Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Izulde Jestor the Wanderer

Izulde · 02-16-2011, 12:19 AM

The whole coaching staff goes out drinking in celebration after the Tully signing. We don't talk too much - we're just too thrilled with the get and too happy to want to ruin it by speaking.

Our freshmen all think they can compete for playing time, so none of them want to redshirt. Fair enough.

And of course, PG Hershel Gaughan, our other 2* recruit besides SF David Lilly last year, failed one of his required high school courses in his last semester, so he has to sit out the first half of the season while he gets out of academic probation.

Bryant Bulldogs 2013-14 Starting Lineup
PG Jeffery McCarron (RS Sr)*
Decent but nothing spectacular last season. We'll really be counting on him to show off his passing and 3 point shooting ability in his final season.

SG Andrew Hinshaw (RS Jr)
Started his freshman year, lost starting spot last season and won it back this year with a very solid offseason. One of the best ballhandlers in the entire country, but pretty average skills outside of that.

SF Blair Isley (So)*
Made the Northeast All-Freshman team last year, but he really needs to improve on his shooting accuracy. Shot just 38.4% last year and honestly, if it wasn't for his very solid stealing ability and our overall lack of depth, he probably wouldn't be starting again.

PF David Lilly (Fr)
Undersized and could potentially move to SF next year, his natural position. But our talent is so bad, he's the starting PF by default. Our best inside shooter.

C Chris Curtiss (So)*
Took over the starting PF spot last year after the season was pretty much lost. Also made the Northeast All-Freshman team and arguably our best all-around shooter, except for maybe Hinshaw. Yeah, there wasn't really much to choose from here.

Note: John Burdick wanted me to start Lester Henning at C, but I overruled him. Curtiss is the far superior player.

We start the season with a comfortable 79-68 home win over Chicago State. SF Blair Isley takes the rumors of his almost being sent to the reserves personally, shooting 50% for 19 points on his way to Player of the Game honors. PG Jeffrey McCarron scores 15 and SF Charles Valencia, who almost got the starting spot, scores 11 off the bench.

Our first road game is at St. Joseph's and it's a 94-66 yawner, us the losers of course. Props to C Chris Curtiss for his 15 points and backup big freshman Lester Henning for 10 points, but we just stunk.

A high octane game at Long Beach State, and we nip them 91-89 to go to 2-1 on the season. I can't tell you how long it's been since we've had a winning record this late in the year. PF David Lilly goes off for 22 points, C Chris Curtiss scores 10 points, 10 rebounds and SF Blair Isley chips in 16 points. Fantastic to see guys who were all my recruits be the top stars.

We translate that momentum into an emphatic 82-69 win for the home fans over Stony Brook. C Chris Curtiss bulldozes his way to a 12 point, 10 rebound double-double and PG Jeffrey McCarron scores a team-high 15 points.

3-1 in November. Last time we had a winning record this late was when we were 4-2 partway through December in my first season.

No recruiting news is okay. It means our target hasn't committed elsewhere yet and so we play on.

Playing winless teams always makes me nervous, but an enthusiastic, if small home crowd propels us to a 91-85 win over the Maine Black Bears. C Chris Curtiss continues his dazzling early season form, putting up 17 points and 11 rebounds and all five starters score 11 points or better. I rub it in John's face a little bit about how he wanted to start Henning over Curtiss, but we're all so happy with winning, he just laughs.

Two days later we're in Sacramento and I'm worried about exhaustion. Nope, we buzz Sacramento State 100-80! Our backcourt shot out of its mind. PG Jeffrey McCarron scored 25, SG Andrew Hinshaw 21, and, in my own personal favorite showing, Junior Dillard, my first ever recruit, erupted off the bench for 20 points. A sweet win on so many levels.

A week later, we're back out west to play Southern Utah and the Thunderbirds stop our four game winning streak and get revenge for last year's loss all in one blow, 65-57. Never mind Junior Dillard's 10 bench points, the T-birds played great ball security with only 6 turnovers, and we had trouble with our 3 point shot.

Another week goes by and we're out in South Dakota, facing another .500 team. Maddening 71-69 loss to South Dakota State that ruins C Chris Curtiss's 15 points, 8 rebounds, block, and 2 steals and Junior Dillard's 10 bench points. We shot for shit on free throws and when that happens, you lose close games like this most of the time.

