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FBCB - Furman University 2003
I have played some partial seasons with bigger teams, so it's time for a challenge. I'll start with my alma mater on the hardest difficulty level (100 coaching points). We'll see what happens!
This dynasty starts in 2003, with my namesake coach beginning his career. Let's look at him: COACH DETAILS Stephen Shaw - Head Coach - Furman -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Age: 33 High School: Eastside High Hometown: Greenville, SC Alma Mater: Furman Current Level: 0 Career Record: 0 - 0 Recruiting: 30 Scouting: 25 Offense: 20 Defense: 25 I now need to hire my assistant coaches, with the following directive and budget: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Current Goal: Avoid last place in the conference. Job Evaluation: The board of trustees is currently satisfied with your performance. Budget Data: Total Budget: $255,000 Staff Salaries: $0 Season Recruiting Budget: $0 Monthly Recruiting Budget: $0 Training Facilities: Current Rating: 22 Conference Rank: 10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Avoid last place, huh? Guess the standards could be lower, like "Don't kill any of your players." The facilities could be better, but winning can help that. Since my coaching skills are minimal, hiring the right coaches are the most important current task. I can deal with a lower recruiting budget, as my options there will be limited anyway with a 22 Prestige rating. After quite a few rounds of getting turned down by some good potential staff members, I way overspend for these guys: COACH DETAILS Cody Beamer - Recruiting Coordinator - Furman -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Age: 31 High School: Greenwood High School Hometown: Greenwood, IN Alma Mater: Marshall Current Level: 3 Career Record: 0 - 0 Salary: $90,000 Recruiting: 60 Scouting: 50 Offense: 10 Defense: 40 Jefferson Dell - Lead Scout - Furman -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Age: 35 High School: Smyrna High School Hometown: Smyrna, DE Alma Mater: Michigan State Current Level: 0 Career Record: 0 - 0 Salary: $50,000 Recruiting: 32 Scouting: 45 Offense: 8 Defense: 15 Andrew Kunkle - Coaching Assistant - Furman -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Age: 38 High School: Wayne County High School Hometown: Waynesboro, TN Alma Mater: New Hampshire Current Level: 4 Career Record: 0 - 0 Salary: $90,000 Recruiting: 59 Scouting: 14 Offense: 45 Defense: 62 After hiring these guys, I have $25,000 left for recruiting. Ooof. Well, let's see what kind of team I have. Centers Code:
Name Pos Ht Wt INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK PFS QKN STR JMP STAGlisson is obviously too raw right now, so he will get a redshirt. Parker is more of an offensive presence than Midgett, but Parker is a defensive sieve. I will play both of them, but the starter will depend on what kind of offense the rest of the team can provide. Power Forwards Code:
Name Pos Ht Wt INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK PFS QKN STR JMP STACatalan isn't bad for a walk-on, but he will get a redshirt. Lopez is the obvious starter, but has hands of stone. Athey will be a capable backup. Small Forwards Code:
Name Pos Ht Wt INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK PFS QKN STR JMP STALevi is the best most athletic and accurate jumpshooter of the bunch, so he will get some playing time. Vanatta is a nice defender in the post, but can't score. He may see some time at PF. Collin will start, as he handles the ball well and is almost the shooter Levi is while rebounding well. This position is a bit of a nightmare, so recruiting a SF is a priority. Shooting Guards Code:
Name Pos Ht Wt INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK PFS QKN STR JMP STACopenhaver is a total nightmare as a shooting guard, as he can't shoot. He will not see the floor. Lacombe is the best 3 point shooter, so he will see a little time, especially when we are behind at the end of games. Hartwig is the starter and will see a lot of PT. We have to get 1-2 SG in recruiting. Point Guards Code:
Name Pos Ht Wt INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK PFS QKN STR JMP STARigsby is the best ballhandler, but he might as well stay at halfcourt when we're on defense. Rodriguez isn't much better on D, but he has too much O to stay on the bench. Luke will come off the bench as the primary backup. We don't get any tourney invites, to my surprise (sarcasm). Now it's time to schedule, so I "sim month." Whoops, I forgot that to schedule, I have to double-click on dates and make my request. Oh well, I now have 3 schedule proposals in the inbox: at Winthrop (41), Morris Brown (2), and at Georgia State (64). I accept all those. We now have 9 openings to fill, 4 of which can be at home. We fill a few, but get turned down by many who "want a more challenging game." We now have 5 road openings, and will try to fill those. More importantly, it's recruiting time. We have 4 scholarships to give, and many needs to fill. I have 6 players with "Very