Dante’s Hoops Inferno – a College Hoops 2K7 Dynasty

[DataKing]

I set up my team's style and tendencies and then let them play, correct. I also set up coverage and double-teams on defense as well. Double-teams down low on dominant post players, tight coverage on straight-up jump shooters, and loose coverage on guys with an inconsistent jump shot but good speed.

As far as dribble penetration goes, you won't get a lot of it if you're facing a lot of zone defense (which you will see at the lower levels). Even against man-to-man defense, your guy will need a high speed rating in order to beat the defender to the whole. Brandon Callahan is the only guy I have who can get the occasional dribble-drive, and he has a speed of 85.

You can have more success with dribble-penetration and back-door cuts against a matchup zone defense. That sort of switching defense sometimes leaves players open off of the switch.

Hope this helps.

[Evil Afro]

What sliders are you using? I found some pretty good ones on Operation Sports for coach mode.

I'm going to give it a try again with your strategy and see if it's better.

Thanks

[DataKing]

Monday, January 15th, 2007

Ohio Valley Conference Standings
Rnk  Team                       ConfW   ConfL   Conf%     Win   Loss   Win%
 1.  Southeast Missouri           8       1     0.888      8      8    0.500
 2.  Tennessee State              5       2     0.714     10      6    0.625
 3.  Austin Peay                  5       2     0.714      5      8    0.384
 4.  Tennessee-Martin             6       3     0.666      9      9    0.500
 5.  Morehead State               5       3     0.625     10      6    0.625 
 6.  Tennessee Tech               3       5     0.375      6      8    0.428
 7.  Samford                      3       5     0.375      6     10    0.375
 8.  Eastern Kentucky             3       5     0.375      4     10    0.285 
 9.  Murray State                 3       5     0.375      4     10    0.285
10.  Eastern Illinois             3       7     0.300      6     12    0.333 
11.  Jacksonville State           1       7     0.125      1     13    0.071

Games This Week

Thursday (1/18/07) at Samford
Saturday (1/20/07) at Jacksonville State

[DataKing]

Evil Afro: Thanks for reminding me. I had intended to post my slider settings and forgot. I've updated the 1st post in this dynasty to include my slider settings.

I'm not 100% sold on these settings, and may still need to tweak a few things (rebounding numbers seem a bit low), but I want to finish out the 2007 season first.

[DataKing]

MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES (10-6, 5-3)

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SAMFORD BULLDOGS (6-10, 3-5)

Slow and Steady. Experienced Bulldog Backcourt Crushes Poor-Shooting Eagles, 64-44.

January 18th, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Senior leadership and a controlled, slow-tempo offense were the keys to victory as the Samford Bulldogs were poor hosts to Morehead State, crushing the Eagles 64-44. Senior guards Randall Gulina (16 pts, 4-of-4 3PT) and Jerry Smith (13 pts, 6-of-8 FG) kept the pace of the game slow, picking their spots extremely well and refusing to push the ball, which frustrated Morehead State's high-pressure defense all night long. Without their usual turnovers and transition baskets to ease the defensive pressure, the Eagles were unable to solve the Bulldogs' 3-2 zone defense.

Things started off poorly for Morehead State when sophomore center Clinton Reisz was tagged with his 2nd personal foul only 3:38 into the game and had to sit for the remainder of the half. Despite this deficiency, and in spite of a lot of shots rattling in-and-out, the Eagles crawled their way back into the defense-dominated game, briefly taking an 11-9 lead at the 6:55 mark thanks to a field goal by Quentin Pryor (the Eagles' first transition bucket of the game). But an 8-0 run late in the half placed Morehead in a serious 27-14 hole with only 2:51 to play in the half. Foul trouble plagued the team as well, with 3 starters (Reisz, Jamyron Steward, and Quentin Pryor) and a key reserve (Cordaryl Ballard) all accumulating two personal fouls before halftime. Samford took a 31-22 lead into the break.

Things looked up briefly for the Eagles as Bulldogs' starting center Travis Peterson got his 3rd personal foul only 14 seconds into the 2nd half, but the visitors' continued troubles with the Samford 3-2 zone prevented them from taking advantage. A 5-point deficit, 32-27 at the 18:35 mark, was as close as Morehead State could come. Samford dashed any real hopes of an Eagles comeback a few minutes later when Eagles' point guard Brandon Callahan came down awkwardly after a foul while driving the lane and had to leave the game. Callahan would return later in the game, but was obviously hobbled and could not seriously contribute. Samford cruised to an easy 64-44 victory.

Scoreboard
Final - F. Page Seibert Hall             1H     2H    Fin
-Morehead State (10-7, 5-4)              22     22     44
-Samford (7-10, 4-5)                     31     33     64

Starters

Morehead State       Yr     Ht      Pos     Samford             Yr     Ht
Brandon Callahan     JR     6'0"     PG     Jerry Smith         SR     6'2"
Quentin Pryor        SR     6'4"     SG     Randall Gulina      SR     6'1"
Jamyron Steward      JR     6'3"     SF     Joe Ross Merritt    JR     6'4"
Shaun Williams       SR     6'6"     PF     Savoy Fraine        FR     6'8"
Clinton Reisz        SO     6'10"     C     Travis Peterson     JR     6'10"

Team Statistics
Morehead State                                                   Samford
      44                     Points                                 64
      14                     Field Goals Made                       25
      42                     Field Goals Attempted                  47
    0.333                    Field Goal %                         0.532
       2                     3 Pointers Made                         7
      10                     3 Pointers Attempted                   13
    0.200                    3 Pointers %                         0.538
      14                     Free Throws Made                        7
      16                     Free Throws Attempted                  10
    0.875                    Free Throw %                         0.700
       4                     Assists                                16
       8                     Turnovers                               5
      13                     Team Fouls                             11
      27                     Total Rebounds                         22
       5                     Offensive Rebounds                      0
      22                     Defensive Rebounds                     22
       4                     Steals                                  8
       1                     Blocks                                  0
      14                     Points in the Paint                    18
      14                     Bench Points                            8
       4                     Second Chance Points                    0
       6                     Fast Break Points                       8

Morehead State Player Statistics

Name                            Pts   Reb   Ast   Stl   Blk   TO   PF   Min
Shaun Williams                   13     4     0     1     0    1    3    28
Brandon Callahan                  7     2     1     1     0    0    0    25
Cordaryl Ballard                  6     1     1     0     0    1    2    19
Jamyron Steward                   5     5     0     0     0    1    3    25
Quentin Pryor                     5     2     1     0     0    3    2    29
Nikola Stojakovic                 4     2     1     2     0    0    1    16
Dan Penick                        2     6     0     0     0    1    0    20
Andreas Coleman                   2     2     0     0     0    1    0    14
Vincent Crutcher                  0     2     0     0     0    0    0     9
Clinton Reisz                     0     1     0     0     1    0    2    19

Coach's Notes

• The injury to Brandon Callahan dashed any real hopes we had at coming back in this game (he has definitely become our go-to guy). The good news is that the injury is just an ankle sprain. He should be 100% in about a week or so, hopefully in time for our game against OVC-leading Southeast Missouri on the 25th.
• Clinton Reisz had a miserable game, providing us with very little help either offensively or defensively. I'm hoping this was just an anomoly.
• Vincent Crutcher continues to struggle with his strained quad muscle. Another week and he should be 100% along with Callahan.
• It seemed like Samford was coming up with all the loose balls. A number of times it appeared as though we should get a steal or a loose ball, only to have a Bulldog jump on it first. I'm going to chalk this one up to just a poor performance on the road, and move on.

[DataKing]

MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES (10-7, 5-4)

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JACKSONVILLE STATE GAMECOCKS (1-14, 1-8)

Imminent Collapse. Eagles Blow 9-Point Lead, Fall to Lowly Gamecocks, 65-56.

