 0 2 0 0 4
Paul Audley SF 16 6-6 2-2 0 3 2 0 15
Garrett Phillips SF 14 0-4 2-3 0 1 2 1 2
Gerald Brown C 5 2-4 0-0 2 2 0 0 4
Stanislav Benes PG 3 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Charles Lennon SG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Rob Lampkin PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 10 (R.Foot 2, C.Guardado 1, C.Fenske 3,
J.Hanson 1, M.Redman 2, T.Kiley 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (R.Foot 2, C.Guardado 1, J.Hanson 1,
M.Redman 1)
Steals: 6 (R.Foot 1, J.Hanson 2, M.Redman 2, P.Audley 1)
3P FGs: 9-13 (R.Foot 2-2, J.Hanson 4-6, M.Redman 2-4,
P.Audley 1-1)

Player of Game: SG Jules Hanson (QNNP)
Full credit to Quinnipiac coach Lucas Waldo, whose halftime adjustments allow his team to break open a close game. The Bobcats switch defenses from man-to-man to different zone looks, perplexing our young players and causing turnovers.

Doyle Cannon and Owen Elliott shoot the ball well from behind the arc.

We appear in the Mid Major Poll, coming in at #20, but we'll drop out of the rankings now.
Record: 6-2.


December 12, 2021
Davidson 79, Amherst 51

--------------------------------------------------------
Davidson (3-4, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Charles Kenyon C 30 1-6 0-0 4 10 3 2 2
Jake Roby PF 27 2-7 3-4 5 11 0 2 7
Freddy Brown SF 26 6-7 2-2 0 6 2 1 16
Chris Eshelman SG 30 9-12 6-11 2 4 3 3 30
Dave Cantu PG 27 4-12 0-2 2 4 2 3 10
Garrett Dalton PG 16 3-4 1-2 0 0 2 1 7
Columbus Boyette SF 12 2-5 1-2 0 3 0 1 5
Tyree Hoekstra PF 15 1-2 0-0 0 3 2 3 2
Scottie Rusk PF 7 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Dusty Stevens SG 6 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Jeffrey Wolters SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
David Battles C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (C.Kenyon 2, F.Brown 3, C.Eshelman 1,
D.Cantu 1, G.Dalton 2, C.Boyette 1, T.Hoekstra 1,
D.Stevens 2)
Blocked Shots: 4 (C.Kenyon 2, J.Roby 2)
Steals: 10 (C.Kenyon 2, J.Roby 1, F.Brown 2, D.Cantu 1,
G.Dalton 1, T.Hoekstra 1, D.Stevens 2)
3P FGs: 10-22 (C.Kenyon 0-2, F.Brown 2-2, C.Eshelman
6-8, D.Cantu 2-7, G.Dalton 0-1, C.Boyette 0-2)

Amherst (6-3, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 26 2-10 0-0 1 3 2 4 4
Spencer Lund PF 29 1-3 2-6 1 4 0 1 4
George Dillon SG 29 4-7 1-3 0 1 2 3 10
Alan Rasberry PG 21 3-7 0-0 0 2 1 4 8
Doyle Cannon PG 24 4-5 0-1 1 3 1 3 10
Bradford Williams SF 30 3-5 0-1 1 6 0 1 8
Carson Shears PF 17 1-4 0-2 0 3 0 2 2
Owen Elliott SG 12 0-1 2-2 0 1 0 0 2
Anselme Catoire C 7 0-2 0-0 1 3 0 1 0
Robert Wood PG 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3
Matt McGowan C 3 0-1 0-0 1 1 1 0 0

Turnovers: 19 (P.Chauvin 2, S.Lund 1, G.Dillon 3,
A.Rasberry 2, D.Cannon 1, B.Williams 4, C.Shears 2,
O.Elliott 4)
Blocked Shots: 3 (P.Chauvin 2, C.Shears 1)
Steals: 5 (P.Chauvin 1, S.Lund 1, G.Dillon 1, D.Cannon
2)
3P FGs: 8-18 (G.Dillon 1-3, A.Rasberry 2-6, D.Cannon
2-3, B.Williams 2-3, A.Catoire 0-2, R.Wood 1-1)

Player of Game: SG Chris Eshelman (DAVDS)
The Wildcats have been a very good team throughout our universe's history. Only once have they failed to win at least 21 games. They've lost four games this season, but two of their losses have come at the hands of Kentucky and N.C. State.

Davidson forces us to turn the ball over and keeps Pierre Chauvin under control. Meanwhile, their senior guard, Chris Eshelman, drops 30 on us, passing the 1000-point barrier in the process.

Is this the first time a Toby Whittaker team has lost two consecutive games since December 2019? I know it doesn't happen often.
Record: 6-3.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 15, 2021
Brown 92, Amherst 70

--------------------------------------------------------
Brown (7-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jonathan Peele C 23 7-12 5-5 1 5 2 4 19
C. DiGiovanni PF 33 6-16 6-7 1 9 3 2 18
Joseph Dryden SF 32 4-8 3-5 4 8 5 1 11
Carl Brown SG 26 10-14 1-1 0 2 2 3 25
John Ethridge PG 28 0-3 0-0 0 0 2 4 0
Albert Marshall SG 19 2-4 0-0 1 1 2 1 4
Paul Gutierrez C 23 4-9 2-2 4 10 1 0 10
Desmond Martin PG 7 0-0 2-2 0 1 1 1 2
Dalton Hollander PF 9 1-1 0-0 0 2 0 0 3

Turnovers: 14 (J.Peele 1, C.DiGiovanni 1, J.Dryden 2,
C.Brown 3, J.Ethridge 3, A.Marshall 1, P.Gutierrez 3)
Blocked Shots: 2 (P.Gutierrez 2)
Steals: 11 (J.Dryden 6, C.Brown 1, J.Ethridge 1,
A.Marshall 3)
3P FGs: 5-11 (C.Brown 4-6, J.Ethridge 0-3, A.Marshall
0-1, D.Hollander 1-1)

Amherst (6-4, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 13 3-6 2-2 2 4 0 4 8
Spencer Lund PF 31 3-5 0-0 3 7 2 4 6
George Dillon SF 35 5-9 1-1 1 4 4 3 12
Alan Rasberry SG 35 4-14 5-7 2 4 3 1 13
Doyle Cannon PG 34 7-20 0-0 5 10 4 2 16
Bradford Williams SF 13 2-3 4-4 0 2 1 0 9
Carson Shears PF 15 1-5 0-0 0 3 0 4 2
Owen Elliott SG 4 0-1 0-0 1 1 0 0 0
Anselme Catoire C 15 1-3 0-1 0 2 0 2 2
Matt McGowan C 6 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 2

Turnovers: 22 (P.Chauvin 1, S.Lund 3, G.Dillon 6,
A.Rasberry 1, D.Cannon 4, B.Williams 4, C.Shears 1,
O.Elliott 1, M.McGowan 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (S.Lund 1, B.Williams 1)
Steals: 8 (S.Lund 1, G.Dillon 3, D.Cannon 2, C.Shears
1, O.Elliott 1)
3P FGs: 4-29 (G.Dillon 1-3, A.Rasberry 0-10, D.Cannon
2-13, B.Williams 1-2, O.Elliott 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Carl Brown (BROWN)
For the first time since Coach Whittaker's arrival, Amherst loses a third straight game. Our visitor from the Ivy League lays a 22-point beating on us, and it's not pretty.

We cough up 22 turnovers, fling 29 threes and make only four, and get only 13 minutes from a foul-plagued Pierre Chauvin. In other words, the problems that usually torment us when we lose are all in play.

Is there something I can do to minimize these problems, or is this as good as it's going to get with this group of players? I'm going to take a long look at our gameplan and see what I can figure out before NEC play begins.
Record: 6-4.


December 19, 2021
Villanova 89, Amherst 72

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (6-5, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 25 3-10 1-1 3 6 3 4 7
Spencer Lund PF 24 3-6 0-0 1 2 2 5 6
George Dillon SF 16 2-4 0-0 0 2 1 4 6
Alan Rasberry SG 19 2-6 0-0 1 3 2 5 5
Doyle Cannon PG 34 6-11 2-2 0 1 3 2 19
Bradford Williams SF 21 4-6 0-0 0 1 3 4 12
Carson Shears PF 16 0-0 1-2 0 2 3 2 1
Owen Elliott SG 20 4-7 0-0 0 2 1 0 10
Anselme Catoire C 14 2-2 0-0 1 1 0 1 4
Robert Wood SF 7 1-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 2
Matt McGowan C 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0
Brian Fletcher SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 21 (P.Chauvin 2, S.Lund 3, G.Dillon 1,
A.Rasberry 6, D.Cannon 4, C.Shears 1, O.Elliott 2,
A.Catoire 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (A.Rasberry 1)
Steals: 7 (S.Lund 1, D.Cannon 1, C.Shears 1, O.Elliott
1, A.Catoire 2, B.Fletcher 1)
3P FGs: 14-25 (G.Dillon 2-3, A.Rasberry 1-3, D.Cannon
5-8, B.Williams 4-5, O.Elliott 2-5, R.Wood 0-1)

Villanova (5-4, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
James Davis C 29 6-7 5-6 3 7 2 2 17
Charles Garrison PF 27 6-10 6-8 4 7 0 2 18
Billie Housley SF 30 8-13 3-5 0 5 3 2 19
Robert Hardnett SG 30 1-3 3-4 0 5 3 1 6
Joel Ford PG 33 1-2 3-4 0 0 5 2 5
James Hollifield PF 21 4-6 5-6 0 0 2 0 13
John Nevels SG 10 2-4 3-4 0 1 0 0 9
Keneth Spann PG 9 1-1 0-0 1 1 0 2 2
Dennis Brown SF 6 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 0
Brian Millett PF 4 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (C.Garrison 2, B.Housley 4, R.Hardnett 1,
J.Ford 1, J.Nevels 3, K.Spann 1, D.Brown 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (J.Davis 4, J.Hollifield 1)
Steals: 6 (J.Davis 1, C.Garrison 1, R.Hardnett 1,
J.Ford 1, D.Brown 1, B.Millett 1)
3P FGs: 3-7 (R.Hardnett 1-3, J.Nevels 2-3, D.Brown 0-1)

Player of Game: C James Davis (VLNV)
If we have problems, a trip to Villanova isn't going to solve them.

Our defense seems to disintegrate into fouling the Wildcats at every opportunity. They attempt 37 free throws to our five, and make 28 to our four. We aren't deep enough to hang with a national powerhouse when our best players can't stay on the floor.
Record: 6-5.

2021 New England Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------
Bates 0 0 .000 6 3 .667 161 25
Amherst 0 0 .000 6 5 .545 222 21
Trinity 0 0 .000 5 4 .556 10 21
Hamilton 0 0 .000 5 5 .500 130 36
Wesleyan 0 0 .000 3 6 .333 277 22
Bowdoin 0 0 .000 2 7 .222 129 12
Tufts 0 0 .000 2 8 .200 311 20
Middlebury 0 0 .000 2 8 .200 365 22
Williams 0 0 .000 1 8 .111 213 20
Colby 0 0 .000 1 8 .111 334 6

This time Amherst doesn't have the conference's best record against non-conference opponents.

Bates beat Holy Cross and Providence, but lost to Cornell and Lehigh. Hamilton beat Canisius (who beat us), and also knocked off #22 Kent State. Those were the most notable results from November and December action.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 23, 2021
Amherst 71, Wesleyan 67

--------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (7-5, 1-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 14 2-3 2-3 0 3 0 5 6
Spencer Lund PF 18 1-1 4-9 2 6 2 4 6
George Dillon SF 25 4-6 3-5 1 5 1 4 12
Alan Rasberry SG 22 0-3 2-2 0 1 0 4 2
Doyle Cannon PG 30 2-5 9-16 3 5 4 2 13
Bradford Williams SF 24 4-10 3-4 0 3 2 3 14
Carson Shears PF 23 2-4 0-0 0 5 1 2 4
Owen Elliott SG 15 2-5 2-2 0 0 1 1 8
Anselme Catoire C 20 1-3 2-4 0 5 0 1 4
Robert Wood PG 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Matt McGowan C 3 0-0 0-0 2 2 0 1 0
Thomas Fernandez PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (S.Lund 1, G.Dillon 3, A.Rasberry 3,
B.Williams 2, C.Shears 2, A.Catoire 1, R.Wood 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (B.Williams 1, A.Catoire 2)
Steals: 5 (G.Dillon 1, A.Rasberry 1, D.Cannon 1,
B.Williams 2)
3P FGs: 6-18 (G.Dillon 1-2, A.Rasberry 0-1, D.Cannon
0-2, B.Williams 3-8, O.Elliott 2-4, A.Catoire 0-1)

Wesleyan (3-7, 0-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Hupprecht Meyer C 35 2-7 6-9 2 5 0 5 10
William Baker PF 26 4-16 4-7 3 10 1 4 12
David Millen SF 27 3-8 3-4 3 7 2 4 9
McKinley Marine SG 28 3-8 1-3 4 4 1 5 9
James Prine PG 26 1-3 2-2 1 2 2 2 5
Jeff Ecker C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Avery Roberts SF 10 2-5 0-0 0 0 0 3 5
Alexander Wirl SG 16 1-2 2-2 0 5 2 1 5
Mark Johnson SF 4 0-0 1-2 0 1 0 2 1
Bobby Cantor SF 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 3
Eric Prichard PF 12 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 4 2
Clemente Ralph PF 6 1-1 0-0 1 3 1 2 2
Carl Johnson SG 6 2-3 0-1 1 1 1 0 4

Turnovers: 10 (W.Baker 1, D.Millen 1, M.Marine 3,
J.Prine 3, E.Prichard 2)
Blocked Shots: 2 (H.Meyer 1, W.Baker 1)
Steals: 5 (H.Meyer 1, D.Millen 1, M.Marine 1, J.Prine
1, A.Wirl 1)
3P FGs: 6-19 (H.Meyer 0-3, D.Millen 0-2, M.Marine 2-4,
J.Prine 1-3, A.Roberts 1-3, A.Wirl 1-1, B.Cantor 1-1,
E.Prichard 0-1, C.Johnson 0-1)

Player of Game: PG Doyle Cannon (AMHST)
We squeak past Wesleyan in our New England Conference opener, despite forgettable performances from our two best players.

Fortunately Doyle Cannon, George Dillon, and Bradford Williams are there to pick up the slack. Cannon sets a new team record for free throws attempted, contributing to the 27 points we score from the charity stripe.

The visiting fans who make their way to Wesleyan for tonight's game bestow a new nickname on tall, lanky, multi-talented freshman Williams: Big Bird. Williams saw the sign they made for him, portraying his face atop the iconic Muppet's body, and he gave them a smile and a thumbs up.
Record: 7-5 (1-0).


December 25, 2021
Amherst 61, Trinity 50

--------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (8-5, 2-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 37 8-15 11-11 1 6 1 2 27
Spencer Lund PF 33 3-6 2-4 5 6 1 2 8
George Dillon SG 34 1-3 1-1 0 2 3 3 3
Alan Rasberry PG 36 4-9 2-2 0 0 5 1 11
Doyle Cannon PG 12 1-2 0-2 0 0 2 3 2
Bradford Williams SF 29 3-6 0-0 1 2 2 3 8
Carson Shears PF 9 0-1 2-2 0 3 0 0 2
Owen Elliott SG 7 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 1 0
Anselme Catoire C 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Robert Wood PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (P.Chauvin 3, G.Dillon 3, A.Rasberry 2,
D.Cannon 1, B.Williams 4)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 8 (P.Chauvin 1, S.Lund 1, G.Dillon 2,
A.Rasberry 1, B.Williams 3)
3P FGs: 3-13 (G.Dillon 0-1, A.Rasberry 1-5, D.Cannon
0-1, B.Williams 2-5, O.Elliott 0-1)

Trinity (6-5, 1-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Emon Bonte C 19 2-3 0-0 3 4 0 4 6
Merle Levine PF 28 2-4 1-2 0 9 0 1 5
Richard Summers SF 25 2-9 0-0 1 3 1 3 5
Ryan Wilkes SG 32 7-11 2-4 4 5 1 2 17
Edward Uhl PG 21 2-5 2-2 2 4 3 3 6
Scott Reese PG 28 2-5 4-4 1 1 0 0 9
Nacho Pardo C 14 0-1 1-2 2 3 0 4 1
Richard Mackie PG 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Hal Wolf C 14 0-2 1-2 1 1 0 1 1
Jimmie Jones SF 11 0-2 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Robert Chilton PF 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0

Turnovers: 24 (M.Levine 2, R.Summers 5, R.Wilkes 7,
E.Uhl 2, S.Reese 3, N.Pardo 1, R.Mackie 1, H.Wolf 2,
J.Jones 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (M.Levine 1)
Steals: 6 (R.Summers 1, R.Wilkes 3, S.Reese 2)
3P FGs: 5-16 (E.Bonte 2-3, M.Levine 0-1, R.Summers 1-3,
R.Wilkes 1-3, E.Uhl 0-1, S.Reese 1-4, J.Jones 0-1)

Player of Game: C Pierre Chauvin (AMHST)
Pierre Chauvin decks the halls with 27 points, and our defense creates 24 turnovers and holds Trinity to only 50 points before we all go home to Christmas dinner.

We enjoy another productive outing from sixth man Bradford Williams.He will get a chance to start, as Doyle Cannon will be out for about two weeks with a painfully pulled hamstring. We'll move George Dillon to guard, while Big Bird plays the three.
Record: 8-5 (2-0).

[MoonlightGraham]

January 1, 2021
Recruiting News

Our second and final recruit from the Class of '22 is on board, as Tate Mathewson makes his commitment today.

We envision Tate as a traditional, pass-first point guard to whom we can entrust the keys to our offense. He'll be two classes behind Doyle Cannon, so he will be able to understudy Doyle while he adjusts to college basketball. If he can develop into at least an average defender, that will be a big plus.

Welcome to Amherst, Tate!

[MoonlightGraham]

February 28, 2022

I got tired of posting summaries of each game, so here's a recap of the rest of our 2021/22 conference season.
AMHERST Schedule

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
01/01/22 at Williams 6-22 348 W 82-77 9-5 (3-0)
01/06/22 Colby 7-21 353 W 76-75 10-5 (4-0)
01/08/22 Bates 21-7 131 L 70-62 10-6 (4-1)
01/13/22 at Hamilton 21-7 99 W 77-67 11-6 (5-1)
01/15/22 at Middlebury 9-19 365 W 80-78 12-6 (6-1)
01/20/22 Bowdoin 8-20 322 W 69-65 13-6 (7-1)
01/22/22 Tufts 8-20 349 W 51-45 14-6 (8-1)
01/29/22 Williams 6-22 348 L 79-61 14-7 (8-2)
02/03/22 at Bates 21-7 131 W 92-82 15-7 (9-2)
02/05/22 at Colby 7-21 353 L 73-70 15-8 (9-3)
02/10/22 Middlebury 9-19 365 W 85-78 16-8 (10-3)
02/12/22 Hamilton 21-7 99 L 83-77 16-9 (10-4)
02/17/22 at Tufts 8-20 349 L 59-43 16-10 (10-5)
02/19/22 at Bowdoin 8-20 322 W 68-65 17-10 (11-5)
02/24/22 Wesleyan 13-15 263 W 83-75 18-10 (12-5)
02/26/22 Trinity 13-16 203 W 67-58 19-10 (13-5)

When a ball glances off Bradford Williams' finger during the Tufts game, our team's momentum breaks along with Williams' digit. Bradford misses three weeks of action, and from that point in the season, we never regain our edge. An embarrassing loss at home to a weak Williams team is the low point of the season.

Our away victory against Bates on February 3 is fueled by a career-high 37 points from Pierre Chauvin. Then, we turn around and lose to Colby and Tufts, two teams we shouldn't have problems with. Our season-ending streak of three wins, including a victory in seniors Chauvin and Robert Wood's last game, gives us a nice bit of momentum as we head into the conference tournament.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 4, 2022
New England Conference Tournament, Second Round
(6) Middlebury 77, (3) Amherst 73

---------------------------------------------------------
Middlebury (10-20, 7-11):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Palmer Heffernan C 29 3-7 1-2 1 7 0 4 7
Chris Dana PF 29 6-7 1-1 2 3 1 4 15
James Jose SF 14 4-6 3-3 0 1 2 5 12
Arnulfo Allen SG 17 7-9 1-5 1 4 0 4 17
Leo Turner PG 34 1-4 2-3 0 2 7 3 4
James McCoy SG 15 4-6 0-1 3 6 1 0 10
John Cleaver SG 22 2-9 1-2 0 1 4 4 5
Andre Simard PF 11 1-3 3-3 0 4 1 1 5
Gregory Pugh C 14 1-1 0-0 2 6 1 0 2
Brian Brown SF 12 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Wendell Pieper PF 2 0-0 0-1 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (C.Dana 3, L.Turner 4, J.McCoy 1,
J.Cleaver 4, G.Pugh 2, B.Brown 1)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 2 (P.Heffernan 2)
3P FGs: 7-20 (C.Dana 2-3, J.Jose 1-2, A.Allen 2-4,
L.Turner 0-2, J.McCoy 2-4, J.Cleaver 0-3, A.Simard
0-1, B.Brown 0-1)

Amherst (19-11, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 30 8-17 5-7 3 8 1 3 21
Spencer Lund PF 23 3-6 1-2 1 1 1 4 7
George Dillon SF 23 2-5 2-4 0 4 5 5 6
Alan Rasberry SG 35 6-12 5-5 2 7 2 1 20
Bradford Williams PG 37 1-2 2-2 3 6 1 2 4
Doyle Cannon PG 23 2-9 0-0 0 1 1 4 6
Carson Shears PF 14 0-1 1-3 0 5 0 1 1
Robert Wood SF 7 2-4 0-0 2 2 1 0 5
Owen Elliott SG 1 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 0 2
Thomas Fernandez C 6 0-0 1-2 0 0 1 0 1

Turnovers: 14 (P.Chauvin 2, S.Lund 1, G.Dillon 3,
A.Rasberry 3, B.Williams 1, D.Cannon 4)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 5 (S.Lund 1, A.Rasberry 2, B.Williams 1,
C.Shears 1)
3P FGs: 6-19 (G.Dillon 0-2, A.Rasberry 3-7, B.Williams
0-1, D.Cannon 2-6, R.Wood 1-3)

Player of Game: PG Arnulfo Allen (MID)
And, just like that, we're out of the NEC tournament.

We allow Middlebury too many good scoring chances, and to their credit, they capitalize on them. Neither team leads by as many as five points in a game that a neutral observer would find entertaining.

With our chances for an NCAA tournament bid now gone, we'll see if we're invited to one of the other three tournaments.
Record: 19-11.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 13, 2022

Today we learn that we've been awarded the #12 seed in the third tournament, the CBI. Bates will be joining us in the field; they're seeded #6.

Hamilton, the winner of the NEC tournament, earns the #12 seed in the NCAA West Region.


April 15, 2022
CBI Tournament, First Round
(12) Amherst 81, (5) Memphis 79

----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (20-11, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 36 6-10 9-15 1 12 1 4 21
Spencer Lund PF 29 2-2 2-4 0 2 2 4 6
George Dillon SF 28 2-8 2-3 2 6 1 1 7
Alan Rasberry SG 34 5-8 3-4 0 4 5 1 16
Bradford Williams PG 38 4-5 3-8 1 5 2 2 14
Doyle Cannon PG 18 4-7 5-7 0 1 1 2 16
Carson Shears PF 8 0-1 0-0 0 2 0 1 0
Robert Wood SG 7 0-0 1-2 0 0 1 1 1
Owen Elliott SG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 16 (P.Chauvin 5, S.Lund 1, G.Dillon 6,
A.Rasberry 2, D.Cannon 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (P.Chauvin 1, S.Lund 1, A.Rasberry 1)
Steals: 4 (P.Chauvin 1, A.Rasberry 1, B.Williams 2)
3P FGs: 10-18 (G.Dillon 1-4, A.Rasberry 3-6, B.Williams
3-3, D.Cannon 3-5)

Memphis (20-14, 8-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Edmund Truss C 28 3-6 1-2 0 4 1 4 7
Robert Lee PF 17 2-5 6-8 1 3 0 5 10
Leslie Jones SF 20 7-10 4-4 1 1 0 5 22
Jonathan Ingle SG 36 8-14 0-0 2 6 4 3 20
Ismael Nealy PG 34 3-10 2-3 3 4 5 3 9
Long Price SF 20 1-5 0-0 1 4 4 2 2
Art Clemens SF 16 2-6 0-0 0 2 2 2 5
Oscar Eckman PG 5 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Chris Jones PF 16 0-2 2-2 0 3 0 2 2
Thomas Henninger C 7 1-3 0-0 0 1 0 2 2

Turnovers: 10 (E.Truss 2, L.Jones 2, J.Ingle 2, I.Nealy
2, L.Price 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (L.Price 1, C.Jones 2)
Steals: 7 (L.Jones 1, J.Ingle 2, I.Nealy 1, A.Clemens
1, C.Jones 1, T.Henninger 1)
3P FGs: 10-27 (L.Jones 4-4, J.Ingle 4-9, I.Nealy 1-7,
L.Price 0-2, A.Clemens 1-4, O.Eckman 0-1)

Player of Game: PG Alan Rasberry (AMHST)
A double-double from Pierre Chauvin and a solid all-around performance from Alan Rasberry lead the Mammoths to an upset over Memphis in their opening game of the CBI.

When I was resetting our depth chart after Senior Night, I didn't move Bradford Williams down the list far enough. That's how we end up with a 6'11", 245-pound player starting at point guard. The big man plays well, too; he doesn't turn the ball over once in 38 minutes of action.

It's crazy, but I am going to roll with the same starting five next game, too.
Record: 20-11.


March 21, 2022
CBI Tournament, Second Round
(4) Seattle 63, (12) Amherst 60

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (20-12, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Pierre Chauvin C 35 8-13 1-3 2 9 3 2 17
Spencer Lund PF 30 2-8 0-1 2 5 4 1 4
George Dillon SF 15 1-2 0-0 0 1 2 4 2
Alan Rasberry SG 30 8-17 3-3 1 1 1 2 22
Bradford Williams SF 34 2-4 0-0 3 6 4 3 4
Doyle Cannon PG 25 3-6 0-0 0 3 1 1 7
Carson Shears PF 19 2-4 0-0 2 6 0 1 4
Robert Wood SG 12 0-6 0-0 0 0 1 2 0

Turnovers: 10 (P.Chauvin 1, S.Lund 1, G.Dillon 3,
A.Rasberry 2, B.Williams 1, D.Cannon 2)
Blocked Shots: 2 (P.Chauvin 2)
Steals: 5 (P.Chauvin 1, A.Rasberry 1, B.Williams 1,
D.Cannon 1, C.Shears 1)
3P FGs: 4-16 (S.Lund 0-1, A.Rasberry 3-7, B.Williams
0-1, D.Cannon 1-4, R.Wood 0-3)

Seattle (24-7, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Waylon Ennis C 35 3-5 1-2 5 12 1 3 7
Rex Tharpe PF 34 1-5 0-0 0 8 2 2 2
James McGinley SF 34 6-14 3-3 0 4 1 1 15
Cory Borges SG 29 5-13 1-2 0 0 4 3 13
Freddie Hornsby PG 34 4-5 2-3 1 3 3 2 13
Fred Gutierrez SG 17 1-7 0-0 3 5 2 0 3
Josh Burchette PG 6 2-2 1-1 0 0 1 0 6
Bryant Chun PF 7 2-2 0-0 1 4 0 0 4
Michael Hanson PF 4 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (W.Ennis 2, R.Tharpe 6, J.McGinley 1,
C.Borges 3, F.Hornsby 1, J.Burchette 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (W.Ennis 3, R.Tharpe 1, F.Gutierrez 1,
M.Hanson 1)
Steals: 3 (W.Ennis 1, F.Hornsby 1, J.Burchette 1)
3P FGs: 7-24 (J.McGinley 0-4, C.Borges 2-9, F.Hornsby
3-4, F.Gutierrez 1-6, J.Burchette 1-1)

Player of Game: PG Freddie Hornsby (SEA)
At the intermission, the Redhawks hold a 34-21 lead, and almost everyone in the gym believes the game is over.

None of those people are in the Amherst locker room, however. Coach Whittaker gets the boys in purple focused and energized, and they charge back into the game. At the 8:00 media timeout, the score is tied at 48.

To their credit, Seattle refuses to fold. They didn't win 23 games by accident. Their coach, Robert Ball, is a defensive whiz, and his late-game adjustments work well enough to secure the victory.

Impromptu point guard Bradford Williams again acquits himself well, handing out four assists and committing a single turnover. Pierre Chauvin also plays a fine game in his final appearance in Amherst colors.
Record: 20-12.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 7, 2022

Creighton (35-3) wins the national championship, defeating Oklahoma, 66-52, in the championship game. North Carolina and Tennessee are the other semifinalists.

Hamilton goes out of the NCAA tournament in the first round. Bates sticks around a while in the CBI, losing to Houston Baptist in the semifinals.

2021 NEW ENGLAND AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR C Andrew Freese Bates 13.6 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1.8 APG 0.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SF Bradford Williams Amherst 7.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.1 APG 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Toby Whittaker Amherst 20 - 12 (13 - 5)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Andrew Freese Bates 13.6 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG
PF JR William Baker Wesleyan 16.2 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SF JR Richard Summers Trinity 14.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR Sean Averill Hamilton 17.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Ward Thibodeaux Hamilton 7.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.5 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Pierre Chauvin Amherst 17.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.7 BPG
PF SO Michael Grigsby Bates 9.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SF FR Bradford Williams Amherst 7.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG JR James Lingerfelt Bates 17.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG JR Alan Rasberry Amherst 12.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Ismael Soler Williams 5.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PF FR Thomas Reeve Hamilton 5.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SF FR Bradford Williams Amherst 7.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG FR McKinley Marine Wesleyan 11.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.0 BPG
PG FR Joseph Revels Colby 9.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Pierre Chauvin, the NEC's leading scorer, earns his third consecutive berth on the All-League second team. The all-around excellence of Bates' Andrew Freese couldn't be denied.

I would have loved to have kept Michael Grigsby, an Amherst boy, at home. He's turning out to be every bit as good as I thought he'd be.

Alan Rasberry deserves his spot on the second team, too.

Then there's Bradford Williams. Looking back, I should have made Bradford a full-time starter, but he thrived in his sixth-man role, playing starters' minutes, so I hesitated. Despite my less-than-perfect handling of his role, the big man is named NEC Freshman of the Year, an All-Freshman Team member, and an All-League second team pick.

Toby Whittaker's third consecutive Coach of the Year Award is a bit of a surprise, given the performance of several other NEC coaches and teams.

2021 New England Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------
Hamilton 16 2 .889 25 8 .758 86 36
Bates 13 5 .722 25 10 .714 119 25
Amherst 13 5 .722 20 12 .625 136 21
Wesleyan 11 7 .611 14 16 .467 270 22
Trinity 7 11 .389 14 17 .452 176 21
Middlebury 7 11 .389 10 21 .323 357 22
Tufts 7 11 .389 9 21 .300 350 20
Colby 6 12 .333 8 22 .267 363 6
Bowdoin 6 12 .333 9 22 .290 334 12
Williams 4 14 .222 7 24 .226 354 20

[MoonlightGraham]

April 7, 2022

AMHERST TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 21 Record Vs 1-50: 0-1 Poll Rank: NR
Season Record: 20-12 Record Vs 51-100: 1-2 RPI Rank: #136
Conference Record: 13-5 Record Vs 101-200: 7-4
Home Record: 8-5 Record Vs 200+: 12-5


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 71.6 4 113 Points 70.6 5 230 Points 1.0 4 140
O.Reb 10.6 8 200 O.Reb 11.8 6 287 O.Reb -1.2 7 273
D.Reb 24.3 4 229 D.Reb 24.8 5 190 D.Reb -0.5 6 219
Rebounds 34.9 7 221 Rebounds 36.6 5 240 Rebounds -1.7 7 257
Assists 13.5 5 164 Assists 13.3 6 164 Assists 0.2 4 144
Steals 5.2 5 228 Steals 5.0 2 66 Steals 0.1 4 156
Blocks 1.7 9 347 Blocks 3.3 10 194 Blocks -1.6 10 328
Turnovers 13.4 5 127 Turnovers 13.4 5 211 Turnovers 0.0 5 170
Fouls 20.5 9 281 Fouls 22.0 1 11 Fouls -1.5 2 64
FG% .448 3 73 FG% .435 4 193 FG% .013 3 107
FT% .654 5 289 FT% .663 4 77 FT% -.009 6 218
3P% .352 2 127 3P% .334 5 120 3P% .018 4 104
PPS 1.33 2 28 PPS 1.26 5 228 PPS .065 2 86
Adj. FG% .507 3 94 Adj. FG% .492 5 190 Adj. FG% .015 3 112
Looking at those five home losses hurts. We'd been much better at LeFrak Gym in our first two seasons.

We made a bit of progress toward my goal of improving our defense. It seems to be easier to recruit guys who can play D to a school like ours than it is to find dynamic scorers. I seem to remember that being the case in Graham Sims' very early years at Lafayette, too, and the Leopards started out with somewhat higher prestige than Amherst has now.

AMHERST Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alan Rasberry PG 32 28 30.6 12.1 0.6 2.7 3.3 1.0 0.1 2.6 2.5 0.9
Spencer Lund PF 32 32 29.1 6.9 2.4 5.6 1.3 0.4 0.3 1.4 3.1 2.1
Doyle Cannon PG 30 26 28.6 10.9 1.0 4.2 2.1 0.8 0.0 1.7 2.5 1.9
George Dillon SF 32 32 28.4 7.3 1.1 4.2 2.0 0.8 0.1 2.4 3.3 1.2
Pierre Chauvin C 32 32 27.5 17.8 2.2 6.5 1.5 0.4 0.7 2.1 3.4 2.2
Bradford Williams SF 28 9 25.0 7.9 1.5 4.4 2.1 1.2 0.2 1.4 2.1 -0.5
Carson Shears PF 32 0 16.0 3.7 0.9 4.7 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.9 2.2 -1.1
Anselme Catoire C 22 0 8.8 2.9 0.6 1.9 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.3 1.0 0.3
Owen Elliott SG 30 0 8.6 2.9 0.1 0.9 0.5 0.2 0.0 0.6 0.6 -1.5
Thomas Fernandez PF 10 0 6.4 0.7 0.4 1.3 0.4 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.5 0.0
Robert Wood SG 21 1 4.4 1.8 0.3 0.6 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.3 0.3 -0.3
Matt McGowan PF 21 0 4.0 0.9 0.4 0.9 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 -1.0
Brian Fletcher SF 1 0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

AMHERST Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alan Rasberry PG 32 28 978 387 19 86 104 33 2 82 81 30
Spencer Lund PF 32 32 930 222 77 178 41 12 9 45 98 68
Doyle Cannon PG 30 26 857 327 30 126 62 24 1 50 74 57
George Dillon SF 32 32 910 232 36 135 64 26 4 78 106 37
Pierre Chauvin C 32 32 881 569 71 209 49 12 22 66 109 70
Bradford Williams SF 28 9 701 221 42 124 59 33 5 40 60 -15
Carson Shears PF 32 0 513 119 30 149 16 10 5 28 69 -36
Anselme Catoire C 22 0 193 64 13 41 2 5 3 7 22 7
Owen Elliott SG 30 0 258 87 4 26 16 6 0 18 19 -46
Thomas Fernandez PF 10 0 64 7 4 13 4 0 1 2 5 0
Robert Wood SG 21 1 93 38 6 12 8 3 0 7 7 -7
Matt McGowan PF 21 0 85 18 8 18 7 0 1 6 6 -20
Brian Fletcher SF 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

AMHERST Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alan Rasberry PG 116 288 .403 97 121 .802 58 171 .339 1.34
Spencer Lund PF 83 191 .435 55 102 .539 1 4 .250 1.16
Doyle Cannon PG 109 237 .460 49 69 .710 60 150 .400 1.38
George Dillon SF 79 195 .405 49 73 .671 25 83 .301 1.19
Pierre Chauvin C 211 422 .500 147 250 .588 0 1 .000 1.35
Bradford Williams SF 64 130 .492 56 78 .718 37 87 .425 1.70
Carson Shears PF 45 106 .425 29 55 .527 0 3 .000 1.12
Anselme Catoire C 23 46 .500 16 24 .667 2 15 .133 1.39
Owen Elliott SG 23 59 .390 27 32 .844 14 36 .389 1.47
Thomas Fernandez PF 2 5 .400 2 6 .333 1 3 .333 1.40
Robert Wood SG 12 27 .444 11 16 .688 3 15 .200 1.41
Matt McGowan PF 6 18 .333 6 6 1.000 0 3 .000 1.00
Brian Fletcher SF 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0.00

I didn't plan on Pierre Chauvin playing fewer minutes than three of his teammates. He had a penchant for getting in foul trouble, and that forced him off the court too often. Imagine how productive Pierre would have been with another four or five minutes per game.

Pierre completes his Amherst career as our second leading all-time scorer, with an even 1600 points. Despite never being considered an outstanding rebounder, he's our all-time leader in that category with 733--16 more than Drew Lehr. Similarly, he's second behind Lehr in blocked shots, with 66. He's shot and made more free throws than any player in Amherst history. We'll miss him next year; thanks for the memories, Pierre.

Looking at the stats reminds me just how effective Bradford Williams really was. I'm envisioning him as the centerpiece of next year's team.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 9, 2022

Throughout the season, Pierre Chauvin kept rising on professional teams' draft boards. Tonight, Pierre hears his name announced as a first round pick, going at #28. He's the very first draft pick from the New England Conference.

2021 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
141. Williams New England SF Tyson Overcash *** 0 0 1 1 3
151. Amherst New England C Lane Saunders *** 0 0 1 1 0
198. Hamilton New England PG Jack Neumann *** 0 0 1 1 2
235. Colby New England SF John Smythe *** 0 0 1 0 1
280. Trinity New England C Jerry Branscum ** 0 0 0 1 1
289. Wesleyan New England PF Mikel Sanchez ** 0 0 0 2 1
331. Bates New England PF John Laurent * 0 0 0 0 3
337. Middlebury New England PF Mathew Waite ** 0 0 0 1 0
347. Tufts New England SF Trent Rosenberg * 0 0 0 0 1
350. Bowdoin New England PF Jack Foster * 0 0 0 0 1
Williams' five-man class edges ours as the top-ranked group of recruits in the conference. Their roster will contain seven freshmen, true and redshirt.

Our Lane Saunders is the most highly-regarded newcomer in the league. He might be ready to start his first collegiate game, just as his predecessor Pierre Chauvin did.

Our Prestige has climbed three more points, up to 24. But our budget was cut; it's down to $204,750. At the same time, our AD expects us to make the NCAA tournament this season...

Our coaching staff remains the same. Here's a look at how they've developed:
https://i.imgur.com/ai1iU6u.jpeg

Coach Gill has improved 6 points in coaching offense and 9 in coaching defense. Coach Parham's scouting rating has gone up 12 points. And Coach Getty is 16 points better at recruiting.

I hope Toby gets an upgrade soon, too.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2022
Recruiting Preview

Our roster contains two senior scholarship players: post Spencer Lund and guard Alan Rasberry. We also have a scholarship left over from last season.

We'll be looking to sign a big man; it might be hard to attract a player who considers himself a center since we have Lane Saunders in our freshman class. We could use a sharpshooting wing player, too.

Our third offer could go to a wild card, a player who might not be highly regarded, but whose profile offers a skill that could complement the other players on our roster.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2022

These players are on our call list as recruiting season begins:
AMHERST Recruiting

Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Darius Hunter SG 6-2 188 *** Very High Massachusetts
Callum O'Quinn PF 6-7 239 *** Very High Connecticut
James Grady PF 6-6 207 *** Very High Maine
Chris Como SG 6-5 192 ** Very High Massachusetts
Monty Wilbanks C 6-8 224 * Very High Massachusetts
Gary Lariviere C 6-9 237 * Very High New York
Ryan Chan PG 5-10 152 * Very High Connecticut
Jack Davis PF 6-5 219 *** High Connecticut
Graham Lopez PF 6-10 243 *** High Connecticut
Eric Washington PF 6-7 245 *** Average Massachusetts
Brian Kean C 6-10 228 *** Average Connecticut
Chase Ross PF 6-8 214 *** Average Maine
Eldridge Feltner SG 6-5 210 ** Average New York
Tycen Gamble PF 6-10 272 **** Very Low Massachusetts

There are several intriguing players here. I've already offered scholarships to two of them.

#44 PF Callum O'Quinn
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 239
High School: Orville H. Platt High School
Hometown: Meriden, CT
GPA: 2.62
Test Score: 1140
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 27 38 26 19 0 32 32 38 69 20 12 60 23 75 45 35
Potential: D C C C D C B A B F C C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17.8 3.4 12.2 2.1 2.8 0.73 1.3 2.4 1.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.2 12.4 .579 3.5 6.2 .569 0.0 0.2 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: East Region #69 Overall, East Region #22 PF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Connecticut, Yale, Central Connecticut State, Marist, Sacred Heart
Callum O'Quinn has the makings of a versatile post player, a Blue Collar Man with an extra helping of offensive ability. If we're scouting him accurately, he's already better at blocking shots and guarding post players than any player on our roster.

Callum prefers schools in his home state of Connecticut now, so we can't bring him to campus. We'll send Coaches Whittaker and Getty to visit him, though.

#3 SG Chris Como
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-5
Weight: 192
High School: Deerfield Academy
Hometown: Deerfield, MA
GPA: 3.77
Test Score: 1480
Rating: **

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 30 43 82 51 21 32 11 30 11 27 11 5 53 36 62 68
Potential: D A A B D D C D B D F C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.5 1.9 6.9 2.4 2.7 0.89 1.3 0.6 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.5 14.6 .514 1.3 1.5 .833 2.2 4.5 .489

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: East Region #24 SG
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Dartmouth, *Amherst, Williams, Vermont, Bates
So far, I've tried to lure highly-regarded players to Amherst by offering scholarships to them as soon as possible, based on stats and rankings alone. That hasn't worked; perhaps it's a better strategy when you're coaching a high-prestige team.

I wasn't going to offer a scholarship in the first cycle this year, but then I saw Chris Como's shooting stats. His evaluations back up those numbers, too. We're investing all we can in recruiting Chris this month, including a visit to campus. I don't want him ending up at Williams or Bates.

#20 SG Darius Hunter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-2
Weight: 188
High School: Worcester Academy
Hometown: Worcester, MA
GPA: 3.15
Test Score: 1170
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 41 31 67 54 30 26 27 10 9 50 63 23 62 31 71 34
Potential: C A B C D C D D C B B D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15.3 1.5 4.1 3.4 2.9 1.16 2.0 0.3 2.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.7 13.6 .491 1.3 1.6 .839 0.7 2.8 .255

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: East Region #99 Overall, East Region #13 SG
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Boston College, Holy Cross, Northeastern

If I hadn't already offered a scholarship to Chris Como, I wouldn't hesitate to offer one to Darius Hunter. Darius looks like a more well-rounded player, a better defender with a knack for creating turnovers. I'm certainly going to keep an eye on Darius.

#34 PF James Grady
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 207
High School: Biddeford High School
Hometown: Biddeford, ME
GPA: 2.65
Test Score: 1110
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 24 24 27 5 13 12 50 47 43 47 29 71 37 58 25 45
Potential: D D D F C B A B C C B B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.6 2.0 11.0 1.9 2.8 0.69 2.1 2.6 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.1 8.1 .503 1.5 2.5 .600 0.0 0.1 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: East Region #89 Overall
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Connecticut, Colby, Amherst, Providence, Maine

I have a good feeling about James Grady. I've been trying to make us more difficult to score against, and Grady, a forward who could play either the three or the four, would help out here.

I'm going to offer our third scholarship to James. We can afford to invite him to campus, and we can send Coach Whittaker to visit him.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2022

Chris Como trimmed his list to four schools, and Amherst is at the top of his list. Bates, the only other NEC school he's considering, hasn't given him an offer yet. I'm feeling pretty good about our chances with him.

We have to hope James Grady will eventually choose to leave his home state to play for a more prestigious program. Colby has offered him a scholarship, and right now, James expresses a preference to stay close to home.

Connecticut native Callum O'Quinn is also seriously considering offers from home-state programs Yale and Central Connecticut State. He's downgraded his interest in playing for us to Average, but at the same time, he's willing to come to campus this month. If his visit doesn't make him fall in love with our program, we'll look elsewhere.

I'm inviting Chase Ross, a power forward from Maine, to visit campus this month, too. Chase holds offers from Bates and Maine already, but we're third on his list without us doing more than call him. If I end up offering Chase a scholarship, I'll post his "hero card."

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2022

James Grady still lists Colby ahead of us. Their coach, Kennith Meek, is a very good recruiter, and I'm wondering if he's trying to convince James to stay home and "rescue" a program that hasn't won more than 9 games since 2015.

Vermont has made a late play for Chris Como, but he's still talking about playing for Amherst and wearing Amherst gear around his high school campus.

Callum O'Quinn has narrowed his choices to Yale and Amherst, in that order. And Chase Ross still has Maine and Bates ahead of us. As Decision Day approaches, what should I do?

I really, really don't like losing recruits to other NEC schools. Watching Michael Grigsby tearing it up for Bates still stings. I'm going to stick with Grady, Como, and O'Quinn, recruit them for another month, and see what happens.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2022
Decision Day

As soon as he can, Chris Como sends us his commitment. He's the great-grandson of singer Perry Como, and his jump shot is as smooth as Perry's baritone. Chris's excellent academic profile makes him the kind of student-athlete we want at Amherst.

Welcome to the Amherst family, Chris!

James Grady hasn't made up his mind. He still prefers Colby, and with every month that goes by, I feel our chances of signing him diminishing. We'll continue to recruit him heavily. Hopefully we can change his mind.

Callum O'Quinn commits to Yale today. That frees up his scholarship, and I'll be looking for another option. There's a three-star player who hasn't been spotted by anyone else yet: Cape Cod product Carter Keegan. He's an All-Massachusetts guard who averages 20.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.0 APG. Coaches Whittaker and Getty will visit him this month, and while it's a bit of a gamble, I'll offer him a scholarship.

Because, why not?

[MoonlightGraham]

November 6, 2022

Here are the 2022/23 Amherst College Mammoths...

AMHERST General

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryan Currin 0 PG So* 6-4 192 Yes 11 Unhappy Greenwich, NY
Lane Saunders 2 C Fr 6-11 263 Yes 77 OK Ashburnham, MA
Owen Elliott 3 SG So 6-3 202 Yes 93 OK West Haven, CT
George Dillon 4 SG So 6-3 214 Yes 66 OK Maitland, Australia
Doyle Cannon 13 PG Jr 5-10 162 Yes 22 OK Stoneham, MA
Tate Mathewson 14 PG Fr 6-3 198 Yes 98 OK Andover, MA
Bradford Williams 15 SF So 6-11 248 Yes 31 OK Waterford, CT
Alan Rasberry 20 PG Sr 6-1 183 Yes 69 OK Bronx, NY
Brian Fletcher 21 SF So 6-4 200 No 61 Unhappy Wayne, NJ
Spencer Lund 24 PF Sr* 6-9 229 Yes 47 OK Attica, NY
Thomas Fernandez 31 C So* 7-0 228 Yes 79 OK Litchfield, CT
Carson Shears 32 PF Jr 6-8 250 Yes 75 OK Coventry, CT
Anselme Catoire 34 C Jr* 6-10 264 No 54 OK Arnage, France
Matt McGowan 40 PF So 6-9 249 Yes 80 OK Danvers, MA
Frederick Goff 41 C Sr* 7-0 319 No 68 OK Tyngsborough, MA

How did training camp go?
AMHERST Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryan Currin 1 1 1 1 3 3 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 0 12
Lane Saunders 4 2 4 0 2 0 6 6 4 2 2 6 1 0 4 10
Owen Elliott 1 4 6 4 1 1 1 1 0 2 2 0 0 1 1 3
George Dillon 2 11 11 8 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 1 0 3
Doyle Cannon 1 3 1 5 10 5 1 1 3 5 5 2 1 0 0 7
Tate Mathewson 2 2 6 4 4 4 2 2 0 4 2 0 3 4 1 8
Bradford Williams 1 4 4 7 1 3 1 1 1 6 4 1 0 0 0 6
Alan Rasberry 3 1 2 1 6 9 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 7
Brian Fletcher 2 0 1 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 1 6
Spencer Lund 5 1 1 0 2 4 8 1 6 2 1 6 1 2 1 8
Thomas Fernandez 1 1 1 0 1 2 4 3 5 1 1 2 0 3 0 9
Carson Shears 4 3 1 0 4 1 4 9 2 1 2 2 1 3 1 5
Anselme Catoire 3 0 1 0 1 0 3 2 1 0 2 1 1 3 1 6
Matt McGowan 3 1 3 1 1 1 3 4 3 0 0 2 0 3 1 3
Frederick Goff 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 1 1 1 7 1 7

Coach Toby Whittaker begins his fourth season at Amherst with nearly all the players who contributed meaningfully to last year's 20-12 team. The one exception, however, is a big one, in more ways than one: seven-footer Pierre Chauvin, a four-year starter at center who was a first-round pick in the pro draft.

The leader of this year's team will be senior guard Alan Rasberry. The second team All-NEC selection has been a double-figure scorer in each of his two years as a starter, and this fall, his passing and handle look smoother.

He'll be joined in the backcourt by junior Doyle Cannon. Doyle has developed into a fine all-action guard: a tenacious defender, an accurate shooter, and a good enough distributor to run an offense. Both he and Alan are more "lead guard" than "point guard."

Last year's freshman sensation, Bradford Williams, moves into the starting lineup after featuring as the sixth man last year. Despite his 6'11" frame, Bradford is a pure perimeter player. He's the best of a host of dangerous three-point shooting threats.

Senior Spencer Lund starts once again at power forward. He led the team in rebounding last year, and he's the team's best interior scoring threat.

The fifth starter will be freshman center Lane Saunders. The most highly-rated player Coach Whittaker has signed, he spent his first training camp developing his big man skills. Lane isn't the player he will eventually become, but the player he is now should be good enough to serve as a solid complementary big man.

Coach Whittaker is more excited about this year's reserve corps than any he has had. It features big men Carson Shears and Matt McGowan, wing George Dillon, and first year point guard Tate Mathewson. Between them, these five players provide shooting, ball-handling, and inside power. After using an eight- or nine-man rotation for the past two seasons, Coach Whittaker will probably extend his bench farther this season.

It's difficult to predict how this season might turn out. A lineup with two Green starters, Rasberry and Cannon, in its backcourt should win most perimeter battles. Middlebury and Williams are the only two other NEC schools with two Green guys on their rosters.

Lund is a known quantity, and to some extent, so is Williams. If Saunders turns out to be ready for college basketball, and if the second five steps up, this team could be Coach Whittaker's best yet.

The New England Conference has been a one-bid league. Amherst will, therefore, almost certainly have to win the conference tournament for Coach Whittaker to meet his AD's expectation of a spot in the NCAA tournament field.

[Young Drachma]

November 1, 2022
Decision Day

As soon as he can, Chris Como sends us his commitment. He's the great-grandson of singer Perry Como, and his jump shot is as smooth as Perry's baritone. Chris's excellent academic profile makes him the kind of student-athlete we want at Amherst.

Welcome to the Amherst family, Chris!

James Grady hasn't made up his mind. He still prefers Colby, and with every month that goes by, I feel our chances of signing him diminishing. We'll continue to recruit him heavily. Hopefully we can change his mind.

Callum O'Quinn commits to Yale today. That frees up his scholarship, and I'll be looking for another option. There's a three-star player who hasn't been spotted by anyone else yet: Cape Cod product Carter Keegan. He's an All-Massachusetts guard who averages 20.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.0 APG. Coaches Whittaker and Getty will visit him this month, and while it's a bit of a gamble, I'll offer him a scholarship.

Because, why not?

Solid backstory, heh.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 30, 2022

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
------------------------------------------------------------------------
11/13/22 Franklin & Marshall 1-4 180 W 77-69 1-0
11/16/22 at Gonzaga 4-1 7 L 80-71 1-1
11/19/22 at William & Mary 2-2 19 L 82-71 1-2
11/23/22 at Washington-MD 1-3 343 W 82-54 2-2
11/26/22 Johns Hopkins 0-5 143 W 86-59 3-2
11/30/22 at Virginia 2-4 284 W 80-67 4-2

The first month of the season goes pretty much the way I expected it to go. We beat the teams I thought we'd beat and lose to the teams I thought we'd lose to, with one exception.
Amherst 80, Virginia 67

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (4-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lane Saunders C 29 1-6 1-2 4 11 2 4 3
Spencer Lund PF 25 3-6 0-1 2 5 0 4 6
Bradford Williams SF 35 8-12 3-4 1 3 1 3 22
Doyle Cannon PG 35 3-8 0-1 0 5 7 0 7
Alan Rasberry SG 34 6-12 7-9 3 5 5 2 21
Carson Shears PF 11 2-3 1-2 2 5 1 4 5
George Dillon SF 9 1-5 3-3 0 1 2 1 5
Tate Mathewson PG 5 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Matt McGowan PF 7 3-5 0-0 0 2 0 4 6
Anselme Catoire PF 2 1-1 1-1 0 2 0 1 3
Thomas Fernandez C 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Brian Fletcher SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 18 (L.Saunders 3, S.Lund 2, B.Williams 2,
D.Cannon 4, A.Rasberry 4, C.Shears 1, G.Dillon 1,
M.McGowan 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (S.Lund 2, C.Shears 1)
Steals: 8 (S.Lund 1, D.Cannon 4, A.Rasberry 1,
M.McGowan 1, A.Catoire 1)
3P FGs: 6-21 (B.Williams 3-6, D.Cannon 1-6, A.Rasberry
2-7, G.Dillon 0-2)

Virginia (2-4, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jan Billups C 35 2-10 1-1 2 6 1 2 5
Justin Castillo PF 31 6-10 13-18 2 6 1 3 25
Scott Morrison SF 29 4-10 0-0 1 4 4 5 9
Marcus Murray PG 31 1-7 0-0 0 3 2 2 2
William Faith PG 11 1-2 1-2 1 1 1 4 4
Emmanuel Solberg SF 30 5-11 3-9 6 13 3 2 13
Dee Jarmon SG 17 2-5 0-0 2 3 1 1 4
Lazaro Fruge SG 6 1-2 0-0 1 2 0 0 3
Kieth Tyus PG 8 1-2 0-0 1 2 1 1 2

Turnovers: 15 (J.Billups 1, J.Castillo 3, S.Morrison 4,
W.Faith 1, E.Solberg 2, D.Jarmon 1, L.Fruge 1, K.Tyus
2)
Blocked Shots: 2 (J.Billups 1, E.Solberg 1)
Steals: 11 (J.Billups 3, M.Murray 4, W.Faith 1,
E.Solberg 1, D.Jarmon 1, K.Tyus 1)
3P FGs: 3-15 (J.Billups 0-1, J.Castillo 0-1, S.Morrison
1-3, M.Murray 0-3, W.Faith 1-2, E.Solberg 0-1,
D.Jarmon 0-1, L.Fruge 1-2, K.Tyus 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Alan Rasberry (AMHST)
This year's UVA team doesn't look like it will be very good, but beating them in Charlottesville is still a tough ask for a team like Amherst.

Alan Rasberry's 21 points is right in line with his 20.0 PPG average. As a senior should, Alan is taking the final step in his career, becoming our most reliable scorer. Doyle Cannon and Bradford Williams are also impressing so far.

Lane Saunders is scuffling a bit offensively, but he's grabbing almost nine rebounds per game. I'm pleased with his development so far.
Record: 4-2.

[MoonlightGraham]

Solid backstory, heh.

I saw the name "Como" and immediately thought of Perry. He was my grandfather's favorite singer, and my dad, who is a very good amateur/semiprofessional singer himself, is proud of the fact that his style has been compared to Perry's. Como's Christmas music is part of the soundtrack for my family's holiday season.

Given that connection, I had to create the lore, and I was hoping I'd get to use it with an Amherst player.

Thanks for stopping by!

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2022
Recruiting Update

James Grady decides to play his college basketball close to his Maine home, signing with Colby today. They're getting a good player, and I won't look forward to facing him twice a year.

Here's a closer look at Carter Keegan, who holds a scholarship offer from us.
#5 PG Carter Keegan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-2
Weight: 178
High School: Bourne High School
Hometown: Bourne, MA
GPA: 3.19
Test Score: 1240
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 25 67 46 74 50 42 31 20 29 9 45 43 73 35 67 20
Potential: C B C A C C C C D D A C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.9 1.9 6.2 4.0 3.4 1.16 3.2 0.6 2.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.7 17.4 .500 0.6 1.2 .522 2.9 6.5 .446

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: East Region #24 PG
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: *Amherst, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Harvard, Boston College
Carter profiles quite well as a collegiate two guard, with the shooting skills to support his scoring stats. Unless we're scouting him poorly, he doesn't show much aptitude for defense.

The idea of playing for a big program is attractive to Carter, but none of them have offered him a scholarship. We're bringing him to campus this month, and both Toby and head recruiter David Getty will visit him and his family.

The spot we'd reserved for James Grady is now vacant. Let's take another long shot, shall we? A perusal of the players who (1) don't have a scholarship offer and (2) express at least Average interest in our program reveals three-star PF Reece Reynolds.

Reece's stats aren't eyepopping; he takes only six shots per game, but he hits them at better than a .500 clip. Right now, he lists five high-prestige programs on his list (Purdue is the "smallest"). I'm going to try to turn his head with a bona fide offer. Coaches Whittaker and Getty will visit him, too.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 22, 2022

Our pre-conference season is now complete, and it's ending with a very pleasant run of success.


Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/03/22 at Mount St. Mary's 0-10 354 W 89-75 5-2
12/06/22 Longwood 2-9 282 W 72-63 6-2
12/09/22 at Davidson 5-7 67 W 80-71 7-2
12/13/22 Quinnipiac 2-8 342 W 67-54 8-2
12/17/22 at Holy Cross 2-9 226 W 62-51 9-2

I scheduled us a fairly easy set of opponents in December, with the exception of Davidson. Our victory at their place is the highlight of our month.

Congratulations to Alan Rasberry, who scores the 1000th point of his career against Longwood.

Spencer Lund also enjoys a good run of games, capped by a 21-point, 8-rebound performance in our win at Holy Cross.

Mid Major Top 25

# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Richmond (72) 10-0 1800 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
2. Tulsa 9-1 1726 1 Conference USA
3. Rhode Island 10-1 1587 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Southern Illinois 8-1 1570 3 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Xavier 7-1 1465 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Brown 9-1 1427 5 Ivy League
7. Kent State 7-1 1371 10 Mid-American Conference
8. Fresno State 6-1 1277 19 Western Athletic Conference
9. Valparaiso 6-1 1199 17 Horizon League
10. Southern Mississippi 9-2 1034 24 Conference USA
11. UNLV 6-3 973 23 Mountain West Conference
12. Rice 8-3 935 NR Conference USA
13. Brigham Young 7-3 933 NR Mountain West Conference
14. Wichita State 7-2 926 7 Missouri Valley Conference
15. Gonzaga 7-2 815 6 West Coast Conference
16. New Mexico State 8-3 701 9 Western Athletic Conference
17. UC Riverside 8-2 597 12 Big West Conference
18. Bowling Green 9-2 496 NR Mid-American Conference
19. Montana 7-3 489 NR Big Sky Conference
20. Stephen F. Austin 9-2 376 11 Southland Conference
21. Amherst 9-2 323 NR New England Conference
22. Tulane 7-3 305 NR Conference USA
23. George Washington 7-2 304 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
24. San Francisco 7-2 232 14 West Coast Conference
25. Hampton 7-3 154 13 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

Others Receiving Votes:
Furman 7-4 106 Southern Conference
Dayton 7-3 86 Atlantic 10 Conference
Houston Baptist 7-2 69 Great West Conference
Princeton 5-3 65 Ivy League
Toledo 6-2 47 Mid-American Conference
Creighton 9-3 9 Missouri Valley Conference
UAB 7-3 2 Conference USA
UTEP 7-3 1 Conference USA
We're back in the Mid Major Poll! I don't think we made an appearance at any point last season.
2022 New England Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------
Amherst 0 0 .000 9 2 .818 255 24
Trinity 0 0 .000 6 3 .667 60 21
Hamilton 0 0 .000 5 4 .556 285 40
Wesleyan 0 0 .000 4 5 .444 65 24
Bowdoin 0 0 .000 4 6 .400 119 11
Middlebury 0 0 .000 4 7 .364 190 20
Colby 0 0 .000 3 6 .333 56 6
Bates 0 0 .000 3 7 .300 300 27
Tufts 0 0 .000 2 7 .222 185 20
Williams 0 0 .000 1 8 .111 233 18

Trinity nearly upset Stanford, losing 66-63. Lowly Colby beat Saint Louis, 60-49, and gave Miami all they could handle in an 87-82 defeat. Wesleyan hung tough with St. John's and Rhode Island.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 1, 2023
Recruiting Update

We ring in the New Year with two pieces of good news!

First, Carter Keegan makes his commitment to play for us next year. The All-State guard from Cape Cod, who is also a highly-regarded quarterback, will give us another versatile player in our backcourt. We will need at least one of our young guards to compete for playing time from the beginning of next season, so it's good to have more than one option.

Welcome to Amherst basketball, Carter!

The second news involves the planned renovation of the Amherst basketball facility. A group of donors have raised funds for the project, with the stipulation that the upgraded facility be renamed Hixon Arena, in honor of Amherst's Hall of Fame coach, David Hixon. (https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/david-hixon/) A number of Coach Hixon's former players are among the contributors to this project.

The renovations can be completed during the offseason, so the Mammoths will take the court in Hixon Arena for the 2023/24 season.

In my version of Amherst basketball, I would rather have the arena named for a legendary coach than a billionare real estate developer. :)

It looks like we've picked the right player in Reece Reynolds, too.
#41 PF Reece Reynolds
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 214
High School: St.John Vianney High School
Hometown: Holmdel, NJ
GPA: 3.35
Test Score: 1290
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 50 25 24 7 28 8 51 41 37 16 8 23 58 74 42 26
Potential: C C B F D D C C D C C C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.7 2.3 6.6 1.7 1.6 1.03 0.8 1.2 3.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.3 6.0 .546 1.2 1.8 .667 0.0 0.0 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: *Amherst, Villanova, Maryland, North Carolina State, Cornell
Reece is a traditional big man who does his best work near the basket, at both ends of the floor. He's a big Villanova fan, but he's probably not quite good enough for the Big East powerhouse. He'd be a great fit for us, however, and we're going to bring Reece to campus and visit him this month.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 21, 2023

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/22/22 at Tufts 4-15 302 W 84-57 10-2 (1-0)
12/24/22 at Colby 8-11 143 W 73-60 11-2 (2-0)
12/29/22 Williams 3-16 340 W 84-41 12-2 (3-0)
12/31/22 Bates 8-11 297 W 80-72 13-2 (4-0)
01/05/23 at Bowdoin 9-10 111 L 80-54 13-3 (4-1)
01/07/23 at Trinity 10-9 162 W 61-60 14-3 (5-1)
01/14/23 Hamilton 11-8 262 L 60-43 14-4 (5-2)
01/19/23 Middlebury 8-12 284 W 79-71 15-4 (6-2)
01/21/23 Wesleyan 11-8 115 W 93-78 16-4 (7-2)

The first round of our New England Conference slate brings us some big wins (@Tufts, Williams, @Bowdoin) two ugly losses (Williams, Hamilton), and a narrow escape (@Trinity). We've risen as high as #11 in the Mid Major poll, and dropped out of it completely.

But the most important news--and it's bad news--is the broken foot Alan Rasberry suffers during the Middlebury game. Our senior leader will be sidelined for about six more weeks, which means he might return in time for the last week of the regular season and the NEC tournament.

There's no other way to interpret this: it's terrible news. George Dillon moves into the starting lineup, and freshman Tate Mathewson will be relied upon to play a larger role. We look good in our first game without Alan--a 15-point victory over Wesleyan that has a major impact on the conference race. Was this performance our new normal, or was it a moment of overachievement?

We'll see...

2022 New England Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst 7 2 .778 16 4 .800 218 24
Wesleyan 6 3 .667 11 8 .579 115 24
Colby 5 4 .556 8 11 .421 143 6
Hamilton 5 4 .556 11 8 .579 262 40
Bowdoin 5 4 .556 9 10 .474 111 11
Bates 5 4 .556 8 11 .421 297 27
Trinity 4 5 .444 10 9 .526 162 21
Middlebury 4 5 .444 8 12 .400 284 20
Tufts 2 7 .222 4 15 .211 302 20
Williams 2 7 .222 3 16 .158 340 18

Now you see why I spoke about the importance of the Wesleyan game. They would have moved into first place had they beaten us. Our rematch with the Cardinals will come on February 16.

[Young Drachma]

My favorite thing about FBCB is how nimble it is with letting us basically simulate a whole college universe, the fact you can throw a D3 conference into an existing setup without much fuss and that it mostly feels plausible is so underrated.

Leading the conference at this point in the year is really good, Rasberry injury sucks but hopefully you all can scheme to the conference tournament where he can be a real factor.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 1, 2023
Recruiting Update

Our 2023 recruiting class is now complete, as Reece Reynolds makes his commitment official today. We were fortunate to discover Reece among the players whose recruitment was moving slowly this winter. I think he's clearly good enough to make an impact in the New England Conference.

Next year will be the first in which all of Amherst's scholarship players are Toby Whittaker's recruits. Slowly, we've been improving the quality of the Amherst roster. Here's a look at the 12 players who will be on scholarship for 2023/24:
PLAYER STARS RANK
Carson Shears ** 777
Doyle Cannon *** 555

Bryan Currin * 1504
Thomas Fernandez * 1307
Matt McGowan ** 505
Owen Elliott * 1441
Bradford Williams ** 595
George Dillon *** 590

Lane Saunders *** 241
Tate Mathewson ** 521

Chris Como ** 791
Carter Keegan *** 521
Reece Reynolds *** 496

We really don't have to rely on one-star players very much anymore. The three remaining players ranked lower than #800 nationally have combined to play a total of 367 minutes for us, 258 of those contributed by Owen Elliott, who's redshirting this season. High two-star and low three-star guys, ranked somewhere around #500, have been delivering for Coach Whittaker so far.

[Young Drachma]

Yeah that's a really solid intake, especially with a good scheme and rotation

[MoonlightGraham]

My favorite thing about FBCB is how nimble it is with letting us basically simulate a whole college universe, the fact you can throw a D3 conference into an existing setup without much fuss and that it mostly feels plausible is so underrated.

Leading the conference at this point in the year is really good, Rasberry injury sucks but hopefully you all can scheme to the conference tournament where he can be a real factor.

Your first point is the biggest reason why I have so much fun with FBCB. My D3 conferences are settling into the world of Division I basketball very nicely.

Ten seasons into my universe's history, the New England and Centennial Conferences have climbed off the bottom of the conference rankings. Hamilton's Prestige has increased from 13 to 40. When Toby Whittaker arrived at Amherst, our prestige was 9, and now it's 24. Hamilton and Amherst aren't Connecticut and Michigan State, but they're slowly reaching real respectability.

There are a handful of other D3 programs I'd like to have in the game, and I'm thinking about adding them to existing small conferences. Again, it won't break the game, and it's a lot of fun.

Alan Rasberry is the Amherst player who is most difficult to replace. Prior to his injury, we ran our offense through him, the same way we did with Perry Jordan. The depth I've been able to accumulate--see the post above about our player intake--is all that's keeping our season from disintegrating. I'm completely comfortable shifting Doyle Cannon to point guard. George Dillon started all 32 games as a freshman, so I know he's capable of reprising that role.

We're not going to be able to beat other team's second units the way we have been; almost all our bench players are plus players, which is unique in our league. But, like you pointed out, in a one-bid conference like the NEC, it's all about what happens in the tournament. We have to be in a good enough position to avoid running into Wesleyan or Bates in the early rounds. Then, it will be a question of how much Rasberry will be able to do as he recovers from his injury.

Thanks for commenting. I like interacting with anybody who might be reading, so don't hesitate to post here. :)

[MoonlightGraham]

Yeah that's a really solid intake, especially with a good scheme and rotation

I'm trying to avoid signing anyone who has less than a C potential grade in an attribute that's important for his position. I don't want guards with D or F in Handling, Passing, or Perimeter Defense. I don't want big men with D or F in Rebounding, Shot Blocking, or Post Defense. Perimeter players need to be C or better shooters, and post guys should be C or better at Inside Scoring. If I can sign guys with A or B grades, they are on track to making a real impact on the New England Conference.

We have a half-dozen players in our program who can shoot the rock. Doyle Cannon (86 rating) is just below .400 from three-point range for his career. Alan Rasberry (72 rating) has made exactly 200 triples in his career. Bradford Williams (89 rating) is cold cash money from behind the arc, shooting .446 for the first 57 games of his career. Incoming freshmen Carter Keegan and Chris Como both look like they'll be snipers, too. Needless to say, I encourage the Mammoths to shoot from distance.

The quality of our coaching and facilities keeps us from fulfilling everyone's potential as completely as we'd like, but the other schools in the NEC face the same challenge.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 1, 2023

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
01/26/23 at Bates 14-15 242 L 79-78 16-5 (7-3)
01/28/23 at Williams 7-22 336 W 70-64 17-5 (8-3)
02/02/23 Trinity 17-12 141 L 76-58 17-6 (8-4)
02/04/23 Bowdoin 14-15 143 W 70-55 18-6 (9-4)
02/11/23 at Hamilton 15-14 296 W 55-48 19-6 (10-4)
02/16/23 at Wesleyan 17-12 125 L 72-64 19-7 (10-5)
02/18/23 at Middlebury 13-17 249 W 77-70 20-7 (11-5)
02/23/23 Colby 12-17 175 W 72-65 21-7 (12-5)
02/25/23 Tufts 6-23 334 W 71-50 22-7 (13-5)

What a ride, and without Alan Rasberry steering the ship.

The loss at Bates is particularly heartbreaking. With 18 seconds left, 6'2" Tate Mathewson makes a clutch steal and throws down an emphatic dunk to give us a 78-77 lead. Then, on Bates' final possession, we foul James Lingerfelt, who is a 59% free throw shooter over a four-year career. Lingerfelt coolly drops in both shots to win the game for his team. Fortunately, Wesleyan loses that night, too.

