CJBL - Oklahoma State Cowboys - Page 2

Coffee Warlord · 08-19-2024, 10:10 PM

2043, Day 3. Northern Colorado 71, OK State 60.

That's all anyone need know.

Emmett13 · 08-21-2024, 11:26 PM

That is definitely about 10% payback for the beating you took in the CJBL tournament.

Emmett13 · 08-27-2024, 07:26 PM

The next season starts in the next day or two, so it's time to get my team preview and my initial thoughts on the squad before we sim the games.

We'll start with my starting lineup for day 1, which is going to be a home game against UNLV.

PG: Tevin Ridder, 6'2", 205, Junior, Chaska, Minnesota

Super happy he's my point guard. Had to play a ton of minutes last year since we were stretched so thin with guard depth, so I certainly see him closer to 28-30 this year. But, he's an absolute top notch defender, as good as any defender in the nation at the point. He shot the ball very well from three last year, and rarely turns it over even if he's not the best passing PG. When it comes to CJBL tourney time, he's probably looking at a return to 32-34 minutes a game.

SG: Johni Tusha, 6'7", 190, Freshman, Deer Park, Texas

I was a little disappointed in Tusha after training camp, but I really shouldn't be since he does what I want him to do, very well. He's long, and a really solid defender. He's a lefty who can really shoot the three and should really space the floor for us. I promised him 28 mpg, and I aim to get him that. He'll probably see some time at the 3 as well.

SF: Ismael Green, 6'7", 205, Sophomore, Roseville, California

For his pedigree (#14 ranked HS recruit) he had an underwhelming season. He also was the 3rd or 4th option on the court in most lineups. I was underwhelmed by his progression, and he didn't improve in shooting like I was hoping he would. But, he's still a very valuable player for us. He's a good defender, will hopefully shoot a few points higher this year, and where I think he'll really be valuable for us, is I see him getting some time at the 4. It would allow us to be pretty switchy, and I think he could really be a floor spacer. He's a likely 30 mpg guy, and will probably go pro after the year is over.

PF: AJ Rushin, 6'10", 254, Senior, Katy, Texas

Our team captain is back and ready for his senior year. He's the same player he's been the last few years. He's a below average defender in the post, but is above average at just about every other aspect of basketball. He can shoot it, he's impactful on the glass and he's a really good passer for a big man. I played around with him initiating the offense from the high post, and it had mixed results. I'm sure I'll play with it again.

C: Isaac Lopez, 6'11", 245, Freshman, Woodlands, Texas

Lopez was the #3 recruit in last year's class, and he looks to step right into the large shoes of Marquese Henshaw. Lopez doesn't have the same game as Henshaw, who was a defensive oriented player. Lopez looks to be a major threat around the basket, and what I'm most excited about is his potential at drawing fouls and knocking down 85% or so of his free throws. He's a good defender, but not a great one. His rebounding is solid enough, but he's definitely more of a threat on the offensive glass than defensive. Early on, I plan to really feed him the ball and let him be the main guy and obviously I'll pivot away from that if it's too much for him.

Now our reserves:

I'm doing this by roughly who I think will play the most off the bench:

Garth Ludwig, 6'9", 245, Junior, New Orleans, Louisiana

Ludwig was really seeing himself as a marquee guy, and I thought there was a chance he'd transfer, but I'm super stoked to bring him back. He's just such a steady backup center to have. He's a really strong defender, who does good work on the glass despite his t-rexy wingspan. He's gotten better at finishing around the basket, which he has opportunities to do with his offensive rebounding abilities.

He's a poor passer, poor free throw shooter, and has no range to his game whatsoever. I do see the potential of a Ludwig/Lopez duo in the post being effective. Lopez isn't ideal at the 4, but he's got a little foot speed and probably handle it some.

Jahmel Goodlett, 6'3", 200, Freshman, Orem, Utah

Goodlett is an odd player. Undersized for a SG, especially with his 6'2" wing span, but he seems to have all the skills of being a rough and tumble grit and grind guard. He defends, he's a legitimate rebounder, and it looks like he can shoot the ball well. Right now, he just needs to defend, catch and shoot threes and help out on the glass. And I think he'll be in lineups where he just has to be a role player and could perform well.

Marquez Ahart, 6'5", 182, Senior, Jackson, Mississippi

I think Ahart is a wild card to really get a lot of minutes this year. He's probably the only other true SF on the roster besides Green. He defends very well, has some ball skills, and like Goodlett will be a producer on the glass. His size would be an obvious issue, but he has the skillset to handle some time at the 4 in a small lineup if need be. I really want to pressure the basketball this year, and a guy like Ahart should be able to go all out for 4-6 minute blocks of time.

Sinan Falls, 6'5", 204, Freshman, Hampton, Virginia

Falls is looking like the guy who will get the majority of the backup PG minutes, at least to start the season. He's rangy and defends, and looks like he'll be an adequate offensive PG. He's a strong athlete and just doesn't have too many weaknesses to the game, but no real standout strengths. I promised him 12 minutes, and that's going to be tough to reach I think, unless I toss him a few minutes at the 2 every once in a while.

Tykei Lipp, 6'4", 186, Senior, Kaukauna, Wisconsin

Lipp has had an odd career, walk-on turned transfer turned MAC journeyman. For a 10th or 11th guy, I'm pretty thrilled. Even though his ratings didn't back it up, his assist rate last year was incredible. But what I'm crazy about is that he's almost as good of a defender as Ridder, but is longer and a better athlete. Like Ahart, I'm really excited to have him as depth as it hopefully allows me to play very aggressively and to bring a guy like him when we are in foul trouble or something like that is a heck of a luxury. I think there's a world he steals the backup PG job from Falls.

Eros Zenga, 6'8", 231, Senior, Cologne, Germany

Zenga's probably had a frustrating time in Stillwater. He's gotten bench minutes in the non-conference games the last two years, and really played just fine and even had a few games where he was extremely productive in limited minutes. But, he just keeps getting passed up by recruits. He can guard the perimeter and the post, but pretty average at both. Rebounds, can shoot it, and passes it really well. I don't see him getting a ton of playing time, but if we are getting smoked on the glass consistently or something, he has the ability to play and be productive.

Naje Masters, 7'0", 245, Senior, Carmichael, California

My emergency senior post transfer for the '44 season. Masters isn't much. He's a legit defender but it goes down hill after that. Solid enough on the glass, but his offensive game is very limited. Worst of all is that he brings poor intangibles to the locker room, which is not advisable for a guy who won't play. Hopefully the other players and Aucoin's culture will keep him in check.

We have 3 walk ons, yet again, Jakoby Broadway, Marquis Evanochko, Jaret Fredricks. They won't play, they will be released after the season. I won't even tell you what position they play.

I'm really optimistic about this team. We have so much playable depth and I'm really interested to experiment with some extremely high pressure, aggressive defense and be confident when the inevitable foul trouble hits that we have a lot of really solid depth who play defense just as well as the guys they replace.

Emmett13 · 10-16-2024, 11:51 PM

33-11 (16-6) - Elite Eight - 4 seed.

Another season in the bucket...or some vessel anyways. To put it bluntly, I am spoiled. Winning the championship a couple of seasons ago has turned me into a real complainasaurus. We had another season that all but 7 other teams would be jealous of, though.

As I'll detail throughout the post, this was just a flawed team with weak post defense that probably did do about as well as I could have hoped.

Let's look at some season results:

We ended up one game behind Kansas in the regular season, which was a heartbreaker. We led the standings for the majority of the conference season. Our road loss to Kansas State and home loss to BYU are killers in particular. If we win either one of those, we win the regular season championship, since we held the tiebreaker with Kansas.

We had some injury issues at the guard position late in non-conference which played no small part in our struggles right before conference play kicked in. We had some absolutely tremendous wins throughout the season and just ran into a buzzsaw in North Carolina who made a great run as a #7 seed.

Let's look at some team stats:

Like I said earlier, we just weren't good on defense. At times I ramped up the pressure, and I did have good success turning teams over, but I think my main issue all year long was how lackluster my post defense was. I tried to get away with playing our stud Freshman Lopez at the 5 all year, and he was competent but probably out of position. It didn't help that his partner in the paint, AJ Rushin, just isn't a good defender and never has been. Even their primary backup, Garth Ludwig, is more of a stationary post defender with his short arms.

So, I think we just got hammered around the basket all year long. Especially against tough teams with strong front lines. Lopez was incredible, but I do think I need to quit playing PF's at C. Especially if I'm sticking with grit and grind. I got away with it for two seasons with Henshaw, because I think he was just so good defensively he could adapt. Lopez is a really good defender, but he just didn't have the chops or physical strength that Henshaw did.

Let's look at someplayer stats

Let's take a quick look at each player:

Starters

PG JR Tevin Ridder - 30.9 mpg, 12.1 ppg, 5.7 apg, 1.75 spg, 51.5 FG%, 46 3FG%

Another year and another extremely solid performance from Ridder. He was lights out shooting the ball. He took a step forward in assists, and by all accounts is a tremendous defender. His nearly two steals a game led the team. He doesn't seem to be any kind of threat to go pro, and I see no reason he would transfer, and he's an absolute lock to come back and start his 4th and final year. With Rushin graduating, he seems the most likely candidate to take his spot as team captain.

SG FR Johni Tusha - 30.7 mpg, 11.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.22 spg, 42.7 FG%, 38.1 3FG%

Tusha was a bit all over the place, but ultimately had a solid season. He had a game winning put back in the 2nd round against Mississippi State, and several games where he was hot from three. But, as freshman are, he was pretty inconsistent. He did show out in the CJBL tournament, shooting 11-20 from 3 in 4 tourney games, and that includes an 0-4 egg in our elite 8 loss. I assume he'll return, and he'll head right back to his starting spot as his combination of shooting and length is too good not to play. He's got a 20 (out of 20) in work ethic, and I'm optimistic he'll have a great offseason.

SF SO Ismael Green - 32.1 mpg, 13.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.55 spg, 49.5 FG%, 45.3 3FG%

I'll keep this one short, as I'm fairly sure he's going to go pro. I was a bit disappointed in his offseason, but he just went out and improved in just about every aspect. Shot the ball really well, helped out on the glass some, created a little bit. He's borderline to go pro, but I'd wager on him leaving. If we can bring him back, we should have an absolutely nasty back court.

PF SR AJ Rushin - 30.4 mpg, 9.7 pgg, 6.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 46.2 FG%, 35.5 3FG%

I'll keep this shorter, since he'll get his own post later. Really skilled player, who never really popped like I thought he would. I was really happy with his passing this year, he was the 2nd leading assist man this year.

C FR Isaac Lopez - 28.8 mpg, 16.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.27 bpg, 55.8 FG%

An absolute stud and worthy of his lofty HS ranking. I probably played him out of position, but his scoring chops did just fine at the 5. Nice touch around the basket, and an absolutely tremendous free throw shooter at 86.2 % in 5.6 attempts a game. He's a shoe-in to go pro, and I think he'll be a top 10 pick, which would give us two in a row.

Bench

JR C Garth Ludwig - 17.8 mpg, 5.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 53.5 FG%

He's just steady and I dread if he's ever my starting center. He's been on the verge of transferring two years in a row, and he seems to have lofty expectations for his playing time and role. I think he could easily leave, but I hope that he doesn't. His intangibles are through the roof, and he's a strong rebounder who plays great position defense. He just doesn't have the physical size I'm looking for in a 5. I could do much worse for a backup center. But, I will be aggressively looking for a starter to keep him out of the starting lineup.

FR G Jahmel Goodlett - 14.2 mpg, 5.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg, .8 apg, 47.3 3FG%

Pretty happy with his freshman year. His shooting dropped off quite a bit in conference play, which shows how insane his start was shooting the ball. I was a little underwhelmed with his periphery stats, but I didn't let him do much more than shoot 3's anyway. His rebounding ratings are great for a guard, even if he's undersized with short arms, so I'm hoping as he matures that starts to show up some, because he was a complete non-factor on the glass this year. I promised him 12 minutes and he got 14, so he should come back.

SR G/F Marquez Ahart - 25 G, 7 GS, 12.7 ppg, 4.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 53.6 FG%

I'll detail him more in his senior post, but he was jerked in and out of the rotation, and even started at the 2 while Tusha was injured. He was solid when he played and had earned a spot back in the rotation by the time postseason came around, but he got hurt in the 1st round game and it knocked him out for the next games.

FR G Sinan Falls - 11.8 mpg, 3.1 ppg, 1.9 apg, 50.7 FG%, 28.6 3FG%

Promised him 12 minutes a game and ended up with 11.8. He had a late season injury, that kept him out until the 2nd round of the CJBL tournament, and I plugged him back into the rotation, and it's actually the reason he fell below 12.0 mpg.

Anyways, Falls showed a lot of potential as a playmaker and lead guard, and did a good job attacking the rim even if his three point shot never got going. I expect him to return and I think he'll make for a salty backup point guard who might see some time at the 2 with his size.

SR Tykei Lipp - 20 G, 6.4 mpg, 1.4 ppg, .7 apg

Got to play in a CJBL tournament game, if nothing else. I was very intrigued by him, but he just didn't get much of a chance. Will detail more.

SR PF Eros Zenga - 18 G, 5.4 mpg, 1.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg

The German import stuck around for 4 years and basically had the same season in 3 of them. Solid offensive player who could rebound, but just wasn't good enough defensively to get run. Will detail more.

SR C Naje Masters - 10 G, 2.6 mpg, 0.4 ppg, 0.7 rpg

My annual senior post. He wasn't much. Will detail more.

Emmett13 · 10-20-2024, 10:50 PM

Large senior class this year, with 5 graduating this go-around.

AJ Rushin, Katy, Texas

Ranked #50 out of high school, AJ Rushin got a lot of run for me. I knew it going in that he was a bad defender, but I hoped that his offensive ability and at least being competitive on the glass would outweigh his deficiencies. And I think for the most part they did. He could shoot it a little, scored inside, a really good passer for a big man as well. He was the polar opposite of his predecessor at PF, Khadre Thurman, who was all defense with very little offensive skill. We'll have to find his replacement in the off season,and I'm leaning more towards a Thurman type.

After 20+ years of CJBL, Rushin finishes:

5th all time in points
2nd all time in rebounds
10th all time in assists

Eros Zenga, Cologne, Germany

Just never got a real chance in the rotation past non-conference play. In hindsight, it is odd that I took he and Rushin in the same class since they are very similar players with Zenga being just a tad bit worse at most things. He was a better rebounder and had better passing ratings. In fact, I'm now regretting not playing him more as his defense wasn't too much worse than Rushin's, but Zenga was a decent amount switchier. Oh well!

Marquez Ahart, Jackson, Mississippi

Had really impressive numbers at Jackson State, and he had some really impactful games for us as well. He actually got the starts at the 2 when Tusha got hurt, but we lost a few games and I got grumpy and he got sent to the deep bench. By the end of the season though, he was back in the rotation. He got hurt in the 1st round of the CJBL tournament which was a bummer. But, even though he couldn't shoot, he played good defense, helped on the glass and could get to the basket. A very good senior transfer.

Tykei Lipp, Kaukauna, Wisconsin

Never was given a ton of playing time, and didn't do anything to blow me out of the water when he did play. Most of his value certainly came on defense and some other un-quantifiable things, and it wasn't like he was horrendous at other things. But, probably over his head in the Big XII.

Naje Masters, Carmichael, California

A 'break in case of emergency' take in the transfer portal. Masters had great size and held his own defensively, even if the other parts of his game were atrocious. He did end up getting 9 minutes in our 2nd round CJBL win. So he'll always have that.

Emmett13 · 10-20-2024, 10:56 PM

Since our move into the upper echelon of CJBL, a fact that we have to confront every season now is that we're going to lose guys to the JBL. 2 more go pro this season, which makes this the 3rd season in a row we've had two guys declare early.