High" interest; unfortunately, 5 of them are 1 star. Surprisingly, I have 3 3-star recruits with "High" interest in me. I will go after them hard. I only have $5,000 a month in recruiting budget. Wow. I immediately put every prospect whose interest in me is "very high" or "high" on my call list, and evaluate all of them that are 2 star or better and in the U.S. All of them have qualified academically, so that's good. I now have $641 left, so it looks like 1 more evaluation. I take a flyer on S.C.'s Mr. Basketball, the #32 SF in the US. I have 15 people on my call list and am doing 8 evaluations. Let's see what happens. August 2003 I now have only 1 road opening left. Shouldn't be too hard to fill. I once again try to get Clemson, who rejected us earlier. Maybe now they'll want to play. We have 2 *** SG who have very high interest. We decide to go very hard after this guy: Code:
#21 SG Seth RoundsWe offer him a campus visit and a scholarship. We now have $2100 left, and we spend that money on evaluating some more players close to home. September 2003 Clemson accepted our schedule offer, so the season looks like this: Code:
Furman 2003 Season ScheduleSG Seth Rounds is still very highly interested, so we send our assistant coach out for a visit. SG Thomas Hake is still very highly interested, so we offer him a scholie and campus visit. Code:
#32 SG Thomas HakeWe now have only $900 left. Ack! Every other player who has very high or high interest in us is a * player. We need to spend the money on evaluating a couple of them, and do. One is a 6'10" C and the other is... well, we can't evalulate another because we have less than $500 left. Damn. So, we purge the call list of players with very low interest and add some players to it who have more interest. While checking it out, we see that a *** PF from the UK (#23 PF overall) has us 2nd on his list, I guess because we had him on our call list. We offer him a scholie on the spot and will spend the 2G next month to evaluate him. October 2003 Well, no commitments yet, but SG Rounds and Hake are still very high in interest and have us #1. Remember that 6'10" * C? Here he is: Code:
#15 C Leonel ItoOoof. He is a 3-point shooting, rebounding machine if nothing else. We will hold off on him for now. The PF from the UK is visiting Chattanooga this month but has us #2 on his list, so we evaluate him for $2,000. The rest of the money will be spent evaluating players. November 2003 The PF from the UK turned out to be wasted money, as he committed to Chattanooga. Here is what we missed out on: Code:
#35 PF Amon CharigDamn. I could have used him. Oh well, we move on. the SG are still very interested, so I send an assistant out to visit SG Rounds. We clear out some guys from the call list. This month also calls on us to set our training plan prior to our first game. I don't really care for this much, so I hit "recommend" and check it briefly. Next on the list is setting strategy and playing our first game. |
I reconsider on C Ito and offer him a scholarship. I scout our first opponent and notice that they don't have many guys who can create their own shot or handle the ball well. I plan to press and trap them relentlessly.
The depth chart ends up like this: C Charles Midgett PF John Lopez SF Jose Collin SG Charles Lacombe PG Mike Rodriguez Looking at these guys, Lopez is the best offensive player and will be a focus, as will Rodriguez with his JPS and 3PS. Our backcourt is very athletic and Lacombe will have lots of steals. Unfortunately, our perimeter D is very suspect, so we will need to double-team a lot outside. We have the presence of mind to avoid fouls, especially in the frontcourt, and have enough stamina to maintain a pressing/trapping game. On offense, our passing is suspect, but we handle the ball OK. I look to have a high-paced game (8) with low motion (2) and average 3 point usage (6). We will play a MtM, 2-3, and 1-3-1 zone. We will press and trap like crazy, at least against this opponent (9,9) and use little inside double teaming (3) but more outside doubling (7). I will start out by letting the CPU coach. Let's see what happens. Furman 67, Gardner Webb 34 Code:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Looks like my scouting and gameplan was right on, as we hassled them into 25 turnovers and got 13 steals. Elvin Parker was very effective, grabbing 7 boards, scoring 4 points and blocking a shot. That's what I want out of a C. PF Lopez was dominant and needs more playing time. SG Hartwig made a point that he needs to start with 11 points and 3 steals. All in all, a good opening performance against a poor team. Let's see what happens when we face some better competition. Next game is a bit more difficult: Clemson. Their C, PF, and SF are devastating inside players. They handle the ball better than G-Webb, but not by too much. They really don't have too much of an outside game, so the plan will be to pack it in defensively and double heavy down low. On defense, they are very strong in all facets. This will be a challenge. If I had to predict the outcome, it would be Clemson beating us around 60-45. They