Our shocking loss to Trinity drops us into a virtual tie with Wesleyan. A hard-charging Bates team, energized by its victory over us, has risen to third, a game behind.

Meanwhile, Wesleyan's fortunes take the opposite turn. By the time they play us on February 16, the Cardinals (10-6) are in third place in the conference, behind us (11-4) and Bates (10-5). To their credit, they gather themselves and do what they have to do against us.

Bates doesn't play that night, and they enter their February 18 game with a chance to move into first place. But Williams has other plans; sophomore center Ismael Soler knocks down two free throws to give the Ephs an 84-83 victory. For once, Amherst students cheer a Williams victory.

So we enter the last game of the conference season with our fate in our hands. If we lose, we leave the door open for Wesleyan or Bates, both of whom have 12-6 conference records. Five Mammoths score in double figures, and we defeat the Jumbos, winning an improbable conference championship.

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst 13 5 .722 22 7 .759 139 24
Wesleyan 12 6 .667 17 12 .586 125 24
Bates 11 7 .611 14 15 .483 242 27
Trinity 10 8 .556 17 12 .586 141 21
Bowdoin 9 9 .500 14 15 .483 143 11
Colby 9 9 .500 12 17 .414 175 6
Hamilton 8 10 .444 15 14 .517 296 40
Middlebury 8 10 .444 13 17 .433 249 20
Williams 6 12 .333 7 22 .241 336 18
Tufts 4 14 .222 6 23 .207 334 20

[MoonlightGraham]

March 3, 2023
New England Conference Tournament, Second Round
(1) Amherst 87, (9) Williams 63

---------------------------------------------------------
Williams (8-23, 6-12):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ismael Soler C 26 4-5 0-0 2 8 2 2 8
Phil Villalba PF 17 3-5 1-2 1 2 1 4 7
Jean Mann SF 28 2-9 2-5 0 4 1 3 6
Harold Carter SG 22 2-7 0-0 1 2 0 4 4
Mark Campbell PG 18 3-5 2-2 0 2 3 4 9
Tyson Overcash PG 26 4-9 1-2 2 7 2 2 11
Julius Jacobo C 26 1-7 6-10 3 5 1 3 8
Peter McClean SG 17 1-5 3-4 2 4 1 0 5
Robert Dotson SF 8 1-3 1-2 0 1 1 2 3
Riley Rogers PF 10 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 1 2

Turnovers: 16 (I.Soler 3, J.Mann 4, H.Carter 3,
J.Jacobo 4, P.McClean 1, R.Rogers 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (P.Villalba 2, J.Jacobo 1)
Steals: 4 (I.Soler 1, T.Overcash 1, R.Dotson 1,
R.Rogers 1)
3P FGs: 3-13 (J.Mann 0-2, H.Carter 0-2, M.Campbell 1-1,
T.Overcash 2-5, P.McClean 0-2, R.Dotson 0-1)

Amherst (23-7, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lane Saunders C 18 1-1 0-0 2 7 3 3 2
Spencer Lund PF 29 6-12 2-3 2 7 1 3 14
Bradford Williams SG 21 5-10 3-3 3 9 1 5 16
Alan Rasberry SG 29 5-10 4-4 0 2 3 1 18
Doyle Cannon PG 30 3-11 3-4 1 4 3 1 10
George Dillon SF 21 3-8 0-0 0 1 5 3 9
Carson Shears PF 20 3-5 2-4 1 5 0 1 8
Tate Mathewson PG 11 1-2 3-3 1 1 1 2 5
Matt McGowan C 10 1-2 2-2 1 4 1 1 4
Thomas Fernandez C 2 0-1 0-0 2 2 1 0 0
Brian Fletcher SF 6 0-0 1-4 0 0 0 1 1

Turnovers: 12 (L.Saunders 1, S.Lund 2, A.Rasberry 4,
C.Shears 2, T.Mathewson 1, M.McGowan 1, B.Fletcher 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (G.Dillon 1)
Steals: 6 (L.Saunders 1, B.Williams 2, G.Dillon 2,
T.Mathewson 1)
3P FGs: 11-31 (B.Williams 3-8, A.Rasberry 4-9, D.Cannon
1-8, G.Dillon 3-5, T.Mathewson 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Bradford Williams (AMHST)
A victory over our archrival advances us to the NEC tournament semifinal.

We take almost as many three-point shots as any Amherst team ever has (our record is 31), and we make a respectable number of them.

I've highlighted the best thing about tonight's game, however.

Alan's back.
Record: 23-7.


March 4, 2023
New England Conference Tournament Semifinal
(1) Amherst 78, (4) Trinity 62

--------------------------------------------------------
Trinity (18-13, 10-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Nacho Pardo C 28 5-9 0-0 2 4 1 1 11
Emon Bonte PF 32 4-7 2-3 6 9 1 3 11
Merle Levine SF 36 3-11 7-9 6 10 6 3 13
Richard Summers SG 30 4-15 0-0 1 6 4 4 11
Daryl Youngman PG 26 2-5 4-5 1 2 1 4 9
Richard Mackie PG 15 0-1 2-3 0 0 2 0 2
Jerry Branscum C 17 0-1 3-4 0 1 0 2 3
Robert Chilton SF 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Forrest Albright PF 3 0-0 0-0 2 2 0 0 0
Joe Stevens SG 9 1-3 0-0 0 0 0 2 2

Turnovers: 14 (N.Pardo 1, E.Bonte 3, R.Summers 4,
D.Youngman 2, R.Mackie 2, R.Chilton 1, F.Albright 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (D.Youngman 1)
Steals: 3 (M.Levine 2, D.Youngman 1)
3P FGs: 6-24 (N.Pardo 1-1, E.Bonte 1-2, M.Levine 0-5,
R.Summers 3-8, D.Youngman 1-4, R.Mackie 0-1, R.Chilton
0-1, J.Stevens 0-2)

Amherst (24-7, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lane Saunders C 31 6-7 5-7 2 2 1 1 17
Spencer Lund PF 33 5-7 1-2 2 4 3 2 11
Bradford Williams SG 36 1-5 1-2 1 7 3 2 4
Alan Rasberry PG 21 3-6 0-0 0 2 2 4 9
Doyle Cannon PG 21 5-7 1-2 0 5 2 4 13
George Dillon SF 22 5-8 0-0 0 5 0 1 13
Carson Shears PF 9 1-1 0-0 0 0 1 4 2
Tate Mathewson PG 15 1-3 0-0 0 0 4 2 2
Matt McGowan C 7 1-1 2-2 0 1 1 1 4
Thomas Fernandez C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Brian Fletcher SF 4 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 3

Turnovers: 12 (S.Lund 1, B.Williams 2, A.Rasberry 2,
D.Cannon 2, C.Shears 1, T.Mathewson 1, M.McGowan 1,
B.Fletcher 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (S.Lund 1, G.Dillon 1, C.Shears 1)
Steals: 3 (S.Lund 1, G.Dillon 2)
3P FGs: 10-18 (B.Williams 1-4, A.Rasberry 3-6, D.Cannon
2-3, G.Dillon 3-4, B.Fletcher 1-1)

Player of Game: C Lane Saunders (AMHST)
A comfortable victory over Trinity leaves us one game away from a ticket to the Big Dance.

Alan Rasberry doesn't dominate tonight's game in any sense. In fact, he gets in foul trouble and plays about a dozen minutes less than he ordinarily would. But Alan's presence allows his teammates to perform roles with which they're comfortable. And on a rare night when Bradford Williams can't get good looks at the basket, his teammates pick up the slack.

One more game, boys. Let's do it.
Record: 24-7.


March 5, 2023
New England Conference Tournament Championship
(1) Amherst 77, (3) Bates 67

--------------------------------------------------------
Bates (16-16, 11-7):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Michael Grigsby C 32 4-11 3-4 5 14 3 2 11
Arthur Green PF 31 9-14 6-12 1 4 0 3 24
James Lingerfelt SF 35 6-20 2-2 2 3 4 4 16
Chris Wise SG 25 3-7 0-0 1 6 0 4 6
Stephen Driggers PG 31 3-6 0-0 3 6 3 4 6
Brian Gwinn PG 19 1-2 0-0 0 0 1 2 2
Winston Schwartz PF 12 0-3 0-0 0 2 3 2 0
Joe Montgomery C 10 0-1 0-0 2 4 0 0 0
Murray Casteel SF 4 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 2

Turnovers: 9 (M.Grigsby 1, A.Green 1, J.Lingerfelt 2,
C.Wise 1, S.Driggers 1, B.Gwinn 1, W.Schwartz 1,
M.Casteel 1)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 2 (S.Driggers 1, W.Schwartz 1)
3P FGs: 2-15 (J.Lingerfelt 2-8, C.Wise 0-2, S.Driggers
0-3, W.Schwartz 0-2)

Amherst (25-7, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lane Saunders C 30 2-5 1-1 0 5 4 0 5
Spencer Lund PF 17 3-5 0-3 0 3 0 4 6
Bradford Williams SF 30 3-6 4-5 0 2 1 2 12
Alan Rasberry SG 33 8-13 5-6 0 5 2 1 25
Doyle Cannon PG 35 6-13 6-8 2 4 3 1 19
George Dillon SF 14 2-5 2-2 0 2 1 1 8
Carson Shears PF 19 0-1 0-0 1 7 2 4 0
Tate Mathewson PG 6 0-1 2-2 0 0 0 0 2
Matt McGowan PF 9 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 0
Thomas Fernandez C 5 0-0 0-0 1 3 0 0 0
Brian Fletcher SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (L.Saunders 1, B.Williams 2, A.Rasberry
2, D.Cannon 4, T.Fernandez 1, B.Fletcher 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (S.Lund 1, A.Rasberry 1)
Steals: 5 (L.Saunders 1, B.Williams 2, D.Cannon 2)
3P FGs: 9-21 (B.Williams 2-5, A.Rasberry 4-7, D.Cannon
1-3, G.Dillon 2-5, T.Mathewson 0-1)

Player of Game: PG Alan Rasberry (AMHST)
Let's dance!

With thirty seconds remaining, Toby Whittaker takes advantage of a dead ball to remove seniors Alan Rasberry and Spencer Lund from the game. He warmly embraces each of these players, who will be playing in the NCAA tournament for the second time.

Alan and Spencer played a combined total of 17 minutes in their one tournament appearance. Suffice it to say that, barring disaster, they will each play considerably more than that this time around.

For Alan, lifting the NEC tournament trophy and cutting down the net are especially heartwarming experiences. "That made all the work I did in rehab worthwhile," he observes after the game.

He's named the tournament MVP, to nobody's surprise.
Record: 24-7.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 12, 2023

Today, we learn we've been assigned to the NCAA Midwest Region as the #13 seed. Our opponent will be #10 Tennessee, the #4 seed.

We're ranked now, too: in the last Mid Major poll, we come in at #22.

This year, we're the only New England Conference team to earn a spot in any of the four postseason tournaments. That's not a good outcome for our conference, and it won't help our conference prestige.


March 16, 2023
NCAA Midwest Region, First Round
(4) #10 Tennessee 85, (13) Amherst 68

--------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (25-8, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lane Saunders C 16 2-3 0-0 0 3 2 4 4
Spencer Lund PF 28 4-6 1-4 1 5 1 2 9
Bradford Williams SG 34 2-7 0-0 0 4 2 2 5
Alan Rasberry SG 29 4-9 1-1 0 1 5 1 11
Doyle Cannon PG 33 6-11 2-3 1 3 2 2 18
George Dillon SF 15 2-5 2-2 0 1 0 0 8
Carson Shears PF 23 3-8 2-5 3 7 0 3 9
Tate Mathewson PG 7 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Matt McGowan C 11 2-4 0-0 2 3 0 1 4
Thomas Fernandez C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Brian Fletcher SF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 2 1 0

Turnovers: 13 (L.Saunders 1, S.Lund 1, B.Williams 4,
A.Rasberry 3, D.Cannon 1, G.Dillon 3)
Blocked Shots: 7 (L.Saunders 2, S.Lund 3, M.McGowan 2)
Steals: 5 (B.Williams 2, A.Rasberry 1, C.Shears 2)
3P FGs: 10-22 (B.Williams 1-4, A.Rasberry 2-6, D.Cannon
4-8, G.Dillon 2-3, C.Shears 1-1)

Tennessee (26-8, 10-6):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Hollis Ball C 29 4-8 2-2 3 5 1 2 11
Ramon Martinez PF 24 1-8 2-6 0 4 2 4 4
Jerome Fry SF 32 7-13 1-2 2 5 2 3 17
Curtis Delafuente SG 32 2-2 1-1 0 1 2 1 6
Brenton Barfield PG 25 5-11 2-2 5 7 2 2 15
Carl Donner C 21 5-8 3-3 1 10 0 2 13
Scot Miller PG 21 4-7 0-0 0 3 4 4 11
Mark Deeds C 8 0-2 0-0 3 5 3 1 0
Jon DiLorenzo SF 8 3-3 2-2 0 0 2 1 8

Turnovers: 12 (R.Martinez 2, J.Fry 4, B.Barfield 1,
C.Donner 3, S.Miller 1, M.Deeds 1)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 7 (C.Delafuente 2, B.Barfield 1, S.Miller 2,
J.DiLorenzo 2)
3P FGs: 10-20 (H.Ball 1-2, R.Martinez 0-2, J.Fry 2-5,
C.Delafuente 1-1, B.Barfield 3-5, S.Miller 3-5)

Player of Game: PG Brenton Barfield (TENN)
A Tennessee team that spent some time ranked #1 in the nation is too much for us in our first round game.

We don't play terribly; we simply can't match up with a team this deep and talented. Among the nine players that appear for the Vols in tonight's game are three high school All-Americans and four five-star players. Every one of them were among the top 100 players in the nation as high school seniors.

One of these years, we'll hopefully beat one of these teams, but it doesn't happen tonight. Still, we end the season with 25 victories, tied for the most in our history.
Record: 25-8.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 3, 2023

UNLV, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Syracuse reach the Final Four. Wisconsin is the only top seed to win its bracket, while UNLV is a 7 seed.

Syracuse then defeats Kentucky, 59-46, in a grueling, defensive battle.

2022 NEW ENGLAND AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR PF William Baker Wesleyan 19.3 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.1 APG 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR C Lane Saunders Amherst 6.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.5 APG 0.2 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Toby Whittaker Amherst 25 - 8 (13 - 5)

All-league 1st Team:
C JR Michael Grigsby Bates 8.3 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PF SR William Baker Wesleyan 19.3 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SF SO Bradford Williams Amherst 11.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG SR James Jose Middlebury 20.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Ward Thibodeaux Hamilton 12.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Bryan Samons Colby 9.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.3 SPG, 1.7 BPG
PF SR David Monday Bowdoin 8.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.8 BPG
SF JR Elijah McDonnell Colby 15.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG SR Richard Summers Trinity 16.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Alan Rasberry Amherst 17.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 4.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.0 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Lane Saunders Amherst 6.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.6 BPG
PF FR Jackie Cortez Bates 1.9 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.1 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.0 BPG
SF FR Tyson Overcash Williams 5.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG FR Ismael Blankenship Hamilton 7.3 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.0 BPG
PG FR John Smythe Colby 4.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG

William Baker and James Jose complete their distinguished careers with honors. I won't miss coaching against them, but I'll miss seeing them play. Jose is the fourth player in NEC history to score at least 2000 points in his career. You may remember Perry Jordan just missed that milestone.

Three Mammoths are deserving recipients of post-season honors. Bradford Williams, a second team pick last season, moves up to the first five this time around. Alan Rasberry makes the second team for the second straight year. Did Alan's injury cost him a spot on the first team? I'm not sure; Hamilton star Ward Thibodeaux was the first team point guard last year, and he had a much better season this time around.

Lane Saunders gives us our second consecutive Freshman of the Year.

And Toby Whittaker takes home his fourth CoY trophy in four seasons.

2022 New England Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst 13 5 .722 25 8 .758 110 24
Wesleyan 12 6 .667 18 13 .581 131 24
Bates 11 7 .611 16 16 .500 213 27
Trinity 10 8 .556 18 13 .581 134 21
Bowdoin 9 9 .500 14 16 .467 163 11
Colby 9 9 .500 12 18 .400 199 6
Hamilton 8 10 .444 16 15 .516 287 40
Middlebury 8 10 .444 13 18 .419 272 20
Williams 6 12 .333 8 23 .258 322 18
Tufts 4 14 .222 6 24 .200 335 20

[MoonlightGraham]

April 3, 2023
AMHERST TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 24 Record Vs 1-50: 0-2 Poll Rank: NR
Season Record: 25-8 Record Vs 51-100: 1-0 RPI Rank: #110
Conference Record: 13-5 Record Vs 101-200: 6-3
Home Record: 11-2 Record Vs 200+: 18-3


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 73.1 2 77 Points 65.5 3 78 Points 7.7 1 30
O.Reb 10.7 6 195 O.Reb 12.2 8 303 O.Reb -1.5 7 278
D.Reb 25.2 2 169 D.Reb 21.7 2 11 D.Reb 3.5 1 21
Rebounds 35.9 4 181 Rebounds 33.9 4 72 Rebounds 2.0 3 103
Assists 13.6 2 147 Assists 12.8 5 99 Assists 0.8 2 101
Steals 5.5 5 205 Steals 5.3 3 100 Steals 0.2 3 150
Blocks 2.3 5 277 Blocks 2.0 2 4 Blocks 0.3 3 140
Turnovers 13.5 3 136 Turnovers 12.5 9 309 Turnovers 1.0 9 257
Fouls 17.3 1 29 Fouls 20.5 2 70 Fouls -3.3 1 9
FG% .460 2 35 FG% .414 2 66 FG% .046 1 22
FT% .703 2 79 FT% .659 3 74 FT% .044 2 41
3P% .378 1 33 3P% .303 1 17 3P% .075 1 5
PPS 1.39 1 4 PPS 1.14 1 34 PPS .250 1 3
Adj. FG% .539 2 11 Adj. FG% .463 1 39 Adj. FG% .076 1 5
We're much tougher to beat a home this season than we were last year. That alone explains our improved record.

Our stat margins are getting better and better. So is our offensive efficiency; at 109.2, we rank 14th in the nation.

Much of our success this year was due to a combination of outstanding shooting and much improved defense.

AMHERST Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doyle Cannon PG 33 33 31.4 13.6 1.0 4.4 2.0 1.3 0.0 1.5 2.7 7.2
Bradford Williams SF 33 33 31.0 11.5 1.8 5.4 2.1 1.5 0.3 2.8 2.7 7.8
Alan Rasberry PG 23 23 30.9 17.1 0.4 2.3 4.2 0.9 0.0 3.0 2.4 8.5
Spencer Lund PF 33 33 30.4 10.1 2.8 6.1 1.3 0.5 0.9 1.3 2.5 6.1
Lane Saunders C 33 33 28.1 6.8 1.9 7.6 1.5 0.2 0.6 1.5 2.5 9.0
George Dillon SF 33 10 20.4 8.4 0.6 2.6 1.6 0.7 0.1 2.1 1.8 1.5
Carson Shears PF 33 0 15.0 4.3 1.1 4.7 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.7 1.7 -0.1
Tate Mathewson PG 33 0 10.2 2.7 0.2 0.9 1.1 0.4 0.0 0.8 0.8 1.0
Bryan Currin PG 11 0 7.0 1.8 0.6 1.0 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.9
Matt McGowan C 33 0 5.8 1.4 0.4 1.6 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.5 0.2
Brian Fletcher SF 29 0 4.0 1.5 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.4 -0.4
Anselme Catoire C 3 0 3.3 3.3 0.0 0.7 0.0 0.7 0.0 0.0 1.0 2.0
Thomas Fernandez C 6 0 3.2 0.7 0.7 1.0 0.5 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.5

AMHERST Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doyle Cannon PG 33 33 1037 450 33 145 65 42 1 50 89 237
Bradford Williams SF 33 33 1022 380 58 177 70 49 9 93 88 259
Alan Rasberry PG 23 23 710 394 10 53 97 20 1 68 55 195
Spencer Lund PF 33 33 1003 333 92 200 44 15 29 42 83 202
Lane Saunders C 33 33 928 225 62 251 49 5 19 48 82 298
George Dillon SF 33 10 673 277 20 86 53 24 3 69 58 50
Carson Shears PF 33 0 496 142 35 155 20 8 8 23 57 -3
Tate Mathewson PG 33 0 335 88 8 31 35 12 0 26 26 32
Bryan Currin PG 11 0 77 20 7 11 4 1 2 2 1 10
Matt McGowan C 33 0 192 47 13 54 5 2 5 12 16 8
Brian Fletcher SF 29 0 115 43 10 13 5 1 0 11 12 -12
Anselme Catoire C 3 0 10 10 0 2 0 2 0 0 3 6
Thomas Fernandez C 6 0 19 4 4 6 3 1 0 1 0 3

AMHERST Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doyle Cannon PG 148 305 .485 69 101 .683 85 205 .415 1.48
Bradford Williams SF 119 217 .548 77 100 .770 65 147 .442 1.75
Alan Rasberry PG 116 289 .401 92 103 .893 70 201 .348 1.36
Spencer Lund PF 132 280 .471 69 138 .500 0 0 .000 1.19
Lane Saunders C 80 173 .462 65 91 .714 0 0 .000 1.30
George Dillon SF 86 219 .393 70 93 .753 35 111 .315 1.26
Carson Shears PF 56 102 .549 29 56 .518 1 2 .500 1.39
Tate Mathewson PG 23 51 .451 31 34 .912 11 31 .355 1.73
Bryan Currin PG 5 17 .294 8 10 .800 2 10 .200 1.18
Matt McGowan C 17 44 .386 12 13 .923 1 3 .333 1.07
Brian Fletcher SF 12 33 .364 14 23 .609 5 18 .278 1.30
Anselme Catoire C 3 4 .750 4 6 .667 0 0 .000 2.50
Thomas Fernandez C 2 3 .667 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 1.33

Is Bradford Williams the most efficient offensive player in the country? It's not a foolish question. His 1.75 points per shot ranks him first in the nation. While his field goal percentage is second in the conference behind Hamilton's Thomas Reeve, BW ranks ninth overall. And, unlike Reeve, who has attempted four three-point shots in two years, Bradford averages two made threes per game while making almost 45 percent of his tries.

[MoonlightGraham]

2022/23 Senior Snapshots

Both of these players were recruited by Toby's predecessor, Donny Baker. But Toby was the only coach they ever played for, so they have earned Senior Snapshots.

#20 PG Alan Rasberry - Amherst - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-1
Weight: 183
High School: John F. Kennedy High School
Hometown: Bronx, NY

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 36 48 82 72 60 65 6 16 8 26 33 5 76 51 74 82
2021: 33 47 80 71 54 56 5 15 7 26 32 5 75 50 74 75
2020: 31 45 76 68 48 47 4 14 6 23 29 4 74 49 74 67
2019: 30 43 73 66 45 43 3 13 6 21 27 4 73 47 73 56
2018: 28 41 69 62 41 37 3 13 6 19 25 4 70 43 72 28
Potential: D C B B C B F F F D D F

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 69

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019 34 0 8.8 3.3 0.2 0.9 0.6 0.5 1.29 0.1 0.0 0.9
2020 31 29 28.5 11.5 0.7 2.8 2.5 2.0 1.27 1.2 0.1 2.3
2021 32 28 30.6 12.1 0.6 2.7 3.3 2.6 1.27 1.0 0.1 2.5
2022 23 23 30.9 17.1 0.4 2.3 4.2 3.0 1.43 0.9 0.0 2.4
Career 120 80 23.9 10.4 0.5 2.1 2.5 1.9 1.43 0.8 0.0 2.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019 0.9 2.3 .405 0.9 1.1 .784 0.6 1.3 .422 1.42 0.79
2020 3.8 8.2 .466 1.7 2.2 .794 2.1 4.7 .452 1.41 2.13
2021 3.6 9.0 .403 3.0 3.8 .802 1.8 5.3 .339 1.34 0.94
2022 5.0 12.6 .401 4.0 4.5 .893 3.0 8.7 .348 1.36 8.48
Career 3.2 7.6 .420 2.3 2.7 .827 1.8 4.7 .378 1.37 2.65

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019 34 0 298 112 8 31 22 17 3 0 29
2020 31 29 884 356 23 87 79 62 38 2 70
2021 32 28 978 387 19 86 104 82 33 2 81
2022 23 23 710 394 10 53 97 68 20 1 55
Career 120 80 2870 1249 60 257 302 229 94 5 235

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019 32 79 29 37 19 45 27
2020 118 253 54 68 66 146 66
2021 116 288 97 121 58 171 30
2022 116 289 92 103 70 201 195
Career 382 909 272 329 213 563 318

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 26 3 5 8 3 1 5 9 20 10 10 5 13
Career 27 3 7 10 6 1 6 9 20 10 12 7 13

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 16
2018 High School: Rated * and #931 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2021 2nd Team All-Conference (New England Conference)
2022 2nd Team All-Conference (New England Conference)

Alan completes his career as our fourth all-time leading scorer, and ranks second to Perry Jordan in three-point shots made. And, while I never viewed him as a great playmaker, he barely surpassed Jesse Scott to become Amherst's all-time leading assist man.

#24 PF Spencer Lund - Amherst - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 229
High School: Attica High School
Hometown: Attica, NY

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 63 39 23 0 32 51 65 17 46 49 39 51 27 92 51 82
2021: 58 38 22 0 30 47 57 16 40 47 38 45 26 90 50 74
2020: 54 37 21 0 29 44 51 15 35 45 37 40 25 87 49 64
2019: 51 36 20 0 28 42 47 14 32 44 36 37 24 84 49 54
2018: 49 35 19 0 27 41 45 14 30 43 35 35 24 81 48 44
2017: 45 35 19 0 25 39 39 14 26 41 33 31 22 73 47 11
Potential: C D D F C C B D C C C C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 47

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019 34 0 9.8 2.1 0.6 1.9 0.5 0.4 1.38 0.2 0.2 1.3
2020 31 4 24.2 5.4 1.8 4.0 1.1 1.2 0.97 0.4 0.6 2.6
2021 32 32 29.1 6.9 2.4 5.6 1.3 1.4 0.91 0.4 0.3 3.1
2022 33 33 30.4 10.1 2.8 6.1 1.3 1.3 1.05 0.5 0.9 2.5
Career 130 69 23.2 6.1 1.9 4.4 1.1 1.0 1.05 0.3 0.5 2.3

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019 0.7 1.9 .369 0.7 1.1 .641 0.0 0.0 .000 1.12 1.09
2020 2.0 4.1 .500 1.3 2.3 .571 0.0 0.0 .000 1.32 1.55
2021 2.6 6.0 .435 1.7 3.2 .539 0.0 0.1 .250 1.16 2.13
2022 4.0 8.5 .471 2.1 4.2 .500 0.0 0.0 .000 1.19 6.12
Career 2.3 5.1 .456 1.5 2.7 .542 0.0 0.0 .250 1.20 2.73

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019 34 0 333 73 22 64 18 13 6 7 43
2020 31 4 751 166 57 124 35 36 11 20 80
2021 32 32 930 222 77 178 41 45 12 9 98
2022 33 33 1003 333 92 200 44 42 15 29 83
Career 130 69 3017 794 248 566 138 136 44 65 304

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019 24 65 25 39 0 0 37
2020 63 126 40 70 0 0 48
2021 83 191 55 102 1 4 68
2022 132 280 69 138 0 0 202
Career 302 662 189 349 1 4 355

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 21 8 11 3 3 4 3 9 14 5 9 0 0
Career 21 8 12 4 3 4 5 9 14 6 9 1 1

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 3
2017 High School: Rated * and #1056 overall by the FBCB scouting service.

A hard-working forward, Spencer ranks third on our all-time blocked shot leaderboard, and is our sixth all-time leading rebounder. He slowly improved his offensive repertoire, becoming a legitimate scoring threat by his senior year.

Thanks for the memories, Alan and Spencer.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 8, 2023

Neither Alan Rasberry nor Spencer Lund are drafted by a pro team.

2022 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
144. Williams New England PG Brian Johnson *** 0 0 1 1 1
158. Tufts New England PF Eric Washington *** 0 0 1 2 0
161. Amherst New England PG Carter Keegan *** 0 0 2 1 0
164. Middlebury New England PG Trey Swink *** 0 0 1 1 4
166. Wesleyan New England C Brian Kean *** 0 0 2 0 1
201. Bates New England SG Hugo Jones *** 0 0 2 0 1
222. Colby New England PF James Grady *** 0 0 1 0 2
270. Hamilton New England PG Chad Suh ** 0 0 0 3 0
339. Trinity New England SF Michael Hayden ** 0 0 0 1 1
358. Bowdoin New England PG James Ryan * 0 0 0 0 2

The top recruiting classes in the NEC are very difficult to distinguish. According to the experts, our headliner, Carter Keegan, is less illustrious than any of the other three-star front men. Brian Johnson, ranked #175 overall, is as highly regarded as any NEC recruit I've seen.

However, Keegan arrives on campus as a Yellow/Blue (!!) player, the first Amherst player to be considered a Blue potential talent. In fact, Carter is the only Yellow player on the Amherst roster right now.

Our NCAA appearance lifts our Prestige to 31. And it causes Toby Whittaker to level up!
COACH DETAILS

Toby Whittaker - Head Coach - Amherst
-------------------------------------------------
Age: 35
High School: St. Stephens & St. Agnes School
Hometown: Alexandria, Virginia
Alma Mater: Virginia

Current Level: 7
Career Record: 92 - 38

Recruiting: 68
Scouting: 45
Offense: 60
Defense: 67


Coaching History:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Team Position W L CW CL Postseason
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022 Amherst Head Coach 25 8 13 5 Loss in NCAA Round 1
2021 Amherst Head Coach 20 12 13 5 Loss in CBI Round 2
2020 Amherst Head Coach 22 9 14 4 Loss in NIT Round 1
2019 Amherst Head Coach 25 9 14 4 Loss in NCAA Round 1

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022 Conference Coach of the Year (New England Conference)
2022 New England Conference Champion
2021 Conference Coach of the Year (New England Conference)
2020 Conference Coach of the Year (New England Conference)
2020 New England Conference Champion
2019 Conference Coach of the Year (New England Conference)
2019 New England Conference Champion

Job Movement:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Move
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019 Hired by Amherst (Head Coach)

I gave Toby 5 points in each of the four coaching attributes.

After four seasons, Graham Sims had a career record of 91-40. In Coach Sims' fourth season at Lafayette, he went 27-6 and won his first NCAA tournament game. Coach Whittaker is, therefore, almost exactly on Coach Sims' legendary pace.

However, Graham would then go on to win at least 28 games a year for the next decade-plus. That run established him as a coaching legend.

Coaching assistant Forrest Gill asks for and receives a $10,000 raise, and he'll now earn $50,000/year. Coach Gill is now a Level 3 coach; Toby's other assistants, David Getty and David Parham, are at Level 2.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2023
Recruiting Preview

With seniors Doyle Cannon and Carson Shears graduating this coming spring, we can give scholarships to two incoming players this recruiting season. Doyle is a guard and Carson is a big man, so we'll look at players who play those positions, but our roster is balanced enough that we can pursue the kind of guys we want, regardless of their role.

Our projected starters include the two seniors, along with junior wing Bradford Williams, sophomore center Lane Saunders, and point guard Carter Keegan. Of course, these aren't written in stone; if a player blows up in training camp, we'll make room for him.

Our depth chart, expressed in terms of class, looks like this:

Centers: SO, JR, SR (W)
Power Forwards: SR, JR, FR
Small Forwards: JR, JR, JR (W)
Shooting Guards: SR, FR, SO
Point Guards: FR, SO, JR

Looking at the roster this way, it seems like we should try to bring in a young forward or wing who can play the three.

I just realized our recent success has paid off in a very real sense. Our team's budget was about $205K last season...and now it's $270K! That means we have just over $14,000 to spend each month on recruiting. Gone are the days when we couldn't afford to recruit players as heavily as we'd like.

How does this budget compare to our New England Conference rivals:
TEAM BUDGET COACHES RECRUITING
Amherst 270,562 130,000 14,056
Bates 267,500 96,720 17,078
Bowdoin 235,750 90,000 14,575
Colby 217,500 90,000 12,750
Hamilton 294,687 126,192 16,850
Middlebury 251,125 90,000 16,112
Trinity 255,000 90,000 16,500
Tufts 240,000 90,000 15,000
Wesleyan 258,375 90,000 16,838
Williams 240,000 90,000 15,000

Wow, it looks like our increased budget was needed for us to keep pace with our conference rivals. Did a wave of generosity wash over every AD in the conference?

I think I see what happened. The NEC is now a Level 2 conference!

We invest more in our coaching staff than any other school in the league. Most of our rivals pay their assistant coaches the "minimum wage" of $30,000/year. Our David Getty and Forrest Gill are the highest-paid assistants in the league, each on $50,000 per annum. They're also the highest-rated assistants in the conference.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2023

This is our original call list:
AMHERST Recruiting

Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Colton Mullins SG 6-7 177 *** Very High Massachusetts
Franklyn Tsai SF 6-4 234 *** Very High Connecticut
Nate Phillips C 6-9 222 ** Very High Connecticut
Joseph Bustos SG 6-3 181 ** Very High Connecticut
Kent Ostby PF 6-10 212 * Very High Massachusetts
James Elder C 6-10 260 * Very High Connecticut
Jame Grubb SF 6-7 224 * Very High Rhode Island
August Vasquez C 6-10 205 * Very High Massachusetts
Chad Danford C 7-0 296 * Very High Massachusetts
Nasir Allen PG 5-10 178 *** High Massachusetts
Charles Rogers C 7-0 268 *** Average Massachusetts
Ronnie Mares PG 5-10 167 *** Average Connecticut
Jacob Joubert SF 6-7 248 *** Average New York
Chris Carrier SF 6-8 241 *** Average New York
Carl Eddington PG 6-2 179 *** Average Massachusetts
Michael Tyler PF 6-7 206 *** Average New Hampshire
Evan Andrews PG 6-4 171 *** Low Massachusetts
Quinton Lee SF 6-6 192 **** Very Low Massachusetts
Jensen Cole PF 6-10 218 **** Very Low New Hampshire
Daxton Mayer PF 6-7 207 **** Very Low New York

I spotted two players I liked right away, so I went ahead and offered a scholarship to each of them. Let's meet them first, shall we?

#2 SG Colton Mullins
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 177
High School: Noble and Greenough School
Hometown: Dedham, MA
GPA: 3.44
Test Score: 1360
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 32 43 69 46 26 14 14 0 23 30 38 23 70 37 58 50
Potential: D B B A D D C F C D C D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15.0 1.5 4.2 2.8 2.3 1.24 1.9 0.6 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.4 13.5 .470 0.8 1.1 .762 1.5 4.5 .326

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: East Region #15 SG
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Boston College, *Amherst, Boston University, Tufts, Rhode Island

Colton Mullins is a unique player. He is an excellent student. He is an extremely good shooter. He is not a good rebounder. He is built like a skeleton, but he is stronger than his frame would suggest. He will play defense, but our staff doesn't think he'll ever get much better at it than he is right now.

There is something about Colton I like, however. I envision him coming off the bench and breaking a game open with his shooting. He might become an even better player than that, a 20 PPG scorer and an All-NEC player. Colton will receive the full recruiting treatment this month.

#40 C Charles Rogers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 7-0
Weight: 268
High School: Malden Catholic High School
Hometown: Malden, MA
GPA: 3.07
Test Score: 1180
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 31 16 61 14 0 5 60 55 54 15 4 59 28 71 40 21
Potential: B D B D F F C B B D D A

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19.2 3.4 11.7 0.7 2.3 0.28 0.3 2.4 3.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.2 15.5 .526 2.8 5.1 .549 0.1 0.4 .143

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Average
Rankings: East Region #60 Overall, East Region #11 C
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Harvard, *Amherst, Connecticut, Providence, Boston College

I like the way Charles Rogers plays the game. His high school coaches give him big man jobs to do: score from the low post, rebound at both ends of the floor, and block shots. He's also learned to make foul shots, which makes opponents avoid Hack-a-Charles defenses.

We have an excellent sophomore center, Lane Saunders. That won't stop me from recruiting Charles. We'll invite him to campus, too, and send Coaches Whittaker and Getty to his residence.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2023

A month ago, Colton Mullins told people he'd like to play for Boston College, the team he rooted for as a boy and the school his mom attended. This month, with an Amherst scholarship in his hand and the memories of an excellent campus visit in his mind, he's more interested in playing for us. We like that idea, too, and we'll continue to pursue his commitment.

Charles Rogers, however, got an offer from Harvard, and he's leaning toward the Crimson. In my universe, Harvard is a force to be reckoned with, with a Prestige of 50 and a coach who is a persuasive recruiter. Should I concede Charles to Harvard and look elsewhere? We can bring Charles to

James Elder might make that decision easier for us.
#30 C James Elder
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 260
High School: Coventry High School
Hometown: Coventry, CT
GPA: 2.56
Test Score: 1090
Rating: **

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 38 26 24 27 26 29 50 50 40 0 24 24 18 69 21 1
Potential: C B D B C C B A A D D D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14.4 3.1 13.9 2.0 2.0 1.00 2.4 1.0 2.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.2 11.4 .544 1.7 3.5 .493 0.3 1.5 .172

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Amherst: Very High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Amherst, Colby, Dartmouth
Someone is wrong about James. Either the national scouting service (who gives him only two stars) or our scouting staff (who think he's potentially the best big man in the conference). I'm going to make sure we establish a recruiting relationship with James, bringing him to campus and sending our coaches to visit him.

Charles, you have one more month to show us some real love, or we're pulling your scholarship.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2023

Goodness...Colton Mullins' recruitment blew up last month. Boston College and Boston University both offered him scholarships.

BC's recruiting team is quite a pair. Head coach Malcolm Perry doesn't care for recruiting, and he's terrible at it (Recruiting 5). The Eagles pay a salary of over $200,000/year to Joe Fazio, a peerless recruiting expert (Recruiting 100). We still hold the highest place in Colton's affections, but can we close the deal if Fazio turns on his charm?

Charles Rogers is still all about Harvard, so we're moving on. I offer the scholarship that was marked for Charles to James Elder instead.

We bring center Nate Phillips and wing Chris Carrier to campus for visits. If they become bigger priorities for us, I'll introduce them to you in more detail.

Now, on to Decision Day...

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2023
Decision Day

We pull off a recruiting coup, landing Colton Mullins after a spirited battle with Boston College, the most prestigious program in our state. The all-state wing gives us another young shooter whom opposing defenses have to account for whenever he's on the court. Next year, Colton will be teammates with George Dillon, Bradford Williams, Carter Keegan, and Chris Como. I wouldn't want to have to guard them, would you?

The fact that BC's head coach, Malcolm Perry, is a Williams alumnus makes this signing even more fun.

Welcome to the Amherst basketball family, Colton!

Speaking of Williams, they offer James Elder a schollie this month, too. James still prefers Amherst, and we hope to keep it this way with another strong recruiting effort.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 3, 2023

Today marks the official opening of the "new" Hixon Arena. The best parts of the gym's original architecture have been preserved, but it's been dressed up a bit, and the facilities have been upgraded to a more modern standard.

Here's the team that will take to the court there this season:
Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryan Currin 0 PG Jr* 6-4 194 Yes 11 Unhappy Greenwich, NY
Carter Keegan 1 SG Fr 6-2 186 Yes 90 OK Bourne, MA
Lane Saunders 2 C So 6-11 265 Yes 77 OK Ashburnham, MA
Owen Elliott 3 SG So* 6-4 208 Yes 93 OK West Haven, CT
George Dillon 4 SF Jr 6-3 216 Yes 66 OK Maitland, Australia
Chris Como 10 SG Fr 6-5 197 Yes 99 Redshirt Deerfield, MA
Doyle Cannon 13 PG Sr 5-10 164 Yes 22 OK Stoneham, MA
Tate Mathewson 14 PG So 6-3 200 Yes 98 OK Andover, MA
Bradford Williams 15 SF Jr 6-11 249 Yes 31 OK Waterford, CT
Brian Fletcher 21 SF Jr 6-4 202 No 61 Unhappy Wayne, NJ
Thomas Fernandez 31 C Jr* 7-0 230 Yes 79 OK Litchfield, CT
Carson Shears 32 PF Sr 6-8 253 Yes 75 OK Coventry, CT
Anselme Catoire 34 C Sr* 6-11 272 No 54 OK Arnage, France
Matt McGowan 40 C Jr 6-10 250 Yes 80 OK Danvers, MA
Reece Reynolds 41 PF Fr 6-9 226 Yes 84 OK Holmdel, NJ

And here's how they improved during fall training:
AMHERST Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryan Currin 1 2 1 1 3 3 0 1 1 1 2 1 0 2 0 9
Carter Keegan 0 6 2 6 0 2 2 2 2 4 6 2 2 6 1 24
Lane Saunders 5 2 6 1 2 1 7 7 5 1 1 7 1 0 0 6
Owen Elliott 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 3
George Dillon 2 7 7 5 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 0 4
Chris Como 2 4 4 4 2 2 2 2 2 4 2 0 1 4 0 6
Doyle Cannon 2 3 1 5 13 6 2 2 4 4 4 2 0 0 1 6
Tate Mathewson 2 2 1 3 4 4 2 2 0 3 2 0 2 2 1 4
Bradford Williams 1 3 1 5 1 4 2 2 2 8 5 2 1 0 1 6
Brian Fletcher 2 0 1 0 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 2 1 6
Thomas Fernandez 1 1 1 0 1 1 3 2 4 1 1 2 1 3 1 9
Carson Shears 4 2 1 0 4 1 4 8 2 1 2 2 2 5 2 8
Anselme Catoire 2 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 5
Matt McGowan 3 1 3 1 1 1 3 4 4 0 0 3 1 3 1 4
Reece Reynolds 4 2 2 0 2 0 4 2 4 2 2 2 3 10 2 26

Coach Toby Whittaker will have at his disposal three starters from last year's team, plus another player who was just as important to the Mammoths' path to the NCAA tournament.

Bradford Williams earned postseason honors in each of his first two collegiate seasons. Now a junior, the Big Unicorn earns his nickname with a style of play that fits his 6'11", 250-pound frame like an off-the-rack suit. Bradford takes--and makes--a lot of threes and scores from closer range with a variety of shots, including an old-school skyhook. He is working on becoming a better rebounder, especially on the defensive glass.

Last year, Lane Saunders succeeded Williams as the NEC Freshman of the Year. Lane is a traditional anchor big who emerges from camp with better interior skills. We've never had to count on Lane for lots of offense, but he is capable of scoring from the low block and he's a good free throw shooter.

Senior Doyle Cannon will start at guard once again. Our staff is delighted with the progress he made as he takes the keys of our team's offense. Doyle will score his 1000th point sometime in November, and his 200th career assist will come soon after, now that he is "officially" our primary playmaker.

His classmate, Carson Shears, has paid his dues for three years. After he torpedoed his freshman season with an inability to keep his academics in order, Carson has been a diligent student, and his work on the court has never been questioned. Three years as a key frontcourt reserve have prepared this former two-star recruit to start at the four spot this season. He'll grab some rebounds, play responsible defense, and provide us with scoring support.

The fifth starter will be freshman guard Carter Keegan. A three-star recruit from Cape Cod, we thought he'd be good...but he's looking much better than we thought. He's already a Green player, with a polished set of skills that will already play in the New England Conference. Like many freshmen, Carter needed to be stronger and fitter to take this step, but he worked relentlessly in camp to achieve those goals. I'm anxious to see what he can do this season.

The sixth key player on this year's team is George Dillon. Our Aussie import is the first man off our bench, and the automatic choice to slot into the starting lineup if someone goes down. George is an entertaining player, too, able to thrill the crowd with a full repertoire of dunks.

Our primary frontcourt reserve will be junior Matt McGowan. He appeared in every game last season, averaging seven minutes per contest. He might very well play three times as much this year. Matt has been an especially productive rebounder, and he is an excellent post defender.

Tate Mathewson will get some run as Cannon's understudy at point guard. He's another player whom opponents can't let shoot uncontested jumpers.

Freshman big Reece Reynolds will compete for a spot in the rotation with Thomas Fernandez. We're able to give Chris Como a redshirt year, because there's simply no room in the rotation for him right now.

Our departed seniors from the Class of 2023 will certainly be missed. Alan Rasberry was a star, and he inspired his teammates by coming back from a painful injury and leading them to an NEC tournament championship and a spot in the NCAA field. Spencer Lund was tough and dependable, an invaluable mentor for Lane Saunders and a relentless competitor.

Who will play those roles this season? Will the Big Unicorn take the next step and become the team's talisman? Or will it be Doyle Cannon's turn, taking the spotlight in his senior season? Is Carter Keegan ready for prime time?

Will Carson Shears provide the "glue and grit" that Spencer brought to the team, with help from fellow veterans George Dillon and Matt McGowan?

If the answers to most of these questions is "yes," then we'll enjoy another 20-plus victories and another NEC regular season title. And, with three timely wins in the conference tourney, another trip to the Big Dance. Our AD expects nothing less.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2023
Recruiting Update

Just like that, our recruiting season ends today, as James Elder announces his commitment to Amherst.

Like I posted above, someone is wrong about this player. I hope it's the national scouts, because if we're right, James has a chance to develop into a remarkably well-rounded big man who can do everything well except defend the rim. Even if we miss with some of our evaluations, James should help us quite a bit.

The presence of Lane Saunders means James doesn't need to start at center right away. He could play himself into the starting five at power forward, though. It will be fun to find out.

Welcome to Amherst basketball, James!

[MoonlightGraham]

December 21, 2023

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
----------------------------------------------------------------------
11/11/23 St. Francis-NY 3-6 281 W 74-54 1-0
11/14/23 at Muhlenberg 5-3 97 L 70-64 1-1
11/18/23 Swarthmore 4-6 131 W 71-61 2-1
11/22/23 at Green Bay 4-5 279 W 57-48 3-1
11/26/23 at Gonzaga 9-3 23 L 66-57 3-2
11/29/23 Dickinson 2-9 284 W 75-57 4-2
12/02/23 Bucknell 2-9 342 W 67-58 5-2
12/07/23 Yale 2-5 359 W 82-62 6-2
12/10/23 at Colgate 7-3 76 L 64-58 6-3
12/13/23 St. Peter's 5-5 159 W 73-66 7-3
12/17/23 at #13 Vanderbilt 10-0 8 L 87-69 7-4

With the exception of the loss at Muhlenberg, the pre-conference season goes about as well as I thought it would.

The Muhlenberg game is a contest between two good teams, both playing fairly well. The Mules also beat La Salle, who's nearly in the Top 25 and are a fixture in the Mid Major poll.

Doyle Cannon has taken a step forward, emerging as our leading offensive threat. As teams key on him more, he takes fewer unchallenged three-pointers, but he's making nearly as many as he ever did and averages just over 17 PPG. Doyle scores the 1000th point of his Amherst career in our win over Bucknell.

I'm not sure I'd call it a surprise, but the adjustment of Carter Keegan to college basketball has been another key theme in our season's story. We don't need Carter to be the team's focus--we have Doyle and Bradford Williams to play those roles--so he's been free to grow without extreme amounts of pressure to be "the man." Carter hasn't quite found his shooting stroke, but he's still averaging almost 9 PPG.

2023 New England Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------
Amherst 0 0 .000 7 4 .636 104 31
Wesleyan 0 0 .000 5 4 .556 57 26
Trinity 0 0 .000 5 4 .556 100 22
Williams 0 0 .000 5 4 .556 121 16
Bates 0 0 .000 4 5 .444 245 27
Bowdoin 0 0 .000 3 7 .300 204 12
Middlebury 0 0 .000 3 6 .333 310 18
Colby 0 0 .000 2 8 .200 136 7
Hamilton 0 0 .000 2 8 .200 212 35
Tufts 0 0 .000 2 8 .200 353 16

Hamilton, still the NEC's most prestigious program, has endured a rough November and December. Wesleyan holds the honor of "biggest non-conference victory," with their 74-64 defeat of Michigan.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 21, 2024

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/21/23 at Wesleyan 13-6 131 W 76-74 8-4 (1-0)
12/23/23 at Colby 7-13 142 W 72-69 9-4 (2-0)
12/28/23 Bates 9-10 255 W 79-73 10-4 (3-0)
12/30/23 Middlebury 5-14 341 W 74-61 11-4 (4-0)
01/04/24 at Williams 10-9 204 W 61-36 12-4 (5-0)
01/06/24 at Hamilton 8-12 222 W 69-61 13-4 (6-0)
01/13/24 Trinity 10-9 188 W 78-70 14-4 (7-0)
01/18/24 Bowdoin 7-12 292 L 86-79 14-5 (7-1)
01/20/24 Tufts 2-17 366 W 72-65 15-5 (8-1)

Things couldn't be going much better at the halfway mark of our conference season.

We've become much, much better at defending than we were. It's been a recruiting priority for me, and so far, it's paid off. Our opponents are averaging 65.5 points per game. That's five points fewer than we allowed last season and almost TEN points fewer than Toby Whittaker's first Amherst team. So far, we're not shooting particularly well, but I'm inclined to believe that's an anomaly, rather than a trend. For example, we have too many good shooters to be making only 30.4% of our threes. That's where our percentage is now.

Hamilton has turned things around since conference play began. They take a 4-0 record into their January 6 date with us, and we win the battle of unbeaten teams to take sole possession of first place in the conference. Connor Keegan enjoys his first really big game as a collegian, going 5-for-7 from distance and scoring 24 points. Connor is the early favorite for NEC Freshman of the Year, leading all the players in his class at 11.3 PPG. He'd be the third Mammoth to win the FOY in three years (Bradford Williams and Lane Saunders are the others).

We make our first appearance in the Mid Major poll the next day, coming in at #22. We rise to #20 the next week...before our loss to Bowdoin at Hixon Arena sends us out of the rankings.

2023 New England Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst 8 1 .889 15 5 .750 63 31
Wesleyan 7 2 .778 13 6 .684 137 26
Hamilton 6 3 .667 8 12 .400 221 35
Williams 5 4 .556 10 9 .526 204 16
Colby 5 4 .556 7 13 .350 144 7
Trinity 4 5 .444 10 9 .526 188 22
Bates 4 5 .444 9 10 .474 260 27
Bowdoin 4 5 .444 7 12 .368 293 12
Middlebury 2 7 .222 5 14 .263 340 18
Tufts 0 9 .000 2 17 .105 365 16

We remain in control of the NEC race. Our chances of winning the regular season title are made a bit better by the fact we'll be playing all four of the other teams with winning records in conference play at home, where we're 10-1 this season.

The victory at Wesleyan is the 100th of Toby Whittaker's coaching career. He's now 107-44 for his career, with a .709 winning percentage that ranks him 25th all-time. Coach Whittaker has now coached enough games to qualify for this leaderboard.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 25, 2024

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
01/25/24 at Middlebury 7-22 362 W 46-34 16-5 (9-1)
01/27/24 at Bates 17-12 199 W 70-60 17-5 (10-1)
02/01/24 Hamilton 11-18 275 L 67-52 17-6 (10-2)
02/03/24 Williams 14-15 205 W 69-38 18-6 (11-2)
02/10/24 at Trinity 15-14 264 W 57-52 19-6 (12-2)
02/15/24 at Tufts 6-23 364 L 63-55 19-7 (12-3)
02/17/24 at Bowdoin 13-16 254 W 79-60 20-7 (13-3)
02/22/24 Colby 11-18 182 W 76-74 21-7 (14-3)
02/24/24 Wesleyan 17-12 214 W 82-74 22-7 (15-3)

Our second trip through the NEC is almost as successful as our first, and we finish with the best conference record of Toby Whittaker's career.

The game at Middlebury is an ugly rock fight. 46-34 looks more like a halftime score (even though it's been a minute since an Amherst team put up 90 points).

We rise as high as #20 in the Mid Major Poll, before we crash back to earth with a lackluster performance against Hamilton in which no Mammoth scores in double figures. Fortunately, we awaken from our slump in the second half against Williams; we trail, 23-22 at the break before we break the game apart. Our arch-rivals score a total of 74 points against us in two games, part of a run of resolute efforts that produce the three stingiest defensive performances in Amherst history within a month.

The low point of our season comes when we blow an 8-point lead and lose at home to a Tufts team that's 3-12 in conference play. Despite the loss, we're still three points ahead in the NEC race, and we clinch the regular season title two nights later at Bowdoin.

Bradford Williams has drawn much more attention from opposing teams this season. He almost never gets the open looks he enjoyed during his first two seasons, the ones he almost invariably knocks down. Bradford enjoys a moment of glory against Colby, when he rises above two defenders to drill a game-winning jumper with four seconds remaining.

We barely have time to enjoy our regular season championship before we're off to the conference tournament. For a team in a one-bid conference like ours, the importance of the tournament is magnified.

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst 15 3 .833 22 7 .759 80 31
Bates 11 7 .611 17 12 .586 199 27
Bowdoin 10 8 .556 13 16 .448 254 12
Wesleyan 10 8 .556 17 12 .586 214 26
Williams 9 9 .500 14 15 .483 205 16
Hamilton 9 9 .500 11 18 .379 275 35
Colby 9 9 .500 11 18 .379 182 7
Trinity 9 9 .500 15 14 .517 264 22
Middlebury 4 14 .222 7 22 .241 362 18
Tufts 4 14 .222 6 23 .207 364 16

[MoonlightGraham]

March 1, 2024
New England Conference Tournament, Second Round
#8 Trinity 68, #1 Amherst 61

--------------------------------------------------------
Trinity (17-14, 9-9):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Nacho Pardo C 31 4-7 2-2 4 11 1 2 11
Emon Bonte PF 26 2-5 3-4 8 12 1 4 7
Merle Levine SF 34 4-13 1-5 3 6 1 3 11
Alan Harris SG 35 3-5 0-0 0 0 1 3 7
Daryl Youngman PG 37 6-12 4-4 0 0 5 4 18
Hal Wolf PF 17 0-0 0-0 0 3 2 1 0
Jerry Branscum C 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Michael Hayden SF 13 3-4 3-5 0 1 0 1 10
Robert Chilton SF 1 0-0 2-2 0 1 0 0 2
James Bunch SG 5 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2

Turnovers: 16 (N.Pardo 1, E.Bonte 1, M.Levine 2,
A.Harris 6, D.Youngman 3, H.Wolf 2, M.Hayden 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (N.Pardo 5, E.Bonte 1)
Steals: 6 (E.Bonte 1, M.Levine 1, A.Harris 1,
D.Youngman 1, H.Wolf 1, M.Hayden 1)
3P FGs: 7-20 (N.Pardo 1-2, E.Bonte 0-1, M.Levine 2-8,
A.Harris 1-3, D.Youngman 2-4, M.Hayden 1-2)

Amherst (22-8, 15-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lane Saunders C 29 4-9 2-2 4 6 1 5 10
Carson Shears PF 32 3-7 2-5 0 4 0 3 8
Bradford Williams SF 34 3-5 3-4 2 5 1 5 11
Carter Keegan SG 32 2-9 0-0 4 5 3 2 5
Doyle Cannon PG 34 5-11 6-7 0 1 4 4 17
George Dillon SF 8 2-3 0-0 0 1 0 2 4
Tate Mathewson PG 8 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 2
Matt McGowan C 17 1-3 0-0 1 2 2 2 2
Anselme Catoire PF 2 1-1 0-0 1 1 0 1 2
Owen Elliott SG 4 0-0 0-0 1 1 1 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (L.Saunders 2, C.Shears 2, B.Williams 4,
C.Keegan 4, D.Cannon 2, G.Dillon 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (L.Saunders 1, T.Mathewson 1)
Steals: 7 (C.Shears 1, B.Williams 2, C.Keegan 1,
D.Cannon 3)
3P FGs: 4-17 (B.Williams 2-4, C.Keegan 1-6, D.Cannon
1-4, G.Dillon 0-1, T.Mathewson 0-1, M.McGowan 0-1)

Player of Game: C Nacho Pardo (TRIN)

Trinity plays tenacious defense against us, and when we get decent shots, we can't make them. As a result, we'll watch the remainder of the conference tournament and await the decisions of the tournament selection committees.

The Bantams' European big men, Nacho Pardo and Emon Bonte, have their way with us all day long. They're both battle-tested seniors, Bonte has started 125 collegiate games, and they've played over 6000 minutes between them. But Carson Shears is a senior, too.

Bradford Williams and Doyle Cannon play well, but the Bantams do such a good job against everyone else that it doesn't matter much.
Record: 22-8.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 10, 2024

Trinity continues their run to destiny, beating Williams and Bates in turn and winning the NEC tournament. They're given the #15 seed in the NCAA East Region, and they'll face the mighty Kentucky Wildcats. The Jumbos have made the NCAA tournament once before; they lost a play-in game in 2016.

We're picked by the NIT selection committee to join the Midwest Region as the #6 seed.

Bates, who are awarded the #8 seed in the CIT, is the only other New England Conference team to gain a spot in a postseason tournament.


March 14, 2024
NIT Midwest Region, First Round
#6 Amherst 54, #3 Miami-Ohio 44

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (23-8, 15-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lane Saunders C 31 3-6 4-4 3 9 2 2 10
Carson Shears PF 25 0-5 1-4 0 7 0 3 1
Bradford Williams SF 33 3-11 5-6 4 10 1 2 12
Carter Keegan SG 33 2-6 2-3 0 3 3 1 7
Doyle Cannon PG 33 4-13 0-0 0 0 1 1 11
George Dillon SF 13 1-5 1-2 0 2 0 0 4
Tate Mathewson PG 7 0-0 2-2 0 1 1 0 2
Matt McGowan C 17 1-2 3-4 2 4 1 3 5
Anselme Catoire PF 3 1-1 0-0 1 1 0 2 2
Reece Reynolds PF 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Owen Elliott SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Thomas Fernandez C 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (L.Saunders 2, C.Shears 1, B.Williams 3,
C.Keegan 2, D.Cannon 1, G.Dillon 2)
Blocked Shots: 2 (L.Saunders 1, D.Cannon 1)
Steals: 9 (L.Saunders 1, C.Shears 1, B.Williams 2,
C.Keegan 2, D.Cannon 1, T.Mathewson 1, M.McGowan 1)
3P FGs: 6-26 (L.Saunders 0-1, B.Williams 1-6, C.Keegan
1-5, D.Cannon 3-9, G.Dillon 1-3, M.McGowan 0-1,
T.Fernandez 0-1)

Miami-Ohio (20-13, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Robert Brown C 28 1-3 0-0 1 8 1 5 2
Joe Schmidt PF 36 4-18 3-5 3 8 2 4 11
Douglas Barnes SF 28 2-10 1-2 2 4 0 4 5
Frankie Ginsberg SG 30 2-6 2-2 0 6 3 4 6
Joseph Cosentino PG 33 1-3 0-0 2 4 1 0 3
Henry Oldham C 12 2-3 0-1 0 1 0 2 4
William Szymanski SF 20 4-7 0-0 1 2 1 4 9
Edward Cecil C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Buddy Garrow SG 11 1-1 2-2 0 3 1 2 4
Maynard Thorson PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (R.Brown 2, J.Schmidt 1, D.Barnes 2,
J.Cosentino 3, H.Oldham 1, W.Szymanski 4, B.Garrow 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (J.Schmidt 1)
Steals: 5 (D.Barnes 4, J.Cosentino 1)
3P FGs: 2-15 (J.Schmidt 0-1, D.Barnes 0-4, F.Ginsberg
0-3, J.Cosentino 1-3, H.Oldham 0-1, W.Szymanski 1-3)

Player of Game: C Lane Saunders (AMHST)

Some wins are ugly. We're actually quite good at winning basketbrawls like this one, playing hard-nosed defense and taking care of the ball like it's a precious jewel. Miami is not usually a poor-shooting team; they're right in the middle of the national rankings for three-point shooting, and they're #73 nationally in points per shot. We simply don't let them do what they want.

Meanwhile, Bradford Williams and Lane Saunders reassert themselves, playing like they're nearly seven feet tall.
Record: 23-8.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 16, 2024
NIT Round of 16

(6) Amherst 66, (2) George Mason 50

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (24-8, 15-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lane Saunders C 19 2-2 1-1 3 4 1 3 5
Carson Shears PF 25 1-5 2-4 3 9 1 4 4
Bradford Williams SF 34 9-17 2-3 1 6 0 1 27
Carter Keegan SG 33 1-5 0-2 1 1 3 1 3
Doyle Cannon PG 33 2-5 2-2 3 7 3 2 7
George Dillon SF 14 2-10 0-0 1 3 0 1 5
Tate Mathewson PG 4 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 3
Matt McGowan C 25 4-7 4-5 3 7 1 4 12
Anselme Catoire PF 10 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 2 0
Reece Reynolds PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Owen Elliott SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (L.Saunders 1, C.Shears 5, B.Williams 4,
C.Keegan 1, D.Cannon 1, M.McGowan 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (M.McGowan 1)
Steals: 6 (C.Shears 3, B.Williams 1, D.Cannon 2)
3P FGs: 11-29 (B.Williams 7-13, C.Keegan 1-5, D.Cannon
1-3, G.Dillon 1-4, T.Mathewson 1-2, M.McGowan 0-1,
A.Catoire 0-1)

George Mason (21-11, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Timothy Loughlin C 27 1-2 5-5 1 6 1 4 7
Shayne Lindgren PF 35 0-3 5-6 0 3 0 2 5
Donnell Abshire SF 34 4-8 2-4 1 8 2 3 12
Edward Abbate SG 31 2-6 1-2 0 3 1 3 6
Joseph Muliere PG 34 3-8 2-2 0 0 2 2 10
Marcus Cusick SG 14 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Dexter Garcia SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Elbert Maness PG 3 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Carl Mullens C 17 2-6 3-4 3 4 0 3 7
Randal Townes SF 3 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 3

Turnovers: 16 (T.Loughlin 3, S.Lindgren 1, D.Abshire 4,
J.Muliere 6, M.Cusick 1, C.Mullens 1)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 5 (D.Abshire 3, E.Abbate 2)
3P FGs: 6-21 (D.Abshire 2-6, E.Abbate 1-3, J.Muliere
2-7, M.Cusick 0-1, E.Maness 0-1, C.Mullens 0-2,
R.Townes 1-1)

Player of Game: SF Bradford Williams (AMHST)
Bradford Williams chooses the perfect time to post his career high in points, carrying his teammates to the Midwest Region final with a decisive win over a good George Mason team.

If this were a hockey game, the second star would go to reserve big man Matt McGowan, who comes off the bench for 25 productive minutes.

Next, we'll face Texas A&M, who eliminated the Gonzaga team who beat us 66-57 back in November.
Record: 24-8.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 21, 2024
NIT Round of 8
(1) Texas A&M 72, (6) Amherst 55

--------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (24-9, 15-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lane Saunders C 32 1-6 0-0 0 7 1 3 2
Carson Shears PF 23 2-5 0-0 0 6 1 4 4
Bradford Williams SF 25 5-6 0-3 1 4 2 4 13
Carter Keegan SG 31 3-6 0-0 1 4 3 1 8
Doyle Cannon PG 33 6-12 0-0 1 1 0 0 15
George Dillon SF 18 1-6 0-0 1 4 3 0 2
Tate Mathewson PG 11 2-5 0-0 0 0 0 3 5
Matt McGowan PF 17 1-5 2-2 3 8 1 1 4
Anselme Catoire PF 7 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 0 2
Owen Elliott SG 1 0-0 0-0 2 2 0 0 0

Turnovers: 19 (L.Saunders 1, C.Shears 1, B.Williams 4,
C.Keegan 6, D.Cannon 1, G.Dillon 4, M.McGowan 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (L.Saunders 1)
Steals: 2 (B.Williams 1, G.Dillon 1)
3P FGs: 9-23 (B.Williams 3-3, C.Keegan 2-4, D.Cannon
3-8, G.Dillon 0-3, T.Mathewson 1-4, A.Catoire 0-1)

Texas A&M (24-10, 8-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Charles Norris C 34 5-10 3-5 1 8 0 0 13
Thurman Mehta PF 32 3-7 8-9 1 5 1 1 15
Agustin Fuentes SF 27 5-13 1-1 3 6 3 4 12
Brice Lamb SG 34 5-8 1-1 2 5 5 3 12
Antony Campbell PG 32 3-8 2-2 0 4 4 2 10
Jose Lippert PG 14 0-4 1-2 0 1 1 1 1
Davis Frechette PF 10 2-3 0-0 1 1 0 1 4
Daniel Kellner SF 5 1-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 3
Charles Sallee PG 6 1-3 0-1 0 1 0 0 2
Elbert Romans C 4 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 7 (T.Mehta 2, A.Fuentes 1, B.Lamb 2,
A.Campbell 1, D.Kellner 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (C.Norris 5, T.Mehta 2)
Steals: 9 (T.Mehta 1, A.Fuentes 4, J.Lippert 1,
D.Kellner 1, C.Sallee 1, E.Romans 1)
3P FGs: 6-21 (C.Norris 0-1, T.Mehta 1-3, A.Fuentes 1-5,
B.Lamb 1-3, A.Campbell 2-6, J.Lippert 0-2, D.Kellner
1-1)

Player of Game: C Charles Norris (TXAM)

A good Big XII team is too much for us tonight. The Aggies use our winning formula against us; they force us out of our comfort zone with non-stop defense, avoid turning the ball over, and score five players in double figures.

Doyle Cannon leads us in scoring in his 127th and final game in Amherst purple.
Record: 24-9.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 1, 2024

At least we can say we were eliminated from the NIT by the team who won it all. Texas A&M goes on to defeat Arizona and Virginia Tech to claim the tournament title.

It's a good month for basketball in the Lone Star State. Texas defeats Alabama, 93-78, to win the NCAA championship. The Crimson Tide, a 10 seed, couldn't quite fit their elephantine foot into the glass slipper.

2023 NEW ENGLAND AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SO SF Tyson Overcash Williams 12.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.7 APG 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SG Carter Keegan Amherst 9.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.2 APG 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Toby Whittaker Amherst 24 - 9 (15 - 3)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Michael Grigsby Bates 11.1 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PF JR Arthur Green Bates 14.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.1 BPG
SF SO Tyson Overcash Williams 12.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR Stephen Driggers Bates 11.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Doyle Cannon Amherst 14.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Jerry Parker Middlebury 12.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PF SR Nacho Pardo Trinity 8.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.3 SPG, 1.5 BPG
SF JR Bradford Williams Amherst 11.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG SR Elijah McDonnell Colby 17.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG JR Joseph Revels Colby 16.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Thomas Caruthers Tufts 7.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG
PF FR Mikel Sanchez Wesleyan 4.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SF FR Trent Rosenberg Tufts 7.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG FR Carter Keegan Amherst 9.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Ryan Chan Middlebury 5.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Carter Keegan continues the tradition of Amherst players winning the NEC Freshman of the Year Award, earning that honor on top of a spot on the All-Freshman Team.

Bradford Williams earns postseason honors for the third year, but he drops down to the second team after a first-team berth last season. Bradford is unseated by the conference POY, Tyson Overcash of Williams.

I've never seen an all-conference point guard who averages only two assists per game, but that's who Doyle Cannon is. If I'm McKinley Marine (15.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG for Wesleyan), I'm feeling a bit hard done by here.

And Toby Whittaker is named the conference's top coach for the fifth consecutive season.

2023 New England Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------
Amherst 15 3 .833 24 9 .727 68 31
Bates 11 7 .611 19 14 .576 208 27
Bowdoin 10 8 .556 13 17 .433 273 12
Wesleyan 10 8 .556 17 13 .567 230 26
Williams 9 9 .500 15 16 .484 198 16
Hamilton 9 9 .500 12 19 .387 263 35
Colby 9 9 .500 12 19 .387 206 7
Trinity 9 9 .500 19 15 .559 197 22
Middlebury 4 14 .222 7 23 .233 361 18
Tufts 4 14 .222 6 24 .200 364 16

Our conference needs another 20-win team or two.

[MoonlightGraham]

AMHERST TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 31 Record Vs 1-50: 1-2 Poll Rank: NR
Season Record: 24-9 Record Vs 51-100: 1-1 RPI Rank: #68
Conference Record: 15-3 Record Vs 101-200: 5-3
Home Record: 13-2 Record Vs 200+: 17-3


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 67.5 4 210 Points 61.9 2 22 Points 5.6 1 55
O.Reb 9.7 9 284 O.Reb 9.8 1 78 O.Reb -0.2 8 199
D.Reb 23.8 5 274 D.Reb 20.1 1 2 D.Reb 3.7 1 20
Rebounds 33.5 9 305 Rebounds 30.0 1 4 Rebounds 3.5 2 55
Assists 11.0 8 327 Assists 11.3 3 11 Assists -0.3 5 188
Steals 5.9 5 130 Steals 6.4 9 317 Steals -0.5 4 224
Blocks 2.4 6 263 Blocks 2.2 1 5 Blocks 0.3 2 132
Turnovers 16.1 10 358 Turnovers 13.6 3 181 Turnovers 2.4 9 327
Fouls 17.3 1 23 Fouls 20.4 2 81 Fouls -3.1 2 22
FG% .452 1 51 FG% .421 5 106 FG% .031 1 59
FT% .733 1 15 FT% .692 9 300 FT% .041 2 53
3P% .367 1 70 3P% .301 2 12 3P% .066 1 18
PPS 1.40 1 2 PPS 1.19 2 78 PPS .219 1 9
Adj. FG% .536 1 18 Adj. FG% .474 3 90 Adj. FG% .062 1 26
We were much sounder defensively, but our success was probably enhanced a bit by our very, very slow pace. We took only 48.1 shots per game, which ranked 362nd among the 367 Division I teams. When we did shoot, we were very efficient.