Isaac Lopez, The Woodlands, Texas

Lopez was a stud from the word go. Solid scorer inside, gets fouled a lot and is a tremendous free throw shooter for a big man. This is probably the 4th time I've said this now, but I certainly did him a disservice playing him at the 5 so much. It caused him some foul issues, and I don't think he has the physicality to do that full time. Regardless, he was part of a really solid season and I anticipate him being a top 10 pick. Maybe even top 5, depending on what teams are needing.

Ismael Green, Roseville, California

I was really, really hoping he'd come back for one more season. Was just so efficient this year, shot the ball extremely well, and just really has no flaws to his game. He's ranked in the 30ish range, and there are always tons of talented wings in the draft, so I had some hope that he'd stick around for one more year. I think he'll be a mid to late 2nd round pick unless his combine pops off.

Emmett13 · 10-20-2024, 11:04 PM

Just like the last few seasons, we'll have a lot of spots to fill.

Our roster going into the offseason looks like:

C: Garth Ludwig
PF: ???
SF: ???
SG: Johni Tusha, Jahmel Goodlett
PG: Tevin Ridder, Sinan Falls

I also cut the 3 walk-ons from last year and will go with a whole new group.

Our needs are obvious. Multiple post players, and hopefully brand new starters at the 4 and 5. I really don't like Ludwig as a 30 minute a game guy, but if it comes to that, I think the senior will be serviceable. There is a chance he transfers, since he's wanted to be a focal point for a while.

I do think potentially if we just strike out horribly in recruiting, I could move Tusha to the 3, and try Goodlett at the 2. But, I'd definitely prefer to get a true 3 that can do a lot of the things Green did for us.

With 8 spots to give, here are my top 5 hopes:

1. A stud anchor center to really improve our team defense.

2. A Khadre Thurman+ type at PF. I got away from a defensive identity, and I'd love to have a defensive oriented guy step into the 4 spot and give more shots to better offensive players.

3. A new SF. Hopefully one that provides great size and perimeter defense. If they can knock down a league average number of their three point attempts, even better.

4. My mythical 4/3 combo forward. Every year I look for a guy who can play both positions, but predictably everyone wants one of them and the competition for them is always off the charts. But, one of these years I'll get one. If I could find an Ismael Green who could truly play the 4 for 25 minutes a game, I'd be thrilled.

5. A Ridder replacement. I'm not sold on Falls being the PG of the future here, and I also don't like the idea of starting a true Freshman at PG if I can help it. Although Ridder was a true freshman when we won the championship...

Emmett13 · 11-05-2024, 04:35 PM

Transfer season is underway, and we were fortunate enough not to lose anyone. I thought Ludwig might bail for his senior year, and there's always a chance some reserve who wants greener pastures. So no losses, and so far two additions.

We took a couple of big swings at some high level transfers, but missed out. So the two that we did get:

Colten Denton, 6'9", 214, Senior, Roland, Texas

An Oklahoma kid who was a 2* out of high school, that didn't get any kind of look from us. But, after 3 years at Houston Baptist, he's going to get a homecoming of sorts. Denton is a wing with some major size, who provides some legit defensive chops. He uses his size effectively on the perimeter and to hold his own in the paint. Unfortunately, he doesn't rebound well enough to get away with playing the 4 for he however.

Offensively, he's limited to mid-range and in. Doesn't shoot the three, and shot too many long two pointers at HBU. Here, he will be far down the offensive pecking order and hopefully is limited to finishing drives and in transition close to the basket. He seems to be a good finisher and will draw some fouls and be a 75%ish free throw shooter.

He's pretty darn similar to Ahart from last year. Obviously, I don't want him as my starting 3, and I'm going to big for a 3 in the HS ranks, but if he gets 10 minutes off the bench, I think he'll do a good job. He was 2nd team all-conference as a sophomore.

and

Akol Bento, 7'0", 252, Senior, Williamsville, New York

3 years running we've taken a senior center to provide emergency depth. Bento provides major size and some legit defensive anchor ability. He rebounded well at Canisius, even though his rebounding ratings aren't great.

Predictably, his offense is garbage, and his athletic ability is bottom of the barrel too. But, from sheer size and defensive smarts, he at least wouldn't be an embarrassment on the court. But, like his predecessors, the hope he plays nothing but mop up minutes all year.

I'm still looking at some guys. I wouldn't mind picking up a 3rd PG, and made an offer to a guy. But, like Bento, this would be a guy who just wouldn't be likely to see much time.

The roster as of right now:

PG: Tevin Ridder SR, Sinan Falls SO
SG: Johni Tusha SO, Jahmel Goodlett SO
SF: Colten Denton SR
PF: ?
C: Garth Ludwig SR, Akol Bento SR

Emmett13 · 11-19-2024, 05:38 PM

The first major phase of deciding has just wrapped up, and we were aggressive with 5 offers to posts who were deciding in this early phase. We got 2 out of the 5, and frankly it was the two I was least expecting to get. I thought we were a shoe-in for the #4 and #96 recruit, but lost out. Instead we have to "settle" for #11 and #51.

From the bottom up:

Kreg Dunkley, 6'8", 228, Lehigh Acres, Florida, 4*, #51

I don't think we've had a player like Dunkley since I've been at Ok. State. He's a tough, strong, hustling rebounder who really excels at finishing around the basket. His defense awareness is pretty spotty, which isn't great, but he plays excellent position defense, which hopefully will shore up some of those issues.

He's quick for a big man, and his offensive game seems to consist of a lot of iso and trying to get to the basket. I'm a bit skittish about his defensive capabilities, when that's what I'm trying to shore up, but I think he's going to productive in the counting stats when he's on the court, which is hard to complain about.

I promised him starter/18 minutes. At the last second, I bumped up his promise. He's definitely going to get those minutes, but I'm not 100% he's going to be starting at the 4, despite the promised status based on the other recruit I had commit.

And he is:

Antoine Hanks, 6'10", 228, Missouri City, Texas, 5*, #11

Finding a comparison to Hanks isn't hard at all. He's basically AJ Rushin, but just better at about everything. He's not as strong, but he has the athleticism and quickness to guard a little bit out on the perimeter and still uses his length to be effective against stronger players.

Like Rushin, he has legit three point range and will hopefully put up 2-3 attempts a game for us. He's also a legit passer, which is always excellent to have as a PF. I offered him important/28, and he's going to start at one of the post spots.

The conundrum I have now is that the 5 guys I offered were two centers, two power forwards and a 3/4 hybrid guy. And I got the commitments of the two power forwards. I was really wanting a true anchor big, and I thought I had him, but now I'm faced with the prospect of starting these two as my front line and that's definitely not what I was wanting.

I still have Ludwig of course, and he would be a decent starter. But, he's no post anchor. So, we'll still be looking at centers, but missing out on the #4 recruit, and the best HS center is a real bummer, as anyone else we potentially get will pale in comparison.

Our roster now:

PG: Tevin Ridder SR, Sinan Falls SO
SG: Johni Tusha SO, Jahmel Goodlett SO
SF: Colten Denton SR
PF: Antoine Hanks FR, Kreg Dunkley FR
C: Garth Ludwig SR, Akol Bento SR

Still wanting one more center. I am after the #2 recruit, who is a SG from Oklahoma. I've offered him the whole enchilada, and he would of course start at the 2 if we get him, sliding Tusha over to the 3. He'll decide in a couple of days.

Emmett13 · 11-22-2024, 08:39 AM

The next big phase has run, and we picked up just one more commitment, but it was a big one:

Cole Starkweather, 6'5", 204, Oklahoma City, OK, 5*, #2

If it wasn't for an incredible foreign recruit who got the #1 spot, we'd be bringing in the #1 guy, and I guess we are bringing in the #1 domestic recruit.

And even though I wasn't particularly looking for a shooting guard, he's so stinking good, I'll happily take him and slide Tusha over to the 3 for this season. Starkweather is just literally good at everything. He scores at all 3 levels, he can really, really defend. He's got PG skills to the point, that I think it makes more sense that his listed position should be PG instead of SG, and he even puts his nose in there and rebounds some.

If he has weaknesses, it is probably that he's not a great free throw shooter, and doesn't look to get to the line much. And that's about it. He's got great endurance and is a very good athlete, so I'm going to try to give him as many minutes as I can at the 2 and the 1. I think he and Ridder as a backcourt could really be something. Especially if lets Ridder play off the ball and space the floor more.

This is kind of a season changing recruit. After missing out on the center prospect I really, really wanted, I wasn't sure how good we were going to be (a tourney team for sure!), I think we had limits on what he could accomplish. But, now adding a stud like Starkweather potentially makes us as solid as any team in the nation.

Our roster as of right now:

PG: Tevin Ridder SR, Sinan Falls SO
SG: Cole Starkweather FR, Jahmel Goodlett SO
SF: Johni Tusha SO, Colten Denton SR
PF: Antoine Hanks FR, Kreg Dunkley FR
C: Garth Ludwig SR, Akol Bento SR

That gets us to 10 scholarship players, and 3 spots left.

I feel really confident that we are about to get a commitment from a 2* post from Australia, who I think might scrap for a couple of minutes off the bench periodically. We do have one more top 50 recruit on our radar, a center, but I'm not sure how high I want to take his offer. Hanks has a 28 minute promise, Dunkley has 18. Ludwig, even though I feel like I only talk negatively about him, is still a good player who is on pace to start and play 18-24 minutes a game.

The roster is definitely shaping up, and I'm eager to see the team in action.

Emmett13 · 11-22-2024, 03:46 PM

As saged in my last post, we got the big man recruit I figured we would.

Auryn Williamson, 6'11", 254, Canberra, Australia, 2*, #631

Pleasantly surprised with how his his ranking is. I'm pretty excited to snag Williamson, as he does a lot of things that I like out of an emergency center. He's obviously got solid size, but he also is a really good defender who will hold his own on the glass. Offensively, he's got a mid-range game and finishes around the basket, but I don't anticipate him ever getting the opportunity to develop his offensive game with us. Hopefully, I can just have him concentrate on defense every year and I can turn him into a decent emergency 3rd center for the next 4 years. It would save me from having to recruit some random transfer senior each season.

Roster as of right now:

PG: Tevin Ridder SR, Sinan Falls SO
SG: Cole Starkweather FR, Jahmel Goodlett SO
SF: Johni Tusha SO, Colten Denton SR
PF: Antoine Hanks FR, Kreg Dunkley FR
C: Garth Ludwig SR, Akol Bento SR, Auryn Williamson FR

Still in the running for a high level C recruit, but I don't think we'll get him. There's another foreign center that I'm going after, but if neither of those guys pan out, this might be the roster right here.

Emmett13 · 11-25-2024, 12:03 AM

Against my better judgement, I rolled some dice and decided to add one more player to get us to 12 scholarships. The real question is going to be if he makes it past this season.

Milan Widemann, 6'3", 191, Leimen, Germany

Widemann is listed as a SG/SF, but I envision him as a PG with his ability to create. He's got a shitty attitude, which is bad luck, since I offered him before I had fully scouted him. So, I think that makes the odds higher that I'll just cut him at the end of the season.

But, as far as what he brings. He's a strong athlete that I think can develop some legit point guard skills. His ability to shoot is there, it's just his defense looks just okay. But, he'll provide me depth, and maybe take a few minutes in blowouts. The stats are bad which can't be a good omen.

So, this will the roster for 2045. We will add 3 walk-ons. I'm probably aiming for a PF, PG, and SF.

PG: Tevin Ridder SR, Sinan Falls SO, Milan Widemann FR
SG: Cole Starkweather FR, Jahmel Goodlett SO
SF: Johni Tusha SO, Colten Denton SR
PF: Antoine Hanks FR, Kreg Dunkley FR
C: Garth Ludwig SR, Akol Bento SR, Auryn Williamson FR

We'll have a general season preview once we get through training camp.

Emmett13 · 11-28-2024, 02:01 AM

Training Camp has run, the schedule is all set and we're ready for another season of CJBL Oklahoma State basketball.

We'll do what we normally do, go through the predicted lineup then the rotation pieces.

Starting lineup for game 1:

PG: Tevin Ridder, 6'2", 205, Senior, Chaska, Minnesota

Back for his 4th year starting at PG, Ridder is a stud. He's a tremendous defender with a really nice three point shot. He's not the most impactful passer, but has done well with assists the last few years. I'm hoping that Starkweather is going to be able to shoulder a lot of the load when it comes to creating for the offense and I think it could mean that Ridder could be the recipient of a lot of open shots. I could see him being a tad under 30 minutes this year, but I do think when we get to conference play he'll be a 32-34 minute guy.

SG: Cole Starkweather, 6'6", 204, Freshman, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

A real sharp eye might notice that he grew an inch. Starkweather, at least ratings wise, looks like an absolute stud. There's really not many flaws to his game. He's going to score it, score at every level, his passing looks off the charts, and he defends at an extremely high level too. Heck, he might even grab 3 or 4 rebounds a game this year. His main flaw is that his free throw shooting is pretty average.

But, I'm going to give him the keys to the offense from day one, and prove to me he can't do it before I let Ridder be the main guy again.

SF: Johni Tusha, 6'7", 190, Deer Park, Texas

With Starkweather coming in, Tusha slides over to the 3. He spent about 20% of his court time there last year, so it's not a completely new transition. Tusha has a very similar body type to Starkweather and it will provide us two pretty rangy guys defensively.

Offensively, Tusha has a really nice three point shot, although he was really inconsistent with it. He provides major spacing, and has the ability to be a pest on the offensive glass, and even had a game winning put back in the CJBL tournament last year. I'm hoping that he'll get a lot of open 3's this season.

PF: Antoine Hanks, 6'10", 228, Freshman, Missouri City, Texas

For being the #11 overall recruit, I'm a little underwhelmed. He's just not the athlete I'm looking for in a 4 in a grit and grind system. I think he will be a competent defender and does a solid job on the glass. But, I worry about his lack of athleticism in the Big XII. He does look like a really skilled offensive player with a nice shot out to 3 and the ability to pass the ball which I always covet. I'm hoping his high basketball IQ and general skill will reign for him though and he has a productive season for us. I think he could see some time at the 5 this year, especially with me having to get him 28 minutes and Dunkley 18.

C: Garth Ludwig, 6'9", 245, Senior, New Orleans, Louisiana

My greatest fear has happened. I have to start Garth Ludwig at center. I really thought I was about to have the #4 recruit who is a nightmare of a defensive center but instead I get short-armed Ludwig. To be fair, he's a good defender and will really clean up the glass. If he gets 25 minutes, I'll be interested to see how many rebounds he ends up averaging. His intangibles are off the charts and since he's going to start for us, he's also going to be our team captain this season.

Bench:

Kreg Dunkley, 6'8", 228, Freshman, Lehigh Acres, Florida

The aforementioned Dunkley is an interesting player, and I'm curious to see how he produces. His rebounding didn't translate quite how I was hoping, but he's a strong, hustling post who finishes around the rim. His defensive awareness is definitely lower than I typically tolerate, but I'm hoping he'll be productive as a freshman. I promised him 18 minutes, and I'll aim to get him there. Even though that could mean some Hanks/Dunkley duos which doesn't excite me.

Jahmel Goodlett, 6'3", 200, Sophomore, Orem, Utah

Goodlett is 6'3" with a 6'2" wing span and can really, really shoot it. I'm trying to develop his ball skills so I can play him at point guard and frankly it's working a little bit as he had some nice improvements in training camp. I'm not sure who is going to see less playing time between him and Falls yet. But, a tough defending guard who can shoot the ball will see the court for sure.

Sinan Falls, 6'5", 204, Sophomore, Hampton, Virginia

Falls is a super athletic guard who really had a nice offseason defensively. With his size and athletic ability he just might be our best overall defender on the perimeter. He's not a great shooter, but seems to be able to get to the basket some. His playing time this year just comes down to if I let Starkweather play most of the backup PG minutes or if I let Falls do it. I wouldn't be surprised if one of Falls or Goodlett is out of the rotation by the end of the season.

Colten Denton, 6'9", 214, Senior, Roland, Oklahoma

Denton is really the only true SF we probably have on the squad. Real, legit size at the 3 and he's a really good perimeter defender with some definite switchy ability. I tried to have him work on his rebounding this training camp and it helped a bit. It wouldn't be ideal but he could certainly play the 4 if need be. He won't shoot 3's and mainly just looks to drive and I'm hoping he doesn't too much more but finish in transition and at the rim for us. I don't know how much playing time he'll find, but being the only real SF we have will probably result in some PT.

