College Hoops 2k8: A New Challenge

[Eaglesfan27]

Our first game of the year is at home against Bucknell. Our overall rating is now a 84 while theirs is a 63. Their team unity is also horrible.


We are up 28-15 with 6 minutes to go. Feeding off the home court energy, our starters are just now tired.

Bitee will get his first time on the court to run the team.


We lead 34-20 at the half. Bitee is able to penetrate at will against this PG, but he has some trouble with passing it out to shooters. Still, he had 4 points in the 6 minutes and an assist.


Cornette is the player of the half with 10 points, 4 boards, 1 block, and 1 steal.


Not the huge blowout I expected, but we are up 60-39 with 9 minutes to go as I pull my staters.


We win the game 69-47.

Graves is the player of the game with 22 points, 3 assists, and a steal. He shot 8 of 14, 3 of 4, and 3 of 3.

Waters with 2 points, 7 assists, 2 steals, and a turnover. He shot 1 of 1.

Hannan with 18 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 8 of 16, 2 of 6, and 0 of 0.

Cornette with 10 points, 5 boards, 1 steal, and 1 block. He shot 4 of 4 on the night and 2 of 2 from the arc.

Simon with 2 points, 9 boards, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.


Bitee led the bench with 9 points, 2 boards, and an assist. He shot 4 of 6 mostly on layups after he beat the defense, but he also hit one 16 footer.

Clifford with 7 boards in 14 minutes.



Our next game is at Lehigh. They are 3-1, but their overall talent is only 67. I probably won't play that until later in the week.

[Eaglesfan27]

As expected, we come out strong against Lehigh. Graves has 12 of our first 19 points. We are up 19-8 at the 10 minute mark.

With 3 minutes to go, we get our starters back into the game. We are up 30-12.


At the half, we lead 35-17. Graves is the player of the half with 14 points and a board.

I was blowing thm out, but a 12-0 run gets them back into it. I rest my starters with 9:54 to go. We are up 50-37.

My bench is getting tired and they are letting the gap close quickly again. With 2:59 to go, I put back in the starters. Up 62-48.


We win the game 70-49.

Graves is the player of the game with 23 points, 1 board, and 1 steal. He shot 10 of 17, 3 of 5, and 0 of 0.

Waters with a great game: 6 points, 11 assists, and 4 steals with only 1 turnover. He shot 2 of 3 and 2 of 2 from the line.

Hannan wth 9 points, 3 boards, 1 assist, and a steal. He shot 4 of 8 and 0 of 4 from the arc.

Cornette with 0 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, 3 steals, and a block.

Simon with 7 points, 10 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.

Bitee with 4 points and 2 assists.

Bowers had 12 points, 1 board, 1 assist, and 1 steal.

Clifford with 2 blocks in 15 minutes.


Our next game is at Quinnipiac who are rated 58 in overall talent! Sheesh, the AD gave us an easy schedule to start.


I decide to go ahead and sim that as it should be a blowout:


It's closer than expected, but we win 85-67.

Hannan was the player of the game with 29 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 12 of 20, 2 of 4, and 3 of 4.

Wayers with 9 points, 7 assists, and 2 steals.

Graves with 3 points, 3 boards, 7 assists, and 2 blocks.

Cornette with 11 points, 5 bords, and a block.

Simon fouled out in 20 minutes. He had 5 points, 2 boards, and a block.



Clifford hurt his knee in the game. He'll be hurt for about a week, but will be able to play through it.

5 bench players with 5 points each.


Our next opponent is much better. We'll play Central Michigan. They are 1-4 with an overall talent rating of 75. I'll play that later today.



The new coaching staff seems to be producing quicker results in training. The following players have gone up a point of overall rating:

Graves (81), Hannan (77), Simon (75), Ortiz (74), Willis (72), Clifford (71), Bowers (70), and Ziri (69).

We are currently leding all schools in the pursuit of SR 4 star PG Israel Simmons from NYC. Duke and Maryland are our closest competitors, but they are being slow in pursuing him and haven't offered an early scholarship. He is rated 37th overall in the country and would be a huge coup if we can get him to sign early, but that looks like a long shot.

We are 2nd behind BC and Pitt on our other 4 star players that we are pursuing.

[Eaglesfan27]

Hannan is missing everything early against the Chippewas. We are tied at 13 with 10 minutes to go in the 1st half.

Up 28-24 with 4:19 to go as our starters return.

A great outburst of offense from our starters to end the half. We are up 42-31 at the half.

Hannan ends up being the player of the half thanks to his scoring in the last 4 minutes in which he stopped settling for 3's and drove it to the hoop.

He has 10 points.


We are up 62-51 with 9 minutes to go as we bring in the 2nd rotation.


Our bench finishes it off. 86-71. Bitee's first step is faster than any of our point guards and he was lethal with drives and kickouts to Bowers.


Hannan is the player of the game with 18 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 7 of 17, 1 of 7, and 3 of 7.

Waters with 7 points, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 3 turnovers. He shot 2 of 8.

Graves with 10 points, 2 boards, 4 assists, and only 1 turnover. He shot 2 of 5 from the field, and 5 of 5 from the line.

Cornette with 4 points, 6 boards, and 2 blocks.

Simon with 8 points, 11 boards, and a block.


Bowers led the bench with 18 points, 6 boards, and 1 assist. He shot 6 of 7, 4 of 5 (all wide open 3's), and 2 of 2.

Bitee with 8 points, 6 assists, 1 board, and 1 steal. He had 2 turnovers. He shot 3 of 6.

Ortiz also had 8 points off the bench.



Our next game is one of the few difficult games on the schedule as we will travel to play George Washington. They are 6-0 and 21st in the media poll. However, they aren't that much more talented than we are and an upset is possible. Their biggest strength is ridiculous 3 point shooting ability.

[Eaglesfan27]

George Washington starts out drilling 3's and playing excellent defense. We don't score for the first 4 minutes by which time they have a 10-0 lead.

Down 17-7 at the 10:55 mark.

Down 39-23 with 3:45 to go when we get our starters back into the game.


Down 45-25 at the half. Their defense is better than expected and their shooting rating (96) is clearly well earned.


They keep control of the game throughout. They win 93-65.

Waters with 5 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 turnover. He shot 2 of 5.

Graves with 15 points, 2 assists, 2 steals. He shot 4 of 13.

Hannan with 4 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 1 of 11, 0 of 5 from the arc.

Cornette with 7 points, 8 boards and a steal.

Simon with 2 points, 8 boards, and a block.


Bitee led the bench with 11 points and an assist.

Willis with 8, Collins with 7, and Bowers with 6 points.



Now the early signing period has started...


8 of the players I was pursuing including 2 who I offered scholarships to have signed on the first day with other teams:

SF Andreas Devance a 4 star SF from Elizabeth, NJ has signed with Pitt. I thought we had a chance to steal him.

4 star PG Nicholas Lindeman from NYC has signed with BC. He would have been a huge addition for us.



Isreal Simmons, a 4 star PG from NYC, still has us 1st on his list, but he doesn't look likely to make an early decision and Maryland and Duke are 2nd and 3rd on his list..

Tamal Gill, a 3 star SG from Gary, Indiana is likely to sign with us next week. He is ranked 260th overall and 60th among SG's. He is 6'5 189 with very good potential according to our staff. His strengths right now are his defense, particularly his shot blocking. He needs to work on his shot.


Our next game is hosting our first conference foe, Canisus. They are rated 71 in overall talent which is one of the worst ratings in the conference. This should be an easy win.

[Eaglesfan27]

A brilliant first 10 minutes of basketball with Hannan and Waters leading the way on offense. Up 28-11 with 9:47 to go.


Up 40-22 with 3:44 to go as I get my starters back into the game.


We are up 40-26 at the half.


Hannan is the player of the half with 17 points, 2 assits, and 2 steals. He shot 7 of 12 so far including 3 of 5 from the arc.

Waters has 6 points and 4 assists at the half.



Up 60-50 with 9 minutes to go. Hannan is slowing down, but Simon has picked up some of the slack.

Up 70-56 with 3 minutes left as my starters come back in to finish this one.


We win the game 82-60.


Hannan is the player of the game with 29 points, 2 boards 2 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 11 of 17, 3 of 6, and 4 of 4.

Waters with 9 points, 6 assists, 1 board, 2 steals, and a turnover. He shot 3 of 7.

Graves with 9 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 assist. He shot 2 of 8.

Cornette with 2 points, 6 boards, and 2 assists.

Simon with 9 points and 6 boards.