January 20th, 2007

JACKSONVILLE, AL - The state of Alabama has been unkind to the Morehead State Eagles over the last few days. On Thursday Coach King's Eagles were trounced by the Samford Bulldogs, 64-44. Today may have even been worse for the visiting team, as they blew a 9-point lead against the lowly Jacksonville State Gamecocks, winners of only one game all season before today. Junior guard Erik Adams led the way for the Gamecocks with 19 points (7-11 FG), and standout senior forward Courtney Bradley had a double-double (11 pts, 11 reb). The Eagles' high scorer was junior guard Jamyron Steward (15 pts, 6-17 FG) and sophomore center Clinton Reisz led all players with 16 rebounds.

Morehead State jumped out to an early 11-3 lead, thanks in part to a pair of layups by junior guard Nikola Stojakovic, who was starting in place of the injured Brandon Callahan. But Jacksonville State, led by the play of senior forward Harold Crow (10 1st-half points) fought their way back, and had worked the deficit down to 20-19 at the 6:31 mark (junior guard Will Ginn missed a free throw that would have tied the game). The remainder of the half was a back-and-forth affair, with a slight edge going to Morehead State. The Eagles went to the locker room with a 33-26 halftime lead.

Shaun Williams started the 2nd half on a high note for the Eagles as he benefitted from a great dish from Stojakovic down low, stretching the Morehead State lead to 35-26. But it was all downhill from there for the visitors. Erik Adams led the Gamecocks on a 12-3 run over the next three minutes, with Courtney Bradley draining a 3-pointer at the 17:05 mark to tie the game at 38-38. Things slowed down a bit after that, and Morehead State went ice-cold from the field, continuing the poor shooting that has plagued the team recently.

By the 11:00 mark, Jacksonville State had stretched their lead to 47-41. The Eagles scratched and clawed their way back to within 2 points, 49-47 with 6:21 to play, but that was all that Coach King's team could muster. Adams and the Gamecocks won the game going away, 65-56. To add insult to injury, freshman forward Dan Penick came up lame for the Eagles late in the game and did not return.

Scoreboard
Final - Pete Mathews Coliseum             1H     2H    Fin
-Morehead State (10-8, 5-5)               33     23     56
-Jacksonville State (2-14, 2-8)           26     39     65

Starters

Morehead State       Yr     Ht      Pos     Jacksonville State     Yr     Ht
Nikola Stojakovic    JR     6'2"     PG     Will Ginn              JR     6'0"
Quentin Pryor        SR     6'4"     SG     Erik Adams             JR     6'5"
Jamyron Steward      JR     6'3"     SF     Harold Crow            SR     6'7"
Shaun Williams       SR     6'6"     PF     Courtney Bradley       SR     6'5"
Clinton Reisz        SO     6'10"     C     Dorien Brown           JR     6'7"

Team Statistics
Morehead State                                          Jacksonville State
      56                   Points                               65
      21                   Field Goals Made                     21
      66                   Field Goals Attempted                55
    0.318                  Field Goal %                       0.382
       3                   3 Pointers Made                       6
      24                   3 Pointers Attempted                 21
    0.125                  3 Pointers %                       0.286
      11                   Free Throws Made                     17
      16                   Free Throws Attempted                21
    0.688                  Free Throw %                       0.810
      14                   Assists                              13
       9                   Turnovers                            11
      17                   Team Fouls                           11
      36                   Total Rebounds                       38
       6                   Offensive Rebounds                    6
      30                   Defensive Rebounds                   32
       9                   Steals                                7
       0                   Blocks                                4
      30                   Points in the Paint                  22
       8                   Bench Points                          8
       6                   Second Chance Points                  4
      18                   Fast Break Points                     4

Morehead State Player Statistics

Name                            Pts   Reb   Ast   Stl   Blk   TO   PF   Min
Jamyron Steward                  15     1     2     0     0    2    1    31
Quentin Pryor                    14     0     4     4     0    1    3    33
Shaun Williams                    9     9     0     2     0    1    1    31
Clinton Reisz                     6    16     0     2     0    2    2    28
Nikola Stojakovic                 4     0     4     0     0    1    2    21
Cordaryl Ballard                  4     2     1     0     0    1    2    16
Brandon Callahan                  3     0     3     0     0    1    2    20
Dan Penick                        1     8     0     1     0    0    2    22
Vincent Crutcher                  0     0     0     0     0    0    1     2
Andreas Coleman                   0     0     0     0     0    0    1     1

Coach's Notes

• Clinton Reisz was an absolute beast today on the defensive glass (15 of his 16 rebounds were defensive). It's nice to see him rounding back into form.
• If you want to know how badly the turned ankle has hindered Brandon Callahan, just look at the line. Nikola Stojakovic out-performed him today. Trust me when I say that Stojakovic is nowhere near the player that Callahan is. Thank goodness Brandon will be full strength soon.
• That being said, it was my decision to start Nikola instead of Brandon, so I have to take at least some of the blame.
• The injury bug continues to bite us. Dan Penick pulled a hamstring late in the game and is going to be slowed down for about 3 weeks.
• The lack of offensive production lately, in particular on the road, has me worried. I'm hoping that a fully healthy Brandon Callahan and Vincent Crutcher will help to alleviate the problem, but more drastic measures may be in order if things stay the way they are.

[DataKing]

Monday, January 22nd, 2007

Ohio Valley Conference Standings
Rnk  Team                       ConfW   ConfL   Conf%     Win   Loss   Win%
 1.  Southeast Missouri           9       2     0.818      9      9    0.500
 2.  Austin Peay                  6       3     0.666      6      9    0.400
 3.  Tennessee-Martin             7       4     0.636     10     10    0.500
 4.  Tennessee State              5       4     0.555     10      8    0.555
 5.  Morehead State               5       5     0.500     10      8    0.555 
 6.  Tennessee Tech               5       5     0.500      8      8    0.500
 7.  Samford                      5       5     0.500      8     10    0.444
 8.  Eastern Kentucky             4       6     0.400      5     11    0.312 
 8.  Murray State                 4       6     0.400      5     11    0.312
10.  Eastern Illinois             4       8     0.333      7     13    0.350 
11.  Jacksonville State           2       8     0.200      2     14    0.125

Games This Week

Thursday (1/25/07) vs. Southeast Missouri
Saturday (1/27/07) vs. Eastern Illinois

Injury Update

Player                   Injury                  Severity        Duration
Brandon Callahan         Sprained Ankle          Day-to-day       2 days
Vincent Crutcher         Pulled Quadriceps       Day-to-day       2 days
Dan Penick               Pulled Hamstring        Day-to-day      17 days

[DataKing]

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE REDHAWKS (9-9, 9-2)

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MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES (10-8, 5-5)

Pryor Sets Career High, Eagles Defeat Conference-Leading Redhawks 86-73.

January 25th, 2007

MOREHEAD, KY - No Morehead State Eagle was happier to return home after last week's road trip than senior guard Quentin Pryor. Pryor's play had been miserable on the Alabama trip, including a horrendous 1-for-8 shooting night against Samford. But the home iron was kind to Pryor and the Eagles. In a game of alternating runs between the Eagles and the visiting Southeast Missouri State Redhawks, the Eupora, Mississippi native had a career-high 35 points in Morehead State's 86-73 victory.

The Eagles jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on the conference-leading Redhawks thanks to successful steals on two inbounds passes. Southeast Missouri got some offense going after that, and the deficit remained in the 6-9 point range until junior center Michael Rembert was tagged with his second personal foul at the 14:16 mark and had to sit for the remainder of the half. Quentin Pryor scored 7 on Morehead State's ensuing 12-2 run, and the lead bulged to 32-13. But the Redhawks answered with a 12-0 run of their own, trimming the lead back into the single digits at 32-25. Pryor didn't appear to be capable of missing for the rest of the half, but the Redhawks' offense held their own. Pryor had scored 22 by halftime, and the Eagles went to the break nursing a 47-38 lead.