AMHERST Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bradford Williams SF 33 33 33.0 11.9 1.3 4.7 2.4 1.6 0.1 3.5 2.4 4.4
Doyle Cannon PG 33 33 32.4 14.8 1.2 3.6 2.0 1.6 0.1 2.2 2.8 3.9
Lane Saunders C 33 32 30.6 7.1 1.9 7.0 1.1 0.2 1.2 1.9 2.5 2.5
Carter Keegan SG 33 33 30.1 9.9 1.3 3.2 2.2 1.0 0.1 3.2 2.4 4.8
Carson Shears PF 33 33 28.3 7.2 1.8 7.7 1.1 0.5 0.4 1.8 2.8 5.9
George Dillon SF 33 0 15.8 8.4 0.5 1.8 0.9 0.5 0.2 1.8 1.5 1.0
Matt McGowan C 33 0 15.8 3.9 1.2 3.8 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.8
Anselme Catoire C 5 1 8.8 3.0 0.8 1.2 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.2 1.4 -3.2
Tate Mathewson PG 32 0 5.4 1.8 0.0 0.3 0.5 0.1 0.0 0.4 0.5 1.8
Reece Reynolds PF 29 0 4.3 1.2 0.2 0.7 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.5 1.4
Owen Elliott SG 30 0 3.7 1.4 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.4 0.4 0.4
Bryan Currin PG 1 0 2.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Thomas Fernandez C 5 0 1.4 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 -0.4

AMHERST Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bradford Williams SF 33 33 1088 392 43 156 79 54 3 114 78 144
Doyle Cannon PG 33 33 1069 487 40 120 67 52 3 71 93 129
Lane Saunders C 33 32 1009 233 64 230 37 5 39 62 84 81
Carter Keegan SG 33 33 993 326 42 107 74 34 2 105 80 160
Carson Shears PF 33 33 933 236 58 253 36 17 12 58 94 194
George Dillon SF 33 0 523 276 18 61 30 17 6 60 50 34
Matt McGowan C 33 0 521 129 39 126 16 5 13 28 41 59
Anselme Catoire C 5 1 44 15 4 6 1 1 0 1 7 -16
Tate Mathewson PG 32 0 173 57 1 9 15 3 1 14 16 59
Reece Reynolds PF 29 0 125 34 6 20 5 1 1 4 15 42
Owen Elliott SG 30 0 112 42 4 16 2 6 0 13 12 11
Bryan Currin PG 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Thomas Fernandez C 5 0 7 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 -2

AMHERST Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bradford Williams SF 127 261 .487 65 87 .747 73 175 .417 1.50
Doyle Cannon PG 155 363 .427 86 114 .754 91 244 .373 1.34
Lane Saunders C 80 185 .432 72 96 .750 1 4 .250 1.26
Carter Keegan SG 93 225 .413 89 125 .712 51 154 .331 1.45
Carson Shears PF 87 177 .492 62 110 .564 0 0 .000 1.33
George Dillon SF 88 190 .463 70 84 .833 30 86 .349 1.45
Matt McGowan C 39 86 .453 51 64 .797 0 9 .000 1.50
Anselme Catoire C 6 12 .500 3 3 1.000 0 3 .000 1.25
Tate Mathewson PG 16 35 .457 15 17 .882 10 24 .417 1.63
Reece Reynolds PF 15 24 .625 3 7 .429 1 2 .500 1.42
Owen Elliott SG 11 27 .407 11 12 .917 9 23 .391 1.56
Bryan Currin PG 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0.00
Thomas Fernandez C 1 2 .500 0 0 .000 0 1 .000 1.00

We were remarkably fortunate this season when it came to injuries. We could field the same starting five for every game this season, with the exception of Anselme Catoire getting the start on his Senior Night.

Tate Mathewson enjoyed a quietly productive season this year. He's earned a real shot at the starting point guard position next fall.

[MoonlightGraham]

2023/24 Senior Snapshots

#34 C Anselme Catoire - Amherst - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-11
Weight: 272
High School:
Hometown: Arnage, France

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 49 10 38 37 35 2 53 33 38 10 51 24 32 80 36 72
2022: 47 10 37 37 34 2 51 32 37 10 49 23 31 80 36 67
2021: 44 10 36 37 33 2 48 30 36 10 47 22 30 77 35 61
2020: 42 10 35 37 32 2 46 29 35 10 46 21 28 73 34 52
2019: 40 10 34 36 31 2 44 28 34 10 45 20 28 68 34 42
2018: 36 10 32 34 29 2 40 26 32 10 43 18 25 58 33 22
Potential: C F C D D F C D C F B D

Health: Good
Scholarship: No
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 54

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021 22 0 8.8 2.9 0.6 1.9 0.1 0.3 0.29 0.2 0.1 1.0
2022 3 0 3.3 3.3 0.0 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.7 0.0 1.0
2023 5 1 8.8 3.0 0.8 1.2 0.2 0.2 1.00 0.2 0.0 1.4
Career 30 1 8.2 3.0 0.6 1.6 0.1 0.3 1.00 0.3 0.1 1.1

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021 1.0 2.1 .500 0.7 1.1 .667 0.1 0.7 .133 1.39 0.32
2022 1.0 1.3 .750 1.3 2.0 .667 0.0 0.0 .000 2.50 2.00
2023 1.2 2.4 .500 0.6 0.6 1.000 0.0 0.6 .000 1.25 -3.20
Career 1.1 2.1 .516 0.8 1.1 .697 0.1 0.6 .111 1.44 -0.10

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021 22 0 193 64 13 41 2 7 5 3 22
2022 3 0 10 10 0 2 0 0 2 0 3
2023 5 1 44 15 4 6 1 1 1 0 7
Career 30 1 247 89 17 49 3 8 8 3 32

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021 23 46 16 24 2 15 7
2022 3 4 4 6 0 0 6
2023 6 12 3 3 0 3 -16
Career 32 62 23 33 2 18 -3

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 9 2 2 1 1 0 1 3 7 3 3 0 1
Career 9 5 5 1 2 2 2 4 7 6 6 1 3

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019 High School: Rated * and #1670 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2019 Walked on at Amherst
Walk-on Anselme was the last Amherst player to arrive before Toby Whittaker did. His primary value lay in giving the Mammoths' big men a strong, tough opponent in practice. When Anselme got on the court, he was productive, and he maintained a positive attitude throughout.


#32 PF Carson Shears - Amherst - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-8
Weight: 253
High School: Coventry High School
Hometown: Coventry, CT

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 43 37 26 0 50 14 51 81 40 26 43 36 31 88 38 46
2022: 39 35 25 0 46 13 47 73 38 25 41 34 29 83 36 38
2021: 35 32 24 0 42 12 43 64 36 24 39 32 28 80 35 33
2020: 32 30 23 0 39 12 40 59 35 23 38 31 27 76 35 26
2019: 28 28 21 0 35 12 36 51 33 21 36 29 26 68 32 8
Potential: C C D F B D C A C C C C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 75

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020 14 0 12.1 2.4 1.2 3.4 0.5 0.6 0.78 0.1 0.3 0.9
2021 32 0 16.0 3.7 0.9 4.7 0.5 0.9 0.57 0.3 0.2 2.2
2022 33 0 15.0 4.3 1.1 4.7 0.6 0.7 0.87 0.2 0.2 1.7
2023 33 33 28.3 7.2 1.8 7.7 1.1 1.8 0.62 0.5 0.4 2.8
Career 112 33 18.8 4.7 1.3 5.4 0.7 1.1 0.62 0.3 0.3 2.1

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020 0.9 2.3 .406 0.6 1.2 .471 0.0 0.1 .000 1.06 0.00
2021 1.4 3.3 .425 0.9 1.7 .527 0.0 0.1 .000 1.12 -1.13
2022 1.7 3.1 .549 0.9 1.7 .518 0.0 0.1 .500 1.39 -0.09
2023 2.6 5.4 .492 1.9 3.3 .564 0.0 0.0 .000 1.33 5.88
Career 1.8 3.7 .482 1.1 2.1 .538 0.0 0.1 .167 1.27 1.38

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020 14 0 169 34 17 48 7 9 1 4 12
2021 32 0 513 119 30 149 16 28 10 5 69
2022 33 0 496 142 35 155 20 23 8 8 57
2023 33 33 933 236 58 253 36 58 17 12 94
Career 112 33 2111 531 140 605 79 118 36 29 232

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020 13 32 8 17 0 1 0
2021 45 106 29 55 0 3 -36
2022 56 102 29 56 1 2 -3
2023 87 177 62 110 0 0 194
Career 201 417 128 238 1 6 155

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 16 6 14 4 3 2 5 6 8 7 10 0 0
Career 16 7 14 4 3 2 5 6 9 7 10 1 1

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 2
2019 High School: Rated ** and #777 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2019 High School: All-State (Connecticut)
After suffering an embarrassing academic suspension his freshman year, Carson bounced back to become the productive player we envisioned he would be. A starter his senior year, Carson led the team in rebounding and was our best plus-minus performer. He ranks sixth on our career rebounding leader board.


#13 PG Doyle Cannon - Amherst - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 5-10
Weight: 164
High School: Stoneham High School
Hometown: Stoneham, MA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 30 46 50 91 90 39 38 40 38 50 53 26 73 42 46 85
2022: 28 43 49 86 77 33 36 38 34 46 49 24 73 42 45 79
2021: 27 40 48 81 67 28 35 37 31 41 44 22 72 42 45 72
2020: 26 38 46 77 59 24 34 36 29 38 41 21 71 41 44 65
2019: 24 36 44 73 51 22 32 34 27 34 37 19 70 39 43 49
Potential: D C C A A C C C C C C D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 22

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020 31 1 16.2 6.1 0.7 2.5 1.4 1.0 1.38 0.7 0.1 1.5
2021 30 26 28.6 10.9 1.0 4.2 2.1 1.7 1.24 0.8 0.0 2.5
2022 33 33 31.4 13.6 1.0 4.4 2.0 1.5 1.30 1.3 0.0 2.7
2023 33 33 32.4 14.8 1.2 3.6 2.0 2.2 0.94 1.6 0.1 2.8
Career 127 93 27.3 11.4 1.0 3.7 1.9 1.6 0.94 1.1 0.1 2.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020 2.0 4.4 .445 1.3 1.6 .804 0.8 2.6 .325 1.38 1.87
2021 3.6 7.9 .460 1.6 2.3 .710 2.0 5.0 .400 1.38 1.90
2022 4.5 9.2 .485 2.1 3.1 .683 2.6 6.2 .415 1.48 7.18
2023 4.7 11.0 .427 2.6 3.5 .754 2.8 7.4 .373 1.34 3.91
Career 3.7 8.2 .454 1.9 2.6 .731 2.1 5.3 .386 1.39 3.79

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020 31 1 501 189 23 78 44 32 23 2 48
2021 30 26 857 327 30 126 62 50 24 1 74
2022 33 33 1037 450 33 145 65 50 42 1 89
2023 33 33 1069 487 40 120 67 71 52 3 93
Career 127 93 3464 1453 126 469 238 203 141 7 304

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020 61 137 41 51 26 80 58
2021 109 237 49 69 60 150 57
2022 148 305 69 101 85 205 237
2023 155 363 86 114 91 244 129
Career 473 1042 245 335 262 679 481

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 27 3 8 5 5 1 7 9 18 12 15 6 12
Career 27 5 11 7 5 1 7 9 20 12 16 7 13

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 15
2019 High School: Rated *** and #555 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2023 1st Team All-Conference (New England Conference)
Doyle was an important player from his first day on the campus. He was a consistent scorer whose career total ranks third all-time, behind Perry Jordan and Pierre Chauvin. An exceptional long-range shooter, Doyle's 262 made three-pointers are the most in Amherst history. He was also a secure ballhandler and a far better rebounder than a slender, 5'10" guard should be.

Thanks for the memories, Anselme, Carson, and Doyle.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 6, 2024

None of our three graduating seniors are selected in the professional draft.

2023 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
96. Colby New England SF Jack Stetson *** 0 0 2 1 1
209. Amherst New England SG Colton Mullins *** 0 0 1 1 0
225. Middlebury New England PF Charles Bayles *** 0 0 1 0 1
230. Trinity New England PG Milton Jennings ** 0 0 0 2 2
275. Bates New England C Hassan Ford ** 0 0 0 2 2
296. Tufts New England SG Richard Range ** 0 0 0 1 1
309. Wesleyan New England C Rupert Sisco ** 0 0 0 1 0
315. Bowdoin New England C Daniel Stromberg ** 0 0 0 1 2
339. Williams New England SG Trent Yocum * 0 0 0 0 2
344. Hamilton New England SF Winfred Stroman * 0 0 0 0 2

Our recruiting class isn't bad by NEC standards. Colby's SF Jack Stetson and PG Andre Seiber look like the league's two best incoming freshmen.

Colton Mullins is, like Stetson, a Red/Green player. We scouted him fairly well. Unfortunately, the national experts' evaluation of James Elder looks like the more accurate one.

Our Prestige goes up six more points to 37. We're now the highest-ranked team in our conference; Bates and Hamilton are each at 32.

I have some hard decisions to make considering Coach Whittaker's staff. Recruiting assistant David Getty wants a $70,000/year salary. He's a Level 3 coach with a 63 score for Recruiting. Can I find someone nearly as good for less money? Lead scout David Parham, a Level 3 coach with a 46 rating for Scouting, wants a $10,000 raise to $40,000/year. Both coaches are threatening to leave if their salary demands are not met.

I decide to give Coach Parham his raise and turn Coach Getty down. I might pay for this decision, but I'm also concerned about paying an assistant that much money. I wish I knew if we were getting a budget increase this season, but I won't find that out for another month or two.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2024

I had wondered if Toby Whittaker would ever get a job offer from another program. This year, he finally does...14 of them in the first head coach round.

Among them was an offer from Villanova. I had to smile at that one, since it was the site of so many happy memories with my Graham Sims dynasty. Coach Chas Gehring is retiring after a 14-18 season, but the Wildcats roster looks better than that. It's a very tempting offer; Villanova's 81 Prestige and $650,000 budget are extremely attractive. I think I'd like to tell a different story this time, however.

Then I read this email...

https://i.imgur.com/3jeygjI.jpeg

Toby is an alumnus of the University of Virginia, class of 2010. The Cavaliers have just fired coach Tom Schumann after three consecutive seasons without any postseason tournament bids. Coach Schumann gave Toby a job as a graduate assistant, and recommended him highly for the Amherst job.

At first, I say to myself, "It's too soon. Coach Whittaker isn't ready yet." Then I take a look at the other ACC head coaches. How accomplished are they?

Not surprisingly, North Carolina has a Level 13 man at the helm. Maryland's coach is Level 12. Then, there's a drop down to the five teams that employ a Level 9 coach, including Duke. Miami and Clemson have Level 8 coaches, Wake Forest's coach is Level 7, and Virginia Tech's is Level 6.

So Toby, a Level 7 coach with five consecutive winning seasons and five consecutive conference championships, wouldn't be too far out of his league at all.

Virginia's roster is a hodge-podge of guys from all over, including two Europeans and a Canadian. There is a single player from Virginia, one from Maryland, and one from Washington, DC. There are four walk-ons on the roster, and two transfers. As a whole, they are indifferent students; one of them literally has a score of 1 for Academics.

The potential for a very good story exists in Charlottesville. Besides improving the Cavaliers' record and prestige, I'd want to:

recruit more local players, eventually becoming the most attractive choice for promising players in Virginia and the DMV
raise the academic standards of the team


This looks like it will be a fun challenge. I notify the Virginia AD that I'll take the job.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2024

Two of Toby's assistants, scout David Parham and coaching assistant Forrest Gill, are willing to come with him to Charlottesville. David Getty is not, because he's hired as the new head coach at Amherst!

I like Coaches Parham and Gill, but are they up to the standards of the Atlantic Coast Conference? The answer is, unfortunately, no. Most of our ACC opponents will have lead scouts with scores in the 70s or better, and coaching assistants with ratings of 60 or better for coaching both offense and defense. Neither of Coach Whittaker's assistants from Amherst days approach those standards. It's been a great run, but it's time to part ways with them. Perhaps they'll return to Amherst and join Coach Getty's staff.

The Virginia AD suggests we spend about $400K on coaching salaries. I end up spending almost exactly that amount on Coach Whittaker's staff. Two of them--head recruiter Alec Mazur and coaching assistant Gerry Johnson. Head scout Jonathan Summers is stepping up from a very successful high school coaching career.

https://i.imgur.com/BSb5gCZ.jpeg

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2024
Recruiting Preview

We have two senior scholarship players on this year's roster: center Jan Billups and small forward Dee Jarmon. I can gain up to three more scholarships by cutting some of the walk-ons.

Here's how our depth chart looks, by class:

CENTERS: SR, FR, FR (W)
POWER FORWARDS: FR (W), FR (W), FR (W)
SMALL FORWARDS: SR, SO, SO, FR
SHOOTING GUARDS: SO, JR, FR
POINT GUARDS: JR, FR (W)

What a mess. One of the sophomore SFs will probably start at PF. We're also ridiculously weak at PG. We desperately need to recruit a big man and a playmaking guard. After I take a look at the recruits who are interested in playing at Virginia, I'll decide if I want to free up additional scholarships this time around.

Our recruiting budget is just over $20,000/month, which seems like a fortune after five years at Amherst. In fact, our budget ranks in the bottom half of the ACC. Fortunately, I want to give our roster a more local flavor, and players who live nearby cost less to recruit.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2024

Coach Whittaker and his staff place these players on their call list this month:

VIRGINIA Recruiting

Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
James Grau C 6-7 221 *** Very High Virginia
Chris Burke C 6-10 260 *** Very High Michigan
Reilly Campbell C 6-11 233 *** High Virginia
John Steinberg SF 6-7 193 *** High Virginia
Gilbert Rao PF 6-8 249 *** High Virginia
Charles Jones SF 6-5 193 *** High Virginia
Randal Barnes SG 6-3 177 *** High Virginia
David Ragsdale PG 6-1 174 *** High District of Columbia
Anthony Carreno PG 6-0 184 *** High Wisconsin
Herbert Lucy PF 6-9 209 *** High Maryland
Blaise Miller C 7-0 242 **** Average Virginia
Jaydon Johnson C 7-1 266 **** Average Virginia
Pat McInerney PG 6-2 170 **** Average Virginia
Casey Joyce C 6-10 222 **** Average Virginia
Cassius Warner C 6-9 272 **** Average Massachusetts
Tyler Parrish PG 6-3 184 *** Average Virginia
DeAngelo Richardson SF 6-6 187 *** Average Massachusetts
Micah Gregory SF 6-9 192 *** Average Maryland

I'm disappointed to see only two players with Very High interest in playing for us. Head recruiter Alec Mazur will earn every dollar of his salary this year.

We made an offer to one of these players already. Which one was it? You'll see next month...if anything promising comes of it.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2024

The player to whom we offered a scholarship will forever remain nameless. He has three other offers, and he doesn't list UVA among his top five. Needless to say, I'm going to look elsewhere.

Chris Burke, a big man from the Detroit suburbs, is one of the few players who expresses more than a casual interest in playing for us.
#24 C Chris Burke
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 260
High School: Whitmore Lake High School
Hometown: Whitmore Lake, MI
GPA: 2.69
Test Score: 1080
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 33 20 33 19 24 36 27 60 85 34 10 37 28 95 27 40
Potential: B F D C D C C A A D F B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14.9 2.5 13.4 2.1 2.0 1.05 0.6 1.9 2.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.1 12.0 .504 2.7 4.9 .551 0.1 1.7 .061

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Very High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Virginia, Cleveland State, Xavier, IPFW, Valparaiso
Assuming we're scouting him accurately, Chris projects as a dominant defender with a side of inside scoring ability. We can't afford not to add a big man in this recruiting cycle, so we'll pursue Chris actively.

Our need for a point guard is equally acute. Again, the player who likes us best is a midwesterner, Anthony Carreno.
#13 PG Anthony Carreno
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-0
Weight: 184
High School: Horicon High School
Hometown: Horicon, WI
GPA: 3.02
Test Score: 1100
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 31 36 54 31 42 41 55 11 32 31 10 11 88 42 79 24
Potential: D C C D C B B F D D F F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15.0 2.7 4.9 8.9 3.0 3.00 0.5 0.2 2.3

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.5 14.3 .455 1.2 1.6 .750 0.8 3.4 .239

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Very High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Green Bay, Iowa, Virginia, Michigan State, Central Michigan
Like Chris, Anthony is very good at the core skills that are unique to his role; in his case, passing and ballhandling. He shoots well enough to make opponents guard him honestly.

John Steinberg, a lean, sweet-shooting wing from Richmond, is the most promising in-state recruit on our list.
#5 SF John Steinberg
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 193
High School: Trinity Episcopal School
Hometown: Richmond, VA
GPA: 3.27
Test Score: 1330
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 41 57 65 50 10 22 36 33 0 48 31 13 31 22 50 62
Potential: C C B B D D C D D A D F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15.6 1.9 7.4 1.4 2.7 0.50 1.2 0.8 3.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.3 11.7 .541 2.0 2.3 .867 1.0 3.3 .303

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: High
Rankings: Southeast Region #96 Overall, Southeast Region #13 SF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: VCU, Virginia, Norfolk State, East Carolina, Radford
Unlike a lot of snipers, John takes equal pride in preventing his man from scoring. He ticks the "Virginia native" and "excellent student" boxes, too.

I decide to offer scholarships to Burke and Steinberg, and we'll make an all-out effort to recruit both of them. I'll cut a walk-on to free up a third scholarship offer. We have enough money to bring Carreno to campus, but I'm holding off on his scholarship offer for now. There are two or three promising guards from the DMV, and I can't resist seeing if we can pique their interest.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2024

Chris Burke picks up an offer from Akron, but he's still more interested in playing at UVA than anywhere else. Coaches Whittaker and Mazur will make their way out to Michigan again this month.

When we offer John Steinberg a scholarship, he responds by moving us to the top of his list. Again, we'll invest as much as we can in signing him.

Cutting another walk-on makes it possible for us to offer two point guards. One of them is Anthony Carreno, whom we met last month. We're tops on Anthony's list, and we'll send both coaches to Wisconsin to make sure we stay there.

The other guard we're offering a scholarship is highly-rated Virginia product Tyler Parrish.
#4 PG Tyler Parrish
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-3
Weight: 184
High School: Falls Church High School
Hometown: Falls Church, VA
GPA: 3.28
Test Score: 1340
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 10 28 85 38 68 77 5 15 11 49 50 3 68 27 43 37
Potential: F A A C B A F D D A C F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.8 1.0 3.8 5.7 1.9 3.05 1.9 0.1 2.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.9 7.9 .497 0.7 1.0 .737 0.3 1.2 .217

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Average
Rankings: #24 PG, Southeast Region #38 Overall, Southeast Region #8 PG
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: *George Mason, *Georgetown, *Virginia, *Iona, Pittsburgh
Tyler looks like the true point guard we don't have on our roster right now. He also shows the potential to become a lockdown defender. He hasn't been a high-volume scorer in high school, but he's capable of putting the ball in the basket. While we have some catching up to do--he lists two schools ahead of us--we haven't brought him to campus for a visit yet. We'll do that, and we can afford to send both coaches to visit him.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2024

Tyler Parrish upgrades his interest in UVA to Very High, but he still lists Georgetown and George Mason ahead of us, in that order. We've played our campus visit card; it's time to look elsewhere.

Meanwhile, we remain the only school to have made an offer to Chris Burke, John Steinberg, and Anthony Carreno. Chris has taken every other program off his list. I feel good about our chances of landing at least one of them on Decision Day next month.

I'll check the lists of under-recruited players to see if anyone we might be able to use has slipped through the cracks. If not, I'll hold onto the scholarship for next season.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2024
Decision Day

Today, Chris Burke and John Steinberg become the first recruits of the Toby Whittaker era at the University of Virginia.

Chris is a Blue Collar Man, a rugged defender and rebounder whom our staff believes possesses Blue-chip potential. He has a real chance to move directly into our starting lineup next fall.

John, too, could make an impact from his first day on Grounds next year. While he hasn't displayed tremendous shooting range in high school, we think he could develop into a dangerous marksman from behind the arc. If he does, he'll become a classic "three-and-D" wing.

Welcome to Virginia basketball, Chris and John!

Anthony Carreno is still making up his mind, but we're the only school on his list. It's probably a matter of time before he signs with us.

We found a three-star guard from Richmond with no scholarship offers. Meet Jay Slone.
#4 PG Jay Slone
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-3
Weight: 185
High School: St. Christopher's School
Hometown: Richmond, VA
GPA: 3.42
Test Score: 1330
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 16 47 71 37 36 48 29 52 39 26 27 30 71 47 71 57
Potential: D B B C B C C A D D C C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.3 2.2 8.9 5.4 2.7 2.00 0.7 1.1 2.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.3 15.3 .541 1.0 1.7 .606 0.8 2.7 .278

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Coppin State, William & Mary, Washington-MD, VCU, Virginia
Jay's high school stat line is that of a lead guard who can impact the game in a variety of ways. Several smaller programs are high on Jay's list, but he might welcome the opportunity to play in the ACC. Let's offer him a scholarship and give him the VIP recruiting treatment.

And who needs a bunch of nondescript walk-ons? Wouldn't you rather have this player on your team?
#40 SF Charles Jones
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-5
Weight: 193
High School: Woodberry Forest School
Hometown: Woodberry Forest, VA
GPA: 3.23
Test Score: 1290
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 45 63 54 40 6 20 26 6 18 21 6 15 66 53 41 1
Potential: C A B B F F C F F A D D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.8 2.2 3.9 1.4 3.7 0.38 1.3 0.6 3.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.9 18.2 .543 0.8 1.4 .571 1.3 3.8 .342

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Average
Rankings: Southeast Region #78 Overall, Southeast Region #9 SF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: *Winston-Salem, *UNC Greensboro, Virginia

Charles Jones is a shooter. His high school coaches haven't asked him to handle the ball or play defense; his job is to put points on the scoreboard in a variety of ways.

I'll offer Charles a scholarship. He's most certainly a better player than any member of the walk-on army. Charles has received scholarships from two small programs with Prestige in the teens. He'd be a big star at either school. He might prefer to attend and play for UVA, even if his role on the court were different. We'll find out.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 10, 2024

Let's meet Toby Whittaker's first University of Virginia basketball team:
Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dee Jarmon 0 SF Sr 6-5 208 Yes 26 OK Pikeville, NC
Larry Wallace 3 SG Fr 6-4 209 Yes 66 OK Weldon, NC
Charlie Shaughnessy 4 SG Jr* 6-3 193 Yes 49 OK Gary, IN
Keith Tyus 5 PG Jr 6-1 205 Yes 55 OK Lloydminister, Canada
Joe Cavallini 10 SF So 6-6 207 Yes 55 Unhappy Buffalo, NY
Ben Vargas 12 PG Fr 6-1 193 No 33 Suspended Midlothian, VA
Trevor Bocanegra 13 SG So 6-4 214 Yes 51 OK Edgewood, MD
Jan Billups 15 C Sr* 7-0 272 Yes 44 OK Taylor, PA
Jonathan Mooney 25 C Fr 6-8 226 Yes 75 OK Washington, DC
Sam Ramirez 32 C Fr* 6-8 242 No 75 OK San Jacinto, CA
Cesaire Dessauvage 33 SF Fr 6-5 211 Yes 22 OK Bourg-st-maurice, France
Scott Chambliss 55 SF So 6-6 225 Yes 65 OK Fairfax, VA

How did training camp go?
VIRGINIA Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dee Jarmon 2 1 1 6 1 3 2 1 1 2 7 3 2 3 1 5
Larry Wallace 4 4 2 2 4 2 4 0 2 6 6 2 3 8 4 28
Charlie Shaughnessy 3 3 3 3 1 4 3 1 1 2 9 3 0 1 0 8
Keith Tyus 4 6 1 2 4 4 4 2 2 7 3 1 0 1 1 5
Joe Cavallini 3 4 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 10 2 1 0 2 1 6
Ben Vargas 0 2 4 4 0 4 2 2 0 2 6 2 3 6 5 22
Trevor Bocanegra 7 7 6 4 4 2 7 2 1 5 3 2 1 3 1 10
Jan Billups 11 2 1 1 2 2 4 4 5 1 4 0 0 2 1 7
Jonathan Mooney 6 2 2 0 2 2 4 8 10 2 2 4 1 8 2 12
Sam Ramirez 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 0 0 1 1 4 1 15
Cesaire Dessauvage 2 4 4 2 2 2 0 2 2 8 8 4 2 4 2 16
Scott Chambliss 2 1 0 1 3 2 3 1 4 2 2 0 1 3 2 9

Two starters return from the team that Tom Schumann guided to a 15-16 record in his last season at UVA.

One of them is senior Jan Billups, a former high school All-American who transferred from Rider before the 2021/22 season. Jan has been a solid collegian, albeit one who has never lived up to the hype he generated as a recruit. He is an elite rim protector who is UVA's all-time leader in blocked shots, despite only playing here for two seasons. He averaged 4.2 blocks per contest last year. Jan worked hard in camp on developing a more dangerous set of inside moves.

Another former high school All-American, wing Trevor Bocanegra, has been touted as a future first-round draft pick. A freshman All-ACC selection last year, Trevor averaged 11.4 PPG, largely because he shot so much. Trevor has improved his shooting this fall, and he'll be counted on to provide a more consistent scoring threat this year.

Canadian point guard Keith Tyus started 11 games as a sophomore last season. Coach Whittaker will depend on him to be The Man this year; he's the only true point on the roster now that walk-on Ben Vargas is serving an academic suspension. Keith is a solid player who has been good at avoiding turnovers and keeping the offense ticking. He'll need to do more this season.

Dee Jarmon, a senior who has patiently waited for his chance, will receive it this year. A 6'5" wing, Jarmon is a very good shooter with three-point range. Despite his name, he doesn't play D very well, although his length and athleticism get him quite a few steals.

Sophomore Scott Chambliss is undersized for a power forward at 6'6", but he's a good athlete who can guard big men effectively. Scott didn't demonstrate much offensive ability as a rotation player last year, and he didn't display much improvement this fall. Coach Whittaker will be looking for Scott to assert himself early in the season; if he doesn't, the Hoos might turn to a lineup that features four perimeter guys and Billups.

The first men off the bench will be two of those perimeter guys: redshirt junior Charlie Shaughnessy and sophomore Joe Cavallini. Shaughnessy, who received 20 scholarship offers to play football coming out of high school, is athletic and tough, and he worked on becoming a more disruptive force on defense. Cavallini, nicknamed Buffalo Joe (https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/bills/ddh4yvotmqdni49iomdt) in honor of his home town, was unhappy after playing only three minutes or so a game as a freshman. He's worked hard in camp, however, significantly improving his defense. He'll play a lot more this year, and so will Shaughnessy.

Jonathan Mooney, a freshman from Washington, DC, will be the team's top frontcourt reserve. He has potential to contribute as a rebounder and defensive stopper.

It's difficult to predict how well this season will go. Maryland, Duke, and North Carolina have rosters loaded with Blue and Green players. Meanwhile, our best players--Billups, Bocanegra, and Jarmon--are all Green. Talentwise, we're in the bottom half of the ACC right now. We lack a proven point guard and it looks like we'll struggle against teams with more than one good big. Our AD expects us to make the NCAA field. I hope we have a patient AD.

[MoonlightGraham]

Let's take a look at Coach Whittaker as he prepares for his UVA debut.

Toby Whittaker - Head Coach - Virginia
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Age: 36
High School: St. Stephens & St. Agnes School
Hometown: Alexandria, Virginia
Alma Mater: Virginia

Current Level: 7
Career Record: 116 - 47

Recruiting: 68
Scouting: 45
Offense: 60
Defense: 67


Coaching History:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Team Position W L CW CL Postseason
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 Amherst Head Coach 24 9 15 3 Loss in NIT Round 3
2022 Amherst Head Coach 25 8 13 5 Loss in NCAA Round 1
2021 Amherst Head Coach 20 12 13 5 Loss in CBI Round 2
2020 Amherst Head Coach 22 9 14 4 Loss in NIT Round 1
2019 Amherst Head Coach 25 9 14 4 Loss in NCAA Round 1

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 Conference Coach of the Year (New England Conference)
2023 New England Conference Champion
2022 Conference Coach of the Year (New England Conference)
2022 New England Conference Champion
2021 Conference Coach of the Year (New England Conference)
2020 Conference Coach of the Year (New England Conference)
2020 New England Conference Champion
2019 Conference Coach of the Year (New England Conference)
2019 New England Conference Champion

Job Movement:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Move
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 Hired by Virginia (Head Coach)
2024 Quit job with Amherst to pursue another position.
2019 Hired by Amherst (Head Coach)

[MoonlightGraham]

November 30, 2024

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
11/17/24 vs. UTEP 1-4 293 W 70-57 1-0
11/19/24 vs. Texas A&M 3-1 186 W 88-74 2-0
11/21/24 vs. #11 Alabama 4-0 92 L 68-59 2-1
11/27/24 at Notre Dame 4-1 154 L 74-57 2-2
11/30/24 Trinity 2-2 179 W 97-63 3-2

We begin our season with a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Shootout. We're seeded fifth, and advance to the championship game before falling to a talented Alabama team. Along the way, Toby Whittaker gets a bit of revenge against Texas A&M, who defeated him in what turned out to be his last game at Amherst.

We have to play the last two games of the tourney without much help from Dee Jarmon, who is limited by a sprained wrist. Joe Cavallini and Charlie Shaughnessy pick up the slack effectively.

https://i.imgur.com/lM3FVO7.jpeg

Jarmon is back for the Notre Dame game, but it doesn't matter much. Coach Whittaker receives a very warm "welcome home" from the crowd at the John Paul Jones Arena for his home debut, where the Cavs rout a former NEC foe.
Record: 3-2.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2024
Recruiting Update

Today, we add the point guard we'd been seeking, when Anthony Carreno announces his commitment. He is an assist dispenser at the high school level, and if he can bring that vision and creativity with him to the next level, we'll have the playmaker we need.

Welcome to UVA basketball, Anthony!

Our efforts to lure Jay Slone and Charles Jones don't work out. Jay decides to stay local and play for Virginia Commonwealth, and Charles elects to be the big dog at Winston-Salem.

It's a long shot, but I decide to offer a scholarship to the one remaining player from our original call list who remains unsigned.

#40 C Jaydon Johnson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 7-1
Weight: 266
High School: Trinity Christian School
Hometown: Fairfax, VA
GPA: 3.21
Test Score: 1280
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 47 20 48 12 22 0 59 53 49 7 22 60 26 80 32 35
Potential: B D C C C F B B B D D B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24.1 4.1 13.8 1.0 2.2 0.47 0.6 3.7 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.3 18.1 .571 3.5 6.5 .535 0.0 0.1 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Average
Rankings: #44 Overall, #7 C, Southeast Region #13 Overall, Southeast Region #3 C
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: *West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Virginia, Kentucky

I'd be delighted if we can add this stud to our roster. Jaydon has visited campus already and he seems pleased with his offer from West Virginia, but it's worth taking a shot at landing a player of this caliber.

The list of players who haven't received a scholarship offer and who express at least Average interest in playing for us features many international players. We're going to send Coaches Whittaker and Mazur to China to look at point guard Shao Shen, who's rated at three stars and has posted solid all-around numbers.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 1, 2025
Recruiting Update

We weren't able to convince Jaydon Johnson to stay on our side of the Virginia-West Virginia border. He'll be a Mountaineer for the next four years.

#31 PG Shao Shen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 5-11
Weight: 156
High School:
Hometown: Liaoyang, China
GPA: 2.75
Test Score: 1110
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 58 11 42 52 30 52 30 16 26 61 17 7 75 25 88 62
Potential: C D C C D B D F D B D F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

14.2 1.7 4.2 5.9 2.4 2.44 1.2 0.5 2.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.8 12.1 .481 2.4 3.9 .603 0.2 1.4 .148

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Very High
Rankings: Foreign #19 Overall, Foreign #7 PG
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Syracuse, Butler, Michigan State, Arkansas, Southern Methodist

There are some things to like about Shao. He's an active defender and a solid distributor. At the same time, I don't like his ballhandling, and his shooting is suspect. He doesn't project as the Alpha dog I want to have at point guard.

Shao doesn't represent an upgrade over Anthony Carreno, whom we've already signed this winter. I think I'd rather save the scholarship and see if (1) a star emerges late in the recruiting cycle, (2) a player in the transfer portal dazzles me, or (3) we can bring in a better player next year.

I do have my eye on a big man from Canada who fits (1) above. I'll introduce you to him if something comes of our interest.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 15, 2025

VIRGINIA Schedule

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/04/24 at Creighton 9-8 77 L 75-74 3-3
12/08/24 Emory 6-8 264 W 97-84 4-3
12/11/24 Vanderbilt 10-4 20 W 86-77 5-3
12/15/24 Amherst 7-9 181 W 82-54 6-3
12/21/24 at Canisius 4-11 144 W 86-75 7-3
12/29/24 at Villanova 7-5 216 W 84-83 8-3
01/02/25 Bucknell 6-9 107 W 79-76 9-3
01/07/25 Fairfield 10-7 49 W 84-77 10-3
01/11/25 Brown 10-4 106 L 80-72 10-4

The remainder of our pre-conference schedule features two thrilling away games against top-tier opponents.

At Creighton, Trevor Bocanegra has a chance to win it with a corner jumper, but he can't get it to fall. Jan Billups is named PotG anyway; he scores 18 points, grabs 17 rebounds, and blocks 7 shots.

That performance is the first of a string of dominant performances by our senior center. Jan collects 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks against Emory, and 17 points and 8 blocks against Vanderbilt. No Cavalier has ever turned back more than 8 shots in game. Jan Billups has performed this feat four times now.

Charlie Shaughnessy is a double hero in our victory at Villanova. First, he outduels three Wildcats to tip in Dee Jarmon's miss to send the game into overtime. Then, with three seconds left, he drills a three from the right corner to win the game for us. Jarmon leads all scorers with 26 points.

The loss to Brown at home is a bit of a surprise, but the Ivy Leaguers can play. They have a sophomore guard, Huey Hernandez, who is the real deal.

2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
#8 Duke 0 0 .000 13 1 .929 84 97
#9 North Carolina 0 0 .000 12 1 .923 56 96
#18 Clemson 0 0 .000 11 2 .846 61 71
#22 Maryland 0 0 .000 11 3 .786 63 89
#24 North Carolina State 0 0 .000 11 2 .846 81 77
Virginia 0 0 .000 10 4 .714 17 70
Wake Forest 0 0 .000 10 4 .714 148 80
Virginia Tech 0 0 .000 10 3 .769 194 73
Miami 0 0 .000 9 4 .692 114 76
Florida State 0 0 .000 9 5 .643 316 68
Georgia Tech 0 0 .000 7 7 .500 276 54
Boston College 0 0 .000 7 5 .583 358 65

It would have been very possible for all 12 ACC teams to have won at least 10 games during the pre-conference season. All the teams below us in this table have some frightful losses.

Miami lost to Wofford, NJIT, and North Dakota. FSU fell to Florida International and Savannah State, and beat SIU-Edwardsville by a single point. Georgia Tech couldn't beat Winthrop, Jacksonville State, or Gardner Webb. And Boston College were beaten by Amherst :D, Williams, and Harvard.

Our loss to Brown doesn't look so bad in comparison, does it?

[MoonlightGraham]

February 8, 2025

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01/15/25 at Miami 11-9 68 L 69-61 10-5 (0-1)
01/18/25 Virginia Tech 14-6 82 W 72-62 11-5 (1-1)
01/22/25 Florida State 12-9 204 W 92-90 12-5 (2-1)
01/25/25 Wake Forest 13-8 56 W 72-71 13-5 (3-1)
01/29/25 at North Carolina State 14-6 93 L 87-69 13-6 (3-2)
02/01/25 at Florida State 12-9 204 W 63-61 14-6 (4-2)
02/05/25 #20 Clemson 16-4 12 L 77-62 14-7 (4-3)
02/08/25 at Maryland 16-6 10 L 72-63 14-8 (4-4)

Halfway through our first ACC schedule, we are squarely in the middle of the league standings. Three of our four conference victories have been thrilling, down-to-the wire contests, two of them bringing joy to big crowds at the John Paul Jones Center.

The Cavs come back from nine points down to defeat Florida State, opening up a six-point lead with two minutes left before the Seminoles make it frighteningly close. Three nights later, Buffalo Joe Cavallini hits a three with 34 seconds left, and we make a crucial defensive stop to beat Wake Forest.

Cavallini is now a starter; he's taken advantage of a finger injury to Scott Chambliss to carve out a new role for himself as Toby Whittaker has decided to play small ball. Buffalo Joe, 6'6" and barely 200 pounds, is the biggest of the four men who start alongside the imperious Jan Billups. Big Jan shatters the hopes of Florida State fans when he rebounds Tony Waites' miss and denies the Seminoles a last shot, cementing our 63-61 victory in Tallahassee.

The Clemson game features the two best rim protectors in college basketball. The Tigers' Mark Hollingshead, a 6'10" senior, leads the nation in blocked shots (5.0 BPG). He's barely ahead of our Jan Billups (4.7 BPG). Big Holly wins the blocks battle, 5-1, and his team wins the game.

The second half of the ACC campaign will be tough, with trips to Wake Forest, UNC, and Duke. According to the Bubble Watch, we're a Lock for the tournament; our tough non-conference schedule has helped us rise to #9 in the RPI standings.

2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------
#4 North Carolina 7 1 .875 19 2 .905 3 96
#8 Duke 6 2 .750 19 3 .864 22 97
#20 Clemson 6 2 .750 17 4 .810 12 71
Virginia Tech 5 3 .625 15 6 .714 84 73
#25 Maryland 5 3 .625 16 6 .727 8 89
Virginia 4 4 .500 14 8 .636 9 70
Georgia Tech 4 4 .500 11 11 .500 91 54
Wake Forest 3 5 .375 13 9 .591 60 80
Florida State 3 5 .375 12 10 .545 195 68
North Carolina State 3 5 .375 14 7 .667 100 77
Miami 2 6 .250 11 10 .524 64 76
Boston College 0 8 .000 7 13 .350 331 65

[MoonlightGraham]

March 8, 2025

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
02/12/25 Boston College 9-19 275 W 73-63 15-8 (5-4)
02/15/25 at Wake Forest 16-14 52 L 64-54 15-9 (5-5)
02/19/25 Georgia Tech 11-19 144 W 84-55 16-9 (6-5)
02/22/25 at Virginia Tech 18-11 65 L 71-69 16-10 (6-6)
02/26/25 at #3 North Carolina 25-4 1 L 85-68 16-11 (6-7)
03/01/25 North Carolina State 16-13 114 W 84-80 17-11 (7-7)
03/05/25 Miami 17-12 50 W 85-82 18-11 (8-7)
03/08/25 at #4 Duke 25-5 10 L 86-81 18-12 (8-8)

We play more than our share of close games, don't we?

At Virginia Tech, we leave a 6'10" center who's taken three shots all night unguarded in the corner. Benjamin Knight makes us pay with a three-point dagger as time expires.

We yield another buzzer-beater in Raleigh a week later, allowing the Wolfpack to send the game into overtime. Keith Tyus and Trevor Bocanegra combine to go 5-for-6 from the line during the extra period, and we get to take a victory back home with us to Charlottesville.

Dee Jarmon plays the hero role in his Senior Night game, hitting a three-ball that gives us the victory. He probably did this a thousand times in his driveway. Now he gets to do it before over 14,000 fans at the John Paul Jones Arena.

We win at home and lose on the road, and that makes us the very definition of a .500 team.

2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------
#3 North Carolina 13 3 .813 25 4 .862 1 96
#4 Duke 12 4 .750 25 5 .833 10 97
#17 Maryland 11 5 .688 22 8 .733 4 89
#16 Clemson 11 5 .688 22 7 .759 12 71
Virginia 8 8 .500 18 12 .600 22 70
Miami 8 8 .500 17 12 .586 50 76
Florida State 8 8 .500 17 13 .567 106 68
Virginia Tech 8 8 .500 18 11 .621 65 73
Wake Forest 6 10 .375 16 14 .533 52 80
North Carolina State 5 11 .313 16 13 .552 114 77
Georgia Tech 4 12 .250 11 19 .367 144 54
Boston College 2 14 .125 9 19 .321 275 65

I'm not going to take the time to figure out how we ended up ahead of the other teams with 8-8 records. I'll simply enjoy it.

OVERALL BUBBLE WATCH

Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Temple 20-9 .565 (54) 0-2 7-3 9-4 3-0 74 In
Utah State 20-10 .565 (53) 2-4 5-2 6-4 6-0 80 In
Loyola-IL 21-10 .575 (41) 3-3 5-1 4-3 9-3 75 In
Arizona State 18-12 .594 (23) 4-7 3-3 8-1 3-0 8 In
Arizona 18-12 .557 (60) 5-9 2-2 5-1 5-0 38 In
Auburn 17-11 .579 (39) 4-5 3-3 6-1 3-2 14 In
Virginia 18-12 .595 (22) 3-6 3-3 6-2 6-0 6 In
Richmond 19-11 .553 (64) 0-1 4-6 9-4 5-0 85 In
St. John's 18-12 .580 (38) 5-9 1-1 5-0 6-2 17 Out
Creighton 21-10 .563 (56) 3-4 2-0 8-2 8-4 132 Out
Morehead State 23-9 .555 (61) 1-2 1-1 7-3 13-3 193 Out
Missouri 18-12 .574 (42) 2-4 5-6 7-2 3-0 26 Out
Virginia Tech 18-11 .553 (65) 4-5 0-1 6-4 7-1 66 Out
Kansas State 18-12 .552 (68) 3-7 0-3 10-1 5-0 99 Out
UNLV 19-11 .542 (79) 4-5 4-1 6-2 4-3 95 Out

If you'd told me we would have an 18-12 record going into the ACC tournament, I would have figured we'd be playing in the NIT. We're reaping the benefits of that tough schedule I put together.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 13, 2025
ACC Tournament, First Round
(5) Virginia 80, (12) Boston College 67

---------------------------------------------------------
Boston College (9-20, 2-14):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Tycen Gamble C 28 1-6 2-2 3 10 0 3 4
Richard Puckett PF 26 3-9 5-6 4 9 1 2 11
William Hedgepeth SF 29 5-10 4-4 2 3 2 4 14
Joe Murphy SG 21 1-9 5-6 0 3 0 4 7
Richard Hernandez PG 28 0-7 2-2 0 1 5 2 2
Richard Biles PF 20 2-3 0-0 0 2 2 1 4
Charles Boyce PG 16 0-1 1-2 1 3 0 3 1
Augustine Keith SF 17 6-8 0-0 1 4 1 1 16
Timothy Robles PG 8 3-3 2-2 0 1 0 0 8
Curtis Husted C 6 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 2 0
Vasili Nikolishin SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (T.Gamble 1, R.Puckett 2, W.Hedgepeth 1,
J.Murphy 4, R.Hernandez 4, C.Boyce 1, A.Keith 1,
T.Robles 1)
Blocked Shots: 8 (T.Gamble 3, R.Puckett 1, W.Hedgepeth
1, R.Hernandez 1, R.Biles 2)
Steals: 2 (R.Puckett 1, R.Hernandez 1)
3P FGs: 4-17 (J.Murphy 0-6, R.Hernandez 0-5, C.Boyce
0-1, A.Keith 4-5)

Virginia (19-12, 8-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jan Billups C 37 3-9 4-8 3 6 0 1 10
Joe Cavallini PF 30 3-5 1-2 1 4 0 3 7
Dee Jarmon SG 32 8-16 2-3 0 5 3 2 22
Trevor Bocanegra SG 18 4-7 2-2 2 7 0 4 12
Keith Tyus PG 23 1-2 0-2 0 4 5 4 2
C. Shaughnessy SF 29 2-10 0-0 1 3 3 2 4
Scott Chambliss PF 10 0-0 2-2 1 2 0 3 2
Jonathan Mooney C 4 2-2 0-0 0 2 0 0 4
Larry Wallace SG 10 3-6 0-0 1 1 3 2 6
C. Dessauvage SF 4 2-2 0-0 1 1 1 0 4
Ben Vargas PG 3 1-1 4-4 1 1 0 0 7

Turnovers: 10 (J.Billups 1, J.Cavallini 1, D.Jarmon 4,
T.Bocanegra 2, K.Tyus 1, C.Shaughnessy 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (J.Billups 4, C.Dessauvage 1)
Steals: 9 (J.Cavallini 1, D.Jarmon 3, T.Bocanegra 2,
K.Tyus 2, C.Shaughnessy 1)
3P FGs: 7-21 (D.Jarmon 4-10, T.Bocanegra 2-4, K.Tyus
0-1, C.Shaughnessy 0-4, L.Wallace 0-1, B.Vargas 1-1)

Player of Game: SF Dee Jarmon (VA)
The moment Dee Jarmon lands, he feels his knee tweak. He winces in pain and hobbles toward the bench, his face twisted in pain.

After the game, he dismisses the injury. "I'm playing tomorrow," Dee declares. "I played through a lot worse in high school football. I'm a senior and a captain. I'm going to be on the floor with my teammates."

Dee's 22 points, paired with a determined defensive effort against BC's high-scoring William Hedgepeth, are big keys to the victory that lets us advance to the next round. We'll need more of the same against a tough Clemson team.
Record: 19-12.


March 14, 2025
ACC Tournament, Second Round
(4) #15 Clemson 76, (5) Virginia 74

--------------------------------------------------------
Virginia (19-13, 8-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jan Billups C 36 4-13 2-4 3 7 1 1 10
Joe Cavallini PF 22 2-4 0-0 2 6 2 5 4
Dee Jarmon SF 32 5-10 3-3 4 4 1 1 16
Trevor Bocanegra SG 33 6-23 0-1 7 9 0 3 16
Keith Tyus PG 30 4-7 0-0 3 6 2 3 10
C. Shaughnessy PG 18 5-10 0-0 2 3 2 5 13
Scott Chambliss PF 18 0-4 0-0 1 7 2 2 0
Jonathan Mooney C 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Larry Wallace SG 7 2-4 0-0 0 1 0 1 5
C. Dessauvage SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (J.Billups 1, J.Cavallini 2, D.Jarmon 2,
T.Bocanegra 1, K.Tyus 1, C.Shaughnessy 4)
Blocked Shots: 6 (J.Billups 5, S.Chambliss 1)
Steals: 5 (J.Billups 1, C.Shaughnessy 3, L.Wallace 1)
3P FGs: 13-37 (J.Cavallini 0-1, D.Jarmon 3-7,
T.Bocanegra 4-14, K.Tyus 2-4, C.Shaughnessy 3-8,
S.Chambliss 0-2, L.Wallace 1-1)

Clemson (23-7, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Mark Hollingshead C 31 0-2 0-0 4 13 4 3 0
Bernd Hausler PF 37 8-15 6-9 3 8 0 0 22
Steven Christie SF 35 4-13 1-2 3 7 1 4 10
Adolph Williams SG 32 7-14 3-3 4 6 6 4 18
Jerry Vidrine PG 31 4-6 6-7 0 4 2 1 17
Kirby Daniels PG 17 2-3 1-2 0 0 2 3 5
Basil Phan SF 5 2-3 0-0 0 0 1 0 4
Bradford Delancey C 11 0-2 0-0 0 4 2 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (M.Hollingshead 2, B.Hausler 1,
S.Christie 2, A.Williams 6, J.Vidrine 2)
Blocked Shots: 12 (M.Hollingshead 7, S.Christie 1,
A.Williams 2, J.Vidrine 1, K.Daniels 1)
Steals: 4 (A.Williams 3, K.Daniels 1)
3P FGs: 5-15 (S.Christie 1-4, A.Williams 1-5, J.Vidrine
3-5, K.Daniels 0-1)

Player of Game: PF Bernd Hausler (CLMSN)
With Mark Hollingshead patrolling the area near the Clemson basket, we resort to firing three-point shots. No UVA team has taken this many threes in a decade, and while 13 of them go in, it's still not quite enough.

Big Holly manages to block 7 of our shots anyway. He doesn't make a single shot himself. He only takes two. This isn't terribly unusual. He's attempted 171 shots this year and blocked 148 of his opponents'.

How far-fetched is it to imagine two of those seven shots going in, if Holly doesn't get his big paw on them?

Dee Jarmon writes his name in the annals of UVA basketball with his courageous performance tonight. He plays 32 minutes, scores 16 points, and reminds his teammates why he's a boss.

This one hurts.
Record: 19-13.

[Young Drachma]

May 1, 2024

I had wondered if Toby Whittaker would ever get a job offer from another program. This year, he finally does...14 of them in the first head coach round.

Among them was an offer from Villanova. I had to smile at that one, since it was the site of so many happy memories with my Graham Sims dynasty. Coach Chas Gehring is retiring after a 14-18 season, but the Wildcats roster looks better than that. It's a very tempting offer; Villanova's 81 Prestige and $650,000 budget are extremely attractive. I think I'd like to tell a different story this time, however.

Then I read this email...

https://i.imgur.com/3jeygjI.jpeg

Toby is an alumnus of the University of Virginia, class of 2010. The Cavaliers have just fired coach Tom Schumann after three consecutive seasons without any postseason tournament bids. Coach Schumann gave Toby a job as a graduate assistant, and recommended him highly for the Amherst job.

At first, I say to myself, "It's too soon. Coach Whittaker isn't ready yet." Then I take a look at the other ACC head coaches. How accomplished are they?

Not surprisingly, North Carolina has a Level 13 man at the helm. Maryland's coach is Level 12. Then, there's a drop down to the five teams that employ a Level 9 coach, including Duke. Miami and Clemson have Level 8 coaches, Wake Forest's coach is Level 7, and Virginia Tech's is Level 6.

So Toby, a Level 7 coach with five consecutive winning seasons and five consecutive conference championships, wouldn't be too far out of his league at all.

Virginia's roster is a hodge-podge of guys from all over, including two Europeans and a Canadian. There is a single player from Virginia, one from Maryland, and one from Washington, DC. There are four walk-ons on the roster, and two transfers. As a whole, they are indifferent students; one of them literally has a score of 1 for Academics.

The potential for a very good story exists in Charlottesville. Besides improving the Cavaliers' record and prestige, I'd want to:

recruit more local players, eventually becoming the most attractive choice for promising players in Virginia and the DMV
raise the academic standards of the team


This looks like it will be a fun challenge. I notify the Virginia AD that I'll take the job.

I dig the senior snapshots that you do for graduating players, if I ever get into the weeds running a program, I'm for sure gonna borrow that.

Congrats on the promotion to UVA, a pretty nice upgrade in budget, given how well you've been recruiting on a shoestring, this ought to be a lot of fun.

Also good the cupboard wasn't empty and that your first year will at least be somewhat successful, sometimes I'd prefer a deep NIT run over a 1-and-done in the NCAAs anyway.

[MoonlightGraham]

I dig the senior snapshots that you do for graduating players, if I ever get into the weeds running a program, I'm for sure gonna borrow that.

Thanks, YD. I'd consider that an honor. I used to write even longer Senior Tributes. They were a lot of fun, but if I had a big senior class, I might spend much of a day's gaming time writing them. The Snapshots are shorter, but they still give me a chance to recognize and remember a player as he leaves. So now, all I write nothing but Senior Snapshots.

Partly as a response to the Wild West that college sports have become, players can't declare for the pro draft early in my college basketball universe. We get four years to enjoy the players we love.

Congrats on the promotion to UVA, a pretty nice upgrade in budget, given how well you've been recruiting on a shoestring, this ought to be a lot of fun.

Thanks! UVA was one of the programs I envisioned Toby coaching. I made it his alma mater for a reason. I wasn't expecting him to have the chance at age 36, while he's still building his attributes; I hope the challenge of coaching in the ACC doesn't prove his undoing. He can be fired in my universe, by the way.

I can definitely afford to shop in a pricier part of town now. I was a bit disheartened by the fact that the players who were interested in playing for Virginia (prestige 70) this season weren't much more highly regarded than the guys I had on my lists at Amherst (prestige 31). In fact, there were FEWER three-star players with Very High interest in UVA this time around.

All three of the players I signed for UVA this year were guys I could have recruited at Amherst. They range from #307 to #480 nationally, and from #68 to #109 at their position. I like them, but it will be very, very difficult to win in the ACC with a roster full of three-star players.

Also good the cupboard wasn't empty and that your first year will at least be somewhat successful, sometimes I'd prefer a deep NIT run over a 1-and-done in the NCAAs anyway.

Speaking of an NIT run...stay tuned... :)

[MoonlightGraham]

March 16, 2025

Toby Whittaker and his players watch the NCAA tournament selection show at the UVA basketball facility. The bracketologists have them listed high in the "OUT" category, and they are right. The field is filled with 68 teams, and the Cavaliers don't hear their name called.

Soon after, Coach Whittaker and his team learn they've been invited to the NIT. They receive the #1 seed in the South Region. Miami-Ohio, Fordham, and Evansville are the other top seeds; it appears that we're seeded third overall.

Toby's old Amherst team is playing in the NIT, too. They're the #7 seed in the East Region.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 20, 2025
NIT South Region, First Round
(1) Virginia 98, (8) Winthrop 69

---------------------------------------------------------
Winthrop (16-15, 12-6):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jack Utter C 33 4-11 3-4 4 6 5 3 11
Charles Gilley PF 18 1-2 0-5 1 2 1 4 2
Fritz Henderson SF 28 5-10 6-7 3 5 2 2 17
Tad Torres SG 26 2-4 0-2 0 0 1 3 6
Tony Hanrahan PG 26 3-11 2-2 2 3 2 0 11
Duane Barnhart PG 25 2-14 0-0 1 2 1 2 4
Ike Crowl SF 9 3-5 0-0 0 0 0 2 9
Harrison Riffle PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Gordon Holt SF 4 0-2 0-0 0 1 2 2 0
Gary Garza SG 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3
John Montana PF 22 2-3 0-0 2 6 1 1 4
Maynard Mora PF 7 1-1 0-0 1 2 0 1 2

Turnovers: 11 (C.Gilley 1, F.Henderson 1, T.Torres 2,
T.Hanrahan 4, I.Crowl 2, J.Montana 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (J.Utter 3)
Steals: 7 (J.Utter 1, F.Henderson 2, T.Torres 2,
T.Hanrahan 1, M.Mora 1)
3P FGs: 10-27 (F.Henderson 1-4, T.Torres 2-3,
T.Hanrahan 3-8, D.Barnhart 0-5, I.Crowl 3-4, G.Holt
0-2, G.Garza 1-1)

Virginia (20-13, 8-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jan Billups C 29 8-13 4-4 1 8 7 3 20
Joe Cavallini PF 26 4-5 0-3 2 3 1 3 8
Dee Jarmon SG 30 4-9 1-2 2 7 3 2 12
Trevor Bocanegra SG 17 4-9 2-2 4 6 3 4 10
Keith Tyus PG 29 3-5 1-1 2 3 3 1 7
C. Shaughnessy SF 26 10-11 0-0 2 8 4 1 26
Scott Chambliss PF 14 1-2 1-2 1 5 0 0 4
Jonathan Mooney C 11 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0
Larry Wallace SG 10 2-5 4-4 1 2 1 0 9
C. Dessauvage SF 8 0-1 2-3 1 3 0 0 2
Ben Vargas PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (J.Cavallini 1, D.Jarmon 6, T.Bocanegra
1, K.Tyus 1, C.Shaughnessy 4, S.Chambliss 1, L.Wallace
1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (J.Billups 5, C.Shaughnessy 1)
Steals: 5 (D.Jarmon 3, T.Bocanegra 1, K.Tyus 1)
3P FGs: 11-23 (D.Jarmon 3-7, T.Bocanegra 0-3, K.Tyus
0-1, C.Shaughnessy 6-7, S.Chambliss 1-2, L.Wallace 1-3)

Player of Game: PG Charlie Shaughnessy (VA)
A tremendous display of marksmanship by Charlie Shaughnessy is the highlight of an easy victory over Winthrop in our NIT opener. Charlie, relieving a foul-plagued Trevor Bocanegra, misfires only once.

Jan Billups has now blocked twice as many shots in a single season as any player in Virginia history not named Jan Billups. Jan has turned back 157 shots this season. He broke his own single-season mark of 130 some time ago. The previous record holder, Robert Gross, rejected 77 back in 2014/15.

Meanwhile, Amherst upsets Creighton, 81-78, behind 21 points from Carter Keegan. You may remember we suffered a one-point loss to the Blue Jays back in December.

NIT contests are played at the home of the better seed, so we have the advantage of playing before a capacity JPJ Center crowd.
Record: 20-13.


March 23, 2025
NIT Round of 16
(1) Virginia 70, (5) Dayton 58

---------------------------------------------------------
Dayton (20-15, 9-7):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Dylan Holston C 36 0-5 2-3 3 11 2 3 2
Vernon York PF 26 4-6 1-2 3 5 0 4 9
Eddy Canterbury SF 35 4-19 10-14 1 8 2 1 20
Jerry Moore SG 27 5-12 5-5 2 3 4 4 18
Scott Spence PG 34 3-5 3-4 2 3 4 3 9
Richard Spalding SG 13 0-1 0-0 0 5 0 0 0
Thanh Kessler SG 6 0-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Lawrence Trinh PG 5 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Dale Baker PF 18 0-1 0-0 0 3 0 2 0

Turnovers: 12 (D.Holston 2, E.Canterbury 3, J.Moore 3,
S.Spence 2, D.Baker 2)
Blocked Shots: 7 (D.Holston 5, E.Canterbury 1,
T.Kessler 1)
Steals: 3 (J.Moore 1, R.Spalding 1, T.Kessler 1)
3P FGs: 5-24 (E.Canterbury 2-11, J.Moore 3-10,
R.Spalding 0-1, T.Kessler 0-2)

Virginia (21-13, 8-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jan Billups C 36 4-14 1-3 5 15 3 1 9
Joe Cavallini PF 30 4-9 2-2 2 11 1 1 12
Dee Jarmon SF 30 5-11 2-2 0 3 1 3 17
Trevor Bocanegra SG 26 5-12 0-3 4 6 2 4 11
Keith Tyus PG 30 3-9 0-0 1 3 1 2 7
C. Shaughnessy PG 17 4-6 0-0 1 6 4 4 9
Scott Chambliss PF 13 0-0 2-2 0 0 1 3 2
Jonathan Mooney C 4 0-0 0-0 2 2 0 1 0
Larry Wallace SG 9 1-3 1-1 0 1 0 0 3
C. Dessauvage SF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Ben Vargas PG 1 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (J.Billups 2, J.Cavallini 3, D.Jarmon 1,
T.Bocanegra 2, K.Tyus 1, C.Shaughnessy 2)
Blocked Shots: 6 (J.Billups 5, T.Bocanegra 1)
Steals: 4 (D.Jarmon 2, K.Tyus 1, C.Shaughnessy 1)
3P FGs: 10-26 (J.Cavallini 2-5, D.Jarmon 5-11,
T.Bocanegra 1-4, K.Tyus 1-3, C.Shaughnessy 1-1,
L.Wallace 0-1, B.Vargas 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Dee Jarmon (VA)
Dee Jarmon doesn't want to stop playing college basketball yet. One of the few Hoos who shoots well tonight, DJ leads us into the final eight of the NIT.

His classmate, Jan Billups, also imposes his will upon the game once again. Dayton's bigs score 11 points between them, and Jan's fearsome presence is a major reason why.

Fun fact: Dee Jarmon has scored 886 points in his Amherst career. Jan Billups has scored 885.

Amherst's season ends when Carter Keegan's three-point try falls short, allowing Nevada to slip away with a 71-69 victory. George Dillon scores 27 points for the Mammoths (19-15) in his final collegiate game.
Record: 21-13.


March 26, 2025
NIT Round of 8
(1) Virginia 88, (6) New Hampshire 63

---------------------------------------------------------
New Hampshire (26-8, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jose Giordano C 28 5-10 0-0 1 4 1 2 10
Rusty Chrisman PF 28 2-4 2-4 1 3 0 3 6
Dominique Massey SF 26 2-4 1-2 2 7 1 1 5
Marion Dickey SG 33 6-16 2-3 1 6 1 5 19
Alex Schwartz PG 35 6-12 0-0 1 2 5 2 16
Nelson Trump SG 12 1-1 0-0 1 1 4 1 2
Jesse Chow PF 15 1-1 1-2 0 2 0 0 3
Brian Adams SF 14 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 2
Robert Parker SF 6 0-2 0-0 0 0 2 0 0
Josiah Rudy C 3 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 17 (J.Giordano 4, R.Chrisman 2, D.Massey 1,
M.Dickey 2, A.Schwartz 3, N.Trump 2, J.Chow 2, B.Adams
1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (J.Giordano 1)
Steals: 6 (A.Schwartz 5, B.Adams 1)
3P FGs: 9-27 (R.Chrisman 0-2, M.Dickey 5-14, A.Schwartz
4-9, B.Adams 0-1, J.Rudy 0-1)

Virginia (22-13, 8-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jan Billups C 32 5-11 0-0 2 8 0 1 10
Joe Cavallini PF 12 1-4 2-2 0 1 1 4 4
Dee Jarmon SF 31 5-10 3-4 2 3 7 2 16
Trevor Bocanegra SG 28 10-15 3-4 5 8 3 4 24
Keith Tyus PG 29 6-8 0-0 0 2 3 1 14
C. Shaughnessy PG 19 3-6 4-4 0 3 3 0 10
Scott Chambliss PF 27 2-4 0-0 1 5 0 3 4
Jonathan Mooney C 9 2-2 0-0 1 5 1 0 4
Larry Wallace SG 8 1-2 0-2 0 1 0 0 2
C. Dessauvage SF 5 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (J.Billups 2, J.Cavallini 1, D.Jarmon 2,
T.Bocanegra 1, K.Tyus 1, C.Shaughnessy 1, S.Chambliss
1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (J.Billups 5, T.Bocanegra 1)
Steals: 8 (D.Jarmon 2, K.Tyus 2, C.Shaughnessy 4)
3P FGs: 6-15 (J.Cavallini 0-1, D.Jarmon 3-5,
T.Bocanegra 1-4, K.Tyus 2-3, S.Chambliss 0-1,
L.Wallace 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Trevor Bocanegra (VA)
New Hampshire, the regular season champion of the America East conference, was upset in the conference tournament and was snubbed by the NCAA tournament selection committee. The Wildcats enter this game having lost only twice in 17 road contests.

This time, it's Trevor Bocanegra's turn to take the starring role, with especially strong support from our seniors and Charlie Shaughnessy.

Champions of the South Region, the Cavaliers advance to the NIT Final Four.
Record: 23-13.


April 1, 2025
NIT Semifinal
(1) Virginia 89, (6) Oklahoma State 82

---------------------------------------------------------
Virginia (23-13, 8-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jan Billups C 37 6-11 2-2 1 15 0 2 14
Joe Cavallini PF 21 6-9 0-0 2 6 1 4 16
Dee Jarmon SG 34 5-11 7-9 2 6 4 4 20
Trevor Bocanegra SF 34 7-20 1-2 6 12 3 3 17
Keith Tyus PG 27 2-4 1-2 0 1 2 2 6
C. Shaughnessy PG 11 3-5 0-0 0 1 1 4 7
Scott Chambliss PF 23 2-3 1-2 1 3 1 1 5
Jonathan Mooney C 4 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Larry Wallace SG 7 1-6 2-3 0 0 2 1 4
C. Dessauvage SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Ben Vargas PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (J.Billups 2, J.Cavallini 1, D.Jarmon 4,
T.Bocanegra 3, K.Tyus 1, C.Shaughnessy 1, L.Wallace 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (J.Billups 6, D.Jarmon 1)
Steals: 5 (J.Cavallini 1, D.Jarmon 1, T.Bocanegra 2,
L.Wallace 1)
3P FGs: 11-26 (J.Cavallini 4-4, D.Jarmon 3-7,
T.Bocanegra 2-10, K.Tyus 1-1, C.Shaughnessy 1-3,
S.Chambliss 0-1)

Oklahoma State (22-14, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Charles Runion C 31 4-9 1-2 0 4 0 1 9
Brian Brown PF 29 4-8 1-2 1 15 1 3 9
Willie Karnes SF 23 4-10 3-5 2 4 4 5 12
John Crawford SG 22 4-9 0-1 2 4 2 5 11
Peter Tetreault PG 29 3-7 1-2 0 2 5 1 8
Jamaal Woods PG 26 2-5 11-12 1 3 2 2 15
Gregory Klaus PF 20 5-8 0-1 3 6 2 2 11
Raphael Stern SG 11 2-6 0-0 0 0 0 0 5
Stacey Ford SF 8 1-4 0-0 0 1 1 2 2

Turnovers: 13 (C.Runion 1, B.Brown 2, W.Karnes 1,
J.Crawford 6, P.Tetreault 1, R.Stern 1, S.Ford 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (C.Runion 4, B.Brown 1)
Steals: 5 (B.Brown 1, W.Karnes 1, P.Tetreault 1,
G.Klaus 1, S.Ford 1)
3P FGs: 7-20 (W.Karnes 1-4, J.Crawford 3-5, P.Tetreault
1-3, G.Klaus 1-1, R.Stern 1-5, S.Ford 0-2)

Player of Game: SF Dee Jarmon (VA)
Keith Tyus speaks to reporters after we advance to the NIT final with a victory over Oklahoma State. "All of us want to win, but Jan and Dee want it in a special way. They're both such strong leaders, with different styles of leadership. Dee is very quiet. Jan is more outspoken, but they both have our complete respect. They've carried us all season long, and they've carried us through this tournament. We want to win it for them."

Buffalo Joe Cavallini sinks all four of the triples he attempts. He's now 31-for-58 from behind the arc for the year; that's a .538 percentage.

We will face Nevada in the NIT championship game. They're the team that ended Amherst's season a week ago. After he sees the UVA score, David Getty sends his former boss at Amherst a quick text.