Auryn Williamson, 6'11", 254, Canberra, Australia

Pleasantly surprised with how Williamson came in and as long as he doesn't have delusions of grandeur with playing time, I'll be happy to have him as my emergency center for the next few years. He looks like a legit defender and is very strong. His rebounding has a little work to do and will never be great. His personality isn't great, but hopefully he's such a low role guy it never rears its head.

I'll give him some minutes for sure in the non-conference and we'll see how the post rotation shakes out this year.

Akol Bento, 7'0", 252, Senior, Williamsville, New York

Bento is very intriguing, because his defensive ratings are sky high. But, he's such a weak athlete and a zero offensively it's hard to imagine me ever giving him much run. It seems pretty simple that if we are having a hard time defensively inside, I'll give him a crack at some minutes and see how it goes. But, if not, he's probably just an emergency guy as I'll prioritize getting Williamson minutes for developmental purposes.

Milan Widemann, 6'3", 191, Freshman, Leimen, Germany

Not totally sure why I offered him and I feel pretty confident he's getting cut after the year. But, he can play all 3 positions on the perimeter and will provide some shooting when he's on the court. If he does stick around multiple seasons (he won't), I could see trying to make him into a PG where his size and skill set might work.

I have 3 walk-ons. They aren't bad. I just don't see any way I give any of them a scholarship so I won't take time.

Overall, I think we will be a really good team, with potentially an elite offense. Just like last year, I worry that our defensive interior isn't going to be able to stand up to certain teams or styles. But, on the other hand, I think the Ridder/Starkweather/Tusha back court can put a lot of scoreboard pressure on some teams, and I think it will result in another 30ish win season and hopefully a prolonged run in the tournament.

Emmett13 · 01-25-2025, 12:59 PM

31-9 (15-7) - 2nd round of the CJBL tournament

8th season in the books, and it's another very competent season but with our worst tournament performance since 2040. We had some very good players and had some really strong wins, and at times could be a legit top 5 team, but I had a very oddly constructed team, that kind of did well in spite of itself. Our defense was really, really good and Garth Ludwig ended up being a legit defensive 5, and was a big improvement over our last few centers who were probably playing out of position.

But, our issues were that we were way over reliant on jump shooters, and we weren't great at scoring around the basket or making free throws, so if we were missing jump shots our offense could really grind down.

Let's look at some season results:

BYU was obviously a thorn in our sides as they ran the conference pretty ragged. But, we had some really good wins and we've established ourselves as a program that's going to be in the top 20 year in and year out.

Let's look at team stats:

Like I said above, we were a really talented team that played a fairly unpredictable style of basketball. Unlike last year, we were just awful at the free throw line and it cost us in a couple of games, including our CJBL tournament loss to UCONN. With the crazy slow pace we play, and I would like to continue to play that way, I really need to get back to some guys who can draw free throws and knock them down. I've definitely fallen into a bit of a trap of chasing big time stars. Starkweather is awesome, but he definitely was not a grit and grind guard, and we built the whole offense around him.

Let's look at player stats:

Starkweather, Ridder and Tusha are some really good shooting perimeter, but they weren't nearly as successful at doing grit and grindy things on the offensive end. Our rotation really tightened up by the end of the year, and our post depth caused us a few issues at times.

Let's take a quick look at each player:

Starters:All played and started all 40 regular season games

PG SR Tevin Ridder - 28.8 mpg, 11.5 ppg, 5.4 apg, 1.35 spg, 52.3 FG%, 50.3% 3PT%

Like always, seniors will get a larger ode in a later post. So, briefly, Ridder had one more tremendous season to cap off a really excellent career. Steady with the ball, shot it tremendously, especially early in the season. Wll be missed.

SG FR Cole Starkweather - 30.9 mpg, 15.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.18, 46 FG%, 40.2 3PT%

He's basically 100% to go pro, so he'll get treated like Ridder when that day comes. I already kind of spoiled by bit with him, but he's crazy talented and going to be a top 5 JBL pick, and was a really, really good player, he just didn't fit the grit and grind system, and our offense became very jump shot heavy, since that's the type of player he is.

SF SO Johni Tusha - 29.8 mpg, 10.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.23 spg, 44.1 FG%, 40.8 3PT%

If there's one guy I feel nearly positive is coming back, it's Tusha. His usage fell a decent amount with Starkweather coming in, but he still had a strong season and was more efficient than last year. He knocked down a nice percentage of his three pointers and he's a good defender. I would like to get him back to SG though.

PF FR Antoine Hanks - 28.6 mpg, 10.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.10 bpg, 51.9 FG%, 32.4 3PT%

I came around on Hanks. I was underwhelmed by him early on, and his first few games were not great. But, eventually, he turned it on and turned into a pretty productive player. The highlight being an absurd 23 rebound game on the road against Dayton. He's currently top 10 on the JBL prospect list, so he's another guy that's almost certainly one and done.

C SR Garth Ludwig - 26.4 mpg, 7.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.23 bpg

I dreaded the prospect of starting him, the entire time he was here, thinking he was just too boring, but he got a crack at it and did great. Senior leadership (he was the captain) and really good defense. Will talk more later!

Rotation:

SF SR Colten Denton - 40 G, 15.1 mpg, 5.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1 spg, .55 pbg, 57.6 FG%

Transfer from Houston Baptist who really found a role right away. Scored inside well, and reminded me that it's not the end of the world to have a SF who doesn't shoot threes at all, if they can do other things well.

PF FR Kreg Dunkley - 39 G, 16.1 mpg, 4.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, .82 bpg, 59.3 FG%

Ended up 2 minutes shy of his 18 minute promise, so easily could be transferring. I was surprised I got him to begin with, as I kind of offered as a whim backup plan. He's kind of an odd player. Scored the ball well, and was one of our few solid free throw shooters. I definitely want him back, but I'd lean towards him hitting the portal.

SG SO Jahmel Goodlett - 40 G, 11.1 mpg, 4.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, .8 apg, 44 FG%, 35.9 3PT%

Fell off a bit, but he shot so well as a freshman, this season was kind of destined to be a disappointment. Received less minutes with Starkweather sopping up so many, and Denton sliding Tusha to the 2 pretty frequently. Sometimes when guys see a decline in minutes they can bolt even if they are relatively happy with their role. I do think he's coming back, and I think he's an awesome depth piece to have, even if he's undersized.

C FR Auryn Williamson - 38 G, 8.2 mpg, 1.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 48.3 FG%

I made the choice early on to give Williamson playing time over Bento, hoping that I could eventually develop Williamson into a competent Big 12 post down the line. He really didn't do half bad, but predictably was worse in conference play. I'm going to try to max him out as a defensive/rebounding post, but will have zero qualms about overrecruiting him down the line. His attitude sucks, which means there's a chance he could transfer. But, he's not getting a better situation than this.

PG FR Sinan Falls - 25 G, 7.4 mpg, 2.4 ppg, 1.0 apg, 38.1 FG%, 13 3PT%

Really struggled offensively, and fell right out of the rotation, which in hindsight, might have been a poor decision. Still really like his size and ability to defend, but he started shooting more threes than usual, and really, really struggled. Could definitely transfer after seeing so much less playing time.

C SR Akol Bento - 5 G, 8.0 mpg, 1.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg

Senior transfer who I never gave a fair shake. A really good defender, but he was so awful everyone where else I didn't want to play him, and like I said I decided to invest a little into Williamson.

SG FR Milan Widemann - 3 G, 3.8 mpg, 0.0 ppg, 1.3 apg

Panic take last year to fill in some depth. We were virtually injury free this year besides a one game injury to Dunkley, so he never got much time at all. He's for sure getting cut.

And some walkons who didn't see a single second

Emmett13 · 01-25-2025, 11:17 PM

Akol Bento, 7'0", 252, Williamsville, New York

Not a whole lot to say about him. My defense held up pretty well, so I never felt compelled to put him in at center, and I just chose to give Williamson minutes, and he never played so poorly to make me change my mind. This marks the 3rd year in a row I've taken a senior transfer center, and I'm hoping Williamson makes me not have to do that the next few years.

Colten Denton, Roland, Oklahoma

Really pretty pleased with his year for us. He was a really impactful defender who did a good job of converting around the basket. He got a little time at PF in one game when Dunkley was injured and we played extremely well, and I probably should have given him some more run there this year with his length and ability to switch. Like I said in the earlier post, he reminded me that it's okay to have a perimeter player who can't shoot if there good at quite a few things. Especially with how 'national' my recruiting has become, it's pretty cool that an Oklahoma player got to come back to the state for his senior year and was a contributor to the rotation.

Garth Ludwig, New Orleans, Louisiana

Had a really, really strong senior year. He was never some super efficient guy in the paint, but he held his own and provided a really good defensive base for us and was quite effective on the glass as well. He has fantastic intangibles and was our captain this season, so he'll missed in a number of ways. Despite only starting his senior year, he finishes 2nd all time in rebounds at Oklahoma State with 1,021.

The league is only about 25 seasons old, so it's not quite as impressive as it sounds at first glance, but still notable nonetheless. Our former center and one of my first recruits Troy Moss is still at the top.

Tevin Ridder, Chaska, Minnesota

Ridder and Ludwig are the last remnants of the 2042 championship squad, so it's definitely weird to see them gone. Ridder was a 4 year starter and an absolute stud to have for 4 years. Took great care of the ball, passed it well, played strong defense and typically shot it great from three. He'll always be remembered for almost single handedly shooting us out of the national championship game, before hitting what eventually became the game winning three pointer with 17 seconds left.

Also, in 15 tournament games he shot 53% on 45 three point attempts.

He was a tremendous player to have and his name is all over the OKST leaderboards. He finishes:

1st in assists, 2nd in steals, 3rd in 3PM and 5th in points.

Between transfers and early declarations, we still have more players to lose and that will come in the next post in a week or so.

Emmett13 · 01-29-2025, 12:08 AM

As expected our two highly ranked freshman decide to forgo their last 3 years of eligibility.

Cole Starkweather, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Starkweather was the #2 recruit in the nation coming out of high school, and I've already beaten this dead horse, but he just wasn't a grit and grind guy. Supremely talented and I think he'll be a very high pick and have a great JBL career. I'm never going to be in a position where I feel good about passing up on the #2 recruit when he's a guy from Oklahoma. His season high was 26 which he hit in his first collegiate game against Gonzaga, so in a way it was literally down hill from there. But to be certain, he was awesome, and I'd love to have a guy like him every year, but it's made me acutely aware on what kind of guards I should go after.

Antoine Hanks, Missouri City, Texas

One more guy that didn't really fit what we were trying to do. He ended up impressing me with his ability to rebound and I think he and Ludwig made for a pretty salty post duo on defense. But, he could knock down a three, help out on the glass and was a good passer and was effective at scoring the basket, but was more of a finesse guy than a get in the paint and bully guys.

He was the #11 recruit out of high school, so it's not unexpected that he left early, but I am surprised that he ranks so highly on the JBL lists. So, I'll be interested to see where he ends up being drafted.

Emmett13 · 01-29-2025, 12:12 AM

Both of our coaches, Travell Aucoin and Ben Green are up for contract renewal. I'm definitely trying to bring Aucoin back, and I expect for him to return. I'm still on the fence about Green, who is a jack of of all trades and master of none type coach. He was on staff for our championship team, so it's hard to bail on him, but I potentially could change it up.

I've also cut the freshman from Germany Milan Widemann. He wasn't ever going to play and wasn't even a good locker room guy, so he had to go and I assume I'll upgrade that scholarship spot.

So going into transfer season, here's what we're looking at:

PG: Sinan Falls, JR
SG: Jahmel Goodlett, JR
SF: Johni Tusha, JR
PF: Kreg Dunkley, SO
C: Auryn Williamson, SO

So, we basically have a starting lineup and nothing else. I think there's a pretty high chance we could see Dunkley leave, and definitely a non-zero chance that Falls and Goodlett could bail. Even Williamson has a mercurial enough attitude that he could bail for whatever reason. So, I think there's a slim chance at Tusha being the only guy to return.

Even if all 5 of those guys stick around, that's still 8 scholarships available and we probably are looking at at least 2 guys to add to the roster.

Emmett13 · 02-05-2025, 07:44 PM

First thing is we bring back the same coaching staff in Travell Aucoin at HC and Ben Green as AC. I almost made a move for a new AC, but decided I'd rather keep the same staff for the consistency and cohesion of it all.

Much to my surprise, we didn't lose anyone at all to the transfer portal, which means we brought back 5 guys and had 8 scholarships to give. When the transfer portal open, we did strike out on our main targets which was frustrating, but it's also a thing where mid-level and lower teams typically make huge promises and teams in my echelon typically won't go that high for them. Even some of our targets with far less competition went another direction. But, we did grab one guy:

Roshown Salnave, 6'7", 201, Senior, Radnor, Pennsylvania

No photo for Salnave which is a rare occurrence. Salnave played at Army, so we'll pretend he was honorably discharged. He's a former 3* recruit and was ranked #482 out of high school, which is a pretty good snag for us with us promising him basically no playing time. He's a really good defender with nice size and can even play some 4 in a pinch. He can't shoot, but has some ability to get to the basket. He's really pretty similar to Denton, who was one of our senior transfer last year. I'm hoping he doesn't play much, but he's a decent piece.

I'm trying to get two more deep bench players still, but going into this last phase of transfers our team looks like:

PG: Sinan Falls JR
SG: Jahmel Goodlett JR
SF: Johni Tusha JR, Roshown Salnave SR
PF: Kreg Dunkley SO
C: Auryn Williamson

Emmett13 · 02-16-2025, 01:50 AM

It happened more than a week ago, but I've had a lot going on in real life that slowed me down from making this update. We're almost to the first major deciding phase in HS recruiting, and things are looking good on that front and hopefully we have a very positive update to add about 24 hours from now.

But, we did pick up just one more transfer:

Viorel Torromino, 6'7", 235, Sophomore, Aci Sant'Antonio, Italy

Torromino was at Gonzaga last year and clearly didn't get many opportunities before being unceremoniously let go. In hindsight, seeing how good the HS class looks, I sort of regret taking him, but for a guy who will be a deep bench post (hopefully) the next few years, he's not bad. He defends well inside and is a little bit switchy, though he's not going to be locking anyone down on the perimeter or anything. He is a contributor on the glass, and is role will definitely be as a defensive, scrapping rebounder when and if he gets to play. He has strong intangibles which is always nice to add. There's a decent possibility I end up cutting him next year, but you never know!

Our roster going into recruiting:

PG: Sinan Falls JR
SG: Jahmel Goodlett JR
SF: Johni Tusha JR, Roshown Salnave SR
PF: Kreg Dunkley SO, Viorel Torromino SO
C: Auryn Williamson SO

Emmett13 · 02-17-2025, 12:55 AM

The early phase has some and gone, and we had a pretty successful session, though we missed out on both our center prospects and a SG I really, really wanted, it is hard to complain too much and there are teams who were far worse off than we were.

In reverse order:

Rhamel Knorr, 6'8", 209, Fort Worth, Texas, #434

Knorr was a guy who was an Oklahoma State "dreamer" that he was already predisposed to wanting to come here, and I liked his profile and I think other teams stayed away once they saw us on him. He's a SF with some very nice size and is a pretty solid athlete. He's not the defender I normally would want on the perimeter, but I really like his offensive game. He shoots it from three fairly well, but what I really like about him is his ability to drive to the rim and finish. He also is excellent at drawing fouls which was something I was really wanting to improve on. I only promised him 4 minutes a game, which I should manage. Right now we kind of have a hole at SF, so he might sneak in some playing time if he proves he can score.