Come the 19th we're finally back home, playing for our above .500 lives against Manhattan. Well not really, as we're 5-3 before the game, but unfortunately it's our third straight loss, an 82-50 shelling we were never in, irrespective of Andrew Hinshaw's 15 points.

I'm not expecting us to win our umpteenth road game out West. Not against a 7-3 Dons team. We give it a hell of a fight, but San Francisco drops us 64-60, SF Blair Isley's 19 points falling just short of leading us to the upset.

Still, I can't complain about a 5-5 record at the end of December. It's the best we've ever done in my career so far.

Small steps.

Like being .500 at the end of December.

Like landing not one, but two 3* recruits in a season. SG Napoleon "Dynamite Flash" Gordon from Delhi, Ontario in Canada, commits to us. We were the only school on him until Marquette made a too little, too late charge for him.

Until this becomes a common occurrence, I'm posting the details, as determined by Malcolm, of every 3* recruit our tiny school lands.

Code:

#15 SG Napoleon Gordon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       5-11
 Weight:       179
 High School:  
 Hometown:     Delhi, Canada
 GPA:          2.83
 Test Score:   1150
 Rating:       ***
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:    29  34  60  66  33  40  28  12   0  31  45  27  63  59  72   1
 Potential:   D   B   C   A   C   C   B   D   F   D   C   D                
 
 Season Stats:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  PTS OREB  REB  AST  TOS   A/T  STL  BLK  PFS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 16.4  2.0  3.4  2.7  2.5  1.06  2.1  0.7  2.9

 Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  FGM  FGA   FG%  FTM  FTA   FT%  3PM  3PA   3P%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  7.0 14.9  .468  1.0  1.7  .606  1.5  4.6  .319
 
 Recruiting Notes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Qualified: Yes
 Committed to Bryant University                                                 
 Rankings: Foreign #18 Overall, Foreign #6 SG
 High School Awards: None
 Top 5 Schools: *Bryant University, Marquette,

So that's two Top 500 players, two 3* recruits, in the same year. It may not seem like much until you consider that prior to this, our highest ranked find was David Lilly's #549 status a year ago.

There's also bad news on the horizon, but for now, let's just end by focusing on the good, and the progress we've made.