Bowers led the bench with 12 points. He shot 4 of 5 and 2 of 3 from the arc.

Bitee with 8 points and 2 assists.


Our next game is hosting Saint Peter's. They are another weak team in the conference with an overall rating of 72.

[Eaglesfan27]

We started off with a 11-2 lead, but a 8-0 run has it at 13-12 now with 9 minutes to go.

Down 26-23 when we get our starters back into the game with 3 minutes to go.


Down 30-29 at the half. I expect a much better second half from the team. Hanavan, their SG is the player of the half with 11 points and 2 assists.


Graves explodes in the 2nd half. He is hugely responsible for our 57-42 lead with 9:44 to go.

Up 65-50 with 3 minutes to go, as I put my starters back into the game.


We win the game 72-57.


Graves is the player of the game. 23 points, 2 boards, and 2 steals. He shot 8 of 14, 1 of 1, and 6 of 7.

Waters with 7 points, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers. He shot 2 of 2.

Hannan with 14 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 5 of 11.

Cornette with 4 points, 6 boards, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

Simon with 6 points, 8 boards, and 2 assists.


Collins and Willis each had 7 points off the bench. Bitee with 4 points, 2 assists, and 3 steals off the bench.




The Early Signing period ends with Tamar Gill signing with us.



Our next game is hosting the 1-5 High Point Panthers. They have a team overall rating of 67.

[Eaglesfan27]

Against High Point, we start off with a 12-0 run before they score 4 straight points. At the 10 minute mark, we are up 20-8.

Our bench lets them get a bit closer by the 4 minute mark, it is 30-20.


We end the half up 40-28.


Graves is the player of the half with 10 points, 2 boards, and 2 assists.


In the 2nd half, Cornette has a great start. We are up 56-36 when I get my subs in with 12 minutes to go.

Our bench gets sloppy and it is 66-52 with 5 minutes to go. I put my starters back in to finish it.


We win the game 80-60.

Cornette is the player of the game with 10 points, 17 boards, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. He shot 5 of 7.

Waters with 9 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, and a turnover.

Graves with 13 points, 5 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.

Hannan shot poorly. 10 points, 4 boards, and 3 assists. He shot 4 of 16.

Simon with 10 points, 6 boards, and a block.


Clifford led the bench with 10 points.



Our next game is against Saint Francis of PA. They are only ranked 62 in overall talent. Since it should be a boring blowout, I sim it:


We win the game 97-61. Hannan led scoring with 20 points. He also had 5 points, 2 assists and 2 steals.

Waters with 6 points and 6 assists.

Graves with 17 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists.

Cornette with 6 points and 4 boards.

Simon with 7 points and 2 boards.

Collins led the bench with 19 points and 5 boards.

Clifford with 2 points and 7 boards.


Our next game should be an easy win, but will be at least semi-competitive. We play Utah Valley State. They have an overall talent of 71. They are 4-10. We are now 8-1.

[Eaglesfan27]

A great first 10 minutes from my team. Up 27-7 with Graves and Hannan leading the way.

We lead 38-17 with 3 minutes to go in the half when my starters return.


At the half, we are up 46-19.


Graves is the player of the half with 13 points and 3 assists. Hannan has 11 points and 2 assists.



We've attacked the basket this game more than any other game in my last season or 2 - it's making a huge difference. Graves is dominating by using his slashing ability. We are up 77-41 with 10:30 to go as I pull my starters.


We win the game 90-64.


Graves is the player of the game with 31 points, 6 assists, 1 board, 1 block, and 1 steal. He shot 10 of 14, 3 of 5, and 8 of 8.

Waters with 4 points, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 turnover.

Hannan iwth 16 points, 1 board, and 2 assists. He shot 6 of 9, 2 of 3, and 2 of 4.

Cornette with 8 points, 10 boards, and a block.

Simon with 7 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, and a block.


Willis led the bench with 8 points. Bowers and Clifford each had 6.



After the win, we are 9-1 and we are now 19th in the media poll. We are 1st in the Mid Major Poll.


Our next game is at home vs Vermont. They are 5-7 with a 75 overall team rating.

[Eaglesfan27]

Tied at 20 with 8 minutes to go when we bring in our subs.

Up 33-29 with 2 minutes to go as our starters return.

A burst in the last minute has up 39-29 at the half.


Hannan is the player of the half with 10 points and 3 steals.


Up 67-47 with 8 minutes to go. Very balanced scoring from my team tonight.

We win the game 85-68.

Hannan is the player of the game with 16 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, and 5 steals. He shot 5 of 12, 0 of 2, and 6 of 6.

Graves had 18 points, 4 boards, 3 assists, and 1 steal. He shot 7 of 13, 2 of 4, and 2 of 2.

Waters with 0 points, 7 assists, and 2 steals. He only turned it over 1 time.

Cornette with 9 points, 5 boards, 3 steals, and a block.

Simon with 12 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, and a block.


Willis led the bench with 13 points and 5 boards.


Our next game is at Marist. They are 4-8, but are rated a competive 81 in ovedrall talent with their strengh being shooting.

[Eaglesfan27]

Down 16-12 with 11 minutes to go as I give my starters a rest.


We are up 25-24 when our starters return with 4 minutes to go. Bowers was great during that stretch.


Up 35-32 at the half. We aren't shooting well from the field, but we are getting to the line and are 14 of 14 from the line!


Graves is the player of the half with 10 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 3 steals. He is 8 of 8 from the line.


Up 48-44 with 10:30 left. Hannan has been the main scorer this half after scoring 0 in the 1st half.

Down 56-55 with 3:41 left when our starters return.


After a turnover by Cornette on a 3 second call, Graves has a steal at the other end which leads to a fast break layup by Waters.

They get an interior basket, but Hannan responds with a nice drive into the lane to draw a foul.. he misses the first in the tough environment.. he misses the 2nd as well


He makes up for it with a block as the clock is expiring, but Graves misses an open 12 footer at the other end.

They draw a foul to have a chance to go up by 3 with 1:40 to go. Their PG hits both FT's to make it 60-57.

Hannan is fouled on the wing just before he shoots a 3, but we only get awarded 2 FT's as his foot was on the line. He makes the 1st but misses the 2nd.

We force a miss and get it back with 57 seconds left..


Graves misses a layup, but we get the board. Graves misses a wide open 3.

Simon fouls their PF and we send them to the line. He hits both FT's to make it a 4 point game. 23 seconds left.

Hannan misses an open 3. They hit their FT's and put it away. A disappointing road loss

64-58 loss.


Waters with 4 points, 4 assists, and 4 turnovers.

Graves with 12 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, and 5 steals. He shot 2 of 14 from the field and 8 of 8 from the line.

Hannan with 12 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He shot 5 of 15, 1 of 5, and 1 of 8 from the line.

Cornette with 2 points, 11 boards, and 3 assists.

Simon with with 8 points, 12 boards, and a block.


Bowers led the bench with 12 points and 3 boards. Clifford had 6 points and 8 boards.



Our next game is at Saint Peter's which should be a much easier road game. Their overall rating is 73.

[Ironhead]

Tough night from the line for Hannan. Just have him take his frustration out on the next team.

Just curious, what do the conference standings look like? I am getting the feeling that despite your regular season success you will need to get past the 1st round of the big dance to get offered a good job in the offseason.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Ironhead

Tough night from the line for Hannan. Just have him take his frustration out on the next team.

Just curious, what do the conference standings look like? I am getting the feeling that despite your regular season success you will need to get past the 1st round of the big dance to get offered a good job in the offseason.

Yeah, I expect Hannan to have a big game against Saint Peter's which I'm about to play.


Conference Standings:

Fairfield 2-0, 8-4
Niagara 2-1, 10-2
Rider 2-1, 7-5
Marist 2-1, 5-8
Siena 1-1, 9-3
Loyola 1-1, 6-6
Canisus 1-1, 4-10
Manhattan 1-2, 8-7
Iona 0-2, 4-8
Saint Peter's 0-2, 3-8


I agree that we must do more in the tourney this year, particularly with a few stars graduating. I need to make an impression this year in the tourney with at least a sweet 16 appearance.

[Eaglesfan27]

Unexpected slow start even though we are on the road, we are down 10-8 with 12 minutes to go. I decide to give the bench an early go.

Tied at 21 with 5 minutes to go as we get our starters back into the game.


We did have a 29-21 lead, but a 8-0 run in the last 2 minutes has us going into halftime tied at 29. I'm disappointed with our offense and defense.