Sam Hibbler, 6'2", 175, Allen, Texas, #25

The #1 ranked PG in the nation, which is obviously a huge boon and a big time replacement for Tevin Ridder. Hibbler is a really strong defender and athlete which I love to be the head of the defense. He's a big time iso player that can get to the rim at will, and is very creative in getting the ball to the basket. Like Knorr is really, really good at drawing fouls and I'm hoping he's going to spend a lot of time there this year. He's not great at the pick and roll, and isn't the best at improvising playmaking, but he looks like a stud from day one.

Elijah Worthing, 6'8", 213, Cibolo, Texas, #1

That's right! A year after getting the #2 player in the nation in Cole Starkweather, we go and pull #1. The way players were ranked this year was a little different, so I don't know he truly is the best HS player in the nation, but he's damn good and we're lucky to have him. He's a great defender and rebounder, and an extremely smart player. He's not the most amazing offensive player, but is very, very efficient scorer when he does shoot. But, what really sets him apart is how skilled he is with the ball. He can handle it like a guard, really passes it well and is probably going to be where a lot of the offense will be initiated this season. I could see a lot of letting him operate from the high post and letting him pick apart defenses.

The roster as of now:

PG: Sinan Falls JR, Sam Hibbler, FR
SG: Johni Tusha JR, Jahmel Goodlett JR
SF: Roshown Salnave SR, Rhamel Knorr FR
PF: Kreg Dunkley SO, Elijah Worthing FR, Viorel Torromino SO
C: Auryn Williamson SO

Really taking shape and looks pretty strong. I'd really like to add a starting center, and those aren't easy to find, but I have a few options. If we don't find him, I could see a lot of Dunkley/Worthing lineups, which might not be the best.

I'd also like one more guard, particularly a solid SG, with maybe some PG skills. But, that's definitely a secondary need to a legit center.

Another week or so of recruiting, so we'll update soon. Hopefully with a center in tow.

Emmett13 · 02-19-2025, 12:23 PM

A couple more commitments to add to our class. Frankly, I kind of mismanaged some resources here, offered guys I should have held off on and missed a chance at getting a much better guard than I did. Regardless, I think both of these guys are capable and will help out, but I can definitely see a world where at least one of these guys gets cut before they graduate.

Let us take a look!

Gyasi Sidney, 6'8", 241, Sumter, South Carolina, #388

After missing out on two center prospects, and my next option being a late decider, I panicked a little bit by jumping in and snagging this guy. But, really, he's not half bad and his HS ranking is decent as well. He's listed as a PF/C, and is a bit smaller than I'd like at the 5, but that's where he seems most likely to get some PT. He has the looks of a very good defender, even if his rebounding isn't much. Offensively, he's got a decent touch out to 15 or so, but his primary benefit on offense is that he's a strong passer, which is always something I like out of a post. His 'toughness' and 'hustle' are very lacking, which is the opposite of what I want out of a post, but hopefully he's just fighting for backup post minutes, and we land the center we want in this late phase.

Duby Behr, 6'7", 196, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, #1011

Here is where I messed up, I was his only offer and could have easily held off for a phase or two, and thrown my hat in for a more accomplished HS recruit, even if that recruit wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I do like Behr, but he's kind of redundant with some of the wings we have. He looks like he could turn into a pretty solid 3 and D wing. He shoots the ball pretty well, and seems like he's going to be a pretty solid defensive wing with some nice athletic ability. I don't see a lot of playing time for him this year, and he could easily be expendable this offseason.

We're up to 12/13 scholarships, and we have our last one out for a center, who likely would be our starting 5, if he signs on.

Roster as of now:

PG: Sinan Falls JR, Sam Hibbler, FR
SG: Johni Tusha JR, Jahmel Goodlett JR, Duby Behr FR
SF: Roshown Salnave SR, Rhamel Knorr FR
PF: Kreg Dunkley SO, Elijah Worthing FR, Viorel Torromino SO
C: Auryn Williamson SO, Gyasi Sidney, FR

Emmett13 · 02-26-2025, 01:03 PM

Another CJBL season is about to start in the next handful of days, and ready or not, we've got our squad ready to go. We missed out on our last center prospect, which was a real bummer, and it creates a pretty big hole for us at the 5, but I'm hopeful that the guys I have will be able to hold their own by committee.

But, let's take a look at our squad, starting with who (I think) will start on day one.

Sorry for the inconsistent sizes on the screencaps, I coulllld go and fix it, but I won't, I don't get the sense that is what is keeping people from reading this.

PG: Sam Hibbler, 6'2", 175, Freshman, Allen, Texas

I went all in on getting him, he was the highest ranked HS point guard, and I'm definitely glad I got him, but I am slightly underwhelmed by his ratings after training camp. He's got solid defensive chops, and will distribute the ball well, and the thing I really like about him is that he's going to drive the ball to the basket and finish and create contact and knock down a huge percentage of his free throws. He's not the best shooter, though I think he'll keep teams honest, and he's a very good athlete.

I do think there's a chance he comes back next year and I don't think he's a one and done type guy, which is a silver lining to him being slightly underwhelming. But, I think he'll have a strong season.

SG: Johni Tusha, 6'7", 190, Sophomore, Deer Park, Texas

This is a big year for Tusha. He'll be relied on to hit a lot of threes and to really space the floor for our guys who can drive the basketball. He's got really good size and doesn't turn the ball over much, and I'm hoping with Hibbler and Worthing orchestrating the offense he'll find himself open on the wing a lot. He's still an excellent defender who is a nuisance on the offensive glass. I'm hoping to see his usage go up a bit and I'd like 13-15 points out of him this year.

SF: Roshown Salnave, 6'7", 201, Senior, Radnor, Pennsylvania

No photo for Salnave. Salnave had an absolute beast of a training camp, and much to my surprise is going to start the season as our starting SF, although that is definitely subject to change. He's a really good defender, although he might struggle athletically at this level. He has the ability to switch down into the paint as well, which is nice, and he actually spent the majority of his time playing the 4 last year for Army. He won't be doing that at all for us, however.

But, he's creative with the ball, and runs the pick and roll very well. I'm hoping he doesn't shoot too often, and he's mainly there for defensive purposes. But, I think he's a good glue guy for our lineup right now, and I like that he keeps Tusha at the 2. But, Goodlett or Falls could jump right into the starting lineup very quickly.

PF: Elijah Worthing, 6'8", 213, Freshman, Cibolo, Texas

The #1 recruit in the nation got knocked around pretty hard in training camp, which isn't abnormal. But, even after the dust settled he still looks pretty dang good. Defends really well, with great awareness, and will be competitive on the glass right away. A strong athlete with really good intangibles, he might be forced to play some 5 this year, which concerns me some with his 6'8", 213 frame. But, what really is exciting is how good of a passer he is. I'll be running a lot of offense through the high post with him, and letting him initiate the offense which I think could potentially work very well. Like Hibbler, I don't think he's 100% a guarantee to go pro, so potentially I think he could come back, which is not something I've said about my other recent 5* guys.

C: Auryn Williamson, 6'11", 254, Sophomore, Canberra, Australia

With missing out on so many centers, suddenly the big Aussie is looking like he's going to start the year in the the starting lineup. He had a really nice training camp, and really beefed up his defensive abilities which is why he's going to start. Offensively, he's not much at all, besides being a solid finisher around the basket which is all I really need him to do anyways. Like Salnave, there is every possibility he loses his starting spot, but I'm trying to lean into defense to start the season and hope our offense is good enough to get the job done.

Our bench players in rough order of how much playing time I think they will get:

Kreg Dunkley, 6'8", 228, Sophomore, Lehigh Acres, Florida

Dunkley is going to get a lot of playing time this season, and I think there is a real chance he starts at the 4 with Worthing at the 5 before too long. He's strong and very capable around the basket and should rebound at a decent clip. He has zero range to his offensive game, and he's limited as a rim protector, but he should be productive in his 18-24 minutes a game he's going to see.

Jahmel Goodlett, 6'3", 200, Junior, Orem, Utah

Goodlett fell off a bit last year, but his freshmen year percentages were probably unsustainable. He's undersized with a negative wingspan, but he's a strong defender who can rebound a little bit. He's slowly developing some ball skills and is our 3rd PG if the need arises. He can really shoot the ball and helps spacing, and I could see him taking Salnave's spot really quickly if our offense is struggling.

Sinan Falls, 6'5", 204, Junior, Hampton, Virginia

He fell out of the rotation last year and I was a bit surprised to see him come back. He's an elite athlete and our best overall perimeter defender and will be at the minimum the backup point guard this year. His shooting isn't quite as bad as last year made it look, and I think there's the possibility he sees a lot of playing time at the 2 in addition to his backup PG role.

Gyasi Sidney, 6'8", 241, Freshman, Sumter, South Carolina

Sidney and Torromino are going to battle it out for the 4th post spot. Sidney is a solid passer and really good defender but an underwhelming rebounder, which is something I think we might struggle with as a team. He lacks some toughness that I'd like and defensively is really just stuck at the 5 despite being slightly undersized. But, I like his defensive chops and his ability to move the ball.

Rhamel Knorr, 6'8", 209, Freshman, Fort Worth, Texas

Really nice size as a freshman who held onto his ratings pretty well through training camp. Really good at driving to the basket and finishing around the rim and drawing contact. Has enough of a three point shot to keep teams honest, and even his defense didn't fall apart too bad. He can even get spot minutes at the 4 in a worst case scenario. I like his offensive potential, so I'm going to try to get him a few minutes each game, at least to start the year.

Viorel Torromino, 6'7", 235, Sophomore, Aci Sant'Antonio, Italy

Undersized and not that athletic, but at least a little versatile defensively in that he can guard on the perimeter a little bit. Rebounds well, but his offensive game is almost non-existent. I don't see both he and Sidney surviving offseason cuts. A questionable transfer take on my end.

Duby Behr, 6'7", 196, Freshman, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Behr actually looks better than I anticipated. He's got nice size and looks like a legit defender from day one. I think he's going to be a solid catch and shoot guy from 3, and hopefully in a season or two he's a legit 3 and D guy that can earn some playing time. I don't see him and Knorr both getting playing time, but Behr's physicals and defensive abilities might have him leap frog Knorr.

We did bring back a walk-on from last year, PG Akoy de Laveaga, who didn't play last year, but has enough skills that I brought him back for emergency purposes, but he'll be cut after this season as I either have to cut him or offer him a scholarship. We also snagged a 3* walk-on ranked in the 600s named Damon Sekunda who we recruited a little bit, but was never close to offering. He's 6'11" and a local kid who can shoot a bit and has nice size even if he doesn't do much with it. There's about a 5% chance he stays past his sophomore year.

All in all, I have some reservations about this team. We don't have the post depth I'd like, and I'd really love to have one more scoring guard. But, I think we'll still be a solid team who will make the CJBL tournament, but I see us potentially being at a 7-10 seed.

Emmett13 · 04-24-2025, 12:29 AM

27-13 (14-8) - Lost in the 2nd round of the CJBL tournament.

The last line in my 2046 preview was: "But, I think we'll still be a solid team who will make the CJBL tournament, but I see us potentially being at a 7-10 seed."

And that's what we were, we grabbed a 7 seed in the tournament and finished 3rd in a really tough Big 12. I think we were a little underseeded, but 12 losses going into the tournament is quite a few.

But, in context, I'm pretty happy with the season. It was not a good recruiting cycle for us, missing out on multiple center recruits and not really having much of a perimeter threat didn't help either. But, we still had some good players and did some good things. But, making the 2nd round saved me from the possible catastrophe that I saw as a distinct possibility. Being an Extremely High prestige team and missing the tournament would have been a nightmare. A 2nd round exit isn't ideal, but it definitely isn't a nightmare.

Let's look at some season results:

Some really good wins, with the best being the road win at Kansas. We lost to them in OT at home. We led the majority of the game against Houston in the conference tournament, before falling apart near the end. If we had a few more bounces our way, I think we could have been a 3 or 4 seed really easily.

Let's look at some team stats:

We definitely were able to play more how I envision, compared to last year which was really, really jump shot heavy. We didn't shoot as many threes, did a way better job at getting to the line and definitely had a more defensive identity. Adjusted for strength of schedule, we actually were slightly better defensively this year, though we definitely weren't as good offensively without the outside shooting of Ridder and Starkweather that we had in '45.

Let's look at player stats:

We'll take a look at our players on an individual basis:

Compared to last year where the same 5 guys started all 40 games, this year only two players Hibbler and Worthing started every game, I shuffled up the starting lineup more than I ever have at Oklahoma State, and frankly second place is light years away.

The following order is the starting lineup the last handful of games of the season:

PG FR Sam Hibbler: 42 G, 42 GS, 30.3 mpg, 11.8 ppg, 5.2 apg, 1.24 spg, 45.8 FG%, 24.4 3FG%

Fell off some in conference play and had a few duds, but he also had some games where he was the best player on the court, getting to the rim, drawing a lot of fouls and doing damage at the line. I think he's about to be a 4 year player, and I'm thrilled with that. He's too eager to shoot the three, and I'm hoping I can help that out one way or the other, but if he sticks to his strengths I think he's an excellent grit and grind point guard.

SG JR Jahmel Goodlett: 42 G, 24 GS, 22.2 mpg, 10.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.1 apg, .86 spg, 51.9 FG%, 50.3 3FG%

Shot the heck out of the ball, and I was hoping he and Tusha would go along way to spacing the floor for our other guys, but I'm not sure how successful it was. Undersized for a 2, but plays good defense and has some toughness. His point guard skill have developed to being passable, and I think it's going to allow me to not have to take a point guard this cycle, assuming everyone comes back. Hibbler, Falls and Goodlett should have the position covered. I do hope he's back on the bench next season.

SF JR Johni Tusha: 40 G, 31 GS, 28.1 mpg, 9.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.18 spg, 37.1 FG%, 36.4 3FG%

A maddeningly inconsistent player. He completely tanked from inside the arc, but at least salvaged his three point shot. It seems like he just goes 2-6 every game. But, he's so supremely talented ratings wise, I'm almost certainly going to start him again. I'd like to find a big time SF, to keep him at the 2, as I don't think he's done well when he's at the 3. If he has another similar season to his previous three, he should be the schools all time leading three point shooter.

PF SO Kreg Dunkley - 42 G, 25 GS, 26.2 mpg, 7.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, .76 bpg

Pretty steady presence all year, but I think struggled at times with the top level teams. He's got zero range to his game, but gets to the line and does convert around the basket at a decent rate. His rebounding consistently improved as the season went along, and I'd be fine with running him back as the starter at the 4.

C FR Elijah Worthing - 42 G, 42 GS, 30.4 mpg, 11.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1 bpg, .69 spg

Declared for the draft, so I'll detail him more later. A really skilled solid player I forced to play out of position at center. If I could have surrounded him with better players I think he really could have had more of an impact. But, he scored consistently, though his three point shot fell apart in conference play, and did a great job at the line and could really pass it.

Bench:

SR Roshawn Salnave - 42 G, 23 GS, 19.6 mpg, 8.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, .8 apg, 1 spg, 50.9 FG%

Senior, so I'll talk more about him later, but really had a surprisingly good season and was effective most of the season.

JR Sinan Falls - 42 G, 6 GS, 15.1 mpg, 4.6 ppg, 2.2 apg, 49.3 FG%, 29.8 3FG%

Started the season off the ball, and then settled into a 10 mpg pattern spelling Hibbler. But really our best lineups were with him on the court. He's a great defender and athlete with some great size, and his offensive game was much better this season, even if he's not that aggressive shooting the ball. Hopefully he sticks around for his senior year, as he's a great backup option to have at point guard, even though I'm sticking with Hibbler due to the potential.

SO Auryn Williamson - 42 G, 17 GS, 15.6 mpg, 3.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, .9 bpg, 50.4 FG%

Williamson was just too much of a zero offensively to stay in the starting lineup, and even saw his playing time get taken away from the freshman Sidney as the season went along. He's the only true center we have on the roster right now, and will be a guy who gets some playing time just because his size and defensive chops.

FR Gyasi Sidney 35 G, 7.6 mpg, 2.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 54.7 FG%

Had some real highlights where he was scoring the ball, and even grabbed a few rebounds. He's just not big enough play long minutes at the 5 and I don't think he's athletic enough to play the 4. But, he's a good defender and good passer who I'll keep around as a backup option.

