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

MoonlightGraham · 05-18-2023, 01:17 PM

December 3, 2020
@Lafayette 107, Yale 82
After scoring 100 points only twice in eight seasons, this year's Leopards have done so three times.

Thomas Lucy contributes 12 of those points, and Matthew Ackerman 16. Tim Hutchinson knocks down 10 of 13 shots and scores 26. Those are all fine performances...and then there's Matt Robles.

The freshman center shoots 13-for-16 from the field and 11-for-14 from the line. That's 35 points, friends. He adds 8 rebounds for good measure.

We're now the highest-scoring team in the nation, averaging 89.0 points per game.
Record: 5-2.

December 6, 2020
Lafayette 94, @Creighton 86
We visit another very good team and come away with another victory in a high-scoring contest.

We win this one at the free throw line, shooting 58 foul shots (!) and making 45 (!!) of them. Only six times has a team made more in a single game. Tim Hutchinson was a perfect 13-for-13, while Matt Robles accounted for 9 of our 13 misses, shooting 4-for-13. That's a lot of 13s. I hope it's not a bad omen.

Robles tied Matthew Ackerman for our scoring honors with 18, and grabbed 9 rebounds. Hutchinson had 17. Thomas Lucy added 13, Jamie Kelso 10.

Kelso twisted his ankle again, and he'll be day-to-day for a bit. I won't take chances with his health; Ben Miele is more than ready to step in.
Record: 6-2.

December 9, 2020
@Lafayette 61, Elon 53
This score looks a bit more like the ones I used to know. Elon isn't anywhere close to the caliber of some of the teams we've played this year, so our lackluster offensive showing surprises me.

Tim Hutchinson is the one Leopard who performs up to his usual standard: 15 points, 8 rebounds. A bunch of guys get 6 or 8 rebounds apiece, and Matthew Ackerman dishes out 5 assists.
Record: 7-2.

December 12, 2020
@Lafayette 98, Maine 74
The Black Bears are off to a rough 1-5 start, and we don't help matters any when they visit the Kirby Center.

Thomas Lucy pours in 24 points, the most in his brief career to date, with 9 rebounds. Matt Robles adds 19 more, and Matthew Ackerman contributes 18 with 3 steals. Jamie Kelso returns to the lineup and comes close to a triple double: 8 points, 11, assists, 9 rebounds.
Record: 8-2.

December 15, 2020
@Lafayette 66, St. John's 65
This game provides the Kirby Center crowd with a finish that sent some blood pressures skyrocketing on both sides.

We take a 66-63 lead when Jamie Kelso makes two free throws with 15 seconds remaining. Determined not to allow a game-tying three, we force Kenneth Carreno to drive the lane. Matthew Ackerman gets a piece of him...and Carreno's shot drops.

No time remains on the clock as Carreno steps to the line with a chance to send the game into OT. Our student section will claim full credit for Carreno's miss.

Ackerman, with his 18 points and 2 blocked shots, thereby retains the hero role. Matt Robles finishes with 14 points and 8 rebounds, Kelso 9 with 5 assists. Carreno had 22 for the Red Storm.

The victory is #250 of Graham Sims' career. His record stands at 250-69, and his wins total is 6th all-time. That ranking is fluid, since all the coaches near him in the list are also active.
Record: 9-2.

December 17, 2020
@Lafayette 86, William & Mary 60
Win #251 is a fairly easy one over the visiting Tribe, who kept it within five points for 20 minutes before we pull away.

Matt Robles is making almost 62 percent of his shots this season, and today he makes 8 of 13 en route to a game-high 19 points. Tim Hutchinson (18), Matthew Ackerman (15), and Thomas Lucy (12) follow him in double digits. Jamie Kelso makes only one shot, but hands out 9 assists.
Record: 10-2.

December 20, 2020
@Pennsylvania 66, Lafayette 57
The Quakers are tough, and they prove it tonight, running their record to 7-1 with a stout defense of their home court.

Our .306 shooting percentage, which includes .265 (9 for 34) from three-point distance, does us in. Tim Hutchinson plays well, with 18 points (4-6 from three), but he and Matt Robles (14 points, 9 rebounds) are the only ones who do.
Record: 10-3.

December 24, 2020
Lafayette 80, @#10 Pittsburgh 72
I would have predicted we'd go 1-1 in a pair of games that included a home date with Penn and an away date with Pitt. Shows you what I know.

A return to sound defensive principles and our ability to draw fouls and make our opponent pay for them are the keys to our upset victory. We shoot 29-41 from the line, making 11 more than the Panthers do. That accounts for our margin of victory, plus a few.

Tim Hutchinson is Player of the Game, scoring 16 points with 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Credit also goes to Asdrubal Cruz, with his 9 points and 13 rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench, and Thomas Lucy, for his 14 points.
Record: 11-3.

December 27, 2020
Lafayette 88, @Ohio State 79
All five of our starters reach double digits in scoring, led by Thomas Lucy's 23 and Matthew Ackerman's 19, as we take the measure of the Buckeyes on the road.

The "Everybody Rebounds" creed is embraced again tonight; five Leopards grab between 5 and 9, with Asdrubal Cruz and Matt Robles accounting for 9 each.

Freshman wing Alexander Schwinghammer plays 14 minutes for Ohio State, scoring two points. I wish I'd spotted him when he was a recruit. I would have tried to sign him for his name alone. (He's actually quite good; he was ranked #151 nationally.)
Record: 12-3.