The home team jumped out early again in the second half with an 11-2 run (including another 5 points from Pryor), and led 58-40 at the 17:39 mark. The game's frenetic pace began to take it's toll on the bigs from both teams. The Redhawks' Michael Rembert and freshman forward Herbert Terry each had three personal fouls before 4 minutes had expired in the half. At the 13:47 mark (by which time the Redhawks had mounted another retaliatory run, this one of the 10-0 variety) Eagles' sophomore center Clinton Reisz had serious trouble of his own with four fouls and had to sit. Despite missing their preferred big-man, Morehead State mounted yet another run and their lead bulged to 80-60 with only 7:12 to play. Southeast Missouri State got the lead down to single-digits, 80-71 with 2:48 to go, but could get no closer.

Scoreboard
Final - Johnson Arena                  1H     2H    Fin
-Southeast Missouri St (9-10, 9-3)     38     35     73
-Morehead State (11-8, 6-5)            47     39     86

Starters

Southeast Missouri St   Yr     Ht     Pos     Morehead State       Yr     Ht
Paul Paradoski          JR     6'0"    PG     Brandon Callahan     JR     6'0"
Terrick Willoughby      SR     6'4"    SG     Quentin Pryor        SR     6'4"
Brandon Foust           JR     6'6"    SF     Jamyron Steward      JR     6'3"
Herbert Terry           FR     6'7"    PF     Shaun Williams       SR     6'6"
Michael Rembert         JR     6'9"     C     Clinton Reisz        SO     6'10" 

Team Statistics

 Southeast Missouri St                                     Morehead State
          73               Points                                86
          26               Field Goals Made                      29
          54               Field Goals Attempted                 54
        0.481              Field Goal %                        0.537
           2               3 Pointers Made                        7
          14               3 Pointers Attempted                  19
        0.143              3 Pointers %                        0.368
          19               Free Throws Made                      21
          21               Free Throws Attempted                 26
        0.905              Free Throw %                        0.808
          12               Assists                               21
          15               Turnovers                             12
          16               Team Fouls                            12
          24               Total Rebounds                        25
           4               Offensive Rebounds                     3
          20               Defensive Rebounds                    22
          11               Steals                                14
           2               Blocks                                 2
          32               Points in the Paint                   28
          24               Bench Points                          17
           4               Second Chance Points                   0
          16               Fast Break Points                     14

Morehead State Player Statistics

Name                            Pts   Reb   Ast   Stl   Blk   TO   PF   Min
Quentin Pryor                    35     1     3     1     0    1    1    33
Shaun Williams                   16     3     2     1     0    2    1    33
Brandon Callahan                 14     2    13     4     0    2    1    33
Cordaryl Ballard                  9     1     0     0     0    0    1    13
Dan Penick                        5     0     0     0     0    0    0    10
Clinton Reisz                     4     9     0     1     2    1    4    22
Vincent Crutcher                  2     1     1     2     0    0    0    15
Andreas Coleman                   1     5     0     0     0    2    1    16
Jamyron Steward                   0     2     2     2     0    2    3    20
Bill Davis                        0     1     0     0     0    0    0     2
Nikola Stojakovic                 0     0     0     3     0    1    0     8
Chase Denson                      0     0     0     0     0    0    0     2

Coach's Notes

• Obviously Quentin Pryor was in "unstoppable" mode tonight, shooting a crazy 12-of-14 from the field (including 6-of-7 from 3-point range). It's nice to see one of our seniors step up.
• After a number of inconsistent and foul-riddled performances, Shaun Williams has been giving us nice, steady point production (usually in the 9-13 range) lately and has been keeping his nose clean.
• Brandon Callahan deserves a lot of credit for tonight's performance, with his first double-double of the season (an unconventional one to boot - 14 points and a whopping 13 assists).
• It's uncanny how many back-and-forth runs both teams had in this game. Just when I figured we'd nailed the coffin shut, the Redhawks would come roaring back and make it a close enough game to keep me nervous.

[DataKing]

EASTERN ILLINOIS PANTHERS (7-13, 4-8)

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MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES (11-8, 6-5)

Will the Real Morehead State Please Stand Up?!?! Eagles Blow Lead at Home, Fall to Panthers 69-66.

January 27th, 2007

MOREHEAD, KY - The Morehead State Eagles basketball team has been displaying more than it's fair share of inconsistency as of late, and that has to be a concern for fans as well as for head coach Dante King. Two nights after a convincing victory over the conference-leading Southeast Missouri State Redhawks, The Eagles seemed to have the upper hand over a far inferior opponent, Eastern Illinois. But the inexperienced Panthers squad came back and handed the Eagles their 4th home loss of the season, 69-66.

Morehead State jumped out to an early 9-2 lead over the Panthers, thanks largely to the continued hot shooting of senior guard Quentin Pryor. But strong inside play from the freshman tandem of Justin Brock and Ousmane Cisse got the Panthers back into the game and kept things close. The teams were tied at 14-14 with 13:01 to play and again at 28-28 with just 4:24 to go, as neither team could hold a lead for very long. Morehead State tallied the last 6 points of the half and led 38-34 at the break.

Early in the 2nd half the Eagles went on a 7-0 run sparked by senior forward Shaun Williams, and Morehead State had the advantage, 49-38, their largest lead of the game. But freshman Ousmane Cisse would not be denied (19 pts, 5 reb, 7-8 ft). Taking advantage of Eagles' sophomore center Clinton Reisz and a loose whistle by the referees, Cisse single-handedly brought his team back into the game with successful and-1 situations on three consecutive trips down the court. By the 7:55 mark, the Panthers had shaved the lead down to 57-54. Morehead State still managed to hold the lead until only 2:54 remained, when junior guard Julio Anthony knocked down a pair of free throws to give Eastern Illinois the edge, 64-63. Shaun Williams had a chance to force overtime, as he was fouled with only 5 seconds to play and down 67-65, but his second free throw clanged off the front of the rim and the Eagles' slim hopes of victory were dashed.

Scoreboard
Final - Johnson Arena               1H     2H    Fin
-Eastern Illinois (8-13, 5-8)       34     35     69
-Morehead State (11-9, 6-6)         38     28     66

Starters

Eastern Illinois        Yr     Ht     Pos     Morehead State       Yr     Ht
Mike Robinson           SO     5'11"   PG     Brandon Callahan     JR     6'0"
Julio Anthony           JR     6'4"    SG     Quentin Pryor        SR     6'4"
Bobby Catchings         JR     6'6"    SF     Jamyron Steward      JR     6'3"
Justin Brock            FR     6'8"    PF     Shaun Williams       SR     6'6"
Ousmane Cisse           FR     6'8"     C     Clinton Reisz        SO     6'10"

Team Statistics

 Eastern Illinois                                        Morehead State
        73               Points                                66
        23               Field Goals Made                      26
        46               Field Goals Attempted                 61
      0.500              Field Goal %                        0.426
         8               3 Pointers Made                        8
        15               3 Pointers Attempted                  25
      0.533              3 Pointers %                        0.320
        15               Free Throws Made                       6
        20               Free Throws Attempted                  7
      0.750              Free Throw %                        0.857
        12               Assists                               17
        16               Turnovers                              6
         8               Team Fouls                            15
        30               Total Rebounds                        22
         4               Offensive Rebounds                     7
        26               Defensive Rebounds                    15
         3               Steals                                14
         2               Blocks                                 5
        20               Points in the Paint                   30
        14               Bench Points                           5
         4               Second Chance Points                  10
         4               Fast Break Points                     16

Morehead State Player Statistics

Name                            Pts   Reb   Ast   Stl   Blk   TO   PF   Min
Quentin Pryor                    20     0     2     5     0    1    1    31
Brandon Callahan                 19     2     5     0     0    0    2    35
Shaun Williams                   13     7     4     3     0    0    4    34
Jamyron Steward                   5     2     1     0     0    3    2    26
Clinton Reisz                     4     5     1     4     3    1    1    30
Cordaryl Ballard                  3     0     1     1     1    1    0    12
Nikola Stojakovic                 2     0     2     0     0    0    1     6
Andreas Coleman                   0     4     0     0     0    0    1     7
Dan Penick                        0     1     1     0     1    0    1    11
Vincent Crutcher                  0     1     0     1     0    0    2    13

Coach's Notes

• This team is really starting to baffle me. One day they look fantastic, and the next they look like they couldn't beat their own grandmothers. We currently have the same record against the top 5 teams in the conference (3-3) as we do against the bottom 5 (also 3-3).
• Jamyron Steward has been slumping as of late, with only 25 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 8 turnovers in his last four games. I'm thinking about starting Vincent Crutcher in his place next game, just to shake things up a bit.
• Quentin Pryor continues to poor it on. That's 55 points in the last 2 games from our shooting guard.
• Clinton Reisz disappeared in the 2nd half, allowing himself to be dominated by a smaller and younger Ousmane Cisse.