FR Duby Behr - 32 G, 6.6 mpg, 2.4 ppg, .8 rpg, 54.9 FG%, 44.4 3FG% (18 3PA)

Ended up getting into the rotation and even played in the CJBL tourney games. I think he's going to be a really strong 3 and D guy as he develops. He's a guy that I hope never starts, but it's a luxury to have a guy like him who will stick around for 4 years and be a guy I can trust to be in the rotation if need be.

SO Viorrel Torromino - 15 G, 6 mpg, .4 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 3-10 FG

Small sample size, but the offense just doesn't exist and I already struggle enough offensively to deal with guys like that. Is almost certainly getting cut.

FR Rhamel Knorr - 14 G, 6.3 mpg, 1.7 ppg, .6 rpg, 32.1 FG%, 1-10 3PM/A

I thought he had an outside of chance of being an offensive punch off the bench, but in his playing time in non-conference he just really, really stunk. And then since he's an average at best defender and useless on the glass, he got replaced by Behr pretty quick. I still like his offensive capabilities, but I just don't know if I want to keep him and Behr for the next 4 years, so he might be on the chopping block.

Emmett13 · 04-24-2025, 12:33 AM

Roshown Salnave, 6'7", 201, Radnor Pennyslvania

He got a picture right before he graduated! The former member of the armed services had an awesome training camp going into his senior year, and I was really pleased with how he played. He wasn't a perimeter threat at all, but was able to work with some success in the mid range and near the rim. I also think it helped that he played at the 3 all year after getting a lot of time at 4 his junior year at Army. We've been fortunate to have solid back to back senior transfers in Salnave and Denton. I think I might have liked Salnave slightly more.

Emmett13 · 04-24-2025, 12:37 AM

Elijah Worthing, 6'8", 213, Cibolo, Texas

A really, really skilled player who was probably over extended with being the #1 option. But, I ran the offense through him, and 3 assists is no joke for a PF. He also was a really solid rebounder who got the line at at a decent clip. Was forced to play a lot at the 5, and I don't think he and Dunkley were the best dudes to pair up in the post with both being 6'8". He's an undersized 4 with a iffy jumpshot in the pros, but I'll really interested to see where he gets drafted. He's listed as a top 10 pick right now.

Emmett13 · 04-24-2025, 12:44 AM

With one senior graduating and Worthing declaring and one vacant spot we have 3 openings, I went ahead and cut Torromino which gets us to 4. Now the question is do I cut Knorr. I'm going to wait a bit to think about that one.

Our roster going into transfer season:

PG: SO Sam Hibbler, SR Sinan Falls
SG: SR Johni Tusha, SR Jahmel Goodlett
SF: SO Duby Behr, SO Rhamel Knorr
PF: JR Kreg Dunkley
C: JR Auryn Williamson, SO Gyasi Sidney

The main things I want are a stud center and small forward. I'd love to have Tusha at the 2 and a ball handling, creative guy at the 3. I've been looking for a center recruit for a long time and have swung and missed quite a bit. But, I don't want to start Auryn Williamson again, so a repeat of last year would be tough to handle recruiting wise.

Emmett13 · 05-04-2025, 02:46 AM

We didn't lose anyone to the portal, and we gained one guy. I also cut Rhamel Knorr, who didn't get picked up by anyone which surprised me. I made one fairly big offer to a center and some middling offers to some other guys and didn't get any of them, but I was really trying to snag a backup PF, but I'm actually half way happy with this guy.

Rayjon McCuthison, 6'8", 220, Junior, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Clemson is one of the worst major programs in all of college basketball, but at least he has some power conference experience. Played a decent amount his freshman year before falling out of the rotation completely. Rumor is the commissioner might make it so guys who didn't play get a redshirt year, so it's possible he starts next year as a sophomore.

McCuthison really looks halfway solid to me. Decent defender who contributes on the glass, finished around the rim at a high rate his freshman year, and will draw fouls at a high rate, all things we like. He's got a bit of mid range to him, and potentially could shoot threes, but almost certainly never will in my system. He can also pass it a little bit, which I always like out of a 4 when I can get it. He's definitely not better than Dunkley, but I could see him carving out a handful of minutes off the bench as his backup this season.

High school recruiting is starting soon, and this is what we're looking at roster-wise:

PG: SO Sam Hibbler, SR Sinan Falls
SG: SR Johni Tusha, SR Jahmel Goodlett
SF: SO Duby Behr
PF: JR Kreg Dunkley, JR Rayjon McCuthison
C: JR Auryn Williamson, SO Gyasi Sidney

The must haves this recruiting cycle are a starting SF, or I suppose a SG that would slide Tusha to the 3, but I'd rather do the former, and then a stud center to be the anchor defensively and keep me from starting Williamson again.

Emmett13 · 05-14-2025, 12:19 AM

We're a little past halfway in the recruiting phase in the game, and we've had surprising results. I was really hoping to land one stud post and one stud wing, but instead we've landed two stud posts and zero stud wings.

The two guys we got:

Khadeem Wills, 6'11", 263, Oak Hill, West Virginia, #69

Wills is a physical monster, with fantastic looking defensive chops. He's got the ability to switch defensively some and can easily get away with playing the 4 and will have to with the other prospect we brought in. He rebounds at a nice rate, and looks like he will draw a lot of fouls and knock down a nice percentage of his foul shots. His finishing rating isn't great, and I don't think he's going to hit double figures average wise, but we won't need him to. Really excited about him.

Jadakiss Hollywood, 6'11", 250, Pearland, Texas, #2

Clearly the name is the main draw. But the other attraction is looks like a legit anchor big man with incredible defensive awareness and ability to clean the glass. I think he's going to the more offensive minded of he and Wills. He's not nearly the athlete that Wills is, but few are. But, he'll have to be the 5 man, despite his listing as a PF/C. Which is what Wills is as well. (that's a tongue twister).

I had just kind of assumed Dunkley was going to start at the 4, and I was totally fine with that, but suddenly we have two tremendous looking post prospects who each pretty much do everything better than Dunkley, so now we have a really, really good 3rd option in the post.

Roster as of right now:

PG: SO Sam Hibbler, SR Sinan Falls
SG: SR Johni Tusha, SR Jahmel Goodlett
SF: SO Duby Behr
PF: FR Khadeem Wills FR, JR Kreg Dunkley, JR Rayjon McCuthison
C: C Jadakiss Hollywood, JR Auryn Williamson, SO Gyasi Sidney

Suddenly we have tremendous post depth. I envision Dunkley getting a lot of minutes off the bench and having Wills slide down to the 5 in certain lineups. Don't forget about Williamson either, he also has major size and strong defensive chops. He's not the rebounder that the other guys are, but I think Williamson can be a solid big for 4-6 minute stretches. Sidney and McCuthison are going to have a hard time finding playing time this year, but I think they both provide solid depth.

I really didn't anticipate striking out on the elite wings the way I did. I made some big offers to some guys and specifically missed on 3 top level guys, each of whom I would have been thrilled to add. I still have two scholarships open, and I'm feeling pretty confident on which two guys I'm going to be adding, but neither of them are at the level of the previous guys I've missed on.

Will update when/if those two guys sign.

Emmett13 · 05-14-2025, 08:23 PM

One more commitment, and a pretty nice talent:

Tariq McCrory, 6'8", 231, Highland, Utah, #153

I like McCrory a lot, and I'll explain why in a bit, but I screwed up a bit in my offer for him. I was pretty confident, overly apparently, that I was going to get one of the wings I was going after, and so when I was recruiting McCrory as a backup option, I gave him a pretty solid promise. 24 minutes and a starter role, and I turned out to pretty much have no competition to get him, so I've got a pretty over promised player.

But...he actually might get close to those kind of minutes. He's a kind of player I haven't really had before. He's a true 3/4 combo that can play down in the post and hold his own, even though he's not strong enough to do it full time. He rebounds well, and as a 3 man will really make us a tough rebounding squad. Has a little bit of a three point shot, but not one I think I can count on. Does finish and draw fouls at a high level which I always like.

I'll probably let him start at the 3, and give him some legit minutes at the beginning of the season and see if he's legit. I'm glad I got him, I just wish I wasn't hamstrung a little bit by this minutes promise.

We have one more spot to fill and an offer out trying to fill it with a 6'1" combo guard who has some skills I really like. If that falls through, we're probably done and will take the open scholarship into the season.

Our roster as of right now:

PG: SO Sam Hibbler, SR Sinan Falls
SG: SR Johni Tusha, SR Jahmel Goodlett
SF: FR Tariq McCrory, SO Duby Behr
PF: FR Khadeem Wills FR, JR Kreg Dunkley, JR Rayjon McCuthison
C: C Jadakiss Hollywood, JR Auryn Williamson, SO Gyasi Sidney

Emmett13 · 05-17-2025, 01:16 AM

We snag one more to complete a HS class of 4, and we have a complete roster. I think this might be the first time we've ever had all 13 scholarships filled, and really I like just about everyone of them. Let's see the final guy:

D'Wayne Israelson, 6'1", 196, Spencer, Oklahoma, #473

He's listed as a SG, but he will be a PG for me from day one. Israelson looks like a really dynamic offensive guard that can get to the basket at will, draw fouls, run the pick and roll and get after it defensively with his 6'8" wing span. Predictably, given his ranking he has to have some flaws to his game. The main one is that he's just a so-so shooter, and he's not great at finishing around the basket when he gets there. But, he should be able to defend day one and he definitely has the chops to play the point, just have to hope he has the foot speed to defend there. I'll probably give him some playing time in the non-conference to see if I have a little bit of a jewel here.

Our roster going into training camp:

PG: SO Sam Hibbler, SR Sinan Falls, FR D'Wayne Israelson
SG: SR Johni Tusha, SR Jahmel Goodlett
SF: FR Tariq McCrory, SO Duby Behr
PF: FR Khadeem Wills FR, JR Kreg Dunkley, JR Rayjon McCuthison
C: FR Jadakiss Hollywood, JR Auryn Williamson, SO Gyasi Sidney

Emmett13 · 05-20-2025, 11:14 PM

Training camp is all wrapped up and the season should kick off in a couple of days. Our rotation and depth chart is locked and loaded and ready for our first game, with Wichita State visiting us in which would be a tough first match up. Here's what the team looks like heading into the season:

Not sure why the pictures are all different sizes, can't say I'm going to take the time to fix it!

PG: Sam Hibbler, 6'2", 175, Sophomore, Allen, Texas

I've really hitched my wagon to him. He's my marquee player, and had some major highlights as a freshman but there was some major inconsistency that marked his entire campaign. He had a solid offseason, improving quite a bit defensively which always helps. I tried to get him to drive more to the basket. He's a tremendous finisher at the rim and is adept at getting to the foul line. I'm hoping for better defense and more efficient version of what he was last year. I'm going to let him operate with the ball a lot to start the season and I'm hoping for 15 or so a game out him.

SG: Johni Tusha, 6'8", 190, Senior, Deer Park, Texas

A true enigma (who grew an inch!) It doesn't seem to matter if he's open or not, he's seemingly gotten worse as his career's gone on. But, he's 100% going to start the season back in the lineup after his little foray onto the bench last season. I'm hoping to play him more at the 2, where I think he's better suited. But he has tremendous length and defensive chops that keep him in the lineup, but if he could ever hit 40% of his threes, we'd really have something.

SF: Tariq McCrory, 6'8", 231, Freshman, Highland, Utah

I don't know how long it will last, but I'm going to give him a shot to start the season. I did promise him a starting role, stupidly, so I'm going to play him with the top dogs and see how he looks. He does have some upside to him. He's my switchiest defender and guards the perimeter pretty well and will do just fine if he gets switched down low. He looks like a legit rebounder who should make for a pretty salty rebounding frontline with the other two freshmen. His three point shot is okay and he finishes around the rim and gets to the line. The issues are he's not a great athlete, his ball handling is mediocre and he's just not a high intangible guy. But, I like having Tusha at the 2, and I think his rebounding and defensive versatility (and the promise) get him the first crack at the starting lineup.

PF: Khadeem Willis, 6'11", 263, Freshman, Oak Hill, West Virginia

Willis is looking like a defensive monster. Major physical attributes, will be as athletic as any player on the court, no matter who we play. Major, major defensive chops who should do a heck of a job protecting the rim. Strong rebounder, with good hs stats, but doesn't have elite ratings there. Struggles finishing around the rim, but does get to the foul line where he's solid.

I'd have been thrilled to land him and just have him at center, but since I got Hollywood as well, it means Wills will start at the 4, where he looks tailor made defensively. He's got actual on ball ability and should be able to handle perimeter oriented 4 guys, and I wonder how well they'll be able to handle him in return. Very excited to see how his season looks. I won't be asking him to do a ton offensively, but I'm hoping he's the part of some nasty defensive lineups.

C: Jadakiss Hollywood, 6'11", 251, Freshman Pearland, Texas

Obviously his name was the first draw, but he's also an elite defensive center prospect. Same height and wingspan as Wills (7'3"), but is more of a anchor big man that Wills. Very good defensive center who looks like he'll really clean up on the glass as well. I'm hoping he and Wills cause major issues for teams on the offensive glass this season. More offensive oriented than Wills, and he might get fed the ball somewhat regularly to see if he can handle being a 2nd or 3rd option offensively. Off the charts intangibles, and he might end up being our captain over Dunkley. Unlike Wills who I think will go pro this season, I'm not sure about Hollywood. If he can stick around for a few seasons, it'd be a major boon.

Bench:

G Jahmel Goodlett, 6'3", 200, Senior, Orem, Utah

If McCrory struggles, Goodlett likely will get the next crack at the starting lineup. Had an amazing year last year shooting the ball, and that is definitely his bet attribute, his ability to stretch the floor. He's undersized at the 2, especially with his 6'2" wingspan, but he's a pesky defender who will gram some steals and isn't easy to shake, even if he is easier to shoot over. He played quite a bit last year, and his shooting is hard to bench, so he's still slated for 20-22 minutes a game right now and hopefully has success against a lot of second units.

PF Kreg Dunkley, 6'8", 228, Junior, Lehigh Acres, Florida

I had just assumed Dunkley would be starting at the 4, and really I was pretty happy with that. Instead we get the two stud freshman big men and suddenly Dunkley is the 3rd post, and really it's a luxury, because Dunkley is pretty dang good. He's solid, if unspectacular defensively, and doesn't have the ability to guard on the perimeter, but he scores around the basket is strong on the glass and is developing a bit of playmaking. With Wills having limited endurance, Dunkley is going to see a lot of time at the 4, and I think 18-20 minutes will happen easy, if not more.

PG Sinan Falls, 6'5", 204, Senior, Hampton, Virginia

Ended up with quite a bit better +/- stats than Hibbler last year, but I, again, have a lot invested in Hibbler. Falls is a great defender with tremendous length for the position, and he had his best season offensively for us last year. His three point shot is still shaky, but he's a solid point guard who takes really good care of the ball, every once in a while he shows some burst and gets to the rim. If Falls continues to shine +/- wise and Hibbler struggles, I'll make the move at that point, a year and half of data is all I need to realize Hibbler's not the guy.

C Auryn Williamson, 6'11", 254, Junior, Canberra, Australia

Another guy who started some last year. He's really going to get buried on the bench this year, but I still plan on trying to get him into every game. Williamson is a similar size to Wills and Hollywood and just like them provides a legit defensive presence in the paint. Williamson's offense is really limited to dump offs and put backs. But, he's actually turned into a legit defensive post and his rebounding is slowly approaching above average. He has high expectations for himself, so after a season of 6 or so minutes a game, I could see him transferring.

SF Duby Behr, 6'7", 196, Sophomore, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

I really think he's a dark horse to start this year. He had a tremendous off season defensively and is now a wing with good size and very good defensive ratings with high level athleticism. He shoots the three well, but is just very passive on the court, which is kind of why I think he might fit into the starter role, where he can just play solid defense for 20ish minutes and maybe go 2-3 from beyond the arc every once in a while. But, he's going to start off in the rotation and see if he can take advantage of 8 or so minutes to start off the season.