05-18-2023, 01:17 PM	#254
MoonlightGraham High School Varsity Join Date: Sep 2022	December 3, 2020 @Lafayette 107, Yale 82 After scoring 100 points only twice in eight seasons, this year's Leopards have done so three times. Thomas Lucy contributes 12 of those points, and Matthew Ackerman 16. Tim Hutchinson knocks down 10 of 13 shots and scores 26. Those are all fine performances...and then there's Matt Robles. The freshman center shoots 13-for-16 from the field and 11-for-14 from the line. That's 35 points, friends. He adds 8 rebounds for good measure. We're now the highest-scoring team in the nation, averaging 89.0 points per game. Record: 5-2. December 6, 2020 Lafayette 94, @Creighton 86 We visit another very good team and come away with another victory in a high-scoring contest. We win this one at the free throw line, shooting 58 foul shots (!) and making 45 (!!) of them. Only six times has a team made more in a single game. Tim Hutchinson was a perfect 13-for-13, while Matt Robles accounted for 9 of our 13 misses, shooting 4-for-13. That's a lot of 13s. I hope it's not a bad omen. Robles tied Matthew Ackerman for our scoring honors with 18, and grabbed 9 rebounds. Hutchinson had 17. Thomas Lucy added 13, Jamie Kelso 10. Kelso twisted his ankle again, and he'll be day-to-day for a bit. I won't take chances with his health; Ben Miele is more than ready to step in. Record: 6-2. December 9, 2020 @Lafayette 61, Elon 53 This score looks a bit more like the ones I used to know. Elon isn't anywhere close to the caliber of some of the teams we've played this year, so our lackluster offensive showing surprises me. Tim Hutchinson is the one Leopard who performs up to his usual standard: 15 points, 8 rebounds. A bunch of guys get 6 or 8 rebounds apiece, and Matthew Ackerman dishes out 5 assists. Record: 7-2. December 12, 2020 @Lafayette 98, Maine 74 The Black Bears are off to a rough 1-5 start, and we don't help matters any when they visit the Kirby Center. Thomas Lucy pours in 24 points, the most in his brief career to date, with 9 rebounds. Matt Robles adds 19 more, and Matthew Ackerman contributes 18 with 3 steals. Jamie Kelso returns to the lineup and comes close to a triple double: 8 points, 11, assists, 9 rebounds. Record: 8-2. December 15, 2020 @Lafayette 66, St. John's 65 This game provides the Kirby Center crowd with a finish that sent some blood pressures skyrocketing on both sides. We take a 66-63 lead when Jamie Kelso makes two free throws with 15 seconds remaining. Determined not to allow a game-tying three, we force Kenneth Carreno to drive the lane. Matthew Ackerman gets a piece of him...and Carreno's shot drops. No time remains on the clock as Carreno steps to the line with a chance to send the game into OT. Our student section will claim full credit for Carreno's miss. Ackerman, with his 18 points and 2 blocked shots, thereby retains the hero role. Matt Robles finishes with 14 points and 8 rebounds, Kelso 9 with 5 assists. Carreno had 22 for the Red Storm. The victory is #250 of Graham Sims' career. His record stands at 250-69, and his wins total is 6th all-time. That ranking is fluid, since all the coaches near him in the list are also active. Record: 9-2. December 17, 2020 @Lafayette 86, William & Mary 60 Win #251 is a fairly easy one over the visiting Tribe, who kept it within five points for 20 minutes before we pull away. Matt Robles is making almost 62 percent of his shots this season, and today he makes 8 of 13 en route to a game-high 19 points. Tim Hutchinson (18), Matthew Ackerman (15), and Thomas Lucy (12) follow him in double digits. Jamie Kelso makes only one shot, but hands out 9 assists. Record: 10-2. December 20, 2020 @Pennsylvania 66, Lafayette 57 The Quakers are tough, and they prove it tonight, running their record to 7-1 with a stout defense of their home court. Our .306 shooting percentage, which includes .265 (9 for 34) from three-point distance, does us in. Tim Hutchinson plays well, with 18 points (4-6 from three), but he and Matt Robles (14 points, 9 rebounds) are the only ones who do. Record: 10-3. December 24, 2020 Lafayette 80, @#10 Pittsburgh 72 I would have predicted we'd go 1-1 in a pair of games that included a home date with Penn and an away date with Pitt. Shows you what I know. A return to sound defensive principles and our ability to draw fouls and make our opponent pay for them are the keys to our upset victory. We shoot 29-41 from the line, making 11 more than the Panthers do. That accounts for our margin of victory, plus a few. Tim Hutchinson is Player of the Game, scoring 16 points with 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Credit also goes to Asdrubal Cruz, with his 9 points and 13 rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench, and Thomas Lucy, for his 14 points. Record: 11-3. December 27, 2020 Lafayette 88, @Ohio State 79 All five of our starters reach double digits in scoring, led by Thomas Lucy's 23 and Matthew Ackerman's 19, as we take the measure of the Buckeyes on the road. The "Everybody Rebounds" creed is embraced again tonight; five Leopards grab between 5 and 9, with Asdrubal Cruz and Matt Robles accounting for 9 each. Freshman wing Alexander Schwinghammer plays 14 minutes for Ohio State, scoring two points. I wish I'd spotted him when he was a recruit. I would have tried to sign him for his name alone. (He's actually quite good; he was ranked #151 nationally.) Record: 12-3.