They can't beat both of us. You got this.
Record: 24-13.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 3, 2025
NIT Championship Game
Virginia 68, Nevada 57

--------------------------------------------------------
Virginia (24-13, 8-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jan Billups C 37 5-10 3-5 2 12 3 0 13
Joe Cavallini PF 31 5-9 0-2 1 7 1 4 10
Dee Jarmon SF 35 6-15 1-1 2 5 1 1 17
Trevor Bocanegra SG 34 6-17 2-3 5 10 3 1 16
Keith Tyus PG 31 3-7 0-0 1 2 3 2 7
C. Shaughnessy PG 15 1-3 0-1 0 1 0 1 2
Scott Chambliss PF 9 0-0 1-2 0 2 0 3 1
Jonathan Mooney C 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Larry Wallace SG 5 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 2
C. Dessauvage SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (J.Billups 1, J.Cavallini 2, D.Jarmon 2,
T.Bocanegra 1, K.Tyus 2, C.Shaughnessy 1, S.Chambliss
2)
Blocked Shots: 7 (J.Billups 6, D.Jarmon 1)
Steals: 7 (J.Billups 1, D.Jarmon 1, T.Bocanegra 2,
K.Tyus 1, C.Shaughnessy 1, L.Wallace 1)
3P FGs: 7-22 (D.Jarmon 4-11, T.Bocanegra 2-8, K.Tyus
1-2, C.Shaughnessy 0-1)

Nevada (28-10, 10-6):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Michael Speaks C 29 1-2 1-2 1 5 1 4 3
Columbus Johnson PF 25 2-3 4-5 2 10 2 4 8
Brian Violette SF 25 3-11 0-1 2 4 1 0 6
Rodney Guinn SG 30 9-19 0-0 2 6 0 1 20
Glenn Priest PG 28 1-1 3-4 1 3 2 1 5
Russell Keeley C 15 1-4 0-2 0 2 1 2 2
Mark Mitchell SF 15 1-6 1-2 1 3 1 1 3
Eliseo Calabro PG 13 2-3 0-0 1 4 2 3 5
Steven Schmitt SG 9 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Edward Belajac Jr SF 8 1-6 0-0 0 0 1 0 3
Chris Viola PF 2 1-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 2

Turnovers: 13 (C.Johnson 1, B.Violette 1, R.Guinn 4,
G.Priest 3, M.Mitchell 1, E.Calabro 1, S.Schmitt 2)
Blocked Shots: 4 (C.Johnson 2, R.Keeley 1, M.Mitchell 1)
Steals: 6 (R.Guinn 1, G.Priest 2, M.Mitchell 2,
S.Schmitt 1)
3P FGs: 4-13 (R.Guinn 2-8, E.Calabro 1-2, E.Belajac Jr
1-3)

Player of Game: C Jan Billups (VA)
Dee Jarmon touches the ball last.

Joe Cavallini inbounds it to Jarmon, who tosses it to Keith Tyus, who usually brings the ball upcourt for the Hoos. Keith starts to do so again, as the clock winds down. It's a reflexive action for a lifelong point guard. Then, Keith thinks of something, smiles, and crisply passes the ball across to Dee.

Jarmon dribbles into the front court and spots Jan Billups. The big man has played another wonderful game, and he'll soon be named the tournament MVP. Dee wants him to have the ball as the clock runs out, so he passes it to him.

Jan immediately sends it back to Dee. "I've played here for three great years," Billups explains after the game. "Dee's played here for four. I want him to have the ball at the end."

The buzzer sounds, and Dee Jarmon simply holds the ball in his hands and looks up. A moment later, his teammates surround him. Later, they'll all take part in cutting down the net, and each will keep a strand for a souvenir.

Before he joins his players, Toby Whittaker turns to spot his wife Madeleine, seated in her usual spot two rows behind the Virginia bench. She holds up their eighteen-month-old daughter Caroline. Little Caroline won't remember this night. Neither will her younger sibling who's growing inside her mom.

"I'm humbled and privileged to be a part of this moment," Coach Whittaker says in his post-game presser. "We've written the story of this season together, but most of these players were here before I arrived. They built so much of this foundation with Coach [Tom] Schumann. I'm honored to have had the chance to coach this team."

[Young Drachma]

Wow, NIT run in Year 1 that's crazyyyyyy.

As for wooing higher starred players, my trick is use the early signing periods to throw schollies at no-offer having higher targets who don't have us on their radar, because bringing the house -- coach visit, schollie -- can sometimes woo some of them to put us in their Top 5. Obviously if I try that in Round 1 and get nowhere, I immediately delist them. Those 3-stars aren't going anywhere, but it's been a nice way over the years to snag kids that might not immediately be considering us, but can be swayed.

The fact that Jarmon turned out to be such a baller for you guys is also a really neat thing. Enjoy the NIT title, I know the bar will be higher next year, but this is a nice feeling in Year 1 for sure.

[MoonlightGraham]

Wow, NIT run in Year 1 that's crazyyyyyy.
It was a great ride! I was initially disappointed when we didn't make the NCAA tournament field. That's what my AD expects of me. But, as you said, a long run in the NIT can be a lot of fun. It's especially fun when you win it all, and there was an additional bit of joy when we beat Nevada, who knocked David Getty and Amherst out of the tournament in the second round.

As for wooing higher starred players, my trick is use the early signing periods to throw schollies at no-offer having higher targets who don't have us on their radar, because bringing the house -- coach visit, schollie -- can sometimes woo some of them to put us in their Top 5. Obviously if I try that in Round 1 and get nowhere, I immediately delist them. Those 3-stars aren't going anywhere, but it's been a nice way over the years to snag kids that might not immediately be considering us, but can be swayed.
That sounds a lot like what I try to do, too. I also use location as a guide: a guy who lives nearby will often look more favorably at our program than a guy who lives hundreds of miles away. It's also less expensive to recruit local kids; even at a school where I can spend $20K on recruiting each month, that can make a difference.

I looked back at my Graham Sims dynasty to see what kinds of players I was able to recruit there as he and his Lafayette team improved. By the time Coach Sims moved on to Villanova, Lafayette's Prestige was 88. He was a Level 12 coach with a Recruiting score of 97.

Coach Sims signed only two or three four-star players at Lafayette, all of whom arrived very late in his tenure there. Most of the memorable players from those 30-win seasons at Lafayette were three-star recruits, and there were a handful of one- and two-star players sprinkled in.

UVA's Prestige will increase to 74 this coming season. Toby Whittaker is a Level 7 coach with a Recruiting score of 68. The recruiting conditions at UVA right now are less favorable than they were until the last two or three years Graham was at Lafayette. No wonder I can't lure four-star players to Charlottesville yet.

The fact that Jarmon turned out to be such a baller for you guys is also a really neat thing. Enjoy the NIT title, I know the bar will be higher next year, but this is a nice feeling in Year 1 for sure.

I wish I'd had the chance to coach Dee for more than one season. The same is true for Jan Billups.

One of the things I enjoy most about my dynasties is the ability to see the characters--coaches and players--come to life. I suppose this comes from playing RPGs where character creation is a huge part of the game. I can often conjure up an image of a player in my mind; if I had artistic ability, I could draw a picture of him. Normally, this happens with players I coach for four seasons.

I have very clear images of Dee Jarmon and Jan Billups in my mind, and Toby Whittaker only coached them for a year. Our run to the NIT championship made them iconic characters.

The bar will definitely be higher next year, and there are some teams in our conference with lots to prove. Both Duke and North Carolina have lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament for two straight seasons. The Blue Devils went 27-7 last year, and the Tar Heels finished at 28-5. Meanwhile, Clemson (25-8) made it to the Sweet Sixteen, and Maryland (26-10)'s season ended in the Elite Eight.

Seeing "NIT Champion" in the bios of our players and coaches makes me smile. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

[MoonlightGraham]

April 7, 2025

Syracuse defeats Louisville, 81-77, in an exciting NCAA championship game. Florida and Washington are the other teams in the Final Four.

2024 OVERALL AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR C Abraham Dillman New Mexico 20.2 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.9 APG 0.4 SPG, 2.3 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SG Henry Manis Memphis 16.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.0 APG 1.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Jason DeJesus DePaul 26 - 8 (13 - 5)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Abraham Dillman New Mexico 20.2 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.4 SPG, 2.3 BPG
PF SR Brian Bliss Washington 13.3 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 3.8 APG, 0.3 SPG, 3.3 BPG
SF SR Matt Gerdes Kentucky 20.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.0 BPG
SG SR Joshua Williams Manhattan 18.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Walter Harris Arkansas 10.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 9.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Grant Lindahl Wisconsin 20.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.4 SPG, 3.8 BPG
PF JR Robert Stoops Florida 13.1 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.9 BPG
SF SR John Crawford Oklahoma State 22.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SG JR Sherman Bell Duke 22.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Arnold Bost Kansas 13.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 7.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.4 BPG

All-league 3rd Team:
C SR Jan Billups Virginia 12.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.5 SPG, 4.8 BPG
PF SR Carlos Turner Georgetown 19.4 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 3.3 BPG
SF SR Antonio Harmon Arkansas 19.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.8 BPG
SG JR Danilo Muller Michigan State 19.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Jerry Bazemore Alabama 12.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.7 APG, 2.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Chris Ricci Kentucky 7.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.3 BPG
PF FR Eugenio Shoffner Minnesota 12.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.3 BPG
SF FR Seymour Fitts Santa Clara 16.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.0 BPG
SG FR Henry Manis Memphis 16.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG
PG FR Earnest Fite Davidson 13.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Way to go, big man. Jan is the first All-American player Toby Whittaker has coached, and the second UVA player to earn that honor in this dynasty.

Sébastien Petit was a Freshman All-American in 2016/17. He was a first-team All-ACC performer in 2018/19, and then he took his game to a new level. As a senior, he was a first team All-ACC and All-American player, and he was crowned the 2019/2020 NCAA Player of the Year. A center, Séb is UVA's all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

Petit wasn't chosen in the 2020 pro draft! How does that happen to the NCAA Player of the Year?

2024 ACC AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

JR SG Sherman Bell Duke 22.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.3 APG 2.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR PG Theron Overby North Carolina 7.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 3.2 APG 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Bryan Kaminsky Clemson 25 - 9 (11 - 5)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Jan Billups Virginia 12.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.5 SPG, 4.8 BPG
PF JR Joe Galicia Miami 12.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, 2.4 BPG
SF JR Gregory Archibald Maryland 13.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SG JR Sherman Bell Duke 22.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Jerry Vidrine Clemson 11.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Mark Hollingshead Clemson 6.9 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.4 SPG, 5.0 BPG
PF SR James Gaffney Georgia Tech 16.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SF SR Dee Jarmon Virginia 14.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG SR Huey Runyon North Carolina 17.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PG JR Frank Burns Miami 16.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Vasili Nikolishin Boston College 3.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.6 BPG
PF FR William Horner Georgia Tech 2.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.0 BPG
SF FR Kenneth Washington Virginia Tech 5.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG FR James Carl Miami 12.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Theron Overby North Carolina 7.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
I was pulling hard for Dee to earn post-season honors, too. It's impossible to say whether he or Jan was our team's MVP.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 7, 2025

I ended the season before I captured the team snapshot. Sorry about that.

VIRGINIA Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan Billups C 37 37 34.9 12.7 2.0 8.7 1.6 0.5 4.8 1.8 1.2 4.6
Dee Jarmon SF 37 35 28.6 14.1 1.8 4.8 2.9 1.6 0.3 2.9 2.5 4.3
Trevor Bocanegra SG 37 37 28.2 14.8 2.4 5.5 2.3 0.8 0.2 2.6 3.2 3.4
Keith Tyus PG 37 37 28.0 8.7 1.1 3.5 2.8 1.1 0.1 1.8 2.1 3.6
Joe Cavallini PF 37 24 22.4 7.8 1.5 4.9 1.2 0.6 0.2 1.2 3.5 3.2
Charlie Shaughnessy PG 37 0 19.1 8.6 1.1 3.4 2.0 1.2 0.2 1.8 2.4 2.9
Scott Chambliss PF 36 15 16.9 3.5 0.9 3.1 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.5 2.4 1.9
Larry Wallace SG 37 0 9.1 3.6 0.4 1.2 0.8 0.4 0.0 0.6 0.9 0.0
Jonathan Mooney C 37 0 8.6 1.7 0.6 2.4 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.9 0.4
Cesaire Dessauvage SF 34 0 4.3 0.7 0.1 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.3 -0.5
Ben Vargas PG 10 0 2.9 0.9 0.1 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.3 0.1 -0.4
Sam Ramirez C 16 0 2.4 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3 -0.4

VIRGINIA Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan Billups C 37 37 1293 470 75 321 60 19 179 65 46 171
Dee Jarmon SF 37 35 1060 522 68 176 108 61 12 106 92 158
Trevor Bocanegra SG 37 37 1045 547 87 204 85 30 6 95 120 124
Keith Tyus PG 37 37 1035 323 40 128 104 40 3 68 76 132
Joe Cavallini PF 37 24 828 287 54 181 44 21 7 45 130 120
Charlie Shaughnessy PG 37 0 706 320 42 125 73 46 8 68 87 108
Scott Chambliss PF 36 15 608 127 33 112 21 6 6 19 87 68
Larry Wallace SG 37 0 335 133 15 46 28 14 1 23 35 1
Jonathan Mooney C 37 0 318 63 23 89 16 8 8 12 32 16
Cesaire Dessauvage SF 34 0 145 25 5 19 13 6 4 11 10 -17
Ben Vargas PG 10 0 29 9 1 4 4 2 0 3 1 -4
Sam Ramirez C 16 0 38 8 4 10 0 1 1 1 4 -7
Jan Billups blocked 179 shots, and no other Hoo rejected more than 12. The rest of the roster accumulated a total of 56 blocks.

VIRGINIA Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan Billups C 181 378 .479 107 163 .656 1 6 .167 1.24
Dee Jarmon SF 181 400 .453 69 93 .742 91 240 .379 1.31
Trevor Bocanegra SG 201 481 .418 86 120 .717 59 190 .311 1.14
Keith Tyus PG 118 271 .435 53 70 .757 34 104 .327 1.19
Joe Cavallini PF 114 204 .559 28 46 .609 31 58 .534 1.41
Charlie Shaughnessy PG 119 255 .467 40 59 .678 42 106 .396 1.25
Scott Chambliss PF 40 91 .440 34 53 .642 13 33 .394 1.40
Larry Wallace SG 47 122 .385 25 32 .781 14 41 .341 1.09
Jonathan Mooney C 23 48 .479 16 18 .889 1 1 1.000 1.31
Cesaire Dessauvage SF 8 30 .267 7 11 .636 2 11 .182 0.83
Ben Vargas PG 1 5 .200 6 6 1.000 1 5 .200 1.80
Sam Ramirez C 3 5 .600 0 0 .000 2 3 .667 1.60
Buffalo Joe shot the lights out this season, didn't he? Both his field goal percentage and his three-point percentage would have led the nation had he taken enough shots to qualify. He did this with ratings of 57 for INS, 56 for his jump shot, and 48 for three-point shooting.

[MoonlightGraham]

2024/25 Senior Snapshots

#15 C Jan Billups - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 7-0
Weight: 272
High School: Riverside High School
Hometown: Taylor, PA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 75 42 30 19 36 35 30 35 61 20 51 99 20 100 40 100
2023: 64 40 29 18 34 33 26 31 56 19 47 99 20 98 39 93
2022: 52 38 29 17 31 30 22 27 49 18 42 86 20 95 38 85
2021: 48 37 29 17 30 29 20 25 47 18 40 81 20 92 37 77
2020: 44 36 29 17 29 28 19 23 44 18 38 76 20 89 37 68
2019: 36 34 27 17 27 26 17 21 40 18 36 68 19 80 35 45
Potential: B C D D C D D D C D B A

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 44

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022 32 32 33.5 6.6 1.8 5.6 1.4 1.2 1.16 1.1 2.3 2.5
2023 31 31 31.6 7.7 1.5 6.3 1.3 1.3 1.00 0.5 4.2 3.0
2024 37 37 34.9 12.7 2.0 8.7 1.6 1.8 0.92 0.5 4.8 1.2
Career 100 100 33.5 9.2 1.8 7.0 1.4 1.4 0.92 0.7 3.8 2.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022 2.3 5.2 .452 1.9 2.9 .638 0.1 0.6 .105 1.28 1.22
2023 3.0 6.0 .492 1.8 3.0 .609 0.0 0.2 .000 1.28 4.90
2024 4.9 10.2 .479 2.9 4.4 .656 0.0 0.2 .167 1.24 4.62
Career 3.5 7.3 .476 2.2 3.5 .639 0.0 0.3 .097 1.26 3.62

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022 32 32 1073 212 58 180 44 38 34 74 79
2023 31 31 981 240 47 195 39 39 14 130 92
2024 37 37 1293 470 75 321 60 65 19 179 46
Career 100 100 3347 922 180 696 143 142 67 383 217

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022 75 166 60 94 2 19 39
2023 92 187 56 92 0 6 152
2024 181 378 107 163 1 6 171
Career 348 731 223 349 3 31 362

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 28 5 17 7 3 10 5 12 17 9 12 1 2
Career 28 5 17 7 3 10 5 12 17 9 12 1 3

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 14
2019 High School: Rated *** and #402 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2019 High School: All-State (Pennsylvania)
2019 High School: All-American
2020 Transfered from Rider
2024 NIT Champion
2024 3rd Team All-American
2024 1st Team All-Conference (Atlantic Coast Conference)

I'm amazed that (1) Rider, with its 45 Prestige, signed a high school All-American and (2) they didn't let him on the court for a single minute. I'm glad they didn't see what they had.

Jan started for UVA from the moment he became eligible, and got better and better each season. He's played his way into a possible professional career as a powerful rim protector.

Jan departs as UVA's fourth all-time rebounder. His career total of 383 blocks is nine fewer than the combined total of the next three players on our leaderboard. He's second in ACC history and 11th in NCAA history in this category, and he did this in three seasons, not four.

#0 SF Dee Jarmon - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-5
Weight: 208
High School: Charles B. Aycock High School
Hometown: Pikeville, NC

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 46 71 54 84 13 42 52 19 23 31 69 47 51 59 74 57
2023: 44 70 53 78 12 39 50 18 22 29 62 44 49 56 73 52
2022: 41 67 51 74 11 36 47 17 20 27 54 41 49 53 72 46
2021: 39 65 49 71 10 33 45 16 19 25 48 39 49 50 72 41
2020: 35 61 47 67 10 29 41 14 17 23 40 37 48 44 70 29
Potential: C B C A F C C D D D B C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 26

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021 25 0 6.6 2.1 0.3 1.0 0.6 0.5 1.08 0.2 0.1 0.9
2022 32 0 15.5 6.1 1.1 2.2 1.2 1.5 0.77 0.9 0.2 1.2
2023 31 0 13.5 5.5 1.1 2.5 1.4 0.7 1.91 0.8 0.1 1.0
2024 37 35 28.6 14.1 1.8 4.8 2.9 2.9 1.02 1.6 0.3 2.5
Career 125 35 17.1 7.5 1.1 2.8 1.6 1.5 1.02 1.0 0.2 1.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021 0.8 2.0 .400 0.2 0.2 .833 0.3 1.0 .320 1.06 -1.76
2022 2.2 5.5 .401 1.0 1.5 .667 0.7 1.8 .362 1.10 -2.34
2023 2.0 4.5 .440 0.9 1.2 .711 0.6 1.5 .391 1.20 0.26
2024 4.9 10.8 .453 1.9 2.5 .742 2.5 6.5 .379 1.31 4.27
Career 2.7 6.1 .435 1.1 1.5 .719 1.1 3.0 .374 1.22 0.38

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021 25 0 165 53 8 24 14 13 6 3 22
2022 32 0 496 195 34 71 37 48 30 5 39
2023 31 0 420 169 33 78 44 23 24 3 32
2024 37 35 1060 522 68 176 108 106 61 12 92
Career 125 35 2141 939 143 349 203 190 121 23 185

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021 20 50 5 6 8 25 -44
2022 71 177 32 48 21 58 -75
2023 62 141 27 38 18 46 8
2024 181 400 69 93 91 240 158
Career 334 768 133 185 138 369 47

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 26 4 10 8 5 2 8 10 19 7 9 5 11
Career 26 6 10 8 5 2 8 10 19 7 9 5 11

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 9
2020 High School: Rated *** and #146 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2021 Freshman All-Conference (Atlantic Coast Conference)
2024 NIT Champion
2024 2nd Team All-Conference (Atlantic Coast Conference)
The first three years of Dee's career didn't follow the script he'd prepared in his head. High three-star recruits aren't a dime a dozen at UVA, and Dee's career seemed to have stalled; after three seasons, he was a rotation player who saw decent minutes but never started a game.

The graduation of All-ACC wing Scott Morrison opened up a starting spot for Dee, just as Coach Whittaker arrived in town. Dee was almost exactly as productive as Scott had been, with the added bonus of being as tough and relentless a player as his coach had ever seen.

Dee's legend was written when he played through a painful knee injury during the ACC and NIT tournaments. Starting and playing at least 30 minutes each game--each of which was an elimination game--Dee was even more productive than he had been all season long. Inspirational leadership wasn't the only thing he brought to his team during those weeks in March and April.

I'm not officially retiring Jan's #15 and Dee's #0, but I won't be handing them out anytime soon.

Thanks for the memories, Jan and Dee.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 12, 2025

There's a place in professional basketball for strong, athletic seven-footers who can intimidate opposing shooters. Jan Billups is just this type of player, and today he's selected with the #46 pick in the draft.

2024 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Maryland ACC SF William Thelen **** 0 4 0 0 0
14. Clemson ACC PG Harold Hostetter ***** 2 0 2 0 0
16. Duke ACC SG Andrew Myer **** 0 3 0 0 0
18. Boston College ACC SG Daniel Van Horn **** 0 2 2 0 0
22. Wake Forest ACC PF Oscar Kahl **** 0 2 2 0 0
23. North Carolina ACC SG Timothy O'Leary ***** 1 1 0 0 0
37. North Carolina State ACC PF Daniel German **** 0 1 2 0 0
46. Miami ACC SF Charles Beer **** 0 1 1 0 0
59. Florida State ACC PG Olen Gabbard **** 0 1 1 0 0
127. Virginia ACC SF John Steinberg *** 0 0 3 0 0
226. Virginia Tech ACC PG Dale Carver *** 0 0 1 0 0
240. Georgia Tech ACC PF Kenton Means *** 0 0 1 2 0

I keep repeating to myself: You can win with three-star players. You can win with three-star players. You can win with three-star players.

But can you win in the Atlantic Coast Conference with three-star players?

All three of our signees are Red/Green guys. If they develop into full Green players, we should be OK. If they languish at Orange or (gasp) Yellow, we're in trouble.

Clemson landed two of the top 20 players in the nation: PG Harold Hostetter and SG Edwin Gilliam.

Our Prestige goes up four points after our NIT championship, and now stands at 74. There are a bunch of ACC teams clustered between 76 and 72. Maryland, Duke, and UNC are the conference blue bloods, all with scores in the 90s. Georgia Tech, Boston College, and Florida State lag behind the rest.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2025

The transfer portal opens today, and we have two scholarships available. When I look at the list of players who have entered the portal, I see a very familiar name...none other than Chris Como.

I redshirted Chris in my last season at Amherst. In a move reminiscent of what happened to Jan Billups at Rider, David Getty didn't let Chris play at all last season. No wonder he was unhappy, and no wonder he wants to transfer.

Chris lists UVA as his second choice, behind Syracuse. I check out his profile to see if he's gotten better, and the answer is yes. I offer Chris a scholarship, and...
#20 SG Chris Como - Virginia - Sophomore
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 202
High School: Deerfield Academy
Hometown: Deerfield, MA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 33 66 91 60 24 17 14 27 24 43 14 5 50 49 61 77
2024: 32 56 89 58 23 16 13 26 17 35 13 5 56 48 55 74
2023: 30 47 85 54 21 14 11 24 11 27 11 5 55 44 51 68
Potential: C A A B C D D D C C D D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Redshirting
Academics: 99

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Career 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 A/T 0.0 0.0 0.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Career 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.00 0.00

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Career 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Career 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022 High School: Rated ** and #766 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2024 Transfered from Amherst
Chris's trademark is a silky-smooth jumper, and it's coming along nicely. He's turning himself into a solid perimeter defender, too. It's easy to see how a player like this can earn a spot in our rotation.

Welcome to the Cavalier basketball family, Chris! We'll see you on the court in 2026.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2025

Seniors Charlie Shaughnessy and Keith Tyus are both on scholarship, so we will have two offers in hand at the beginning of this recruiting season. If I'd like to free up another schollie, I can cut one of our three walk-ons.

Our depth chart looks like this:
Centers: SO, FR, SO (W)
Power Forwards: JR, FR (W)
Small Forwards: JR, FR, SO
Shooting Guards: JR, SR, SO, SO
Point Guards: SR, FR, SO (W)

I feel like we're always looking for big men. I want to find the next Jan Billups, a dude who will start 100 games for us as an anchor big.

I'd like to bring in a good lead guard. We'll have only one PG on scholarship after this year, and Anthony Carrero will need some help.

We don't need a shooting wing. We have Buffalo Joe, John Steinberg, and Chris Como returning.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2025

Here's how our call list looks as we begin our recruiting season.

Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Isaiah Young C 6-9 235 *** Very High Virginia
Terrence Edwards SF 6-7 216 *** Very High District of Columbia
Will Hubbard PF 6-8 212 *** High Virginia
Aaron Jackson PG 6-0 165 *** High Virginia
Blair Henderson PG 6-0 191 *** High Virginia
Deshawn Weathers SF 6-8 220 *** High Maryland
Eldridge Hadley PG 5-7 158 *** High Maryland
Roger Smith PG 6-2 170 *** High Virginia
Matt Everett PF 6-9 236 ***** Average Virginia
Lucas Pearson PF 6-10 215 **** Average Virginia
Leigh Collins SG 6-1 181 *** Average Virginia
Javante Battle PG 6-1 187 *** Average Virginia
Lyle Blakley PF 6-6 209 *** Average Virginia
Tanner Lindstrom SG 5-10 188 *** Average Maryland
Brian Mack PG 5-10 165 *** Average Georgia
Vince Thomason SG 6-5 180 *** Average Ohio
Jordan Glenn PF 6-7 224 **** Low Virginia
Drew Lawrence PG 6-2 174 **** Low Virginia

Let's take a closer look at Aaron Jackson, who has some qualities I like to see in a point guard.
#14 PG Aaron Jackson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-0
Weight: 165
High School: Hampton Roads Academy
Hometown: Newport News, VA
GPA: 3.38
Test Score: 1330
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 18 33 79 25 51 43 3 10 0 50 43 2 64 39 56 43
Potential: F C A B B B D D D B B F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.4 1.0 3.5 6.8 2.0 3.49 2.3 0.2 3.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.8 8.4 .446 0.7 0.8 .867 0.3 1.5 .167

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: James Madison, Virginia, VCU, East Carolina, Haverford
Aaron is already good at passing, ballhandling, perimeter defense, and stealing the ball, and he has the potential to be even better. He's also a very good student who's interested in attending UVA.

We'll make Aaron an offer, and we'll bring him to campus in addition to having Coaches Whittaker and Mazur visit him and his family.

Is it crazy for us to go after four-star talent Lucas Pearson?
#11 PF Lucas Pearson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 215
High School: Virginia Episcopal School
Hometown: Lynchburg, VA
GPA: 3.42
Test Score: 1380
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 44 30 57 33 12 0 54 40 46 33 18 40 43 47 54 65
Potential: C A B C B D B D B D B C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13.0 2.7 9.2 1.4 3.4 0.41 0.9 1.2 2.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.9 11.7 .506 0.8 1.3 .640 0.4 2.2 .163

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Average
Rankings: #62 Overall, #13 PF, Southeast Region #17 Overall, Southeast Region #4 PF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Wake Forest
There's a very good chance this talented player will end up in the ACC. However, none of his favorite programs have made him an offer yet. Let's see if we can persuade him to stay in-state by making him feel wanted.

I'll also actively recruit this big man from the western part of the state:
#43 C Isaiah Young
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 235
High School: Glenvar High School
Hometown: Salem, VA
GPA: 3.11
Test Score: 1190
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 28 21 56 0 18 17 47 22 44 34 18 40 53 69 48 26
Potential: C C C F F C B D A C F C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17.5 3.0 6.7 2.4 2.5 0.96 1.8 2.0 2.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.6 13.6 .559 2.3 3.7 .630 0.0 0.0 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Very High
Rankings: Southeast Region #22 C
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Virginia, Radford, Liberty, Virginia Tech, North Carolina A&T
Word has it Isaiah is a big UVA fan. He's not a huge center at 6'9", but he is mobile and already very strong, and he has a solid understanding of the things post players should do.

I'll invite Isaiah to campus and send our coaches to visit him and his family. If Lucas doesn't show quick, significant interest in playing for UVA, I'll have that scholarship offer in Isaiah's hands in a hurry.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2025

Aaron Jackson received an offer from Drexel last month, and they've moved up to second on his list. We're still #1, though, and we'll continue to court him.

Lucas Pearson showed just enough interest in us to convince me to keep recruiting him. Lucas also holds offers from NC State and Virginia Tech, and he retains his interest in North Carolina. But, since he moved us onto his five-deep list, we can invite him to campus this month...and we will.

I decided to cut a walk-on and release a third scholarship. I'm giving it to Isaiah Young this month. Liberty, Radford, and Davidson all offered Isaiah this month, but he still prefers UVA. Now he has an even bigger reason to like us.

Another good big man showed increased interest in our program this month:
#25 PF Will Hubbard
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-8
Weight: 212
High School: Episcopal High School
Hometown: Alexandria, VA
GPA: 3.14
Test Score: 1240
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 33 43 60 40 14 8 24 52 55 46 6 34 35 47 57 38
Potential: C A B A F C C B A C F D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17.9 2.8 11.6 1.7 2.3 0.74 1.0 1.7 2.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.5 14.3 .521 1.6 2.6 .608 1.5 3.7 .392

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Very High
Rankings: Southeast Region #97 Overall, Southeast Region #17 PF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Virginia, Old Dominion, Pennsylvania, Howard, William & Mary
There's really very little difference between Will Hubbard and Lucas Pearson; if you showed me their stats and ratings without names attached, I would find it difficult to identify who's who.

I'm investing all the time and energy I can into Will's recruitment. If we're not first on Lucas's list by this time next month, I won't hesitate to give the offer to Will instead.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2025

With a month to go before Decision Day, it looks like Aaron Jackson has closed his recruitment. UVA is the only school on his list now. He's concentrating on trying to help his football team reach the state playoffs; last Friday, he threw two TD passes in Hampton Roads Academy's 22-15 victory over Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. Coaches Whittaker and Mazur will watch him play this weekend.

Isaiah Young still likes Liberty and Radford enough to keep them on his list, but we remain his favorite.

Will Hubbard has a wonderful time on his campus visit, and as he's leaving, we make him a scholarship offer. Lucas Pearson has offers from two programs he likes better, UNC and NC State. I don't mind engaging in a brisk recruiting battle, but the odds weren't with us this time.

I'd be delighted with a class containing Aaron, Isaiah, and Will. Perhaps that's what we will have a month from now.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2025
Decision Day

Good news! Aaron Jackson and Isaiah Young will both be playing their college basketball at the University of Virginia!

Aaron doesn't score as much as most high school stars. He concentrates on helping his teammates get good shots and locking down the best guard on the other team. He's the kind of young man we want in our program, too: a very good student, the president of his class, and an active volunteer. I think we're going to like him a lot.

Isaiah is quicker than most 6'9" players, able to guard four positions. He might not be a college center, but his skills should play well at power forward, too. Both of Isaiah's parents attended UVA, and they're delighted to continue their family's legacy with their son.

Welcome to the UVA basketball family, Aaron and Isaiah!

There's good news about Will Hubbard, too. He's taken the other schools he was considering off his list, leaving us in position to gain his signature in a month.

It would be wonderful to finish recruiting in December, and even more wonderful to enter the 2026/27 season with a full roster of scholarship players.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 9, 2025

It's time to meet the NIT titleholders...the Virginia Cavaliers.

VIRGINIA General

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthony Carreno 2 PG Fr 6-0 189 Yes 79 OK Horicon, WI
Larry Wallace 3 SG So 6-4 211 Yes 66 OK Weldon, NC
Charlie Shaughnessy 4 PG Sr* 6-3 195 Yes 49 OK Gary, IN
Keith Tyus 5 PG Sr 6-1 207 Yes 55 OK Lloydminister, Canada
Joe Cavallini 10 PF Jr 6-6 217 Yes 55 OK Buffalo, NY
Trevor Bocanegra 13 SG Jr 6-4 216 Yes 51 OK Edgewood, MD
Chris Como 20 SG So* 6-6 204 Yes 99 Redshirt Deerfield, MA
John Steinberg 21 SF Fr 6-7 201 Yes 85 OK Richmond, VA
Chris Burke 24 C Fr 6-10 269 Yes 54 OK Whitmore Lake, MI
Jonathan Mooney 25 C So 6-8 227 Yes 75 OK Washington, DC
Sam Ramirez 32 C So* 6-9 243 No 75 OK San Jacinto, CA
Cesaire Dessauvage 33 SF So 6-5 212 Yes 22 OK Bourg-st-maurice, France
Ellis Gholston 41 PF Fr 6-7 236 No 65 OK Independence, VA
Scott Chambliss 55 PF Jr 6-6 226 Yes 65 OK Fairfax, VA

How did fall training camp go?
VIRGINIA Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthony Carreno 2 4 4 4 2 8 4 0 2 8 2 0 1 6 1 18
Larry Wallace 5 3 2 1 4 2 3 1 1 4 4 1 2 3 1 11
Charlie Shaughnessy 3 4 4 4 1 2 3 2 0 3 10 3 1 1 0 7
Keith Tyus 4 8 1 3 7 7 4 2 4 9 3 2 1 2 1 6
Joe Cavallini 10 6 4 4 3 5 6 6 2 7 5 4 1 2 1 6
Trevor Bocanegra 8 11 8 6 5 3 8 3 1 6 3 2 1 3 1 10
Chris Como 2 4 4 4 2 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 2 0 4
John Steinberg 4 4 4 4 2 2 2 4 2 6 2 2 1 4 1 8
Chris Burke 2 0 2 2 2 2 6 10 10 2 0 8 1 8 2 8
Jonathan Mooney 4 1 2 0 1 1 2 7 9 1 1 2 1 4 1 6
Sam Ramirez 2 2 1 2 1 2 2 3 3 0 0 2 1 3 2 11
Cesaire Dessauvage 1 4 5 1 1 1 0 1 1 5 5 3 0 2 1 7
Ellis Gholston 2 4 4 0 4 2 2 8 2 2 2 2 0 8 2 16
Scott Chambliss 5 1 0 1 3 2 8 3 11 1 1 0 1 2 1 8

In Toby Whittaker's first season at the helm in Charlottesville, the Cavs recovered from a heartbreaking loss in the second round of the ACC tourney to storm to the NIT championship. Two of the players who were so crucial to this successful finish were seniors Dee Jarmon and Jan Billups. They've graduated, but Whittaker's cupboard is far from bare.

After a superb freshman season, Trevor Bocanegra was poised to be the team's star as a sophomore...and then his senior teammates blew up. Bocanegra seemed to quietly step back a bit, but at the same time, he improved every aspect of his game. The team's leading scorer (14.8 PPG), Trevor has honed his jumper into an even more deadly weapon.

His backcourt mate is senior point guard Keith Tyus. He responded well to his first full-time starting gig, and he showed marked improvement in his shooting and distribution in camp. He'll provide a calm, composed presence on offense, and he is a very good on-ball defender.

Joe Cavallini began last season as the team's sixth man, but he shot his way into the starting lineup and kept on firing. He was miscast as a "power forward" last season; Buffalo Joe is far better suited to the wing, where his length and active nature give defenders fits. He'll return to his natural role this season.

Senior Scott Chambliss, who traded roles with Cavallini last year, will have another crack at the four spot this season. A bit undersized at 6'6", he's still a very effective defender because of his athleticism and court sense.

The fifth starter will be freshman center Chris Burke. His offensive game is a work in progress, but we don't need Chris to score. If he can rebound, block a few shots, and play tough defense--all things he looks ready to do at the college level--he'll be fine.

Senior Charlie Shaughnessy has carved out a role as a versatile reserve in his two seasons at UVA. He'll be the team's sixth man this season, featuring the ability to score at all three levels and a knack for creating turnovers.

Jonathan Mooney will be the first big man off the bench. The sophomore is a good defender. His classmate Larry Wallace and freshman John Steinberg will compete for playing time on the wing. Wallace is a well-rounded player without a single signature trait, while Steinberg is an excellent shooter who doesn't neglect his defensive duties. Freshman Anthony Carreno will spell Tyus at the point.

A productive fall camp has made this year's Cavaliers look as skilled as last year's NIT champions. Bocanegra has reached his Blue potential, and he's considered one of the top ten professional prospects in his class. Tyus, Cavallini, and Shaughnessy are full Green players now. That's a solid core of talented players.

The ACC will again feature four or five ranked teams, so Whittaker's charges will face one tough test after another once conference play begins. This year's pre-conference schedule isn't quite as tough as last year's gauntlet was, so we should enter the ACC program with a healthy record and high levels of confidence. Perhaps we'll reach our AD's goal of a spot in the NCAA field this season.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2025
Recruiting Update

Will Hubbard informs us today that he's committing to Virginia. Let's go!

I have a very good feeling about Will. We may need to be patient with him as his substantial potential as a scorer develops, but he's already demonstrated the desire and the ability to defend against the best big men in the area. Coach Whittaker watched him hold Loyola commit Elias Murray, a high three-star center, to eight points and four rebounds in a Thanksgiving tournament final.

Our entire frontcourt rotation will return next season, but it's always been dependent on a walk-on or two. Will's arrival will fill out a roster of 13 scholarship players. Now the challenge will be finding enough playing time for all of them to keep them happy.

That's a problem for next-year-me, though. :)

Welcome to UVA basketball, Will.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 14, 2026
Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
11/15/25 St. Peter's 5-10 160 W 66-54 1-0
11/19/25 at Michigan 9-7 25 L 86-69 1-1
11/23/25 Dickinson 5-10 278 W 77-63 2-1
11/26/25 Fordham 10-3 72 W 77-63 3-1
11/30/25 at Kent State 7-7 149 W 86-67 4-1
12/06/25 at Penn State 8-6 129 W 79-73 5-1
12/10/25 Mount St. Mary's 6-8 269 W 80-73 6-1
12/14/25 Davidson 11-3 57 L 91-70 6-2
12/21/25 Muhlenberg 9-6 312 W 90-86 7-2
12/27/25 at Notre Dame 7-7 93 L 84-72 7-3
12/31/25 Holy Cross 3-12 143 W 79-66 8-3
01/06/26 at Vanderbilt 11-4 19 W 80-67 9-3
01/10/26 Columbia 2-12 223 W 81-46 10-3

Best win so far: at Vanderbilt last week. Trevor Bocanegra is the star, with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Trevor leads us with 18.2 PPG, and he's sailed past the 1000-point mark for his UVA career.

Worst defeat so far: probably at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish aren't a bad team, but we shoot badly (with the exception of Charlie Shaughnessy and his 21 points) and we never find our rhythm. Charlie is adapting well to his role as our sixth man, scoring in double figures despite not finding the range from behind the arc; he's shooting 24% from long range.

Such is not the case with Joe Cavallini. He's understandably drawing more defensive attention than before, and he's not making half his threes anymore, but he's darn close (21-for-44, 47.7%). At 15.5 PPG, he's become a star.

2025 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------
#5 Duke 0 0 .000 13 1 .929 45 95
#7 Maryland 0 0 .000 13 0 1.000 49 90
#8 North Carolina 0 0 .000 13 1 .929 76 96
#13 Miami 0 0 .000 12 1 .923 64 76
#20 Virginia Tech 0 0 .000 12 1 .923 154 72
Florida State 0 0 .000 11 3 .786 243 68
Clemson 0 0 .000 10 3 .769 30 75
Boston College 0 0 .000 10 4 .714 38 62
Virginia 0 0 .000 10 3 .769 46 74
Georgia Tech 0 0 .000 8 6 .571 94 54
North Carolina State 0 0 .000 8 6 .571 162 73
Wake Forest 0 0 .000 7 6 .538 165 76

Goodness, the ACC is brutal. We're run through our pre-conference slate with a 10-3 record, and eight teams in our league are doing better.

For several reasons, the path to the top of the ACC is a long, difficult one. We'd have to climb over quite a few teams to get there. That will require us to beat teams that have more talented players than we do. Unless we manage do accomplish that task, we won't be able to recruit players as good as the ones our opponents have.

Our natural recruiting area--Virginia, Maryland, and DC, perhaps North Carolina, West Virginia, and Delaware--contains a number of top programs. "Winning" the recruiting battle in our home state is a goal I'd like to achieve. Right now the best in-state players are still looking elsewhere, though. Can a team led by solid, three-star players win in the ACC? It won't be easy.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 11, 2026

To answer the question I posed last time: can a team like UVA, with three-star players in key roles rather than five-star guys, win in the ACC? If we restrict our scope to the first half of this year's conference schedule, the answer is "much of the time, yes."
Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01/14/26 at Virginia Tech 15-6 45 W 101-72 11-3 (1-0)
01/17/26 at Boston College 11-11 58 W 88-80 12-3 (2-0)
01/21/26 #6 Maryland 19-2 9 L 61-60 12-4 (2-1)
01/24/26 #13 North Carolina 18-4 48 L 90-55 12-5 (2-2)
01/28/26 Clemson 12-9 41 W 77-72 13-5 (3-2)
01/31/26 at #13 North Carolina 18-4 48 W 60-57 14-5 (4-2)
02/04/26 Virginia Tech 15-6 45 W 79-74 15-5 (5-2)
02/07/26 North Carolina State 10-12 61 W 91-75 16-5 (6-2)

All true Hoos know that a 29-point win over the Hokies is a very, very good thing. Trevor Bocanegra, Keith Tyus, and Charlie Shaughnessy all drop at least 20 on our in-state rivals. Trevor leads the way with a career-high 29 points. For seniors Keith and Charlie, it's especially sweet to play so well in their last trip to Blacksburg.

It's Joe Cavallini's turn against Boston College; Buffalo Joe scorches the Eagles with 25 points and 11 boards, and Keith adds another 20. Trevor returns to center stage with another double-double (23p/11r) in our closely-fought victory against Clemson at JPJ.

We're not flawless; we're terrible against UNC at home, committing 21 turnovers and losing by 35. But we gain some revenge with a landmark victory over the Tar Heels at the Dean Smith Center. Keith Tyus puts us in the lead for the final time when he scores with 1:29 remaining, and Trevor Bocanegra stars again with 25 points. Trevor is making a strong case for postseason honors.

We come within a basket of a share of the ACC lead at the halfway point. Maryland's Richard Bishop scores a putback with 14 seconds left to silence a huge crowd at the John Paul Jones Arena.

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------
#10 Miami 7 1 .875 19 2 .905 6 76
#4 Duke 7 1 .875 20 2 .909 4 95
#6 Maryland 6 2 .750 19 2 .905 9 90
Virginia 6 2 .750 16 5 .762 2 74
Wake Forest 6 2 .750 13 8 .619 40 76
#13 North Carolina 5 3 .625 18 4 .818 48 96
Virginia Tech 3 5 .375 15 6 .714 45 72
Clemson 2 6 .250 12 9 .571 41 75
North Carolina State 2 6 .250 10 12 .455 61 73
Florida State 2 6 .250 13 9 .591 125 68
Georgia Tech 1 7 .125 9 13 .409 94 54
Boston College 1 7 .125 11 11 .500 58 62

We host Miami in our next game, and it's become one of the marquee games on the ACC schedule. The Bubble Watch lists us as a Lock for the NCAA tournament field...but a lot can change in a month. We claimed the same status this time last season, too.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 7, 2026

The second half of our ACC slate doesn't go as well as the first half did, but our 11-5 conference record is the second-best in school history (the 2018/19) Cavs finished 12-4).

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
02/11/26 #7 Miami 24-5 10 W 62-54 17-5 (7-2)
02/14/26 at Georgia Tech 10-20 155 W 84-68 18-5 (8-2)
02/18/26 at Florida State 17-13 97 W 66-65 19-5 (9-2)
02/21/26 at #2 Duke 27-3 1 L 89-63 19-6 (9-3)
02/25/26 at #5 Maryland 25-4 2 L 89-77 19-7 (9-4)
02/28/26 Wake Forest 15-14 53 W 104-92 20-7 (10-4)
03/04/26 Boston College 13-17 64 W 89-80 21-7 (11-4)
03/07/26 at Clemson 16-13 50 L 79-70 21-8 (11-5)

The highlight, of course, was the upset at Miami. If you'd told me that only one UVA player would score more than 6 points, I would have winced and predicted a lopsided loss. Instead, Trevor Bocanegra fires in 33--a new career best--and he and his teammates defend like their lives depend on it. The home team tries 24 three-pointers and makes two.

In the aftermath of this big win, we move into the polls at #25. We stay there, with an occasional move up to #24, for the rest of the season.

Larry Wallace is the hero at Florida State, making our final basket before we deny the 'Noles with two crucial defensive stops. With a 9-2 record, we find ourselves only a game behind Duke in the ACC standings.

Then, back to earth we crash, with poor results at Duke and at Maryland. We fall behind 55-41 at Cameron, and the second half is worse; we end up with 20 turnovers and leave with the shouts of the Crazies in our ears. We play better at Maryland, but it's still not enough. I'm reminded of the gap that still exists between us and the ACC elites.

Walk-on Sam Ramirez comes off the bench to score 10 points as we right the ship against Wake, and Keith Tyus celebrates his Senior Night with 16 points and a career-best 10 assists. Our chance to finish second in the league disappears when we can't hold on to the lead at Clemson.

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------
#2 Duke 14 2 .875 27 3 .900 1 95
#7 Miami 12 4 .750 24 5 .828 10 76
#5 Maryland 12 4 .750 25 4 .862 2 90
#9 North Carolina 11 5 .688 24 6 .800 29 96
#25 Virginia 11 5 .688 21 8 .724 5 74
Wake Forest 8 8 .500 15 14 .517 53 76
Virginia Tech 6 10 .375 18 11 .621 46 72
Florida State 6 10 .375 17 13 .567 97 68
Clemson 6 10 .375 16 13 .552 50 75
North Carolina State 5 11 .313 13 17 .433 95 73
Boston College 3 13 .188 13 17 .433 64 62
Georgia Tech 2 14 .125 10 20 .333 155 54

Our record is three games better than it was last season, but we finish fifth in the league again. I wish we could have achieved a first-round bye this time.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 12, 2026
ACC Tournament, First Round
(5) Virginia 71, (12) Georgia Tech 61

---------------------------------------------------------
Georgia Tech (10-21, 2-14):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Bryant Vasques C 32 4-5 0-0 2 5 2 2 10
Arthur Crawford PF 33 1-5 6-8 0 3 0 4 8
Claude Eakins SF 33 5-12 4-5 1 3 2 2 16
K. DeBerry SG 37 3-12 3-3 3 4 3 3 9
M. Baskerville PG 34 5-13 1-1 0 5 2 2 13
Thomas Gatewood SG 13 0-1 0-0 0 2 2 1 0
Dirk Lee PG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Kenton Means PF 10 2-3 1-2 1 3 0 1 5
Mitch Eskew C 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (B.Vasques 1, A.Crawford 1, C.Eakins 3,
K.DeBerry 2, M.Baskerville 4, K.Means 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (B.Vasques 3, A.Crawford 1, C.Eakins
1, M.Baskerville 1)
Steals: 2 (M.Baskerville 1, K.Means 1)
3P FGs: 6-22 (B.Vasques 2-2, A.Crawford 0-2, C.Eakins
2-7, K.DeBerry 0-2, M.Baskerville 2-8, T.Gatewood 0-1)

Virginia (22-8, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 32 2-4 2-2 4 14 0 0 6
Scott Chambliss PF 27 3-4 0-0 4 6 0 3 7
Joe Cavallini SF 31 3-18 1-2 5 9 3 4 7
Trevor Bocanegra SG 34 11-19 1-2 3 7 1 2 26
Keith Tyus PG 32 5-14 0-0 4 5 6 1 12
C. Shaughnessy SF 14 2-6 0-0 1 2 1 4 4
Larry Wallace SG 13 0-1 0-0 0 0 2 2 0
Jonathan Mooney C 10 2-3 1-2 3 5 0 0 5
Anthony Carreno PG 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
John Steinberg SF 2 1-1 2-3 0 1 0 0 4

Turnovers: 9 (J.Cavallini 3, T.Bocanegra 2, K.Tyus 2,
L.Wallace 1, J.Steinberg 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (C.Burke 1, S.Chambliss 1, J.Cavallini
1, T.Bocanegra 1)
Steals: 3 (J.Cavallini 1, K.Tyus 1, L.Wallace 1)
3P FGs: 6-18 (S.Chambliss 1-1, J.Cavallini 0-2,
T.Bocanegra 3-5, K.Tyus 2-6, C.Shaughnessy 0-2,
L.Wallace 0-1, A.Carreno 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Trevor Bocanegra (VA)
We trail 29-25 at halftime, and I nearly resign myself to another first-round exit from the ACC tournament. I would like to be able to say I make a series of well-timed coaching decisions that enable the Cavaliers to seize the game in the second half, but that wouldn't be true. We simply stop turning the ball over, and Trevor Bocanegra starts making buckets.

Eighteen of Trevor's 26 points and only one of our team's 9 turnovers occur after the break. Keith Tyus and Chris Burke also play well.

Joe Cavallini endures a frightful game, and he's very glad he'll get to return to action tomorrow.
Record: 22-8.


March 14, 2026
ACC Tournament, Second Round
(4) #8 North Carolina 91, (5) Virginia 74

--------------------------------------------------------
Virginia (22-9, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 26 2-3 0-0 2 4 1 4 5
Scott Chambliss PF 17 1-3 0-0 1 3 0 4 3
Joe Cavallini SF 20 4-9 0-0 3 4 2 4 10
Trevor Bocanegra SG 29 6-16 0-0 1 6 3 3 13
Keith Tyus PG 29 4-11 0-0 5 7 4 2 9
C. Shaughnessy SF 16 4-7 2-2 2 3 1 3 11
Larry Wallace SG 17 4-4 1-2 0 0 1 0 10
Jonathan Mooney PF 20 1-4 0-0 0 2 3 2 2
Anthony Carreno PG 10 2-2 0-0 0 0 1 0 5
John Steinberg SF 6 1-2 2-2 0 2 1 0 4
Sam Ramirez C 10 1-2 0-0 1 3 0 0 2

Turnovers: 18 (C.Burke 2, J.Cavallini 3, T.Bocanegra 6,
K.Tyus 1, C.Shaughnessy 2, L.Wallace 2, A.Carreno 1,
J.Steinberg 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (C.Burke 1, S.Chambliss 1)
Steals: 6 (J.Cavallini 2, C.Shaughnessy 2, L.Wallace 1,
A.Carreno 1)
3P FGs: 9-23 (C.Burke 1-2, S.Chambliss 1-1, J.Cavallini
2-4, T.Bocanegra 1-4, K.Tyus 1-4, C.Shaughnessy 1-3,
L.Wallace 1-1, J.Mooney 0-1, A.Carreno 1-1,
J.Steinberg 0-1, S.Ramirez 0-1)

North Carolina (25-6, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Cloutier C 29 1-5 3-4 2 8 2 1 5
Wayne Cass PF 30 5-8 5-9 4 9 0 0 15
Steven Sargeant SF 25 5-9 4-5 1 2 3 4 17
Theron Overby SG 30 3-7 6-6 0 1 5 1 14
Orlando Matthews PG 31 2-5 0-1 1 1 3 2 4
Jerry Henderson SF 22 8-13 5-5 1 2 4 1 23
Fred Porter PF 14 3-4 2-4 4 8 2 0 8
Bud Grimm SG 9 2-4 0-0 0 0 0 0 4
Junior Gelinas C 7 0-1 1-2 1 1 1 0 1
Timothy O'Leary SG 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (C.Cloutier 2, W.Cass 2, S.Sargeant 1,
T.Overby 2, J.Henderson 1, F.Porter 1, B.Grimm 1,
T.O'Leary 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (C.Cloutier 4, T.Overby 2, J.Henderson
1)
Steals: 10 (C.Cloutier 1, T.Overby 3, O.Matthews 2,
J.Henderson 2, F.Porter 1, B.Grimm 1)
3P FGs: 7-17 (S.Sargeant 3-3, T.Overby 2-6, O.Matthews
0-2, J.Henderson 2-4, B.Grimm 0-2)

Player of Game: SF Jerry Henderson (NC)
How nasty is the ACC right now? The fourth seed in the conference tournament is ranked #8 in the nation.

We can't repeat the magic that allowed us to beat the Tar Heels at the Dean Dome on the last day of January. Instead, UNC forces us into lots of turnovers and draw a gazillion fouls. They outscore us 26-5 from the free throw line, which accounts for their winning margin.

I hope the NCAA tournament committee acknowledges the magnitude of the task we faced this season as they hand out dance tickets.
Record: 22-9.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 15, 2026

Toby Whittaker and his team watch as they are awarded the #5 seed in the NCAA South Region. Ranked #9 in RPI and playing the sixth toughest schedule in the nation, the Hoos are one of five ACC teams in the field. Two of them--Duke and Maryland--are top seeds, along with Connecticut and Wisconsin.


March 19, 2026
NCAA South Region, First Round
(5) Virginia 103, (12) Iona 101 (OT)

--------------------------------------------------------
Iona (22-12, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Gerard Joyner C 31 1-3 1-2 3 7 1 4 4
Michael Nunez PF 26 5-10 2-2 1 12 1 3 12
David Alfano SF 21 5-10 1-3 1 3 1 4 13
Tony MacArthur SG 28 3-10 3-7 2 5 2 4 10
H. Troutman PG 37 2-7 2-2 1 3 3 3 7
Randy Legault SF 29 7-18 4-6 2 8 4 3 21
Xavier Sanford SF 15 4-6 0-0 1 2 3 2 8
Franklin Callan PG 2 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 2
Chris Ellis PF 23 7-8 8-13 0 3 1 3 24
Alex Williams SG 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Kevin Rock PF 9 0-1 0-0 1 4 1 4 0

Turnovers: 18 (G.Joyner 1, M.Nunez 2, T.MacArthur 2,
H.Troutman 3, R.Legault 5, X.Sanford 2, F.Callan 1,
C.Ellis 1, K.Rock 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (G.Joyner 1, M.Nunez 1, A.Williams 1)
Steals: 11 (M.Nunez 3, D.Alfano 2, T.MacArthur 2,
H.Troutman 1, X.Sanford 1, F.Callan 1, C.Ellis 1)
3P FGs: 10-33 (G.Joyner 1-3, D.Alfano 2-5, T.MacArthur
1-6, H.Troutman 1-4, R.Legault 3-10, X.Sanford 0-2,
C.Ellis 2-2, K.Rock 0-1)

Virginia (23-9, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 34 0-2 1-2 2 19 1 4 1
Scott Chambliss PF 28 2-5 3-4 1 5 0 4 8
Joe Cavallini SF 24 6-8 2-6 1 4 2 4 15
Trevor Bocanegra SG 36 10-23 16-19 3 4 5 3 37
Keith Tyus PG 35 6-15 3-8 2 5 6 3 16
C. Shaughnessy SF 17 4-9 1-1 1 1 0 4 10
Larry Wallace SG 17 2-3 6-8 0 2 2 1 10
Jonathan Mooney PF 19 0-1 0-0 2 7 1 3 0
Anthony Carreno PG 5 2-2 0-0 0 0 1 1 4
John Steinberg SF 2 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 0 2
Sam Ramirez C 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Ellis Gholston PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 17 (C.Burke 1, J.Cavallini 2, T.Bocanegra 9,
K.Tyus 2, C.Shaughnessy 3)
Blocked Shots: 1 (J.Cavallini 1)
Steals: 9 (J.Cavallini 1, T.Bocanegra 3, K.Tyus 2,
L.Wallace 2, S.Ramirez 1)
3P FGs: 5-16 (C.Burke 0-1, S.Chambliss 1-2, J.Cavallini
1-2, T.Bocanegra 1-5, K.Tyus 1-3, C.Shaughnessy 1-3)

Player of Game: SG Trevor Bocanegra (VA)
Trevor Bocanegra sinks two free throws with four seconds left in overtime, and we barely escape the well-known 12-beats-5 upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Trevor plays an eventful game, to say the least. His 37 points are three fewer than Sébastien Petit's school record. His 16 free throws in 19 attempts are both school records. And his nine turnovers tie the school record.

Chris Burke also writes his name on the UVA leader board with his 19 rebounds, second most in a single game.

It's a crazy win, but we'll take it.
Record: 23-9.


March 21, 2026
NCAA South Region, Second Round
(5) Virginia 76, (13) New Hampshire 68

---------------------------------------------------------
Virginia (24-9, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 32 2-2 0-0 1 9 2 2 5
Scott Chambliss PF 23 3-5 1-2 3 5 3 4 8
Joe Cavallini SF 32 7-11 2-2 4 10 2 1 16
Trevor Bocanegra SG 34 9-22 4-6 2 4 3 0 24
Keith Tyus PG 31 3-11 0-0 1 1 4 4 6
C. Shaughnessy SF 19 1-6 0-1 1 5 4 2 2
Larry Wallace SG 9 3-4 3-3 1 1 1 1 9
Jonathan Mooney C 14 3-3 0-0 1 3 0 3 6
Anthony Carreno PG 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Sam Ramirez C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Ellis Gholston PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (C.Burke 2, J.Cavallini 2, T.Bocanegra 1,
C.Shaughnessy 2, L.Wallace 1, J.Mooney 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (J.Mooney 1)
Steals: 8 (J.Cavallini 2, K.Tyus 2, C.Shaughnessy 3,
J.Mooney 1)
3P FGs: 4-16 (C.Burke 1-1, S.Chambliss 1-1, J.Cavallini
0-1, T.Bocanegra 2-7, K.Tyus 0-2, C.Shaughnessy 0-4)

New Hampshire (21-14, 8-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jose Giordano C 35 6-10 1-2 2 6 1 2 13
Brian Adams PF 34 4-7 1-1 2 4 3 1 9
Dominique Massey SF 30 3-9 4-5 3 9 0 0 10
Nelson Trump SG 27 1-2 0-0 0 2 1 5 3
Alex Schwartz PG 35 5-12 5-6 1 4 5 1 18
Vince Shephard PG 13 0-4 0-3 1 3 1 3 0
Robert Parker SF 14 4-6 0-0 0 2 2 1 10
Josiah Rudy PF 7 0-1 2-2 0 1 0 1 2
Jesse Chow C 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Jame Grubb SF 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3

Turnovers: 14 (J.Giordano 5, D.Massey 2, N.Trump 1,
A.Schwartz 3, V.Shephard 1, R.Parker 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (J.Chow 1)
Steals: 1 (N.Trump 1)
3P FGs: 7-13 (D.Massey 0-1, N.Trump 1-1, A.Schwartz
3-7, V.Shephard 0-1, R.Parker 2-2, J.Grubb 1-1)

Player of Game: SF Joe Cavallini (VA)
For the second straight season, we eliminate New Hampshire from a tournament. This time, our victory earns us a spot in the Sweet Sixteen, the first in Virginia's history. And it ends a Cinderella story for the Wildcats, who upset Tennessee in their first round game.

We shoot terribly from long range (4-for-16), but we do almost everything else very well. Joe Cavallini and Trevor Bocanegra are especially effective.

The worst part of the day is the news that walk-on Sam Ramirez painfully dislocates his shoulder, ending his season.
Record: 24-9.


March 27, 2026
NCAA South Region Semifinal: the Sweet Sixteen
(1) #2 Connecticut 89, (5) Virginia 86

---------------------------------------------------------
Virginia (24-10, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 28 2-2 1-2 5 5 1 5 5
Scott Chambliss PF 26 3-8 2-2 1 5 0 3 11
Joe Cavallini SF 29 7-17 0-0 2 6 2 4 16
Trevor Bocanegra SG 34 5-18 3-7 3 6 5 1 13
Keith Tyus PG 31 6-11 0-0 3 6 8 0 15
C. Shaughnessy SF 24 6-9 2-2 1 5 1 3 18
Larry Wallace SG 9 3-3 0-0 0 1 0 3 8
Jonathan Mooney C 16 0-2 0-2 0 3 1 1 0
Anthony Carreno PG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Ellis Gholston PF 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 18 (C.Burke 2, S.Chambliss 3, J.Cavallini 4,
T.Bocanegra 1, K.Tyus 5, C.Shaughnessy 2, L.Wallace 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Burke 1, S.Chambliss 1, K.Tyus 1)
Steals: 4 (C.Shaughnessy 3, L.Wallace 1)
3P FGs: 14-29 (S.Chambliss 3-4, J.Cavallini 2-3,
T.Bocanegra 0-8, K.Tyus 3-6, C.Shaughnessy 4-6,
L.Wallace 2-2)

Connecticut (34-2, 17-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
David Dunleavy C 28 5-6 2-2 2 7 1 1 12
Keith Brown PF 28 5-9 6-8 0 3 2 3 16
Wilber Wolford SF 24 8-13 4-4 3 7 4 1 20
Dennis Rhodes SG 15 5-7 2-2 1 2 1 4 12
David McGinty PG 25 4-8 1-2 1 6 10 0 10
Scotty Cheatham PG 15 1-3 0-0 1 1 2 1 2
C. Demers SG 11 1-2 2-2 0 0 2 4 4
David Rich SF 15 1-8 2-2 0 4 1 1 4
Joe Quattlebaum C 18 2-3 1-2 1 3 0 0 5
Daxton Mayer PF 6 2-4 0-0 0 0 0 1 4
Jerry Cooke PF 1 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 0 0
Harold Bailey SG 15 0-1 0-1 1 4 2 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (D.Dunleavy 2, K.Brown 3, W.Wolford 1,
D.Rhodes 2, D.McGinty 3, C.Demers 3)
Blocked Shots: 3 (K.Brown 1, J.Quattlebaum 1, D.Mayer 1)
Steals: 10 (K.Brown 1, W.Wolford 3, D.Rhodes 2,
D.McGinty 2, J.Quattlebaum 1, H.Bailey 1)
3P FGs: 1-9 (D.Dunleavy 0-1, D.Rhodes 0-2, D.McGinty
1-3, S.Cheatham 0-2, C.Demers 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Wilber Wolford (UCONN)
Our season ends at the hands of one of the very best teams in the nation. The scoreline flatters us a bit; we never lead the game, and we're 10 points or so behind most of the way. In fact, we're down, 87-77, with 36 seconds left and proceed to fire home three triples to narrow the Huskies' lead to three points.

Our seniors, Keith Tyus and Charlie Shaughnessy, play like titans in their final collegiate games.
Record: 24-10.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 6, 2026
After eliminating us, UConn rolls through the remainder of the NCAA tournament, beating a Maryland team we know well, 79-69, in the championship game. The other semifinalists are Alabama and Texas.

Both finalists are top seeds, and the teams they beat are #2 seeds.

2025 ACC AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR SF Sherman Bell Duke 22.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.3 APG 1.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SF Robert Cervantes Miami 7.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.9 APG 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Coach of the Year:
James Richerson Miami 25 - 7 (12 - 4)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Edward Mona North Carolina State 7.0 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, 3.4 BPG
PF SR Brad Armijo Virginia Tech 15.0 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SF SR Sherman Bell Duke 22.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG SO Theron Overby North Carolina 11.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG JR Chung Curtis Florida State 14.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Richard Puckett Boston College 14.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.8 BPG
PF SR Joe Galicia Miami 13.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.7 BPG
SF SR Gregory Archibald Maryland 15.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.1 BPG
SG SR Augustus Weinberger Maryland 14.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Frank Burns Miami 16.9 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.0 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Chris Burke Virginia 3.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG
PF FR Kenton Means Georgia Tech 2.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.0 BPG
SF FR Robert Cervantes Miami 7.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SG FR Daniel Van Horn Boston College 15.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Harold Hostetter Clemson 13.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Chris is the only Cavalier who wins a post-season award, a berth on the ACC All-Freshman team.

I can't understand how Trevor Bocanegra doesn't make one of the All-League teams. Playing his natural position, SG, Trevor averaged 19.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 6, 2026
VIRGINIA TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 74 Record Vs 1-50: 4-8 Poll Rank: NR
Season Record: 24-10 Record Vs 51-100: 9-1 RPI Rank: #8
Conference Record: 11-5 Record Vs 101-200: 7-1
Home Record: 13-3 Record Vs 200+: 4-0


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 77.7 2 13 Points 74.3 11 328 Points 3.4 7 92
O.Reb 14.4 1 3 O.Reb 10.7 7 171 O.Reb 3.7 2 9
D.Reb 26.1 4 91 D.Reb 25.2 9 201 D.Reb 0.9 9 116
Rebounds 40.6 1 10 Rebounds 35.9 8 195 Rebounds 4.6 4 29
Assists 14.7 7 75 Assists 14.5 10 321 Assists 0.2 7 155
Steals 5.6 7 165 Steals 6.4 11 319 Steals -0.8 8 248
Blocks 2.1 12 318 Blocks 3.9 5 235 Blocks -1.8 11 333
Turnovers 14.1 10 215 Turnovers 14.3 8 120 Turnovers -0.2 8 166
Fouls 20.5 12 287 Fouls 19.0 7 206 Fouls 1.5 10 297
FG% .437 7 117 FG% .442 11 256 FG% -.005 9 193
FT% .720 3 39 FT% .687 6 251 FT% .033 3 68
3P% .338 9 177 3P% .322 3 81 3P% .016 7 117
PPS 1.22 9 194 PPS 1.28 11 264 PPS -.054 11 250
Adj. FG% .493 8 140 Adj. FG% .496 10 235 Adj. FG% -.003 10 186
I'm guessing most teams with a scoring margin of only +3.4 points don't win 24 games. I remember us losing some notable blowouts, and the only lopsided win I remember was the Virginia Tech game in Blacksburg.

We scored a lot of points, got a lot of rebounds, we committed a lot of fouls, and we seemed allergic to blocking shots.

VIRGINIA Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keith Tyus PG 34 34 29.6 11.0 1.8 4.1 3.6 0.8 0.2 2.3 2.2 1.7
Joe Cavallini SF 34 33 28.7 14.2 2.2 6.1 2.0 0.8 0.3 2.1 2.9 2.4
Trevor Bocanegra SG 34 34 27.9 19.3 2.6 5.8 2.2 0.6 0.1 3.0 3.0 4.3
Chris Burke C 34 34 26.4 3.2 1.8 8.1 1.3 0.2 0.5 1.3 2.4 3.3
Scott Chambliss PF 34 34 23.7 5.6 1.8 4.5 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.9 3.0 2.1
Charlie Shaughnessy SF 34 1 20.7 10.2 1.2 3.4 2.1 1.6 0.1 2.1 2.9 3.6
Jonathan Mooney C 34 0 18.1 3.4 1.3 4.9 1.0 0.3 0.5 0.5 1.5 1.6
Larry Wallace SG 34 0 13.9 6.6 0.9 1.8 1.1 0.5 0.0 1.3 1.2 0.1
Anthony Carreno PG 34 0 5.0 2.0 0.2 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.3 0.6 -0.7
Sam Ramirez C 28 0 4.5 1.0 0.4 1.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.6 -0.9
John Steinberg SF 29 0 3.8 1.5 0.2 0.7 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.3 -0.9
Ellis Gholston PF 9 0 1.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.4 -1.9

VIRGINIA Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keith Tyus PG 34 34 1005 375 61 140 123 28 7 78 75 59
Joe Cavallini SF 34 33 977 483 74 207 69 27 11 73 99 82
Trevor Bocanegra SG 34 34 950 656 90 196 76 22 3 102 101 147
Chris Burke C 34 34 896 109 62 277 44 8 17 44 81 112
Scott Chambliss PF 34 34 805 190 61 153 19 12 10 30 102 71
Charlie Shaughnessy SF 34 1 704 348 40 116 73 53 5 71 98 121
Jonathan Mooney C 34 0 617 117 44 165 34 11 17 17 50 56
Larry Wallace SG 34 0 473 224 32 62 38 18 1 43 42 5
Anthony Carreno PG 34 0 169 68 8 16 13 8 0 11 20 -25
Sam Ramirez C 28 0 126 27 11 27 2 1 0 3 17 -25
John Steinberg SF 29 0 109 44 7 19 9 2 0 7 9 -26
Ellis Gholston PF 9 0 10 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 4 -17

VIRGINIA Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keith Tyus PG 144 356 .404 53 89 .596 34 119 .286 1.05
Joe Cavallini SF 182 396 .460 68 99 .687 51 113 .451 1.22
Trevor Bocanegra SG 228 525 .434 147 190 .774 53 189 .280 1.25
Chris Burke C 43 98 .439 17 31 .548 6 25 .240 1.11
Scott Chambliss PF 61 145 .421 50 69 .725 18 44 .409 1.31
Charlie Shaughnessy SF 118 273 .432 75 99 .758 37 117 .316 1.27
Jonathan Mooney C 44 99 .444 28 40 .700 1 2 .500 1.18
Larry Wallace SG 77 180 .428 48 60 .800 22 63 .349 1.24
Anthony Carreno PG 25 44 .568 5 6 .833 13 23 .565 1.55
Sam Ramirez C 9 17 .529 6 7 .857 3 9 .333 1.59
John Steinberg SF 15 29 .517 10 14 .714 4 12 .333 1.52
Ellis Gholston PF 0 2 .000 1 2 .500 0 0 .000 0.50

We had very good luck with injuries this year. No starter missed a game due to a health issue.

Only six teams took more shots per game than we did. I felt like we bricked a bunch of threes, but we ended up right in the middle of the national rankings for three-point percentage. Joe Cavallini regressed to the mean a bit, but I'll take 45% from behind the arc any day.

[MoonlightGraham]

2025/26 Senior Snapshots

#4 SF Charlie Shaughnessy - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-3
Weight: 195
High School: Theodore Roosevelt High School
Hometown: Gary, IN

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 59 56 53 49 17 52 43 35 5 36 82 53 86 63 77 84
2024: 56 52 49 45 16 50 40 33 5 33 72 50 85 62 77 77
2023: 53 49 46 42 15 46 37 32 4 31 63 47 85 61 77 69
2022: 51 47 44 40 14 44 35 31 4 30 58 46 84 60 77 60
2021: 49 45 42 38 13 42 33 30 3 29 53 44 83 58 76 50
2020: 45 41 38 34 13 38 29 28 3 27 45 42 80 54 73 24
Potential: C C C C D C C C F D A C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 49

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 31 0 16.3 4.9 0.6 3.3 1.0 1.0 0.97 1.0 0.2 2.5
2024 37 0 19.1 8.6 1.1 3.4 2.0 1.8 1.07 1.2 0.2 2.4
2025 34 1 20.7 10.2 1.2 3.4 2.1 2.1 1.03 1.6 0.1 2.9
Career 102 1 18.8 8.0 1.0 3.4 1.7 1.7 1.03 1.3 0.2 2.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 1.6 3.7 .440 1.1 1.5 .761 0.5 1.0 .452 1.30 0.16
2024 3.2 6.9 .467 1.1 1.6 .678 1.1 2.9 .396 1.25 2.92
2025 3.5 8.0 .432 2.2 2.9 .758 1.1 3.4 .316 1.27 3.56
Career 2.8 6.3 .447 1.5 2.0 .735 0.9 2.5 .366 1.27 2.29

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 31 0 504 151 20 101 31 32 30 5 77
2024 37 0 706 320 42 125 73 68 46 8 87
2025 34 1 704 348 40 116 73 71 53 5 98
Career 102 1 1914 819 102 342 177 171 129 18 262

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 51 116 35 46 14 31 5
2024 119 255 40 59 42 106 108
2025 118 273 75 99 37 117 121
Career 288 644 150 204 93 254 234

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 22 3 8 5 4 2 7 10 15 8 12 4 9
Career 26 4 8 6 7 2 7 10 15 8 12 6 9

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 4
2020 High School: Rated ** and #558 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2021 Transferred from Illinois-Chicago
2024 NIT Champion
Charlie Shaughnessy started his career at Illinois-Chicago, where he took a redshirt and spent a year anchored to the bench. He came to Charlottesville, hoping for a chance to play, and coach Tom Schumann gave it to him.