Hannan is the player of the half with 6 points, 2 boards, and 2 assists.


Up 46-39 as we go to our bench with 10 minutes to go.

Not the expected blowout, but we are up 52-46 with 4:28 to go as I get my starters back into the game.

After Hannan misses a shot, they hit a 3 and their home crowd is going crazy. Hannan drives to the hoop and is fouled... he makes both FT's.

Hannan with a defensive stop and then he drills a 3! 57-49 with 2:30 to go.

Our next possession, Simon draws a double team.. kicks it out to Hannan who nails another 3!


We win the game 66-54.

Hannan is the player of the game with 22 points, 4 boards, 3 assists, and 1 block. He shot 8 of 18, 2 of 4, and 4 of 6 from the line.

Waters with 7 points, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Their 6'6 PG really bothered him this game, when I thought he'd be able to dribble circles around him.

Graves with 8 points, 3 assists, 3 boards, and 2 steals. He shot 3 of 12 and 2 of 3 from the line.

Cornette with 4 points and 7 boards.

Simon with 6 points, 12 boards, and 4 blocks as he was spectacular defensively.

Bowers and Collins each had 6 points off the bench.



The loss this week dropped us out of the top 25 in the media poll.


Our next game is against 8-6 Loyola at home.

[Eaglesfan27]

Loyola has a talented team with an overall rating only 1 point lower at 83.

About 4 minutes into the game, Hannan hurts his ankle

By the 12 minute mark, Hannan is cleared to return, it's just a sprain (worried cause I turned injury severity.)

Graves has been dominant with Hannan out and has really set up Collins for some nice open jump shots which he has nailed.


We are up 19-11 with 10 minutes to go as I go to my bench with Hannan at SF.

Up 36-27 when we bring our starters back with 3:30 to go.


A strong finish. We are up 45-32 at the half. Great shooting this half for us as everyone was hitting shots.

Collins is the player of the half with 13 points and 2 assists. He shot 4 of 6, 1 of 2, and 4 of 4 in the first half. I've been playing him at backup SG all year, but his speed at SF is a real matchup issue for the opposition.


We did have a big lead, but they are on a 12-0 run and have pulled within 3. 55-52, we lead as we go to our bench with 11:43 to go. Hannan did well with the starters even with his bad ankle.

I'm playing Collins as backup SF since he did so well there with the starters. Bowers will slide to PF.

Up 71-64 with 4 minutes left, we bring back our starters. Collins was very good in that stretch as was most of our bench players.


I ask our guys to play close shut down defense, and Waters quickly picks up a 4th foul.

They are shutting us down and getting fastbreak baskets.. they tie it at 71 with 2 minutes to go.

20 seconds later, they steal a Waters pass and make it 73-71 on the fastbreak layup.


Simon responds with a strong post move which he dunks it and gets the foul! Even though he is a poor FT shooter, he hits the foul (I have Real FT% on.)

They miss a 3, but get the offensive board... good defense makes them work the clock.. they shoot.. Simon intimidates them.. a miss! Graves gets the board.

We work the clock down to 5 seconds and then Graves drives, but his shot is blocked!

18 seconds left.. good defense by our guys.. Graves doesn't get the block but he was right in their star SG's face when he shoots.. a miss! Cornette with the rebound. They immediately foul. 4 seconds left. We are still up 74-73. He makes both FT's! 76-73.

Cornette blocks the desperation 3 attempt! We win 76-73.


Collins is the player of the game, but Cornette was the player of the last 2 minutes. Collins with 19 points and 3 assists. He shot 6 of 10, 1 of 2, and 6 of 7.

Waters with 2 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 turnovers. He shot 1 of 3.

Graes with 11 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, and 1 steal. He shot 4 of 14.

Hannan with 9 points, 3 boards, and 2 assists. He shot 3 of 11.

Cornette with 6 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He shot 2 of 2 and 2 of 2 from the line.

Simon with 11 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, and a block.


Clifford had 6 points and 10 boards off the bench. Bowers with 6 points and 5 boards.


Our next game is at home against Fairfield. They are 10-5 and have an overall rting of 81. Their strenght is their frontcourt and rebounding.


Update on player progress since the start of the season (team overall is now an 85):

Chen Li has gained 2 points of overall and is now becoming a credible 3 point shooter. He is now rated 69.

Bowers has gained 2 points of overall and is now a 71. His 3 point shooting is up to 79 which is highest on the team.

The following have all gained 1 point of overall: Graves (81), Cornette (78), Hannan (77), Waters (76), Simon (75), Ortiz (74), Willis (72), Bitee (71), Clifford (71), and Vitor Ziri (69).


Hannan should be 100% in 3 days, but we play Fairfield in 2 days. He'll still start, but if he is struggling we'll go to Collins early.

[Eaglesfan27]

Horrible start as we go down 8-0, but Cornette hit 2 FT's and then we went on a 12-0 run largely thanks to Cornette who is playing his best basketball.

Up 23-14 with 10 minutes left as we go to the bench.


Willis might be a star for my team at some point, but this new backup lineup is going to keep him from getting as much time this year. With Bitee at PG, Ortiz at SG, and Collins at SF, we are generating tremendous mismatches. Bowers is bigger than Willis and he is doing a good job of rebounding and even has a blocked shot during this stretch.

With 3 minutes to go, we are up 34-18.


We are up 43-25 at the half.

Cornette is the player of the half with 10 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, and a block. Hannan also has 10.


We did have a 25 point lead at one point, but they narrow it to 17 before I go to my bench. Up 65-47.


Normally with a big lead, I let up and slow things down, but I wanted to see if this bench group is as good as they looked in the 1st half... they played great in this final stretch as well. Destroying their competition.


We win the game 98-59.

Hannan is the player of the game with 18 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, 1 block, and 1 steal. He shot 6 of 14, 2 of 4, and 4 of 5 from the line.


Great games from everyone:

Wates with 10 points, 8 assists, 3 steals, and 2 turnovers. He shot 3 of 5 from the field and 2 of 4 from the arc.

Graves with 10 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block. He shot 4 of 7.

Cornette with 12 points, 8 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He shot 5 of 7.

Simon with 4 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block.


Collins with 15 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 6 of 8, 2 of 3, and 1 of 2.

Ortiz with 10 points, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 board. He shot 3 of 5, 2 of 3, and 2 of 2.

Clifford with 6 points, 13 boards, 3 assists, and a steal.

Bowers with 12 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, and 4 steals. He was much faster than his counterpart and besides the many steals, he went to the line 8 times. He was 8 of 8 from the line and 2 of 4 from the field with no 3 point attempts.


That decisive win has us back in the Media Poll at #25.

After the game, Dexter Buggs tells us that we are his #1 choice and he has moved us ahead of Cornell! Dexter is a 6'10 252 pound 3 star center from Toronto. He is ranked 314th overall and 16th among centers. Our staff feels he has excellent potential for growth and is already strong at dunking and ball handling. He is also a good passer for his position. He isn't really bad in any area except speed.


Heh. I just realized I never posted this. This is from 2 days ago, but just posting now.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is hosting 8-7 Rider. They have an overall talent of 78 and should be an easy win for us at home.


Our starters are running at will against them and playing shut down defense. We are up 25-7 with 11 minutes to go as we bring in the bench.


Up 44-20 with 3 minutes to go in the half as my starters return.


At halftime, we are up 52-26. Everyone except Hannan is playing extremely well.

Graves is the player of the half with 14 points, 1 board, 1 assist, and 1 steal.


With 11 minutes to go, we go the bench probably for the rest of the game. We lead 70-39.

We win the game 85-55.


Graves is the player of the game with 22 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 100% today in all areas! 6 of 6 from the field, 1 of 1 from the arc, and 9 of 9 from the line.


Waters with 6 points, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 1 turnover.

Hannan with 18 points, 9 boards, 1 assists, and 1 steal. He shot 6 of 19, 1 of 2, and 5 of 9.

Cornette with 9 points, 10 boards, 1 steal.

Simon with 3 points, 9 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block.


Bowers led the bench with 7 points and 9 boards. Clifford had 6 points and 10 boards.


Our next game is against Fairfield again, but at their place. I still expect a blowout after that huge win against them.

[Eaglesfan27]

Since we beat them by such a large margin at home, I decide to sim the Fairfield game. We win 95-67.

Hannan was the player of the game with 35 points, 5 boards, 5 assists, and 2 steals in 27 minutes. He shot 13 of 19, 5 of 6, and 4 of 5.

Waters and Graves each had 11 points and 6 assists. Graves also had a block.