will probably shut down our offense. Clemson 71, Furman 56 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsWell, I got the margin exactly right. We led at halftime by 1, thanks to Clemson's 14 1st half fouls. Clemson led in every stat at halftime except the score. This game was exactly like a Furman-Clemson real life game: close 1st half, but Clemson wears Furman down in the 2nd half. And that's what happened, as Clemson took control of the inside, outrebounding us 44-31. There was nothing we could do as we shot .352 from the field and 2-19 from 3-point land. That's .105 for those scoring at home. Jose Collin got a few more minutes and was productive. John Lopez got in foul trouble, and that hurt us. I like our effort against a tough, deep, ACC team. The future looks good if we can just shoot better. Coppin State 77, Furman 75 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsThis is one of the worst games ever played. If I had been there I would have asked for my money back. Both teams were in the penalty within 8 minutes. The halftime score was CPST 38 FUR 37, but more importantly, total fouls were CPST 19 fouls to Furman's 18. It seemed like every play had a foul called. Unfortunately, we shoot 63% on FT and they shoot 83%. Coming out in the second half, CPST is in the penalty within 5 minutes. We can't take advantage, and the game is tied with 21 seconds to go when CPST hits a jumper. There were 63 fouls total, and our bench couldn't pull it out. Our next game is against Marist. They are 318 in RPI andhave a 52 prestige. They are a good team with a great PG. I look at my lineup and roster and make some depth chart changes. Most notably, I bench SF Collin and let Athey start there, but his PT is at 1 and Collin is at 10. I notice that some ratings have gone up. One player 's FT rating is up by 30 pts. Is this normal? Marist 88, Furman 58 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsWell, we got smoked. It was 44-34 at the half, but... wow. PG Isaac Painter is an All-American if he plays like this. Look at his line! He had 25 in the 1st half and opened the 2nd half with 2 more 3's. We just can't shoot. It irritates me. We also have 20 TO's. On the good side, Athey was inspired amd blocked 2 shots to start the game and SF Collin played maybe his best game of the year. I feel that my strategy is off. Let me post what I have and get some comments. Pace: 8 Motion: 2 3P usage: 4 Offense: Balanced (used to be Outside) Key Players: PG Rodriguez, PF Lopez Defenses: M2M (73), 2-3 (73), 1-3-1 (73) Press: 8 Trap: 8 Double inside: 7 Double outside: 3 Any ideas? In other news, it's obvious that Lacombe can't hack it at SG, so SG Hartwig will now start. I also move PF Lopez to SF and Athey to PF. Our last game in November is against Georgia State (3-0, 64 prestige, RPI: 324). Their front line is devastating: Code:
Georgia State Player Offense AttributesThis could get ugly. Georgia State 101, Furman 70 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsWell, that was ugly. Once again we get toasted by a G, as McNeil was awesome. PG Luke Long is a turnover machine and will not be playing much PG anymore. The halftime score was 50-39 GST, and it was a miracle that it was that close because GST shot 64% 3-pointers. SF Collin and PG Rodriguez had great halves, but SF/PF Lopez isn't getting enough shots. At the beginning of the 2nd half, we burst out and cut the lead to 5 within 2 minutes. and then turn the ball over 3 times and their lead is back to 12 within a blink. I'm not sure what to make of my team, We have terrible 3 point shooting and poor perimeter defense. I'm going to post the stats and see what you guys think I can do. Code:
Furman Player AveragesDecember 2003 We have our first recruit! Thomas Hake, a *** SG has committed to play for us. Code:
RECRUIT DETAILSWe are very happy to land a *** recruit, and he should help our anemic shooting. In other recruiting news, C Ito turns us down for... THE CITADEL?!?!?!?!?! Bastard!!! Looking at what's left in recruiting, it's not good. The only players with high interest left are *. There are 3 *** recruits left who have an average interest in us. One is a PG who handles the ball very well (2.07 A/T) and 2 SG, one being Seth Rounds (above). We're still his only offer, as he is obviously holding out for Florida to offer. I go visit and try to woo him. We send the assistant out to visit the other SG and offer him. We evaluate the PG and call him. Hell, we go ahead and offer him. OK, we search through virtually all the ** and *** recruits to see if someone is being overlooked. Then, it's game time. We decide to change up the strategy a bit a go with a slower pace and more motion to create some shots for our shot-creating-deficient players. We'll cut back on the pressing too. Alabama State 80, Furman 66 Code:
We get torched by another guard who shot better than 50% from 3 point range. Also, they had massive inside presence and outrebounded us by 19. On the good side, PG Rodriguez had a great game and Lopez took more shots. Central Florida 64, Furman 45 Code:
Furman (1-6):This is disgusting. We should have destroyed this team. We led by 1 at the half, but got outrebounded by 12 and turned the ball over waaaaay too much, in addition to shooting 30 freakin' percent. The Athey experiment seems to have fizzled, so we'll put Collin back in and crank the pace back up. Furman 83, Radford 75 Code:
Furman (2-6):A nice win. We led 48-42 at the half despite their shooting 57% from the arc. Elvin Parker came out of nowhere for 12 pts. and SG Hartwig had a great game. Collin had another solid performance with 11 pts and 9 rebs. Furman 72, High Point 49 Code:
High Point (2-6)Another nice win where we led 39-28 at the half. PF Lopez had a monster game with 14 pts and 15 rebs, and SF Collin had 17 pts and 10 rebs. Winthrop 76, Furman 52 Code:
Furman (3-7):We shoot 34% and get crushed. We trailed 42-30 at halftime, and were shooting 0% on 3 pointers. That's right-ZERO. Morris Brown 58, Furman 51 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsTerrible, terrible. We shoot 29% in the 1st half and trail 25-23, open up a double-digit lead in the 2nd, only to lose a nip-and-tuck game. We HAVE to get some better shooters in here. I even put the focus on the inside game to try and raise the shooting %, to no avail. Furman 87, Morgan State 68 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsWhat a game for PF John Lopez! 16 pts and 16 rebs. PG Rodriguez took 10 3's and made 4 en route to 26 pts. A good win to end December. January 2004 Great news, as we land another *** recruit, SG Seth Rounds that we targeted at the start of the season. He should add a lot to our team. We now look for the best player left, and do some evaluating. We offer a *** SF and *** SG with low and very low interest. The dress rehearsal is over, as we begin conference play against Wofford (3-7) at home. Here is our record so far: Code:
Furman 2003 Season ScheduleGeorgia State is awesome. I look for them to make the tourney. That PG of theirs is leading the nation in scoring. Our team summary is: Code:
Furman 2003 Season InfoLook at that crappy shooting. Ugh. Wofford is 3-7 with an RPI of 209, so let's see how we stack up. Furman 74, Wofford 33 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsWhat a beatdown. This looks like a new team. We led 41-13 at the half, shooting 56% from 3. I like our play. Everyone contributed. Now we get our arch-rival... THE CITADEL. They are 4-7 and 1-0 in the conference. |
Furman 68, The Citadel 52
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Furman (6-8):We lead 33-25 at the half, shooting many more 3's than I want (I have them set to 0), but we're making 33% of them at least. We have held them to 18% shooting in the half. Amazing defensive effort. They end up shooting 27% and we are never in danger. Our front line was solid, and C Midgett had 3 blocks. He really changed the game inside. (Note: After the game, there was a mild disturbance as a naked man ran onto the court, screaming, "I'm not gay, I swear! Absinthe rules! Vegas doesn't suck, Shaw sucks! He was later identifed as "B.P." of Charleston.) We are 2-0 in the conference and playing well. Next is Western Carolina (3-9, 0-3, #283 RPI). Our scout tells us that they are not a strong team, very weak defensively in the paint, and have problems creating shots. Furman 79, Western Carolina 72 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsSF Collin collects 8 pts and 4 rbs as we lead 35-24 at the half. WCU hangs around, actually closing to within 3 pts with 4 mins left, but a 3 by SF Collin stops their comeback. PF Lopez gets another double-double, and Collin has 16-7 despite foul trouble. We now travel to Wofford with a chance to climb to .500 on the year and 4-0 in the conference. Furman 79, Wofford 62 Code:
Furman (8-8):The outcome is never really in doubt. SF Collin and PG Rodriguez have established themselves as the main scoring threats on the team, while PF Lopez and C Midgett control the inside. During this winning streak, we have shot well, controlled the boards, and minimized turnovers. We're back to .500, we lead the South Division by a game, and prepare to travel to ETSU, who leads the North Division with a 13-3, 4-0 record and #183 RPI ranking. Let's get it on! |
East Tennessee State 67, Furman 45
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Furman (8-9):We got served. We shot 26%, and can't expect to beat anybody with that kind of performance. I hope this isn't the beginning of another slump. Furman 56, VMI 53 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsThis game was much closer than it should have been. Another poor shooting night by SF Collin and PG Rodriguez almost cost us. C Midgett and C Parker controlled the inside defensively and won the game for us. Things don't get any easier, as we now travel to College of Charleston (14-4, 5-1, #66 RPI) for probably our toughest test of the season. They have the #1 ranked scoring defense in the country, thanks to a massive frontcourt. Their perimeter D is only average, so we will play from the outside and double down on the inside. This could get ugly, though, as they have an incredible SG, and that has given us trouble all year. College of Charleston 92, Furman 69 Code:
Furman (9-10):Yep, their SG was unconscious. We had 27 fouls to their 17, so our reserves had to play way too much. PG Rigsby is our PG of the future, as he had a career-high 16. Collin was on the bench most of the game and got shut out. |
Furman 68, Appalachian State 64
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Furman (10-10):A good win for us, as our 2 best players foul out with 10 minutes to go. PG Rodriguez almost gave the game to them when he fouled out: Code:
2nd Half Time Remaining: 4:00 Appalachian State 55, Furman 62Dumbass. And he really is a dumbass, as I get a message that he has been suspended for a month due to poor academic performance. D'oh! Looks like PG Rigsby will get his chance a bit early. Lots of news: the AD approved our request for a higher budget, and has made an extra $22,893 available! Strangely, the money doesn't show up in my recruiting budget for this month. Maybe it will next month. Also, the *** PG turned us down, but the *** SF who hasn't even been evaluated accepted our offer. I hope he isn't a choad. Code:
RECRUIT DETAILSWe have 1 more scholarship and we need a ball-handling PG or a big man. Getting 3 *** guys at a 22 prestige school in a 2 prestige conference seems like a coup. Is this too easy, or am I gonna be surprised come next season? |
well, remember they were 3* based on your scouts ;)
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I thought it was half my scouts and half "actual?"
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actually full scouts and half your rating
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Actually the stars rating comes from the league scout:
"Ok, here is how it works: The players on your team use the actual numbers. With recruits, there is a combination of the league scout and the team scout. The league scout gives the star rating and lists the overall rankings by position. So if you sort by overall rating, that is how the league scout ranks the player. The individual scouted attributes and potentials come from the team scout." |
UNC Greensboro 78, Furman 74
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Furman (10-11):This was a very even game. Once again, foul trouble really did us in. It could have gone either way. Georgia Southern 78, Furman 75 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsA very frustrating loss. Free throws killed us, as they had 29 fouls and we shot 63%. Now we get CoC in our house, and we anticipate a blowout. Furman 62, College of Charleston 53 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsWow! We beat the #35 team in the RPI, and the leader of the South Division! We didn't play our best, but we "held" their stud SG to 24 pts and them to 27% 3-pt. shooting. We led 37-26 at the half, and the closest they got was 5 pts. We slowed the pace down and that seems to have helped with the fouling. Now we get a rematch with Georgia Southern, and we must avoid a letdown. Georgia Southern 69, Furman 60 Code:
Furman (11-13):The slower pace hurt us here, as GASO had 8 steals. PF Lopez's terrible shooting didn't help either. Now we're battling for a better tournament seed, and the first hurdle is Davidson, who leads the North Division. Furman 64, Davidson 63 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsAnother huge win against a very good team with a thrilling ending where we tried to give it away: Code:
2nd Half Time Remaining: 1:02 Furman 64, Davidson 60Chattanooga 56, Furman 46 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsPF Lopez and PG Rigsby cost us this game with combined 2-17 shooting. We need to shoot better, but that's been a common refrain all year. We should be pumped up for the next game, a home rematch with our arch-rival, The Citadel. Furman 73, The Citadel 56 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsA nice game for everyone. I have messed with the depth chart in an effort to get SG Hartwig and SG Lacombe on thye court for their shooting talents, and let PF Lopez and C Midgett handle the inside. It's working well so far. Our last game is against Chattanooga, and whoever wins will finish at .500 and 2nd place in the South Division. Chattanooga 76, Furman 53 Code:
Furman (13-15):Tough game for us, as CHATT shot 19-19 from the line and 50% from the field. We now proceed to the tournament, and hope we don't get match up with these guys again. March 2004 Thankfully, we get PG Rodriguez back after his suspension. We check the recruiting budget, and the extra money still hasn't shown up. I don't know how this works. We're seeded #5 in the tourney, the highest seed without a 1st round bye. We play the #12 seed VMI. Furman 68, VMI 60 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsWhat a return by PG Rodriguez! He provides the difference, and we move on to play... Davidson. Ugh. |
I think I figured out the additional funds issue. There must be a floor of $50,000 for recruiting, because even after the additional money, I should only have $47,893 for recruiting, but I've had $50,000 all year.