02-16-2011, 12:19 AM	#21
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	The whole coaching staff goes out drinking in celebration after the Tully signing. We don't talk too much - we're just too thrilled with the get and too happy to want to ruin it by speaking. Our freshmen all think they can compete for playing time, so none of them want to redshirt. Fair enough. And of course, PG Hershel Gaughan, our other 2* recruit besides SF David Lilly last year, failed one of his required high school courses in his last semester, so he has to sit out the first half of the season while he gets out of academic probation. Bryant Bulldogs 2013-14 Starting Lineup PG Jeffery McCarron (RS Sr)* Decent but nothing spectacular last season. We'll really be counting on him to show off his passing and 3 point shooting ability in his final season. SG Andrew Hinshaw (RS Jr) Started his freshman year, lost starting spot last season and won it back this year with a very solid offseason. One of the best ballhandlers in the entire country, but pretty average skills outside of that. SF Blair Isley (So)* Made the Northeast All-Freshman team last year, but he really needs to improve on his shooting accuracy. Shot just 38.4% last year and honestly, if it wasn't for his very solid stealing ability and our overall lack of depth, he probably wouldn't be starting again. PF David Lilly (Fr) Undersized and could potentially move to SF next year, his natural position. But our talent is so bad, he's the starting PF by default. Our best inside shooter. C Chris Curtiss (So)* Took over the starting PF spot last year after the season was pretty much lost. Also made the Northeast All-Freshman team and arguably our best all-around shooter, except for maybe Hinshaw. Yeah, there wasn't really much to choose from here. Note: John Burdick wanted me to start Lester Henning at C, but I overruled him. Curtiss is the far superior player. We start the season with a comfortable 79-68 home win over Chicago State. SF Blair Isley takes the rumors of his almost being sent to the reserves personally, shooting 50% for 19 points on his way to Player of the Game honors. PG Jeffrey McCarron scores 15 and SF Charles Valencia, who almost got the starting spot, scores 11 off the bench. Our first road game is at St. Joseph's and it's a 94-66 yawner, us the losers of course. Props to C Chris Curtiss for his 15 points and backup big freshman Lester Henning for 10 points, but we just stunk. A high octane game at Long Beach State, and we nip them 91-89 to go to 2-1 on the season. I can't tell you how long it's been since we've had a winning record this late in the year. PF David Lilly goes off for 22 points, C Chris Curtiss scores 10 points, 10 rebounds and SF Blair Isley chips in 16 points. Fantastic to see guys who were all my recruits be the top stars. We translate that momentum into an emphatic 82-69 win for the home fans over Stony Brook. C Chris Curtiss bulldozes his way to a 12 point, 10 rebound double-double and PG Jeffrey McCarron scores a team-high 15 points. 3-1 in November. Last time we had a winning record this late was when we were 4-2 partway through December in my first season. No recruiting news is okay. It means our target hasn't committed elsewhere yet and so we play on. Playing winless teams always makes me nervous, but an enthusiastic, if small home crowd propels us to a 91-85 win over the Maine Black Bears. C Chris Curtiss continues his dazzling early season form, putting up 17 points and 11 rebounds and all five starters score 11 points or better. I rub it in John's face a little bit about how he wanted to start Henning over Curtiss, but we're all so happy with winning, he just laughs. Two days later we're in Sacramento and I'm worried about exhaustion. Nope, we buzz Sacramento State 100-80! Our backcourt shot out of its mind. PG Jeffrey McCarron scored 25, SG Andrew Hinshaw 21, and, in my own personal favorite showing, Junior Dillard, my first ever recruit, erupted off the bench for 20 points. A sweet win on so many levels. A week later, we're back out west to play Southern Utah and the Thunderbirds stop our four game winning streak and get revenge for last year's loss all in one blow, 65-57. Never mind Junior Dillard's 10 bench points, the T-birds played great ball security with only 6 turnovers, and we had trouble with our 3 point shot. Another week goes by and we're out in South Dakota, facing another .500 team. Maddening 71-69 loss to South Dakota State that ruins C Chris Curtiss's 15 points, 8 rebounds, block, and 2 steals and Junior Dillard's 10 bench points. We shot for shit on free throws and when that happens, you lose close games like this most of the time. Come the 19th we're finally back home, playing for our above .500 lives against Manhattan. Well not really, as we're 5-3 before the game, but unfortunately it's our third straight loss, an 82-50 shelling we were never in, irrespective of Andrew Hinshaw's 15 points. I'm not expecting us to win our umpteenth road game out West. Not against a 7-3 Dons team. We give it a hell of a fight, but San Francisco drops us 64-60, SF Blair Isley's 19 points falling just short of leading us to the upset. Still, I can't complain about a 5-5 record at the end of December. It's the best we've ever done in my career so far. Small steps. Like being .500 at the end of December. Like landing not one, but two 3* recruits in a season. SG Napoleon "Dynamite Flash" Gordon from Delhi, Ontario in Canada, commits to us. We were the only school on him until Marquette made a too little, too late charge for him. Until this becomes a common occurrence, I'm posting the details, as determined by Malcolm, of every 3* recruit our tiny school lands. Code: #15 SG Napoleon Gordon -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Height: 5-11 Weight: 179 High School: Hometown: Delhi, Canada GPA: 2.83 Test Score: 1150 Rating: *** Attributes: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Type INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Current: 29 34 60 66 33 40 28 12 0 31 45 27 63 59 72 1 Potential: D B C A C C B D F D C D Season Stats: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PTS OREB REB AST TOS A/T STL BLK PFS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16.4 2.0 3.4 2.7 2.5 1.06 2.1 0.7 2.9 Shooting Averages: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FGM FGA FG% FTM FTA FT% 3PM 3PA 3P% -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.0 14.9 .468 1.0 1.7 .606 1.5 4.6 .319 Recruiting Notes: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Qualified: Yes Committed to Bryant University Rankings: Foreign #18 Overall, Foreign #6 SG High School Awards: None Top 5 Schools: Bryant University, Marquette, So that's two Top 500 players, two 3 recruits, in the same year. It may not seem like much until you consider that prior to this, our highest ranked find was David Lilly's #549 status a year ago. There's also bad news on the horizon, but for now, let's just end by focusing on the good, and the progress we've made. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)