[DataKing]

Monday, January 29th, 2007

Ohio Valley Conference Standings
Rnk  Team                       ConfW   ConfL   Conf%     Win   Loss   Win%
 1.  Tennessee-Martin            10       4     0.714     13     10    0.565
 2.  Southeast Missouri          10       4     0.714     10     11    0.476
 3.  Austin Peay                  8       4     0.666      8     10    0.444
 4.  Tennessee State              7       5     0.583     12      9    0.571
 5.  Tennessee Tech               7       5     0.583     10      8    0.555
 6.  Morehead State               6       6     0.500     11      9    0.550 
 7.  Samford                      6       7     0.461      9     12    0.428
 8.  Eastern Illinois             5       8     0.384      8     13    0.380 
 9.  Eastern Kentucky             4       8     0.333      5     13    0.277 
10.  Murray State                 4       9     0.307      5     14    0.263
11.  Jacksonville State           3      10     0.230      3     16    0.157

Games This Week

Monday (1/29/07) at Tennessee Tech
Thursday (2/1/07) vs. Eastern Kentucky

Injury Update

Player                   Injury                  Severity        Duration
Dan Penick               Pulled Hamstring        Day-to-day      10 days

[DataKing]

MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES (11-9, 6-6)

at
TENNESSEE TECH GOLDEN EAGLES (10-8, 7-5)

Second Half Woes Continue for Eagles. Another Lead Blown as Tennessee Tech Knocks Off Morehead State, 77-75.

January 29th, 2007

COOKEVILLE, TN - Blowing halftime leads is becoming a very bad habit for the Morehead State Eagles. For the third time in four games, head coach Dante King's club enjoyed a lead at the break, only to surrender the lead in the second half. This time it was the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles who lit up Morehead State, to the tune of 48 second-half points, on their way to a narrow 77-75 home victory. The skid has dropped Morehead State to 11-10 on the season with a 6-7 conference record and completely out of the hunt for a regular season conference crown.

"None of us are happy right now, especially coach [King]," stated senior forward Shaun Williams after the game, who had a chance to tie things up in the closing seconds. "It's not like we're getting complacent out there or anything...it's just...well...I don't know what it is."

Morehead State started out like a house a-fire with an 8-0 run to open the game. By the 15:26 mark, Tennessee Tech was already getting into foul trouble as both junior point guard Anthony Fisher and sophomore center Daniel Northern were on the bench with two personal fouls. A 10-0 Morehead State run, highlighted by strong post play by Shaun Williams, launched the Eagles to a 22-6 lead. Junior forward Amadi McKenzie played well and sparked a small Tennessee Tech 7-0 run, but Morehead State took advantage of the Golden Eagles' reserves and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the half. By halftime, Morehead State center Clinton Reisz and Tennessee Tech guard Belton Rivers had accumulated their second personal fouls as well, and Morehead State led, 42-29.

The referees continued to call a tight game down low, and with 16:24 to go both teams' starting centers were riding the pine with three fouls each. A goaltending call by Morehead State's Dan Penick sparked a 14-2 run by Tennessee Tech that all but wiped out the Eagles' lead in less than four minutes. The last twelve minutes of the game were a nail-biting affair that any basketball fan would have to appreciate. Shortly after Morehead State's Jamyron Steward left the game with his fourth foul, Tennessee Tech took their first lead of the game. The next seven minutes saw six ties and five lead changes, as neither team could gain any distance from the other.

When Daniel Northern was hit with his fourth foul, the Eagles went on a small 6-0 run to take a 73-69 lead and it felt like the visitors had all the momentum, but by 1:49 to go Northern had returned to the game and an emphatic dunk tied the game at 73-73 and sparked the crowd. With 52 seconds remaining, Belton Rivers nailed a dagger of a 3-pointer, putting the Golden Eagles in the lead, 76-75. Shaun Williams missed a layup on the other end, and with time running out Morehead State was forced to foul. But the usually sure-handed Anthony Fisher missed one of the two free throws, leaving the lead at 77-75. Coming out of the ensuing time-out, coach King called Shaun Williams' number, and the senior had a good look at a short six-foot jumper, but rattled the shot off the front of the iron as time expired.

Scoreboard
Final - Hooper Eblen Arena             1H     2H    Fin
-Morehead State (11-10, 6-7)           42     33     75
-Tennessee Tech (11-8, 8-5)            29     48     77

Starters

Morehead State       Yr     Ht      Pos     Tennessee Tech     Yr     Ht
Brandon Callahan     JR     6'0"     PG     Anthony Fisher     JR     6'2"
Quentin Pryor        SR     6'4"     SG     Belton Rivers      SR     6'4"
Jamyron Steward      JR     6'3"     SF     Rashaud Nixon      JR     6'4"
Shaun Williams       SR     6'6"     PF     Amadi McKenzie     JR     6'7"
Clinton Reisz        SO     6'10"     C     Daniel Northern    SO     6'9"

Team Statistics
Morehead State                                            Tennessee Tech
      75                   Points                               77
      27                   Field Goals Made                     27
      59                   Field Goals Attempted                69
    0.458                  Field Goal %                       0.391
       2                   3 Pointers Made                       6
       8                   3 Pointers Attempted                 18
    0.250                  3 Pointers %                       0.333
      19                   Free Throws Made                     17
      26                   Free Throws Attempted                20
    0.731                  Free Throw %                       0.850
      13                   Assists                              13
      11                   Turnovers                            12
      14                   Team Fouls                           19
      30                   Total Rebounds                       40
       7                   Offensive Rebounds                   15
      23                   Defensive Rebounds                   25
      12                   Steals                               10
       3                   Blocks                                1
      34                   Points in the Paint                  34
       5                   Bench Points                         14
       6                   Second Chance Points                 10
      12                   Fast Break Points                     2

Morehead State Player Statistics

Name                            Pts   Reb   Ast   Stl   Blk   TO   PF   Min
Quentin Pryor                    28     1     0     2     0    2    0    31
Shaun Williams                   25     9     2     3     1    2    2    31
Jamyron Steward                  10     1     1     0     0    1    5    18
Clinton Reisz                     5     7     1     0     1    0    3    24
Brandon Callahan                  2     1     7     5     0    5    3    33
Cordaryl Ballard                  2     0     1     1     0    0    1    14
Vincent Crutcher                  1     4     1     0     0    1    0    19
Andreas Coleman                   1     4     0     0     0    0    0     7
Dan Penick                        1     2     0     0     1    0    0    20
Nikola Stojakovic                 0     1     0     1     0    0    0     8

Coach's Notes

• Even with Belton Rivers graduating, Tech is going to be a very difficult team to deal with again next season. At first glance, they'll be the odds-on favorite to win the conference in 2007-08.
• We got absolutely murdered on the glass in the second half, which was a large part of the reason our defense fell apart. All 10 of Tech's second chance points came in the second half.
• Quentin Pryor led the team in scoring for the third game in a row. He's certainly doing his part, but isn't getting enough help from the other members of the team.
• For the second game in a row, members of the press are calling Shaun Williams the goat, for missing opportunities to send these games to overtime. Truth is, we never should have been in those situations in the first place.
• Jamyron Steward has struggled mightily as of late, and we've been getting virtually no help off the bench from Vincent Crutcher in his place. Crutcher may get the start on Thursday, just to shake things up a bit if for no other reason.
• It was an off-day for Brandon Callahan (his lowest point total of the season, 0-for-9 from the field) and that probably hurt us more than anything else.
• I have to say, as much as I hated the outcome and as much as I want this horrible skid we're on to end, this was a really fun game to coach.