Simon had 12 points and 6 boards. Cornette with 8 points, 4 boards, and a block.

Collins, Ortiz, and Bitee each had 5 points off the bench.

Iona is another weak team with an overall rating of 70 and a record of 6-12, but I decided to play that game on the road.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are up 27-12 with 10:30 to go. Everyone has moved the ball so well. Hannan and Graves are doing a great job of finishing.

With 3:11 to go, we bring back our starters. We are up 38-17.


At the half, we are up 48-24.


Graves is the plyer of the half with 18 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He has shot 7 of 8 from the field including 2 of 2 from the arc.



Our offense just isn't clicking in the 2nd half like they did in the 1st and we are only up 58-46 with 10 minutes to go as I rest my starters.


Ortiz with a 3 followed by a Collins 3 to end our dry spell.


It still close, so I bring my starters back in with 5 minutes to go. We are up 73-61. 30 seconds later, Waters foul out. Bitee has been playing well, so I'm not too worried.


The starters finish it it off. 88-67 win.


Graves is the player of the game. 29 points, 3 assists, 2 boards, and 2 steals. He shot 11 of 15, 5 of 5, and 2 of 2.

Waters with 2 points and 4 assists.

Bitee off the bench in a little over half the time with 5 points, 6 assists, and both had 1 turnover.

Hannan with 18 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals. He shot 5 of 13, 1 of 6, and 7 of 13.

Coirnette with 2 points and 10 boards. He was 1 of 5 from the field.

Simon with 11 points, 11 boards, and 3 blocks.


Collins led the bench in scoring with 6.


Our next game is at Canisus. They are 5-16. We beat the 82-61 at home earlier in the year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Gilson Willis lets me know that he is unhappy with his lack of PT. I'll make an effort to get him into the game more today.


We are up 28-17 with 10 minutes left when I go to the bench.


We are up 42-31 with 5 minutes to go as my starters return.


Up 57-40 at the half.

Graves is playing incredible basketball. He has 19 points, 5 assists, and 3 boards this half.


Incredible game from Graves. Hannan and company are all playing well. If we play like this in the tourney, we'll go far. Of course, that is still over a month away...


We are up 88-46 with 11 minutes to go. I pull my starters for good.

The main thing I'm doing different the last few games is running more than ever, like I did with Andres and Santos. It's working as Graves has such athleticism.

I slowed it down for the stretch, but we still scored 20 more. We win the game 108-76.


Graves is the player of the game with 34 points, 6 assists, 4 boards, 2 steals, and a block. He shot 12 of 17, 3 of 6, and 7 of 8.

Waters with 13 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals.

Hannan with 18 points, 9 boards, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 3 turnovers. He shot 7 of 16, 0 of 5, and 4 of 6.

Cornettewith 2 points and 9 boards.

Simon with 5 points, 7 boards, and 3 blocks.


Bitee with 13 points and 7 assists in just 16 minutes (compared to 24 for Waters) Biteehas a funky low release and he is short, but his release is quick. He was 3 of 4 from the field including 2 of 2 from the arc. He was 5 of 6 from the line.

Ortiz with 9 points all on 3's and Clifford with 7 points and 5 boards.

Willis played 16 minutes and finished with 5 points, 3 boards, and a block.

[Eaglesfan27]

I expect another blowout against Iona, so I sim it. We win 82-56.

Waters with 5 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals.

Graves with 12 points, 7 boards, and 6 assists. He shot 1 of 8 from the field but 10 of 10 from the line.

Hannan with 19 points, 8 boards, and 2 steals. He shot 5 of 11, 2 of 6, and 7 of 11.

Cornette with 10 points and 7 boards.

Simon with 8 points, 4 boards, and a block.


Collins and Clifford with 9 off the bench. Ortiz with 8.



We are now 18-2. Our next game is at home vs a very good Siena squad. They are 17-6 on the year. They have an overall talent rating of 83. I'll play that later today or tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

One big advantage we have over Siena - our team unity is up to 72 now. Theirs is 47.


Great start to the game as Hannan is on fire. We are up 26-10 with 9:35 to go.

Up 32-16 with 4 minutes to go in the half.

We get sloppy down the stretch and a few turnovers leads to a 10-0 run for them. We are up 39-29 at halftime.

Simon has almost 100 pounds on his man and we've been pounding it down low. He is the player of the half with 13 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, and a block.

Hannan has 12 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 2 steals.



It's become a game after our hot start. We are up 54-46 with 9:45 to go.


We are up 60-55 with 4 minutes to go.


Back and forth baskets. 64-60 with 2 minutes to go.


Hannan misses an open 3 which he had been hitting today. Simon gets the board, but misses the putback which he had been making. They get a 3 on the other end. 64-63 with 1:10 left.


Graves gets it with 5 seconds left.. puts up a contested 12 footer.. he misses.. Cornette with the board, but they steal it from him before he can do anything.


They draw a foul with 21 seconds left, but we aren't in the penalty, yet.


With 7.5 seconds left, they hit a 3.

Rather than call a timeout, I decide to have Waters rush it up the court.. he drives.. kicks it to Cornette who goes for the dunk.. he is fouled and misses the dunk. He misses the 1st FT

He intentionally misses the 2nd, but they get the board. Terrible loss at home. We had this game in hand and let it slipped away.

66-64 loss.


Logie their SF who hit the game winning 3 was the player of the game. He had 15 points and 10 boards.


For us, Waters had 2 points, 4 assists, and a steal.

Graves had 12 points, 4 assists, 1 board, and 1 steal. He shot 4 of 14.

Hannan had 21 points, 4 boards, 2 assists, and 4 steals. He shot 8 of 16, 3 of 6, and 2 of 3.

Cornette had 2 points and 12 boards.

Simon finished with 15 points, 16 boards, 3 assists, and a block.


Bitee and Clifford led the bench with 4 points each.


Our next game is against 10-14 (3-9) Manhattan. They are rated 71 in overall talent.

[Eaglesfan27]

We are on the road, and it's been tougher than expected. We are up 21-18 with a little over 10 minutes to go.


We are leading 30-24 with 4 minutes to go.


We are up 39-28 at the half. We are killing them at the line where we are 14 of 17. Waters is driving into the lane at will and creating fouls (for himself and others as they try to rotate to cover.)


Waters is the player of the half with 8 points, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 turnover.


61-51 lead with 11 minutes to go. Hannan has been dominating from the inside the last 5 minutes.


Up 71-61 with 5 minutes to go as our starters return to finish this out.


We finish off very strong. 86-66 win.


Hannan is the player of the game with 26 points, 4 boards, 2 assists, and 1 steal. He shot 8 of 13, 1 of 4, and 9 of 12.

Waters with 13 points, 4 assists, and a steal. He was 9 of 14 from the FT line.

Graves with 11 points and 3 assists. He was 3 of 8, 0 of 1, and 5 of 6.

Cornette with 4 points, 8 boards, and a block.

Simon with 15 points, 15 boards, an assist, and a block.


Cox with 6 points led the bench.


Our next game is at Loyola. They are 12-11 (7-6) and are an 81 in overall talent. I probably won't play that until next weekend, and if I fall in love with NCAA Football 09, it might be 2 weeks.


Before I end for today, a quick look at the seniors on our team and how they are doing in the last year of their storied careers:

Simon: 7.9 ppg (2nd highest total) and 7.9 rpg (lowest total) with 1.5 apg and 1.0 bpg.

Collins: 6.7 ppg (career high), 1.8 rpg, and 0.8 spg (career high.)

Graves: 16.1 ppg (career high by over a point), 2.1 rpg, 3.2 apg (career high), and 1.5 spg.

Ortiz: 4.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.2 apg, and 0.6 spg.



We will be losing a lot of scoring next year. None of them are projected to be drafted at this point.

[Eaglesfan27]

Not a long write-up for Loyola because of computer problems that prevented me from writing during the 1st half, but we crushed them 93-57 and that is with our starters resting the last 14 minutes.


Despite the shortened game time, Hannan was the player of the game with 28 points, 5 assists, and 2 boards. He shot 8 of 12, 3 of 4, and 9 of 12.

Graves had 21 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 turnover. He shot 8 of 10, 2 of 2 and 3 of 3. Waters was also on top of his game with 12 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals. He shot 4 of 6, 1 of 1, and 3 of 3.

Cornette had 0 points and 13 boards.

Simon had 8 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, and a block.

Ortiz led the bench with 7 points and 2 assists.


