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NarratorC · 01-12-2021, 09:52 AM

April 9, 2020

What a difference a year makes!

This time last spring, I was concerned about my future at Green Bay. Now I'm looking to the future with excitement and confidence.

We reversed our conference record, primarily because we figured out how to win the occasional road game. We took care of business against our weaker Horizon League foes when we visited their place, and we continued to make a visit to the Resch Center an unpleasant experience for our opponents.

I feared the worst when point guard Anthony Blackwell broke his elbow on New Year's Eve. Larry Crane responded well to the opportunity Blackwell's injury provided him. He wasn't spectacular, but he usually took good care of the ball and distributed it to our scorers. The maturation of his backcourt partner, Lou Wallace, also helped; he grew from a possession-squandering bomber into a dangerous offensive force.

We were a two-point loss in overtime away from a conference championship; had we beaten Illinois-Chicago on February 1, our 14-4 record would have been the Horizon League's best. That's disappointing, but after finishing 2018-19 at the bottom of the table, I'll accept this year's result with gratitude.

We were disappointed to exit the Horizon League tournament in the first round. For the second straight year, the Northern Kentucky Norse ended our tournament run. Despite our early exit, we were invited to participate in the NIT. Assigned to the Midwest Region as the #4 seed, we fell behind early to Rhode Island and couldn't come back.

My decision to change our offense to get the ball into David Martin's hands paid off, too. For the second straight season, David hit at least 62 percent of his shots, and he improved his rebounding and defense, too.

I think David deserved his post-season recognition, don't you?

Kareem Progin led the Phoenix in scoring, responding positively to the chance to be our first option offensively. He was also a very good defender and, along with Martin, give us two standout sophomores who have started over 50 games in their careers.

Lou Wallace was the star of the freshman class, but fellow Class of '24 recruit Delawn Jackson settled into his role as our sixth man. He shot erratically, but he established a reputation as a tough rebounder and inside defender.

Three seniors completed their careers this season.

Walk-on Nathan Griffin appeared in seven games. He took four shots, all from three-point range, and made two of them. He made the most of his one year in our program.

Anthony Blackwell eagerly awaited his chance to be the undisputed number one point guard, only to have his season derailed by injury. It's a real shame, because he played superbly in the first weeks of the season. Anthony shot over 50 percent from behind the arc, and ran our offense with efficiency and style. His True Shooting Percentage and Effective Field Goal Percentage, which take into account the additional value of three-pointers, were both above .700.

Every time I let the AI suggest a depth chart and sub rotation, it told me Roy Davis was the ninth best player on our roster. I disagreed, and I'm glad I did. Roy's defensive rating was far and away the best on the roster and his performance matched his skill. Players attempted to drive on Roy 44 times, and none of them succeeded. At the other end of the floor, he pitched in nine points per game, while only playing about half the time.

These two emails look a lot better than the one I received last year. It looks like the Pack Line project will continue!

01-12-2021, 09:52 AM	#21
NarratorC n00b Join Date: Dec 2020	April 9, 2020 What a difference a year makes! This time last spring, I was concerned about my future at Green Bay. Now I'm looking to the future with excitement and confidence. We reversed our conference record, primarily because we figured out how to win the occasional road game. We took care of business against our weaker Horizon League foes when we visited their place, and we continued to make a visit to the Resch Center an unpleasant experience for our opponents. I feared the worst when point guard Anthony Blackwell broke his elbow on New Year's Eve. Larry Crane responded well to the opportunity Blackwell's injury provided him. He wasn't spectacular, but he usually took good care of the ball and distributed it to our scorers. The maturation of his backcourt partner, Lou Wallace, also helped; he grew from a possession-squandering bomber into a dangerous offensive force. We were a two-point loss in overtime away from a conference championship; had we beaten Illinois-Chicago on February 1, our 14-4 record would have been the Horizon League's best. That's disappointing, but after finishing 2018-19 at the bottom of the table, I'll accept this year's result with gratitude. We were disappointed to exit the Horizon League tournament in the first round. For the second straight year, the Northern Kentucky Norse ended our tournament run. Despite our early exit, we were invited to participate in the NIT. Assigned to the Midwest Region as the #4 seed, we fell behind early to Rhode Island and couldn't come back. My decision to change our offense to get the ball into David Martin's hands paid off, too. For the second straight season, David hit at least 62 percent of his shots, and he improved his rebounding and defense, too. I think David deserved his post-season recognition, don't you? Kareem Progin led the Phoenix in scoring, responding positively to the chance to be our first option offensively. He was also a very good defender and, along with Martin, give us two standout sophomores who have started over 50 games in their careers. Lou Wallace was the star of the freshman class, but fellow Class of '24 recruit Delawn Jackson settled into his role as our sixth man. He shot erratically, but he established a reputation as a tough rebounder and inside defender. Three seniors completed their careers this season. Walk-on Nathan Griffin appeared in seven games. He took four shots, all from three-point range, and made two of them. He made the most of his one year in our program. Anthony Blackwell eagerly awaited his chance to be the undisputed number one point guard, only to have his season derailed by injury. It's a real shame, because he played superbly in the first weeks of the season. Anthony shot over 50 percent from behind the arc, and ran our offense with efficiency and style. His True Shooting Percentage and Effective Field Goal Percentage, which take into account the additional value of three-pointers, were both above .700. Every time I let the AI suggest a depth chart and sub rotation, it told me Roy Davis was the ninth best player on our roster. I disagreed, and I'm glad I did. Roy's defensive rating was far and away the best on the roster and his performance matched his skill. Players attempted to drive on Roy 44 times, and none of them succeeded. At the other end of the floor, he pitched in nine points per game, while only playing about half the time. These two emails look a lot better than the one I received last year. It looks like the Pack Line project will continue! Last edited by NarratorC : 01-12-2021 at 07:40 PM.