[Evil Afro]

What is your recruiting looking like? Maybe the top 5 Sr, and top 3 underclassmen?

[DataKing]

MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES FEBRUARY RECRUITING REPORT

TARGETS

Name                   Pos       Stars      Ht      Wt       Year      Hometown
Arturo Dean            SF        **         6'5"    214      JC FR     Decatur, IL
Andrew Volpenhein       C        **         6'7"    210      HS SR     Mazeikiai, Lithuania
Skip Sikes             SF        **         6'5"    199      JC FR     Springfield, OH
West McCully           SF        **         6'6"    216      HS SR     Detroit, MI
Darshan Abram           C        *          6'7"    222      HS SR     Elkhart, IN

Rivals.com Recruiting Overview - Morehead State Eagles

If head coach Dante King was looking to make a splash in his first year as a Division I head-man, he's failed miserably. While there aren't many All-Americans working their way onto Ohio Valley Conference campuses, there's enough quality talent in the area of the actual Ohio Valley to expect better results than what the Eagles are looking at. Coach King and especially chief scout Manuel Cobb have made a number of blunders in their recruiting efforts, and the result is a lackluster and (somewhat) undersized list of possibilities, especially at the all-important center position. Let's hope that the fans and athletic director Brian Hutchinson are willing to forgive King's rookie mistakes.


The Latest

Arturo Dean: A somewhat talented freshman at Richland Community College in Decatur IL, the 6'5" small forward has shown good defensive quickness and slashing ability. The scuttlebutt is that one of the biggest mistakes made by King's staff has something to do with their efforts to recruit Dean, who is now leaning towards Ohio Valley Conference rival Tennessee-Martin.

Andrew Volpenhein: Little is known about this undersized European center, except that he is small for the position but compensates with good leaping ability and a nice shooting touch. From what we've been able to tell, Volpenhein has not garnered any interest from other Division I schools, but it remains to be seen whether or not Coach King can convince the young man to come play basketball several thousand miles from home.

Skip Sikes: Another junior college freshman, this one currently plays for Clark State Community College in Springfield, OH. While Sikes lacks Arturo Dean's explosiveness, he is rugged and has a decent amount of defensive quickness of his own. Scouts also judge him to have a better up-side than Dean, though with only three years of eligibility remaining a coaching staff will be hard-pressed to see just how good he can become. Rumor has it that Sikes, who has yet to receive any scholarship offers, is leaning towards Morehead State.

West McCully: A senior at Detroit's Renaissance High School, West McCully has been looked at by a number of bottom-feeder programs, but has yet to garner any scholarship offers. A rugged player with decent rebounding ability, scouts and coaches have been a bit disappointed with his lack of prowess on the offensive side of the ball. He will probably be there for the taking for Coach King and Morehead State if they act early enough, but Sikes or Dean (though unlikely) would certainly be better options for the Eagles.

Darshan Abram: Another undersized center, Darshan hails from Elkhart Central High School in Indiana. A number of smaller schools, including Morehead State, appear to be looking at the 6'7" Abram as a backup plan. Abram's one redeeming factor that a number of scouts have mentioned is his hustle on the court, which can be something of a premium among big men. But to call Abram "big" is perhaps being a bit generous. Still, if Volpenhein decides he'd rather not experience the wonders of the United States, Abram may well be the only feasible option left to Coach King come spring.


Author's Notes

• This is my first time running a dynasty with College Hoops 2K7, and I've made more than my fair share of mistakes, hence the week recruiting class. I also restricted myself a little too much earlier on with who I could go after (as a house rule), and by the time I changed my mind on that it was too late to seriously pursue higher-level players.
• We started the season with a paltry 3,000 recruiting points, so I have yet to put any effort into underclassmen. I'm hoping to spend some time looking at high school juniors once I get my current class locked down.
• The good news (if you can consider it good) is that we only have two available scholarships this year, so the damage I've done to the program by my recruiting mistakes has hopefully been minimized. Next year we should have three scholarships available.
• If it seems like the roster is rather small, remember that we've got three players (including two freshman) red-shirting this year.

[Evil Afro]

Man, I'm going to have to get this for 360. I just have it for xbox, and that's no fun once you have a 360.

[Evil Afro]

I just rna a quick game on the xbox version, and I noticed that when I don't call the offensive plays every posession, they simply run the last play I called every time down.

i called the first play of the game, and they ran that same play every posession until I called a new play.

How do you stop that?

[DataKing]

I haven't run into that problem. Maybe a glitch with the xbox version? (I have a 360).

[Evil Afro]

So you're positive they call different plays?

If that's so, I might be heading to the store soon.

[DataKing]

EASTERN KENTUCKY COLONELS (5-13, 4-8)

at
MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES (11-10, 6-7)

Just What the Doctor Ordered. Morehead State Dominates Weak Eastern Kentucky Team, 61-47.

February 1st, 2007

MOREHEAD, KY - The Morehead State Eagles came into Thursday night's game desperate for a win after having lost four of their last five games. Fortunately for them, a weak Eastern Kentucky team came calling. The Colonels were made even weaker due to missing their starting point guard, Adam Leonard, thanks to a high ankle sprain. Coach King ran a surprisingly slow-paced game and chose to start freshman Vincent Crutcher instead of struggling junior Jamyron Steward, but the buttons King pushed seemed to be the right ones. While not very flashy, Morehead State won the game in convincing manner, and were especially dominant early in the second half. Senior forward Shaun Williams led all scorers with 17 points.

"Time's getting short for me and Q[uentin Pryor]," stated Williams after the game, "we don't have much time left on the court, in front of the fans. Coach [King] reminded us of that right before the game. It definitely helped us get some perspective." Williams and Pryor are the only two seniors on the relatively young Eagles squad. Only six games remain in Morehead State's regular season, and only two of those games will be at Johnson Arena.

The first 11 minutes of the game were a back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to pull away from the other. Williams was strong early for the Eagles, and sophomore guard Mike Rose hit a pair of early 3-pointers for the Colonels, as neither team could stretch a lead to more than 4 points. Morehead State suffered a blow at the 9:02 mark when junior point guard Brandon Callahan left the game due to foul trouble. But despite the loss, the Eagles went on a 15-2 run that gave them a 29-19 lead with 2:59 to go until halftime. Junior Ryan Wiersma and Eastern Kentucky responded, scoring the last six points of the half, shaving the lead down to 29-25.

Morehead State games have been characterized lately by second half collapses, but that was not the case this time. Quite the opposite, the Eagles came out on fire, opening the half with suffocating half-court defense that led to a 17-3 run lasting for the first 8 minutes of the half. Shaun Williams in particular was dominatant during this portion of the game, scoring 9 of his 17 points during this period. Eastern Kentucky countered as best they could, going on a 9-2 run of their own, but a 49-37 deficit with 9:46 to play was as close as the Colonels would get. The Eagles' defense clamped down for the remainder of the game, earning the victory and pushing their conference record back up to the .500 mark.