Anyway, we now face Davidson, who beat us by 1 point at their place earlier this year. We didn't have PG Rodriguez, though. Maybe he will make the difference. Davidson 75, Furman 52 Code:
Furman (14-16):Not much you can do when you turn the ball over 17 times and foul 19 times. We trailed at the half 35-30, but Rodriguez got his 3rd foul with 5 mins left in the half. It was a very good year, considering our AD just wanted us to stay out of last place. Now we watch everyone else play and try to get a solid 4th recruit. Unranked UNC beat #6 Duke in the ACC final to make the tourney, and unranked Georgia beat #19 Mississippi in the SEC final. Davidson beat CoC and ETSU to win the Southern Conference. They get a #13 seed and play Charlotte. CoC gets an at-large bid and a #9 seed. They get Oregon. Marist lost in the semis of their tournament and get snubbed by the NCAA. They are a #1 seed in the NIT. Davidson gets killed by Arizona, but CoC beats Oregon by 9. #11 UNC beats #6 Gonzaga. Marist makes it to the NIT Final 4, and the NCAA final 4 is: #1 seed Stanford, #1 Ok. St., #1 Florida, and #5 IU. Marist loses to Vandy in the semis. The PG we offered turns us down, so we concentrate on the Southeast region and evaluate as many players as we can. I just saw that PG Rodriguez is a Sophomore (I don't know how I missed that before), so we need a PG to redshirt if we can get one. Stanford beats Florida and Ok. St. kills IU. Stanford beats Ok. St. for the Naitonal Championship! Looking at the manual, recruiting ends in April, so I guess I'll be stuck with a walk-on if I don't pick a guy to get a scholarship. We offer PG Marlon Brown and send our assistant our to make the offer in person. May 2004 PG Brown accepts our offer, and FBCB News rated our recruiting class as the #102 class in the nation, and 2nd best in our conference! We are shut out of any conference awards, though. Now for coach hiring. |
I have to free up some money for recruiting, so someone has to go from the staff. The best candidates are our asst. coach and scout, because I can get someone with comparable ratings a little cheaper. I fire our recruiting guy, because despite the good class, he is too expensive at $90K. His replacement is:
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Chris Vue - Recruiting Coordinator - FurmanHis recruiting rating is 15 less than the last guy, but we save $40K. I then fire the assistant coach and miss on all our cheaper targets, so I have to pony up the $90K for this guy: Code:
Coy Warden - Coaching Assistant - FurmanHe has 12 points more on offense than the last guy and only 8 points less on defense. We like him. The, my scouting director up and quits on me, which we didn't want. We miss on guy after guy after guy, and finally get this guy: Code:
Joseph Crawford - Lead Scout - FurmanHe has 15 less points than the last guy, but he's $20K cheaper, so it may be a wash. We spent $60K less this year and ask for more money. We don't get invited to any tourneys, so let's move forward. |
June 2004
The AD gave us $22,005 more money, so this year we have over double the money to recruit: $109,505. The goal for this season is again to avoid last place, and the board is currently delighted with my performance. Our prestige increases 1 to 23. Time to schedule, and I am going to follow SkyDog's recommendations. July 2004 We continue to fill our schedule as recruiting begins. We have to land some big men and a SF with our 4 scholarships. We definitely don't need a SG unless he can play SF. A star PG won't be turned away. Looks like the only players who have at least a high interest in us are * guys, with 1 exception of a ** guy. Last season I had 3 3-star recruits with "High" interest in me. My work is cut our for me. August 2004 We have our schedule set: Code:
Furman 2004 Season ScheduleSome very strong road games to get us ready at the beginning. Our recruiting continues, as we now have 3 *** players interested in us: a C, PF, and SF. Their evaluations are fairly strong. We get them to campus and send assistants out to look at some *** players who still have average interest. |
I don't know if you know this, but ideally you want your assistant coach to have a decent recruiting rating if you're going to send him on visits.
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HR hasn't made it explicitely clear, but on his own forum has indicated that the "Assistant Coach"'s recruiting rating has absolutely NO effect on recruiting.
So, IMO, don't worry about it. |
"HR ... a question for you on this topic ...