Our next game is at Marist who are 13-11 but have a talented squad with an overall rating of 82.

[Eaglesfan27]

After a long hiatus, I'm back to playing this game. Unfortunately, I didn't take good notes as I wanted to be sure that it would stick before starting to write again. I'm using a new slider set that lowers help defense and help recovery which generates more of an open floor for slashers, and I'm loving the game again. Therefore, I'm back to writing. During the past few weeks, I finished up last season which will just get a brief synopsis now:

We finished the regular season 25-5 and lost in the Conference Final Game to Siena. This new slider set has made the CPU much more dangerous offensively, and they hammered us down low to the tune of 40 plus points from their PF and C. We got an 11 seed in the Tourney, but Oregon blew us out 85-61. They were much better rated (95 to our 85) and I had fun trying to hang with them.

Graves was on the conference first team, but is not expected to be drafted - not surprisingly. Neither is the massive DeShaun Simon despite his dominating rebounding performances. We also lost backup guard/small forwards Collins and Ortiz to graduation.

The recruiting is what got my excited about writing in this dynasty again. I stayed at Niagara when Florida State and every big school passed me over, but my continued development as a coach helped us land an unexpected potential star player:

PG Israel Simmons is a 6'1 170 pound PG from New York City. He is the 37th player overall in his senior class. He is a 4 star player. He is rated A- or better in his overall shooting rating, his skill level (ball handling/passing), defense, athleticism, and potential. I'll have to see how good he looks when he actually gets on the court, but I expect he'll unseat Gus Waters (who played very well down the stretch) as the starter.

The other recruits to replace our 4 graduating players:

Tamal Gill is a 6'5 189 pound SG who is from Gary, IN. He is rated 260th overall and is a 3 star player. He is rated A- in athleticism and B or B+ in Shot, skill, defense, and potential.

Raul Lisinic is a 6'6 205 pound SF from Memphis, TN. He is rated 388th overall. He is a 3 star player. He is a poor defensive player, but is rated at a B in shooting, athleticism, rebounding, and potential.

We lost out on our top 2 choices at center and settled for Gary Outlaw, a JC Freshman. He is 6'10 210. We don't know a lot about him yet except he is supposed to be a good shot blocker.

Overall, our class is ranked 38th in the nation, which I believe is my best mark yet.


Now, onto an overview of the team roster...

[Eaglesfan27]

Also, I decided to leave our OOC schedule completely alone which includes some tough opponents such as UCLA coming to visit us and a pre-season tourney.

[rjolley]

Glad to see you're back to this. I've been playing pretty regularly. Right now, I'm in the middle of a season playing every game as Wake Forest. Hoped to go undefeated, and after a first game blowout, figured it would be pretty easy.

So, what happens? I lose the next 2. I'm riding a 13 game winning streak right now with the best PG and C in the ACC, and contenders for POY. The PG is averaging 8 ppg and 10 apg, while the C is going for 17.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg.

Good luck on next season.

[gi]

Welcome back, looking forward to reading this again.

[Eaglesfan27]

The roster doesn't leave me quite as excited as I thought I'd be, but it is still fairly good:

PG (Solid position in terms of depth)

PG Israel Simmons just isn't as good as I hoped out of the gate in his overall ratings, but his 3 point rating does excite me at 81 which leads the team. His offensive skills are great with an excellent handle, solid passing skills, and even some good inside ability. His midrange jumper is less solid than advertised as is his defensive prowess. However, he is lightning quick and even with an overall rating a few points lower than Gus, I think he'll start. Overall rating of 73. He is now 6'2 180.

SR PG Gus Waters has a better mid range jumper and is a much better defender than the young freshman. He also has top speed and should play a lot whether he starts or comes off the bench. He averaged 12 ppg in the last 3 that I kept track of. He is rated 77 overall. His height has always been a bit of a liability - now 5'10 170.

Sophomore PG Christiano Bitee is the loser with our big acquisition. He'll play some with his excellent speed and good defensive prowess, but his time will go way down. Has the weakest jump shot of the 3, but isn' terrible in that area. He is 5'9 180 and is rated 73 overall.

SG (this position takes a huge hit with Graves gone):

Chen Li didn't see the court in his first 2 years, but he should get playing time this year. At 6'3 204 pounds, he has good solid foot speed and can shoot the 3 passably. His defense and finishing ability are liabilities. Rated 71 overall.

True Freshman Tamal Gill will see the court and might even win the starting job. He is 6'6 195 and has speed comparable to Li's. His defense is a bit better, but he is a more unrefined shooter, although he is a decent post shooter.


SF (our best starter, but depth is a question)

Hannan was our biggest star recruit of my era before the young PG signed this year. Hannan was only a 3 star and was only 109th overall in his class. He is now rated 80 overall and is a solid 6'8 250 pounds. His midrange jumper has become very solid and he does everything well. I'd like to see more consistency off the dribble. Shoots very well in traffic.

SF Raul Lisinic is a disappointment in his first weeks on campus. He is 6'7 205 but lacks athleticism. His foot speed is poor, his shooting is even poorer. Rated 67 overall which would have been good when I first arrived here, but now it doesn't cut it. I'll probably redshirt him.

SR Walkon Branden Jenkins will never see the court. Overall of 57.


PF (Our next best starter and best depth):

SR Whitney Cornette is 6'10 240 now. He has a very good post game now and will get to use that more than ever. He also is a decent midrange shooter. Good defender. Rated 80 overall.

JR Gilson Willis is 6'9 233. He is a good 3 point shooter for his size and has a decent post game. He is rated 74 overall.

Sophomore "PF" Marko Cox is 6'5 219 and doesn't do a lot very good, but he is fair in most areas. Rated 74 overall.

Alfonso Bowers could be our #1 SF option off the bench again this year. He is 6'8 258 and is the 2nd best 3 point shooter on the team behind our freshman PG. He has just enough foot speed to play SF and is a decent passer. The SR is rated 72 overall.

SR Vitor Ziri hasn't seen the floor much this year, but he will probably get time as our backup Center this year. He is 6'9 250 and specializes in rebounding. He is rated 70 overall.

C (our weakest position)

Mamery Clifford will get the start this year with Simon gone. He is 6'11 266 and is a good post scorer at times and will add something there. However, he isn't as good at rebounding. On the plus side, he is a better shot blocker with more mobility.

Gary Outlaw isn't bad for a blind reach. Our coaches think the kid is a decent rebounder despite being rail thin. He also has some ability to shot a bit away from the rim. However, he neds to gain weight and strength. He'll redshirt this year.

[Eaglesfan27]

A look at early recruiting needs:

We have 6 guys graduating and this class will be huge to determine what kind of weapons we can get around Israel. We have our best 3 players leaving in Gus Waters, Hannan, and Cornette. We also have a starter in Clifford leaving and a very important bench player in Bowers. Finally, Ziri will be gone. With all of those players going, we'll have no one that I can count on at PF or C next year. We'll also be potentially thin at SF, so those will be the top 3 priorities with SG being a close 4th. I think Bitee will be a fine backup to Simmons next year, so we won't focus too much on PG.


The two recruits that are the most interested in me are both potential key guys for us:

3 star PF Elliah Halsch is from Akron, OH. He is 6'7 241 and is rated 186th overall. We'll be fighting Duq, Canisus, and Kent for him. We've already had extensive contact with him and he'll visit us ASAP.

3 star SF Daon Wentt is a 6'4 215 pound player from Toronto who is very interested in us. Supposed to be a smooth shooter. Penn State and SBU are our big competition for him.

All of the big centers with any talent at all have a ton of teams interested in them. So, I'm going after Andy Matera. He is a 6'8 240 pound center from Burlington, VT. He is ranked 329th overall. UConn is interested early, and if they stay interested, we have no chance.

Jack Zamore is a 6'8 215 pound center who can reportedly really shoot the 3. We'll go after him as a backup plan and go back to more of how we used to play when we didn't have a true center.


Karron Acker is a 4 star SF from New Haven, CT, who I'd love to have. However, i think he is a pipe dream even though he is rated a bit lower than our recent signing. He is rated 66th, but is a Mr. Basketball for his state and has drawn a lot of attention from UVA and BC.

[Eaglesfan27]

I don't have time today to play a full game with the new team even though I'd really like to do so. However, after running some practice plays and seeing how guys perform the decision regarding PG is easy. Israel Simmons has a very good shoot off the dribble rating, and my last guy to have that was Andres. It's amazing how he has performed in practice and at least in practice, he finishes much stronger than any PG I've ever had. With his combination of passing, dunking, shooting, and speed he will be our starter from day 1.