Scoreboard
Final - Johnson Arena               1H     2H    Fin
-Eastern Kentucky (5-14, 4-9)       25     22     47
-Morehead State (12-10, 7-7)        29     32     61

Starters

Eastern Kentucky        Yr     Ht     Pos     Morehead State       Yr     Ht
Ryan Dillman            FR     6'0"    PG     Brandon Callahan     JR     6'0"
Mike Rose               SO     6'4"    SG     Quentin Pryor        SR     6'4"
Julian Mascoll          SR     6'4"    SF     Vincent Crutcher     FR     6'4"
Jamaal Douglas          JR     6'7"    PF     Shaun Williams       SR     6'6"
Ryan Wiersma            JR     6'6"     C     Clinton Reisz        SO     6'10"

Team Statistics

 Eastern Kentucky                                        Morehead State
        47               Points                                61
        18               Field Goals Made                      21
        49               Field Goals Attempted                 54
      0.367              Field Goal %                        0.389
         3               3 Pointers Made                        2
        17               3 Pointers Attempted                  16
      0.176              3 Pointers %                        0.125
         8               Free Throws Made                      17
        12               Free Throws Attempted                 20
      0.667              Free Throw %                        0.850
         7               Assists                                7
         9               Turnovers                             10
        12               Team Fouls                            11
        23               Total Rebounds                        40
         6               Offensive Rebounds                    14
        17               Defensive Rebounds                    26
         8               Steals                                 7
         2               Blocks                                 1
        22               Points in the Paint                   26
         2               Bench Points                          14
         4               Second Chance Points                  14
         6               Fast Break Points                     10

Morehead State Player Statistics

Name                            Pts   Reb   Ast   Stl   Blk   TO   PF   Min
Shaun Williams                   17     7     0     1     1    1    3    31
Brandon Callahan                 11     1     3     0     0    0    3    28
Quentin Pryor                    10     1     3     3     0    1    1    31
Vincent Crutcher                  8     3     0     0     0    2    2    20
Andreas Coleman                   4     6     0     1     0    1    0    10
Jamyron Steward                   4     1     0     0     0    0    0    21
Dan Penick                        2     2     0     0     0    1    0    14
Nikola Stojakovic                 2     0     1     0     0    2    0    13
Cordaryl Ballard                  2     0     0     0     0    0    0    10
Clinton Reisz                     1    19     0     2     0    0    2    27

Coach's Notes

• Clinton Reisz earns the "most lopsided line of the year" award with his performance today. Apparently he wasn't in a shooting mood (0-for-2 from the field) but went absolutely berserk on the glass, using his height advantage to nab a career-best 19 rebounds!
• Giving Crutch a start seems to be just what he needed. His 8 points and 3 boards was his best individual performance since December. I'm still looking for consistent production at the 3-spot between him and Jam Steward.
• He doesn't get much press, but Andreas Coleman deserves some credit today. He gave us 10 very solid minutes out there, and tied his season-best rebound total of six.
• The last thing I want is for this team to be is predicable, so we switched things up and hardly used any press at all. We never trapped and didn't press once during the second half. I'm not sure how much of a difference it made, but I want to be as difficult as possible to game-plan for, especially with the conference tourney just a few weeks away.

[DataKing]

Monday, February 5th, 2007

Ohio Valley Conference Standings
Rnk  Team                       ConfW   ConfL   Conf%     Win   Loss   Win%
 1.  Southeast Missouri          11       4     0.733     11     11    0.500
 2.  Tennessee-Martin            10       6     0.625     13     12    0.520
 3.  Tennessee Tech               9       6     0.600     12      9    0.571
 4.  Tennessee State              8       6     0.571     13     10    0.565
 5.  Austin Peay                  8       6     0.571      8     12    0.400
 6.  Samford                      8       7     0.533     11     12    0.478
 7.  Morehead State               7       7     0.500     12     10    0.545 
 8.  Eastern Kentucky             5       9     0.357      6     14    0.300
 9.  Eastern Illinois             5      10     0.333      8     15    0.347 
10.  Murray State                 5      10     0.333      6     15    0.285
11.  Jacksonville State           5      10     0.333      5     16    0.238

Games This Week

Thursday (2/8/07) at Southeast Missouri State
Saturday (2/10/07) at Murray State

Injury Update

Player                   Injury                  Severity        Duration
Dan Penick               Pulled Hamstring        Day-to-day      3 days

[WVUFAN]

Great dynasty!

[Evil Afro]

Can you look and make sure that your guys aren't calling the same play over and over again after you call a play?

I'm getting excited for the game, but that could be a deal killer.

[DataKing]

WVUFAN: Thanks for sounding off. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Evil Afro: My guys are not running the same play over and over again after I call it. Some of the offensive sets look the same (the motion offense often has high-post feeds into the center, who then passes off to a moving PF), but then there are others that look very distinctive that are easy to distinguish (corner curls, baseline drives).

[Evil Afro]

sweet.

thanks

[DataKing]

MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES (12-10, 7-7)

at
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE REDHAWKS (11-11, 11-4)

Heartbreak Hotel Yet Again. Eagles Miss Another Buzzer-Beater, Fall to Redhawks 67-65.

February 8th, 2007

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO - For the third time in their last four games, the Morehead State Eagles had their fans on the edge of their seats, with a last-second chance to win a game or at least force an overtime period. Unfortunately for Coach King's team the end result was the same. This time around it was senior guard Quentin Pryor who had a chance at last-second heroics. But Pryor's jumper missed wide of the mark, and the Eagles failed in their bid to sweep the conference-leading Redhawks, 67-65.

King's team has proven to be very strong out of the gate all season long, and Thursday night was no exception. Behind strong play from Pryor, Morehead State jumped out to an early 8-1 lead on the road. Easy whistles from the referees played into the Redhawks' hands, however, and with 13:47 to play in the half senior forward Shaun Williams was forced to sit with two personal fouls. But despite having their team captain riding the bench, the Eagles surged, and an 8-0 run later in the half pushed their lead to double-digits, 29-18. The Redhawks stormed back on a 10-0 run of their own, however, with junior forward Brandon Foust hitting four straight jumpers, trimming the Eagles' lead to one. At the break, Morehead State nursed a narrow 38-35 lead. Quentin Pryor led all scorers with 16 first-half points, but center Clinton Reisz was getting practically no help from his teammates on the glass, and the Eagles were out-rebounded in the half, 18-8.

The Redhawks continued their dominance on the boards into the second half, and senior guard Terrick Willoughby caught on fire for the home team. Still, it took until the 13:21 mark for Southeast Missouri State to grab their first lead of the game, 48-47. The lead switched hands five times over the next two minutes before Morehead State once again grabbed the lead and held it, thanks largely to the efforts of Shaun Williams. But a jump-hook by freshman forward Herbert Terry with 4:19 to play gave the Redhawks a 63-61 lead that they would not relenquish. With 1:26 to play and trailing by two, 67-65, Quentin Pryor missed a layup (granted, a difficult one) that would have tied the game. Offensive rebounding by the Redhawks at the other end meant that Morehead State had only time for one chance at a last-second win or tie, but Pryor's jump-shot was slightly off to the left of center and the Eagles lost another heart-breaker.

Scoreboard
Final - Show Me Center                  1H     2H    Fin
-Morehead State (12-11, 7-8)            38     27     65
-SE Missouri State (12-11, 12-4)        35     32     67

Starters

Morehead State       Yr     Ht      Pos     SE Missouri State     Yr     Ht
Brandon Callahan     JR     6'0"     PG     Paul Paradoski        JR     6'0"
Quentin Pryor        SR     6'4"     SG     Terrick Willoughby    SR     6'4"
Vincent Crutcher     FR     6'4"     SF     Brandon Foust         JR     6'6"
Shaun Williams       SR     6'6"     PF     Herbert Terry         FR     6'7"
Clinton Reisz        SO     6'10"     C     Michael Rembert       JR     6'9"

Team Statistics
Morehead State                                          SE Missouri State
      65                   Points                               67
      22                   Field Goals Made                     25
      46                   Field Goals Attempted                50
    0.478                  Field Goal %                       0.500
       3                   3 Pointers Made                       5
      11                   3 Pointers Attempted                 11
    0.273                  3 Pointers %                       0.455
      18                   Free Throws Made                     12
      21                   Free Throws Attempted                14
    0.857                  Free Throw %                       0.857
      10                   Assists                              14
      12                   Turnovers                            18
       9                   Team Fouls                           11
      16                   Total Rebounds                       29
       3                   Offensive Rebounds                    9
      13                   Defensive Rebounds                   20
      13                   Steals                               10
       3                   Blocks                                0
      28                   Points in the Paint                  24
      11                   Bench Points                          8
       6                   Second Chance Points                  3
      18                   Fast Break Points                    12