If I send both my Head Coach AND my Assistant Coach to visit a recruit in the same month, do I get the combined recruiting power of both ... or just the larger of the two during that month? Thanks! You get the effects of both. Quote: Another question: If your assistant has higher recruting than the head coach, is there are reason to send the head? Does sending each of them at a certian point make any difference? The head coach generally has more impact on the recruit since he is more important. Of course, if you really want a player you should probably just send both the head coach and the assistant." I read that as saying recruiting skill does matter. |
October 2004
We keep recruiting hard. November 2004 One of our *** targets turns us down, so we up the pressure on the rest of them. No commitments yet. It's time for training camp, so let's look at the team. First, the career averages (which are last year's averages): Code:
Name Pos G GS Min Pts OReb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO FlWe lost 3 starters and a lot of points and rebounds. Here are the shooting stats from last year: Code:
Name Pos FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P%Centers Code:
Name Pos Ht Wt INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK PFS QKN STR JMP STAPower Forwards Code:
Name Pos Ht Wt INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK PFS QKN STR JMP STASmall Forwards Code:
Name Pos Ht Wt INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK PFS QKN STR JMP STAShooting Guards Code:
Name Pos Ht Wt INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK PFS QKN STR JMP STAPoint Guards Code:
Name Pos Ht Wt INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK PFS QKN STR JMP STARodriguez is the obvious starter, but he will shift to SG as needed, as Rigsby is a good ballhandler. Long is a turnover machine and will be a defensive backup. PG Brown was the #812 prospect in the US last year and will be redshirted. |
We fool around with the training settings and run camp, and see some significant ratings increases! I didn't know it happened now. Therefore, I edited the roster details above.
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I'm not sure, but the impression I've always got is that he's taking "assistant" to mean "recruiting coordinator" - else, what would the recruiting coordinator do? |
We lose another potential recruit, a *** PG. Oh well, time to start the season.
Furman 69, Gardner Webb 67 Code:
Furman (1-0):A thriller that PF Vanatta wins for us with a jumper at the end. Except for the turnovers, my freshmen had great first games. SG Roland had 12 pts. and 7 rebs in the first half. G-W is a really crappy team, and there is no way this game should have been so close. It appears that we have no defense and turn it over too much. I hope this improves. Morris Brown 74, Furman 61 Code:
Furman (1-1):It doesn't improve. One thing is that we get killed in the 2-3 zone, so that defense is gone. We're going to have bad shooting games like this, so we better get used to it. SF Roland had a double-double and SG Rounds had a great game until he fouled out. Rodriguez only played 20 mins due to foul trouble. Charlotte 83, Furman 52 Code:
Furman (1-2):Well, that was disappointing. A hard-core loss. It doesn't get any easier. Pepperdine is up next. |
Pepperdine 94, Furman 47
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Furman (1-3):This is going to be a long year. New Mexico 99, Furman 60 Code:
Furman (1-4):The halftime score was NM 43, FUR 36. They came out and absolutely smoked us within 6 minutes of the second half. They hit everything, we hit nothing. One more game in the road trip. UNC Wilmington 87, Furman 54 Code:
Furman (1-5):They were a 3-point shooting machine, and once again we don't shoot and get outrebounded by 26. I'm definitely looking for an inside presence in recruiting. |
December 2004
Every one of our potential *** recruits turned us down. I guess this game isn't so easy after all. We start our homestand, and hope that our tough start has toughened us up a bit. North Carolina A&T 68, Furman 55 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsNope. Shit. Furman 80, Middle Tennessee State 47 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsNow that's the kind of game we can play when we shoot well. Roland and Rounds are going to be special players, and I still have another good one redshirting. Samford 59, Furman 55 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsWe let this one get away, as we led by 8 with about 6 minutes left. Rodriguez has to stay out of foul trouble. We need him on the court. Samford is no patsy, so I feel good about how we're improving. Valparaiso 70, Furman 67 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsOr not. Furman 72, UNC Asheville 54 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsA good win, but SG Rounds broke his nose. He's out for 9 days. Thankfully, we don't play again until January. |
Just to clear up the recruiting issue of who actually goes on the Assistant Visit...it's the Recruiting coordinator, and not the actual Assistant Coach. Just read it on the FBCB forum a few seconds ago. I always thought it was the Coaching Assistant so this is good to know.