C/F Gyasi Sidney, 6'8", 241, Sophomore, Sumter, South Carolina

Now we're really talking about guys being buried. Sidney had a few bright spots last year, and I think he's an alright player. Another really good defender, though he's just average on the glass. Has some skills with the ball and can pass it pretty well, and is just pretty skilled in general. But, he just really has no stand out skill so he's just kind of a boring option who might be at risk of being cut this offseason. But a very nice deep bench option.

F Rayjon McCuthison, 6'8", 220, Junior, Hershey, Pennsylvania

The Clemson transfer really actually had a pretty solid training camp and it probably put him above Sidney in the post pecking order. He didn't play last year after being in the rotation for a bad Clemson program as a freshman. He's a pretty solid defender, but the worst one on the team. A better rebounder than Sidney, and definitely has more ability to put the ball in the basket. I took him before I grabbed the two freshmen post, and if I had known I would have grabbed both of them, I wouldn't have taken McCuthison. It does seem inevitable that I'll pick between him and Sidney next offseason.

G D'Wayne Israelson, 6'1", 196, Freshman, Spencer, Oklahoma

Didn't expect to take a 6'1" combo guard when recruiting started. Israelson has a 6'8" wingspan to make up for his height deficiency. He's got decent ball skills that I'll look to develop more in the future. Offensively he just looks like an attack dog type who will try to get the rim over and over and get to the line, and I think he'll be pretty good at it. He runs the pick and roll very well, which is a great attribute for your backup PG. I'm going to try to pepper playing time in for him this year when I can, but I really think I'd be happy if he's my backup PG next year.

With the post defenders we have and the range and stealing ability we have on the perimeter, I might dial up the pressure and see what kind of havoc we can cause on defense and try to generate more turnovers than your average grit and grind team might normally be aiming for. I wish we had one stud wing to tie the team together, but I'm pretty happy with the squad and hope to take advantage of our depth this year. I definitely think we have a better team than last years.

Emmett13 · 07-20-2025, 12:29 AM

33-8 (17-3), Regular season Big 12 Champs, lost in the 2nd Round, #2 seed.

A really awesome season, and our first regular season championship since 2042. However, an intensely disappointing finish to the season, losing in the 2nd round to 7 seed Indiana.

This is now our 3rd straight round of 32 exit, which is not idea and it has resulted in a drop from 'extremely high' prestige to the very tip top of 'very high' prestige, so if we can finally make a run in the tournament again next year we should be right back among the giants.

Let's look at some season results:

Unfortunately, I forgot to grab the screenshot of the schedule I've been using before the season ticked over. Oh, well, lesson learned.

Some team stats:

Balanced for strength of schedule, we end up 5th in offense and 10th in defense.

We were really a solid team all the way through and had very few weaknesses. We were strong on the offensive glass, got to the line and knocked them down and we knocked our threes down at an efficient clip, but we got beat by some excellent free throw shooting in the 2nd round of CJBL tournament and that was the end of that.

Let's look at some player stats:

We got lucky with injuries and this was our starting 5 all season long.

PG SO Sam Hibbler: 30.2 mpg, 15.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 5.8 apg, 1.63 spg, 52 FG%, 29.5 3FG%

The absolute key to our team offensively. Got the rim at will and had a few games where he just dominated. He was 1st team all-conference as well as conference POTY, and it's looking like he's going to return for his junior year which is an absolute boon for us. I wish I could get him to shoot it better, so that might be a project this offseason, but come conference play next year he's getting every minute he can handle.

SG SR Johni Tusha 28.7 mpg, 13.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.3 spg, 46 FG%, 42.5 3FG%

Seniors will get their own profile later, but Tusha really had a solid senior season after a disappointing junior one. He's all over the Oklahoma State record books and was a huge part of our offense this season with his three point shooting.

SF FR Tariq McCrory: 25.5 mpg, 8.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.16 spg, .77 bpg, 52.5 FG%, 37.3 3FG%

Had a crazy good start to the season with multiple double digit efforts, he came down to earth and became a solid player. He provides legit versatility for us on defense and his offensive game is solid, if not spectacular. If a crazy good 3 falls into our laps I'll take him, but I'd be happy with this guy starting for the next three years, even if I wish he were a better athlete.

PF FR Khadeem Wills 25.7 mpg, 7.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, .88 bpg, 51.2 FG%

The uber-athletic big man was a bit of a disappointment numbers wise, but I think his defense made up for it. He had a handful of really strong games, and I'm excited to see what an offseason will do him. I still think he can be a monster, and is a shoe-in to start at the 4 or 5 next year based on how recruiting goes.

C FR Jadakiss Hollywood 27.7 mpg, 7.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.16 bpg

Going pro, so I'll spend more time on him later. But, very solid defensive piece who was just okay offensively.

Bench:

JR Kreg Dunkley 18.6 mpg, 5.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 49.2 FG%

Went back to his bench role and I'm interested to see if he handles it okay and will stick around for his senior year. Just a solid post who plays strong defense and is fairly productive inside. I'd be fine with him starting at the 4 next year, but won't be completely ignoring prep posts this recruiting cycle.

SR Jahmel Goodlett 15.9 mpg, 8.0 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.1 apg, 48.9 FG%, 45.7 3FG%

A senior, so he'll get his own capsule. Another efficient season shooting the ball under his belt.

SR Sinan Falls 9.2 mpg, 4.3 ppg, 1.6 apg, 45.3 FG%, 41.3 3FG%

Finally broke out a little bit, but not enough to overcome Hibbler's breakout. Another senior who will get more later.

SO Duby Behr 8.7 mpg, 2.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 40.7 FG%, 28.6 3FG%

Recovered from a 2-25 start from the field, which means he was 54% after that point. When he's hitting some shots, he's a solid wing with real size and defensive chops. I wouldn't mind upgrading him, but I think he's good for 8 or so minutes if I can surround him with some solid guys.

JR Auryn Williamson 30 G, 7.4 mpg, 1.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 38.6 FG%

A really, really good defensive center who struggled finishing around the rim in a small sample size. Definitely will bring him back for his last year, where I still think he is a valuable bench addition. Didn't play him in the postseason.

SO Gyasi Sidney: 16 G 6.3 mpg, 1.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg

Battled with Williamson for the 4th post spot, but Williamson won out for the most part. He's a bit undersized and just doesn't rebound very well. He might get cut.

FR D'Wayne Israelson: 12 G, 6.2 mpg, 2.0 ppg, 1 rpg, 1 apg, 47.1 FG%

Barely got to play, but has a real chance to be the backup point guard next year. Showed an ability to fill a box score in his limited minutes.

JR Rayjon McCuthison: 5 G, 3.8 mpg, 1.4 ppg

He REALLY didn't play. I don't see how a world where I keep Sidney and McCuthison. Sidney is a little more versatile defensively while McCuthison is an okay offensive player.

Emmett13 · 07-28-2025, 10:01 PM

3 seniors graduate this year and we'll hit them in alphabetical order.

Sinan Falls, 6'5", 204, Hampton, Virginia

Finished with his best performance from beyond the arc after a career of struggling from there. Provided really nice size and defensive chops at the point guard position, dabbled with him playing off the ball some in his career and it never really worked. Solid backup who was pretty solid except for his blip of a sophomore year.

Jahmel Goodlett, 6'3", 200, Orem, Utah

Short armed (6'2" wingspan) guard who could really, really shoot the three. Don't know how much his wingspan impacted his defense over the years, but he was a good guy to bring off the bench because he would pop off and go 2-3 every other game from three. Slowly rounded into a more skilled offensive player and started to help out on the glass some his last year. A really solid depth piece for four years. Check that 50.3 3FG% performance his junior year, and 46% overall.

His three point total of 214 is good for 6th in school history.

Johni Tusha, 6'8", 190, Deer Park, Texas

After a really rough junior year, Tusha bounced back and had his best season of his career. Shot more threes this year and made more of them and was a sorely needed offensive punch from the perimeter. He was never more than a catch and shoot and run off screen guy, and I wish he had been able to play with a better SF during his career, he finally got to play next to a legit one with McCrory and his freshman year as well with Green.

Finishes 1st all time in three point makes in Oklahoma State history.
Finishes 6th in points in Oklahoma State history, just about 40 points behind Tevin Ridder.

All together a really impactful recruiting class on the perimeter, and we have some real work to do to replace about 60 minutes of playing time.

Emmett13 · 07-28-2025, 10:08 PM

Jadakiss Hollywood, 6'11", 251, Pearland, Texas

A big time recruit with a big time name, who I expected to declare early in the season, but kind of toiled in the late 20's and early 30's in the draft lists all year long before rocketing up to the top 15 late in the year.

Extremely impressive looking defensive center with high production on the glass. My frustration with him this year was his inability to finish around the rim off of offensive rebounds. He could have scored 3-4 more points a game if his finishing had been better. But a really good defensive anchor for us this year, and yet another big man who is going to join the JBL ranks.

Emmett13 · 07-28-2025, 10:18 PM

Ben Green, who had been an assistant for us since 2042, and was part of the championship winning squad that year, had his contract run out and we decided it was time to switch things up. Three straight 2nd round exits has got to get something churning, and it's Green who moves on. He quickly found his footing by snagging a job as the assistant for a good UMASS program. We wish him luck.

The coach we signed to replace him comes with a ton of head coaching experience, if not much success, but has some really solid defensive knowledge he's bringing to the team.

Vitaly Vilarino

Green was a solid all around coach who could do a little of everything, but Vilarino is definitely more defensive minded and hopefully we'll see some dividends.

Emmett13 · 07-28-2025, 10:21 PM

We decided to cut Rayjon McCuthison, and we are lucky enough to not lose anyone else, so we go into transfer season with 5 scholarships to give.

Our current roster:

PG: JR Sam Hibbler, SO D'Wayne Israelson
SG:
SF: SO Tariq McCrory, JR Duby Behr
PF: SR Kreg Dunkley, SO Khadeem Wills
C: SR Auryn Williamson, JR Gyasi Sidney

If the season started, Wills would start at the 5 and Dunkley at the 4, and I think that is most likely going to be the front court next year, as I don't see us grabbing a post that I know will be better than a senior Dunkley next year.

Otherwise, it's pretty clear we need some shooting guards. Israelson is probably better suited off the ball, but we're going to force him to be a point guard in our system.

I'd like to add a senior 3rd point guard as a just in case, if Isreaelson doesn't work out, and I'd like one more post. But, the main concern is grabbing at least two guys who can play the 2, and hopefully one of them is a stud who can step right into a major role.

Emmett13 · 07-29-2025, 09:04 PM

And likely the only part, as I don't see myself using one of my last 3 scholarships these next few phases.

Went after a handful of guys in the transfer portal, snagging two of them, both perimeter players.

Garland Klemm, 6'7", 197, Senior, Holland, Pennsylvania

Klemm is the one I'm most excited for and if recruiting ends up being a bust, he's got a decent chance at starting at the 2 for us next year. He was ranked #233 out of HS and has improved each season and had a really solid all around junior year last year in the A-10. St. Joe's was not good last year and I really don't know what kind of help he did or didn't have last year, but I like his skill set.

He's a solid athlete with some nice size to him, shot the ball pretty well last year, and has some nice defensive abilities, including some switchiness that allows him to hold his own on the block. He also rebounds quite well for a wing. He's not much of a creator, which I'd like to have at the 2. If nothing else, he'll get 12 - 16 minutes off the bench.

Westley Medley, 6'0", 191, Senior, Mount Desert, Maine

I didn't want to go into the season with all my eggs in the D'Wayne Israelson bucket for our backup PG, so I decided to try add a senior who could hold his own as the backup if Israelson falters, and I think I got the guy. A former 2* recruit, he fell out of the starting lineup last year, but had a solid sophomore year for Merrimack, scoring the ball, passing it some and topping 2 steals a game, which is pretty tough.

He just looks like a competent, all around point guard who if he has to play 6-8 minutes a game as Hibbler's backup he's going to be all right.

Like I said earlier, I doubt I add anyone else in transfers. But I'll certainly comb through and see if anyone piques my interest.

Roster as of right now:

PG: JR Sam Hibbler, SO D'Wayne Israelson, SR Westley Medley
SG: SR Garland Klemm
SF: SO Tariq McCrory, JR Duby Behr
PF: SR Kreg Dunkley, JR Gyasi Sidney
C: SO Khadeem Wills, SR Auryn Williamson

Roster as of right now

Emmett13 · 08-09-2025, 10:37 PM

This will be a short and sweet recruiting update:

We had 3 scholarships to play with going into the offseason, and we were hoping to get two shooting guards and a post and that's just what we did. We locked in on 3 targets, and hit on all 3 of them, and that means we'll have nothing to do the next week or so as recruiting wraps up. In reverse ranking order:

Wilbert Cann, 6'4", 192, San Antonio, Texas, 3*, #379

The lowest ranked guy is Cann, who is a 3 star recruit I got real into, real quick. He looks like a tremendous depth piece that could hold his own if he ever had to get real playing time. He's a solid athlete with major intangibles and toughness. Finishes at the rim, plays excellent on ball defense, even if his defensive awareness struggles. Shoots the ball well, has some ball skills.

Just will be a solid guy to have. I promised him 4 minutes, and I'll try to find him pockets of time as the season goes on.

Ibrahim Vang, 6'11", 245, Edmond, Oklahoma, 4*, #64

Localish recruit from an OKC suburb. Vang is big and long, and switchy in his defensive abilities. He's got a big more of an offensive punch than I've had from my last few big guys and the trade off is he's not quite the rim protector that the others are. But, he should be very playable from day one. I probably over promised him some. Future starter/18 minutes. I think I can find those minutes for him pretty easily, but its a major downer for the playing time of Williamson and Sidney as I see Vang soaking up a lot of playing time as I get him ready for next year.

Chuck Tiedeman, 6'4", 203, Camden, New Jersey, 5*, #17

The big recruit for this cycle. We really need a strong replacement for Tusha and we went all the way to New Jersey to get him. I offered him marquee/28, which means I'll have to move Hibbler down to important, which hopefully doesn't bite me.

Tiedeman is a little smaller than I'd like, and a bit slight. But he's got major skills. Tremendous ball skills, can run the pick and roll tremendously and has the ability to score at every level. Really good defender, helps out on the glass some. Great intangibles as well. I'm probably sipping the kool-aid but I feel like he and Hibbler could make for a really tough back court.

So, that's our 13 guys. We'll have a general preseason preview here in about 10 days.

Our roster, and projected depth chart:

PG: Sam Hibbler JR, D'Wayne Israelson SO, Westley Medley SR
SG: Chuck Tiedeman FR, Wilbert Cann FR
SF: Tariq McCrory SO, Garland Klemm SR, Duby Behr JR
PF: Kreg Dunkley SR, Gyasi Sidney JR
C: Khadeem Wills SO, Ibrahim Vang FR, Auryn Williamson SR

Emmett13 · 08-25-2025, 10:38 PM

The season starts tomorrow, so I need to knock this preview out and get cranking on the next season.

I don't know if we're going to repeat as regular season champs, but I think we're going to have a very solid squad and hopefully we can finally break this second round exit streak we're on.

Starting lineup going into the season:

PG: Sam Hibbler, 6'2", 179, Junior, Allen, Texas

The reigning Big XII player of the year. This is his his team and he's got the keys on offense. There is a new engine afoot in the league, and it's a bit of a mystery how guards will be impacted. But, last year he was tremendous. He can get to the rim, creates well, solid defender. He doesn't shoot the three well and I had him really work on it in training camp with not much success. I could see him not having quite the year he did last year, but he's definitely "the" guy this year.

SG: Chuck Tiedeman, 6'4", 203, Freshman, Camden, New Jersey

High level freshman who looks like will be a great secondary ball handler and creator for us this year. I'd like to make sure I have either him or Hibbler on the court 100% of the time, that way I've always got someone who can go get a bucket. I think he's a pretty solid shooter, but no Tusha, but he should have way more of a bag than Tusha. I do think with the guys we have on the roster and our grit and grind style, his numbers might not really pop. He rebounds a little bit too, so I'm hoping he can be a 13/3/4 kind of guy.