Morehead State Player Statistics

Name                            Pts   Reb   Ast   Stl   Blk   TO   PF   Min
Quentin Pryor                    18     3     2     1     0    1    1    31
Brandon Callahan                 13     0     2     1     0    1    1    32
Shaun Williams                   10     1     0     0     1    0    3    18
Clinton Reisz                     9     7     0     3     1    1    1    29
Vincent Crutcher                  4     3     4     1     0    3    0    28
Dan Penick                        4     1     0     1     1    0    1    16
Andreas Coleman                   3     0     0     2     0    1    0    19
Nikola Stojakovic                 2     0     0     3     0    2    0     9
Cordaryl Ballard                  2     0     1     0     0    3    1    10
Jamyron Steward                   0     1     1     1     0    0    1    13

Coach's Notes

• The "Big 3" for us continue to produce (Pryor, Williams, and Callahan), and Reisz keeps working on the defensive end, but the 3-spot remains a problem. Crutch and Jam have both pretty much disappeared as of late. A pep-talk may be in order for one of these guys.
• Despite having 13 points, I'm not happy with Callahan's play right now. Two assists is not going to cut it for our starting point-guard.
• Calling Quentin's number for the last shot of the game was my mistake. He'd only managed two points in the second half. Callahan would have been the better option.
• We remain in 7th place in the conference standings. With three of our last five conference games on the road, I'll be happy with an even conference record and an invitation to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament (only the top eight teams participate).

[Evil Afro]

I should be getting the game this weekend. Maybe I'll make a competing dynasty and show you what real incompetence is!

[DataKing]

Evil Afro: Looking forward to it.

[Evil Afro]

I'm rooting for the Jacksonville St Cocks now.

GO COCKS!

...oh wait.

[Evil Afro]

I got it!

I'm going to set up my dynasty now with some coach mode sliders I found on Operation Sports.

Any suggestions for teams? I want a really crappy-ass squad.

[DataKing]

MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES (12-11, 7-8)

at
MURRAY STATE RACERS (6-10, 7-15)

One of Those Days. Eagles Get the Beat-Down from Racers, Suffer Worst Loss of Season, 94-64.

February 10th, 2007

MURRAY, KY - Saturday was a day that Head Coach Dante King and his Morehead State Eagles would just as soon forget. The rough stretch that they find themselves on as of late continued, and the Eagles have now dropped six of their last eight games, including the last five on the road. Today Murphy's Law seemed to become Murray's Law. No matter what Morehead State tried, no matter what they did or did not do, everything seemed to go the Racers' way.

"We've been on the other side of these things before," stated an irritated Coach King after the game, "when it seems like all of your shots are falling no matter what the opposition does. We tried everything, and I mean everything, that we could think of. We slowed things down and sped things up. We laid back and we tried pressing. We played man, zone, and even a little matchup. And none of it seemed to make a difference in the outcome."

Things started out well enough for the visiting Eagles, as solid post play from sophomore center Clinton Reisz staked Morehead State to an early 10-7 lead at the 16:08 mark. But the fun stopped early for Coach King's squad. Senior forward and conference player-of-the-year candidate Shawn Witherspoon sparked his Racers on a 16-1 run over the next 4:30. To make matters worse for the visitors, both Jamyron Steward and Shaun Williams found themselves in early foul trouble and had to sit for long stretches of time. After a 9-1 run later in the half, Murray State's lead had ballooned out to 39-21 as the Racers out-played the Eagles on both ends of the floor. Starting point guard Kevin Thomas finished strong for Murray State, and the home team enjoyed a 51-30 cushion at the break.

Morehead State had the look of a desperate team to start the second half, trying to raise the tempo and up the pressure on their hosts. But the senior-laden Racers were not rattled in the least, and opened the half with a 14-2 run. A livid Coach King, now facing a 33-point deficit, sat his entire starting five for the next five minutes. With the Eagles' reserves facing the Racers' reserves, things turned into an even contest, and the visitors started to match the home team bucket-for-bucket. But despite numerous substitutions, defensive set switches and other tricks, Morehead State was powerless to even pretend to make a comeback.

Things threatened to get ugly at the very end of the game when, with only :13 seconds remaining and with the shot clock turned off, Racers' junior guard Tyler Holloway launched a 3-point shot that rattled home. Eagles' guard Brandon Callahan took exception, but the referees intervened and pre-empted a possible altercation. Coach King sat Callahan on the bench, but stared daggers at Holloway. Once the buzzer sounded, King refused to shake Racers' coach Billy Kennedy's hand, instead pointing a finger in Kennedy's face and shouting at him briefly before storming off to the locker room.

When asked about his exchange with King after the game, Coack Kennedy commented, "Somebody needs to teach that young man [Coach King] about being a good sport. These are college kids. So Tyler [Holloway] wanted to boost his stats a little bit. So what?!"

During his post-game press conference, King said that he regretted his exchange with Kennedy, but that he felt that it was Holloway and the Racers who were showing poor sportsmanship. "Where I come from, you don't run up the score when all you have to do is hold onto the ball," stated King. "Next time around, we'll see how the Racers like it."

Scoreboard
Final - Regional Events Center         1H     2H    Fin
-Morehead State (12-12, 7-9)           30     34     64
-Murray State (7-10, 8-15)             51     43     94

Starters

Morehead State       Yr     Ht      Pos     Murray State         Yr     Ht
Brandon Callahan     JR     6'0"     PG     Kevin Thomas         JR     6'1"
Quentin Pryor        SR     6'4"     SG     Ed Horton            SR     6'3"
Jamyron Steward      JR     6'3"     SF     Shawn Witherspoon    SR     6'5"
Shaun Williams       SR     6'6"     PF     Dwayne Paul          SR     6'5"
Clinton Reisz        SO     6'10"     C     Rob Kennedy          SR     6'9"

Team Statistics
Morehead State                                             Murray State
      64                   Points                               94
      21                   Field Goals Made                     30
      46                   Field Goals Attempted                57
    0.457                  Field Goal %                       0.526
       1                   3 Pointers Made                       6
       3                   3 Pointers Attempted                 16
    0.333                  3 Pointers %                       0.375
      21                   Free Throws Made                     28
      25                   Free Throws Attempted                32
    0.840                  Free Throw %                       0.875
      14                   Assists                              16
       8                   Turnovers                             2
      20                   Team Fouls                           14
      20                   Total Rebounds                       22
       7                   Offensive Rebounds                    6
      13                   Defensive Rebounds                   16
       1                   Steals                                8
       6                   Blocks                                3
      30                   Points in the Paint                  38
      10                   Bench Points                         47
       2                   Second Chance Points                  9
       0                   Fast Break Points                    14

Morehead State Player Statistics

Name                            Pts   Reb   Ast   Stl   Blk   TO   PF   Min
Brandon Callahan                 16     0     5     0     0    3    4    35
Clinton Reisz                    12     5     1     0     2    0    4    24
Jamyron Steward                  10     2     0     0     0    0    4    18
Shaun Williams                    9     1     1     0     1    0    3    28
Quentin Pryor                     7     0     3     0     0    1    1    30
Andreas Coleman                   5     2     1     0     0    0    2    10
Dan Penick                        3     6     0     0     3    2    2    21
Vincent Crutcher                  2     3     1     0     0    1    0    19
Cordaryl Ballard                  0     1     2     1     0    1    0    15
Nikola Stojakovic                 0     0     0     0     0    0    0     6

Coach's Notes

• The last 55 minutes of this game were a complete and total beat-down. There's no silver lining here. We got pummelled.
• The next time we've got the upper-hand on Murray State, you can bet your ass we're going to put the pedal down and bury the bastards by 40!
• The pep-talk I had with Jamyron Steward has hopefully got him turned around and headed back in the right direction. If we're going to finish the season strong, we need production from the 3-spot.
• Murray State, despite how upset we may be with them right now, just played nearly flawless basketball. They shot over 50% from the field and had 16 assists to only two turnovers! They could have beaten anyone in the conference, and a lot of mid-major teams, today.
• Only four regular-season games remain, and we're scrambling. If we can finish the regular season with an overall record over .500 and a spot in the Conference tournament, I'll be elated.