His successor, Toby Whittaker, also found plenty of use for Charlie, who could play three different positions and do a variety of good things on a basketball court.

#5 PG Keith Tyus - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-1
Weight: 207
High School:
Hometown: Lloydminister, Canada

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 46 69 59 43 60 55 46 27 47 73 40 39 78 39 64 89
2024: 42 61 58 40 53 48 42 25 43 64 37 37 77 37 63 83
2023: 38 55 57 38 49 44 38 23 41 57 34 36 77 36 62 78
2022: 35 52 56 37 46 41 35 22 39 52 32 35 77 35 61 73
2021: 31 48 52 35 42 37 31 20 37 44 30 33 75 31 60 61
Potential: C B C C C C C D C B C C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 55

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022 32 0 5.6 1.4 0.3 0.8 0.5 0.5 1.07 0.3 0.0 0.4
2023 31 11 18.0 5.6 0.6 2.4 1.7 0.9 1.79 0.8 0.1 1.7
2024 37 37 28.0 8.7 1.1 3.5 2.8 1.8 1.53 1.1 0.1 2.1
2025 34 34 29.6 11.0 1.8 4.1 3.6 2.3 1.58 0.8 0.2 2.2
Career 134 82 20.7 6.8 1.0 2.7 2.2 1.4 1.58 0.8 0.1 1.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022 0.6 1.2 .487 0.2 0.3 .636 0.0 0.3 .111 1.18 -2.81
2023 2.1 5.3 .393 1.0 1.4 .727 0.4 1.2 .342 1.06 -0.77
2024 3.2 7.3 .435 1.4 1.9 .757 0.9 2.8 .327 1.19 3.57
2025 4.2 10.5 .404 1.6 2.6 .596 1.0 3.5 .286 1.05 1.74
Career 2.6 6.2 .416 1.1 1.6 .678 0.6 2.0 .304 1.11 0.57

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022 32 0 180 46 10 26 16 15 9 0 13
2023 31 11 559 173 19 73 52 29 25 4 53
2024 37 37 1035 323 40 128 104 68 40 3 76
2025 34 34 1005 375 61 140 123 78 28 7 75
Career 134 82 2779 917 130 367 295 190 102 14 217

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2022 19 39 7 11 1 9 -90
2023 64 163 32 44 13 38 -24
2024 118 271 53 70 34 104 132
2025 144 356 53 89 34 119 59
Career 345 829 145 214 82 270 77

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 26 5 9 10 3 2 5 11 16 8 10 4 8
Career 26 5 9 10 4 2 6 11 16 8 10 4 8

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 4
2021 High School: Rated *** and #170 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2024 NIT Champion
Keith Tyus came to Virginia from Lloydminster, a city divided between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. He secured the starting point guard job partway through his freshman year and never relinquished it, starting 82 consecutive games for us.

Keith became an increasingly productive player, living up to his billing as one of the top 200 players in his recruiting class. Rarely spectacular, Keith was also almost always reliable.

Thanks for the memories, Charlie and Keith.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 11, 2026

Neither Charlie Shaughnessy nor Keith Tyus are chosen in the professional draft. But people who know these things (or think they do) are already saying that Trevor Bocanegra could play himself into the 2027 draft lottery, and that Joe Cavallini should be drafted, too.

2025 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Maryland ACC PF Michale Endres ***** 2 0 2 0 0
6. Duke ACC PF Gregory Silvas ***** 1 2 0 0 0
10. North Carolina ACC SF Jefferson Garcia ***** 1 1 1 0 0
19. Virginia Tech ACC SG Jewell New **** 0 1 4 0 0
24. Wake Forest ACC C Bernard Madden ***** 1 1 1 0 0
29. Florida State ACC SG Kendall Easter **** 0 1 2 0 0
43. North Carolina State ACC PF Lucas Pearson **** 0 1 2 0 0
97. Miami ACC SF Albert Sharpe *** 0 0 3 0 0
105. Virginia ACC C Isaiah Young *** 0 0 3 0 0
129. Clemson ACC C Lamar Boney *** 0 0 4 0 0
169. Boston College ACC PG Blair Henderson *** 0 0 3 1 0
255. Georgia Tech ACC C Porter Cook *** 0 0 1 1 0

Sigh. It's becoming abundantly clear that in order to move out of the middle of the ACC pack, we have to land recruiting classes that rank in the top 25 or 30 nationally. I love our guys, and we can probably continue to win 20 games and make the NCAA tournament most years with guys like them. Perhaps that's as well as the Cavaliers will do, since they have to run the ACC gauntlet every season.

The Hoos' run to the Sweet Sixteen is enough to help Toby Whittaker level up. He's moved up to Level 8 now, and I handed out his new ability points. Now his profile looks like this:

Recruiting: 73 (ranks 4th among ACC coaches)
Scouting: 54 (ranks 6th)
Coaching Offense: 65 (ranks 6th)
Coaching Defense: 68 (ranks 8th)

Five coaches in the conference are Level 9 or higher, led by North Carolina's Linwood Carroll and NC State's Andrew Mellon, both Level 13. Duke coach Glenn Ellis is Level 10.

Alec Mazur also leveled up, and he now boasts a 100 Recruiting score. Toby's other assistants are unchanged, and they'll all be back for the new season.

Our AD raised our budget considerably! We have $692,540 to work with now. Our Facilities score went up to 82, which is fourth in the ACC, and our Prestige is up three points to 77. That's the second-highest UVA's Prestige has been; it was 79 in 2020/21, after three straight trips to the Big Dance.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2026

There are three scholarship seniors on this year's team: wings Trevor Bocanegra and Joe Cavallini and big Scott Chambliss. We'll therefore have three offers to make to incoming recruits, to fill out a roster that will look like this (scholarship players only):

Bigs: SR, SO, JR, FR, FR
Wings: SR, SR, JR, FR
Guards: SO, JR, FR, JR

We'll definitely need to bring in at least one SF/SG, ideally two. If the former is a forward who can play the three or the four, then we need a true wing who can play perimeter defense.

Our roster is balanced enough that we can pursue the "best player available," regardless of his position.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2026

Here is our original call list:

VIRGINIA Recruiting

Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tanner Herring SG 6-4 188 *** Very High Virginia
Matt Siebert SG 6-5 198 *** Very High Virginia
Malik Galloway PF 6-8 247 *** High Virginia
Dana Davison PG 6-0 205 *** High Virginia
Ernie Smith PG 6-1 172 *** High Pennsylvania
John Gentile PG 6-0 180 *** High North Carolina
Jahmir Caton SF 6-4 201 *** High District of Columbia
Hershel Perry PG 6-2 172 *** High Virginia
Rashad Stanley SF 6-9 203 **** Average Virginia
Luke Roop SF 6-5 219 **** Average Virginia
Roderick Powell SF 6-6 222 **** Average Virginia
Larry Way SF 6-8 213 *** Average Georgia
James Fehr SG 6-1 177 *** Average Maryland
Tony Lampley SF 6-7 235 *** Average Georgia
Jordan Gossett SF 6-4 222 *** Average Virginia
Fred Ontiveros SG 6-3 191 *** Average District of Columbia
Khalil Jenkins SF 6-6 187 *** Average Virginia
Alfred Dietrich C 6-8 234 *** Average Virginia
Kerry Kaur SG 6-1 177 ** Average Virginia
Luke Moss PF 6-10 221 ***** Low Virginia

Tanner Herring has been going to UVA's basketball camp since he was heaving the ball at the basket with both hands. Now he's grown into a legitimate college prospect.
#3 SG Tanner Herring
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-4
Weight: 188
High School: Deep Run High School
Hometown: Glen Allen, VA
GPA: 3.74
Test Score: 1440
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 17 34 72 54 27 20 11 0 14 51 17 11 58 32 44 55
Potential: D C B B D D D D D B C C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16.1 1.8 4.6 2.3 2.4 0.96 2.1 0.6 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.8 12.9 .525 0.5 0.6 .909 2.1 5.0 .424

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Very High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: North Carolina State, Virginia, North Carolina Central, Elon, North
Carolina A&T
Tanner is the kind of "true wing" I described, willing and able to guard different kinds of perimeter players. He also profiles as an exceptionally good shooter.

His average athleticism, and the fact his toolbox doesn't include high-level ballhandling or passing skills, keeps him from impressing the recruiting gurus. I think there's a player here; we'll "bring the house," as YoungDrachma puts it. He's willing to visit campus, where we'll present him with an offer.

There's another sweet-shooting wing on our radar, Matt Siebert.
#40 SG Matt Siebert
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-5
Weight: 198
High School: Salem High School
Hometown: Salem, VA
GPA: 3.15
Test Score: 1020
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 24 56 49 54 18 15 14 7 50 21 41 20 98 40 56 25
Potential: D B C B C D D D C C C C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26.7 1.9 4.0 3.0 2.2 1.34 3.5 1.6 2.5

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.8 20.9 .564 0.6 1.0 .600 2.6 5.2 .490

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Very High
Rankings: None
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Virginia, Longwood, UNC Greensboro, North Carolina A&T, North
Carolina State
Matt's coaches run their offense with one objective: get the ball to him and let him shoot it. With numbers like the ones Matt is putting up, it's hard to argue with them.

He doesn't pay much attention to defense, but that's not to say he couldn't if he were asked to do so. We'll keep an eye on him.

Malik Galloway is a strong, wide-bodied post player from the DMV.
#40 PF Malik Galloway
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-8
Weight: 247
High School: St. Paul VI Catholic High School
Hometown: Chantilly, VA
GPA: 3.15
Test Score: 1220
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 39 11 17 10 14 11 44 52 29 28 10 40 28 82 30 28
Potential: B D C D F F B B B D F C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14.5 2.6 10.9 1.1 3.0 0.37 0.8 1.7 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.3 11.1 .568 1.9 4.1 .469 0.0 0.1 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: High
Rankings: #25 PF, Southeast Region #43 Overall, Southeast Region #9 PF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: UMBC, *George Washington, *Gettysburg, *Howard, *American
We'll have some catching up to do with this high three-star talent who already holds four scholarship offers. Perhaps he'll appreciate some attention from an ACC program.

We're going to take a shot at Rashad Stanley, too.
#22 SF Rashad Stanley
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 203
High School: Loudoun Valley High School
Hometown: Purcellville, VA
GPA: 3.31
Test Score: 1320
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 31 60 58 38 16 17 35 42 38 38 26 50 57 44 73 50
Potential: C A B D D D B C D D B B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16.1 2.7 7.9 1.8 2.3 0.78 0.9 1.1 3.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.8 12.6 .540 2.2 2.8 .786 0.3 1.1 .273

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Average
Rankings: #31 Overall, #13 SF, Southeast Region #11 Overall, Southeast Region #4 SF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: *Maryland, North Carolina, Villanova, *Duke, Temple
With offers from two of the most prestigious programs in the ACC in hand, Rashad will be a very difficult "get" for us. Still, it's early in the recruiting season, so we'll see if we can work some magic.

I'll offer scholarships to Tanner, Malik, and Rashad and see what happens. We can afford to recruit each player as heavily as they'll let us.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2026

We're in the pole position with Tanner Herring. We're the only one of his favorite schools who has made him an offer.

Malik Galloway has cut his list to three schools, and we're currently running third behind George Washington and UMBC. However, we can bring him to campus now, and we're going to see if Coach Mazur and his 100 recruiting can work his magic. Toby's fairly persuasive, too. Let's see if we can turn Malik's head.

We are in a similar position with Rashad Stanley, except our opponents are Maryland and North Carolina. Rashad has an offer from Maryland, but not from UNC. He's now open to a campus visit too, and we'll welcome him this month.

If we don't see some improvement in our standing with Malik or Rashad, we'll look at some other options, but for now we'll roll with what we have.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2026

Tanner Herring has taken every school except UVA off his list. I hope we get good news from him next month.

Meanwhile, Rashad Stanley has moved us ahead of UNC on his wish list. We still trail Maryland for his affections, but I'm not quite ready to give up on him. He'd be the most highly regarded player the Hoos have ever signed, and landing him would mark a major step forward for us.

Malik Galloway, too, has us listed behind one other school; George Washington still holds the top spot. I'm going to keep recruiting him, too, since we're trending upward. We'll need some Decision Day magic.

If I need to introduce you to any of the players we're also looking at, I'll do so in a month.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2026
Decision Day

Our first piece of good news comes from Tanner Herring. He'll be bringing his smooth jumper and his willingness to work at the other end of the court to Charlottesville next year.

Then, we learn that Malik Galloway will be joining us, too! He's a big dude who does big dude things: defend post players, rebound at both ends of the floor, block shots, and provide an inside scoring threat.

Unfortunately, we also learn that Rashad Stanley is choosing Maryland instead. And Matt Siebert, whom I would have possibly offered next, will be attending Elon.

Where to turn next? Last month, we evaluated this promising point guard from the Toronto suburbs:
#14 PG Cedric Maddux
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-1
Weight: 183
High School:
Hometown: Ajax, Canada
GPA: 2.83
Test Score: 1170
Rating: ***

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 14 24 42 53 44 39 36 38 36 50 22 1 100 21 56 33
Potential: D C C C B A D D C C C F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14.9 2.1 7.6 8.1 1.3 6.48 1.6 0.1 2.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.9 13.9 .426 0.9 1.5 .600 2.2 7.0 .317

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Average
Rankings: #26 PG, Foreign #6 Overall, Foreign #3 PG
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Penn State, Villanova, Michigan, Kentucky, Hawaii

Cedric Maddux doesn't list us among his favorite programs now, but none of the five schools on his list appear to be recruiting him too heavily. I'll offer him a scholarship and send Coaches Whittaker and Mazur to visit him and his family.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 8, 2026

Let's meet your 2026/27 Virginia Cavaliers...

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthony Carreno 2 PG So 6-1 192 Yes 79 OK Horicon, WI
Larry Wallace 3 SG Jr 6-4 212 Yes 66 OK Weldon, NC
Joe Cavallini 10 SF Sr 6-6 221 Yes 55 OK Buffalo, NY
Trevor Bocanegra 13 SG Sr 6-4 216 Yes 51 OK Edgewood, MD
Aaron Jackson 14 PG Fr 6-0 174 Yes 92 OK Newport News, VA
Chris Como 20 SG So* 6-6 205 Yes 99 OK Deerfield, MA
John Steinberg 21 SF So 6-9 201 Yes 85 OK Richmond, VA
Will Hubbard 22 PF Fr 6-8 220 Yes 81 OK Alexandria, VA
Chris Burke 24 C So 6-10 272 Yes 54 OK Whitmore Lake, MI
Jonathan Mooney 25 C Jr 6-8 231 Yes 75 OK Washington, DC
Sam Ramirez 32 C Jr* 6-9 245 No 75 OK San Jacinto, CA
Cesaire Dessauvage 33 SF Jr 6-5 213 Yes 22 Unhappy Bourg-st-maurice, France
Ellis Gholston 41 PF So 6-9 247 No 65 OK Independence, VA
Isaiah Young 43 C Fr 6-9 246 Yes 74 OK Salem, VA
Scott Chambliss 55 PF Sr 6-7 227 Yes 65 OK Fairfax, VA
Training camp went very well this fall. Look how much some of the Hoos improved!

VIRGINIA Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthony Carreno 1 2 1 2 2 6 3 1 1 5 1 0 2 2 2 6
Larry Wallace 5 4 3 1 5 2 4 1 2 5 5 2 1 2 0 9
Joe Cavallini 1 8 5 5 4 8 3 3 2 10 7 3 0 2 1 6
Trevor Bocanegra 7 6 1 3 5 3 0 2 1 5 1 3 1 3 0 10
Aaron Jackson 2 4 8 4 8 8 2 2 0 6 6 0 2 4 3 10
Chris Como 2 3 1 3 3 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 2 1 4
John Steinberg 2 3 3 3 2 2 1 2 1 4 2 1 0 4 1 5
Will Hubbard 6 4 4 2 2 2 6 8 8 4 2 4 2 8 1 10
Chris Burke 4 1 2 2 2 2 7 13 14 3 1 11 1 4 1 4
Jonathan Mooney 6 1 3 0 2 2 3 9 12 1 1 3 2 4 2 6
Sam Ramirez 2 3 2 3 1 2 2 3 1 1 1 2 0 2 1 7
Cesaire Dessauvage 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 4 2 1 2 1 7
Ellis Gholston 1 2 2 0 2 1 1 4 2 1 1 2 1 4 2 7
Isaiah Young 6 2 4 0 0 2 8 8 8 2 2 6 3 10 0 32
Scott Chambliss 2 1 1 1 4 2 10 3 12 1 1 0 0 3 1 9

Coach Toby Whittaker welcomes back four starters from last year's team, led by senior Trevor Bocanegra. Trevor has been a fixture in the starting lineup under two coaches, and he's poised for a memorable senior year. He falls in love with his three-point jumper a bit much, but there's otherwise very little to complain about with Trevor. He's regarded as the best professional prospect among ACC seniors.

His classmate, Joe Cavallini, is almost as good. Buffalo Joe first gained notice as a three-point marksman, but he's developed the rest of his game over his time on Grounds. Joe is a willing, able defender who can switch onto an opposing big man.

Scott Chambliss will give us three seniors in our starting five this season. At 6'7", Scott gives away inches to most of the players he guards, but his athleticism and court sense make him an elite post defender. Anything he contributes offensively is a bonus.

Center Chris Burke started all 34 games as a first year last season. He's even more limited offensively than Scott, but he worked relentlessly in camp to develop his defense, rebounding, and shot blocking. Chris and Scott should be able to frustrate even the most talented post players.

Our new point guard will be sophomore Anthony Carreno. AC is a bit raw and undeveloped, but he is quick and athletic. We don't need Anthony to be a true lead guard this year, and I think he'll handle the jobs we give him just fine.

Juniors Larry Wallace and Jonathan Mooney give us two experienced hands coming off the bench. Larry is a versatile perimeter player who plays good defense, and he's hit some timely shots for us. Jonathan is a no-nonsense big man who takes care of the ball and likes the challenge of defending good players.

When we want a touch of instant offense, we can call on redshirt sophomore Chris Como. Chris followed Coach Whittaker from Amherst. Another second-year man, John Steinberg, will also see playing time; he's a 6'9" wing who can shoot and create problems for smaller wings on the other end of the court.

First years Isaiah Young, Aaron Jackson, and Will Hubbard will have the chance to develop their games without being rushed into college ball. Of the three, Aaron has the skill set that is most unique; he's a classic point guard who looks to pass first.

Once again, the ACC will be among the toughest conferences in the country. The Big Three--Maryland, Duke, and North Carolina--are loaded with stars. And every other team in the league is good enough to win on any given day.

In Trevor and Joe, we have a rare pair of four-star talents on this year's roster, and they are both seniors. Two full Blue/Blue players give us a level of star power Toby Whittaker has never coached before, and the cast of supporting players behind them are solid.

Another trip to the NCAA tournament would be a good primary goal. I'd like to see us make a longer run in the ACC tourney, too.

Is this the year Virginia establishes itself as "the best of the rest" in the ACC? Let's find out!

[MoonlightGraham]

November 16, 2026

I usually don't post quite this quickly, but this year, something special happens in the first weeks of the season.

https://i.imgur.com/A3e8JEQ.jpeg

We're the champions of the Coaches Invitational Tournament, one of the most prestigious preseason tournaments in our universe!

Our opening victory against Pepperdine is perhaps predictable; the #5 seed dispatching the #12. Trevor Bocanegra opens his senior year with 20 points, and Anthony Carreno's first career start nets 11 points and 10 rebounds.

USC should, on paper, be a tougher opponent, but we take care of the #4 seed Trojans, too, giving us two straight wins from teams from the far west. This time we come from behind, and the star is Joe Cavallini, with 21 points, 11 boards, and 3 assists. We don't shoot well as a team, but we compensate with stingy defense.

Our reward is a date with the nation's #1 team, the Connecticut Huskies.
(5) Virginia 75, (1) #1 Connecticut 73

---------------------------------------------------------
Virginia (3-0, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 27 0-3 0-0 2 6 0 0 0
Scott Chambliss PF 27 2-4 0-0 1 5 2 1 5
Joe Cavallini SF 37 8-17 5-7 3 9 5 3 23
Trevor Bocanegra SG 28 4-15 1-2 2 6 5 4 10
Anthony Carreno PG 32 10-13 0-0 2 2 2 1 23
Larry Wallace SG 16 3-8 2-2 0 0 2 1 9
Jonathan Mooney PF 23 1-3 0-0 3 6 2 2 2
Chris Como SG 6 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
John Steinberg SF 1 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 3
Isaiah Young C 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (J.Cavallini 5, T.Bocanegra 3, A.Carreno
3, L.Wallace 1, C.Como 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (J.Cavallini 2, J.Mooney 1)
Steals: 6 (T.Bocanegra 1, A.Carreno 1, L.Wallace 1,
J.Mooney 2, J.Steinberg 1)
3P FGs: 9-19 (C.Burke 0-2, S.Chambliss 1-1, J.Cavallini
2-3, T.Bocanegra 1-4, A.Carreno 3-6, L.Wallace 1-2,
J.Steinberg 1-1)

Connecticut (2-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Keith Brown PF 32 7-15 0-2 5 11 3 3 14
David Dunleavy C 34 1-2 2-2 0 2 1 0 4
Wilber Wolford SF 23 9-12 0-0 0 8 1 5 19
Elden Yoshida SG 33 2-6 0-0 1 5 3 3 5
C. Demers PG 36 2-9 2-2 0 0 11 2 7
Joe Quattlebaum C 16 2-5 0-0 1 4 0 2 4
Daxton Mayer SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Quinton Lee SF 24 7-10 2-2 0 2 0 4 20
Christoper Kay SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Chris Bell PG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (K.Brown 4, D.Dunleavy 1, W.Wolford 1,
C.Demers 3, J.Quattlebaum 1, D.Mayer 1, Q.Lee 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (K.Brown 1, D.Dunleavy 1,
J.Quattlebaum 1)
Steals: 7 (W.Wolford 2, E.Yoshida 1, C.Demers 3, Q.Lee
1)
3P FGs: 7-14 (D.Dunleavy 0-1, W.Wolford 1-1, E.Yoshida
1-3, C.Demers 1-3, Q.Lee 4-6)

Player of Game: PG Anthony Carreno (VA)

You might remember our season-ending loss to the Huskies in the Sweet Sixteen last year, a very competitive game that we lost by three points. This time, we pull off the upset.

Trevor Bocanegra's foul-line jumper with four seconds left proves to be the winning margin. He scores off a pass from Buffalo Joe, one of the five assists he combines with 23 points and 9 rebounds. UConn also can't guard Anthony Carreno tonight; he makes 10 of 13 shots and scores 23 points of his own.

Cavallini is again the star in our finals victory over #22 Alabama. It's a hard-nosed, defensive battle; Joe scores 20 points to lead all scorers, with Trevor adding 16 more. Joe deserves his selection as the tournament MVP.

There's a handsome new piece of hardware in the UVA basketball program's trophy case this week.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2026
Recruiting Update

We don't secure a commitment from Cedric Maddux this month, but our recruiting efforts are starting to pay off. We're now Cedric's favorite school, and that means we can bring him to Grounds in December. Virginia is the only team that has offered him. I'm hoping he'll stick with the program who loved him first and help us start 2027 off with good news.

[Young Drachma]

Nice win in that pre-season tourney, portends well for moving through the OOC

[MoonlightGraham]

Nice win in that pre-season tourney, portends well for moving through the OOC

Thanks very much! Granted, we're only a few games in, but it looks like we have two players, Bocanegra and Cavallini, who will be difficult for even the best teams in the nation to defend. They are both seniors, and they are both playing like seniors.

As you'll soon see, your prediction about November and December turns out to be correct. :) Thanks for stopping by, and happy 2025!

[MoonlightGraham]

January 13, 2027
#13 VIRGINIA Schedule

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
11/08/26 vs. Pepperdine 9-5 241 W 73-58 1-0
11/09/26 vs. Southern California 11-4 85 W 67-57 2-0
11/15/26 vs. #11 Connecticut 12-2 50 W 75-73 3-0
11/16/26 vs. #17 Alabama 14-2 15 W 61-58 4-0
11/24/26 at Canisius 5-11 136 W 81-70 5-0
12/01/26 Loyola-Maryland 9-7 31 W 75-63 6-0
12/05/26 at Winthrop 6-9 327 W 93-55 7-0
12/08/26 at Central Michigan 8-7 255 W 59-45 8-0
12/13/26 Georgetown 11-3 2 W 81-71 9-0
12/17/26 at Hampton 9-7 256 W 78-63 10-0
12/23/26 #22 Duquesne 13-1 55 L 73-67 10-1
12/28/26 Middle Tennessee 2-12 170 W 83-75 11-1
12/31/26 at West Virginia 10-4 59 W 85-81 12-1
01/03/27 at Longwood 6-11 159 W 85-55 13-1
01/07/27 Wesleyan 4-10 286 W 58-55 14-1

Yes, I'm flexing that #13 ranking a bit. It's the highest we've been ranked since Coach Whittaker's arrival.

The only blemish on our non-conference record is a loss to a very good Duquesne team that has lost only once themselves. We lead 33-31 at the half, but fall victim to an outstanding performance from their senior guard, Jason Crone (21 points, career high 12 rebounds; 15 second-half points.) Crone has scored almost 1700 points in his career, so he's done this kind of thing before.

Our Coaches' Invitational victories against USC, UConn, and Alabama are standing the test of time. They're all very good, and so is West Virginia, whom we squeak past in a very entertaining game in Morgantown.

Joe Cavallini and Trevor Bocanegra continue to lead the way for us. Trevor drops 36 points on Georgetown, as the Hoyas basically dare him to shoot. He does so 27 times, which is a new UVA record. Joe would be the go-to guy for most teams, and for us he's Option 1A. He scores the 1000th point of his career against West Virginia.

Coach Whittaker basically runs an eight-man rotation against the best teams. Jonathan Mooney and Larry Wallace play 15-20 minutes each, and Isaiah Young and Chris Como combine for about as many. I probably should have redshirted at least one player; oh, well.

2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------
#13 Virginia 0 0 .000 14 1 .933 1 77
#3 North Carolina 0 0 .000 13 0 1.000 42 95
#2 Duke 0 0 .000 13 0 1.000 76 97
#8 Maryland 0 0 .000 12 2 .857 11 93
#19 Miami 0 0 .000 12 2 .857 65 79
Florida State 0 0 .000 12 3 .800 77 66
Virginia Tech 0 0 .000 12 2 .857 156 71
Georgia Tech 0 0 .000 10 4 .714 46 53
Wake Forest 0 0 .000 10 5 .667 54 73
Boston College 0 0 .000 6 8 .429 128 60
North Carolina State 0 0 .000 6 8 .429 212 70
Clemson 0 0 .000 4 10 .286 221 75

I don't think we're really the best team in the ACC, but it sure is nice to see us at the top of this list. Once again, the conference is absolutely loaded. Florida State and Virginia Tech, who both finished below .500 in the league last year, look like much better teams this time around.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 13, 2027
#13 Virginia 80, #2 Duke 74

--------------------------------------------------------
Duke (13-1, 0-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Gregory Silvas C 22 1-8 4-4 0 3 1 3 6
Kenneth Pierce PF 28 7-16 1-2 1 5 1 2 16
Frankie Mason SF 30 3-5 1-3 3 5 4 5 9
Miles Deal SG 31 4-8 1-2 3 6 7 3 10
Marcos Leos PG 31 7-12 5-6 1 1 2 5 20
Bruce Cervantes PF 14 1-2 0-0 0 3 0 0 2
Devon Karp PF 16 1-5 1-2 5 11 0 1 3
William Lehman PG 7 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 2 0
Pat McInerney SG 13 2-2 2-2 0 0 0 3 8
Otto Higginbotham C 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Andrew Myer SF 2 0-2 0-0 0 1 0 1 0

Turnovers: 10 (G.Silvas 1, K.Pierce 3, F.Mason 4,
M.Leos 1, A.Myer 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (F.Mason 2, B.Cervantes 1, P.McInerney
1)
Steals: 5 (F.Mason 3, M.Leos 1, W.Lehman 1)
3P FGs: 7-15 (K.Pierce 1-1, F.Mason 2-3, M.Deal 1-5,
M.Leos 1-3, W.Lehman 0-1, P.McInerney 2-2)

Virginia (15-1, 1-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 28 2-2 0-0 0 5 1 0 5
Scott Chambliss PF 21 1-5 1-2 4 5 1 4 4
Joe Cavallini SF 32 8-16 5-7 0 11 5 4 22
Trevor Bocanegra SG 33 8-18 4-6 1 2 3 4 22
Anthony Carreno PG 32 3-4 2-4 2 3 2 2 9
Larry Wallace PG 16 3-6 7-9 3 3 1 3 14
Jonathan Mooney PF 26 1-3 0-0 2 7 1 1 2
Chris Como SG 5 0-1 2-2 0 0 0 0 2
John Steinberg SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0
Isaiah Young C 4 0-0 0-0 1 2 1 0 0
Will Hubbard PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (J.Cavallini 4, T.Bocanegra 1, A.Carreno
4, L.Wallace 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Burke 2, J.Cavallini 1)
Steals: 0
3P FGs: 7-18 (C.Burke 1-1, S.Chambliss 1-1, J.Cavallini
1-5, T.Bocanegra 2-6, A.Carreno 1-2, L.Wallace 1-2,
C.Como 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Joe Cavallini (VA)
The attendance at John Paul Jones Arena is announced at 14,637, which is its official capacity. Tens of thousands more will undoubtedly say they were in attendance tonight. Those who are there keep making noise for some time after the buzzer sounds. They raise their decibel level even higher when Coach Toby Whittaker waves to them, punctuating their cheers with chants of "TO-BY! TO-BY! TO-BY!"

When he's asked why he and his fellow students didn't storm the court, fourth-year student David Barlow answers very simply. "It's a big win, yes, but you have to act like you've done this before."

David's classmates Trevor Bocanegra and Joe Cavallini etch their names even more indelibly in the UVA basketball annals, sharing game scoring honors and contributing in other ways. And full credit to Larry Wallace, who comes off the bench and scores 14 points in 16 minutes, including two free throws that put us in the lead at the 6:56 mark of the second half. We never relinquish that lead, and there's rejoicing in Charlottesville tonight.

Most of Coach Whittaker's players were not seriously recruited by programs like Duke. That makes this victory even sweeter.
Record: 15-1 (1-0).

[MoonlightGraham]

February 1, 2027
Recruiting Update

We hear from Cedric Maddux today, and the news is wonderful. He'll be playing his college basketball at the University of Virginia.

If the national (world) rankings are to be believed, Cedric ranks 26th among point guards in this recruiting class, and he's a top 200 player overall. The emergence of Anthony Carreno and the promise of Aaron Jackson give us the ability to be patient with Cedric. I can't see a version of the universe in which he isn't at least a valuable rotation player, and he projects to be significantly better than that. Cedric's ceiling is that of a lead guard who can handle, create, and score.

His arrival completes our three-man recruiting class. Welcome to the UVA basketball family, Cedric!

[MoonlightGraham]

February 6, 2027

#12 VIRGINIA Schedule

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01/13/27 #6 Duke 18-3 9 W 80-74 15-1 (1-0)
01/16/27 at Wake Forest 12-11 30 L 76-70 15-2 (1-1)
01/20/27 Virginia Tech 12-10 126 W 91-83 16-2 (2-1)
01/23/27 at Boston College 8-14 189 W 72-67 17-2 (3-1)
01/27/27 #24 Miami 17-5 5 W 71-62 18-2 (4-1)
01/30/27 at Virginia Tech 12-10 126 W 77-67 19-2 (5-1)
02/03/27 at #6 Duke 18-3 9 L 71-68 19-3 (5-2)
02/06/27 Clemson 8-14 105 W 88-81 20-3 (6-2)

Perhaps it's not surprising that, after the emotions of the thrilling win over Duke, we stumble on our trip to Wake Forest. We don't defend as well as we can against the Deacs, and their outside shooters make us pay.

It's also not surprising that we bounce back at home against VT. Trevor Bocanegra plays as well as he ever has--36 points, 15 rebounds--and we get 23 points more from Larry Wallace. Trev drops 30 more on Boston College three nights later, and he scores the 2000th point of his UVA career at Virginia Tech.

Trevor ranks second in ACC scoring with 21.6 PPG. He's just behind James Carl of Miami, who lit us up for 35 the other evening.

Duke exacts some revenge on us at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and we round out the first half of our ACC schedule with a solid win at Clemson.
2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Georgia Tech 7 1 .875 17 5 .773 51 53
#2 North Carolina 7 1 .875 20 1 .952 12 95
#12 Virginia 6 2 .750 20 3 .870 1 77
#6 Duke 5 3 .625 18 3 .857 10 97
#18 Maryland 5 3 .625 17 5 .773 7 93
#24 Miami 5 3 .625 17 5 .773 5 79
Clemson 4 4 .500 8 14 .364 98 75
Florida State 4 4 .500 16 7 .696 44 66
Wake Forest 3 5 .375 13 10 .565 32 73
Boston College 1 7 .125 7 15 .318 184 60
North Carolina State 1 7 .125 7 15 .318 229 70
Virginia Tech 0 8 .000 12 10 .545 131 71

Raise your hand if you picked Georgia Tech to lead the ACC at the halfway point. I didn't think so; neither did I. They have a tough road ahead, with four ranked teams left to play, but they just defeated North Carolina to take the conference lead.

Guess who we play next? Here's a hint: they're located in Atlanta. :)

[MoonlightGraham]

March 11, 2027
#10 VIRGINIA Schedule

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
02/10/27 Georgia Tech 21-9 33 W 59-49 21-3 (7-2)
02/13/27 Wake Forest 15-17 60 W 79-66 22-3 (8-2)
02/17/27 at Florida State 21-11 56 W 99-98 23-3 (9-2)
02/20/27 at Miami 21-10 23 W 64-55 24-3 (10-2)
02/24/27 North Carolina State 9-22 213 W 80-76 25-3 (11-2)
02/27/27 at #1 North Carolina 28-1 4 L 94-78 25-4 (11-3)
03/03/27 at Maryland 20-11 20 W 82-70 26-4 (12-3)
03/06/27 Boston College 9-22 139 W 92-81 27-4 (13-3)

You read that right. For the first time, Coach Whittaker has led his team into the Top Ten.

The second half of the ACC schedule doesn't turn out to be quite as difficult as we expected it might be. Maryland, who looked like a powerhouse in December and January, fades back to the pack. North Carolina, however, looks like the best team in the country, and has no problems taking care of us at the Dean Dome.

Otherwise, we make it through the rest of the schedule unscathed. Against Wake Forest, Joe Cavallini misses a triple double by a single rebound, finishing with 22 points, 12 assists, and 9 boards.

The Florida State game deserves a closer examination.
#12 Virginia 99, Florida State 98 (OT)

---------------------------------------------------------
Virginia (23-3, 9-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 31 2-3 1-2 3 12 0 1 5
Scott Chambliss PF 33 1-3 7-10 4 8 4 4 9
Joe Cavallini SF 34 6-9 6-8 2 7 4 4 18
Trevor Bocanegra SG 41 7-23 21-27 2 4 2 3 37
Anthony Carreno PG 35 4-6 3-4 0 3 3 3 11
Larry Wallace SF 16 3-9 1-2 1 1 0 1 8
Jonathan Mooney C 25 0-4 0-0 2 7 2 3 0
Chris Como SG 7 1-3 2-2 0 0 0 1 5
John Steinberg SF 3 3-3 0-1 0 0 0 0 6
Isaiah Young C 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (C.Burke 4, T.Bocanegra 5, L.Wallace 1,
J.Mooney 2, C.Como 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Burke 2, J.Mooney 1)
Steals: 4 (S.Chambliss 1, T.Bocanegra 1, A.Carreno 1,
J.Mooney 1)
3P FGs: 4-21 (C.Burke 0-1, S.Chambliss 0-2, T.Bocanegra
2-9, A.Carreno 0-1, L.Wallace 1-5, C.Como 1-3)

Florida State (17-9, 5-6):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Matthew Stallard C 29 2-2 1-2 4 10 2 2 5
Rico Eubank PF 19 1-4 1-2 0 6 0 5 3
Levi Cray SG 34 8-19 7-7 2 2 2 4 23
Chung Curtis SG 15 2-3 0-0 1 3 0 5 6
Olen Gabbard PG 32 5-10 2-2 2 5 4 5 15
Eric Lewis PF 33 6-12 6-10 2 5 3 2 18
Kevin Grim SF 29 6-11 1-1 1 6 5 5 15
Kendall Easter PG 16 3-5 4-4 0 3 1 5 11
James Berrios SF 7 0-2 2-2 0 1 0 0 2
Johnny Baker PF 8 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
David Wood PG 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Liao Jin PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 15 (M.Stallard 3, L.Cray 1, C.Curtis 1,
O.Gabbard 3, K.Grim 3, K.Easter 2, J.Berrios 1, L.Jin
1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (M.Stallard 1, E.Lewis 3)
Steals: 10 (M.Stallard 1, L.Cray 2, C.Curtis 1,
O.Gabbard 2, E.Lewis 3, K.Grim 1)
3P FGs: 8-18 (L.Cray 0-4, C.Curtis 2-3, O.Gabbard 3-5,
K.Grim 2-3, K.Easter 1-2, J.Berrios 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Trevor Bocanegra (UVA)
Neither team leads by more than four points during regulation play. Eric Lewis calmly sinks two free throws to give the Hurricanes a 75-73 lead with 23 seconds to play. Coach Whittaker calls time out and sends in a lineup filled with three-point marksmen--Buffalo Joe, Trev, Chris Como, and John Steinberg, along with big man Chris Burke. Not surprisingly, Miami defends the three very well, and with time running out, Steinberg is forced to settle for a 15-foot, two-point jumper.

Swish. On to overtime we go!

We battle back and forth in similar fashion for the next five minutes. Lewis ties the game at 98, scoring with 20 seconds remaining. This time, Joe Cavallini has the ball when it's time to send up the last shot...and it bounces off the rim. The clock reads all zeroes. It's looking like we'll need at least five more minutes to settle this one.

But, wait...there's a whistle! Kevin Grim has made contact with Cavallini, and the referee calls the foul. Cav Man will step to the line with two chances to make a game-winning free throw.

Joe makes the first, rendering the second one meaningless and earning a spot in our list of Heroes of the Night. John Steinberg, too, deserves mention. The three minutes of court time John sees tonight is almost exactly in line with his average; he's played 171 minutes in 50 appearances as a Hoo. But the Richmond product can stroke it--he's made 56% of his shots as a collegian, and when we need him tonight, he's money.

And then there's Trevor Bocanegra. His 27 free throw attempts are one shy of the NCAA record; his 21 makes are two short of the mark. His 37 points are a career high.

He'll match that scoring output against NC State, and we need almost every one of his points that night. By the time Trevor, Joe Cavallini, and Scott Chambliss accept the honors due them on their Senior Night, we've clinched second place in the ACC behind the Tar Heels. Trevor (31 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds, 2 steals), Joe (14 points, 5 rebounds), and Scott (10 points, 8 rebounds) all play well in their final JPJ appearance. Trevor apparently does all these things while fighting through the pain of a finger he dislocates (and re-locates) during the game.

2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------
#1 North Carolina 15 1 .938 28 1 .966 4 95
#10 Virginia 13 3 .813 27 4 .871 1 77
Georgia Tech 11 5 .688 21 9 .700 33 53
#5 Duke 11 5 .688 24 5 .828 6 97
Miami 9 7 .563 21 10 .677 23 79
Florida State 8 8 .500 21 11 .656 56 66
Maryland 8 8 .500 20 11 .645 20 93
Clemson 7 9 .438 12 19 .387 84 75
Wake Forest 5 11 .313 15 17 .469 60 73
Virginia Tech 4 12 .250 17 14 .548 92 71
Boston College 3 13 .188 9 22 .290 139 60
North Carolina State 2 14 .125 9 22 .290 213 70

For the first time in Toby's three years at UVA, we have a first round bye in the ACC tournament. That's given Trevor's finger time to heal completely.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 12, 2027
ACC Tournament, Second Round
(2) #10 Virginia 81, (10) Virginia Tech 58

---------------------------------------------------------
Virginia Tech (17-15, 4-12):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lyndon Evans C 30 2-5 0-0 1 5 2 0 4
Lou Walker PF 28 4-12 0-0 1 2 0 1 8
K. Washington SF 27 3-6 1-2 0 7 1 3 9
Jewell New SG 20 3-10 0-2 1 4 1 4 8
Dale Carver PG 30 5-10 0-0 0 2 1 0 11
John Schafer SG 15 2-2 0-1 1 2 1 0 5
Ronald Unknow SF 16 1-3 0-0 1 4 1 0 2
Thomas Bushnell SG 9 1-4 0-0 2 2 2 3 3
Thomas Burroughs PG 3 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Mitchell Gerber C 13 0-3 2-2 1 1 0 1 2
Ira Malone PF 8 2-4 0-0 2 3 0 0 6

Turnovers: 16 (L.Walker 4, K.Washington 2, J.New 1,
D.Carver 2, J.Schafer 2, R.Unknow 3, T.Bushnell 2)
Blocked Shots: 1 (L.Evans 1)
Steals: 6 (K.Washington 1, D.Carver 2, J.Schafer 1,
R.Unknow 1, T.Bushnell 1)
3P FGs: 9-22 (K.Washington 2-4, J.New 2-6, D.Carver
1-1, J.Schafer 1-1, R.Unknow 0-2, T.Bushnell 1-2,
T.Burroughs 0-2, M.Gerber 0-1, I.Malone 2-3)

Virginia (28-4, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 24 0-2 0-0 3 8 4 1 0
Scott Chambliss PF 26 3-6 0-0 2 5 0 4 7
Joe Cavallini SF 33 2-16 2-2 3 13 5 2 6
Trevor Bocanegra SG 30 14-22 6-8 2 2 3 3 43
Anthony Carreno PG 29 2-4 0-0 0 3 3 1 4
Larry Wallace PG 17 4-6 1-2 2 3 0 1 9
Jonathan Mooney PF 21 3-6 4-4 2 4 1 1 10
Chris Como SG 8 0-1 0-0 0 3 0 0 0
John Steinberg SF 4 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0
Isaiah Young C 9 1-1 0-0 1 2 1 1 2

Turnovers: 15 (S.Chambliss 2, J.Cavallini 5,
T.Bocanegra 1, A.Carreno 3, L.Wallace 2, J.Mooney 1,
I.Young 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (C.Burke 2, J.Mooney 2)
Steals: 7 (T.Bocanegra 1, A.Carreno 1, L.Wallace 2,
J.Mooney 1, I.Young 2)
3P FGs: 10-27 (C.Burke 0-1, S.Chambliss 1-3,
J.Cavallini 0-6, T.Bocanegra 9-14, A.Carreno 0-1,
L.Wallace 0-1, C.Como 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Trevor Bocanegra (UVA)

On the strength of a career-best offensive explosion from Trevor Bocanegra, we advance to the ACC tournament semifinals.

The senior wing established two new UVA records once held by Sébastien Petit. Trevor's 43 points surpassed Petit's single-game record of 40, set in 2020. And Trev's 2299 career points place him ahead of Petit, who finished his career with 2267. One more three-point basket would have enabled Trevor to tie a third UVA mark.

We needed a big game from Bocanegra, who was one of the only Cavaliers who could find the range tonight.
Record: 28-4.


March 13, 2027
ACC Tournament Semifinal
(2) #10 Virginia 89, (6) Florida State 84

---------------------------------------------------------
Florida State (22-12, 8-8):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Matthew Stallard C 25 3-5 2-2 1 5 2 1 9
Rico Eubank PF 24 3-5 2-3 4 7 4 2 8
Levi Cray SG 28 4-10 4-6 1 4 1 5 13
Chung Curtis SG 21 4-7 0-0 0 1 1 5 10
Olen Gabbard PG 26 2-9 2-2 2 5 5 5 7
Eric Lewis C 24 4-9 2-4 1 5 3 4 10
Kevin Grim SF 23 4-6 1-1 0 2 1 4 11
Kendall Easter PG 15 0-5 3-4 0 0 2 4 3
James Berrios SF 6 4-5 3-4 0 0 0 3 13
Johnny Baker PF 7 0-0 0-2 2 3 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (M.Stallard 1, R.Eubank 1, L.Cray 3,
C.Curtis 2, O.Gabbard 1, E.Lewis 3, J.Berrios 1,
J.Baker 2)
Blocked Shots: 7 (C.Curtis 1, O.Gabbard 1, E.Lewis 1,
K.Grim 1, K.Easter 2, J.Berrios 1)
Steals: 9 (R.Eubank 1, L.Cray 2, C.Curtis 3, O.Gabbard
1, K.Grim 1, J.Berrios 1)
3P FGs: 9-19 (M.Stallard 1-1, R.Eubank 0-1, L.Cray 1-2,
C.Curtis 2-4, O.Gabbard 1-4, K.Grim 2-2, K.Easter 0-3,
J.Berrios 2-2)

Virginia (29-4, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 27 0-0 3-4 3 13 0 3 3
Scott Chambliss PF 29 2-9 2-3 3 6 0 0 7
Joe Cavallini SF 32 3-5 1-3 2 5 0 3 7
Trevor Bocanegra SG 36 9-22 17-18 3 8 4 4 38
Anthony Carreno PG 32 2-6 15-16 0 0 1 3 19
Larry Wallace SF 15 3-5 3-3 1 2 0 1 9
Jonathan Mooney C 21 2-2 0-0 0 3 1 3 4
Chris Como SG 4 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 0 2
Isaiah Young C 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Will Hubbard PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 15 (C.Burke 1, J.Cavallini 3, T.Bocanegra 2,
A.Carreno 6, L.Wallace 1, J.Mooney 2)
Blocked Shots: 4 (C.Burke 2, J.Cavallini 1, J.Mooney 1)
Steals: 3 (L.Wallace 1, J.Mooney 1, I.Young 1)
3P FGs: 4-22 (S.Chambliss 1-5, T.Bocanegra 3-13,
A.Carreno 0-3, C.Como 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Trevor Bocanegra (UVA)
The Seminoles earn their spot in the semifinals by upsetting Georgia Tech, but Trevor Bocanegra makes sure that's as far as they'll go this season.

Seventeen of Trevor's 38 points come from the free throw line. He and Anthony Carreno combine to go 32-for-34 from the stripe; that's a .941 percentage. We need those free throws, too; the Seminoles make six more baskets than we do.

It's not a sustainable formula for winning, but for a single game, it works just fine.
Record: 29-4.


March 13, 2027
ACC Tournament Championship
(2) #10 Virginia 77, (1) #1 North Carolina 68

---------------------------------------------------------
Virginia (30-4, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 27 0-2 0-0 2 6 1 1 0
Scott Chambliss PF 13 0-0 0-0 2 3 2 5 0
Joe Cavallini SF 36 5-12 3-6 2 10 2 2 14
Trevor Bocanegra SG 22 8-13 2-7 1 4 0 4 20
Anthony Carreno PG 28 3-5 3-5 0 2 2 4 9
Larry Wallace SG 20 7-10 1-2 4 4 1 1 15
Jonathan Mooney PF 26 2-3 6-9 4 8 1 3 10
Chris Como SG 10 1-4 1-2 0 2 4 3 3
John Steinberg SF 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3
Isaiah Young C 11 1-3 1-3 0 6 1 0 3
Aaron Jackson PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Will Hubbard PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (C.Burke 1, S.Chambliss 2, J.Cavallini 3,
A.Carreno 3, L.Wallace 2, J.Mooney 1, C.Como 1,
I.Young 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (J.Cavallini 1, I.Young 1)
Steals: 3 (C.Burke 1, J.Cavallini 1, L.Wallace 1)
3P FGs: 4-14 (C.Burke 0-1, J.Cavallini 1-2, T.Bocanegra
2-5, A.Carreno 0-2, L.Wallace 0-1, C.Como 0-2,
J.Steinberg 1-1)

North Carolina (30-2, 15-1):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Cloutier C 36 7-12 2-2 4 9 2 2 16
Fred Porter PF 32 2-9 4-5 1 5 0 5 8
Bud Grimm SF 33 3-14 3-3 3 5 3 4 10
Theron Overby SG 32 1-10 5-6 0 2 6 3 8
Orlando Matthews PG 36 4-6 1-1 2 3 2 3 11
Casey Joyce PF 9 1-2 3-3 1 3 0 3 5
Junior Gelinas PF 3 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 2 2
Timothy O'Leary SF 9 2-5 0-0 1 2 0 2 5
Jim Quach SF 3 0-1 2-2 0 0 0 0 2
Kenneth Peterson SG 7 0-1 1-3 0 0 2 2 1
Jordan Glenn PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 7 (F.Porter 1, B.Grimm 1, T.Overby 4,
O.Matthews 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (C.Cloutier 2, B.Grimm 1, T.Overby 1,
K.Peterson 1)
Steals: 7 (T.Overby 3, O.Matthews 2, T.O'Leary 2)
3P FGs: 5-25 (F.Porter 0-1, B.Grimm 1-7, T.Overby 1-9,
O.Matthews 2-4, T.O'Leary 1-3, K.Peterson 0-1)

Player of Game: PG Larry Wallace (UVA)
We did it!

Coach Whittaker slows the pace down a bit for this game, hoping to negate the advantage of the Tar Heels' superior athleticism. The tactic works fairly well on an evening when one of our more notable qualities--our ability to make free throws--abandons us. The Hoos shoot just under 74% from the line, and tonight we make only half of our 34 attempts.

Trevor Bocanegra scores 20 points, giving him 101 in three tourney games, and Joe Cavallini completes a nifty double-double. But it's Larry Wallace, who provides a necessary spark off the bench, who's named the PotG.

Coach Whittaker and his players joyfully cut down the net, and the Cavaliers add a new trophy to our collection. On to the Big Dance!
Record: 30-4.

[Young Drachma]

Sheesh, what a season. Now the real test begins!

[MoonlightGraham]

Sheesh, what a season. Now the real test begins!

Thanks! It's been an exciting run. I hope it continues for a while longer.

I had two reasons to believe this could be our best season so far: Trevor Bocanegra and Joe Cavallini. They are both seniors this year, and they're the most talented players we've had at UVA since I arrived.

Trevor finished high school as a high four-star recruit, the #27 player in the country, Maryland's Mr. Basketball, and a high school All-American. He's developed into the player Toby's predecessor, Tom Schumann, thought he'd be. Joe wasn't far behind: a solid four-star talent, ranked #47 overall.

They led a recruiting class that was ranked #22 in the nation, and fourth in the ACC. You hope a class like that one will develop into a Golden Generation, and that's what they've looked like so far this year.

I haven't had the same kind of success with recruiting. My three classes at UVA have all been #100 or lower, and each has ranked in the bottom half of the ACC. I hope that doesn't mean this year will be our one chance to achieve greatness before we settle into a place where we're battling to make the NCAA tournament every year.

That made me wonder how well UVA recruited before Coach Whittaker came along. Coach Schumann is still active. He's the Coaching Assistant at Stanford. He doesn't have a high Recruiting skill; it's only 26. And his head recruiter was Alec Mazur, who's remained at UVA to work with Coach Whittaker. Virginia's Prestige has ranged from 68 to 79 (it's 77 now).

The Cavaliers brought in a four-star player about every other year during Coach Schumann's tenure, and he signed one five-star talent: Olen Guth, in 2017. Olen went on to be an All-ACC big man.

Long story short: I might need to pick up my game a bit, or this season might turn out to be the exception, rather than the rule.

Thanks, as always, for stopping by!

[Chas in Cinti]

Congrats!

[MoonlightGraham]

March 15, 2027

This year, we're not watching the NCAA tournament selection show with a sense of wonder. We have 30 wins, we're #1 in RPI, and we're the ACC tournament champions. We're definitely in the field, and we'll be seeded well.

However, we do get a chance to cheer when we discover we've been awarded the top seed in the South Region. North Carolina gives the ACC two top seeds. And both of the other #1 seeds come from Philadelphia...but neither of them is Villanova. Temple and St. Joseph's earn that honor.

I'm also excited to see that Amherst makes the field, too. Coach David Getty guided the Mammoths to a 24-9 record and New England Conference regular season and tournament championships. A veteran team led by seniors Carter Keegan and Reece Reynolds, supplemented by high-scoring redshirt soph Colton Mullins (remember them? :) ), they'll be the #12 seed in the East Region.


March 18, 2027
NCAA South Region, First Round
(1) #7 Virginia 81, (16) Middle Tennessee 72

---------------------------------------------------------
Middle Tennessee (16-18, 9-9):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lawrence Chau C 35 1-10 4-6 2 6 0 3 6
Albert Spiller PF 25 4-9 0-0 3 6 1 3 9
Richard Benton SF 25 4-10 2-3 0 2 0 5 10
John Burton SG 20 3-5 0-1 2 5 3 5 8
Clifford Peterson PG 32 8-18 5-7 1 6 5 1 22
Isreal White PF 11 2-4 0-0 1 3 0 1 5
Corey Cruz PG 17 1-4 0-0 1 2 1 2 3
Ali Neese SF 17 0-1 1-2 1 3 3 2 1
Michael Dickey PG 6 1-2 0-0 0 0 1 2 2
Buford Lewis C 11 2-3 2-4 0 2 0 0 6

Turnovers: 10 (L.Chau 1, R.Benton 3, J.Burton 3,
A.Neese 3)
Blocked Shots: 2 (L.Chau 1, J.Burton 1)
Steals: 2 (A.Neese 1, B.Lewis 1)
3P FGs: 6-14 (A.Spiller 1-2, J.Burton 2-3, C.Peterson
1-4, I.White 1-1, C.Cruz 1-2, A.Neese 0-1, M.Dickey
0-1)

Virginia (31-4, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 27 1-2 2-2 2 12 1 0 4
Scott Chambliss PF 28 2-8 4-6 2 4 1 2 8
Joe Cavallini SF 36 10-14 5-8 3 9 1 3 26
Trevor Bocanegra SG 35 10-20 7-8 3 7 6 3 28
Anthony Carreno PG 31 2-9 0-2 3 4 1 3 4
Larry Wallace PG 15 2-5 3-5 2 2 2 3 8
Jonathan Mooney PF 17 0-3 0-0 0 7 3 3 0
Chris Como SG 3 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 3
Isaiah Young C 8 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 2 0

Turnovers: 10 (J.Cavallini 2, T.Bocanegra 5, A.Carreno
2, J.Mooney 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (C.Burke 1)
Steals: 4 (J.Cavallini 2, T.Bocanegra 1, A.Carreno 1)
3P FGs: 4-20 (C.Burke 0-1, S.Chambliss 0-2, J.Cavallini
1-2, T.Bocanegra 1-7, A.Carreno 0-4, L.Wallace 1-2,
C.Como 1-2)

Player of Game: SF Joe Cavallini (UVA)
Full credit to the Blue Raiders for making this a tough game. They defend us relentlessly, challenging every shot, especially from behind the arc.

However, we have Trevor Bocanegra and Joe Cavallini, and they do not. Trev struggles from three-point range, but otherwise, they're in star mode all game long.

At this stage of the season, all you have to do is win, and that's what we do.

Unfortunately for Amherst, they do not. The Mammoths lose to #5 seed Duquesne, 67-53. You might remember Duquesne beating us back in December.
Record: 31-4.


March 20, 2027
NCAA South Region, Second Round
(1) #7 Virginia 74, (8) Seton Hall 60

---------------------------------------------------------
Seton Hall (22-12, 12-6):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lincoln Sampson C 28 4-9 1-2 4 8 0 0 10
Sammy Huey PF 26 0-1 2-2 0 7 0 1 2
Ward Brown SF 25 0-10 3-4 1 6 1 1 3
Garth Miguel SG 28 5-6 0-0 0 3 2 2 14
Carl Bloom PG 28 5-11 3-3 1 3 3 3 14
Paul Minnick PF 15 2-3 1-2 1 5 0 1 5
Dwayne Vega SG 13 1-4 0-0 1 2 0 4 3
Michael Mai PF 13 1-3 0-0 1 3 2 2 2
Timothy Jesse PF 4 0-2 0-0 0 2 0 0 0
Kyle Shuler SF 19 3-7 0-0 1 1 2 1 7

Turnovers: 15 (L.Sampson 2, S.Huey 2, W.Brown 2,
C.Bloom 2, P.Minnick 1, D.Vega 2, M.Mai 1, K.Shuler 3)
Blocked Shots: 5 (S.Huey 1, W.Brown 1, M.Mai 3)
Steals: 4 (W.Brown 1, G.Miguel 1, C.Bloom 1, P.Minnick
1)
3P FGs: 8-25 (L.Sampson 1-3, W.Brown 0-4, G.Miguel 4-5,
C.Bloom 1-6, D.Vega 1-3, M.Mai 0-1, K.Shuler 1-3)

Virginia (32-4, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 26 1-3 0-0 2 7 1 2 2
Scott Chambliss PF 25 2-5 0-0 3 7 1 0 6
Joe Cavallini SF 24 5-10 0-0 2 7 2 3 12
Trevor Bocanegra SG 32 7-21 3-4 0 3 4 3 19
Anthony Carreno PG 27 1-7 2-2 1 2 1 0 4
Larry Wallace SF 22 2-9 1-3 1 2 4 2 6
Jonathan Mooney PF 22 2-4 0-0 5 9 0 1 4
Chris Como SG 9 5-5 2-2 0 1 0 0 16
John Steinberg SF 5 1-3 0-0 0 1 0 0 3
Isaiah Young C 6 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 1 2

Turnovers: 7 (J.Cavallini 1, T.Bocanegra 2, L.Wallace
2, J.Steinberg 1, I.Young 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Burke 2, J.Mooney 1)
Steals: 4 (T.Bocanegra 1, A.Carreno 2, L.Wallace 1)
3P FGs: 12-31 (C.Burke 0-1, S.Chambliss 2-3,
J.Cavallini 2-3, T.Bocanegra 2-8, A.Carreno 0-4,
L.Wallace 1-5, C.Como 4-4, J.Steinberg 1-3)

Player of Game: SG Chris Como (UVA)
How often does the Player of the Game earn his honor in only nine minutes of playing time? That's what Chris Como does tonight. He takes seven shots: four threes, a two, and two free throws--and makes all seven of them. His 16 points represent our winning margin.

When I recruited Chris at Amherst, I envisioned him as a dangerous scorer at the mid-major level. At Virginia, he's probably going to settle into a role as a source of instant offense off the bench. There's a place for a player like that, however, and tonight Chris plays his role to perfection...literally.

Toby Whittaker's Cavaliers return to the Sweet Sixteen for the second consecutive year. Last year, that felt like "mission accomplished." This time around, there's still work to be done.
Record: 32-4.


March 26, 2027
NCAA South Region Semifinal: the Sweet Sixteen
(1) #7 Virginia 80, (13) UNC Asheville 72

---------------------------------------------------------
UNC Asheville (27-8, 14-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jerald Bunch C 30 3-9 10-12 2 7 1 5 16
Tony Rea PF 29 1-3 2-4 3 7 3 0 4
Dustin Wilson SF 34 4-11 0-0 2 7 3 3 11
Leland Woodman SG 26 0-6 2-2 2 4 0 5 2
Michale Brown PG 34 4-9 1-2 0 4 1 2 11
Sandy Schlegel PG 11 0-0 0-2 0 3 2 2 0
Henry Isenberg SG 11 5-9 0-1 0 2 2 0 11
Steve Lister SF 4 3-3 0-0 0 0 2 0 8
Denny Frady C 17 4-6 1-2 2 2 0 1 9
Franklin Perdomo PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Alec Leatherman PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 17 (J.Bunch 3, T.Rea 2, D.Wilson 3,
L.Woodman 3, M.Brown 2, H.Isenberg 1, S.Lister 1,
D.Frady 2)
Blocked Shots: 4 (J.Bunch 2, D.Wilson 2)
Steals: 6 (M.Brown 4, H.Isenberg 1, S.Lister 1)
3P FGs: 8-24 (D.Wilson 3-8, L.Woodman 0-5, M.Brown 2-5,
H.Isenberg 1-3, S.Lister 2-2, D.Frady 0-1)

Virginia (33-4, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 29 0-0 0-0 2 7 1 3 0
Scott Chambliss PF 30 3-5 0-0 3 7 3 3 6
Joe Cavallini SF 30 9-21 3-4 6 11 2 5 23
Trevor Bocanegra SG 37 6-20 4-4 4 6 1 3 18
Anthony Carreno PG 32 3-9 2-2 1 2 5 0 10
Larry Wallace SF 15 4-7 4-7 1 2 1 1 12
Jonathan Mooney PF 16 2-2 0-0 0 3 1 4 4
Chris Como SG 6 2-4 2-2 0 1 0 0 7
Isaiah Young C 6 0-1 0-0 1 2 0 2 0

Turnovers: 13 (C.Burke 2, S.Chambliss 2, J.Cavallini 3,
T.Bocanegra 2, A.Carreno 2, L.Wallace 1, J.Mooney 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Burke 2, J.Cavallini 1)
Steals: 6 (J.Cavallini 2, T.Bocanegra 2, L.Wallace 1,
J.Mooney 1)
3P FGs: 7-18 (J.Cavallini 2-3, T.Bocanegra 2-5,
A.Carreno 2-6, L.Wallace 0-2, C.Como 1-2)

Player of Game: SF Joe Cavallini (UVA)

The Bulldogs make a charming Cinderella. They first eliminate the blue-blooded Kentucky Wildcats, and then they send their in-state rivals from Charlotte home, too. We end their dream, but it isn't easy. In fact, it's 45-43, their way, at halftime.

Like many teams, the Bulldogs have problems guarding Joe Cavallini. Buffalo Joe scores 14 of his 23 points and grabs 7 of his 11 rebounds after intermission. Thanks in large part to him, the Cavaliers advance to the regional final for the first time in our history.
Record: 33-4.


March 28, 2027
NCAA South Region Final: the Elite Eight
(1) #7 Virginia 86, (11) Villanova 84

---------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (24-13, 9-9):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ira Sanchez C 32 8-13 2-4 2 10 3 1 18
Leo Dorsett PF 37 3-8 6-7 3 9 2 1 14
Gregory Bode SF 36 6-8 0-0 4 7 0 2 17
Connor Snow SG 19 0-2 2-3 0 2 1 4 2
Millard Johnson PG 37 7-10 5-6 0 2 7 2 23
Robert Ross SG 23 2-10 0-0 1 2 4 4 6
Wilton Tower PF 8 2-2 0-2 1 2 1 1 4
Cecil Hoagland SF 3 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Lawrence Hintz PG 3 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
James Aragon SG 1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (I.Sanchez 2, L.Dorsett 1, G.Bode 2,
M.Johnson 4, R.Ross 3)
Blocked Shots: 5 (R.Ross 5)
Steals: 3 (L.Dorsett 1, C.Snow 1, M.Johnson 1)
3P FGs: 13-22 (L.Dorsett 2-3, G.Bode 5-6, C.Snow 0-2,
M.Johnson 4-5, R.Ross 2-5, L.Hintz 0-1)

Virginia (34-4, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 23 1-4 0-0 1 4 2 4 3
Scott Chambliss PF 31 4-4 1-2 2 4 1 3 10
Joe Cavallini SF 37 6-19 0-0 1 4 1 0 14
Trevor Bocanegra SG 35 10-19 8-8 2 5 6 3 34
Anthony Carreno PG 25 3-5 0-2 1 2 5 4 8
Larry Wallace PG 19 0-1 2-2 0 2 2 0 2
Jonathan Mooney C 17 3-4 1-1 3 6 2 2 7
Chris Como SG 3 2-3 0-0 0 1 0 2 6
John Steinberg SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Isaiah Young C 7 1-2 0-0 0 1 0 4 2
Will Hubbard PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (J.Cavallini 2, T.Bocanegra 1, A.Carreno
2, L.Wallace 1, J.Mooney 1, I.Young 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Burke 2, J.Mooney 1)
Steals: 2 (C.Burke 1, L.Wallace 1)
3P FGs: 14-21 (C.Burke 1-1, S.Chambliss 1-1,
J.Cavallini 2-5, T.Bocanegra 6-9, A.Carreno 2-3,
C.Como 2-2)

Player of Game: SG Trevor Bocanegra (UVA)
Trevor Bocanegra has scored 2456 points for the University of Virginia men's basketball team. Tonight, with one second remaining in the second half, Trevor scores the most important of those points, coolly sinking two free throws to send the Hoos to the Final Four.

Which task is easier: knocking out Cinderella teams who have caught fire during the postseason, or vanquishing top seeds who have successfully defended their positions? On their way to the regional final, Villanova blew out Southern California, squeezed past Alabama, and beat Louisville handily. The Wildcats, therefore, took down a six, a three, and a two seed to make it to tonight's contest...and they very, very nearly eliminate a one seed, too. With eight minutes left to play, Villanova leads 76-68.

The last 35 seconds of the game features a rollercoaster of events featuring Wildcats guard Robert Ross. We're ahead, 84-82, when Robert takes the ball on the right wing and tries to slice to the hoop, but Larry Wallace picks his pocket. As Larry races into the frontcourt, we have a 3-on-2 advantage. Larry passes to Joe Cavallini, and receives the ball back from him. As Larry powers to the rim, his shot is blocked: Robert Ross refuses to give up on the play, runs the length of the floor, pins Larry's shot to the glass, and grabs the rebound himself. Thirteen seconds later, the Wildcats tie the score on a basket by Gary Bode.

We now have 11 seconds to work with. Coach Whittaker has the "hands team" in the game, our five best ballhandlers, including big man Scott Chambliss. The last thing we want is a live ball turnover. Nevertheless, everyone in the building knows the ball will be in the hands of Trevor Bocanegra or Joe Cavallini. It's time to ride or die with our senior stars.

Wallace inbounds the ball to Anthony Carreno, and he first finds Trevor near the logo on the right side. Joe pops free at the top of the key, and Trevor passes it to him. Then Trev makes a diagonal cut to give himself some space, and as he looks up, the ball is already on its way to him. Robert Ross is closing quickly. Trevor has just enough time to catch and shoot.

The whistle sounds while Trev's shot is still in the air. It's no good, but the ubiquitous Ross has been called for a foul!

Trevor has scored 32 points thus far tonight. He's taken six free throws and made them all. Neither of his last two shots touch the rim at all.

A second later, the buzzer sounds.

We're in the Final Four.
Record: 34-4.

[MoonlightGraham]

Congrats!

Thanks, Chas! As you can now see, Trev Bocanegra and Joe Cavallini decided they weren't quite through playing Virginia basketball yet. They're leading us on a really great ride, one that will be recognized by several banners in the John Paul Jones Arena. One will honor them as ACC regular season champions, and one will mark their ACC tournament victory.

We'll find out soon what the third banner will say.

Thanks for joining us on our ride!

[MoonlightGraham]

April 3, 2027

We are joined in the Final Four by Michigan State, Texas A&M, and North Carolina. We'll play the Spartans in the national semifinal.

NCAA National Semifinal: the Final Four
(1) #7 Virginia 78, (5) #18 Michigan State 70

---------------------------------------------------------
Virginia (35-4, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 28 2-4 0-2 2 9 0 2 4
Scott Chambliss PF 29 2-5 0-0 2 6 2 3 4
Joe Cavallini SF 36 5-12 4-5 2 9 3 3 16
Trevor Bocanegra SG 34 13-21 8-9 3 8 1 3 37
Anthony Carreno PG 32 5-12 0-1 1 1 5 2 13
Larry Wallace PG 13 1-6 1-2 0 0 0 1 4
Jonathan Mooney PF 17 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 1 0
Chris Como SG 3 0-1 0-0 1 2 1 0 0
John Steinberg SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Isaiah Young C 5 0-2 0-0 1 1 1 0 0

Turnovers: 11 (C.Burke 1, J.Cavallini 5, T.Bocanegra 4,
L.Wallace 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (C.Burke 2)
Steals: 4 (C.Burke 1, J.Cavallini 1, A.Carreno 2)
3P FGs: 9-23 (C.Burke 0-1, S.Chambliss 0-2, J.Cavallini
2-3, T.Bocanegra 3-7, A.Carreno 3-8, L.Wallace 1-1,
C.Como 0-1)

Michigan State (28-8, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Jon Dunigan C 37 5-8 2-2 2 8 1 0 12
Lincoln Clark PF 33 4-11 1-3 3 7 2 3 9
Gregory Newton SF 16 2-5 4-7 1 4 0 5 9
William Edington SG 28 9-17 2-3 0 1 0 4 24
Ronald Cooper PG 37 3-8 0-0 2 6 14 1 7
Andreas Dinkins SF 23 3-5 0-0 3 8 1 4 6
C. Biggerstaff SG 18 1-4 1-1 0 3 1 1 3
James Morgan PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Charles Lomas SF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Joseph Daniel PF 3 0-2 0-0 1 2 0 0 0

Turnovers: 12 (L.Clark 1, G.Newton 5, W.Edington 2,
R.Cooper 3, A.Dinkins 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (J.Dunigan 1, L.Clark 4, C.Biggerstaff
1)
Steals: 6 (L.Clark 1, G.Newton 1, R.Cooper 1, A.Dinkins
1, C.Biggerstaff 2)
3P FGs: 6-24 (J.Dunigan 0-2, G.Newton 1-2, W.Edington
4-10, R.Cooper 1-5, A.Dinkins 0-2, C.Biggerstaff 0-3)

Player of Game: SG Trevor Bocanegra (UVA)
A re-energized defensive effort and another dominant offensive performance by Trevor Bocanegra puts us one game away from a national championship.