Our starting lineup for our 1st game:

PG Simmons
SG Gill (his length wins the day as well as slightly better quickness)
SF Hannan
PF Cornette
C Clifford

I won't hesitate to go to a smaller lineup if our offense is faltering. In that case, Waters would be at the point and Simmons at the SG spot, but I think that having Waters off the bench will make our 2nd team explosive while our 1st string will have more than enough scoring with Simmons, Hannan, and Cornette as the top 3 options.

[Eaglesfan27]

I get to unexpectedly play today!


November 3, 2017 -

Our first game is at VCU. They are a solid team that is close to us in talent. However, their team unity is even worse than ours which is only 38 with the 2 freshman in the lineup. Their strength is their PF, Luther Kole. He is a massive 7 foot player who has some strong offensive skills. Also, Earnest Douthit, their 6'9 Center is a skilled 3 point shooter and a good shot blocker. Their guards are a relative weakness.

[Eaglesfan27]

A strong first 8 minutes has us up 17-13. Everyone rests except for Hannan who has taken a back seat early. Simmons already has 2 points and 5 assists as he has been penetrating at will and kicking out to Cornette for a 3 and 2 midrange jumpers as well as setting Gill up for 2 easy 6 footers.

With 7 minutes left, they hit a 3 to take the lead. We bring in all of our starters except for Hannan who sits for the first time. Bowers 3 point shooting should be deadly if Simmons can get him some open looks.


Simmons takes his first 3 of the game on his first possession back, as he passed to Bowers who faked the 3 dribbled inside and kicked it out. Simmons nails the open shot.

Gill with a surprising 3 as Simmons found him wide open on the wing. Next possession, Simmons fakes the 3 drives inside and passes it out to an open Bowers who drills another 3. 34-28.

With 2:16 to go, their big PF gets a 3rd foul on Cornette. We are up 39-35.

At the end of the half, we are up 39-36. We are 5 of 6 from behind the arc. Gill is surprisingly our leading scorer with 9 points, 6 of them in the paint. Simmons has 5 points and 7 assists vs 2 turnovers at the half. Hannan has 6 points, 2 boards, and a steal.

Kole leads the opposition with 8 points, 5 boards, and a block at the half. Douthit has 7 points and 3 boards.


Within the 1st minute, Kole gets a 4th foul on Cornette who is subbed out for Ziri. We'll start doubling Kole in the paint.

2 minutes later they get a 3rd and then 4th foul on Clifford. I'm going to keep him in anyway.

Guys are missing open 3's in the 2nd half especially Hannan. With 12 minutes to go, we are down 53-49. Simmons, Clifford, and Ziri all need rest.

Waters and Cornette with baskets to tie it at 53. A minute later, Waters with a beautiful drive and pass to Cornette who slams it in to give us a 57-55 lead.

A few FT's by Hannan has us up 64-59 with 7 minutes to go. He is getting exhausted so we get Bowers in for a few.

With 5 minuts to go, Bowers hits a 3 to put us 70-64.

We go to our scoring lineup to try to finish this out:

PG Waters
SG Simmons
SF Bowers
PF Cornette
C Clifford

Once Hannan is rested, he'll come back in.

After a few missed shots, Simmons drives to the hole and draws a foul. He isn't a great FT shooter, but he makes them both to put us 72-67.

On their next possession, Cornette fouls out. I decide to continue to go with scoring potential and move Bowers to PF and put in Hannan at SF.

Hannan finds Simmons in the corner, and he makes the 3 to put us up by 7 with 2 minutes to go.

Hannan misses an open 12 footer, and they close with 5. 77-72. We each miss baskets down the stretch and Simmons gets a long board and is fouled since only 29 seconds remain. He makes 1 of 2.

Clifford fouls out with 1.5 seconds left, but we win the game 81-72.


Hannan was the plauyer of the game with 19 points, 7 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He shot a relatively efficient 5 of 9, 0 of 2, and 9 of 10 from the line.

Every starter except Clifford was in double digits. Simmons finished with 14 points, 7 assists, 1 board, 1 steal, and 5 turnovers. He shot 4 of 11, 2 of 5, and 4 of 6.

Gill finished with 13 points, 4 boards, and 2 assists. He shot 5 of 6, 1 of 1, and 2 of 2.

Cornette had 12 points, 4 boards, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. He shot 5 of 9, 1 of 1, and 1 of 2.

Clifford had 1 point, 13 boards, 1 assist, and 3 blocks. He shot 0 of 2 and 1 of 2 from the line.

Wayers led the bench with 9 points, 2 assists, and a steal in 17 minutes.

Bowers had 9 points on 3 of 7 shooting (3 of 4 from the arc) in just 12 minutes.

Willis with 4 points and 5 boards off the bench. Ziri played 16 minutes and only had 2 boards. He played poorly defensively as well.

Chen Li only ended up with 8 minutes played. He was 0 of 3 and had 0 points, 0 boards, 0 steals, and only 1 assist.

Cox and Bitee did not play this game.



For the opposition, Kole and Douthit both had 14 points to lead their team. Lathum, their SF had 13 and no one else had more than 5.

[Eaglesfan27]

In our preseason NIT tourney, our next game is against Rutgers. They are slightly more talented than we are. We are in the Carrier Dome today. Their SF Fab Gatling is a great gunner who had 16 points in his 1st game of the season. They have solid talent at every position, although their PG and center are both undersized. Their starting center is only 6'7 215 pounds. We'll try to pound them inside early.

[Eaglesfan27]

An absolutely incredible start for Simmons and Hannan. Simmons is working his way into the lane at will and Hannan is drilling every open 3. By the 10 minute mark, Hannan has 21 and they are starting to double him whenever he touches the ball. As a result, Simmons is finding even more room to operate and is scoring as well as passing it off to Cornette and other guys for easy baskets. I don't want to rest Simmons or Hannan with them both playing so incredible, but with 6 minutes to go, I rest them for the first time in the half. We are up 41-28.

With 2 minutes to go, we get our starters back into the game. We are up 48-32 as we've taken complete control of the game. Maybe I spoke too soon, Hannan misses a 3 and they close the gap to 48-36 before the end of the half.


Still, Hannan has had the most incredible 1st half of any of my players ever. He did it all - made 3's, even beat a few double teams (I've never seen guys split double teams with any regularity, but he did it twice.) He also had several nice layups and 1 nice dunk. As a result, Hannan is the player of the half with 28 points! He shot 11 of 13 and 6 of 8 from the arc. He also had 4 steals as he dominated the smaller Gatling. Simmons also with a nice first half had 9 points and 9 assists (mostly to Hannan but also 1 to Cornette and Clifford each.)


Hannan is being slowed down by constant double teams and our offense just isn't clicking at the same level. With 8:52 to go, we are up 64-54 as I rest my starters.

Our bench with some solid transition baskets off Waters' steals and we build the lead to 15. Since they never get closer than 13, I let the bench finish it off. 83-70 win


Hannan was the player of the game with 35 points, 4 boards, and 4 steals. He shot 13 of 19, 6 of 10, and 3 of 6. They double teamed him the entire second half. He also held Gatling to 11 points on 5 of 15 shooting.

Simmons finished with 11 points, 11 assists, 2 steals, and 2 turnovers. He shot 5 of 8, 0 of 2 from the arc, and 1 of 2 from the line.

Gill with 5 points and 4 boards on 2 of 7 shooting.

Cornette with 4 points, 4 boards, 2 steals, a block. He only shot 2 of 5 as we never got to pounding it inside with Hannan being so hot in the first half.

Clifford with 2 points, 7 boards, 2 assists, and a block.


Bowers and Chen Li scored most of our points down the stretch. Bowers had 9 on 3 of 7 shooting and Li had 8 on 2 of 6 shooting, 1 of 4, and 3 of 4 from the line. In just 14 minutes, Waters had 3 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals as he harassed their slower point guard.

[Eaglesfan27]

As a result of that win, we'll play the #20 team in the nation, Saint Joseph's, in the next round of the tourney. They are significantly more talented with an overall rating of 90. They are extremely good shooters with 3 guys who can hit the 3 with great regularity. I'll play that game tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

We have another frenetic 1st 9-10 minutes of the game against St. Joseph's. We can't stop them from scoring, but they aren't stopping us either. 25-25 with 11 minutes to go as my starters rest. Hannan already has 11. However, they have Clifford in serious foul trouble.

Their bench dominates our bench over the next 6 minutes. Down 42-29.

