Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Coach Graham Sims: A Pennsylvania Story (FBCB)

MoonlightGraham · 10-31-2023, 04:29 PM

March 17, 2024
NCAA Midwest Region, Second Round
(3) #6 Lafayette 75, (6) Cincinnati 50
Graham Sims was challenged by his AD to make it to the Sweet Sixteen this season, and a delightful victory over the Bearcats enables Coach Sims to reach his goal.

It's a trademark 2023/24 Leopards win, featuring solid defense, accurate three -point shooting (10-19), and lots of perimeter scoring from Byron Shores (24 points) and Micah Rodriguez (19), and the robust interior presence of Kurt Ritchie (13 rebounds, 2 blocks).

Meanwhile, Holy Cross is out of the NIT, while Colgate advances to the Round of Eight with victories over Nevada and Albany.
Record: 32-3.

March 22, 2024
NCAA Midwest Region Semifinal...the Sweet Sixteen
(7) #11 Oklahoma 64, (3) #6 Lafayette 61
Byron Shores sits on the floor, his head in his hands. Kenton Lashley walks over to rest a consoling hand on his shoulder. Kurt Ritchie shakes hands with seven-foot Sooner center Milton Garcia, a former five-star recruit who will be a lottery pick in the next pro draft. Garcia was able to shoot over the smaller Ritchie, outscoring him 16-2, but Kurt won the rebounding battle, 11-6.

Carlton McFadden and Woody Carrasquillo embrace Graham Sims, whose eyes glisten with tears as he thanks the two seniors who just completed their careers. Graham's wife, Mary Kate, watches from the stands, along with their son, Duncan, who will probably be in uniform the next time Lafayette takes the court.

Oklahoma coach Tracy Norton spends more time than usual with Graham during the postgame handshake session. Norton is 42 years old, two years younger than Graham. The two of them have won 707 games between them, and they are on everyone's short list of "best young NCAA coaches."

The Leopards trail by as many as nine points in the first half, but when Shores knocks down a three from the left corner at the 14:32 mark of the second half, they take a 42-37 lead. Now it's the Sooners' turn to battle back. A Lashley three with 3:17 remaining brings the Leopards back to within a point, 58-57, but that's as close as they can get.

Shores finishes with a game-high 19 points. He'd rather forget his 2-for-12 performance from three-point distance, but Max Cosper doesn't let Byron have the open looks he often gets against less athletic opponents. Will this be Byron's last game in Lafayette colors?

The Sooners roster is simply better, top to bottom, than Lafayette's, and in the end, their superior talent wins out. Graham still can't recruit the kind of studs Tracy Norton can attract to his Power Five program. We've never signed a four-star player out of high school, although K-Lash was a five-star recruit who joined us via the transfer portal.

Graham has turned Lafayette into the "best of the mid-majors." Where is the ceiling for a program like this one? Has he reached it yet?
Record: 32-4.

10-31-2023, 04:29 PM	#323
MoonlightGraham High School Varsity Join Date: Sep 2022	March 17, 2024 NCAA Midwest Region, Second Round (3) #6 Lafayette 75, (6) Cincinnati 50 Graham Sims was challenged by his AD to make it to the Sweet Sixteen this season, and a delightful victory over the Bearcats enables Coach Sims to reach his goal. It's a trademark 2023/24 Leopards win, featuring solid defense, accurate three -point shooting (10-19), and lots of perimeter scoring from Byron Shores (24 points) and Micah Rodriguez (19), and the robust interior presence of Kurt Ritchie (13 rebounds, 2 blocks). Meanwhile, Holy Cross is out of the NIT, while Colgate advances to the Round of Eight with victories over Nevada and Albany. Record: 32-3. March 22, 2024 NCAA Midwest Region Semifinal...the Sweet Sixteen (7) #11 Oklahoma 64, (3) #6 Lafayette 61 Byron Shores sits on the floor, his head in his hands. Kenton Lashley walks over to rest a consoling hand on his shoulder. Kurt Ritchie shakes hands with seven-foot Sooner center Milton Garcia, a former five-star recruit who will be a lottery pick in the next pro draft. Garcia was able to shoot over the smaller Ritchie, outscoring him 16-2, but Kurt won the rebounding battle, 11-6. Carlton McFadden and Woody Carrasquillo embrace Graham Sims, whose eyes glisten with tears as he thanks the two seniors who just completed their careers. Graham's wife, Mary Kate, watches from the stands, along with their son, Duncan, who will probably be in uniform the next time Lafayette takes the court. Oklahoma coach Tracy Norton spends more time than usual with Graham during the postgame handshake session. Norton is 42 years old, two years younger than Graham. The two of them have won 707 games between them, and they are on everyone's short list of "best young NCAA coaches." The Leopards trail by as many as nine points in the first half, but when Shores knocks down a three from the left corner at the 14:32 mark of the second half, they take a 42-37 lead. Now it's the Sooners' turn to battle back. A Lashley three with 3:17 remaining brings the Leopards back to within a point, 58-57, but that's as close as they can get. Shores finishes with a game-high 19 points. He'd rather forget his 2-for-12 performance from three-point distance, but Max Cosper doesn't let Byron have the open looks he often gets against less athletic opponents. Will this be Byron's last game in Lafayette colors? The Sooners roster is simply better, top to bottom, than Lafayette's, and in the end, their superior talent wins out. Graham still can't recruit the kind of studs Tracy Norton can attract to his Power Five program. We've never signed a four-star player out of high school, although K-Lash was a five-star recruit who joined us via the transfer portal. Graham has turned Lafayette into the "best of the mid-majors." Where is the ceiling for a program like this one? Has he reached it yet? Record: 32-4.