We trail Michigan State by a 37-32 margin at the intermission. Ronald Cooper is touching the paint on every Spartans possession, finding John Dunigan for too-easy baskets inside or kicking the ball out to Walter Edington for triples. Meanwhile, the Spartans are forcing us to take bad shots, and not many of them are dropping.

After the break, Anthony Carreno starts to better use his quickness to contain Cooper. We begin to show Edington some double coverage, and he obliges by starting to misfire from long range. Meanwhile, Trevor puts his team on his back once again. When the Spartans give him room, Trev pulls the string on his jumper. When they close down on him, he drives past them and scores, or draws a foul. Trevor's three-pointer gives us a 59-58 lead with 6:25 to play, a lead we never relinquish.

Meanwhile, Texas A&M eliminates our nemesis from Chapel Hill. We'll face the Aggies in Monday's national championship game.
Record: 35-4.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 6, 2027
NCAA National Championship Game
#5 Texas A&M 91, #7 Virginia 82

---------------------------------------------------------
Texas A&M (34-5, 12-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Bud Johnson C 20 3-6 2-2 1 6 2 4 8
Davis Frechette PF 24 6-9 4-6 0 6 2 4 16
Carlos Moskowitz SF 34 8-14 2-3 3 6 13 0 24
Harold Larosa SG 20 2-4 1-4 1 2 1 4 5
Hilton Briceno PG 31 8-12 0-0 1 4 4 2 18
John Antonio C 27 4-7 0-0 2 3 1 3 8
Charles Hoagland PG 19 1-6 4-7 1 2 2 2 6
Joe Tull C 15 1-2 0-1 0 6 2 1 2
D. Butterworth PF 4 0-1 0-0 2 3 0 0 0
Tony Miles SG 7 2-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 4
Charles Tennant PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 9 (B.Johnson 1, D.Frechette 1, C.Moskowitz
2, H.Briceno 1, J.Antonio 2, J.Tull 1, D.Butterworth 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Frechette 1, J.Antonio 2)
Steals: 5 (D.Frechette 1, H.Briceno 2, J.Antonio 1,
T.Miles 1)
3P FGs: 8-21 (C.Moskowitz 6-10, H.Larosa 0-2, H.Briceno
2-5, J.Antonio 0-1, C.Hoagland 0-2, T.Miles 0-1)

Virginia (35-5, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 18 2-3 0-0 1 5 1 4 5
Scott Chambliss PF 29 3-5 5-9 1 4 1 2 11
Joe Cavallini SF 35 4-14 0-0 4 10 2 3 9
Trevor Bocanegra SG 35 11-22 7-9 1 5 3 3 30
Anthony Carreno PG 31 2-5 1-3 0 1 4 4 5
Larry Wallace PG 11 2-8 4-6 2 3 2 0 10
Jonathan Mooney C 24 2-4 1-2 3 9 0 3 5
Chris Como SG 5 1-1 2-2 0 0 0 2 5
John Steinberg SF 3 0-0 2-2 0 1 1 0 2
Isaiah Young C 8 0-0 0-0 2 2 0 0 0
Will Hubbard PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 10 (C.Burke 2, S.Chambliss 1, J.Cavallini 5,
J.Mooney 1, C.Como 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (C.Burke 1, S.Chambliss 1)
Steals: 2 (S.Chambliss 1, T.Bocanegra 1)
3P FGs: 6-17 (C.Burke 1-1, S.Chambliss 0-2, J.Cavallini
1-6, T.Bocanegra 1-3, A.Carreno 0-2, L.Wallace 2-2,
C.Como 1-1)

Player of Game: SF Carlos Moskowitz (TXAM)
The Virginia Cavaliers' wonderful season ends in defeat, as Texas A&M plays a complete game of basketball to win the national championship game.

The Aggies' path to their first NCAA title looks a bit like the one UVA has been following. They won the NIT the season before we did, and returned to the Big Dance after a three-year absence. Senior stars Davis Frechette, Hilton Briceno, and Carlos Moskowitz save their best basketball for their final season, leading their team to a Big XII conference tournament title and, then, a run to the national championship that took them past a trio of ACC opponents: Duke, UNC, and UVA.

Aggies coach Stefan Bannon is an offensive guru, and his team becomes only the second to score at least 90 points against us in 40 minutes this season (UNC is the other). Moskowitz controls the game like a symphony conductor. They're a worthy champion.

Trevor Bocanegra leads all scorers with another 30 points, putting him past the 2500 mark for his career.

Stumbling at the last hurdle hurts, but at the same time, we've come a long way in three years. Will we look back one day and see that the 2026/27 season was the beginning of a Golden Age for Virginia basketball? Or, will we remember it--somewhat sadly--as the one year when UVA caught lightning in a bottle?

Graham Sims went to the Final Four and lost before he won his first national championship at Lafayette. Then he went to Villanova and won seven more. How will Toby Whittaker's story play out? It's fun to dream, isn't it?
Record: 35-5.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 5, 2027
2026 OVERALL AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR PF Davis Frechette Texas A&M 15.8 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 2.8 APG 0.9 SPG, 4.2 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SG Sylvester Densmore Portland 16.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.2 APG 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Carson Huang Saint Joseph's 32 - 5 (14 - 2)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Jon Dunigan Michigan State 10.0 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 2.6 APG, 0.4 SPG, 5.1 BPG
PF SR Davis Frechette Texas A&M 15.8 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 4.2 BPG
SF SR Sam Matthews Louisville 19.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG JR Cyril Samaniego Kansas 26.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Henry Manis Memphis 18.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.3 APG, 2.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Robert Park Pittsburgh 15.3 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.6 APG, 0.4 SPG, 3.7 BPG
PF SR Jae Frazier Illinois 21.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 3.2 BPG
SF SR Richard Bishop Maryland 19.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.0 BPG
SG SR Daniel Gatto Brigham Young 17.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG SR Earl McCraw Wisconsin 15.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-league 3rd Team:
C SR Chris Cloutier North Carolina 13.5 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, 3.7 BPG
PF SR Kurtis Napper Vanderbilt 16.1 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 2.0 BPG
SF JR Willie Karnes Oklahoma State 19.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SG SR Trevor Bocanegra Virginia 24.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Huey Hernandes Brown 19.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Bernard Madden Wake Forest 9.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.9 BPG
PF FR Frederick Story Louisiana State 5.9 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SF FR Douglas Alexander Butler 15.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG FR Sylvester Densmore Portland 16.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG FR Armando Castle Valparaiso 14.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Davis Frechette didn't have the best game against us in the national championship final--he encountered early foul trouble--but he was a dominant force all season long. We faced another of the country's best big men, John Dunigan, in the Final Four, too.

Trevor is certainly a deserving All-American, taking third place behind the nation's leading scorer and an excellent, all-around lead guard.

2026 ACC AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR C Chris Cloutier North Carolina 13.5 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.5 APG 0.5 SPG, 3.7 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR C Bernard Madden Wake Forest 9.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 0.9 APG 0.4 SPG, 0.9 BPG

Coach of the Year:
James Johnson Georgia Tech 21 - 11 (11 - 5)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Chris Cloutier North Carolina 13.5 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.5 SPG, 3.7 BPG
PF JR Kenneth Pierce Duke 17.6 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.7 BPG
SF SR Richard Bishop Maryland 19.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.0 BPG
SG SR Trevor Bocanegra Virginia 24.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Paul Borrego Maryland 8.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.0 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C JR Matthew Stallard Florida State 5.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.4 SPG, 2.7 BPG
PF SR Tycen Gamble Boston College 7.4 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.2 SPG, 1.7 BPG
SF SR Joe Cavallini Virginia 15.4 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SG SR Chung Curtis Florida State 13.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 5.9 APG, 2.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Michel Baskerville Georgia Tech 13.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Bernard Madden Wake Forest 9.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.9 BPG
PF FR Ricky Langford Maryland 2.3 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.2 SPG, 1.2 BPG
SF FR Andrew Myer Duke 3.3 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.0 BPG
SG FR Jewell New Virginia Tech 12.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG FR Blair Henderson Boston College 2.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.0 BPG

I was pulling hard for Trevor to win ACC Player of the Year. Chris Cloutier was an excellent rim protector who could also score, but I'm not sure I'd trade Trevor for him. At least Trev received the first team All-ACC recognition he deserved.

Joe was beaten out for the first team by All-American Richard Bishop from Maryland. There's no shame there.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 7, 2027

#7 VIRGINIA TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 77 Record Vs 1-50: 13-4 Poll Rank: #7
Season Record: 35-5 Record Vs 51-100: 12-1 RPI Rank: #1
Conference Record: 13-3 Record Vs 101-200: 5-0
Home Record: 12-1 Record Vs 200+: 5-0


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 77.5 1 17 Points 69.5 6 201 Points 8.0 3 30
O.Reb 13.6 3 10 O.Reb 11.7 9 279 O.Reb 2.0 4 56
D.Reb 27.1 3 44 D.Reb 24.3 7 127 D.Reb 2.8 4 33
Rebounds 40.7 3 13 Rebounds 36.0 6 190 Rebounds 4.7 3 23
Assists 14.8 7 80 Assists 15.0 10 342 Assists -0.2 9 176
Steals 4.3 10 335 Steals 5.3 6 78 Steals -1.0 9 272
Blocks 3.3 10 188 Blocks 4.9 10 353 Blocks -1.6 11 316
Turnovers 12.5 3 38 Turnovers 13.8 8 183 Turnovers -1.3 5 92
Fouls 17.6 4 50 Fouls 20.1 1 97 Fouls -2.5 2 37
FG% .440 7 118 FG% .414 5 73 FG% .027 7 71
FT% .732 2 16 FT% .669 4 129 FT% .063 2 16
3P% .353 4 132 3P% .345 9 205 3P% .008 6 153
PPS 1.26 6 101 PPS 1.15 5 51 PPS .112 5 54
Adj. FG% .500 5 120 Adj. FG% .477 7 108 Adj. FG% .023 8 101

We were pretty good at everything, and not really bad at anything besides stealing the ball and letting other teams score assisted baskets. We were best at scoring, grabbing offensive rebounds, and making free throws.

Actually, we were best at doing enough things well enough to win basketball games, and I'll take that every time.

#7 VIRGINIA Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Cavallini SF 40 40 32.6 15.4 2.2 7.5 2.7 0.9 0.5 2.8 2.8 7.1
Trevor Bocanegra SG 40 40 32.5 24.2 2.5 5.6 2.9 0.7 0.2 2.6 3.0 6.9
Anthony Carreno PG 40 40 29.9 9.5 1.5 3.0 3.4 0.7 0.1 1.8 2.3 5.6
Chris Burke C 40 40 26.6 3.3 1.9 8.6 1.4 0.3 1.6 1.1 1.7 6.2
Scott Chambliss PF 40 40 26.5 6.3 2.1 5.2 1.3 0.3 0.2 1.2 2.6 5.1
Jonathan Mooney PF 40 0 19.3 3.4 1.4 4.9 1.0 0.4 0.5 0.7 2.0 3.3
Larry Wallace PG 40 0 16.7 8.8 1.2 2.4 1.1 0.6 0.0 1.3 1.7 3.2
Isaiah Young C 40 0 7.0 1.7 0.7 2.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.7 1.4
Chris Como SG 40 0 6.4 3.7 0.2 0.9 0.7 0.1 0.0 0.5 0.6 0.7
John Steinberg SF 27 0 2.9 1.8 0.1 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.0
Will Hubbard PF 12 0 2.1 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.4 -0.6
Aaron Jackson PG 6 0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.5
Cesaire Dessauvage SF 1 0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

#7 VIRGINIA Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Cavallini SF 40 40 1304 616 89 299 108 34 18 113 112 285
Trevor Bocanegra SG 40 40 1299 966 99 225 114 27 6 104 118 276
Anthony Carreno PG 40 40 1196 379 60 121 135 27 3 71 93 223
Chris Burke C 40 40 1063 130 76 343 56 13 63 44 68 248
Scott Chambliss PF 40 40 1060 253 83 207 51 11 8 46 105 203
Jonathan Mooney PF 40 0 772 137 54 197 39 17 21 29 79 132
Larry Wallace PG 40 0 668 351 49 94 44 25 1 53 68 127
Isaiah Young C 40 0 281 67 26 87 11 9 9 13 28 56
Chris Como SG 40 0 257 149 7 37 26 3 0 21 23 27
John Steinberg SF 27 0 79 49 2 16 6 4 0 5 6 1
Will Hubbard PF 12 0 25 2 0 2 0 0 1 1 5 -7
Aaron Jackson PG 6 0 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 9
Cesaire Dessauvage SF 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

#7 VIRGINIA Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Cavallini SF 227 498 .456 107 153 .699 55 140 .393 1.24
Trevor Bocanegra SG 329 764 .431 214 270 .793 94 268 .351 1.26
Anthony Carreno PG 128 295 .434 81 110 .736 42 136 .309 1.28
Chris Burke C 47 126 .373 28 47 .596 8 41 .195 1.03
Scott Chambliss PF 87 195 .446 50 74 .676 29 73 .397 1.30
Jonathan Mooney PF 53 119 .445 31 39 .795 0 2 .000 1.15
Larry Wallace PG 121 283 .428 82 125 .656 27 92 .293 1.24
Isaiah Young C 27 52 .519 13 21 .619 0 0 .000 1.29
Chris Como SG 43 88 .489 36 40 .900 27 54 .500 1.69
John Steinberg SF 17 29 .586 7 8 .875 8 15 .533 1.69
Will Hubbard PF 0 1 .000 2 2 1.000 0 1 .000 2.00
Aaron Jackson PG 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0.00
Cesaire Dessauvage SF 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0.00

Goodness, I'm boring. I started the same five players in all 40 games again this season.

I don't think I've ever had a player average as many PPG as Trevor Bocanegra did this year. I really wish he'd managed to score 1000 points this season.

John Steinberg and Chris Como have glowing reputations as shooters, and they lived up to their billing this season. Both of them, especially John, played most of their minutes against other teams' reserves. I wonder if they'll do as well when they face tougher opponents?

[MoonlightGraham]

2026/27 Senior Snapshots

#55 PF Scott Chambliss - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-7
Weight: 227
High School: Fairfax High School
Hometown: Fairfax, VA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 58 12 45 57 54 32 66 32 92 37 24 7 61 60 77 90
2025: 56 11 44 56 50 30 56 29 80 36 23 7 61 57 76 81
2024: 51 10 44 55 47 28 48 26 69 35 22 7 60 55 75 73
2023: 49 9 44 54 44 26 45 25 65 33 20 7 59 52 73 64
2022: 45 9 42 50 40 24 41 23 59 31 18 6 57 45 71 40
Potential: C F C C C D B D A C D F

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 65

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 30 0 7.0 1.1 0.6 1.5 0.2 0.3 0.78 0.2 0.0 1.0
2024 36 15 16.9 3.5 0.9 3.1 0.6 0.5 1.11 0.2 0.2 2.4
2025 34 34 23.7 5.6 1.8 4.5 0.6 0.9 0.63 0.4 0.3 3.0
2026 40 40 26.5 6.3 2.1 5.2 1.3 1.2 1.11 0.3 0.2 2.6
Career 140 89 19.2 4.3 1.4 3.7 0.7 0.7 1.11 0.2 0.2 2.3

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 0.3 0.9 .357 0.3 0.4 .692 0.1 0.2 .500 1.14 -1.57
2024 1.1 2.5 .440 0.9 1.5 .642 0.4 0.9 .394 1.40 1.89
2025 1.8 4.3 .421 1.5 2.0 .725 0.5 1.3 .409 1.31 2.09
2026 2.2 4.9 .446 1.3 1.9 .676 0.7 1.8 .397 1.30 5.08
Career 1.4 3.3 .431 1.0 1.5 .684 0.5 1.1 .404 1.31 2.11

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 30 0 209 32 17 44 7 9 5 1 31
2024 36 15 608 127 33 112 21 19 6 6 87
2025 34 34 805 190 61 153 19 30 12 10 102
2026 40 40 1060 253 83 207 51 46 11 8 105
Career 140 89 2682 602 194 516 98 104 34 25 325

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 10 28 9 13 3 6 -47
2024 40 91 34 53 13 33 68
2025 61 145 50 69 18 44 71
2026 87 195 50 74 29 73 203
Career 198 459 143 209 63 156 295

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 14 5 11 4 2 2 4 4 9 7 10 3 5
Career 15 8 12 4 3 2 4 5 10 7 10 3 5

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 2
2022 High School: Rated *** and #353 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2024 NIT Champion

Scott's career followed a nice progression, culminating in two years as a starter. He was never a star, but we didn't need him to be. His classmates had those roles covered. We needed Scott to do a variety of other, less heralded things, and he did those things consistently.

Pulling back the curtain and taking a look at the ratings reveals what a quirky player Scott was. He was an elite post defender, but he was not a good defensive rebounder, and he had an almost complete aversion to blocking shots. His rating for jump shots was nonexistent, but he could shoot threes; as a senior, he made a higher percentage of his triples than any player in our core rotation.


#10 SF Joe Cavallini - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 221
High School: Canisius High School
Hometown: Buffalo, NY

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 68 70 54 57 31 49 52 42 25 62 56 48 63 57 50 88
2025: 67 62 49 52 27 41 49 39 23 52 49 45 63 55 49 82
2024: 57 56 45 48 24 36 43 33 21 45 44 41 62 53 48 76
2023: 54 52 43 46 23 34 41 31 20 35 42 40 62 51 47 70
2022: 50 46 39 42 21 30 38 28 18 33 38 38 60 47 46 57
Potential: B B C C D C C C D B C C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 55

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 23 0 3.0 0.9 0.4 0.8 0.2 0.1 1.33 0.1 0.0 0.3
2024 37 24 22.4 7.8 1.5 4.9 1.2 1.2 0.98 0.6 0.2 3.5
2025 34 33 28.7 14.2 2.2 6.1 2.0 2.1 0.95 0.8 0.3 2.9
2026 40 40 32.6 15.4 2.2 7.5 2.7 2.8 0.96 0.9 0.5 2.8
Career 134 97 23.7 10.5 1.7 5.3 1.7 1.7 0.96 0.6 0.3 2.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 0.3 1.0 .348 0.1 0.3 .429 0.0 0.2 .200 0.87 0.22
2024 3.1 5.5 .559 0.8 1.2 .609 0.8 1.6 .534 1.41 3.24
2025 5.4 11.6 .460 2.0 2.9 .687 1.5 3.3 .451 1.22 2.41
2026 5.7 12.5 .456 2.7 3.8 .699 1.4 3.5 .393 1.24 7.13
Career 4.0 8.4 .474 1.5 2.3 .675 1.0 2.4 .437 1.25 3.67

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 23 0 68 20 10 18 4 3 2 1 6
2024 37 24 828 287 54 181 44 45 21 7 130
2025 34 33 977 483 74 207 69 73 27 11 99
2026 40 40 1304 616 89 299 108 113 34 18 112
Career 134 97 3177 1406 227 705 225 234 84 37 347

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 8 23 3 7 1 5 5
2024 114 204 28 46 31 58 120
2025 182 396 68 99 51 113 82
2026 227 498 107 153 55 140 285
Career 531 1121 206 305 138 316 492

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 26 6 14 12 3 2 5 10 21 10 14 4 11
Career 26 6 14 12 3 2 6 10 21 10 14 4 11

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 18
2022 High School: Rated **** and #47 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2024 NIT Champion
2026 2nd Team All-Conference (Atlantic Coast Conference)

Buffalo Joe won me over from my first day at UVA. I liked his ability to do a good job at almost any task a basketball player can be asked to perform.

As a sophomore, Joe became our starting power forward, regularly battling players four or five inches taller. We needed him to assert himself more offensively as a junior, and after shifting to the three spot, that's exactly what he did. He reprised that role as a senior, and while he was not the leading man, he was as good a wingman as a team could ask for.

As you'd expect from a talented all-rounder, Joe appears all over our career leader boards: fourth in scoring; fifth in rebounding; eighth in assists; fourth in three-pointers made.


#13 SG Trevor Bocanegra - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-4
Weight: 216
High School: Edgewood High School
Hometown: Edgewood, MD

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 77 93 63 58 60 31 68 30 15 49 28 23 77 66 98 70
2025: 70 87 62 55 55 28 68 28 14 44 27 20 76 63 98 60
2024: 62 76 54 49 50 25 60 25 13 38 24 18 75 60 97 50
2023: 55 69 48 45 46 23 53 23 12 33 21 16 74 57 96 40
2022: 51 63 44 41 42 21 49 21 10 29 19 14 73 51 96 18
Potential: B A B C C D B C F C D D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 51

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 31 31 24.4 11.4 1.4 3.8 2.1 2.1 0.97 0.5 0.0 2.9
2024 37 37 28.2 14.8 2.4 5.5 2.3 2.6 0.89 0.8 0.2 3.2
2025 34 34 27.9 19.3 2.6 5.8 2.2 3.0 0.75 0.6 0.1 3.0
2026 40 40 32.5 24.2 2.5 5.6 2.9 2.6 1.10 0.7 0.2 3.0
Career 142 142 28.5 17.8 2.2 5.2 2.4 2.6 1.10 0.7 0.1 3.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 4.3 10.6 .409 1.9 2.7 .714 0.8 3.3 .255 1.08 0.52
2024 5.4 13.0 .418 2.3 3.2 .717 1.6 5.1 .311 1.14 3.35
2025 6.7 15.4 .434 4.3 5.6 .774 1.6 5.6 .280 1.25 4.32
2026 8.2 19.1 .431 5.4 6.8 .793 2.4 6.7 .351 1.26 6.90
Career 6.3 14.8 .425 3.6 4.7 .764 1.6 5.3 .310 1.20 3.96

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 31 31 755 354 42 118 64 66 17 1 90
2024 37 37 1045 547 87 204 85 95 30 6 120
2025 34 34 950 656 90 196 76 102 22 3 101
2026 40 40 1299 966 99 225 114 104 27 6 118
Career 142 142 4049 2523 318 743 339 367 96 16 429

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 134 328 60 84 26 102 16
2024 201 481 86 120 59 190 124
2025 228 525 147 190 53 189 147
2026 329 764 214 270 94 268 276
Career 892 2098 507 664 232 749 563

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 43 10 15 10 3 1 7 14 30 21 27 9 14
Career 43 10 15 10 3 1 9 14 30 21 27 9 14

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 32
2022 High School: Rated **** and #27 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2022 High School: All-State (Maryland)
2022 High School: Mr. Basketball (Maryland)
2022 High School: All-American
2023 Freshman All-Conference (Atlantic Coast Conference)
2024 NIT Champion
2026 3rd Team All-American
2026 1st Team All-Conference (Atlantic Coast Conference)

I was tempted to simply type three words: "Thank you, Trevor." What a career he's had.

He has a reasonable claim to the title of Virginia's greatest ever player. Sebastien Petit, who was a three-time All-American and the ACC Player of the Year, is probably still a half-step ahead of him, but it's a very close call. And Seb's teams never made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. How much credit should Trev get for being part of teams that won the NIT, made the Sweet Sixteen, and reached the championship game?

Trevor is UVA's all-time leading scorer, but he also places second all-time in assists and fourth in rebounds. While not being known as a deadly marksman, he's tops on our list for three-pointers made, too.

When you recruit a high school All-American, you expect him to develop into a star. Needless to say, that's what Trevor did.

Thanks for the memories, gentlemen.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 10, 2027

Trevor Bocanegra is invited to join the party for the opening night of the professional draft. Dressed in a sharp new suit from The Men's and Boys' Shop, Trevor greets the news of his selection with the 6th overall pick with a bright smile. He's the second player in UVA history to become a lottery pick; Olen Guth, class of 2021, was also chosen at #6.

His teammate, Joe Cavallini, will be his teammate at the professional level, too! Joe was selected with the #36 pick.

2026 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Duke ACC SG Harris Warr ***** 2 3 0 0 0
5. North Carolina ACC PG David Thornburg ***** 2 0 2 0 0
11. Miami ACC SG James Hamblin ***** 1 0 3 0 0
38. Virginia Tech ACC C Trinidad Seavey **** 0 1 2 0 0
45. Maryland ACC SF Rashad Stanley **** 0 1 1 0 0
49. Clemson ACC SF Arnulfo Evangelista **** 0 1 2 0 0
59. Virginia ACC PF Malik Galloway *** 0 0 3 0 0
78. Georgia Tech ACC SF Tony Lampley *** 0 0 2 1 0
82. Florida State ACC SG King Hardie *** 0 0 3 0 0
117. North Carolina State ACC SG Gerald Compton **** 0 1 0 0 0
195. Wake Forest ACC PG Daniel Plank *** 0 0 2 0 0
239. Boston College ACC C Charles Jones *** 0 0 1 0 0

Our trio of three-star talents puts our recruiting class in the middle of the ACC pack. Duke grabs four of the top 62 players in the nation, led by #5 overall recruit Harris Warr.

Malik Galloway is our highest-regarded recruit, but Cedric Maddux will arrive on Grounds as a more accomplished, more promising player.

Alec Mazur asks for a raise, and with the news that our AD will be increasing our budget, I don't hesitate to give it to him. A lead recruiter with a 100 rating is worth $180K a year.

Our Prestige takes a nice seven-point jump, up to 84.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2027

Eighteen different programs try to lure Toby Whittaker away from Virginia, but he's not interested in moving.

Toby's former assistant, David Getty, accepts the head job at Akron. In one sense, he's making a lateral move; Akron's Prestige (51) is barely higher than Amherst's (48). However, the Zips play in a more prestigious conference, and their budget and facilities are better.

Gerry Johnson, Toby's former X-and-O man, will be leaving after seven years at UVA. He'll become the new head coach at Delaware State. Coach Johnson's place will be filled by Deandre Halliburton, making his collegiate coaching debut. Coach Halliburton, 28, is a bright and talented young coach with ratings of 79 for Offense and 61 for Defense. His three-year contract will pay him almost $152K per year.

We don't have any scholarships available for players in the transfer portal.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2027
Recruiting Preview

What are we looking for this recruiting season?

Fully formed versions of Trevor Bocanegra, Joe Cavallini, and Scott Chambliss.

All kidding aside, our roster is fairly balanced right now. We have five big men on scholarships, one of whom is a senior. We have five wings, including two seniors. None of our three pure guards are in their final season.

Ideally, our three scholarships will go to at least one wing, possibly two. We need a big man more than we need a point guard.

Our budget went up about $40,000 this season; it's now $739,021/year. We spent all of that and more on hiring assistant coaches, but we'll still have about $27,000 to spend on recruiting each month.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2027

Making it to the national championship game, and the resulting boost to our Prestige, has made more highly-regarded recruits consider playing for UVA.

Here's our initial call list:
Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grayson Kitchen SF 6-6 205 ***** Very High Virginia
Simon Williams PG 6-5 191 *** Very High Virginia
Ben Heilman SF 6-6 253 *** Very High Georgia
James Parker PF 6-9 246 *** Very High Virginia
Wade Webb SG 6-1 181 *** Very High Pennsylvania
Jake Gardiner SF 6-6 204 **** High Virginia
Aron Tandy PF 6-6 218 **** High Georgia
Layton House PF 6-9 223 *** High Virginia
Timothy Kavanaugh PG 6-0 173 ***** Average Pennsylvania
Myles Burks PF 6-10 235 ***** Average Virginia
Joshua Saunders SF 6-5 193 ***** Average Maryland
Hayden Allen PF 6-11 247 ***** Average Virginia
Bradford Kuster C 6-11 219 ***** Average New York
Maxwell Hereford PG 5-11 167 ***** Average Massachusetts
Charles Lindell PF 6-7 237 **** Average Virginia
Werner Acklin C 6-8 230 **** Average Maryland
David Edelman C 6-7 205 **** Average North Carolina
Isaias Humble SF 6-7 228 **** Average Tennessee
John Silverman C 6-7 225 **** Average Connecticut
Ivory McKinnon SG 6-3 178 **** Low New Jersey

Yes, you read that right. A five-star recruit is demonstrating Very High interest in playing for us. I didn't hesitate to offer him a scholarship. Let's meet him now.
#20 SF Grayson Kitchen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 205
High School: Norfolk Academy
Hometown: Norfolk, VA
GPA: 3.41
Test Score: 1380
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 37 67 48 29 34 3 36 43 7 58 50 34 47 61 49 51
Potential: A B C C D F B B D C B D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.1 3.4 10.4 0.4 2.0 0.18 2.4 1.3 2.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.0 16.1 .556 3.5 5.0 .697 0.8 3.0 .254

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Very High
Rankings: #12 Overall, #4 SF, Southeast Region #4 Overall, Southeast Region #2 SF
High School Awards: All-State, All American
Top 5 Schools: *Virginia, Villanova, Syracuse, Kentucky, *North Carolina State

Grayson Kitchen plays with a bit more edge than the modern, sharpshooting wing, paying more attention to rebounding and defense than many perimeter players. We're wasting no time with Grayson. He has an offer in hand already, and we'll recruit him as heavily as we can.

We're also very interested in Jake Gardiner, a four-star SF from northern Virginia.
#20 SF Jake Gardiner
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 204
High School: John Champe High School
Hometown: Aldie, VA
GPA: 3.24
Test Score: 1280
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 40 55 61 66 33 15 17 30 21 36 15 26 70 47 61 51
Potential: C B A B D F C C D C D D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.0 1.7 7.2 2.6 1.8 1.44 1.2 0.7 2.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.3 16.7 .557 2.0 2.3 .870 1.4 3.7 .384

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: High
Rankings: #60 Overall, #16 SF, Southeast Region #22 Overall, Southeast Region #7 SF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Duquesne, St. John's, Fordham, Michigan State, Virginia
Is Gardiner too much like Kitchen for us to recruit him, too? On paper, Trevor Bocanegra and Joe Cavallini seemed similar, and that combination worked out pretty well for us. We have the resources to recruit Jake actively, so that's what we will do.

There are several other players we're looking at closely. Right now, they're not enamored enough with us to put us on their lists. I'll wait to see if any of them become willing to visit Grounds; if they do, I'll tell you more about them.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2027

I feel good about our chances of signing Grayson Kitchen. We're still the only program to offer him, and he's still got us first on his list.

Jake Gardiner holds offers from Duquesne and Iona, but he says he'd prefer to play at Virginia. The more I think about it, the less concerned I am about finding playing time for both Grayson and Jake. I'm going to offer Jake a scholarship, too.

I really like two of the big men we've been recruiting: Myles Burks and Hayden Allen. Unfortunately, both of these five-star players have offers from teams they really like. Myles has Pittsburgh at the top of his list, while Hayden favors North Carolina. Both players are Virginia natives.

Myles lists us fourth among his "top five," so we can bring him to Charlottesville for a visit.
#32 PF Myles Burks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 235
High School: Kettle Run High School
Hometown: Nokesville, VA
GPA: 3.44
Test Score: 1340
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 60 11 42 0 20 0 74 70 60 11 8 69 42 69 52 27
Potential: B C C D C D B A C D F B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19.0 3.5 11.5 1.7 2.8 0.60 1.4 2.7 2.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.4 14.5 .576 2.3 3.9 .590 0.0 0.1 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Average
Rankings: #7 Overall, #1 PF, Southeast Region #2 Overall, Southeast Region #1 PF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: *Pittsburgh, *North Carolina, *Duke, Virginia
This is what the best power forward in the nation looks like. He would start for us right now. Signing Myles would be almost miraculous, given the status of the three programs we'd have to beat out. But I don't see another post player I like all that much. I feel like taking a long shot here. Let's offer Myles a scholarship and see how he feels about playing for us.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2027

Grayson Kitchen's high school colors are navy and orange, so the prevalence of those two colors in his wardrobe may or may not indicate his intention to play basketball at the University of Virginia. The fact that no other program is recruiting him now is a more positive sign.

We are also in the lead for Jake Gardiner's commitment. Duquesne and Iona have not withdrawn their offers, so they're still in the running.

When Myles Burks received an offer from us, he took Duke off his list, and the Blue Devils left the contest. Now it appears the Dukies will sign Hayden Allen instead.

Myles still prefers Pitt and UNC. If we can't have him, I'd prefer the Tar Heels not get him.

Now things get interesting...no, they get downright odd.

Last month, I took a peek at the players who hadn't yet received a scholarship offer. Usually, if I sort them according to their star ratings, the top of the list is usually occupied by four-star players with Low interest in playing for UVA. This time, the player at the top of the list was Taylor Rathbone, a five-star prospect from Virginia, with a High degree of interest in our program.

When I took a closer look, I discover he's the NUMBER TWO PROSPECT IN THE COUNTRY.
#12 SF Taylor Rathbone
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 217
High School: Western Albemarle High School
Hometown: Crozet, VA
GPA: 2.79
Test Score: 1030
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 21 66 35 47 28 42 55 76 17 59 34 10 48 66 64 4
Potential: D A D C B C B B D B C F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.2 2.0 8.2 3.4 2.7 1.24 1.4 0.4 2.3

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.5 14.6 .579 2.3 3.1 .738 1.1 2.7 .396

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: High
Rankings: #2 Overall, #2 SF, Southeast Region #1 Overall, Southeast Region #1 SF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Villanova, Ohio State, Virginia, Syracuse, *West Virginia

To put it simply, Taylor is a baller. Listed as a small forward, he's best described as a "basketball player." He rebounds like a big man and locks down opposing perimeter players. He can shoot, and he can handle the ball in a pinch.

Now it gets even weirder. Western Albemarle High School is located TWELVE MILES FROM UVA. How did I not see Taylor earlier?

I always cast my net widely at the beginning of a recruiting season. The only players I filter out are those with Very Low interest. All I can figure is that Taylor wasn't considering Virginia at all during the summer, and that when nobody courted him, he decided to take a longer look at the university just up the highway.

Taylor picked up an offer from West Virginia last month. He's about to get one from the University of Virginia, too. We'll bring him to Grounds, and Coaches Whittaker and Mazur will make the short trip to the Rathbone home.

Yes, I am offering scholarships to three 6'6" small forwards. I'll solve the problem of finding playing time for all three of them later, if I need to.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2027
Decision Day

To nobody's surprise, we receive a commitment from a 6'6" small forward from the state of Virginia today. Which one is it? It's Jake Gardiner.

We predict Jake will be the best shooter of the three, with the deepest range. He's also the quickest, and the least likely to be a productive rebounder. No matter what else happens, we'll be bringing in at least one wing who ranks among the top 60 players in the country. Welcome to Cavalier basketball, Jake!

Grayson Kitchen doesn't commit today, but it appears his recruitment is closed. Perhaps we'll receive good news from Grayson in time for the holidays.

And Taylor Rathbone has moved us to the top of his list, too. West Virginia is still in the running, but no other school has made him an offer.

We can use three very good small forwards...we can use three very good small forwards...we can use three very good small forwards... :)

[MoonlightGraham]

November 7, 2027

This Virginia Cavaliers team will attempt to build on the legacy of last year's team, winners of 35 games, the ACC tournament, and the NCAA South Region.
Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthony Carreno 2 PG Jr 6-1 192 Yes 79 OK Horicon, WI
Larry Wallace 3 PG Sr 6-4 213 Yes 66 OK Weldon, NC
Cedric Maddux 4 PG Fr 6-1 187 Yes 68 OK Ajax, Canada
Tanner Herring 11 SG Fr 6-4 203 Yes 99 Redshirt Glen Allen, VA
Dan Toler 12 SF Fr 6-6 219 No 41 OK Hampton, VA
Aaron Jackson 14 PG So 6-0 176 Yes 92 OK Newport News, VA
Chris Como 20 SG Jr* 6-6 205 Yes 99 OK Deerfield, MA
John Steinberg 21 SF Jr 6-9 213 Yes 85 OK Richmond, VA
Will Hubbard 22 PF So 6-8 221 Yes 81 Redshirt Alexandria, VA
Chris Burke 24 C Jr 6-10 272 Yes 54 OK Whitmore Lake, MI
Jonathan Mooney 25 PF Sr 6-8 232 Yes 75 OK Washington, DC
Sam Ramirez 32 C Sr* 6-9 245 No 75 OK San Jacinto, CA
Cesaire Dessauvage 33 SF Sr 6-5 213 Yes 22 Unhappy Bourg-st-maurice, France
Malik Galloway 40 PF Fr 6-8 250 Yes 82 OK Chantilly, VA
Isaiah Young 43 C So 6-9 247 Yes 74 OK Salem, VA

Fall training is over, and it's time to see how much improvement our players made:
VIRGINIA Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthony Carreno 2 5 1 5 1 12 7 1 2 13 2 1 3 3 1 9
Larry Wallace 5 5 4 2 6 3 3 1 2 5 5 2 1 2 0 8
Cedric Maddux 2 2 4 4 8 8 2 4 2 4 2 0 3 6 4 36
Tanner Herring 2 6 8 6 2 2 2 2 2 8 4 0 2 4 1 6
Dan Toler 2 0 2 4 2 2 4 2 2 2 2 2 1 6 2 8
Aaron Jackson 1 2 1 2 3 3 1 1 1 3 3 1 1 2 2 5
Chris Como 3 4 1 4 4 2 1 1 2 4 2 1 1 2 1 4
John Steinberg 2 3 3 3 2 2 1 2 1 4 2 1 1 3 1 3
Will Hubbard 3 2 2 2 1 1 3 4 4 1 1 1 1 4 2 5
Chris Burke 4 0 2 2 3 3 8 16 2 3 1 7 2 6 0 6
Jonathan Mooney 6 1 3 0 2 2 3 9 12 2 2 3 2 1 1 8
Sam Ramirez 0 2 1 2 0 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 0 8
Cesaire Dessauvage 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 4 2 0 2 1 6
Malik Galloway 8 2 2 2 2 2 8 10 8 0 2 4 2 8 3 10
Isaiah Young 4 1 1 0 1 1 6 6 6 1 1 4 1 3 0 10

It was very easy to identify the stars of coach Toby Whittaker's 2026/27 team. Trevor Bocanegra and Joe Cavallini are both making a very good living playing basketball, after earning an array of post-season honors. This year, there doesn't seem to be an identifiable lead dog, a player, or two players, who stand out from their teammates.

Center Chris Burke and point guard Anthony Carreno are returning starters.

Chris takes great pride in the work he does on the defensive end of the court: rebounding, guarding post players, and protecting the rim. Any offense Chris contributes is a bonus. He's averaged about three shots per game in two years as a starter.

Anthony established himself as a sneaky-good third scoring option last season, while still distributing the ball to his high-scoring teammates. He's worked hard to add stalwart defense to his skill set.

Two players who were key members of last year's rotation are being promoted to the starting five: big man Jonathan Mooney and shooting guard Larry Wallace.

Jonathan is strong and powerful. His game is similar to Chris Burke's, with a bit more offensive flair. Like Chris, he'll work hard on defense and crash the boards. He also comes out of camp with a few more tools in his arsenal of post moves.

Larry's trademark is a smooth, productive mid-range game. He is a good athlete, and he's made himself into an adequate defender, enabling us to project him as more than a offensively-oriented role player.

Redshirt junior Chris Como has earned the first shot at the remaining spot in the starting lineup. The Amherst transfer was very productive in a limited role last season. Can he maintain that level of production as he assumes a more important role? If he can't, John Steinberg will be the next man up. Both Chris and John will be counted on to stretch the floor.

Sophomore Isaiah Young and freshman Cedric Maddux, along with Steinberg, will be the first players off Coach Whittaker's bench. Isaiah is a rugged post player, and Cedric is a promising point guard. Guard Aaron Jackson, wing Cedric Dessauvage, and post Malik Galloway are also available; Will Hubbard and Tanner Herring will redshirt this season.

It's very difficult to predict how good this team will be. On paper, our roster isn't strong or deep enough to compete with North Carolina, Duke, or Maryland. We lack the Blue-level star power Trevor and Joe provided last year. Four of our starters are Green players, and one (Como) is Yellow. I have no idea who, if anyone, will step up and become a star.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2027
Recruiting Update

Good news is good news, even if it's expected. Today, Grayson Kitchen announces his commitment to the UVA basketball program.

Signing Grayson is a power move for us. If we're the flagship program in our state, we should be a serious contender in the race to sign the state's top player. If we're also an elite program, we should be in the running to sign that player, even if he's a five-star, All-American talent. Grayson is all of these things, and he's on his way to Charlottesville. Ohio State and Kentucky were the last teams Grayson eliminated from his list.

Grayson is a more inside-oriented player than his future classmate Jake Gardiner. He's a very good rebounder, and he's shown the ability to create his own shots in high school. I can envision Grayson and Jake playing together. Welcome to the Cavalier family, Grayson!

Taylor Rathbone still considers us his first choice, and I've been thinking about ways to construct a team around three wings. Now, however, the plot of this season's recruiting story might be turning again.

You may remember me mentioning Hayden Allen in a previous post. He's a 6'11" power forward, who (rather delightfully) attends Glen Allen High School, outside Richmond. Back in September, I was trying to decide whether to recruit which of two big men--Hayden or Myles Burks--more heavily. I picked Myles, because he listed UVA among his top schools, and Hayden did not.

At that time, Myles wanted most of all to play for Pitt. Hayden's first choice was UNC. Both young men held offers from their favorite programs, so when we couldn't increase Myles's interest in us, I figured he was signed, sealed, and delivered. I also figured we had even less of a chance to sign Hayden.

Decision Day arrived, and Myles committed to North Carolina. Hayden hadn't made his choice, but I would have sworn he had at least one offer. He was, however, listing us as a favorite, so I had Coaches Whittaker and Mazur visit him, and brought him to Grounds for an official visit. By then I had spotted Taylor Rathbone and offered him a scholarship.

As I look at my call list now, I see two names: Taylor Rathbone and Hayden Allen. "Looks like Hayden is still pondering his decision," I think to myself. Then, I look closer, and this is what I see...
#42 PF Hayden Allen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-11
Weight: 247
High School: Glen Allen High School
Hometown: Glen Allen, VA
GPA: 3.34
Test Score: 1290
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 33 6 29 0 11 27 46 59 48 25 22 50 43 96 44 28
Potential: B F C F C C B A C C C B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27.3 4.1 13.6 3.2 2.5 1.28 1.1 3.5 2.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.7 17.5 .610 6.0 8.4 .713 0.0 0.1 .000

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Very High
Rankings: #25 Overall, #3 PF, Southeast Region #8 Overall, Southeast Region #2 PF
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Virginia), All American
Top 5 Schools: North Carolina, Virginia, Pittsburgh, Kentucky, Michigan State

Not only has Hayden not made up his mind, he currently has no offers to choose from!

I just spent some time looking at the rosters of the other teams on Hayden's list. I counted the number of players each team has on scholarship now. All four teams have full contingents of 13. Then I figured out how many of those are seniors. Unless the AI coaches don't have to follow the same rules I do, the number of scholarships they can offer is limited by the number of graduating seniors they have.

Long story short: none of the other four teams on Hayden's list have a scholarship to offer him! They've filled out their recruiting classes already.

We need a five-star big man more than we need another five-star wing. As much as I dislike pulling a scholarship from the #2 player in the nation, I'm going to do it and offer it to Hayden instead.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 1, 2028

The crazy story of our recruiting season has reached its ending, and it's a happy one. Hayden Allen informs us that he'll accept our offer!

Hayden projects as a post anchor with the potential to control the paint at both ends of the floor. He'll join a solid group of big men on next year's roster, including Chris Burke, Isaiah Young, Malik Galloway, and Will Hubbard. Hayden will almost certainly be a prime candidate for a starting role beside Burke. High school All-Americans don't usually ride the bench.

Our three incoming recruits boast a total of 14 stars between them. That's a heck of a class.

Welcome to UVA basketball, Hayden!

We also learn Cedric Maddox will be ineligible to play for the remainder of the season, due to his unsatisfactory academic performance. I had made a late decision to redshirt Aaron Jackson, but now Aaron will move into the rotation in Cedric's place.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 12, 2028
VIRGINIA Schedule

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
11/08/27 vs. Utah State 9-5 87 W 64-45 1-0
11/10/27 vs. #2 Kentucky 14-0 18 L 62-61 1-1
11/14/27 at Canisius 7-9 248 W 72-61 2-1
11/19/27 at Evansville 8-7 44 W 85-66 3-1
11/23/27 Haverford 7-8 254 W 76-51 4-1
11/27/27 Bowdoin 6-10 315 W 66-36 5-1
12/05/27 at Saint Louis 11-3 78 W 77-58 6-1
12/10/27 St. Peter's 4-12 237 W 71-67 7-1
12/14/27 Morehead State 6-8 55 L 54-46 7-2
12/19/27 #6 Syracuse 12-2 7 W 70-60 8-2
12/22/27 at Wagner 9-6 206 W 73-61 9-2
12/25/27 Long Island 7-7 120 W 69-47 10-2
12/28/27 at Binghamton 6-11 261 W 75-45 11-2

Ideally, our non-conference schedule gives us an opportunity to define our team's identity before we face the demands of ACC play. This year, it looks like we're hitching our hopes to a defense that has been very difficult to score against. The 66 points we gave up to Evansville is the most we've surrendered in any game so far, and we've held five opponents under 50. Connecticut is the only Division I team that has allowed fewer points per game than we have (52.0 to 54.8).

The season begins with a trip to the four-team Travelers Invitational tournament. Our opening-game victory against Utah State is the 200th of Toby Whittaker's career. His career record is 200-75, and his .725 winning percentage ranks 21st among qualifying coaches.

Two nights later, we lose a close one to powerful Kentucky. We're ahead, 61-60, with a minute left. We force the Wildcats to take a poor shot, but they outfight us for the rebound, reset their offense, and score the game-winning basket with five seconds left. As you can see, the 'Cats then go on to win 12 more games in a row.

We catch up with Joe Cavallini, a Canisius High graduate, when we visit Buffalo. Joe is rehabbing the ankle injury he suffered in his second professional game, so he can watch John Steinberg come off the bench to score 37!! points; John follows this performance up with 19 more at Evansville.

We barely escape an embarrassing upset at the hands of St. Peter's, who had won a single game at that point in the season. We trail by 11 points at halftime, and it gets worse from there. With 12:19 to play in the second half, we're behind, 55-37. We're still four points behind with 2:25 remaining, and we don't take the lead until Chris Como drains a three a minute later.

Then, we fall behind to Morehead State, and this time we can't come back. Committing 21 turnovers will do that to a team. At this point, I'm wondering if we're simply a mediocre team this year...and then my hope is restored by a delightful victory over a top-ten Syracuse team at JPJ. Which UVA team is the real one? I suppose we'll find out as we run this gauntlet over the next two months:
2027 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
-------------------------------------------------------------------
#12 Maryland 0 0 .000 12 2 .857 16 90
#16 North Carolina 0 0 .000 12 2 .857 51 98
Wake Forest 0 0 .000 12 3 .800 106 70
Virginia 0 0 .000 11 2 .846 12 84
#14 Duke 0 0 .000 11 2 .846 15 97
Florida State 0 0 .000 11 3 .786 85 68
Virginia Tech 0 0 .000 11 2 .846 91 68
Clemson 0 0 .000 10 4 .714 4 74
Miami 0 0 .000 9 5 .643 69 82
North Carolina State 0 0 .000 9 5 .643 92 66
Georgia Tech 0 0 .000 9 5 .643 218 59
Boston College 0 0 .000 7 7 .500 43 59

The Hoos seem to be settling nicely into their roles. Larry Wallace (17.5 PPG) and Chris Como (16.0 PPG) are the scorers. Chris Burke (8.8 RPG) and Jonathan Mooney (8.5 RPG) are the rebounders, and Chris (2.5 BPG) protects the rim. Anthony Carreno (5.9 APG) runs the offense. And John Steinberg (11.3 PPG) provides instant offense.

It's a likeable group of players, and it will be fun to see how they fare in ACC play.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 12, 2028

I missed the exact halfway point of the ACC season, so my update is a game late.

#23 VIRGINIA Schedule

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01/12/28 at Wake Forest 15-9 56 W 76-73 12-2 (1-0)
01/15/28 at Miami 15-8 31 L 75-65 12-3 (1-1)
01/19/28 at Georgia Tech 10-13 118 W 61-42 13-3 (2-1)
01/22/28 at Virginia Tech 15-7 71 W 70-64 14-3 (3-1)
01/26/28 at Boston College 10-13 49 W 64-58 15-3 (4-1)
01/29/28 Virginia Tech 15-7 71 W 75-72 16-3 (5-1)
02/02/28 Miami 15-8 31 L 71-69 16-4 (5-2)
02/05/28 Georgia Tech 10-13 118 W 76-63 17-4 (6-2)
02/09/28 Wake Forest 15-9 56 W 72-46 18-4 (7-2)

To say I'm pleased with the way this season has gone so far would be an understatement. A string of five consecutive road games to open the ACC schedule was going to force this largely untested group of players to grow up quickly, and they have done. Only Miami seems to have our number this year.

If Chris Como could play against the Virginia Tech Hokies every game, he would be a unanimous choice for Player of the Year. He scores 29 points in our victory at Blacksburg, and piles up 33 more when we beat our in-state rival at JPJ. He's actually scoring more against ACC teams than he did against our non-conference opponents.

The victory over Tech in Charlottesville moves us into a tie with North Carolina and Duke atop the ACC standings, and earns us our first appearance in the Top 25. The Blue Devils, however, endure a frightful string of four straight losses which drop them two games off the pace.
2027 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------
#14 North Carolina 7 2 .778 19 4 .826 22 98
#23 Virginia 7 2 .778 18 4 .818 8 84
Miami 6 3 .667 15 8 .652 31 82
#13 Maryland 5 4 .556 17 6 .739 14 90
#16 Duke 5 4 .556 16 6 .727 16 97
Florida State 5 4 .556 16 7 .696 24 68
North Carolina State 4 5 .444 13 10 .565 61 66
Virginia Tech 4 5 .444 15 7 .682 71 68
Clemson 4 5 .444 14 9 .609 11 74
Wake Forest 3 6 .333 15 9 .625 56 70
Boston College 3 6 .333 10 13 .435 49 59
Georgia Tech 1 8 .111 10 13 .435 118 59

We're in a great spot right now; honestly, we're doing better than I thought we might. But our regular season will end with a very challenging gauntlet of games that includes matchups with all three of the other nationally ranked ACC teams. A lot can change over the course of the next month or so.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 5, 2028

#23 VIRGINIA Schedule

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
02/09/28 Wake Forest 19-12 53 W 72-46 18-4 (7-2)
02/12/28 Clemson 16-14 29 W 70-59 19-4 (8-2)
02/16/28 at Florida State 18-12 32 W 77-62 20-4 (9-2)
02/19/28 Boston College 13-17 49 L 74-72 20-5 (9-3)
02/23/28 at #13 North Carolina 24-6 15 L 77-67 20-6 (9-4)
02/26/28 at North Carolina State 18-12 51 W 60-58 21-6 (10-4)
03/01/28 #18 Maryland 22-8 12 L 77-75 21-7 (10-5)
03/04/28 #17 Duke 20-9 14 W 89-84 22-7 (11-5)

Our form suffers a bit over the last weeks of the season--we lose three out our last five games--but we knew we'd face a particularly tough set of opponents. Two of those losses come at home, both by two points, and one happens in overtime.

Our victory at Florida State is nothing but satisfying. Larry Wallace and Chris Como combine for 53 points (26 for Larry, 27 for Chris) as we erase a Seminole lead that extended to eight points with 6:43 left to play. The first of those baskets gives Larry 1001 points for his Cavalier career. On the same night, Virginia Tech beats North Carolina, and we move into first place in the conference.

Larry has a chance to win the Boston College game for us, but he misses two free throws with the score tied at 66 and three seconds left in regulation time. Given five minutes of life, the Eagles snatch the victory on a Jose Judson bucket as time expires. It's one of only two baskets Jose scores that evening.

We're tied atop the ACC standings with North Carolina, so our trip to Chapel Hill takes on even greater importance. We struggle with the Tar Heels' quickness; the 10-point loss seems more lopsided than that.

This year's Hoos are nothing if they're not resilient, however. Three nights later, we're back in the Triangle for a date with NC State. We take an early lead and extend it as far as a dozen points early in the second half, but the Wolfpack comes snarling back. In fact, they have two chances to win the game in the last half minute, but they miss two free throws and a wide-open three-pointer. Thank you, Great Basketball Deity.

Meanwhile, Duke is hammering UNC, so we and the Heels both take 10-4 records into the final two rounds of ACC play.

We face Maryland next. The script bears a close resemblance to the one we wrote in Raleigh. First, the away team opens up a lead. Then, the home team battles back as their fans roar their approval. The ending is a bit different; instead of us having chances to win and squandering them, the visiting Terps seize the day and win on a clutch basket by redshirt senior Sam Struble.

Now, even if UNC loses its last game, our loss at their hands will give them the ACC championship. Still, we close the regular season in style, honoring Larry Wallace, Jonathan Mooney, Cesaire Dessauvage, and walk-on Sam Ramirez with a victory over Duke on Senior Day.

2027 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------
#13 North Carolina 12 4 .750 24 6 .800 15 98
#23 Virginia 11 5 .688 22 7 .759 11 84
#18 Maryland 10 6 .625 22 8 .733 12 90
North Carolina State 9 7 .563 18 12 .600 51 66
Miami 9 7 .563 18 12 .600 33 82
#17 Duke 9 7 .563 20 9 .690 14 97
Virginia Tech 8 8 .500 19 10 .655 50 68
Florida State 7 9 .438 18 12 .600 32 68
Wake Forest 7 9 .438 19 12 .613 53 70
Clemson 6 10 .375 16 14 .533 29 74
Boston College 6 10 .375 13 17 .433 49 59
Georgia Tech 2 14 .125 11 19 .367 148 59

The polls don't love us; we're usually ranked lower than teams who are behind us in the ACC standings. Still, we're earning a spot in the top tier of the best basketball conference in the country, according to RPI.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 10, 2028
ACC Tournament, Second Round

(10) Clemson 68, (2) #23 Virginia 65

---------------------------------------------------------
Clemson (18-14, 6-10):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lamar Boney C 33 1-5 0-1 4 9 3 2 2
Evan Tarbox PF 33 3-7 2-2 2 9 2 3 8
David Seawright SF 32 5-12 5-5 3 6 3 4 19
Edwin Gillam SG 37 4-11 3-4 1 4 3 1 14
Harold Hostetter PG 22 3-10 6-6 0 0 0 4 15
Danial Beyer PG 20 3-10 3-4 1 2 0 4 10
Reggie Johnson PF 10 0-0 0-0 1 5 0 0 0
Joe Meehan C 4 0-0 0-2 1 2 0 0 0
David Lugo PG 8 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 2 0

Turnovers: 13 (L.Boney 3, E.Tarbox 2, D.Seawright 2,
H.Hostetter 5, D.Beyer 1)
Blocked Shots: 0
Steals: 5 (E.Gillam 2, D.Beyer 2, R.Johnson 1)
3P FGs: 11-29 (D.Seawright 4-8, E.Gillam 3-8,
H.Hostetter 3-7, D.Beyer 1-6)

Virginia (22-8, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 35 2-4 0-2 3 11 2 3 4
Jonathan Mooney PF 33 0-4 2-2 0 6 0 4 2
Larry Wallace SF 32 9-19 2-2 2 6 3 5 23
Chris Como SG 16 2-6 2-2 1 1 1 4 7
Anthony Carreno PG 33 6-10 2-2 1 3 2 1 16
John Steinberg SG 25 2-8 0-0 2 4 4 3 4
Isaiah Young PF 11 2-2 2-4 0 1 2 0 6
Malik Galloway C 4 0-0 0-0 1 3 0 1 0
Aaron Jackson PG 7 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 2
C. Dessauvage SF 5 0-1 1-2 0 0 1 0 1

Turnovers: 14 (C.Burke 1, L.Wallace 2, C.Como 2,
A.Carreno 5, J.Steinberg 4)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Burke 2, I.Young 1)
Steals: 2 (L.Wallace 2)
3P FGs: 6-17 (L.Wallace 3-5, C.Como 1-5, A.Carreno 2-6,
C.Dessauvage 0-1)

Player of Game: SF David Seawright (CLMSN)
Oh, dear.

Clemson scores only 19 baskets, but 11 of them are worth three points each. Meanwhile, a bout of foul trouble wrecks our rotation, and the two guys who play the most minutes in the backcourt for us commit nine turnovers each.

Our early exit from the ACC tourney will probably make our path through the NCAA tournament even more treacherous.
Record: 22-8.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 12, 2028
Miami defeats Duke, 77-67, in the ACC tournament final. North Carolina ended up losing their first tournament game, too; they were upset, 71-60, by Wake Forest.

The NCAA tournament committee chooses seven ACC teams for its field. We're assigned the #4 seed in the West Region. Southern California is the top seed in our bracket; the other #1s are UCLA, Tennessee, and Michigan State.

Amherst, led by new head coach Stephen Corr and high-scoring junior Colton Mullins, finishes the year with a 24-9 record and another NEC tournament victory. They're the #14 seed in the East.


March 17, 2028
NCAA West Region
(4) Virginia 69, (13) Ohio 61

---------------------------------------------------------
Ohio (23-10, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Charles Plante C 32 2-3 4-5 1 3 0 2 8
Albert Jones PF 17 2-3 0-2 1 5 0 5 4
Jerry Stockdale SF 35 5-19 4-5 1 5 3 3 14
Joseph Schultz SG 37 5-7 1-1 0 2 2 1 11
Reuben Crigger PG 28 2-6 2-2 0 4 4 3 6
Stanley Porter PF 17 1-5 0-0 2 8 2 5 2
Ron Stelly SF 5 3-3 4-4 0 2 0 1 10
Gregory Rodriguez SG 15 2-4 0-0 1 3 1 0 4
Alex Carter PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Howard Zapata PF 13 1-2 0-0 0 4 0 1 2

Turnovers: 18 (C.Plante 2, A.Jones 4, J.Stockdale 4,
J.Schultz 5, R.Crigger 1, S.Porter 1, G.Rodriguez 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (C.Plante 2, A.Jones 1, J.Stockdale 2)
Steals: 6 (A.Jones 1, J.Stockdale 1, J.Schultz 3,
R.Crigger 1)
3P FGs: 0-7 (C.Plante 0-1, J.Stockdale 0-2, J.Schultz
0-1, R.Crigger 0-1, G.Rodriguez 0-2)

Virginia (23-8, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 30 2-4 0-4 2 8 0 5 4
Jonathan Mooney PF 30 5-7 1-1 2 8 1 4 11
Larry Wallace SF 24 5-12 2-2 3 4 1 4 13
Chris Como SF 36 6-17 6-6 1 5 3 1 21
Anthony Carreno PG 35 1-8 0-0 0 1 6 1 2
John Steinberg SG 22 6-12 0-0 1 3 2 1 14
Isaiah Young PF 17 0-2 2-2 1 6 1 0 2
Malik Galloway C 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Aaron Jackson PG 1 0-0 2-3 0 0 0 0 2
C. Dessauvage SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 0

Turnovers: 10 (J.Mooney 2, L.Wallace 3, C.Como 3,
M.Galloway 1, C.Dessauvage 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (C.Burke 1)
Steals: 8 (J.Mooney 1, L.Wallace 1, C.Como 2,
J.Steinberg 3, M.Galloway 1)
3P FGs: 6-25 (C.Burke 0-2, L.Wallace 1-3, C.Como 3-8,
A.Carreno 0-6, J.Steinberg 2-6)

Player of Game: SG Chris Como (UVA)

The Ohio Bobcats wear green for this St. Patrick's Day contest, but it doesn't help them gain enough luck to upset us. We don't allow the Bobcats to make a single three-pointer, and we take very good care of the basketball.

Coach Whittaker has the Hoos playing at a slightly more urgent pace, since we have an edge in athleticism we often don't possess against ACC opponents.

Chris Como leads us with 20 points, a bit over his average of 17.4 PPG.
Record: 23-8.


March 19, 2028
NCAA West Region, Second Round
(5) #11 Florida 52, (4) Virginia 49

---------------------------------------------------------
Florida (26-8, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Rene Lavelle C 33 2-5 0-0 2 6 7 1 4
Chris Brett PF 31 3-4 0-0 1 8 1 2 6
Elton Casares SF 13 2-5 4-4 0 2 0 4 9
Timothy Mateo SG 33 7-18 2-2 0 5 0 4 20
Clark Salinas PG 33 3-8 0-0 0 2 3 1 6
Bryon Russell SG 27 1-4 0-0 0 5 1 1 2
Alonzo James SF 14 1-7 0-0 0 0 1 2 2
Douglas Catlin PF 11 1-2 0-0 0 2 0 4 3
Chris Keim C 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 13 (R.Lavelle 1, C.Brett 1, E.Casares 2,
T.Mateo 2, B.Russell 3, A.James 1, D.Catlin 3)
Blocked Shots: 9 (R.Lavelle 3, C.Brett 4, T.Mateo 1,
A.James 1)
Steals: 6 (R.Lavelle 1, C.Brett 1, E.Casares 1,
B.Russell 1, A.James 2)
3P FGs: 6-19 (C.Brett 0-1, E.Casares 1-2, T.Mateo 4-11,
C.Salinas 0-2, B.Russell 0-1, D.Catlin 1-2)

Virginia (23-9, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 34 1-5 0-0 2 11 1 0 2
Jonathan Mooney PF 32 1-5 0-0 3 9 2 3 2
Larry Wallace SF 34 5-16 6-10 3 10 1 1 16
Chris Como SG 36 3-7 3-3 0 3 3 1 9
Anthony Carreno PG 34 3-12 0-0 3 3 3 1 7
John Steinberg SG 9 2-2 0-0 0 1 0 3 5
Isaiah Young PF 15 0-2 5-6 1 5 1 0 5
Malik Galloway C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Aaron Jackson PG 5 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
C. Dessauvage SF 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3

Turnovers: 15 (J.Mooney 1, L.Wallace 3, C.Como 5,
A.Carreno 5, J.Steinberg 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (A.Carreno 1)
Steals: 4 (L.Wallace 1, A.Carreno 3)
3P FGs: 3-18 (C.Burke 0-1, L.Wallace 0-5, C.Como 0-1,
A.Carreno 1-7, J.Steinberg 1-1, A.Jackson 0-2,
C.Dessauvage 1-1)

Player of Game: C Rene Lavelle (FL)

Next we face a very good five seed in the #11-ranked Gators. They play defense with as much energy and tenacity as we do. Tonight, they're just a bit better than we are.

Larry Wallace posts a double-double in his final collegiate game.
Record: 23-9.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 2, 2028
The High School All-America Game features two UVA signees, both members of the East squad. Here's the box score:
West 80, East 68

---------------------------------------------------------
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Bradford Kuster C 28 4-9 1-2 0 6 1 3 9
Andre Snowden PF 29 6-10 2-2 0 5 0 2 14
Tony Cathey SF 20 3-8 1-2 0 3 2 5 7
Sheldon Palumbo SG 34 3-9 0-0 0 3 2 3 6
Maxwell Hereford PG 29 3-5 5-7 1 3 7 3 11
Edward Arriola PG 16 5-6 0-0 1 1 2 3 12
Hayden Allen PF 19 2-2 0-0 2 12 2 3 4
Scott Steger SF 20 1-4 1-4 0 4 1 1 3
Cary Rivera C 4 1-1 0-0 0 2 1 0 2
Grayson Kitchen SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 17 (B.Kuster 1, A.Snowden 3, T.Cathey 1,
S.Palumbo 2, M.Hereford 5, E.Arriola 3, H.Allen 1,
S.Steger 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (B.Kuster 1)
Steals: 1 (M.Hereford 1)
3P FGs: 2-5 (S.Palumbo 0-2, E.Arriola 2-3)

West:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Monty Campbell C 33 9-13 5-6 2 6 3 1 23
Elvis Fisher PF 29 1-5 4-6 0 8 3 3 6
Harley Hosey SF 28 7-14 2-2 2 8 0 2 17
Buck Lees SG 27 3-14 0-0 2 2 7 2 6
Herschel Fry PG 35 5-9 1-2 0 2 3 3 13
Rubin Privett SF 22 6-11 0-2 2 2 2 3 15
Joe Cleveland SG 7 0-5 0-0 1 2 2 0 0
James Beaman PF 14 0-1 0-0 1 4 0 1 0
Joey Selman PF 4 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0

Turnovers: 6 (H.Hosey 2, B.Lees 1, H.Fry 1, R.Privett
1, J.Cleveland 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (E.Fisher 1)
Steals: 3 (M.Campbell 1, H.Fry 2)
3P FGs: 6-15 (H.Hosey 1-3, B.Lees 0-3, H.Fry 2-5,
R.Privett 3-3, J.Cleveland 0-1)

Player of Game: C Monty Campbell (West)
Grayson Kitchen doesn't see much action, but Hayden Allen impresses everyone with his board work. He's the game's leading rebounder by a wide margin.

April 3, 2028
Michigan State wins the NCAA championship, defeating Purdue, 72-60, in an all-Big Ten final. UCLA and Massachusetts are the other semifinalists.

2027 ACC AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR SG Theron Overby North Carolina 16.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 4.7 APG 2.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR PG Karl Jone Virginia Tech 10.1 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.5 APG 1.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Toby Whittaker Virginia 23 - 9 (11 - 5)

All-league 1st Team:
C SR Jack George Maryland 12.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 3.1 BPG
PF SR Kenneth Pierce Duke 15.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.4 SPG, 2.4 BPG
SF SR Larry Wallace Virginia 17.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR Theron Overby North Carolina 16.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG JR Harold Hostetter Clemson 19.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Matthew Stallard Florida State 6.5 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, 4.1 BPG
PF JR Rico Eubank Florida State 14.1 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SF JR Jim Quach North Carolina 13.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG SR James Carl Miami 19.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG JR Olen Gabbard Florida State 10.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Gary Hartford Boston College 2.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PF FR Tony Doud Boston College 1.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SF FR Tony Lampley Georgia Tech 6.8 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG FR Harris Warr Duke 10.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Karl Jone Virginia Tech 10.1 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Larry's breakthrough season is recognized with a spot on the All-ACC first team. Chris Como loses out to two fine shooting guards, one of whom is the conference Player of the Year.

Toby's success in leading a team that lacked true star power to second place in the ACC standings is recognized with a CotY plaque. It's his second ACC honor, and the seventh of his career.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 3, 2028

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 84 Record Vs 1-50: 9-7 Poll Rank: NR
Season Record: 23-9 Record Vs 51-100: 4-2 RPI Rank: #16
Conference Record: 11-5 Record Vs 101-200: 4-0
Home Record: 10-4 Record Vs 200+: 6-0


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 69.6 9 162 Points 60.9 1 8 Points 8.7 2 26
O.Reb 10.4 12 225 O.Reb 9.7 1 73 O.Reb 0.7 6 124
D.Reb 26.8 6 53 D.Reb 22.5 1 33 D.Reb 4.2 2 8
Rebounds 37.1 9 103 Rebounds 32.2 1 23 Rebounds 4.9 2 22
Assists 15.1 6 69 Assists 13.2 3 160 Assists 1.9 5 54
Steals 4.5 10 318 Steals 5.2 3 52 Steals -0.7 8 232
Blocks 4.0 9 110 Blocks 3.2 1 122 Blocks 0.9 7 92
Turnovers 14.1 6 181 Turnovers 13.8 10 196 Turnovers 0.3 9 196
Fouls 16.0 2 5 Fouls 18.1 11 325 Fouls -2.0 2 46
FG% .449 4 77 FG% .390 1 5 FG% .059 1 13
FT% .765 1 2 FT% .726 12 365 FT% .039 2 54
3P% .351 9 143 3P% .331 3 115 3P% .020 6 101
PPS 1.26 6 126 PPS 1.10 2 7 PPS .168 1 12
Adj. FG% .514 2 65 Adj. FG% .447 1 9 Adj. FG% .066 1 13

This is the profile of a team that lacks top-flight talent, but one who plays hard for 40 minutes and makes their opponents earn every point they score. We struggled to beat teams at our level (9-7 against teams in the top 50) while we made sure to win the games we ought to win.

They weren't a great team, but they were a likeable one.

VIRGINIA Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthony Carreno PG 32 32 33.3 9.6 1.7 3.5 5.2 0.6 0.1 2.7 2.0 9.0
Chris Burke C 32 32 32.7 4.0 1.4 9.2 1.7 0.6 2.4 1.2 2.2 8.8
Larry Wallace SF 32 32 31.6 17.6 2.5 5.1 2.2 1.1 0.2 2.7 2.7 8.0
Jonathan Mooney PF 32 32 31.3 6.4 1.8 8.1 1.5 0.4 0.7 1.4 2.7 7.4
Chris Como SG 32 31 30.2 17.1 1.1 3.9 2.1 0.8 0.1 2.9 2.4 7.9
John Steinberg SG 32 0 15.5 8.9 0.6 2.1 1.0 0.2 0.1 1.3 1.3 1.7
Isaiah Young PF 32 0 13.2 3.4 0.9 3.1 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.8 1.3 0.3
Cedric Maddux PG 13 0 7.2 1.4 0.5 1.2 1.0 0.3 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.1
Cesaire Dessauvage SF 28 1 4.4 1.1 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.6 0.4 -0.4
Malik Galloway C 30 0 3.9 0.7 0.1 1.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.5 -0.3
Aaron Jackson PG 19 0 3.5 0.5 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.0 0.1 0.3 -1.7
Dan Toler SF 1 0 3.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 1.0
Sam Ramirez C 4 0 1.0 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.3

VIRGINIA Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthony Carreno PG 32 32 1066 308 55 112 165 20 3 87 65 287
Chris Burke C 32 32 1047 127 46 295 53 19 76 38 70 281
Larry Wallace SF 32 32 1012 563 79 163 71 35 5 87 86 257
Jonathan Mooney PF 32 32 1000 205 57 259 48 13 22 46 87 237
Chris Como SG 32 31 966 548 34 124 66 24 2 92 77 253
John Steinberg SG 32 0 496 284 19 68 32 7 2 42 43 53
Isaiah Young PF 32 0 423 110 28 100 17 9 10 27 40 11
Cedric Maddux PG 13 0 94 18 6 16 13 4 0 6 13 14
Cesaire Dessauvage SF 28 1 123 31 2 11 7 5 2 16 12 -11
Malik Galloway C 30 0 117 21 4 34 2 2 6 8 14 -9
Aaron Jackson PG 19 0 66 10 0 4 8 5 0 1 6 -33
Dan Toler SF 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Sam Ramirez C 4 0 4 1 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 1

VIRGINIA Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthony Carreno PG 107 274 .391 57 76 .750 37 125 .296 1.12
Chris Burke C 50 124 .403 21 39 .538 6 30 .200 1.02
Larry Wallace SF 210 466 .451 94 123 .764 49 145 .338 1.21
Jonathan Mooney PF 77 156 .494 51 65 .785 0 1 .000 1.31
Chris Como SG 178 404 .441 106 119 .891 86 218 .394 1.36
John Steinberg SG 102 203 .502 38 54 .704 42 102 .412 1.40
Isaiah Young PF 44 76 .579 22 33 .667 0 0 .000 1.45
Cedric Maddux PG 6 13 .462 4 5 .800 2 4 .500 1.38
Cesaire Dessauvage SF 9 25 .360 7 10 .700 6 20 .300 1.24
Malik Galloway C 6 12 .500 9 11 .818 0 0 .000 1.75
Aaron Jackson PG 2 8 .250 6 7 .857 0 5 .000 1.25
Dan Toler SF 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0.00
Sam Ramirez C 0 1 .000 1 2 .500 0 0 .000 1.00

We were a fairly predictable team, in the sense that nobody did anything you would find atypical for a player at his position. We didn't get much scoring from our big guys. Jan Billups is the only post player I've coached at UVA who has posed much of an offensive threat.