SF: Tariq McCrory, 6'8", 234, Sophomore, Highland, Utah

Was surprisingly efficient last year offensively. Shot the three well when he put them up and was solid around the basket. He's not elite anywhere defensively, but he can do a little of everything and is a great glue guy on the defensive end. I'm hoping his rebound takes a step forward this year. I'm worried he played over his head offensively last year, and if stinks it up, or the team does, I could see Klemm sliding right in.

PF: Kreg Dunkley, 6'8", 228, Senior, Lehigh Acres, Florida

He's had an odd career, really since he joined the team as a guy I didn't necessarily prioritize. He's had flashes where he's really strong offensively, but is also capable of some real clunkers. He's smart on the court and very strong and should put up some really good rebounding numbers if he really gets 25 minutes a game this year. Hoping he has a strong senior season.

C: Khadeem Wills, 6'11", 263, Sophomore, Oak Hill, West Virginia

Wills is who I'm hoping is about to blow up. He's about as athletic as any big in the nation, and is a defensive monster. And I think the new engine is going to really beef him up, and I think he could be an absolute terror on the offensive glass. The issue is if he'll be able to finish anything with his poor finishing rating. But, he's going to get as many minutes he can handle at either the 4 or 5 this year and I'm hoping he averages close to a double double.

Bench (by projected playing time):

Garland Klemm, 6'7", 197, Senior, Holland Pennsylvania

I really think Klemm is going to be to prove a tremendous pickup and maybe one of the better transfers we've ever picked up. He can defend and has some switchiness to him and is another wing like McCrory who can get on the glass. His handles are a little shaky and I'm not thrilled about playing him at the 2 very often. But, he's probably our best option there. He can shoot it pretty well, finishes around the basket, gets to the free throw line. A solid, if unspectacular offensive wing, who I think should be more efficient as a 3rd or 4th option here. If McCrory struggles, I really don't think I'll hesitate to put Klemm in the starting lineup.

Ibrahim Vang, 6'11", 248, Freshman, Edmond, Oklahoma

Vang is an athletic, offensively skilled big man who maybe doesn't fit the grit and grind profile perfectly, but he was a local skilled big man and it's hard not to take a guy like that if you have a chance. He can guard on the perimeter a little bit plus his aforementioned athleticism will get him a little time at the 4 in a few lineups. I gave him a future starter promise, and I'll be losing Dunkley for sure and likely Wills, so hopefully he can perform well this year and give me faith that he can be a starter next season.

D'Wayne Israelson, 6'1", 200, Sophomore, Spencer, Oklahoma

Going to get the first crack at the backup point guard spot. I really think he's going to be a microwave type guy off the bench. He's great on the pick and roll, can drive and dish with the best of them and will get the foul line. He struggles to finish at the basket, and isn't much of a shooter though. He rebounds with his 6'8" wing span and uses those same long arms to be a menace on defense. I do have the senior transfer Medley in the wings if Israelson can't hack it, but I think he's going to have some solid numbers in the 10 minutes he plays a game.

Auryn Williamson, 6'11", 254, Senior, Canberra, Australia

The big Aussie is back for his senior year and he'll probably a similar role to last year 4-8 minutes off the bench where he provides excellent rim protection, a solid rebounding presence and virtually nothing offensively. He's big and strong and I'd be interested to see how the new engine impacts him, but I'll have an issue finding him playing time with the promises I made to Vang.

Duby Behr, 6'7", 196, Junior, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Survived a horrific start to the season to round into an below average offensive wing. Defends well, spaces the floor because he's an okay catch and shoot guy. But his handle sucks, and he's stuck at the 3. Klemm has soaked up most of his minutes, and Behr is likely looking at a substantial drop in playing time this year.

Wilbert Cann, 6'4", 192, Freshman, San Antonio, Texas

Cann's got major defensive chops even as a freshman. Has some nice ball skills and can knock down a three and has intangibles out of this world. It's going to be hard to find him playing time, but I could see him carving his way into some back up SG minutes, since all my other candidates are really more SF's or they are busy backing up PG. I think Cann will have a major rotation role in the next two seasons, but he'll need to bide his time a little right now.

Gyasi Sidney, 6'8", 241, Junior, Sumter, South Carolina

Oddly enough we didn't lose a single game that he played in last year. Maybe I should have noticed that earlier. Sidney's a weird player. Great post defender, poor rebounder. Solid passer, can't really score. Undersized for a center and slow for a 4. But, he can get away with playing both and it's hard to cut decent post depth. So, he'll probably just see garbage time this year. I don't think I'll ever cut him at this point.

Westley Medley, 6'0", 191, Senior, Mount Desert, Maine

Unless Israelson shits the bed, Medley is probably going to rot his senior year. He's really not bad. Defends okay, can run the show, can score a little bit as evidenced by his career at Merimack. But, I want to develop Israelson as a lead guard, and he'll need to put together some rough stretches before Medley takes that role.

I also have a walk on PG named Tayvion Archambault who is 5'11", 203 from Oklahoma City. And he's the best walk on I've had in years. Really solid defensively. Not a great lead guard, and if he has to play we're in major trouble. But there is a non-zero chance that he doesn't get a scholarship after his sophomore year, which is more than I can say about pretty much every other walk on we've had.

I think we'll be good, and I think the new engine could pay major dividends for us this year as I think we've got a solid front line with some real rebounding abilities. I think our season kind of hinges on how well Hibbler adapts to the new engine as well as if Tiedeman is truly a top level Big 12 player from the jump or not.

I think we'll finish 2nd or 3rd, with a chance to repeat. But, the main thing is I really need to get past the second round this year. Three straight 2nd round exits is not going to cut it.

Emmett13 · 10-27-2025, 09:24 PM

30-10 (14-8), 4 seed, lost in the 2nd round

That's right, a 4th straight season bowing out in the 2nd round of the tournament, which has becoming a frustrating habit for us. We were yet again, a really good team, and had a tremendous start to the season, but we were prone to bad games, and weren't able to make a run in the postseason despite having the squad to do it.

season results

We got off to an awesome start, with some really tremendous victories, but even in the non-conference we had a random stinker to Morehead State, who is a solid low-major program in this universe, but nothing special.

Then in conference we were dominated by Iowa State both at home and away, lost to Texas Tech, and this isn't to say those programs aren't solid, but with the talent we had and the level of teams we were beating in the non-conference, it was frustrating to say the least.

team stats

Really good offensive team, great on the offensive glass, very good at getting to the line and we had a team full of good free throw shooters, so it won us a lot of games. The loss to Arkansas in the 2nd round of the tournament was a rough one because we only managed 5 free throws, and weren't able to do what had gotten us so far.

The defense continues to be a work in progress, I'm still tied into the defensive settings and levers you can pull in this game, but I do know we're always solid but unspectacular on defense. Losing Wills (spoiler alert) will be tough to recover from, as I think he's probably the best rated defender, when you take into consideration his athletic ability, that I've ever had.

player stats

Hibbler and Wills were a great combo, even though I just could not get Hibbler to shoot more, which was very frustrating. Not a lot of passing on this team, a lot of iso ball and trying to get to the basket, and a lot of that stems from the type of point guard Hibbler is.

We had another season without injury and we were able to play the same 5 all season long:

JR Sam Hibbler - 30.8 mpg, 15 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.8 spg, 53.5 FG%, 35.3 3FG%

Got cheated in the awards, and didn't even get a 3rd team all-conference nod, but he had another excellent season, very efficient, does a lot of great things, shot the ball better. Wish he would attack more. He did declare for the JBL draft which was unfortunate, but we have the ability to ask guys to come back now with our "bags" that are also available in transfers as well as HS recruiting. He's ranked in the low 40's, which makes me think I have a good chance. If he ends up staying in the draft, I'll give him a farewell.

FR Chuck Tiedeman - 28.0 mpg, 9.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.1 spg, 43.8 FG%, 38.8 3FG%

Slightly disappointed in his year, mainly just because he wasn't all that aggressive, I guess. He also wilted a bit down the stretch and didn't really come up big in big games. That said, he still filled a box score very well, and has a ton of potential and work ethic, and he's coming back next season, which is a major boon. I look for an excellent training camp from him, and regardless of Hibbler being his backcourt mate next season, I think Tiedeman will be in for a really nice sophomore year.

SO Tariq McCrory - 25.9 mpg, 8.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.55 spg, 46.4 FG%, 44 3FG%

McCrory's calling card is his versatility defensively, and he's becoming a solid offensive option as well. He's never going to shoot high volumes, but he's become a legit three point shooter, he had a horrendous start to the year, but bounced back to be a steady 8-12 point guy down the stretch. I wish he'd rebound better given his size and ratings, but I'm hoping another year of experience will see another improvement.

SR Kreg Dunkley - 25.8 mpg, 9.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, .95 bpg, 47.1 FG%

Frankly, I was just kind of ready for him to move on. Will detail in his senior profile.

SO Khadeem Wills - 28.0 mpg, 14.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.45 bpg, 50.1 FG%

Had a fantastic sophomore year, and has declared for the draft, and I know there is no chance of him coming back, so he'll get his own profile later.

Bench:

Garland Klemm - 21.3 mpg, 9.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.2 spg, 47.4 FG%, 42.7 3FG%

Great senior transfer who was steady all year long. Will detail more later.

Ibrahim Vang - 17.4 mpg, 6.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 49.3 FG%

Definitely had his offensive moments, and the ability to score the ball is real. His defensive chops leave some to be desired, but I promised him a future starter role and I'm looking at starting him at either the 4 or the 5 depending on who I can get in the offseason. If I can snag two legit post players, I'll surely break the promise to him though.

D'Wayne Israelson - 41 G, 8.9 mpg, 2.6 ppg, 1.3 apg, 44.7 FG%

Just not sure what to make of him. He has gotten enough burn to really evaluate him, but the lineups with him on the court weren't great. But, he has a lot of skills that I really like in a lead guard. I'm satisfied if he's the backup, but if Hibbler stays in the draft, I'll have to find a new starting point guard.

Auryn Williamson - 8.0 mpg, 1.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 48.4 FG%

The big Aussie is finally graduating, he'll get a profile later.

Wilbert Cann - 22 G, 5.4 mpg, 1.6 ppg, 48.1 FG%, 40 3FG%

I really like Cann, and hope he doesn't transfer, which the locker room situation is implying he might. He's got some talent and great intangibles and I can definitely see him having an actual rotation role next year.

Duby Behr - 17 G 5.8 mpg, 2.5 ppg, 61.5 FG%

Probably should have played him more, but he was so similar to Klemm, and I definitely feel like Klemm was the better player of the two. I think there's a decent chance he transfers, and if he does, I think he'll be a pretty popular target as he's a great looking 3 and D guy. Hopefully he comes back next year and can compete for some minutes, he's great depth to have.

Gyasi Sidney - 12 G 4.6 mpg, 1.8 ppg, .8 rpg

Similar story to Behr, decent chance he transfers. He's just too much of a tweener with not good enough intangibles for me to trust to play big minutes. I'm not going to cut him as he's certainly competent post depth, but I won't be too upset if he runs off.

Westley Medley - 4 G 4.7 mpg, 1.8 ppg

Took as an emergency just in case Israelson was horrendous. He never got a fair crack at anything, and I think he probably could have done just as well if not better than Israelson if given a shot. Will get a senior profile.

Emmett13 · 11-03-2025, 11:03 PM

4 person class this year.

In alphabetical order:

Kreg Dunkley, 6'8", Lehigh Acres, Florida

Always just a strange player to me, he was a highly ranked player who I offered during a season I was trying to sign multiple posts. I didn't plan on getting him, but he ended up on the roster and staying all 4 years. Not great posting up, and did quite a lot of it his senior year. Good at getting to the line and shot it well there.

Just don't know if he was cut out to be on a grit and grind roster. But he was fairly productive, but I think we can upgrade, or at least, find a better fit for this current system we run.

Garland Klemm, 6'7", Holland, Pennyslvania

Probably my best transfer snag since...Brandon Vanderwal? Wallace Power was pretty good. Anyways, he had a great season with us. Was a solid offensive option off the bench, and held his own defensively. Shot the ball really well.

Westley Medley, 6'0", Mount Desert, Maine

Was never given much of a chance, did get a crack in one game, just to see if he had any juice. It was on the road at Morehead State and we lost that game. So, that was pretty much it for him. Think he would have been okay, but like I said above, more about investing in Israelson as a legit backup guard.

Auryn Willamson, 6'11", Canberra, Australia

Surprised that he stuck around all 4 years with his malcontent attitude but on the other hand he was in the rotation on a high level team. Never reached the heights of his sophomore year where he started 17 games (seems like a fever dream).

He had good defensive ratings, and didn't embarrass himself offensively and was a solid enough rebounder. Won't be hard to replace.

and one early entrant that stayed in the draft:

Khadeem Wills, 6'11", Oak Hill, West Virginia

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Wills, will be, hard to replace however. He was ranked too high to even try to convince to come back and probably for good reason, I think he's a shoe-in to get drafted very high. His athletic profile and his defensive chops alone will be too much for a team to turn down. I don't think he'll score much in the pros, but I think he'll stick around for a long, long time as a solid defensive minded big.

And...that's it. Which does mean Sam Hibbler is returning for his senior year. I did have to use a 'bag' to keep him (you get two a year, a major pitch to a player you're trying to retain/recruit) but it was a no-brainer. He's too good, and there's no way I bring in a better PG than him in the off season.

With him and Tiedeman back, I'm starting with a very dangerous backcourt.

Emmett13 · 11-03-2025, 11:17 PM

I was expecting one or both of Sidney or Behr to jump ship, but the culture is just too damn strong, and both are sticking around for their senior years. I'm happy with both, Behr in particular. I'd be just fine if I can bury Sidney for one more year, but I think Behr could be a really useful 12 minute a game player, and am not really looking to upgrade at the SF position, unless there's someone I just can't turn down.

So, nobody out, and we did add one:

Praise Dixon-Waters, 6'11", 229, Mayfield, Kentucky

I took some pretty big swings at some transfers, but held back my other pitch, and I didn't get either of the two that I REALLY went after. But in the second round of transfers, I ended up snagging a guy that I'm pretty happy with.

PDW (as he'll be known from here on out) has some really nice size with a 7'3" wing span. Played decent in a solid conference in the AAC as a freshman, albeit with a bad UAB squad. He's strong, but not much of an athlete, which isn't great for the Big 12. But he's savvy and gets to the line and is solid around the rim. Defensively and on the glass he's slightly above average, but I think he could turn into a much better defensive player in a few years. He has at least a little versatility that he can play some 4, so it's nice he isn't confined to the 5 like a guy like Williamson was. This is a depth/development grab for sure, and I'd be fine if he ended up seeing 6-8 regular minutes this year.

Going into recruiting the squad looks like this:

PG: SR Sam Hibbler, JR D'Wayne Israelson
SG: SO Chuck Tiedeman, SO Wilbert Cann
SF: JR Tariq McCrory, SR Duby Behr
PF: SR Gyasi Sidney
C: SO Ibrahim Vang, SO Praise Dixon-Waters

All 3 of the posts we have right now are a mushy mix of a 4 and 5. So, with the 4 scholarships we have, I'd like to get some guys who are a little more clearly defined in their skill set.

I have to add at least two posts, and I'd love to add an elite talent either at the 4 or the 5, I think Vang can handle either position. I'm sure I'll identify a target to throw my bag out, and then hopefully I can grab a depth post that I like, which is easier said than done.

Frankly, I'm happy with my perimeter players and might just stand pat, I could use a 3rd point guard, I guess, but Tiedeman and even Cann could probably get away with minutes, and I've got an okay walk-on point guard in Archambault if things really go to shit.

If an elite SF is all about us, I might go after him. I like McCrory, but there's definitely some limitations to his game. But some major post talent is the priority.

Emmett13 · 11-03-2025, 11:22 PM

We got one year out of Vitaliy Vilarino, he went and got the head job at Southern in the SWAC, which is a pretty solid program in this league.