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January 2004
We get our first recruit, a * PF. Code:
#5 PF Charles StillwellWe think he has a great deal of potential to be a scoring PF, if his ratings are true. We begin the conference schedule with 2 games against (1-7) Wofford. Wofford 71, Furman 55 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsJeez. Wofford 67, Furman 54 Code:
Furman (3-10):Even worse. The only difference in the stats is turnovers. We had 21 to their 11. Sad. I don't know what to do. Now we get our arch-rival Citadel at our place. Furman 70, The Citadel 57 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsSo this is what winning feels like! We only shot 39%, but kept turnovers down and shot 11-25 from the arc. We need more games like this from Rodriguez. East Tennessee State 63, Furman 59 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsRodriguez gets his 2nd foul in the first minute, and we pretty much are screwed. Add in 19 turnovers and we definitely screwed. College of Charleston 63, Furman 48 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsRodriguez has 0 points. 'Nuff said. We get a message that tells us why. Code:
Mike Rodriguez was forced to leave our last game due to a Fractured Skull. We expect him to be out for around 54 days.54 days? For a skull fracture? What a pussy. Furman 52, Western Carolina 40 Code:
Furman (5-12):Willie Catalan comes out of nowhere to lead the team to victory. I knew he had potential, but I didn't think he could play this well. Furman 74, Appalachian State 69 Code:
Furman (6-12):Wow. We're a better team without Rodriguez! Ewing theory in full effect, yo! |
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You are right, HR confirmed that it's the RC's skill that is used when you send the assistant coach on trips. |
February 2005
We miss out on another *** PG we had recruited hard. Things are looking very bleak. We offer 2 more good PG and a SF from Germany. We now get Georgia Southern, who is 2nd in the division right now. We hope the hot streak keeps rolling. Furman 72, Georgia Southern 71 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsWhat a game! Who else but Willie Catalan hits the go-ahead basket with 20 seconds left to get the win. Now we get Georgia Southern at their place (this scheduling is a bit unrealistic) and they're out for revenge. Georgia Southern 55, Furman 54 Code:
Furman (7-13):We should have won this game, but we missed a lot of shots early, and then this: Code:
2nd Half Time Remaining: 0:05 Georgia Southern 55, Furman 54Didn't use 1 of our 4 remaining TOs, didn't even get off a desperation shot. Oh well. Davidson 77, Furman 66 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsWe were totally outclassed here. No big surprise. Furman 78, VMI 74 Code:
Furman (8-14):I am really liking PF Catalan. He is the leader of the team right now, and PG Rigsby is distributing the ball well. |
The Citadel 74, Furman 41
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Furman (8-15):We can't expect much when Catalan gets his 4th foul in the first half and we shoot 28%. Chattanooga 73, Furman 44 Code:
Furman (8-16):We shoot 31%. Nothing else to say. College of Charleston 76, Furman 56 Code:
Furman (8-17):This is getting ponderous. Chattanooga 62, Furman 61 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsFurman 80, UNC Greensboro 79 Code:
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF PtsNice win, but still ponderous. Great game for SG Rounds. March 2005 Well, that great game for SG Rounds was his last of the year. He's suspended for poor academic performance. In other great news, we lose the 2 *** recruits we offered. Our entire class will be * guys. The future looks bleak. And recruiting ends in April, so I can't even evaluate more guys. This sucks. I lose to Marist. I'm sick of simming. We get App St. in the 1st round of the tourney. Furman 63, Appalachian State 47 Code:
Furman (10-19):This makes me feel a little better. We now get the #1 seed CoC, so my happiness is short-lived. College of Charleston 54, Furman 53 Code:
Furman (10-20):We led the whole game, except for the last 3 seconds. Bummer. April 2005 I quicksim through the month, as the tournament doesn'e interest me at this point. We get turned down by the other *** recruits, of course, but we get 2 * guys. Code:
#24 PF Tom WesternCode:
#45 PG Jerrell GoodwinNow I realize that recruiting ends after this month, so I should have evaluated a lot more people. I will try and do the best I can. SF Roland was named to the Freshman All-Conference Team! May 2005 Our recruiting class has been rated the #252 class in the nation. Our last recruit is a C. Code:
#22 C Lacy Libby - Furman - FreshmanI just now realized that PF Tom Western is a Juco guy. I'm not overly thrilled about that. |
Although the guys you recruited are rated only * it doesn't mean they can't be productive players. I've even seen * players be conference player of the year in small conferences before, so don't hang your head just yet. Look at your first two recruits closely, the PF Western has decent ratings and potential in the key areas of rebounding, post defense, blocks and inside scoring. Same thing with the PG Goodwin as far as handling, passing, perimeter defense, and steals which is always a plus. Train those guys properly and you might be pleasantly suprised by their performance once they step on the court.
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Thanks for the reassurance! :)
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