Basically, if a team stopped two of our four scorers, they usually beat us. We weren't great at developing Plans B or C.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 3, 2028
Senior Snapshots

#32 C Sam Ramirez - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 245
High School: San Jacinto Senior High School
Hometown: San Jacinto, CA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 30 46 36 46 15 39 42 55 48 6 16 37 33 100 45 89
2026: 30 44 35 44 15 37 41 54 47 5 15 35 32 98 45 81
2025: 28 41 33 41 14 35 39 51 46 4 14 33 32 96 44 74
2024: 26 39 32 39 13 33 37 48 43 4 14 31 31 93 42 63
2023: 25 37 31 37 12 31 36 46 40 4 14 30 30 89 41 48
2022: 23 33 29 33 12 27 34 42 34 4 14 26 28 78 39 12
Potential: D C C C F C C C C F D C

Health: Good
Scholarship: No
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 75

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 16 0 2.4 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.0 0.1 0.00 0.1 0.1 0.3
2025 28 0 4.5 1.0 0.4 1.0 0.1 0.1 0.67 0.0 0.0 0.6
2027 4 0 1.0 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.3 0.0
Career 48 0 3.5 0.8 0.4 0.8 0.0 0.1 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.4

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 0.2 0.3 .600 0.0 0.0 .000 0.1 0.2 .667 1.60 -0.44
2025 0.3 0.6 .529 0.2 0.3 .857 0.1 0.3 .333 1.59 -0.89
2027 0.0 0.3 .000 0.3 0.5 .500 0.0 0.0 .000 1.00 0.25
Career 0.3 0.5 .522 0.1 0.2 .778 0.1 0.3 .417 1.57 -0.65

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 16 0 38 8 4 10 0 1 1 1 4
2025 28 0 126 27 11 27 2 3 1 0 17
2027 4 0 4 1 2 2 0 0 0 1 0
Career 48 0 168 36 17 39 2 4 2 2 21

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 3 5 0 0 2 3 -7
2025 9 17 6 7 3 9 -25
2027 0 1 1 2 0 0 1
Career 12 23 7 9 5 12 -31

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 0
Career 10 3 4 1 1 1 1 3 3 2 2 2 2

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 High School: Rated * and #1387 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2023 Walked on at Virginia
2024 NIT Champion
Sam played more in his first two years at UVA than he did as time went on. The arrival of better big men, combined with Sam's relatively stagnant skill set, cost him some playing time. He never seemed to complain, however, and he developed into an exceptionally strong man who could match the physicality of the players his teammates faced in the ACC.

#33 SF Cesaire Dessauvage - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-5
Weight: 213
High School:
Hometown: Bourg-st-maurice, France

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 27 50 83 43 25 21 16 20 30 76 74 45 44 61 63 73
2026: 26 48 82 42 24 20 15 19 29 72 70 43 44 59 62 67
2025: 25 46 81 41 23 19 14 18 28 68 66 41 43 57 61 60
2024: 24 42 76 40 22 18 14 17 27 63 61 38 43 55 60 53
2023: 22 38 72 38 20 16 14 15 25 55 53 34 41 51 58 37
Potential: D B B C D D D D C A A B

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 22

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 34 0 4.3 0.7 0.1 0.6 0.4 0.3 1.18 0.2 0.1 0.3
2026 1 0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.00 0.0 0.0 0.0
2027 28 1 4.4 1.1 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.6 0.44 0.2 0.1 0.4
Career 63 1 4.3 0.9 0.1 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.44 0.2 0.1 0.3

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 0.2 0.9 .267 0.2 0.3 .636 0.1 0.3 .182 0.83 -0.50
2026 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.0 0.0 .000 0.00 0.00
2027 0.3 0.9 .360 0.3 0.4 .700 0.2 0.7 .300 1.24 -0.39
Career 0.3 0.9 .309 0.2 0.3 .667 0.1 0.5 .258 1.02 -0.44

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 34 0 145 25 5 19 13 11 6 4 10
2026 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2027 28 1 123 31 2 11 7 16 5 2 12
Career 63 1 269 56 7 30 20 27 11 6 22

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 8 30 7 11 2 11 -17
2026 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2027 9 25 7 10 6 20 -11
Career 17 55 14 21 8 31 -28

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 5 1 2 2 3 1 2 1 3 3 3 1 3
Career 5 1 4 3 3 1 3 2 4 3 3 1 3

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2023 High School: Rated *** and #337 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2024 NIT Champion
Cesaire, however, never seemed to stop complaining. Had he developed his potential as a shooter, he might have forced his way into the rotation. By the time he began showing signs of improvement, younger players had moved ahead of him. I liked his ability to play defense, but he never seemed to find his stride.

#25 PF Jonathan Mooney - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-8
Weight: 232
High School: Woodson High School
Hometown: Washington, DC

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 52 40 57 0 40 26 43 65 86 27 33 41 19 100 35 65
2026: 46 39 54 0 38 24 40 56 74 25 31 38 17 99 34 57
2025: 40 38 51 0 36 22 37 47 62 24 30 35 15 95 32 51
2024: 36 37 49 0 35 21 35 40 53 23 29 33 14 91 31 45
2023: 30 35 47 0 33 19 31 32 43 21 27 29 13 83 29 33
Potential: C C C F C D C B B D C C

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 75

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 37 0 8.6 1.7 0.6 2.4 0.4 0.3 1.33 0.2 0.2 0.9
2025 34 0 18.1 3.4 1.3 4.9 1.0 0.5 2.00 0.3 0.5 1.5
2026 40 0 19.3 3.4 1.4 4.9 1.0 0.7 1.34 0.4 0.5 2.0
2027 32 32 31.3 6.4 1.8 8.1 1.5 1.4 1.04 0.4 0.7 2.7
Career 143 32 18.9 3.7 1.2 5.0 1.0 0.7 1.04 0.3 0.5 1.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 0.6 1.3 .479 0.4 0.5 .889 0.0 0.0 1.000 1.31 0.43
2025 1.3 2.9 .444 0.8 1.2 .700 0.0 0.1 .500 1.18 1.65
2026 1.3 3.0 .445 0.8 1.0 .795 0.0 0.1 .000 1.15 3.30
2027 2.4 4.9 .494 1.6 2.0 .785 0.0 0.0 .000 1.31 7.41
Career 1.4 3.0 .467 0.9 1.1 .778 0.0 0.0 .333 1.24 3.08

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 37 0 318 63 23 89 16 12 8 8 32
2025 34 0 617 117 44 165 34 17 11 17 50
2026 40 0 772 137 54 197 39 29 17 21 79
2027 32 32 1000 205 57 259 48 46 13 22 87
Career 143 32 2707 522 178 710 137 104 49 68 248

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 23 48 16 18 1 1 16
2025 44 99 28 40 1 2 56
2026 53 119 31 39 0 2 132
2027 77 156 51 65 0 1 237
Career 197 422 126 162 2 6 441

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 19 5 12 5 1 3 3 9 13 5 6 0 1
Career 19 5 12 5 3 3 3 9 13 6 9 1 1

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 2
2023 High School: Rated *** and #380 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2023 High School: All-State (District of Columbia)
2024 NIT Champion
Jonathan drew a nice career arc for himself. He steadily moved from the ninth player in our rotation to a fixture in our starting lineup, a player who could neutralize a good opposing big man, grab rebounds, and make enough shots to force opponents to guard him. He contributed meaningfully to some very good basketball teams.

His 710 rebounds rank him seventh on UVA's career leaderboard.

#3 SF Larry Wallace - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-4
Weight: 213
High School: Weldon High School
Hometown: Weldon, NC

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 63 68 60 41 43 29 60 17 30 51 50 27 67 54 89 81
2026: 58 63 56 39 37 26 57 16 28 46 45 25 66 52 89 73
2025: 53 59 53 38 32 24 53 15 26 41 40 23 65 50 89 64
2024: 48 56 51 37 28 22 50 14 25 37 36 22 63 47 88 53
2023: 44 52 49 35 24 20 46 14 23 31 30 20 60 39 84 25
Potential: B B C C C D C F C C C D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 66

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 37 0 9.1 3.6 0.4 1.2 0.8 0.6 1.22 0.4 0.0 0.9
2025 34 0 13.9 6.6 0.9 1.8 1.1 1.3 0.88 0.5 0.0 1.2
2026 40 0 16.7 8.8 1.2 2.4 1.1 1.3 0.83 0.6 0.0 1.7
2027 32 32 31.6 17.6 2.5 5.1 2.2 2.7 0.82 1.1 0.2 2.7
Career 143 32 17.4 8.9 1.2 2.6 1.3 1.4 0.82 0.6 0.1 1.6

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 1.3 3.3 .385 0.7 0.9 .781 0.4 1.1 .341 1.09 0.03
2025 2.3 5.3 .428 1.4 1.8 .800 0.6 1.9 .349 1.24 0.15
2026 3.0 7.1 .428 2.1 3.1 .656 0.7 2.3 .293 1.24 3.18
2027 6.6 14.6 .451 2.9 3.8 .764 1.5 4.5 .338 1.21 8.03
Career 3.2 7.3 .433 1.7 2.4 .732 0.8 2.4 .328 1.21 2.73

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 37 0 335 133 15 46 28 23 14 1 35
2025 34 0 473 224 32 62 38 43 18 1 42
2026 40 0 668 351 49 94 44 53 25 1 68
2027 32 32 1012 563 79 163 71 87 35 5 86
Career 143 32 2488 1271 175 365 181 206 92 8 231

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 47 122 25 32 14 41 1
2025 77 180 48 60 22 63 5
2026 121 283 82 125 27 92 127
2027 210 466 94 123 49 145 257
Career 455 1051 249 340 112 341 390

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 27 6 10 6 3 1 6 11 22 9 11 4 8
Career 27 6 10 6 3 1 6 11 22 9 11 5 8

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 13
2023 High School: Rated *** and #282 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2024 NIT Champion
2027 1st Team All-Conference (Atlantic Coast Conference)

How many three-star recruits develop into All-ACC first team players? I'm thinking the answer is "Not many." But that's what Larry did over the course of his four years on Grounds.

He advanced from a productive sixth man to become our top scorer. His senior season wouldn't look out of place in Joe Cavallini's career. Larry lands on our leader boards in every category that has to do with scoring or shooting; his quietly achieved total of 1271 points ranks seventh all-time at UVA.

These are the last remaining players who were recruited by Toby's predecessor and mentor, Tom Schumann.

Thanks for the memories, gentlemen.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 8, 2028

None of our seniors were chosen in the professional draft this year.

2027 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Kentucky SEC SG Buck Lees ***** 2 2 2 0 0
2. Syracuse Big East SF Erwin Napolitano ***** 1 4 1 0 0
3. Michigan State Big Ten SF Harley Hosey ***** 3 1 0 0 0
4. Ohio State Big Ten SF Taylor Rathbone ***** 1 2 2 0 0
5. Arizona Pacific-10 SF James Beaman ***** 1 1 3 0 0
6. Seton Hall Big East PG Maxwell Hereford **** 0 3 3 0 0
7. Minnesota Big Ten C Haywood Bailey **** 0 4 2 0 0
8. Kansas Big 12 PG Wallace Abarca ***** 1 2 1 0 0
9. Texas Big 12 SF Jed Clark **** 0 4 2 0 0
10. Tennessee SEC PG Chris Ellis ***** 1 3 0 0 0
11. Louisville Big East SG Tony Cathey ***** 2 1 0 0 0
12. Virginia ACC SF Grayson Kitchen ***** 2 1 0 0 0
13. Miami ACC SF Norman Karp **** 0 2 3 0 0
14. North Carolina ACC PF Myles Burks ***** 1 1 1 0 0
15. Illinois Big Ten PG Herschel Fry ***** 1 1 2 0 0
16. Charlotte Atlantic 10 SG Kraig Lockridge ***** 1 0 3 0 0
17. UCLA Pacific-10 C Elvis Fisher ***** 2 0 0 0 0
18. Connecticut Big East C Bradford Kuster ***** 1 1 0 0 0
19. Saint Louis Atlantic 10 PF Jose McSwain **** 0 2 2 0 0
20. Alabama SEC SF Isaias Humble **** 0 3 0 0 0
21. Marquette Big East PG Mitchell Glidden **** 0 1 2 1 4
22. Providence Big East SG Sheldon Palumbo **** 0 1 3 0 0
23. Southern California Pacific-10 PG Rubin Privett **** 0 1 3 0 0
24. Maryland ACC PG Edison Gerber ***** 1 1 1 0 0
25. Villanova Big East SF Joshua Saunders ***** 1 1 0 0 0

For the first time, the national recruiting rankings are worth perusing here. Taylor Rathbone, whose name you might recall from last season's story, ended up in a good place. He's the featured member of one of the best incoming classes in the nation.

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Virginia ACC SF Grayson Kitchen ***** 2 1 0 0 0
13. Miami ACC SF Norman Karp **** 0 2 3 0 0
14. North Carolina ACC PF Myles Burks ***** 1 1 1 0 0
24. Maryland ACC PG Edison Gerber ***** 1 1 1 0 0
51. Florida State ACC PG Tony Wong **** 0 1 1 0 0
54. Wake Forest ACC C Eldon Hash **** 0 1 2 0 0
65. Virginia Tech ACC SF Irwin Dyson *** 0 0 2 2 0
84. Clemson ACC PF Aron Tandy **** 0 1 0 0 0
85. Georgia Tech ACC SF Isaiah Butler *** 0 0 3 0 0
89. Boston College ACC C Charles Wells *** 0 0 3 1 0
92. Duke ACC PG Simon Marcano **** 0 1 1 0 0
98. North Carolina State ACC PG Simon Williams *** 0 0 1 1 0
And look who has the ACC's best recruiting class! Thus may it ever be!

Grayson Kitchen and Hayden Allen both possess Blue potential as they enter college. Jake Gardiner, who would be the centerpiece of almost any other UVA recruiting class, must take third billing in this one, and he's a Green-level recruit.

# Player Pos Ht Team Conference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7 Myles Burks PF 6-10 North Carolina Atlantic Coast Conference
12 Grayson Kitchen SF 6-6 Virginia Atlantic Coast Conference
22 Edison Gerber PG 6-0 Maryland Atlantic Coast Conference
25 Hayden Allen PF 6-11 Virginia Atlantic Coast Conference
35 Norman Karp SF 6-4 Miami Atlantic Coast Conference
39 Tony Wong PG 6-0 Florida State Atlantic Coast Conference
43 Aron Tandy PF 6-6 Clemson Atlantic Coast Conference
56 Antony Davis SG 6-0 North Carolina Atlantic Coast Conference
60 Jake Gardiner SF 6-6 Virginia Atlantic Coast Conference
67 Johnnie Lind C 6-8 Miami Atlantic Coast Conference
71 Eldon Hash C 6-8 Wake Forest Atlantic Coast Conference
78 Simon Marcano PG 6-3 Duke Atlantic Coast Conference
79 Werner Acklin C 6-8 Maryland Atlantic Coast Conference
86 Simon Williams PG 6-5 North Carolina State Atlantic Coast Conference
93 David Edelman C 6-7 North Carolina Atlantic Coast Conference
127 Irwin Dyson SF 6-5 Virginia Tech Atlantic Coast Conference
150 Daniel Cobb C 6-10 Miami Atlantic Coast Conference
These ACC recruits rank among the top 150 incoming players in the nation. It's wonderful to see us claim three of them, including two of the top four.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2028

Congratulations to former assistant Jonathan Summers, who is accepting the head coaching position at Swarthmore. Coach Summers arrived in Charlottesville when Toby did, holding the position of Scouting Director for the past four seasons.

We hire Scott Webster to take his place. Coach Webster's rating of 77 for Scouting is almost exactly the same as Coach Summers' was during his last year on our staff. He began his career with a year at South Carolina, before spending the past four at Oregon State.

Our annual budget has been cut back to $703,406. We got a Facilities upgrade that took our score to 89, third best in the ACC. We'll have $23,447 to spend on recruiting each month.

With a full roster of 13 scholarship players, we have no room to sign anyone from the transfer portal this spring.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2028
Recruiting Preview

We have 13 scholarship players on our roster this season. Here's what the positional breakdown looks like. The players who would start if there were a game today are shown in bold print.

Big Men: SR, JR, SO, SO, FR
Wings: SR, SR, FR, FR, FR
Point Guards: SR, JR, SO

Some of the underclassmen might gain ground on their older teammates once we've been through preseason training.

The four graduating seniors are center Chris Burke, wings Chris Como and John Steinberg, and point guard Anthony Carreno. They've all played pivotal roles on our team already, and they're all predicted to be key players this season.

A recruiting class made up of two wings, a big guy, and a point guard would make sense. Although I'll never pass up a talented player who wants to come to UVA, we honestly don't need to panic if we don't bring in a five-star SF or SG. We have two true freshman ballers-in-the-making. A true lead guard would be a great fit for us, and finding a solid big man to replace Burke will be a priority.

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2028

Here's how our call list looks as we begin our recruiting season:

VIRGINIA Recruiting

Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dennis White PG 5-11 159 *** Very High Virginia
Henry Candelario C 6-6 249 *** Very High Virginia
Andrew Patterson PG 5-7 175 *** Very High Maryland
Caleb Roberts PG 5-10 176 ***** High Virginia
Luke Campbell C 7-0 252 ***** High Virginia
Isaac Lee PG 6-0 183 ***** High Pennsylvania
Rob Kearns PG 6-1 178 **** High Ohio
Richard Sampson SG 6-4 182 **** High Virginia
Cameron Goodman SG 6-3 179 *** High Virginia
Charlie Griffin PG 6-0 190 *** High Virginia
Amari Hawkins SG 6-4 193 ***** Average Pennsylvania
Tristan Horan PG 6-4 187 ***** Average Illinois
Brian Gilkey SF 6-4 202 ***** Average North Carolina
Charles Johnson SG 6-0 195 ***** Average New Jersey
Chris Trammel PG 5-2 159 **** Average Georgia
Robert Holzer SG 6-3 187 **** Average Virginia
James McCarthy C 6-10 224 **** Average Virginia
Donovan Sanchez SG 6-2 171 **** Average Massachusetts
Isaiah Hulse PF 6-10 218 **** Average Maryland
George Perdue C 6-8 245 *** Average Virginia

It's a very interesting list, with intriguing players who fall into two groups.

There's a group of guys whom all the recruiting experts know: five-star talents who regard UVA highly, but are considering other programs at least as seriously. Luke Campbell and Isaac Lee are good examples of this kind of player. Luke is the #1 center in the class and the #3 player overall, and he's a Virginia native. Isaac, from the Philadelphia suburbs, actually seems to like us better. He has us on his initial list of top schools, and Luke does not.

Then, there is a group of players who are not as highly regarded, but are expressing a lot of love for our program. Dennis White, Henry Candelario, and Andrew Patterson fit into this category. Each of them is a three-star recruit, but each of them give us the feeling they'll be good at the roles we might like them to play.

The player I'll feature most prominently this time is in a category of his own.

#2 PG Caleb Roberts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 5-10
Weight: 176
High School: Flint Hill School
Hometown: Oakton, VA
GPA: 3.46
Test Score: 1410
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 0 44 67 56 81 78 3 10 11 59 57 1 84 38 32 68
Potential: C C A C A A F D F B A F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.7 0.9 3.3 7.4 1.7 4.35 3.2 0.1 2.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.8 11.2 .430 0.4 0.4 1.000 0.7 3.0 .220

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: High
Rankings: #4 Overall, #1 PG, Southeast Region #2 Overall, Southeast Region #1 PG
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: Pittsburgh, *Virginia, *Saint Joseph's, Tennessee, Connecticut

I made an offer to Caleb before we evaluated him, based on his assist/turnover ratio and all those steals he's accumulating in high school ball. His skills seem to support the numbers very well, painting a picture of a traditional point guard who orchestrates his team's offense, creates shots for his teammates, and does more than his share at the other end of the floor.

He likes Pitt a lot, but the Panthers haven't made him an offer yet. I'm giving Caleb the royal recruiting treatment this month, which will cost us only $4003 because he lives so close to Grounds. I'll also recruit most of the other players I've mentioned as actively as they'll let us.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2028

Pitt made an offer to Caleb Roberts last month, and it looks like he's narrowed his choices to them and us. He's upgraded his interest to Very High, so I'm not conceding to the Panthers yet.

I'm in a very similar situation with Isaac Lee.
#5 PG Isaac Lee
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-0
Weight: 183
High School: Harriton High School
Hometown: Bryn Mawr, PA
GPA: 3.42
Test Score: 1400
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 36 41 65 56 61 64 0 21 6 52 39 17 74 24 61 50
Potential: C C B C B B D D F C B F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12.0 1.2 4.4 8.7 1.7 5.12 2.3 0.3 2.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.1 9.9 .510 1.5 1.7 .853 0.5 1.6 .290

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Very High
Rankings: #21 Overall, #8 PG, East Region #4 Overall, East Region #2 PG
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: *Villanova, Virginia, Saint Joseph's, Connecticut, Pittsburgh
Isaac is a polished player who looks like he could play for us right now. He lives in Villanova's backyard, so it would be difficult to lure him away from the Wildcats.

Both Caleb and Isaac have made their official visits. I wonder which of them would be more likely to choose UVA?

Luke Campbell has added us to a list of three favorite schools. Unfortunately, he lists us third behind North Carolina and Michigan State, both of whom have made him scholarship offers. Now we have too, and we still have our campus visit card to play with him. Can we convince Luke to play his college basketball in his home state? Let's bring him to Grounds and see what happens.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2028

Recruiting in FBCB is both lots of fun and potentially very frustrating. That's part of what makes it lots of fun.

Has our success with last year's recruiting class made me overly confident in UVA's ability to sign the top players in the nation? We're running second or third with all the players I'm most interested in. Caleb Roberts is still ranking Pitt above us. Luke Campbell lists UNC and Michigan State ahead of us. Isaac Lee has us second behind Villanova. Amari Hawkins, a dynamic shooting guard from Pennsylvania, prefers Temple and Syracuse.

Even Dennis White (Longwood and VMI) and Andrew Patterson (Coppin State) express more interest in another program. Granted, that might be because we haven't made offers to them.

Could my hubris put us in a situation where we don't sign anyone from our "wish list" at all?

This four-star big man is emerging as an attractive option:
#30 C James McCarthy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 224
High School: Tuscarora High School
Hometown: Leesburg, VA
GPA: 3.21
Test Score: 1270
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 53 6 56 42 18 10 59 59 48 11 19 58 30 71 31 24
Potential: B D B C B F C B B D C B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.7 3.3 11.0 1.3 2.6 0.49 0.6 2.4 3.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.7 12.0 .561 5.2 8.3 .627 0.1 0.5 .100

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Average
Rankings: #45 Overall, #5 C, Southeast Region #12 Overall, Southeast Region #2 C
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: North Carolina, *Maryland, Pittsburgh, Virginia
James fits my vision of an ideal Cavaliers big man quite well: good inside player, good rebounder, good post defender, good shot blocker, good student. We haven't recruited James heavily yet, but that's about to change. We make him an offer, Coaches Whittaker and Mazur will visit him, and we'll bring him to Charlottesville this month.

So, as it stands now, we've extended offers to Roberts, Campbell, Lee, and McCarthy. Wish us luck on Decision Day...

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2028
Decision Day

With apologies to Robert Browning, this is what happens when my reach exceeds my grasp. For the first time I can remember, a team I'm coaching has no good news to report on Decision Day.

Luke Campbell commits to North Carolina. Isaac Lee commits to Villanova. James McCarthy commits to Maryland. I suppose these decisions make sense. Luke picks a more prestigious program. Isaac picks a program very close to home. James picks a program that recruited him from the start.

The best news comes from Caleb Roberts, who is still making up his mind. He hasn't yet committed to Pittsburgh, so our chance of signing him is greater than zero.

Now it's time to turn elsewhere. I have three scholarships to offer. There is one intriguing player left on my call list who is looking for a forever home: Ohio guard Rob Kearns.
#33 PG Rob Kearns
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-1
Weight: 178
High School: Eastern High School
Hometown: Beaver, OH
GPA: 3.12
Test Score: 1220
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 37 30 47 67 45 67 35 26 42 38 42 12 86 44 60 74
Potential: C C C B C B B A C C B C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13.2 1.7 5.2 7.2 2.5 2.88 1.5 0.6 3.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.3 13.5 .393 0.4 0.6 .667 2.2 7.2 .301

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Average
Rankings: #92 Overall, #26 PG, Midwest Region #25 Overall, Midwest Region #9 PG
High School Awards: All-State
Top 5 Schools: *Cincinnati, Tennessee, Virginia, Dayton
Rob is a solid four-star player who does just about everything well. It won't be easy to lure him away from Cincinnati, which is located about 100 miles from the small village Rob calls home, but we'll bring the house and see what happens.

I'm also going to take closer looks at two players who haven't received offers. One of them is Nick Dunphy, a four-star PF from Washington, DC. I don't prefer making offers until we've evaluated a player, but I'm trusting my gut and the national scouts this time. Have an offer, Nick.

The other is Northern Virginia product Kyle Driscoll. He's the #20 player in the class and the top shooting guard in the region. Like Taylor Rathbone last year, Kyle isn't getting any recruiting love from the blue chip programs in which he's expressed interest. Will he be open to our overtures? He doesn't have us on his list yet, so we can only visit him at home. We can make him an offer, which we do.

So, as we head into November, our four offers are held by Roberts, Kearns, Dunphy, and Driscoll.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 5, 2028

Here are your 2028/29 Virginia Cavaliers...

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jake Gardiner 1 SF Fr 6-6 210 Yes 77 Redshirt Aldie, VA
Anthony Carreno 2 PG Sr 6-1 193 Yes 79 OK Horicon, WI
Cedric Maddux 4 PG So 6-1 187 Yes 68 OK Ajax, Canada
Tanner Herring 11 SG Fr* 6-4 204 Yes 99 OK Glen Allen, VA
Dan Toler 12 SF So 6-6 223 No 41 OK Hampton, VA
Aaron Jackson 14 PG Jr 6-1 182 Yes 92 OK Newport News, VA
Chris Como 20 SG Sr* 6-6 216 Yes 99 OK Deerfield, MA
John Steinberg 21 SG Sr 6-9 222 Yes 85 OK Richmond, VA
Will Hubbard 22 PF So* 6-8 224 Yes 81 OK Alexandria, VA
Daniel Behr 23 C Fr 6-7 229 No 76 OK Asheville, NC
Chris Burke 24 C Sr 6-10 273 Yes 54 OK Whitmore Lake, MI
Grayson Kitchen 33 SF Fr 6-6 212 Yes 86 OK Norfolk, VA
Malik Galloway 40 C So 6-9 251 Yes 82 Unhappy Chantilly, VA
Hayden Allen 42 PF Fr 6-11 256 Yes 78 OK Glen Allen, VA
Isaiah Young 43 PF Jr 6-9 250 Yes 74 OK Salem, VA

How did training camp go?
VIRGINIA Training Results

Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jake Gardiner 4 8 6 6 4 2 2 4 2 4 2 2 3 6 1 10
Anthony Carreno 3 4 1 4 1 11 7 1 3 12 0 1 0 2 1 9
Cedric Maddux 1 1 3 1 5 5 1 2 1 2 1 0 1 2 2 16
Tanner Herring 1 2 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 1 1 2 0 4
Dan Toler 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 0 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 3
Aaron Jackson 1 2 1 2 4 4 1 1 1 3 3 1 0 1 0 4
Chris Como 5 11 3 11 8 4 2 2 2 7 4 1 0 2 1 4
John Steinberg 4 4 1 4 3 3 2 4 1 6 2 2 1 3 1 3
Will Hubbard 3 2 2 1 1 1 3 4 4 1 1 1 1 4 2 5
Daniel Behr 2 0 0 0 2 2 6 2 4 2 2 8 1 8 2 34
Chris Burke 4 0 2 2 3 3 2 0 4 4 1 11 1 3 1 4
Grayson Kitchen 10 4 4 2 6 2 8 8 0 8 6 2 1 4 1 20
Malik Galloway 4 1 1 1 1 1 4 6 4 0 1 3 0 5 2 5
Hayden Allen 6 2 4 2 2 4 8 10 8 2 0 8 3 0 1 10
Isaiah Young 5 2 1 0 0 1 8 8 7 1 1 5 1 3 1 9

Coach Toby Whittaker is guardedly optimistic about his team's chances this season. Several Hoos emerge from camp even better at things they already did quite well.

Three starters return from last year's team, all seniors. Center Chris Burke is a veteran with 106 starts and over 3000 minutes of college basketball to his credit. Chris has raised his defensive rebounding and post defense to elite levels, and he's the strongest man on the team. He's quite a good passer for a big man, too. Any offense we get from Burke is a bonus.

Such is not the case for his classmate, Chris Como. After a season in which he led the team in scoring with 17.1 PPG, Chris refined his shot even further during the offseason. Chris was once almost exclusively an outside shooting specialist, but now he's a three-level scorer and an increasingly effective defender.

Joining Como in the backcourt will be senior point guard Anthony Carreno. Even he believed he'd one day lose his starting job to a more highly touted player, but Anthony enters his third season as our point guard. He is a creative passer and a reliable defender, and he shoots well enough to qualify as a secondary scorer.

Junior Isaiah Young will receive the first opportunity to lock down the other starting job in the post. Isaiah's first priorities are rebounding and defense, but he's also made over 55 percent of his field goal attempts in Virginia colors.

First year Grayson Kitchen has won the remaining spot in the starting five. He shows signs of being able to create his own shot at the collegiate level, and he is a long, active perimeter defender who can contain his man and force turnovers. He's good now, and he'll only get better.

If Grayson ends up taking a while to adapt to college ball, John Steinberg is ready to step in. The senior swing man has always been capable of breaking a game apart with his shooting ability, but this year he's paid more attention to what happens at the other end of the floor. At the very least, John will be a productive, reliable sixth man.

The first reserve big will be another prized freshman, Hayden Allen. It's tempting to rush such a promising player into action, but the presence of the reliable, hard-working Young allows us to give Hayden time to develop. We think he's an ACC star of the future, and he'll have the chance to show us glimpses of that future this season.

Cedric Maddox has gotten his academic house in order, and he'll back up Carreno at point guard. We also have Aaron Jackson available here; we planned on redshirting Aaron last season, but Cedric's suspension caused us to call him up for active duty.

Malik Galloway was unhappy last season, possibly because he wanted to play more than the four minutes per game he averaged as a freshman. But Malik hasn't shown us the improvement some of his teammates have displayed. He'll be the ninth man in our rotation this season.

Guard Tanner Herring and forward Will Hubbard return from their redshirt years, but neither made much progress during camp. They'll scrap for minutes this season. The third member of our incoming class, wing Jake Gardiner, will redshirt this season.

This is the first Virginia team comprised entirely of players Toby Whittaker has recruited, the first team through which the strands of DNA he's sought to cultivate run from top to bottom. One of those strands is tough defense. Every scholarship big man on the roster rates at least 55 for Post Defense. Every wing and guard except one scores at least 60 for Perimeter Defense. The Hoos were tough to score against last year, and the same should be true this time around.

The presence of two bright first year stars should make this season even more exciting. Kitchen and Allen were both high school All-Americans. If they are indeed ready for prime time, we could be enjoying another special year.

[MoonlightGraham]

December 1, 2028
Recruiting Update

The first good news of the recruiting season comes our way, and it was worth waiting for. Today, Caleb Roberts announces his decision to sign with UVA!

The consensus choice as the top point guard in his class, Caleb checks every box on our "point guard task list." If he's as good as we think he is, he could easily be our first choice at his position from the beginning.

Caleb had leaned toward playing for Pitt all along, but in the end, Coaches Whittaker and Mazur convinced him to play his college ball in his home state. Welcome to the Cavalier basketball family, Caleb!

We also learn that Rob Kearns is choosing Cincinnati. Rob and his family are using the same logic that led the Robertses to pick UVA. Rob is a point guard, so while we'll miss him, we didn't need him as badly as we did before Caleb came on board.

Nick Dunphy and Kyle Driscoll now have several offers to consider. Nick's top choices are Maryland and Villanova, while Kyle currently prefers Seton Hall. Neither player has visited us, however, so can bring them to Grounds now if we'd like.

I'm not as sure about that course of action as I was a month ago. The offer-shuffling that seems to happen after Decision Day has changed our recruiting forecast in some interesting ways!

Guard Tristan Horan has been on our list from the start. He's a five-star prospect from Illinois who's always maintained Average interest in playing for us. Sometime in the late summer, Tristan moved us onto his list, so I invited him for a visit. He's good. Why not?
#21 PG Tristan Horan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-4
Weight: 187
High School: East Peoria High School
Hometown: East Peoria, IL
GPA: 2.71
Test Score: 1070
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 29 49 34 55 50 56 14 15 18 45 12 19 96 33 61 41
Potential: B A B C A A C F D C F D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16.8 1.5 4.4 7.4 1.5 4.90 1.1 0.4 2.1

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.9 13.7 .575 0.7 1.3 .520 0.5 1.5 .300

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Average
Rankings: #19 Overall, #7 PG, Midwest Region #6 Overall, Midwest Region #3 PG
High School Awards: All-State, All American
Top 5 Schools: Tennessee, Virginia
If Tristan ever had a scholarship offer, it's been withdrawn. He's still interested in playing for Tennessee, but I wonder if he'd prefer UVA if we gave him an offer?

Two other guards, both outstanding prospects, are demonstrating increasing interest. Barthélémy Macquet hails from the tiny village of Howley, located in northwestern Newfoundland. He plays point guard for his high school; if his coach has any sense at all, Bart probably has the ball the overwhelming majority of the time. We're second on an eclectic list of programs Bart has created, behind Minnesota.

Donovan Sanchez is from the less exotic community of Dracut, Massachusetts. A four-star shooting guard, Donovan is Massachusetts' Mr. Basketball. Like Tristan, Donovan has been on our radar all along, but he's recently begun expressing Very High interest in playing for us. And, like Tristan, any offer he had has been pulled back.

The best available big man is center Cam Broderick. He's a four-star player from Indiana whom we haven't evaluated yet. Four schools, including Maryland and Duke, are on Cam's list, but none have offered him a scholarship.

We have three unclaimed offers. Right now, two of them are held by Dunphy and Driscoll.

Donovan Sanchez is the only player I've mentioned for whom UVA is his first choice. I'm going to give one of our offers to Donovan and recruit him to the max.

#3 SG Donovan Sanchez
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-2
Weight: 171
High School: Dracut Senior High School
Hometown: Dracut, MA
GPA: 2.71
Test Score: 1070
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 22 66 63 24 31 49 23 13 43 70 49 16 69 31 68 41
Potential: D A A D D B C C A B A F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.3 1.4 5.3 5.4 2.5 2.14 3.1 0.2 2.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.7 18.2 .534 1.0 1.6 .594 1.0 3.0 .317

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Very High
Rankings: #64 Overall, #17 SG, East Region #12 Overall, East Region #3 SG
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Massachusetts)
Top 5 Schools: Virginia, Connecticut, Syracuse


Dunphy has two offers from schools he ranks ahead ahead of us. He therefore seems less likely to pick UVA than any of the other guys. Based on that fact, we won't offer him a scholarship. Driscoll also holds an offer he prefers more. That will eliminate him from the contest, too.

Now, we're left with Horan, Marquet, and Broderick. We have two offers remaining. Both guards list UVA behind a school who hasn't offered them. We aren't on Broderick's list at all, but he's the only post player left, and we could use a big dude. I'm leaning toward Horan and Broderick right now.

Fortunately, I don't have to make my mind up yet. The season has begun, so I can think about it while we play the games on our December schedule.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 1, 2029
Recruiting Update

Patience has paid off. In the space of two months, our recruiting class moved from "tragically empty" to "impressive haul."

Today, we receive commitments from Tristan Horan and Donovan Sanchez. Tristan is a high school All-American with the skills profile of a lead guard. I can envision him forming a very effective backcourt duo with Caleb Roberts, who is more of a pure point guard. Donovan plays with a bit of an edge, willing to switch onto bigger players on defense and mixing it up as a rebounder.

Welcome to the UVA basketball family, Tristan and Donovan!

I still need to sort out the situation with our fourth scholarship. Cam Broderick ends up signing with Michigan State, despite our best efforts to lure him to Charlottesville. Bart Macquet is still unsigned; in fact, he hasn't received an offer yet. I think he'd consider an offer from us very seriously. But he's a point guard, and we've already signed three guards this time.

Only one available post player appeals to me at all: Dexter Worrell, a lean center from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Dexter is a three-star player with All-State credentials. He wasn't on our radar before because of his Low interest in playing for us, but as of now there aren't any schools on his "wish list" at all. Perhaps he's wondering if he'd like to play college basketball.

As crazy as it might sound, I'm going to hand Dexter that last remaining offer and see what happens.

[MoonlightGraham]

January 10, 2029

#15 VIRGINIA Schedule

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
11/16/28 vs. George Mason 12-4 72 W 82-54 1-0
11/17/28 vs. Long Beach State 7-7 56 W 74-51 2-0
11/18/28 vs. #6 Syracuse 14-0 3 L 69-66 2-1
11/21/28 Amherst 13-4 46 W 86-71 3-1
11/25/28 at Creighton 12-5 2 W 80-74 4-1
11/29/28 Gonzaga 13-4 40 W 81-76 5-1
12/03/28 Wagner 8-6 166 W 77-58 6-1
12/07/28 at Villanova 9-5 141 W 64-62 7-1
12/10/28 Manhattan 9-7 106 W 68-49 8-1
12/15/28 Franklin & Marshall 6-8 275 W 90-62 9-1
12/20/28 William & Mary 2-13 263 W 74-58 10-1
12/30/28 Lafayette 9-7 108 W 60-38 11-1
01/03/29 at Pepperdine 6-10 169 W 79-59 12-1
01/07/29 Vermont 3-12 296 W 60-48 13-1

Thirteen wins in non-conference play, including a two-point thriller at Villanova and a single loss to a Top 10 team in a tournament final? I'll take that, thank you.

We begin with a trip to Hawai'i for the Maui Shootout, where we're seeded third behind Syracuse and Kansas. Chris Como drops 34 points on George Mason, and follows with 39 more against Long Beach State. Chris goes 10-for-15 from behind the arc in that contest, tying the UVA record for made threes in a game. We fall to the Orange in the tournament championship, as Chris scores "only" 19 points.

Next, we host Amherst in our home opener. Although Chris insists he has no ill will toward the program who wasted a year of his eligibility by sitting him on the bench without playing for a full season, here's what happens that night:
Virginia 86, Amherst 71

---------------------------------------------------------
Amherst (2-2, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
James Elder C 27 0-1 1-2 2 8 1 2 1
Arthur Rosado PF 23 4-7 0-1 3 5 1 4 8
Danilo McElroy SF 30 4-11 0-0 3 5 0 2 9
Colton Mullins SG 22 5-8 4-4 1 1 3 4 17
Joseph Morton PG 32 7-19 1-2 1 3 6 1 19
Heino Geib C 20 2-4 1-1 0 0 1 2 5
George Reeves SG 19 1-4 2-2 1 2 0 1 4
James Perrin PG 8 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 3 0
Andrew Gowan C 10 1-3 0-0 1 1 0 0 2
Wallace Franke SF 9 2-4 0-0 1 2 0 0 6

Turnovers: 13 (J.Elder 1, A.Rosado 1, D.McElroy 4,
C.Mullins 3, J.Morton 2, H.Geib 1, G.Reeves 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (J.Elder 3)
Steals: 13 (J.Elder 1, D.McElroy 1, C.Mullins 4,
J.Morton 5, G.Reeves 1, J.Perrin 1)
3P FGs: 10-30 (J.Elder 0-1, D.McElroy 1-4, C.Mullins
3-6, J.Morton 4-12, G.Reeves 0-2, J.Perrin 0-2,
W.Franke 2-3)

Virginia (3-1, 0-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 32 0-0 3-6 2 4 4 1 3
Isaiah Young PF 32 3-4 4-4 5 10 1 2 10
Grayson Kitchen SF 31 4-12 0-1 2 9 1 3 10
Chris Como SG 27 12-15 8-9 0 2 0 3 42
Anthony Carreno PG 31 1-3 0-0 2 3 13 0 3
John Steinberg SG 17 7-14 0-0 3 6 1 4 17
Cedric Maddux PG 9 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Hayden Allen C 13 0-1 0-0 0 4 0 0 0
Malik Galloway PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Tanner Herring SG 5 0-2 1-2 1 2 0 0 1

Turnovers: 21 (C.Burke 2, I.Young 1, G.Kitchen 4,
C.Como 3, A.Carreno 4, J.Steinberg 6, C.Maddux 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (G.Kitchen 2, H.Allen 3)
Steals: 5 (G.Kitchen 2, C.Como 1, J.Steinberg 1,
T.Herring 1)
3P FGs: 16-31 (G.Kitchen 2-6, C.Como 10-12, A.Carreno
1-3, J.Steinberg 3-9, T.Herring 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Chris Como (UVA)
That's 20 three-pointers for Chris in two games. At this point in the season, Chris's shooting "slash line" (FG%/3P%/FT%) is .679/.698/.966. He's a cheat code. He doesn't return to earth right away, either; at the end of November, he's still averaging 30.8 PPG. Now, with 14 games under his belt, he's scoring just under 25 a contest.

Anthony Carreno is the hero of the win at Villanova, as he breaks a 62-62 deadlock with a steal and layup to stun a capacity crowd at the Wells Fargo Center into silence. Back at home three nights later, Chris Burke passes Sébastian Petit to become the Hoos' all-time top rebounder, and goes on to grab 13 boards and end the night with an even 1000 for his career.

Lafayette manages to keep Chris Como under control, holding him to only three points, but we allow their entire team to score only 38 and win comfortably. And we enjoy a trip to sunny southern California early in the new year, where Chris collects the 1000th point of his career.

2028 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------
#7 North Carolina 0 0 .000 14 1 .933 35 100
#15 Virginia 0 0 .000 13 1 .929 1 87
#1 Duke 0 0 .000 13 0 1.000 14 95
#10 Wake Forest 0 0 .000 13 0 1.000 113 70
#12 Maryland 0 0 .000 12 2 .857 9 90
North Carolina State 0 0 .000 11 3 .786 26 67
Florida State 0 0 .000 11 3 .786 286 67
Miami 0 0 .000 10 3 .769 64 84
#21 Clemson 0 0 .000 10 2 .833 110 73
Georgia Tech 0 0 .000 9 5 .643 123 58
Virginia Tech 0 0 .000 9 4 .692 335 70
Boston College 0 0 .000 7 7 .500 39 57

Think about this: There is a team in the ACC with ten wins already, and there are eight teams in their own league that are supposedly better than they are.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 1, 2029
Recruiting Update

Apparently we weren't the only school who discovered Dexter Worrell last month. We learn today that Dexter is committing to St. John's.

The universe is sending me a powerful message: recruit Bart Macquet. The Newfie point guard has had an offer from Villanova for months now, but he hasn't said yes. Nor have any of his other favorite schools made him an offer.

I already have three guards in this class, and two of them are five-star recruits. Bart is regarded that highly, too. If I reduce the question to its simplest form--do I want Bart Macquet to play for Virginia?--the answer is "of course." I'm going to offer him the chance to do just that.

[MoonlightGraham]

February 7, 2029

#15 VIRGINIA Schedule

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01/10/29 #18 Wake Forest 17-4 25 W 69-67 14-1 (1-0)
01/13/29 Virginia Tech 10-11 153 W 62-55 15-1 (2-0)
01/17/29 #23 Clemson 15-5 50 L 57-49 15-2 (2-1)
01/20/29 at North Carolina State 14-8 19 W 55-43 16-2 (3-1)
01/24/29 at Boston College 8-14 29 W 63-62 17-2 (4-1)
01/27/29 Miami 13-8 32 W 74-53 18-2 (5-1)
01/31/29 at #23 Clemson 15-5 50 W 68-48 19-2 (6-1)
02/03/29 at #1 Duke 21-0 3 L 89-80 19-3 (6-2)


The first half of our conference schedule goes quite well, beginning with an exciting victory against a Wake Forest team that comes to JPJ with a 13-0 record. Anthony Carreno calmly sinks two free throws with 15 seconds remaining to give us the lead, and then we force the Demon Deacons into an off-balance three-point attempt that goes awry.

First year Grayson Kitchen also gets to play the hero role with a pair of clutch free throws; he steps to the line with all zeroes showing and the Hoos trailing Boston College, 62-61.

We avenge our loss to Clemson at home by routing them at their place. John Steinberg comes off the bench to fire in 10 points in 10 minutes on an evening when Chris Como can't find the range. There aren't many of those this season; although his torrid scoring pace has slowed a bit, Chris still leads the ACC in scoring with 23.0 PPG.

We end January a game behind Duke in the ACC standings, and we have the chance to take the lead when we visit Cameron this week. In a game that's a college basketball fan's delight, we're tied at 52 after 20 minutes. A slow start to the second half seals our fate, creating too much of a deficit for us to overcome. Chris Como's 29 points are canceled out by Harris Warr's 26 and Pat McInerney's 23. You might remember seeing their names; we briefly recruited Warr, and we pursued McInerney fairly heavily.

2028 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
----------------------------------------------------------------------
#1 Duke 8 0 1.000 21 0 1.000 3 95
#17 Maryland 6 2 .750 18 4 .818 16 90
#5 North Carolina 6 2 .750 20 3 .870 6 100
#15 Virginia 6 2 .750 19 3 .864 1 87
#23 Clemson 5 3 .625 15 5 .750 50 73
#18 Wake Forest 4 4 .500 17 4 .810 25 70
Florida State 4 4 .500 15 7 .682 139 67
North Carolina State 3 5 .375 14 8 .636 19 67
Miami 3 5 .375 13 8 .619 32 84
Georgia Tech 1 7 .125 10 12 .455 70 58
Virginia Tech 1 7 .125 10 11 .476 153 70
Boston College 1 7 .125 8 14 .364 29 57

It's going to be tough for us, or anyone else, to catch Duke over the second half of the season because the contenders have several games against each other. We visit UNC, Wake Forest, and Maryland over the course of the next month.

[Young Drachma]

December 1, 2028
Recruiting Update

The first good news of the recruiting season comes our way, and it was worth waiting for. Today, Caleb Roberts announces his decision to sign with UVA!

The consensus choice as the top point guard in his class, Caleb checks every box on our "point guard task list." If he's as good as we think he is, he could easily be our first choice at his position from the beginning.

Caleb had leaned toward playing for Pitt all along, but in the end, Coaches Whittaker and Mazur convinced him to play his college ball in his home state. Welcome to the Cavalier basketball family, Caleb!

We also learn that Rob Kearns is choosing Cincinnati. Rob and his family are using the same logic that led the Robertses to pick UVA. Rob is a point guard, so while we'll miss him, we didn't need him as badly as we did before Caleb came on board.

Nick Dunphy and Kyle Driscoll now have several offers to consider. Nick's top choices are Maryland and Villanova, while Kyle currently prefers Seton Hall. Neither player has visited us, however, so can bring them to Grounds now if we'd like.

I'm not as sure about that course of action as I was a month ago. The offer-shuffling that seems to happen after Decision Day has changed our recruiting forecast in some interesting ways!

Guard Tristan Horan has been on our list from the start. He's a five-star prospect from Illinois who's always maintained Average interest in playing for us. Sometime in the late summer, Tristan moved us onto his list, so I invited him for a visit. He's good. Why not?
#21 PG Tristan Horan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-4
Weight: 187
High School: East Peoria High School
Hometown: East Peoria, IL
GPA: 2.71
Test Score: 1070
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 29 49 34 55 50 56 14 15 18 45 12 19 96 33 61 41
Potential: B A B C A A C F D C F D

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16.8 1.5 4.4 7.4 1.5 4.90 1.1 0.4 2.1

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.9 13.7 .575 0.7 1.3 .520 0.5 1.5 .300

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Average
Rankings: #19 Overall, #7 PG, Midwest Region #6 Overall, Midwest Region #3 PG
High School Awards: All-State, All American
Top 5 Schools: Tennessee, Virginia
If Tristan ever had a scholarship offer, it's been withdrawn. He's still interested in playing for Tennessee, but I wonder if he'd prefer UVA if we gave him an offer?

Two other guards, both outstanding prospects, are demonstrating increasing interest. Barthélémy Macquet hails from the tiny village of Howley, located in northwestern Newfoundland. He plays point guard for his high school; if his coach has any sense at all, Bart probably has the ball the overwhelming majority of the time. We're second on an eclectic list of programs Bart has created, behind Minnesota.

Donovan Sanchez is from the less exotic community of Dracut, Massachusetts. A four-star shooting guard, Donovan is Massachusetts' Mr. Basketball. Like Tristan, Donovan has been on our radar all along, but he's recently begun expressing Very High interest in playing for us. And, like Tristan, any offer he had has been pulled back.

The best available big man is center Cam Broderick. He's a four-star player from Indiana whom we haven't evaluated yet. Four schools, including Maryland and Duke, are on Cam's list, but none have offered him a scholarship.

We have three unclaimed offers. Right now, two of them are held by Dunphy and Driscoll.

Donovan Sanchez is the only player I've mentioned for whom UVA is his first choice. I'm going to give one of our offers to Donovan and recruit him to the max.

#3 SG Donovan Sanchez
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-2
Weight: 171
High School: Dracut Senior High School
Hometown: Dracut, MA
GPA: 2.71
Test Score: 1070
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 22 66 63 24 31 49 23 13 43 70 49 16 69 31 68 41
Potential: D A A D D B C C A B A F

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.3 1.4 5.3 5.4 2.5 2.14 3.1 0.2 2.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.7 18.2 .534 1.0 1.6 .594 1.0 3.0 .317

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Very High
Rankings: #64 Overall, #17 SG, East Region #12 Overall, East Region #3 SG
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Massachusetts)
Top 5 Schools: Virginia, Connecticut, Syracuse


Dunphy has two offers from schools he ranks ahead ahead of us. He therefore seems less likely to pick UVA than any of the other guys. Based on that fact, we won't offer him a scholarship. Driscoll also holds an offer he prefers more. That will eliminate him from the contest, too.

Now, we're left with Horan, Marquet, and Broderick. We have two offers remaining. Both guards list UVA behind a school who hasn't offered them. We aren't on Broderick's list at all, but he's the only post player left, and we could use a big dude. I'm leaning toward Horan and Broderick right now.

Fortunately, I don't have to make my mind up yet. The season has begun, so I can think about it while we play the games on our December schedule.

When in doubt, I always offer average guys without any offers a scholarship offer and send the house on them because it makes them usually consider me so long as I'm not a doormat prestige program. It doesn't necessarily mean that they'll sign, but if I can get into the Top 5 I can usually have a fighting chance.

There's no real downside unless you're only rocking with a few schollies.

March 12, 2028
Miami defeats Duke, 77-67, in the ACC tournament final. North Carolina ended up losing their first tournament game, too; they were upset, 71-60, by Wake Forest.

The NCAA tournament committee chooses seven ACC teams for its field. We're assigned the #4 seed in the West Region. Southern California is the top seed in our bracket; the other #1s are UCLA, Tennessee, and Michigan State.

Amherst, led by new head coach Stephen Corr and high-scoring junior Colton Mullins, finishes the year with a 24-9 record and another NEC tournament victory. They're the #14 seed in the East.


March 17, 2028
NCAA West Region
(4) Virginia 69, (13) Ohio 61

---------------------------------------------------------
Ohio (23-10, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Charles Plante C 32 2-3 4-5 1 3 0 2 8
Albert Jones PF 17 2-3 0-2 1 5 0 5 4
Jerry Stockdale SF 35 5-19 4-5 1 5 3 3 14
Joseph Schultz SG 37 5-7 1-1 0 2 2 1 11
Reuben Crigger PG 28 2-6 2-2 0 4 4 3 6
Stanley Porter PF 17 1-5 0-0 2 8 2 5 2
Ron Stelly SF 5 3-3 4-4 0 2 0 1 10
Gregory Rodriguez SG 15 2-4 0-0 1 3 1 0 4
Alex Carter PG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Howard Zapata PF 13 1-2 0-0 0 4 0 1 2

Turnovers: 18 (C.Plante 2, A.Jones 4, J.Stockdale 4,
J.Schultz 5, R.Crigger 1, S.Porter 1, G.Rodriguez 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (C.Plante 2, A.Jones 1, J.Stockdale 2)
Steals: 6 (A.Jones 1, J.Stockdale 1, J.Schultz 3,
R.Crigger 1)
3P FGs: 0-7 (C.Plante 0-1, J.Stockdale 0-2, J.Schultz
0-1, R.Crigger 0-1, G.Rodriguez 0-2)

Virginia (23-8, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 30 2-4 0-4 2 8 0 5 4
Jonathan Mooney PF 30 5-7 1-1 2 8 1 4 11
Larry Wallace SF 24 5-12 2-2 3 4 1 4 13
Chris Como SF 36 6-17 6-6 1 5 3 1 21
Anthony Carreno PG 35 1-8 0-0 0 1 6 1 2
John Steinberg SG 22 6-12 0-0 1 3 2 1 14
Isaiah Young PF 17 0-2 2-2 1 6 1 0 2
Malik Galloway C 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0
Aaron Jackson PG 1 0-0 2-3 0 0 0 0 2
C. Dessauvage SF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 0

Turnovers: 10 (J.Mooney 2, L.Wallace 3, C.Como 3,
M.Galloway 1, C.Dessauvage 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (C.Burke 1)
Steals: 8 (J.Mooney 1, L.Wallace 1, C.Como 2,
J.Steinberg 3, M.Galloway 1)
3P FGs: 6-25 (C.Burke 0-2, L.Wallace 1-3, C.Como 3-8,
A.Carreno 0-6, J.Steinberg 2-6)

Player of Game: SG Chris Como (UVA)

The Ohio Bobcats wear green for this St. Patrick's Day contest, but it doesn't help them gain enough luck to upset us. We don't allow the Bobcats to make a single three-pointer, and we take very good care of the basketball.

Coach Whittaker has the Hoos playing at a slightly more urgent pace, since we have an edge in athleticism we often don't possess against ACC opponents.

Chris Como leads us with 20 points, a bit over his average of 17.4 PPG.
Record: 23-8.


March 19, 2028
NCAA West Region, Second Round
(5) #11 Florida 52, (4) Virginia 49

---------------------------------------------------------
Florida (26-8, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Rene Lavelle C 33 2-5 0-0 2 6 7 1 4
Chris Brett PF 31 3-4 0-0 1 8 1 2 6
Elton Casares SF 13 2-5 4-4 0 2 0 4 9
Timothy Mateo SG 33 7-18 2-2 0 5 0 4 20
Clark Salinas PG 33 3-8 0-0 0 2 3 1 6
Bryon Russell SG 27 1-4 0-0 0 5 1 1 2
Alonzo James SF 14 1-7 0-0 0 0 1 2 2
Douglas Catlin PF 11 1-2 0-0 0 2 0 4 3
Chris Keim C 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0

Turnovers: 13 (R.Lavelle 1, C.Brett 1, E.Casares 2,
T.Mateo 2, B.Russell 3, A.James 1, D.Catlin 3)
Blocked Shots: 9 (R.Lavelle 3, C.Brett 4, T.Mateo 1,
A.James 1)
Steals: 6 (R.Lavelle 1, C.Brett 1, E.Casares 1,
B.Russell 1, A.James 2)
3P FGs: 6-19 (C.Brett 0-1, E.Casares 1-2, T.Mateo 4-11,
C.Salinas 0-2, B.Russell 0-1, D.Catlin 1-2)

Virginia (23-9, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 34 1-5 0-0 2 11 1 0 2
Jonathan Mooney PF 32 1-5 0-0 3 9 2 3 2
Larry Wallace SF 34 5-16 6-10 3 10 1 1 16
Chris Como SG 36 3-7 3-3 0 3 3 1 9
Anthony Carreno PG 34 3-12 0-0 3 3 3 1 7
John Steinberg SG 9 2-2 0-0 0 1 0 3 5
Isaiah Young PF 15 0-2 5-6 1 5 1 0 5
Malik Galloway C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Aaron Jackson PG 5 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
C. Dessauvage SF 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3

Turnovers: 15 (J.Mooney 1, L.Wallace 3, C.Como 5,
A.Carreno 5, J.Steinberg 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (A.Carreno 1)
Steals: 4 (L.Wallace 1, A.Carreno 3)
3P FGs: 3-18 (C.Burke 0-1, L.Wallace 0-5, C.Como 0-1,
A.Carreno 1-7, J.Steinberg 1-1, A.Jackson 0-2,
C.Dessauvage 1-1)

Player of Game: C Rene Lavelle (FL)

Next we face a very good five seed in the #11-ranked Gators. They play defense with as much energy and tenacity as we do. Tonight, they're just a bit better than we are.

Larry Wallace posts a double-double in his final collegiate game.
Record: 23-9.

Not a bad run though! Catching up.

[MoonlightGraham]

When in doubt, I always offer average guys without any offers a scholarship offer and send the house on them because it makes them usually consider me so long as I'm not a doormat prestige program. It doesn't necessarily mean that they'll sign, but if I can get into the Top 5 I can usually have a fighting chance.

There's no real downside unless you're only rocking with a few schollies.

That's very good advice, and I followed it fairly well with Cam Broderick and Dexter Worrell. Both of them were three-star players with no offers, and despite my efforts, they picked other schools. Dexter surprised me more than Cam did, because Dex is a Virginia kid. Cam is from Indiana, and he stayed closer to home.

Not a bad run though! Catching up.[/QUOTE]

That's what I thought, too. The Final Four team had two seniors who were about to be drafted. Trevor Bocanegra would probably make an all-time All-ACC team right now. Last year's team were Green and Yellow-quality players, so I'm happy with a season like the one we had. We actually gained three points of Prestige.

Thanks for the visit!

[MoonlightGraham]

March 3, 2029

#11 VIRGINIA Schedule

Date Opponent Record RPI Result Score Record
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
02/07/29 at #10 North Carolina 23-8 10 L 55-53 19-4 (6-3)
02/10/29 at #15 Wake Forest 22-7 16 W 73-70 20-4 (7-3)
02/14/29 Florida State 18-12 93 W 65-46 21-4 (8-3)
02/17/29 Boston College 12-18 29 W 87-66 22-4 (9-3)
02/21/29 at Georgia Tech 12-18 89 W 61-54 23-4 (10-3)
02/24/29 #18 Maryland 23-7 9 W 72-66 24-4 (11-3)
02/28/29 at Virginia Tech 10-19 194 W 61-49 25-4 (12-3)
03/03/29 North Carolina State 20-10 17 W 63-53 26-4 (13-3)

We begin the home stretch with a disappointing loss in Chapel Hill. Neither team seems to want to win this one. Cedric Maddux has a golden opportunity to tie the score and send it into OT, but he misses two free throws. We get another chance when the Heels turn the ball over on their next possession, but we simply hand it back to them with an errant pass.

Cedric redeems himself against Wake Forest when he makes two from the line to give us the three-point margin we hold at the end of the game. After that night's action, we find ourselves tied with UNC and Maryland, but Duke is still unbeaten in the conference, three games ahead.

North Carolina falls off the pace on Valentine's Day, when Boston College upsets them at the Dean Dome. Meanwhile, 24 points from Chris Como and 28 rebounds from the combo of Chris Burke and Isaiah Young power us to a big win over Florida State. Then Chris torches Boston College for 36 points, while Grayson Kitchen assembles a 16 point/11 rebound double-double and Anthony Carreno falls an assist shy of a similar feat.

When we beat Georgia Tech while Miami is trouncing Maryland, we find ourselves in sole possession of second place. We win out from there; I'm not sure if the Dukies take their foot off the gas after they know they've won the conference or not, but they stumble a bit at the finish and allow us to close the gap.

We get some bad news from our medical staff. Cedric Maddux has sprained his ankle, and he's going to miss the ACC tournament, at the very least. If we make a long run in the NCAAs, Ced might rejoin us, but even that is far from a certainty. His loss leaves us perilously thin at point guard. I could pull Aaron Jackson's redshirt (again), but I'd prefer not to throw away another year of Aaron's eligibility. We'll ride or die with Anthony Carreno and hope we don't fall apart too badly when AC isn't in the game.

2028 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

TEAM CW CL Pct W L Pct RPI Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------
#1 Duke 14 2 .875 27 2 .931 3 95
#11 Virginia 13 3 .813 26 4 .867 1 87
#18 Maryland 11 5 .688 23 7 .767 9 90
#10 North Carolina 9 7 .563 23 8 .742 10 100
#15 Wake Forest 9 7 .563 22 7 .759 16 70
#23 Clemson 9 7 .563 19 9 .679 56 73
North Carolina State 9 7 .563 20 10 .667 17 67
Florida State 7 9 .438 18 12 .600 93 67
Miami 6 10 .375 16 13 .552 38 84
Boston College 5 11 .313 12 18 .400 29 57
Georgia Tech 3 13 .188 12 18 .400 89 58
Virginia Tech 1 15 .063 10 19 .345 194 70

We are playing well as we head into the ACC tournament. We're winning games we should win and pulling off an upset or two along the way. Let's hope our form continues through the postseason.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 9, 2029
ACC Tournament, Second Round
(2) #12 Virginia 99, (10) Boston College 56

---------------------------------------------------------
Boston College (13-19, 5-11):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Gary Hartford C 24 2-6 1-4 1 4 1 3 5
Jose Judson PF 26 2-4 0-0 2 7 0 0 4
Edward Burkhart SF 21 0-5 3-4 0 0 2 4 3
Daniel Van Horn SG 10 0-2 0-0 0 0 2 4 0
Bradford Currier SG 14 4-7 0-0 0 2 0 4 8
Leo Mesa PG 36 4-10 1-2 1 2 3 4 11
Blair Henderson SG 15 1-3 5-8 1 3 2 5 7
Tony Doud PF 20 0-3 0-0 0 3 2 2 0
Charles Jones C 10 0-0 0-0 1 2 0 0 0
Timothy Martin SF 19 6-9 0-0 0 1 0 2 16
Ferdinand Bush SG 2 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 2
Buster Farias PF 2 0-0 0-0 1 1 0 1 0

Turnovers: 16 (G.Hartford 2, J.Judson 1, E.Burkhart 1,
D.Van Horn 1, B.Currier 1, L.Mesa 3, B.Henderson 3,
T.Doud 3, C.Jones 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (G.Hartford 1, J.Judson 2)
Steals: 5 (B.Currier 1, L.Mesa 3, C.Jones 1)
3P FGs: 6-22 (E.Burkhart 0-3, D.Van Horn 0-1, B.Currier
0-1, L.Mesa 2-6, B.Henderson 0-1, T.Doud 0-3, T.Martin
4-7)

Virginia (27-4, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 31 1-2 0-0 3 11 2 2 3
Isaiah Young PF 30 3-7 0-0 3 8 5 3 6
John Steinberg SF 28 8-15 3-5 1 5 1 3 23
Chris Como SG 33 8-16 16-16 1 2 0 2 38
Anthony Carreno PG 34 5-10 4-5 5 6 2 2 15
Grayson Kitchen SF 14 2-5 1-2 0 0 1 2 6
Hayden Allen C 11 0-0 4-4 1 4 0 1 4
Malik Galloway PF 8 1-2 0-3 0 3 0 0 2
Tanner Herring PG 11 0-2 2-2 3 3 2 1 2

Turnovers: 11 (C.Burke 1, I.Young 1, J.Steinberg 3,
C.Como 1, A.Carreno 3, G.Kitchen 1, H.Allen 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Burke 2, I.Young 1)
Steals: 1 (G.Kitchen 1)
3P FGs: 13-30 (C.Burke 1-1, J.Steinberg 4-9, C.Como
6-13, A.Carreno 1-3, G.Kitchen 1-2, T.Herring 0-2)

Player of Game: SG Chris Como (UVA)
Chris Como demonstrates that the brighter lights of tournament basketball don't affect his shooting touch, as he fires us into the next round of the ACC tourney.

I forgot to readjust my depth chart before today's game. I put John Steinberg into the starting five for his Senior Night game, and left him there for this contest. John makes me look like a genius, and Grayson Kitchen plays well in a reserve role. Our 99 points are the most we've scored all year, so I'll let this lineup remain in place unless we lose.

Tanner Herring does just fine as a backup point guard, handing out two assists and committing no turnovers in 11 minutes of action.
Record: 27-4.



March 10, 2029
ACC Tournament Semifinal
(2) #12 Virginia 67, (3) #13 Maryland 61

---------------------------------------------------------
Maryland (24-8, 11-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Blaise Miller C 33 1-2 1-2 3 8 0 1 3
Michale Endres PF 33 2-6 1-2 1 3 1 2 5
C. Ferguson SF 35 1-7 3-4 0 1 3 3 5
Robert Campbell SG 28 9-17 2-2 2 3 3 4 23
Edison Gerber PG 29 2-9 3-4 0 2 6 2 9
Javante Battle PG 11 1-3 3-3 0 1 1 0 5
William Thelen SF 10 2-4 0-0 0 1 0 2 5
Rashad Stanley C 11 2-4 0-0 1 4 0 1 4
Curt Livengood SF 4 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 2 0
Tony Ovalle PF 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 2

Turnovers: 15 (B.Miller 2, M.Endres 1, C.Ferguson 2,
R.Campbell 3, E.Gerber 5, W.Thelen 1, R.Stanley 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (B.Miller 1, M.Endres 3, W.Thelen 1)
Steals: 11 (B.Miller 2, M.Endres 1, C.Ferguson 2,
R.Campbell 4, E.Gerber 2)
3P FGs: 6-21 (M.Endres 0-1, C.Ferguson 0-3, R.Campbell
3-9, E.Gerber 2-6, W.Thelen 1-1, R.Stanley 0-1)

Virginia (28-4, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 36 1-4 0-0 1 9 1 2 2
Isaiah Young PF 25 4-4 2-2 1 7 2 5 10
John Steinberg SF 35 3-10 4-5 0 1 3 2 13
Chris Como SG 34 6-11 1-1 0 2 2 3 17
Anthony Carreno PG 21 2-2 2-2 0 0 6 4 8
Grayson Kitchen SF 11 3-6 4-4 0 1 0 0 10
Hayden Allen PF 18 2-4 0-0 2 9 0 1 4
Malik Galloway C 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Tanner Herring PG 19 1-3 0-0 3 3 2 0 3

Turnovers: 23 (C.Burke 3, I.Young 2, J.Steinberg 6,
C.Como 4, A.Carreno 3, H.Allen 1, T.Herring 4)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Burke 3)
Steals: 4 (C.Burke 1, J.Steinberg 3)
3P FGs: 10-21 (C.Burke 0-2, J.Steinberg 3-5, C.Como
4-7, A.Carreno 2-2, G.Kitchen 0-2, T.Herring 1-3)

Player of Game: SG Robert Campbell (MD)

We are uncharacteristically sloppy against Maryland, committing 23!! turnovers, but we dig deep, play solid defense, and shoot well from outside. That's enough to get the better of the Terps and earn a trip to the final.

Anthony Carreno gets in foul trouble, and perhaps that's why we're so profligate with the ball. Without Cedric Maddux, AC is our only secure ballhandler; that's a problem we'll solve and then some with our quartet of guards coming in next year, but we can't call them up from their high school teams just yet.

So many of the names on Maryland's roster are familiar to me. We recruited quite a few of them.

If we play this way against Duke we'll get run out of the gym.
Record: 28-4.


March 11, 2029
ACC Tournament Championship
(1) #1 Duke 85, (2) #12 Virginia 76

---------------------------------------------------------
Virginia (28-5, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 22 3-3 0-0 1 6 0 5 7
Isaiah Young PF 35 1-5 0-0 3 13 3 2 2
John Steinberg SG 28 1-8 1-2 3 5 1 4 3
Chris Como SF 36 12-18 13-16 1 2 1 5 45
Anthony Carreno PG 34 1-5 2-3 1 1 8 5 5
Grayson Kitchen SF 15 3-8 0-0 1 7 0 2 8
Hayden Allen C 15 2-4 0-0 2 4 0 3 4
Malik Galloway PF 5 0-0 0-1 0 0 1 1 0
Tanner Herring PG 7 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Will Hubbard PF 2 1-1 0-0 0 2 1 1 2
Dan Toler SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 22 (C.Burke 1, J.Steinberg 6, C.Como 4,
A.Carreno 8, G.Kitchen 2, H.Allen 1)
Blocked Shots: 7 (C.Burke 5, I.Young 2)
Steals: 1 (G.Kitchen 1)
3P FGs: 12-27 (C.Burke 1-1, I.Young 0-2, J.Steinberg
0-5, C.Como 8-12, A.Carreno 1-2, G.Kitchen 2-5)

Duke (30-2, 14-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Gregory Silvas SF 28 7-11 8-10 1 4 3 3 22
Devon Karp PF 34 2-7 2-2 6 9 2 2 6
Harris Warr SF 18 1-4 0-0 0 2 2 5 2
Clarence Turner SG 32 2-5 3-6 3 7 3 1 9
Pat McInerney PG 34 7-14 4-6 0 2 6 2 24
Otto Higginbotham C 26 3-7 10-14 0 4 0 1 18
Simon Marcano SG 12 1-3 0-0 1 2 0 3 2
Andrew Myer SF 9 0-3 2-2 1 1 2 2 2
John Jackson C 4 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
David Levesque SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0
Brian Sisneros PF 2 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 0

Turnovers: 13 (G.Silvas 2, D.Karp 2, H.Warr 3, C.Turner
3, P.McInerney 2, S.Marcano 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (D.Karp 1, O.Higginbotham 2)
Steals: 9 (G.Silvas 2, C.Turner 3, P.McInerney 3,
O.Higginbotham 1)
3P FGs: 10-22 (H.Warr 0-2, C.Turner 2-4, P.McInerney
6-11, O.Higginbotham 2-4, S.Marcano 0-1)

Player of Game: SG Chris Como (UVA)

When the announcer at the Greensboro Coliseum tells the crowd that Chris Como has committed his fifth personal foul, his voice can hardly be heard over the standing ovation he receives. Virginia fans, Duke fans, and neutral fans join in recognizing him for his efforts to shoot his team into an ACC tournament championship.