Simmons responds with 2 3's in a row to cut it to 42-35 before they work it inside to draw a foul on Hannan. Simmons scores our next 3 points on a 12 foot jumper and a foul in the paint.

We end up being down 46-38 at the half. They are shooting an astonishing 62%, the highest any team has shot on us this year.

Their SF is abusing Hannan and is the leading scorer. He has hit jumpers, driven inside a few times, and had 2 monstrous dunks with the foul. Bowden has 15 points on 5 of 6 shooting and 5 of 6 from the line.

Simmons is leading our team in scoring with 12 points and in assists with 6 at the half. He is shooting 4 of 6, 3 of 4 from the arc, and 1 of 2 from the line. Hannan is ice cold after a quick start. He still has 11 points.

Our starters cut it to 60-54 but they exhaust themselves in the process. 10:40 to go in the game.


Great effort by our bench has us within 3 with 6 minutes to go! 70-67. Waters and Bowers were both excellent during that stretch.

Gill with a fastbreak dunk on a long rebound followed by another rebound.. a quick long pass from Simmons to Gill for a layup and the foul!!!

Gill makes the FT to put us up 72-70

We hit a FT on our next possession, but then they hit a 3 to tie it at 73.

Our next possession, Simmons blows by his man and gets fouled in the lane. He makes both FT's. 3:44 left.


After they hit a 3 to give them a 1 point lead, we go to Cornette in the post who hits a 5 foot fadeaway. 77-76, we lead. They miss the 3, and Cornette with a long pass to Gill who spins past his man and gets the breakaway dunk!

We exchange missed shots, but on the rebound, Cornette finds Simmons whose crossover around midcourt fakes out his man.. he drives into the lane and draws Hannan's defender and passes it to Hannan for a perfect alley-oop dunk! 81-76.

They miss a 3. 1:25 to go. Hannan misses a 3, but we used over 30 seconds. They miss a quick 3 as Hannan had good defense on their SF. Cornette gets the board, is fouled, and makes both FT's.

They make a quick 3, and then Simmons only makes 1 of 2 FT's. They miss the next quick 3, but get a putback tip. 84-81 with 24 seconds left.

Crud! They get a 10 second violation as I kept expecting the foul and never broke their traps quick enough.

They miss the 3 and Simmons goes way up for the board on the inside! This time he makes both FT's to give us the 5 point lead.

They hit another quick 3 to keep it alive. Simmons misses the first FT.. but makes the 2nd. 87-84 with 2.2 seconds left.


They miss the 3 from half court. We pull off the upset!!

Simmons is the player of the game with 23 points, 11 assists, 2 boards, 1 steal, and only 3 turnovers. He shot 6 of 11, 4 of 6, and 7 of 10.

Gill with 13 points, 4 assists, and a steal.

Hannan with 19 points, 3 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He shot 7 of 16, 4 of 11, and 1 of 2.

Cornette with 11 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He shot 4 of 5, 1 of 1, and 2 of 2.

Clifford with 2 points and 9 boards.


Waters with 6 points and 3 assists. Bowers with 8 points.


Once we started doubling their star SF he only had 6 more points. He finished with 21 points, 4 boards, 4 assists, and 1 steal to lead their team. Simmons held their smaller PG to 5 of 18 shooting which was the key in our victory, as he was one of the top 3 point shooters in the country coming into the game.


They ended up shooting exactly 50% from the field for the game. We shot 48% from the field.

[Eaglesfan27]

As a result of that win, we'll play our next game in the pre-season Tourney vs Arizona, but before that, we have an OOC game hosting UCLA. UCLA has fallen on hard times with several players leaving early and is actually a bit less talented than the Saint Joseph's team that we just beat, but they are still a bit more talented than we are. They are relying on mostly freshman this year. They are running an uptempo offense now and are scoring a high clip. Their star player is their SF D.J. Gatson who is their only returning starter. They are relying on a 6'8 230 pound center who we'll try to abuse inside a bit.

[Eaglesfan27]

Clifford scores our first basket on a simple post move. Cornette with a spin move away from his man for a dunk our next possession.

Gill with our next 6 points, first on a 3 off a Simmons assist, and then a dunk plus the foul off a turnover generated by our full court trap. Our full court trap leads to 2 other easy baskets in the next 3 minutes and we are suddenly up by 10! The home crowd is going wild.

With 12 minutes to go in the half, we have them in the penalty.

Not sure how it happened, but we are up by 17 with 10 minutes to go as I rest my starters. 32-15.

With 3 minutes left, I'm up 47-26 and wondering if it is finally time to up the difficulty level (I believe I was considering going up a level when I last played this dynasty before the long break.) I think I read that the slider set this is based off will work well with the next difficulty level as well. Anyway, I bring back in my starters to finish off the half.


At the half, we are up 53-31. We have balanced scoring with Hannan leading the way with 11, Cornette with 10, and Clifford with 8. Simmons has 6 points and 2 assists as he actually has a very fast physical point guard on him.

I normally hate switching difficulty or sliders mid season much less mid game, but I just don't think I should be dominating this UCLA team like this even though they are starting 4 freshman. I've always believed All-Conference gives the best fair style of play, so I'm going to stick with that, but I'm going to give the CPU a slight boost in shooting while decreasing 3 point shooting slightly for the human.


To start the 2nd half, Simmons comes off a screen.. drives into the lane and is fouled for 2 FT's. Next possession he drives into the lane, hits a tear drop shot and gets fouled. He converts the 3 point play. With his high shoot in traffic ability, the kid is just a great scorer.

Up 66-48 with 10:30 to go as my starters get a few minutes to rest.

My 2nd team responds in a big way, thanks in large part to Bowers who shot several 3's over the smaller defender. We are up 76-52 (the bench played great defense too led by Waters) with 4:40 to go.


We win the game 82-65. My team might just be more perfectly constructed than I ever imagined. Everyone is filling a role well. Cornette is a 94 rated inside player and is becoming more of a scoring option with that ability. Clifford is a solid defender/rebounder/blocker. Hannan and Simmons can do it all. Gills is an athletic defender who can shoot a bit. Waters is instant offense and a 93 rated perimeter defender. Bowers is a great 3 point shooter off the bench.

In any case, I'll just keep enjoying the success

Hannan was the player of the game, although that award could have gone to a few different guys. Hannan had 16 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 boards, and 2 turnovers. He shot 5 of 7, 1 of 3, and 5 of 5.

Simmons had 13 points, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 5 turnovers. He shot 3 of 8, 0 of 0, and 7 of 9.

Gill had 12 points, 2 boards, and 2 assists. He shot 3 of 5, 1 of 2, and 5 of 8.

Cornette with 14 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Cliford with 10 points, 8 boards, and a block.

Waters with 6 points and 3 assists.

Bowers with 13 points off the bench including 3 of 3 from the arc.

[Eaglesfan27]

Wow. I rarely successfully complete the various training drills as I find most of them quite challenging (particularly the shooting ones).. Simmons just had a perfect 15 of 15 on the 3 point drill to get the highest score I've ever seen in that drill.


Next up in the pre-season NIT is Arizona. They are the #1 team in the country right now. They are a perfect 4-0 just like we are. They are rated 93 in overall talent, 10 points higher than my team. They have great shooters all over the floor, particularly at the guard spots.

[Eaglesfan27]

Simmons draws 2 quick fouls on their starting PG who leaves the game with 18:34 to go in the 1st half.

Our starters played brilliant for the next 13 minutes and didn't seem to tire until about the 5 minute mark when they gave up a 6-0 run. We are down 28-24 with 4:54 to go in the half and our starters take a break for the first time. Simmons has been great so far as has Cornette.


Li, Bowers, and Waters all score well to keep us tied up even with their scoring in the last 5 minutes. Tied at 37 at the half.

Simmons is the player of the half with 11 points, 3 assists, and 3 turnovers. He has shot 3 of 5, 1 of 2, and 4 of 6.


Down 56-51 with 11:15 left as my starters sit for a few minutes.

Things are going our way again.. first Bowers with a 3. Then, Waters with a steal and a pullup 3 on the break. Then, after a defensive stop, Ziri hits a 10 footer at the buzzer. We are up 59-56 with 8:03 to go.

Waters with a steal and a pass to Willis for a breakaway dunk. They finally hit a 14 footer to end our run. 61-58. After they get a steal and breakaway dunk, we respond with a 3 by Bowers to get our fans back into it. 64-60.

After they hit a 3, Waters responds with a 3. 67-64 with 4:30 to go as we get our starters back into the game.