[DataKing]

Monday, February 12th, 2007

Ohio Valley Conference Standings
Rnk  Team                       ConfW   ConfL   Conf%     Win   Loss   Win%
 1.  Southeast Missouri          13       4     0.764     13     11    0.541
 2.  Tennessee State             10       7     0.588     15     11    0.576
 3.  Tennessee Tech              10       7     0.588     13     10    0.565
 4.  Samford                      9       7     0.562     12     12    0.500
 5.  Tennessee-Martin            10       8     0.555     13     14    0.481
 6.  Austin Peay                  8       9     0.470      8     15    0.347
 7.  Morehead State               7       9     0.437     12     12    0.500 
 8.  Eastern Illinois             7      10     0.411     10     15    0.400 
 9.  Murray State                 7      10     0.411      8     15    0.347
10.  Jacksonville State           6      10     0.375      6     16    0.272
11.  Eastern Kentucky             5      11     0.312      6     16    0.272

Games This Week

Tuesday (2/13) vs. Jacksonville State
Thursday (2/15) vs. Samford (Senior Night)

Injury Update

• For the first time in what seems like forever, we're 100% healthy.

[DataKing]

JACKSONVILLE STATE GAMECOCKS (6-16, 6-10)

at
MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES (12-12, 7-9)

Winning Ugly. Aggressive 2nd-Half Play Leads Eagles to Victory, 61-46.

February 13th, 2007.

MOREHEAD, KY - It wouldn't win any beauty pagents. In fact, tonight's game between the Morehead State Eagles and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks wouldn't even win the $10 in Monopoly money for taking 2nd prize. But what it lacked in beauty, it made up for in substance and meaning for a struggling Morehead State Eagles squad. Coach King's team had lost six of its last eight coming into tonight, and was desperately clinging to the 7th spot in the conference standings (only the top 8 teams receive invitations to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament). With tonight's win, a winning record for the season is still within reach as well.

Ugly doesn't even begin to describe the way the game started, however. After trading buckets in the first minute of play, the next 10 minutes were an exercise in utter futility for both teams on the offensive end. Shots were clanging off the iron with such regularity that the crowd let out a particularly loud cheer when an Andreas Coleman jump-hook tied the game at 6-6 with 8:56 to go in the half! Coach King was desperate to find some sort of offense, and so had a number of substitutes in the game. And one of these subs, an unlikely source, was the one to provide the Eagles with the spark they were desperately looking for. Freshman forward Dan Penick, known for his physical play, threw down an offensive rebound in thunderous fashion, igniting the crowd and his teammates. The dunk tied the game at 11-11, but marked a significant turning point with 5:38 to play in the half. Twenty seconds later, point guard Brandon Callahan picked off an errant Gamecock pass and scored on a layup, giving Morehead State a lead that they would never surrender. Both teams' offenses woke up after this, and Jacksonville State trailed by only 3 at the break, 27-24, thanks to an Erik Adams 3-pointer at the buzzer.

But the tone had been set, and the second half started very much in the home team's favor. Strong inside play from Shaun Williams and a much more aggressive offense overall sent the Eagles on an 11-3 run to start the half. Jacksonville State began to accumulate fouls at an alarming rate, thanks largely to Brandon Callahan's determination to drive the lane, and the Gamecocks also lost their floor leader when Will Ginn was fouled hard by Clinton Reisz as he drove the lane at the other end. Ginn did not return, and the Eagles ramped up the defensive pressure in response. Jacksonville State went small in an effort to shoot their way out of the hole that had been dug for them, but their efforts proved futile. Shots continued to rattle out for the Gamecocks, and the Eagles' size advantage began to take its toll, especially on the glass. Morehead State's lead never dropped into single-digits, and Coach King had the luxury of emptying his bench at the end of the game, to the delight of the crowd.

Scoreboard
Final - Johnson Arena               1H     2H    Fin
-Jacksonville St (6-17, 6-11)       24     22     46
-Morehead State (13-12, 8-9)        27     34     61

Starters

Jacksonville St        Yr     Ht     Pos     Morehead State       Yr     Ht
Will Ginn              JR     6'0"    PG     Brandon Callahan     JR     6'0"
Erik Adams             JR     6'5"    SG     Quentin Pryor        SR     6'4"
Harold Crow            SR     6'7"    SF     Jamyron Steward      JR     6'3"
Courtney Bradley       SR     6'5"    PF     Shaun Williams       SR     6'6"
Dorien Brown           JR     6'7"     C     Clinton Reisz        SO     6'10"

Team Statistics

 Jacksonville St                                        Morehead State
        46               Points                                61
        17               Field Goals Made                      21
        52               Field Goals Attempted                 58
      0.327              Field Goal %                        0.362
         7               3 Pointers Made                        1
        24               3 Pointers Attempted                  16
      0.292              3 Pointers %                        0.063
         5               Free Throws Made                      18
         8               Free Throws Attempted                 21
      0.625              Free Throw %                        0.857
        15               Assists                                8
        18               Turnovers                             11
        14               Team Fouls                             8
        31               Total Rebounds                        41
         6               Offensive Rebounds                    10
        25               Defensive Rebounds                    31
         9               Steals                                17
         1               Blocks                                 1
        16               Points in the Paint                   32
        18               Bench Points                          18
         4               Second Chance Points                   8
         2               Fast Break Points                     16

Morehead State Player Statistics

Name                            Pts   Reb   Ast   Stl   Blk   TO   PF   Min
Brandon Callahan                 12     3     3     3     0    1    0    31
Shaun Williams                    9    10     0     1     0    1    0    25
Clinton Reisz                     9     8     0     3     0    1    3    25
Quentin Pryor                     7     3     1     4     0    1    1    30
Jamyron Steward                   6     2     4     3     0    2    1    26
Cordaryl Ballard                  6     2     0     0     0    2    0     9
Dan Penick                        5     2     0     0     0    0    0    14
Andreas Coleman                   3     7     0     0     1    1    0    16
Nikola Stojakovic                 2     2     0     2     0    0    1    10
Bill Davis                        2     0     0     0     0    0    0     3
Vincent Crutcher                  0     2     0     1     0    2    0    15
Chase Denson                      0     0     0     0     0    0    2     3

Coach's Notes

• Mad props go out to Dan Penick. He may have only scored five points, but two of those five came at exactly the right time, and his dunk really sparked our sputtering offense.
• Shaun Williams was a little perturbed that I pulled him out of the game when I did. I think he wanted a double-double, but I am not going to risk injury to him in garbage time. I'll try to make it up to him on Thursday (Senior Night).
• "Crutch" was horrible tonight, going 0-for-7 from the field. Jam Steward wasn't much better scoring-wise, but at least he was busy elsewhere on the floor (2 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals).
• In a nice little bit of irony, Bill Davis (who had complained over the weekend about never seeing the court because, well, he sucks) got fouled in the act with 47 seconds to play and drained both free-throws.
• I couldn't help but smile when I heard the crowd start chanting 'GO HOME' with about five minutes left to play. These rural Kentucky folk crack me up sometimes.

[sterlingice]

bump?

SI

[DataKing]

I was starting to get a little irritated with the way this game performs sometimes (in Coach mode, at least), and so took a break from it. I wasn't even sure if I still had any readers or not. That's why I didn't put out a post indicating that this dynasty report was on hold.

LOTRO and EVE have got my full attention at the moment, so there isn't much time for hoops, but knowing me I'll probably come back to this at some point. Especially once the college hoops season starts up again (and since I recently learned that NCAA Football 2008 for the 360 still isn't coach-mode playable).