Chris's 45 points break Trevor Bocanegra's school record of 43. He passes Sébastien Petit and moves into second place on the single season scoring list with 798 points.

Again, our carelessness costs us dearly. Tonight's banquet of turnovers brings our two-game total to 47. You can't consistently beat good teams when you give them that many extra possessions. We managed to do it once, but not twice.
Record: 28-5.

[MoonlightGraham]

March 11, 2029
We're surprised and delighted when the NCAA tournament committee picks us as the #1 seed in the East Region. Syracuse, Texas, and Duke are the other top seeds.


March 15, 2029
NCAA East Region, First Round
(1) #12 Virginia 92, (16) Sacred Heart 59

--------------------------------------------------------
Sacred Heart (14-20, 9-9):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Gary Hardy C 21 1-5 3-4 2 7 1 3 5
Richard Jones PF 31 2-6 1-2 0 1 0 1 5
Jonathan Newell SF 26 1-5 0-0 1 5 2 3 3
Scott Nickens SG 19 2-5 0-0 0 2 1 4 4
Moses Wallace PG 31 6-12 0-0 0 3 1 3 16
Jamel Arenas PG 22 5-12 4-4 1 2 3 2 17
Chris Feder C 18 1-3 0-0 3 5 0 2 2
Murray Morris C 10 1-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 2
James Alaniz SF 14 1-1 0-0 0 0 1 2 2
Brian Alston PG 8 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 3

Turnovers: 22 (G.Hardy 3, R.Jones 2, J.Newell 7,
M.Wallace 4, J.Arenas 1, C.Feder 2, J.Alaniz 3)
Blocked Shots: 1 (J.Newell 1)
Steals: 6 (G.Hardy 1, J.Newell 1, M.Wallace 1, M.Morris
1, J.Alaniz 2)
3P FGs: 9-24 (J.Newell 1-3, S.Nickens 0-1, M.Wallace
4-8, J.Arenas 3-8, C.Feder 0-2, B.Alston 1-2)

Virginia (29-5, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 31 1-3 0-0 1 8 0 2 2
Isaiah Young PF 32 2-2 0-0 2 7 1 3 4
Grayson Kitchen SF 32 5-9 0-0 1 7 3 1 13
Chris Como SG 33 11-21 6-7 0 3 3 2 38
Anthony Carreno PG 34 8-10 1-2 1 1 13 3 20
John Steinberg SF 10 3-5 0-0 0 0 0 0 7
Hayden Allen C 10 2-4 0-0 0 1 1 2 4
Malik Galloway PF 7 0-0 1-2 1 3 0 0 1
Tanner Herring PG 10 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 3

Turnovers: 18 (C.Burke 2, G.Kitchen 3, C.Como 4,
A.Carreno 5, H.Allen 2, M.Galloway 1, T.Herring 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (C.Burke 1)
Steals: 4 (G.Kitchen 1, A.Carreno 2, H.Allen 1)
3P FGs: 18-32 (C.Burke 0-1, G.Kitchen 3-4, C.Como
10-19, A.Carreno 3-5, J.Steinberg 1-2, T.Herring 1-1)

Player of Game: SG Chris Como (UVA)
Julius Caesar didn't survive the Ides of March, but we do, defeating Sacred Heart in our NCAA tournament opener.

The Pioneers got their ticket to the Big Dance by rolling through the Northeast Conference tournament as a #6 seed. They're a popular Cinderella story in the days leading up to the game, coached by an avuncular veteran named Doyle Carroll who's lost twice as many games in his career as he's won.

We don't make especially obnoxious villains, however. UVA aren't media darlings; we're almost never ranked in the top ten. Our best-known player was a two-star recruit. There still seems to be a sense we punch a bit above our weight, too.

That two-star recruit, Chris Como, picks up where he left off in the ACC tourney. His 38 points give him 83 in his last two games, and he's scored 38 or more in three of his last four contests.
Record: 29-5.


March 17, 2029
NCAA East Region, Second Round
(1) #12 Virginia 66, (8) #24 Villanova 46

--------------------------------------------------------
Villanova (22-11, 14-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Ira Sanchez C 37 5-14 0-0 2 11 3 2 10
Robert Kahn PF 30 1-3 0-0 1 6 0 3 2
Cecil Hoagland SF 23 4-9 2-4 2 2 2 4 11
Dewayne Read SG 23 4-8 0-0 1 2 0 4 10
Connor Snow PG 30 0-2 0-0 1 2 1 5 0
Lawrence Hintz PG 22 2-9 0-0 1 2 5 1 5
Bertram Hecht SG 5 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 2
Gus McPhee SF 19 2-6 0-0 2 9 0 1 4
James Waits PF 11 1-4 0-0 0 2 0 1 2

Turnovers: 16 (I.Sanchez 4, R.Kahn 2, C.Hoagland 4,
D.Read 3, C.Snow 2, J.Waits 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (I.Sanchez 4, R.Kahn 1)
Steals: 3 (D.Read 1, C.Snow 1, L.Hintz 1)
3P FGs: 4-21 (I.Sanchez 0-1, C.Hoagland 1-3, D.Read
2-6, C.Snow 0-1, L.Hintz 1-5, G.McPhee 0-3, J.Waits
0-2)

Virginia (30-5, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 35 1-6 1-2 2 9 0 2 3
Isaiah Young PF 35 3-8 4-4 3 8 1 1 10
Grayson Kitchen SF 32 3-9 5-5 3 8 2 2 11
Chris Como SG 35 8-21 7-7 3 4 1 2 28
Anthony Carreno PG 35 2-8 5-8 2 7 3 1 9
John Steinberg SG 11 1-4 0-0 1 1 2 0 3
Hayden Allen C 9 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0
Malik Galloway PF 2 1-1 0-0 0 2 0 0 2
Tanner Herring PG 7 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 9 (C.Burke 1, I.Young 1, G.Kitchen 3, C.Como
1, A.Carreno 2, T.Herring 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (C.Burke 5)
Steals: 2 (I.Young 1, C.Como 1)
3P FGs: 6-30 (C.Burke 0-2, G.Kitchen 0-4, C.Como 5-18,
A.Carreno 0-3, J.Steinberg 1-3)

Player of Game: SG Chris Como (UVA)
When we faced the Wildcats last December, we squeaked past them with a two-point victory. Tonight, we rely on 40 minutes of determined defensive play to win by 20.

Most experts think Ira Sanchez will be the first player chosen in next month's pro draft. Our Chris Burke does a fantastic job guarding him tonight. And while the Wildcats "hold" Chris Como to a 5-for-18 performance from behind the three-point arc, he still finishes with 28 points.

Best of all, we only turn the ball over nine times.
Record: 30-5.


March 22, 2029
NCAA East Region Semifinal: the Sweet Sixteen
(1) #12 Virginia 76, (5) #20 Southern California 74

---------------------------------------------------------
Southern California (26-9, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Lynn Crumb C 29 1-3 2-4 2 7 1 5 4
Nelson Wilson PF 29 0-5 0-0 1 6 1 4 0
Scott Hepburn PG 35 9-18 3-4 4 9 3 3 26
Chris Logan SG 29 5-9 0-0 1 1 2 5 14
Daryl Burrell PG 10 2-7 0-0 2 2 1 4 5
Graig Sauceda SG 22 5-11 2-2 0 3 4 2 13
Larry Bragg C 19 2-4 1-2 1 3 0 3 6
Rubin Privett PG 13 1-4 0-0 1 1 0 4 3
Leif Thompson PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Dewitt Jones SF 8 1-1 1-2 0 0 0 0 3
Brent Bernard SF 3 0-2 0-0 1 2 1 0 0

Turnovers: 10 (N.Wilson 1, S.Hepburn 2, C.Logan 3,
D.Burrell 2, G.Sauceda 1, L.Bragg 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (L.Crumb 1, N.Wilson 2, C.Logan 1)
Steals: 8 (S.Hepburn 2, C.Logan 3, G.Sauceda 3)
3P FGs: 13-28 (N.Wilson 0-1, S.Hepburn 5-9, C.Logan
4-6, D.Burrell 1-3, G.Sauceda 1-4, L.Bragg 1-2,
R.Privett 1-3)

Virginia (31-5, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 35 0-1 3-6 4 7 2 3 3
Isaiah Young PF 35 3-8 5-5 2 10 4 0 11
Grayson Kitchen SF 35 3-11 5-6 2 8 4 4 12
Chris Como SG 33 6-13 8-8 2 5 1 3 24
Anthony Carreno PG 28 5-10 8-8 4 4 3 4 21
John Steinberg SG 10 0-3 0-0 0 0 1 1 0
Hayden Allen C 7 2-3 0-0 0 3 0 0 4
Malik Galloway PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0
Cedric Maddux PG 15 0-1 1-2 0 2 0 0 1

Turnovers: 15 (G.Kitchen 3, C.Como 4, A.Carreno 5,
J.Steinberg 1, C.Maddux 2)
Blocked Shots: 6 (C.Burke 2, I.Young 2, H.Allen 2)
Steals: 1 (G.Kitchen 1)
3P FGs: 8-24 (C.Burke 0-1, G.Kitchen 1-5, C.Como 4-11,
A.Carreno 3-6, C.Maddux 0-1)

Player of Game: SF Scott Hepburn (USC)
The Trojans are an unusual choice for the East Region, but they come close to eliminating one of the East's best teams today.

With three seconds left, Isaiah Young sinks two foul shots to give us a 76-71 lead. Without those two points. Rubin Privett's 60-foot laser would have tied the score and sent the game into overtime.

Cedric Maddux isn't at full strength yet, but he suits up for tonight's game. I would have preferred Cedric not play as much as he does, but Anthony Carreno gets into some foul trouble.

USC's Scott Hepburn plays well in the final game of a very good collegiate career.
Record: 31-5.


March 24, 2029
NCAA East Region Final: the Elite Eight
(1) #12 Virginia 64, (6) #14 Pittsburgh 55

---------------------------------------------------------
Pittsburgh (27-9, 13-5):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Pedroza C 35 1-6 0-0 0 5 2 2 2
David Franz PF 34 11-17 4-5 5 10 3 1 26
Raymon Bechtold SF 31 4-10 2-2 1 5 2 1 11
Kelly Cascio SG 33 3-7 2-3 1 4 4 4 9
Drew Lawrence PG 30 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 2 0
Chris Barton SF 18 1-6 2-2 0 0 1 3 5
Luke Moss C 11 1-2 0-0 0 0 1 0 2
Robert Harder PG 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 1 0
Chris Grajeda SG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 10 (C.Pedroza 3, D.Franz 1, K.Cascio 4,
D.Lawrence 1, L.Moss 1)
Blocked Shots: 6 (D.Franz 2, R.Bechtold 2, D.Lawrence
1, L.Moss 1)
Steals: 4 (R.Bechtold 1, K.Cascio 1, C.Barton 1, L.Moss
1)
3P FGs: 3-20 (C.Pedroza 0-3, D.Franz 0-1, R.Bechtold
1-6, K.Cascio 1-5, D.Lawrence 0-2, C.Barton 1-3)

Virginia (32-5, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 24 3-4 1-1 0 6 2 4 7
Isaiah Young PF 34 1-7 0-0 6 8 2 3 2
Grayson Kitchen SF 26 2-7 3-4 1 4 2 2 7
Chris Como SG 29 6-10 3-3 0 3 0 4 18
Anthony Carreno PG 34 6-10 2-2 2 2 7 2 18
John Steinberg SG 22 1-7 0-0 0 3 0 0 2
Hayden Allen C 20 3-5 1-2 2 4 2 1 7
Malik Galloway PF 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Cedric Maddux PG 9 1-1 0-0 0 3 0 1 3

Turnovers: 10 (C.Burke 1, G.Kitchen 1, C.Como 3,
A.Carreno 3, J.Steinberg 1, H.Allen 1)
Blocked Shots: 1 (C.Burke 1)
Steals: 2 (C.Como 1, J.Steinberg 1)
3P FGs: 8-20 (G.Kitchen 0-1, C.Como 3-7, A.Carreno 4-7,
J.Steinberg 0-4, C.Maddux 1-1)

Player of Game: PF David Franz (PITT)

For the second time in three years, Coach Toby Whittaker and his Virginia Cavaliers are on their way to the Final Four!

The Hoos need a second-half rally to pull out the victory; they trail 31-26 at the intermission. The Panthers' strategy involves keeping the ball out of Chris Como's hands as much as possible, and it works quite well. Chris manages only 10 shots, considerably below his average of 14.8 per game. However, Anthony Carreno takes advantage of the additional room the Pitt defense gives him, scoring 18 points and finding his teammates for 7 assists.

Another outstanding collegiate player, Pitt's David Franz, acquits himself well in his final game at this level. He's the reigning Big East Player of the Year, and he's looking forward to a professional career.
Record: 32-5.

[Chas in Cinti]

Cliffhanger...

[MoonlightGraham]

Cliffhanger...

...which shall soon be resolved!

[MoonlightGraham]

March 31, 2029
NCAA National Semifinal: the Final Four
#12 Virginia 71, #4 UCLA 63

---------------------------------------------------------
Virginia (33-5, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 37 1-4 1-6 4 12 3 1 3
Isaiah Young PF 36 5-5 0-0 1 9 1 1 10
Grayson Kitchen SF 35 4-10 0-0 1 4 4 1 9
Chris Como SG 36 8-19 6-6 1 5 2 3 27
Anthony Carreno PG 36 4-7 3-5 0 1 4 1 12
John Steinberg SG 7 1-1 2-2 0 0 0 1 4
Cedric Maddux PG 4 0-0 0-1 0 1 0 0 0
Hayden Allen C 4 0-0 2-2 0 1 0 1 2
Malik Galloway PF 3 2-2 0-0 1 3 0 0 4
Tanner Herring SG 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 14 (C.Burke 3, I.Young 1, G.Kitchen 2,
C.Como 5, A.Carreno 1, J.Steinberg 1, H.Allen 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (C.Burke 1, I.Young 1, A.Carreno 1)
Steals: 2 (I.Young 2)
3P FGs: 7-21 (C.Burke 0-2, G.Kitchen 1-4, C.Como 5-12,
A.Carreno 1-3)

UCLA (32-5, 16-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Waylon McElrath SF 35 4-9 0-0 1 6 1 2 8
Matthew Stewart C 31 1-1 0-0 0 5 0 4 2
Matt Odum SF 26 4-7 0-0 1 3 0 4 10
Daniel Rigdon SG 32 8-20 2-3 0 2 4 4 25
John Smith PG 34 3-11 0-0 0 1 4 2 7
Jason Bragg PF 25 1-1 2-4 1 5 3 4 4
Sean Forbes PG 5 1-1 0-0 0 0 1 2 3
Elvis Fisher C 7 0-1 1-2 0 1 0 1 1
Dwight Back SF 2 1-2 0-0 1 1 0 0 3
David Simmons PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (W.McElrath 2, M.Odum 2, D.Rigdon 2,
J.Smith 6, J.Bragg 2, S.Forbes 1)
Blocked Shots: 3 (M.Stewart 2, J.Bragg 1)
Steals: 6 (W.McElrath 1, M.Stewart 1, M.Odum 1,
D.Rigdon 1, J.Smith 2)
3P FGs: 12-28 (M.Odum 2-4, D.Rigdon 7-17, J.Smith 1-4,
S.Forbes 1-1, D.Back 1-2)

Player of Game: SG Chris Como (UVA)

For the second time in three years, the Virginia Cavaliers will have a chance to play for the national championship.

The Bruins, champions of the Midwest Region, match up well with us, so nobody is surprised when the game is a close one. Neither team leads at any point by more than the eight-point margin we hold at the final buzzer, and UCLA led by seven points on three different occasions during the first half.

UCLA was the #2 seed in their region. The team seeded ahead of them, Texas, was upset in the first round by #16 Miami of Ohio.

Once again, our big men do an excellent job on a player who should enjoy success at the professional level. Waylon McElrath will be a lottery pick next month, and we hold him to half his usual output of points and rebounds. Their other senior star, Daniel Rigdon, does some real damage from long range, but so does ours. Chris Como demonstrates why he's become so difficult to guard. He's improved his ability to get to the rim, and if an opponent fouls him on the way, he will make them pay at the free throw line.

Now, only one team stands in the way of the most coveted prize in college basketball. And, as you might have guessed, it's Duke.
Record: 33-5.

[Young Drachma]

Wowwwwww, was not expecting this!

[MoonlightGraham]

April 2, 2029
NCAA Championship

#12 Virginia 77, #1 Duke 69

--------------------------------------------------------
Virginia (34-5, 13-3):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Chris Burke C 34 0-2 0-0 0 8 1 3 0
Isaiah Young PF 34 1-6 0-1 2 7 2 2 2
Grayson Kitchen SF 34 5-9 0-0 4 6 5 2 11
Chris Como SG 35 14-20 6-6 2 6 2 3 44
Anthony Carreno PG 34 4-9 1-2 2 3 8 1 11
John Steinberg SG 8 3-7 0-0 0 0 0 0 7
Cedric Maddux PG 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0
Hayden Allen C 10 1-3 0-0 1 3 1 0 2
Malik Galloway PF 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0
Tanner Herring SG 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 17 (C.Burke 1, I.Young 2, G.Kitchen 4,
C.Como 1, A.Carreno 6, J.Steinberg 1, T.Herring 2)
Blocked Shots: 9 (C.Burke 6, I.Young 1, H.Allen 1,
M.Galloway 1)
Steals: 5 (I.Young 2, G.Kitchen 1, A.Carreno 1,
J.Steinberg 1)
3P FGs: 14-27 (C.Burke 0-1, G.Kitchen 1-1, C.Como
10-14, A.Carreno 2-6, J.Steinberg 1-4, H.Allen 0-1)

Duke (35-3, 14-2):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Gregory Silvas C 28 2-11 4-6 2 6 4 0 8
Devon Karp PF 33 4-7 0-0 2 5 0 4 8
Harris Warr SF 29 5-11 2-2 0 1 0 1 14
Clarence Turner SG 33 2-5 2-2 3 4 6 2 8
Pat McInerney PG 29 4-6 2-2 0 4 1 5 13
Otto Higginbotham C 19 1-5 0-0 2 4 4 2 2
Simon Marcano SG 14 4-6 0-0 0 2 0 2 12
Andrew Myer PG 9 2-4 0-0 1 2 0 0 4
John Jackson C 5 0-1 0-0 1 1 1 0 0
David Levesque SF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 15 (D.Karp 4, H.Warr 3, C.Turner 5,
P.McInerney 1, O.Higginbotham 1, S.Marcano 1)
Blocked Shots: 4 (G.Silvas 2, D.Karp 1, A.Myer 1)
Steals: 8 (D.Karp 1, C.Turner 2, P.McInerney 2,
O.Higginbotham 2, A.Myer 1)
3P FGs: 11-19 (H.Warr 2-4, C.Turner 2-4, P.McInerney
3-5, O.Higginbotham 0-1, S.Marcano 4-5)

Player of Game: SG Chris Como (UVA)

The Virginia Cavaliers are the 2028/29 national champions!

A team with a different personality would view this year's story as one of revenge. Revenge for the loss to Texas A&M in the national final two seasons ago. Revenge for the loss to Duke in the ACC tournament final. But senior Chris Blake, the only player to start both national finals for us, dismisses revenge as a motivating factor for himself or his teammates.

"[Revenge] is a negative emotion," Burke explains. "It focuses on something you didn't quite achieve. None of us need that to drive us, to make us work hard."

Chris and his teammates do, however, think about the fact that most of them weren't recruited by teams like Duke. Most of them came out of high school as three-star players. "Going to the Final Four gave us a higher profile with the guys at the top of their class," assistant Alec Mazur says. "Before then, we simply weren't impressing the four- and five-star players." Freshman Grayson Kitchen is the only one of our starters who was rated among the top 300 players in his high school class.

But, honestly, the "David vs. Goliath" trope doesn't work perfectly here. Duke is, historically, a very good team in our universe, but not a superpower. Their Prestige is 95; right now, there are 11 teams with higher ratings. The Blue Devils have never won fewer than 22 games in a season, and they've never missed the NCAA tournament, but they've never won the championship. In fact, this is their first trip to the Final Four--and, as you know, it's Virginia's second. This year's Duke team is, by far, their best yet. It opened the season with 26 consecutive victories. Beating them tonight qualifies as an upset, but not an earth-shattering one.

For a while, it looks like Duke will cruise to a fairly easy victory. At the final media timeout of the first half, the Blue Devils lead 33-21. The action that stops the clock--a wild pass from John Steinberg that sails out of bounds--is fairly representative of how the game is going for us during the first half. Chris Como's marksmanship is all that is keeping us somewhat competitive. But over the final minutes of the half, we launch a 9-2 run, beginning appropriately with a redemptive Steinberg floater in traffic and ending with a buzzer-beating two-pointer from the top of the key by Grayson Kitchen. It's 35-30 at halftime, and the game feels much more competitive.

The Blue Devils hold this narrow lead for the first five minutes of the second half. Then, we catch them off guard with two quick passes that travel the length of the floor in three seconds and find Chris Como free on the left wing. How Duke could lose Como is hard to understand. He hit five threes during the first half, in only six attempts. Chris's sixth three-ball ties the score at 42.

Seven seconds later, Isaiah Young jumps a pass, breaks away, and finishes with a thunderous dunk. It's Isaiah's only basket of the game, and it gives us our first lead in twenty minutes of game time.

A team as good as Duke doesn't simply fade away. Some adjustments by coach Glenn Ellis work well, and the Blue Devils hold a 53-49 lead midway through the half. But we're a good team, too, and when Anthony Carreno drains a three with 7:51 remaining, we lead, 54-53.

We never trail again.

Forty-nine seconds remain when Chris Como drives the left baseline and attempts to score on Duke's Simon Marcano. Marcano hits Chris's shooting arm, but by now the ball is already in the basket. As Chris steps to the line, the buzzer sounds. Seniors John Steinberg, Anthony Carreno, and Chris Burke check out of the UVA lineup for the final time. Each man embraces Toby Whittaker as he leaves the floor. The score is now 76-64, UVA. Chris Como takes a deep breath and swishes his free throw. It's Chris's 44th point of the game. The buzzer sounds, and Tanner Herring checks in to replace him. Chris and his coach embrace, too, and with his senior classmates by his side, he watches the final seconds of the game.

Coach Whittaker celebrates first with his players and staff, in the traditional ways: posing with a large poster of the bracket, wearing commemorative t-shirts and hats; climbing a ladder and cutting down the net. Then, the coach celebrates with those he loves most: his wife, Madeleine, and their children, Caroline, Sam, and infant Patrick.

Toby, who turns 40 this year, becomes the third youngest coach to guide his team to an NCAA championship, behind John Ray of Tennessee and Connecticut's Stephen Cates, who has won twice. Ray (Level 12) and Cates (Level 13), now 43, and 46 respectively, are widely considered the best fortysomething coaches in college basketball. Could Toby (still Level 8) be far behind them?

That's a question for another day. Today, Toby Whittaker is experiencing the moments they all hope to enjoy once again somedeay.
Record:

[MoonlightGraham]

Wowwwwww, was not expecting this!

Neither was I. And, there was more unexpected joy to follow. :)

[MoonlightGraham]

April 2, 2029

Virginia signee Tristan Horan played in yesterday's High School All-America game.

East 96, West 94 (OT)

---------------------------------------------------------
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Luke Campbell C 37 1-4 4-6 2 13 1 0 6
Stephen Holladay PF 39 6-17 3-6 6 14 0 4 15
Jerry Selby SF 37 4-15 1-2 5 6 3 2 10
Charles Johnson SG 40 11-21 5-8 4 7 2 1 30
Michal Strickland PG 39 8-12 5-7 0 1 4 2 22
Sterling Bellamy PG 9 1-2 2-2 0 2 3 0 4
David Liddle SF 7 1-2 4-4 0 1 0 3 6
Eric Greenly PF 13 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 2 0
Nathan Williams SF 2 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 3
Isaiah Hulse PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

Turnovers: 17 (L.Campbell 1, J.Selby 5, C.Johnson 3,
M.Strickland 2, S.Bellamy 4, D.Liddle 1, E.Greenly 1)
Blocked Shots: 2 (S.Holladay 1, E.Greenly 1)
Steals: 8 (L.Campbell 1, S.Holladay 1, J.Selby 1,
C.Johnson 3, M.Strickland 2)
3P FGs: 6-14 (J.Selby 1-6, C.Johnson 3-4, M.Strickland
1-2, N.Williams 1-2)

West:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Stephen Siler C 13 2-5 0-0 0 3 2 5 4
Charles Rambo C 31 4-8 0-0 0 3 3 4 8
Jonathan Martinez SF 22 3-7 1-2 1 5 2 2 8
Devin Ross SG 36 10-15 0-0 5 6 2 2 23
Tristan Horan PG 36 4-11 0-0 1 4 5 5 9
Henry Jenkins SF 19 5-8 0-2 0 2 1 4 12
Gerald Welborn PG 10 2-3 0-0 0 0 0 5 5
C.Izquierdo PF 33 5-11 2-2 2 8 4 3 12
Gerald Durbin C 13 3-4 1-2 1 5 0 0 8
Merlin Swan SF 12 1-3 3-3 1 6 2 0 5

Turnovers: 23 (C.Rambo 2, J.Martinez 4, D.Ross 2,
T.Horan 6, H.Jenkins 1, G.Welborn 4, C.Izquierdo 1,
G.Durbin 1, M.Swan 2)
Blocked Shots: 4 (C.Rambo 1, J.Martinez 1, C.Izquierdo
1, G.Durbin 1)
Steals: 5 (C.Rambo 1, J.Martinez 1, D.Ross 2, T.Horan 1)
3P FGs: 9-20 (J.Martinez 1-2, D.Ross 3-6, T.Horan 1-5,
H.Jenkins 2-4, G.Welborn 1-1, G.Durbin 1-2)

Player of Game: SG Charles Johnson (East)

2028 OVERALL AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SO C William Mullinax Michigan State 19.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.5 APG 1.1 SPG, 3.9 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR PG David Guerra Loyola-Maryland 9.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.0 APG 1.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Dillon Ricciardi Dayton 29 - 4 (16 - 0)

All-league 1st Team:
C SO William Mullinax Michigan State 19.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 3.9 BPG
PF SR Matthew Smith Coastal Carolina 18.9 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.9 BPG
SF SR Wilton Jones Alabama 17.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG SR Chris Como Virginia 25.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Chris Raleigh Gonzaga 18.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 6.9 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C SR Ira Sanchez Villanova 15.3 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 5.0 APG, 0.4 SPG, 2.6 BPG
PF SR John Stanley Arkansas-Pine Bluff 10.5 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.5 SPG, 3.0 BPG
SF SR Rex Wessels Kansas State 24.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG SR Teodoro Hernandez Pennsylvania 23.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, 2.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG SR Chris Bello Alabama 12.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 6.5 APG, 2.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG

All-league 3rd Team:
C SR David Franz Pittsburgh 18.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 3.4 BPG
PF SR Daniel German North Carolina State 15.2 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.4 BPG
SF SR Scott Hepburn Southern California 15.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG SR Gary Harris Illinois 15.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG SR Charley Gardner Syracuse 16.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Stephen Griffen San Diego 10.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG
PF FR Myles Burks North Carolina 6.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.4 BPG
SF FR Harley Hosey Michigan State 8.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG FR Sheldon Palumbo Providence 17.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR David Guerra Loyola-Maryland 9.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Chris's magical season, which ended with him being named the MVP of the NCAA tournament* , is recognized today with another of the college game's highest honors. Chris joins Sébastien Petit (2020) as the only first team All-Americans in Virginia history.

I was hoping Grayson Kitchen might claim a spot on the freshman All-America team, but he loses out to Harley Hosey. Harley was the #1 player in their recruiting class.

2028 ACC AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR SG Chris Como Virginia 25.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.9 APG 0.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR PF Myles Burks North Carolina 6.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.4 APG 0.6 SPG, 1.4 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Glenn Ellis Duke 35 - 3 (14 - 2)

All-league 1st Team:
C JR Eric Lewis Florida State 16.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.3 BPG
PF SR Daniel German North Carolina State 15.2 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.4 BPG
SF SO Harris Warr Duke 16.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR Chris Como Virginia 25.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Pat McInerney Duke 13.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.3 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C JR Bernard Madden Wake Forest 12.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.6 BPG
PF SR Oscar Kahl Wake Forest 13.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.5 BPG
SF SR Jim Quach North Carolina 14.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SG JR Robert Campbell Maryland 19.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG SR Olen Gabbard Florida State 12.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 6.0 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C FR Trinidad Seavey Virginia Tech 3.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PF FR Myles Burks North Carolina 6.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.4 BPG
SF FR Grayson Kitchen Virginia 10.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG FR Simon Marcano Duke 8.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Tony Wong Florida State 5.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Again, Chris joins Sébastien Petit as the Cavaliers' only ACC Players of the Year. Grayson earns some well-deserved recognition, too.

* The game doesn't award a tournament MVP, but how could it have been anyone but Chris Como?

[MoonlightGraham]

April 2, 2029

#12 VIRGINIA TEAM INFO

Current Performance
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Prestige: 87 Record Vs 1-50: 20-5 Poll Rank: #12
Season Record: 34-5 Record Vs 51-100: 3-0 RPI Rank: #1
Conference Record: 13-3 Record Vs 101-200: 4-0
Home Record: 15-1 Record Vs 200+: 7-0


Team Stats CR NR Opp. Stats CR NR Margin CR NR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Points 71.4 7 99 Points 59.7 1 7 Points 11.6 2 14
O.Reb 11.4 8 117 O.Reb 9.6 4 76 O.Reb 1.7 6 65
D.Reb 25.7 8 121 D.Reb 20.2 1 2 D.Reb 5.4 1 3
Rebounds 37.0 7 98 Rebounds 29.9 1 5 Rebounds 7.2 2 6
Assists 15.4 6 48 Assists 13.4 6 194 Assists 2.0 6 51
Steals 3.3 12 367 Steals 5.9 9 213 Steals -2.6 12 364
Blocks 5.2 6 48 Blocks 2.8 1 60 Blocks 2.4 2 26
Turnovers 14.3 7 231 Turnovers 13.1 11 257 Turnovers 1.3 11 258
Fouls 14.5 1 1 Fouls 18.0 8 312 Fouls -3.6 2 15
FG% .456 5 43 FG% .397 2 18 FG% .059 3 16
FT% .755 1 7 FT% .709 11 345 FT% .046 5 42
3P% .385 4 25 3P% .346 6 212 3P% .039 2 46
PPS 1.35 2 15 PPS 1.09 1 8 PPS .261 2 5
Adj. FG% .549 1 8 Adj. FG% .460 3 34 Adj. FG% .090 1 6

We played 25 games against teams in the Top 50. That's largely a result of (1) our long NCAA tournament run and (2) the quality of the ACC.

Unlike a lot of championship-quality teams, we didn't play at a fast tempo. We ranked #342 in Pace. That partially explains why we surrender so few points, but we're still very difficult to score against. We also get more than our share of rebounds.

Our marginal stats look better than our raw numbers, which is something I'm happy to see.

#12 VIRGINIA Averages

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Como SG 39 39 33.4 25.1 0.8 4.0 1.9 0.4 0.1 2.9 2.3 10.9
Isaiah Young PF 38 38 32.9 6.7 2.7 7.8 1.4 0.6 1.1 1.6 2.5 9.7
Chris Burke C 39 39 32.8 4.2 2.2 9.9 1.7 0.2 2.7 1.5 2.0 10.6
Anthony Carreno PG 39 39 32.2 11.8 2.1 3.5 6.2 0.4 0.1 3.0 2.2 10.4
Grayson Kitchen SF 39 35 28.6 10.4 1.8 5.3 1.7 1.1 0.3 2.2 2.5 8.3
John Steinberg SG 39 4 14.3 7.5 0.5 2.0 0.8 0.3 0.1 1.4 1.2 3.7
Hayden Allen C 39 1 11.0 2.5 0.9 2.5 0.3 0.1 0.7 0.7 1.0 3.1
Cedric Maddux PG 34 0 8.8 1.7 0.2 1.1 1.1 0.2 0.1 0.6 0.5 1.8
Tanner Herring SG 30 0 4.4 1.0 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.5 0.1 0.0
Malik Galloway PF 34 0 4.2 1.2 0.1 1.0 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.0
Will Hubbard PF 7 0 1.6 0.6 0.0 0.7 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.7
Dan Toler SF 5 0 1.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 -0.2
Daniel Behr C 2 0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.5

#12 VIRGINIA Totals

Player Pos GP GS Min Pts Orb Reb Ast Stl Blk To Fls +/-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Como SG 39 39 1303 977 33 156 74 15 5 112 89 427
Isaiah Young PF 38 38 1249 253 104 297 52 21 42 60 96 370
Chris Burke C 39 39 1278 163 85 385 67 9 106 57 78 414
Anthony Carreno PG 39 39 1257 461 81 136 240 17 2 117 85 407
Grayson Kitchen SF 39 35 1116 404 69 206 68 43 10 85 96 325
John Steinberg SG 39 4 557 291 18 78 30 11 2 56 48 146
Hayden Allen C 39 1 430 99 35 99 13 3 29 27 38 121
Cedric Maddux PG 34 0 299 59 6 37 39 7 2 22 17 61
Tanner Herring SG 30 0 133 31 7 12 7 3 0 15 4 1
Malik Galloway PF 34 0 144 42 5 33 7 1 6 5 10 1
Will Hubbard PF 7 0 11 4 0 5 1 0 0 2 2 5
Dan Toler SF 5 0 6 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 -1
Daniel Behr C 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

#12 VIRGINIA Shooting

Player Pos Fgm Fga Fg% Ftm Fta Ft% 3pm 3pa 3p% PPS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Como SG 293 590 .497 189 204 .926 202 442 .457 1.66
Isaiah Young PF 98 219 .447 57 80 .713 0 4 .000 1.16
Chris Burke C 62 143 .434 32 56 .571 7 46 .152 1.14
Anthony Carreno PG 153 348 .440 91 124 .734 64 184 .348 1.32
Grayson Kitchen SF 148 355 .417 66 101 .653 42 141 .298 1.14
John Steinberg SG 105 220 .477 29 37 .784 52 126 .413 1.32
Hayden Allen C 41 88 .466 16 23 .696 1 2 .500 1.13
Cedric Maddux PG 17 47 .362 15 28 .536 10 36 .278 1.26
Tanner Herring SG 8 22 .364 8 10 .800 7 19 .368 1.41
Malik Galloway PF 16 31 .516 10 17 .588 0 0 .000 1.35
Will Hubbard PF 1 1 1.000 2 2 1.000 0 0 .000 4.00
Dan Toler SF 0 1 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0.00
Daniel Behr C 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0.00

Chris Como led the nation in scoring. He took and made more three-point shots than anyone in the country, too. In fact, his 202 made threes is a new NCAA record for a single season. Chris's scoring explosion in the NCAA tournament enabled him to break a record I thought would last a long time: Trevor Bocanegra's 966 points in a single season.

Chris Burke broke a UVA single season record, too: his own mark for rebounds.

[MoonlightGraham]

2028/29 Senior Snapshots

#21 SG John Steinberg - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 222
High School: Trinity Episcopal School
Hometown: Richmond, VA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 53 71 76 64 25 31 30 45 16 68 28 19 34 50 59 81
2027: 49 67 75 60 22 28 28 41 15 62 26 17 33 47 58 78
2026: 47 64 72 57 20 26 27 39 14 58 24 16 32 44 57 75
2025: 45 61 69 54 18 24 26 37 13 54 22 15 32 40 56 70
2024: 41 57 65 50 16 22 24 33 11 48 20 13 31 36 55 62
Potential: C B B B D D C C D B D D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 85

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 29 0 3.8 1.5 0.2 0.7 0.3 0.2 1.29 0.1 0.0 0.3
2026 27 0 2.9 1.8 0.1 0.6 0.2 0.2 1.20 0.1 0.0 0.2
2027 32 0 15.5 8.9 0.6 2.1 1.0 1.3 0.76 0.2 0.1 1.3
2028 39 4 14.3 7.5 0.5 2.0 0.8 1.4 0.54 0.3 0.1 1.2
Career 127 4 9.8 5.3 0.4 1.4 0.6 0.9 0.54 0.2 0.0 0.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 0.5 1.0 .517 0.3 0.5 .714 0.1 0.4 .333 1.52 -0.90
2026 0.6 1.1 .586 0.3 0.3 .875 0.3 0.6 .533 1.69 0.04
2027 3.2 6.3 .502 1.2 1.7 .704 1.3 3.2 .412 1.40 1.66
2028 2.7 5.6 .477 0.7 0.9 .784 1.3 3.2 .413 1.32 3.74
Career 1.9 3.8 .497 0.7 0.9 .743 0.8 2.0 .416 1.39 1.37

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 29 0 109 44 7 19 9 7 2 0 9
2026 27 0 79 49 2 16 6 5 4 0 6
2027 32 0 496 284 19 68 32 42 7 2 43
2028 39 4 557 291 18 78 30 56 11 2 48
Career 127 4 1241 668 46 181 77 110 24 4 106

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 15 29 10 14 4 12 -26
2026 17 29 7 8 8 15 1
2027 102 203 38 54 42 102 53
2028 105 220 29 37 52 126 146
Career 239 481 84 113 106 255 174

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 23 3 7 3 3 1 6 8 15 4 5 4 9
Career 37 3 7 4 3 1 6 15 21 9 12 7 12

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 3
2024 High School: Rated *** and #307 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2028 NCAA Champion

John was the epitome of a valuable rotation player during his four years on Grounds. His reputation as a shooter was such that when John entered a game, the opponent knew what he was there to do...and they still couldn't stop him with any great degree of success.

Unlike some one-dimensional shooters, John took his defensive responsibilities seriously, too. So, despite the arrival of a number of players who might have cut into his playing time, he remained an important part of Coach Whittaker's game plan.


#2 PG Anthony Carreno - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-1
Weight: 193
High School: Horicon High School
Hometown: Horicon, WI

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 39 51 61 55 48 78 70 14 40 69 15 13 94 61 84 66
2027: 36 47 60 51 47 67 63 13 37 57 15 12 94 59 83 57
2026: 34 42 59 46 46 55 56 12 35 44 13 11 91 56 82 48
2025: 33 40 58 44 44 49 53 11 34 39 12 11 89 54 80 42
2024: 31 36 54 40 42 41 49 11 32 31 10 11 88 48 79 24
Potential: D C C C C B B F C B F F

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 79

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 34 0 5.0 2.0 0.2 0.5 0.4 0.3 1.18 0.2 0.0 0.6
2026 40 40 29.9 9.5 1.5 3.0 3.4 1.8 1.90 0.7 0.1 2.3
2027 32 32 33.3 9.6 1.7 3.5 5.2 2.7 1.90 0.6 0.1 2.0
2028 39 39 32.2 11.8 2.1 3.5 6.2 3.0 2.05 0.4 0.1 2.2
Career 145 111 25.4 8.4 1.4 2.7 3.8 2.0 2.05 0.5 0.1 1.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 0.7 1.3 .568 0.1 0.2 .833 0.4 0.7 .565 1.55 -0.74
2026 3.2 7.4 .434 2.0 2.8 .736 1.1 3.4 .309 1.28 5.58
2027 3.3 8.6 .391 1.8 2.4 .750 1.2 3.9 .296 1.12 8.97
2028 3.9 8.9 .440 2.3 3.2 .734 1.6 4.7 .348 1.32 10.44
Career 2.8 6.6 .430 1.6 2.2 .741 1.1 3.2 .333 1.27 6.15

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 34 0 169 68 8 16 13 11 8 0 20
2026 40 40 1196 379 60 121 135 71 27 3 93
2027 32 32 1066 308 55 112 165 87 20 3 65
2028 39 39 1257 461 81 136 240 117 17 2 85
Career 145 111 3688 1216 204 385 553 286 72 8 263

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 25 44 5 6 13 23 -25
2026 128 295 81 110 42 136 223
2027 107 274 57 76 37 125 287
2028 153 348 91 124 64 184 407
Career 413 961 234 316 156 468 892

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 22 6 8 13 2 1 8 8 19 8 12 4 12
Career 24 6 10 13 3 2 8 10 19 15 16 5 12

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 7
2024 High School: Rated *** and #480 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2024 High School: All-State (Wisconsin)
2028 NCAA Champion

Successful teams almost always have point guards they can count on. Anthony filled that role perfectly, starting over 100 games and playing over 3500 minutes after coming to us from small-town Wisconsin.

He was a good enough shooter to provide us with a secondary scoring threat, and he ranks fourth all-time in three-pointers made. But Anthony's primary role was distributing the ball to his teammates. Anthony is UVA's career assist leader by a wide margin, and the top three single season assist totals in Cavaliers history are his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons.


#24 C Chris Burke - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 273
High School: Whitmore Lake High School
Hometown: Whitmore Lake, MI

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 36 6 31 27 34 40 50 99 95 54 13 74 19 96 31 62
2027: 32 6 29 25 31 37 48 99 91 50 12 63 18 93 30 58
2026: 28 6 27 23 28 34 40 83 89 47 11 56 16 87 30 52
2025: 24 5 25 21 26 32 33 70 75 44 10 45 15 83 29 48
2024: 22 5 23 19 24 30 27 60 65 42 10 37 14 75 27 40
Potential: D F D D D C C A A C F B

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 54

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 34 34 26.4 3.2 1.8 8.1 1.3 1.3 1.00 0.2 0.5 2.4
2026 40 40 26.6 3.3 1.9 8.6 1.4 1.1 1.27 0.3 1.6 1.7
2027 32 32 32.7 4.0 1.4 9.2 1.7 1.2 1.39 0.6 2.4 2.2
2028 39 39 32.8 4.2 2.2 9.9 1.7 1.5 1.18 0.2 2.7 2.0
Career 145 145 29.5 3.6 1.9 9.0 1.5 1.3 1.18 0.3 1.8 2.0

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 1.3 2.9 .439 0.5 0.9 .548 0.2 0.7 .240 1.11 3.29
2026 1.2 3.2 .373 0.7 1.2 .596 0.2 1.0 .195 1.03 6.20
2027 1.6 3.9 .403 0.7 1.2 .538 0.2 0.9 .200 1.02 8.78
2028 1.6 3.7 .434 0.8 1.4 .571 0.2 1.2 .152 1.14 10.62
Career 1.4 3.4 .411 0.7 1.2 .566 0.2 1.0 .190 1.08 7.28

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 34 34 896 109 62 277 44 44 8 17 81
2026 40 40 1063 130 76 343 56 44 13 63 68
2027 32 32 1047 127 46 295 53 38 19 76 70
2028 39 39 1278 163 85 385 67 57 9 106 78
Career 145 145 4284 529 269 1300 220 183 49 262 297

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2025 43 98 17 31 6 25 112
2026 47 126 28 47 8 41 248
2027 50 124 21 39 6 30 281
2028 62 143 32 56 7 46 414
Career 202 491 98 173 27 142 1055

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 10 7 17 5 2 6 4 5 10 4 7 2 4
Career 16 7 19 5 4 11 4 6 10 4 7 2 4

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 2
2024 High School: Rated *** and #443 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2025 Freshman All-Conference (Atlantic Coast Conference)
2028 NCAA Champion

The term "role player" doesn't seem fair to a player like Chris, but that's exactly what he was, in the sense that he knew his roles and played them like a star.

Big, strong, and hardnosed, Chris defended the paint like it was his personal property, battled for every rebound, and contested every opponents' shot he could. He holds our single season and career rebound records, and his career mark is over 300 more than his closest competitor. He's second all-time in blocked shots, too.

The list of opposing big men, many of whom are now professional standouts, with whom Chris more than held his own is particularly impressive, especially considering he was not considered a top recruit coming out of his Michigan high school. His place among Virginia's best big men of all time is secure.


#20 SG Chris Como - Virginia - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-6
Weight: 216
High School: Deerfield Academy
Hometown: Deerfield, MA

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 45 88 100 82 41 25 19 32 30 60 22 9 53 57 64 93
2027: 40 77 97 71 33 21 17 30 28 53 18 8 53 55 63 89
2026: 37 73 96 67 29 19 16 29 26 49 16 7 52 53 62 85
2025: 35 70 95 64 26 18 15 28 25 46 15 6 51 51 61 81
2024: 32 56 89 58 23 16 13 26 17 35 13 5 56 48 55 74
2023: 30 47 85 54 21 14 11 24 11 27 11 5 55 44 51 68
Potential: C A A B C D D D C C D D

Health: Good
Scholarship: Yes
Status: Active Roster
Academics: 99

Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS ORE REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2026 40 0 6.4 3.7 0.2 0.9 0.7 0.5 1.24 0.1 0.0 0.6
2027 32 31 30.2 17.1 1.1 3.9 2.1 2.9 0.72 0.8 0.1 2.4
2028 39 39 33.4 25.1 0.8 4.0 1.9 2.9 0.66 0.4 0.1 2.3
Career 111 70 22.8 15.1 0.7 2.9 1.5 2.0 0.66 0.4 0.1 1.7

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% PPS +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2026 1.1 2.2 .489 0.9 1.0 .900 0.7 1.4 .500 1.69 0.68
2027 5.6 12.6 .441 3.3 3.7 .891 2.7 6.8 .394 1.36 7.91
2028 7.5 15.1 .497 4.8 5.2 .926 5.2 11.3 .457 1.66 10.95
Career 4.6 9.7 .475 3.0 3.3 .912 2.8 6.4 .441 1.55 6.37

Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season G GS MIN PTS OREB REB AST TO STL BLK PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2026 40 0 257 149 7 37 26 21 3 0 23
2027 32 31 966 548 34 124 66 92 24 2 77
2028 39 39 1303 977 33 156 74 112 15 5 89
Career 111 70 2526 1674 74 317 166 225 42 7 189

Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2026 43 88 36 40 27 54 27
2027 178 404 106 119 86 218 253
2028 293 590 189 204 202 442 427
Career 514 1082 331 363 315 714 707

Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FGM FGA FTM FTA 3PM 3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season 45 4 10 5 2 2 7 14 23 16 16 10 19
Career 45 4 10 5 2 2 7 14 25 16 16 10 19

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Player of the Game: 32
2023 High School: Rated ** and #766 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
2024 Transfered from Amherst
2028 NCAA Champion
2028 1st Team All-American
2028 1st Team All-Conference (Atlantic Coast Conference)
2028 Conference Player of the Year (Atlantic Coast Conference)

I don't want Chris's story to be reduced to a series of tropes, because it's really true. In August 2022, Chris was one of the two players I wanted most to sign at Amherst. His potential as a shooter made it easy for me to envision Chris as a high scoring wing, an All-Conference player. Chris joined a team that was blessed with veteran wings, so I gave him a redshirt year. Then, I accepted the job at Virginia. Chris would have to shred New England Conference defenses without me.

To my surprise, the Mammoths' new coach, David Getty, didn't use Chris in a single game. Not surprisingly, Chris entered the transfer portal. The Hoos had a free scholarship, so I offered it to Chris, and he accepted it. I wrote about him, "It's easy to see how a player like this can earn a spot in our rotation." Chris did that, and then he did much more.

Despite the fact he started only 70 games in his UVA career, Chris finishes fourth on our all-time scoring list. He holds the school records for most points in a single season, and in a single game. The 202 three-point baskets he made as a senior are the most ever recorded in a single season, and his career total of 315 is easily the best in UVA history.

Chris departs as a first team All-ACC performer, the ACC Player of the Year, and a first team All-American. He and Sébastien Petit stand together as the best players in Virginia basketball history.

What's more, Chris was a remarkable presence on Grounds. He inherited enough of his great-grandfather Perry's voice to perform very credibly with one of UVA's a capella groups. And he'll complete his degree in History next month with a 4.00 GPA.


Our four seniors depart with the honor of making two Final Fours. And, of course, they'll always remember that they walked off the floor for the final time as NCAA champions.

John, Anthony, Chris, and Chris...thanks for the memories.

[Chas in Cinti]

Congrats, great ending to Como's story...

[MoonlightGraham]

April 7, 2029

None of our four seniors are chosen in the professional draft. Two-star players don't get drafted, even if they grow up to be All-Americans and ACC Players of the Year.

April 7, 2029
2028 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Virginia ACC PG Caleb Roberts ***** 3 1 0 0 0
2. North Carolina ACC SG Charles Johnson ***** 3 0 0 0 0
3. UCLA Pacific-10 SF Jonathan Martinez ***** 2 2 2 0 0
4. Texas A&M Big 12 PG Peter Torres ***** 1 2 2 0 0
5. Tennessee SEC PG Garland Gomes ***** 1 2 2 0 0
6. Syracuse Big East SG David Liddle ***** 1 2 1 0 0
7. Washington Pacific-10 SG Devin Ross ***** 2 1 0 0 0
8. Louisville Big East PG Michal Strickland ***** 2 0 1 0 0
9. Connecticut Big East PG Sterling Bellamy ***** 1 2 1 0 0
10. Oklahoma State Big 12 SF David Dilorenzo ***** 1 0 4 0 0
11. Richmond Atlantic 10 SF Reginald Gallego **** 0 2 2 0 0
12. Michigan State Big Ten C Cam Broderick **** 0 3 1 0 0
13. Illinois Big Ten SF Johnny Shine **** 0 2 2 0 0
14. Maryland ACC C James McCarthy **** 0 2 1 0 0
15. Pittsburgh Big East PF Refugio Vera ***** 1 1 1 0 0
16. Baylor Big 12 SF Jerry Selby ***** 1 1 1 0 0
17. Saint Joseph's Atlantic 10 SF Nathan Williams **** 0 2 2 0 0
18. Villanova Big East PG Isaac Lee ***** 1 1 1 0 0
19. Stanford Pacific-10 PG James Appel **** 0 2 1 0 0
20. Kansas Big 12 C Stephen Siler **** 0 2 1 0 0

Look at that! Our guard-heavy class is rated #1 nationally.

2028 Recruiting Rankings

# Team Conference Best Player Rtg 5* 4* 3* 2* 1*
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Virginia ACC PG Caleb Roberts ***** 3 1 0 0 0
2. North Carolina ACC SG Charles Johnson ***** 3 0 0 0 0
14. Maryland ACC C James McCarthy **** 0 2 1 0 0
31. Miami ACC SG Tyron Schubert ***** 1 1 0 0 0
36. North Carolina State ACC SG Chas Needham **** 0 1 3 1 0
48. Clemson ACC PG Gaylord Goodrum **** 0 1 3 0 0
53. Wake Forest ACC PG Stephen Peay **** 0 1 2 0 0
54. Florida State ACC PG Joe Evans *** 0 0 4 0 0
101. Georgia Tech ACC PF Coleman Eldredge *** 0 0 1 1 0
115. Duke ACC PF Hunter McCarty *** 0 0 2 0 0
219. Boston College ACC SG Bret Lytle *** 0 0 1 3 0
362. Virginia Tech ACC 0 0 0 0 0

Miami and NC State sign better-than-usual classes, while Duke's class is nothing special for them.

# Player Pos Ht Team Conference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Charles Johnson SG 6-0 North Carolina Atlantic Coast Conference
3 Luke Campbell C 7-0 North Carolina Atlantic Coast Conference
4 Caleb Roberts PG 5-10 Virginia Atlantic Coast Conference
14 Bart Macquet PG 6-2 Virginia Atlantic Coast Conference
17 Brian Gilkey SF 6-4 North Carolina Atlantic Coast Conference
19 Tristan Horan PG 6-4 Virginia Atlantic Coast Conference
23 Tyron Schubert SG 6-3 Miami Atlantic Coast Conference
45 James McCarthy C 6-10 Maryland Atlantic Coast Conference
54 Mac Knapp SF 6-4 Miami Atlantic Coast Conference
56 Stephen Peay PG 5-10 Wake Forest Atlantic Coast Conference
64 Donovan Sanchez SG 6-2 Virginia Atlantic Coast Conference
68 Wallace Fye SF 6-6 Maryland Atlantic Coast Conference
71 Gaylord Goodrum PG 6-2 Clemson Atlantic Coast Conference
80 Nick Dunphy PF 6-9 Maryland Atlantic Coast Conference
82 Chas Needham SG 6-1 North Carolina State Atlantic Coast Conference
104 Coleman Eldredge PF 6-7 Georgia Tech Atlantic Coast Conference
121 Christoper Baker PF 6-8 North Carolina State Atlantic Coast Conference

As usual, the ACC attracts some of the top high school talent in the country. This year, we have more than our share of those players. Now we'll face the challenge of developing them into the players the experts think they can be.

[MoonlightGraham]

April 7, 2029

With none of our players electing to transfer and no scholarships available, we don't join into the fun of the portal this year.

It's time for Coach Whittaker to level up! Here's what his profile looks like now:
Toby Whittaker - Head Coach - Virginia
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Age: 41
High School: St. Stephens & St. Agnes School
Hometown: Alexandria, Virginia
Alma Mater: Virginia

Current Level: 9
Career Record: 256 - 89

Recruiting: 78
Scouting: 59
Offense: 70
Defense: 73


Coaching History:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Team Position W L CW CL Postseason
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2028 Virginia Head Coach 34 5 13 3 NCAA Champion
2027 Virginia Head Coach 23 9 11 5 Loss in NCAA Round of 32
2026 Virginia Head Coach 35 5 13 3 Loss in NCAA Championship Game
2025 Virginia Head Coach 24 10 11 5 Loss in NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2024 Virginia Head Coach 24 13 8 8 NIT Champion
2023 Amherst Head Coach 24 9 15 3 Loss in NIT Round 3
2022 Amherst Head Coach 25 8 13 5 Loss in NCAA Round 1
2021 Amherst Head Coach 20 12 13 5 Loss in CBI Round 2
2020 Amherst Head Coach 22 9 14 4 Loss in NIT Round 1
2019 Amherst Head Coach 25 9 14 4 Loss in NCAA Round 1

Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2028 NCAA Champion
2027 Conference Coach of the Year (Atlantic Coast Conference)
2024 NIT Champion
2023 Conference Coach of the Year (New England Conference)
2023 New England Conference Champion
2022 Conference Coach of the Year (New England Conference)
2022 New England Conference Champion
2021 Conference Coach of the Year (New England Conference)
2020 Conference Coach of the Year (New England Conference)
2020 New England Conference Champion
2019 Conference Coach of the Year (New England Conference)
2019 New England Conference Champion

Job Movement:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Move
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2024 Hired by Virginia (Head Coach)
2024 Quit job with Amherst to pursue another position.
2019 Hired by Amherst (Head Coach)

There will be at least one new man in the ACC coaching ranks this season. Glenn Ellis, now age 71, has retired from his position at Duke. Coach Ellis ends his career with a 412-143 record and three ACC championships to his credit.

Coach Ellis's departure, combined with Coach Whittaker's advancement, leaves Toby tied for second among ACC coaches when they're ranked in order of their development. North Carolina's iconic Linwood Carroll is a Level 14 coach. John Hooper of Maryland and James Richerson of Miami are, like Toby, at level 9.

Duke's new man may, of course, be a seasoned pro who comes in at a high level.

Speaking of leveling up: Our NCAA championship has been rewarded with a big jump in Prestige. We're now at 96. Duke (99) and North Carolina (98) are still ahead of us, but we've passed Maryland (90) to move into third place in the ACC Prestige race.

Our budget got a big boost, too. It now stands at $859,291. We now have the funds to compete with the blue bloods. In fact, we have more money than either Duke or Carolina. And our Facilities score stands at 98, which is best in our conference.

The Cavaliers can no longer cast ourselves as a gritty underdog. We'll now be expected to keep running with the biggest dogs in the pack.

[MoonlightGraham]

May 1, 2029

I wondered if Duke would try to hire the coach who beat them for the NCAA championship last month. They do, but Toby isn't interested. Nor is he in the mood to leave his alma mater for Wisconsin, Michigan, or Florida.

The Florida job opens up because Duke lures Daniel Granado away from the Gators. Coach Granado is a Level 13 coach with 395 career victories.

Ace recruiter Alec Mazur notifies us that he'll be taking the head coaching job at Stephen F. Austin. I will hate to see Coach Mazur go. He's been at Virginia since 2014, and there is no better recruiter in the business. At age 57, this is perhaps Coach Mazur's one shot at the big whistle, so I wish him well.

I decide to splash some cash on a coach who is just as talented at recruiting as Coach Mazur. He's Noah Elliott, who comes to us from Washington-Maryland, where he's been the head coach for the past eight seasons. His record there was 88-163. Coach Elliott, age 56, will be well-paid; he's signed a three-year contract for $244K/year. Welcome to Charlottesville, Coach.

[MoonlightGraham]

July 1, 2029
Recruiting Preview

Our roster contains only one senior: big man Isaiah Young. That offer absolutely has to go to a big man. As it stands right now, we would have one center and two power forwards on next year's roster.

I can't let myself be distracted by shiny point guards and small wings again this year, no matter how talented they are. ;)

[MoonlightGraham]

August 1, 2029

Our initial call list contains nothing but big men.

Name Pos Ht Wt Rating Interest State
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eli Jackson C 6-10 221 **** Very High Virginia
Chris Cole C 6-8 205 *** Very High Virginia
Shad Reader C 6-8 214 ***** High Alabama
Kyle Booth PF 6-9 211 **** High Virginia
Richard Coyne PF 6-9 223 **** High Virginia
Jonathan Williams C 6-11 219 **** High Missouri
Charles Hernandez C 7-0 239 *** High Maryland
Ewan Kennedy C 7-0 231 ***** Average Pennsylvania
Emmett Leong PF 6-6 249 ***** Average Pennsylvania
Morgan Mitchell C 6-9 228 **** Average Maryland
Skye McCall PF 6-10 203 **** Average New York
Alvin Israel PF 6-6 211 **** Average North Carolina
Lionel Brickey SF 6-10 222 **** Average Georgia
Horace Pinkham C 6-9 247 **** Average North Carolina
Jan Hernandez C 6-6 232 **** Average Tennessee
Stanton Reese C 6-8 235 **** Average North Carolina
Brant Jankowski C 6-8 234 *** Average Georgia
Sherman Lofton C 6-11 227 *** Average New Jersey
Teddy McDonald C 6-10 216 *** Average New Jersey
Jesse Harris PF 6-8 208 ***** Low Virginia

Yes, there's a small forward on there, but he's 6'10". :)

We like Eli Jackson quite a bit. Let's take a closer look at him.
#4 C Eli Jackson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-10
Weight: 221
High School: Lake Braddock High School
Hometown: Burke, VA
GPA: 3.33
Test Score: 1420
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 54 20 48 50 10 14 52 48 42 10 12 45 28 55 61 50
Potential: B D C C C D B B B D D C

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16.5 2.8 10.5 1.4 2.4 0.57 1.5 2.2 2.9

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.3 10.4 .604 3.9 5.3 .733 0.1 0.4 .286

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: Very High
Rankings: #66 Overall, #14 C, Southeast Region #20 Overall, Southeast Region #6 C
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Duke, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina

Eli is a four-star center from northern Virginia, an area where we're establishing a solid recruiting presence. Four current Hoos, including Jake Gardiner and Caleb Roberts, are from that area.

A traditional big man, Eli isn't flashy, but I like his potential as an inside scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker. He'll get the full recruiting treatment this month.

Shad Reader is the most highly regarded big man in his class. He expresses some meaningful interest in our program, too.
#33 C Shad Reader
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-8
Weight: 214
High School: Anniston High School
Hometown: Anniston, AL
GPA: 3.12
Test Score: 1020
Rating: *****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 60 4 46 44 31 7 48 49 46 12 39 58 26 83 35 6
Potential: A D C C D F A B C F D A

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
29.1 4.1 12.0 0.7 1.2 0.54 2.8 4.0 2.2

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.4 20.3 .562 5.9 9.3 .638 0.4 3.1 .115

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: High
Rankings: #2 Overall, #1 C, Southeast Region #1 Overall, Southeast Region #1 C
High School Awards: All-State, Mr. Basketball (Alabama), All American
Top 5 Schools: Tennessee, Duke, *Alabama, Virginia, *Florida

Shad already has an offer from Alabama, who will undoubtedly do all they can to keep him close to home. He's willing to visit us, so I'll definitely invite him to Grounds.

Kyle Booth is another in-state player with the kind of skills we like in our post players:
#24 PF Kyle Booth
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-9
Weight: 211
High School: St. John Paul the Great Catholic High School
Hometown: Dumfries, VA
GPA: 3.24
Test Score: 1270
Rating: ****

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current: 32 44 60 43 35 30 36 57 57 25 10 42 54 45 50 50
Potential: C B B C C D B A C D F B

Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19.9 3.4 11.3 2.4 1.5 1.66 1.3 1.7 2.8

Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.2 14.8 .556 3.0 4.1 .720 0.5 1.6 .313

Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Qualified: Yes
Current interest in Virginia: High
Rankings: #70 Overall, #15 PF, Southeast Region #21 Overall, Southeast Region #5 PF
High School Awards: None
Top 5 Schools: Duke, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Syracuse

Kyle looks like he's a bit more athletic than Eli and perhaps a better shooter, while Eli has been more productive and is perhaps a more dominant defender. I'd be happy to have Kyle in Virginia colors, though. Once again, we'll bring him in for a visit and recruit him as much as we can.

Now, which of these players will receive our lone scholarship offer? I have a good feeling about Eli Jackson, so I'll offer him. His expressed interest, plus the fact he's not holding an offer already, puts him on the top of my list.

[MoonlightGraham]

September 1, 2029

Shad Reader picks up two more offers this month, from Tennessee and Duke. They move ahead of Alabama on his list, with UVA fourth. I'm thinking Shad will pick either the Vols or the Blue Devils, and I'm selfishly hoping he chooses Tennessee.

Kyle Booth receives an offer from Maryland. He already preferred the Terps to the Hoos, so I'm not surprised he has them listed first.

I think I made the right choice when I picked Eli Jackson. St. Joseph's has made him an offer, but he has Virginia on the top of his list. Eli's other contenders include Pitt, Temple, and Duke.

I'm abandoning the chase for Reader's commitment, but I'll continue to pursue both Booth and Jackson. We'll also be bringing as many players from our call list to Grounds as we can. I'll tell you more about them if they emerge as priority recruits in the next month or two.

[MoonlightGraham]

October 1, 2029

It looks like the rest of the college basketball world is conceding Eli Jackson to the Cavaliers. Eli has taken all the other schools he was once considering off his list, and continues to express Very High interest in playing for UVA.

Kyle Booth gets an offer from Pitt, but he's still listing Maryland first. I'm predicting we will face Kyle in the ACC for the next four years.

After the drama of last year's recruiting season, I'd love to see Eli make his commitment on Decision Day so I can focus all my attentions on the upcoming season.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 1, 2029
Decision Day

I get my wish! Eli Jackson informs us that he'll be playing his college ball at Virginia.

Eli plays center for his high school team, but I envision him moving to the four and playing alongside Hayden Allen. He's more than a bruiser; he's demonstrated a soft touch near the basket, and he's a good free throw shooter. A player with that skill set can be a key contributor to a winning team.

Welcome to Cavalier basketball, Eli!

As I expected, Kyle Booth will be suiting up for Maryland. They're also still in the running for another good big man, Morgan Mitchell. And Shad Reader is still deciding between Tennessee and Duke.

The ACC could be loaded with talented post players for the next few seasons.

[MoonlightGraham]

November 11, 2029

Can this Virginia Cavaliers team give their program a second consecutive NCAA championship?

Player # Pos Yr Ht Wt Sch Acd Status Hometown
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jake Gardiner 1 SF Fr* 6-7 221 Yes 77 OK Aldie, VA
Caleb Roberts 2 PG Fr 5-10 179 Yes 96 OK Oakton, VA
Donovan Sanchez 3 SG Fr 6-2 176 Yes 71 Redshirt Dracut, MA
Cedric Maddux 4 PG Jr 6-1 189 Yes 68 OK Ajax, Canada
Tanner Herring 11 SG So* 6-4 206 Yes 99 OK Glen Allen, VA
Dan Toler 12 SF Jr 6-6 223 No 41 OK Hampton, VA
Aaron Jackson 14 PG Jr* 6-1 183 Yes 92 OK Newport News, VA
Bart Macquet 15 PG Fr 6-2 179 Yes 71 OK Howley, Canada
Tristan Horan 21 PG Fr 6-4 190 Yes 58 OK East Peoria, IL
Will Hubbard 22 PF Jr* 6-8 224 Yes 81 OK Alexandria, VA
Daniel Behr 23 C So 6-8 229 No 76 OK Asheville, NC
Grayson Kitchen 33 SF So 6-6 213 Yes 86 OK Norfolk, VA
Malik Galloway 40 PF Jr 6-9 252 Yes 82 Unhappy Chantilly, VA
Hayden Allen 42 C So 6-11 261 Yes 78 OK Glen Allen, VA
Isaiah Young 43 PF Sr 6-9 251 Yes 74 OK Salem, VA

Fall training has the Hoos ready for action.
Player Ins Jps Fts 3ps Hnd Pas Orb Drb Psd Prd Stl Blk Qkn Str Jmp Sta
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jake Gardiner 2 3 2 2 3 1 1 2 1 3 1 1 1 2 0 3
Caleb Roberts 2 6 8 8 8 8 2 2 0 8 8 0 3 2 2 10
Donovan Sanchez 2 6 4 2 2 6 2 2 2 10 10 0 1 4 3 38
Cedric Maddux 2 2 4 1 6 6 2 3 1 4 2 1 0 2 2 14
Tanner Herring 2 4 5 4 2 2 2 2 1 4 3 1 1 2 0 3
Dan Toler 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 0 1 1 2 1 1 2 0 3
Aaron Jackson 1 2 1 2 4 4 1 1 0 4 4 0 2 2 0 4
Bart Macquet 2 10 10 6 8 10 2 4 2 4 8 2 1 2 0 22
Tristan Horan 2 8 4 4 10 10 2 2 2 4 2 2 1 6 4 34
Will Hubbard 3 2 2 1 1 1 3 4 4 1 1 1 1 4 1 5
Daniel Behr 1 1 1 0 1 1 3 2 2 1 1 4 1 3 1 11
Grayson Kitchen 15 7 7 4 7 1 11 11 1 13 10 3 0 2 1 7
Malik Galloway 4 2 2 1 2 2 4 6 4 1 1 3 1 5 1 5
Hayden Allen 4 2 4 1 2 4 6 8 6 1 1 6 0 0 1 5
Isaiah Young 9 5 2 0 0 3 13 3 11 3 3 2 1 2 0 7

Three starters from last year's team have departed, and their losses will be missed greatly. Anthony Carreno, Chris Burke, and Chris Como won't be easily replaced.

However, at the same time, coach Toby Whittaker welcomes back two players who played key roles in last year's starting five, and both emerge from camp as more complete, more dynamic players.

Senior Isaiah Young might never be a game-changing offensive player, but his ability to crash the boards and play stalwart defense will be crucial to the Cavaliers' success. Isaiah has responded to the challenge of an increased role each season; this year, he'll return to a job he's already done well.

Grayson Kitchen was an All-ACC freshman team member last year, and he appears ready to take his game to the next level this season. The former five-star recruit made significant improvement in a number of key skills.

Grayson's classmate Hayden Allen steps into the starting lineup at center this fall. Hayden's offensive game is still a work in progress, but he's prepared to pair with Isaiah to control the paint at both ends of the floor.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the preseason was the readiness of first year point guard Caleb Roberts to play college basketball. Caleb's clever passing, secure ballhandling, and on-ball defense should play at the ACC level. He is the only Blue/Blue player on this year's roster.

The fifth starter is another freshman, Tristan Horan. Tristan, a natural point guard, will shift to the off guard spot, where he'll give us a reliable second ball-handler and provide us with another offensive option.

A pair of juniors, guard Cedric Maddux and post player Malik Galloway, will be the first two men off Coach Whittaker's bench. Cedric is extremely quick, and he can handle both backcourt spots. Malik looks like he's ready to accept a more important role; he's been productive in fairly limited action for the last two years.

Another of our talented freshmen, guard Bart Macquet, will compete for playing time with redshirt junior Aaron Jackson. Also available are wings Jake Gardiner and Tanner Herring and big man Will Hubbard. Freshman Donovan Sanchez will redshirt this season.

The recruiting classes we've brought in over the last three years have begun to close the talent gap between UVA and the ACC's elite. This year's Cavalier starters include four former five-star recruits, and there are more highly touted players on the bench. Duke, North Carolina, and Maryland will still open the season ranked higher than we are. They're all in the preseason Top Ten, while we make it onto the charts at #19 this season.

Of course, what matters most is how things stand in March, not in November. It looks like the Hoos should remain in the conversation about the nation's best teams.

[Young Drachma]

Good luck on the path to the repeat

[MoonlightGraham]

Congrats, great ending to Como's story...

Thanks, Chas. I love telling stories, and that is why this hobby is so enjoyable for me. FBCB seems perfectly suited for creating stories, and Chris Como's is one of my all-time favorites.

One of the things I like most about FBCB is that there seems to be more than one path to creating a successful program--just like there is (was?) in the real world of college basketball. It's more than "pile up five-star players and press the 'win' button."

Chris Como was far from a dominant all-around player. He wasn't especially athletic, and five of his skill scores never got higher than 32. Five Chris Comos wouldn't win many games at all, but one Chris Como could help a team win a national championship. Chris could do one thing extremely well--shoot the basketball--and his teammates took care of just about everything else.