Simmons scored the next 6 points (12 foot jumper, shot from just inside the arc, and a layup on a drive) and then assisted on our last 2 baskets as we finished in style. 79-64 win!

Simmons was the player of the game with 18 points, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers. He shot 5 of 11, 2 of 6, and 6 of 8.

Gill had 5 points and 4 boards. He generally played solid defense as their SG was 5 of 13 from the floor.

Hannan had 11 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He shot 5 of 13, 1 of 4, and 0 of 0.

Cornette with 14 points, 11 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He shot 5 of 7, 1 of 1, and 3 of 3. Except for his 3, all of his points were in the paint and he had 2 dunks.

Clifford had 2 points, 9 boards, and a steal.


Waters with 11 points and 5 assists in just 12 minutes.

Bowers with 9 points and Li with 5 in that same time period.

[Eaglesfan27]

I believe we are now in the Championship Game of the NIT Season Tip-Off Tourney. We'll face Baylor who is rated slightly worse than we are in overall talent. Furthermore, their best player SF Solomon Fleming is out for the game with an injury. Billy Brazzle is another SF on their team who is 6'7 but only 205 pounds. He is their 2nd leading scorer at 16 ppg and their leading rebounder at 8.8 per game. No one else on their team has more than 10 ppg. Their PG should have a tough time matching up with Simmons or Waters. However, their center is one of the best we've faced this year and should provide a tough matchup for Clifford. I'll play that game tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

I've made a few slight tweaks to give the CPU a bit of a boost. That being said, Baylor has horrific team unity and I'm expecting a win with their injuries and other issues. This is the Championship Game of the Preseason NIT Tourney.

5 minutes into the game, Hannan and Simmons are dominating them. Simmons has drawn 2 fouls on their starting PG and a slower backup is now in. We are up 12-4.

We are up 26-13 with 10 minutes to go. Hannan, Gill, and Simmons are our main scorers. Gill is a much better finisher around the rim than I expected earlier in the year.


We are up 30-18 with 4 minutes to go as our starters return.


We are up 37-22 at the half. Hannan is the player of the half with 13 points and a board.

Early in the 2nd half, Gill gets a 3rd foul on Brazzle on the break. Their best player sat most of the 1st half as well.


With 9:42 to go, we are up 68-30 and my starters leave the floor. They probably won't be back this game.


We win the game 85-51.

Hannan is the player of the game with 26 points, 2 assists, 1 board, and 1 steal. He shot 9 of 14, 1 of 5, and 7 of 7.


Simmons with 12 points, 6 assists, 5 steals, and 2 turnovers. He shot 4 of 11, 1 of 4, and 3 of 4.

Gill with 13 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists. He shot 4 of 9, 1 of 2, and 4 of 4.

Cornette with 8 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, and a block.

Clifford with 6 points, 12 boards, 2 assists, and a block.


Waters with 8 points and 4 assists off the bench.

Bowers with 3 points.



I think it is time to try out an All-American Slider Set. I was getting really good at the game before I took the long break. Then, I lost a few with this slider set as I got used to the game now, but I don't think I should be blowing out closely rated teams and winning every game against 3 consecutive opponents who all had a significant talent advantage. I'll try out a popular set from OS and see how it plays in exhibition, but I'll probably implement it. Our next game is at a weak Dartmouth team, so that might be a good game to test it with as well. I should blow them out, or at least win comfortably.

[Eaglesfan27]

Playing Dartmouth with the new All-American Sliders. They are very small at center, but have a PF who is 6'8 280!

We are down 19-15 at the 10 minute mark as our bench comes in. Their guards are drilling 3's to give them the lead.

Waters with great defense and some good outside shots sparks our 2nd team. We are up 31-27 with 4:20 to go as our starters return.

41-31 at the half. Simmons is doing a good job of breaking down their zone. Hannan is the player of the half with 12 points.


We are up 59-44 with 9:32 to go as our starters rest. They keep sagging way off Gill and while he has missed some wide open 3's, he has also hit a few.

Our 2nd unit plays so well that they get to finish the game.

We win it 71-50.

Hannan is the player of the game with 21 points, 2 boards, 1 steal. He shot 8 of 12, 2 of 4, and 3 of 4.

Simmons with 1 points, 9 assists, 2 steals, 2 boards, and 5 turnovers. He shot 0 of 6, 0 of 1, and 1 of 4.

Gill with 13 points on 5 of 11 shooting including 3 of 7 from the arc.

Cornette with 6 points, 9 boards, 1 assist, and 3 steals.

Clifford with 2 points and 10 boards.

Bowers had 9 points, 3 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block in just 15 minutes.

Waters and Willis each also had 9 points.

[Eaglesfan27]

Our next game is hosting Maryland-Baltimore County, by far the worst team we've faced all year. Also, we could get some recruits committing to us as early as this upcoming weekend. We have the inside track on 1 and are very close to getting another:

Daon Wentt has us #1 by a large margin. He is the 6'4 215 pound SF who is graded out as a B+ in shooting, defense, athleticism, and IQ. He is a 3 star from Toronto who is ranked 361st overall.

We are in a battle with Duquesne for Elliah Halsch, the 6'7 241 pound PF from Akron Ohio who is rated 186th overall. He is rated an A in rebounding, a B in defense, athleticism, IQ, and potential. He is rated a C in skill and shooting.

At this point, it looks like we have little chance to get the 2 4 star players we are pursuing.

[Tellistto]

Good luck, glad to see you back to writing about this dynasty.

Tell

[Eaglesfan27]

Thanks Tellisto, gi, and rjolley. Glad to know that people are enjoying it. I'm having fun picking this up again and looking forward to playing more tomorrow.

[Eaglesfan27]

After falling to a 5-0 deficit, our team scores the next 8 with 2 midrange jumpers from Hannan.


We are down 14-13 with 10:32 to go as our starters rest.


Our bench plays so well, that they play until only 2:28 is left. We are up 32-25. Bowers has 12 points, 6 on layups and 6 on 3 pointers.


At the half, we are up 39-25. Bowers is player of the half with 12 points and 2 boards. He has shot 5 of 7, 2 of 4, and 0 of 0.

Simmons with a quiet first half with only 4 points and 2 assists. He is 1 of 5 from the floor early.

With 8:57 to go, we pull our starters for good. We are up 61-32 as our defense was incredible for the last 11 minutes. Always in their man's face, great help work when they got beat. Gill even got a 5 second call against his guy.


We win the game 79-38. Bowers was the player of the game with 20 points and 3 boards. He shot 8 of 12, 4 of 7, and 0 of 0.

Li had 12 points and 3 boards on 3 of 7 shooting, 2 of 6, and 4 of 4.

Waters had 0 points and 7 assists as our bench played spectacularly.


Simmons with 9 points, 4 assists,1 steal, and 1 turnover. He shot 3 of 8, 0 of 2, and 3 of 6.

Gill with 8 points and 2 assists.

Hannan with 13 points, 5 boards, and 2 steals. He shot 6 of 13, 0 of 1, and 1 of 2.

Cornette with 10 poins, 7 boards, 1 assist, and 2 blocks.

Clifford with 2 points, 11 boards, and a block.

[Eaglesfan27]

We get a surprise announcement as the 1st day possible Elliah Halsch announces that he is coming to Niagara! I thought for sure Duqesne was going to get him from us.

Wentt hasn't signed with us yet, but almost certainly will by next weekend. They will be our only 2 early signees.


We are now 8-0 as we start conference play and we start off with a game against one of the other conference powerhouses this year, Marist. They are 7-1 and feature a dynamic PG in Chey Noel and a talented PF in Dustin Sweeney who has won Conference Player of the Year last year. They are averaging 74.5 ppg and shooting 44% from the floor. Sweeney and Noel are each averaging 15 ppg. Their SF Augustine is averaging 13.3 ppg. Nowl is averaging just over 5 assists per game and 2 steals per game. Noel is a dangerous 3 point shooter. They tend to shoot a lot of 3's. They tend to run a 3-2 zone defense.

I'll play them later today, most likely.

[Galaxy]

Go Purple Eagles! (my alma mater)

I'm starting to get back into this game (best sports game, I think).

I'm guessing you should start getting some bigger programs interested in your services at the end of this season.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Go Purple Eagles! (my alum mater)

I'm starting to get back into this game (best sports game, I think).

I'm guessing you should start getting some bigger programs interested in your services at the end of this season.

Only way I'm leaving Simmons and this team is if I get an offer to go to a Power Conference team.