To replace him, we got a guy who is pretty darn similar in J. Alcindor. He's 66, so he's probably on the tail end of his career. He's actually the head coach I hired my one year at Oregon State in 2037, and the next AD quickly fired him. But, he's had success in a lot of places and is a good defensive coach who, like our head coach Aucoin has major leadership and culture attributes.

Emmett13 · 11-18-2025, 12:52 AM

Went into the recruiting cycle mainly just looking at posts. If I could add some stud talent at both the 4 and 5 and relegate to Vang to the bench, even better. I took a big swing at an elite perimeter player to replace McCrory, but it didn't work out. I did snag a couple of really solid look post prospects and one decent depth piece.

Jarekious Gruden, 6'10", 243, Arlington, Texas, #8

Went all in with a marquee offer, which means Tiedeman will have to get busted down, and as I'll detail down the line, I've put myself in a bit of a pickle when it comes to giving roles out. But, I'll talk about that later, this is for the recruits:

Gruden looks like really solid. Strong and fairly athletic, he's a solid all around defender who will be very active on the glass, even if he's slightly undersized and doesn't provide elite rim protection. Offensively, he's exactly what I love to have, a foul drawing machine who knocks them down at a pretty steady clip. He got a lot of usage in high school, but his ratings don't seem to scream that he'll be dominating the ball, but he's got all the attributes I want in a post and he'll be the starting center.

Dezman Marentez, 6'8", 232, Alexandria, Louisiana, #37

I ended up over promising Marentez too, but worth it to get a player of his caliber. Even though I lamented about Dunkley and said I was ready for him to leave, I've essentially got an improved version of Dunkley with Marentez. Undersized at 6'8", but huge wingspan at 7'2". Great position defender, though is lacking a bit in team defense and is just an okay rim protector.

Offensively he's a foul drawing machine and excellent finisher around the rim. Very competent offensive player who really run the pick and roll and do just about everything. He's not very athletic, but his work ethic and leadership are through the roof.

He'll get a lot of minutes, but might come off the bench in order to fulfill a starter promise to Vang. See, I'm already getting into the web I've tangled myself in.

But, I'm optimistic that the freshmen duo of Gruden and Marentez is going to get to the foul line a lot this season.

Xavius Rike, 6'8", 221, Harrison, Arkansas, #567

I didn't get some of the early phase targets I was looking at, or really make tons of headway there, and since most of my targets were mid and late, I really needed to snag a guy for depth, if nothing else, and Rike is who I ended up with. 7'3" wing span, which allows him to play the 5 despite his height. Does not have the foot speed for the 4, and I just won't be able to play him there. But he's a really good defender, strong on the glass, hardly demands the ball on offense and is just there to provide defense and rebounding. Does have an extremely high foul drawing ratio and had a pretty great free throw rate in high school, so a nice little bonus.

He's very similar to the current senior Gyasi Sidney in a lot of ways, and will probably slot above Sidney in the depth chart, banishing Sidney to the deep bench for his senior year.

I still have an open 13th scholarship and will just take it to next season, and hope my 6 perimeter players and one competent walk on can get me through the year.

Roster going into the season and probable depth chart:

C: FR Jarekious Gruden, SO Praise Dixon-Waters, FR Xavius Rike, SR Gyasi Sidney
PF: FR Dezman Marentez, SO Ibrahim Vang
SF: JR Tariq McCrory, SR Duby Behr
SG: SO Chuck Tiedeman, SO Wilbert Cann
PG: SR Sam Hibbler, JR D'Wayne Israelson, SO Tayvion Archambault*

*walk on

Emmett13 · 11-25-2025, 03:26 AM

Season starts very soon and I'm up late and here we go:

We bring back an excellent backcourt and a whole lot of question marks after that. Our perimeter depth is very untested and we don't have tons of options. Our posts have high amateur accolades, but I'm not exactly sure how they are going to pan out just yet. But, here's our projected starting lineup and bench:

PG: Sam Hibbler, 6'2", 179, Senior, Allen, Texas

A season saving decision on his part to come back for his senior season. The only negative he had last year was that he just didn't shoot enough. I'd love for him to be in the 13-15 FGA range this year and will do what I can to get him there. Team captain. Will get as many minutes as I can give him. If he stays healthy, he should lead in a lot of categories in school history. Hoping for a monster season. I keep having him work on his jump shot, and it keeps improving a bit each season.

SG: Chuck Tiedeman, 6'4", 203, Sophomore, Camden, New Jersey

Very, very talented, and I think could be up for a really nice season, even if our pace holds his numbers down. Handled the ball a lot last year but didn't shoot it much. I'd love for him and Hibbler to just dominate the ball this year and let the chips fall where they may. Really good defender, but a big undersized and has a very nice jumper. I'd love for him to settle in at about 12 a game.

SF: Tariq McCrory, 6'8", 234, Junior, Highland, Utah

The glue that holds it all together. McCrory is a strong, versatile defender who does a good job in knocking down open threes and is near perfect from the free throw line. He can't create for himself or others, but is a good catch and shoot guy and can finish around the rim. I had him work on getting stronger this offseason, and it seemed to have helped a little bit. But, I'd love for him to contribute on the defensive glass more than he has, he seems to have the ratings for it.

PF: Dezman Marentez, 6'8", 232, Freshman, Alexandria, Louisiana

Ended up getting him uncontested, and gave him an 'important player' promise, which has set up some complications with shuffling roles around. So, I could have saved myself a lot of problems if I had just been patient. Anyways, Marentez is an interesting looking player and I'm eager to get him on the court. Solid defender who contributes on the glass, but with major offensive skills around the basket and running the pick and roll. He's not very athletic at all, which I'm hoping won't matter as much in my slow system. He draws a lot of fouls which I love, and I'm hoping he can just be a guy who can grab some offensive rebounds and get cheap points at the line. I'm worried his defense will be a problem, and Vang could step into his spot very quickly, promise be damned.

C: Jarekious Gruden, 6'10", 237, Freshman, Arlington, Texas

I'm less worried about Gruden. His defensive chops are a lot stronger, and he's a better athlete to boot. Like Marentez has nice ability around the basket and the tendency to get fouled. Gruden is not an aggressive offensive player at all, so I'll be interested to see how his offensive game shapes up and how much usage he gets.

Bench:

Ibrahim Vang, 6'11", 251, Sophomore, Edmond, Oklahoma

Vang is going to get a lot of minutes off the bench at both the 4 and the 5. He's athletic enough to play both, improved his rebounding a bit, and has some offensive juice to his game. He's not ideal for the grit and grind, but he is a really nice post to bring off the bench. I wish he could rebound better however.

D'Wayne Israelson, 6'1", 200, Junior, Spencer, Oklahoma

He looks like he should be pretty damn good. Really long arms, active defensively, very creative offensively. But, he was pretty average in his stint as the backup to Hibbler last year. He's probably not meant to be a point guard, and I'm going to give him a few early cracks at playing some at the 2 next to Hibbler. As a guy who can get to the foul line and generate some points, I think he's got a lot of of potential as a productive backup, and I'd like to see him pop a bit more this year.

Duby Behr, 6'7", 196, Senior, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Garland Klemm ruined his junior season, and I probably should have found ways to get him on the court more anyways. He's been pretty steady his whole career. Strong athlete who can really defend and he's turned into a pretty reliable catch and shoot three point shooter. I wasn't able to bring in another wing during recruiting, which means Behr will get whatever minutes McCrory doesn't at the 3. I think he could end up getting 12 minutes easy as I'll try to use Behr to spread the floor in certain lineups. I'm optimistic he'll do well, and we really don't have any other options if he doesn't.

Praise Dixon-Waters, 6'11", 229, Sophomore, Mayfield, Kentucky

Transfer from UAB. Underathletic, but strong and big and knows how to play defense and will compete on the glass. Looking at getting a handful of rotation minutes a game right now, and will be competing with Rike and Sidney for those. Right now his pedigree and size give him the leg up on the competition.

Wilbert Cann, 6'4", 192, Sophomore, San Antonio, Texas

Cann really could kind of make or break this season. He's the only other real shooting guard on the team besides Tiedeman, which is a failing of mine in recruiting. He's a solid athlete who can really defend on the ball, has a nice jump shot and has some nice ball skills. If he can give me 10 or so minutes a game where he's pretty solid or better, it would take a big load off of our bench.

Xavius Rike, 6'8", 221, Freshman, Harrison, Arkansas

7'3" wing span and is maybe the best rebounder on the team right now. Good at drawing fouls, but definitely limited offensively. I am intrigued by him and will find some time for him in non-conference games, I'm always looking for a stud rebounder to throw in for a few minutes.

Gyasi Sidney, 6'8", 241, Senior, Sumter, South Carolina

His minutes have literally halved each season. Just kind of a tweener. Not athletic or skilled enough to play the 4 and too small for the 5. He's got real defensive chops and if he has to play I'm not worried at all. If the other guys really stink, I'll absolutely toss him in a few games. But, as a senior, I definitely want to try to develop those younger guys if I can.

Tayvion Archambault, 5'11", 203, Sophomore, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

For the first time maybe ever, a walk on gets a preview. Given the lack of perimeter depth there is at least a small chance he gets into some games, especially if there is an injury.

He's small, but plays strong defense and knock down a three. Won't be able to create at this level, but won't destroy the offense while he's out there. There's a non-zero chance I give him a scholarship at the end of the season. It's not much above zero, but it is there.

I'm really not sure how this season will go. Hibbler and Tiedeman might be the best backcourt I've ever had, but after that there are a lot of what ifs. My two high school posts have strong rankings, but I'm not sure how they will transition to college. I wish I had another perimeter weapon, like Klemm last year, and if Hibbler and Tiedeman aren't doing it, I'm not sure who will. I really need one of Behr, Israelson and Cann to step up and be the dominant perimeter player off the bench and play 18 minutes.

My official prediction:

5 seed.

Emmett13 · 01-28-2026, 03:00 AM

29-11 (16-4), 4 Seed, lost in the Sweet Sixteen

Ultimately a very bittersweet season. Great success and some very nice wins, but a home loss to BYU on the last game of the regular season cost us the Big XII regular season championship, and then we turned around and lost to them by 1 in the conference tournament. Then, we break our 4 year streak of losing in the 2nd round and then get steamrolled by an 8 seed that was destined for the Final Four.

On the bright side, it bumped us back up to Extremely High in the prestige bands, and unless transfers throw us for a loop, we bring back a very nice core of players going into the offseason.

season results

A really bad loss at home to rival Oklahoma which was a shocker, and we recovered from a rocky start to really become a solid team. As I mentioned we blew it at the end of the season, and cost us being 2/3 champions of the conference.

We swept Kansas which is always a nice perk, and our losses to BYU also hurt because it snapped a 9 game winning streak we had over them.

team stats

Once again we thrived on getting to the line and knocking them down at a very high rate. Our defense was solid enough, and we settled down some early turnover issues, and also recovered from a horrendous start from Chuck Tiedeman to become a solid offensive team by the end of the season. Despite our grit and grind philosophy, I like to pressure the ball, but I just don't have the clientele for it right now.

player stats

Marentez was the pleasant surprise for sure. I thought he'd score, but he was very efficient and had some dominating games. Gruden, on the other hand, was the disappointment. Hibbler fell off, I think there was some changes to the sim engine that didn't benefit him much, and Tiedeman recovered after a disastrous start to be a very good offensive player in conference.

But let's not spoil it.

SR Sam Hibbler - 43 GS, 31.8 mpg, 13.7 ppg, 5.5 apg, 47.5 FG%, 32.2 3FG%, 1.58 spg

Senior. Will detail later.

SO Chuck Tiedeman - 43 GS 29.1 mpg, 11.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.7 apg, 41.6 FG%, 40.6 3FG %

He was on the draft boards all season, but he fell off at the end and barring transfer is coming back, which is a huge boon. Said it a few times already, but he had just a nightmare of a start to the season before bouncing back to be a very good player in conference play. He's not super aggressive, but might get way more opportunities without Hibbler next year, and I'm going to run him and Marentez in the pick and roll as much as I can. Just a super talented guard and I'm hoping he can have a great junior year.

JR Tariq McCrory - 43 GS 25.4 mpg, 6.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.05 bpg, 44.7 FG%, 31.6 3FG%

On the verge of being a 4 year starter, I'm not actively seeking to replace him, but if any of the top level high school 3 and D wings take a liking to me, I'll take a swing. He's just a glue guy. Didn't shoot well on his low volume of threes this year. Plays good switchy defense, helps on the glass and spaces the floor a little. I'm fine with him being my 5th option, swiss army knife defender, although his offense has trended down each season.

FR Dezman Marentez - 43 GS 27.8 mpg, 14.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 59.9 FG%

Really happy with the season he had. I don't know if he fits the Grit and Grind defensively. He's weak, and not some paint prowler, but I think he works great offensively. He gets to the rim, finishes at a high rate, runs the pick and roll very well and is a foul demon. I really think his lack of athleticism and perimeter game will keep here for 4 years, and I'm very happy about it.

FR Jarekious Gruden - 43 GS, 25.9 mpg, 8.9 ppg, 8.3 4pg, 1.47 bpg, 46.8 FG%

Gruden was a disappointment offensively. I thought he'd finish better around the basket, and his overall FG% isn't what I want out of my 5. He was a good rebounder, but we played better when the backup Vang was on the court, which gives me something to think about going into next year given Gruden's lofty role on the team.

Bench:

SO Ibrahim Vang- 43 G, 18.6 mpg, 5.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 52.4 FG%

Speaking of the Vangel. Vang had a solid year and was very strong in the postseason. Talented offensively, and athletic enough to be very disruptive in the paint, his main weakness is that he's a below average rebounder. But, as I said, as a team we did better with the Vang/Marentez combo in the paint, and if that's the case next year I'll certainly play it more.

SR Duby Behr - 43 G 15.7 mpg, 4.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 52.5 FG%, 51.4 3FG%

The 2 star local recruit capped off his career with a great season. Will detail later.

JR D'Wayne Israelson - 43 G 12 mpg, 3.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.5 apg, .8 spg, 48.7 FG%

Big improvement from a lackluster sophomore year. Really ended up being a stat sheet filler. I'm going to go after point guards very, very hard this recruiting cycle to replace Hibbler, but if he ends up being the starter I don't think it's the end of the world, though it would be getting a bit apocalyptic.

SO Praise Dixon-Waters = 39 G, 2.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 47.1 FG%

Only played the 4 at UAB and only played the 5 for me. He's a big plodding guy who is solid on the glass and draws a lots of fouls. And I think the defense is just fine if he's anchoring it for 4 or so minutes at a time. With all of our post production returning (as of now), there's not a lot of room for more minutes for him, but I think he's a very good backup center to have. But if he ever starts, it's bad.

SO Wilbert Cann - 34 G 8 mpg, 2.3 ppg, 48.1 FG% 42.9 3FG%

Fell out of the rotation by the end of the year, but did make it further than he did last season! High intangible guy, who played pretty well when he got a chance, knocked down his jumpers, but he just got squeezed out in playing time by Behr and Israelson, who were both more impactful than him as the season went along.

FR Xavius Rike - 5 G 7.5 mpg, 1.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 66.7 FG%

Got a few games in place of PDW as the backup 5, and grabbed a few rebounds while doing it. He's an undersized 5 with really long arms that really might be our best rebounder at this point, but it's going to be hard to carve playing time out for him.

SR Gyasi Sidney - 1 G 1.7 mpg
A disappointing senior year no doubt, with an equally disappointing senior salute to come.

Emmett13 · 01-28-2026, 03:13 AM

Duby Behr

I'm almost positive I was the only team that really recruited him back in the day, and I also remember regretting offering him because it locked me out of another guy I liked better. Anyways, it all ended up working out because Behr had a nice, little career at Oklahoma State and a tremendous senior year. He never used up much usage at all, but he shot the hell out of the ball, did an okay job of finishing in transition when he had the chance. He got more and more playing time as the season went on and by the postseason he was basically halving time with McCrory. Probably should have played him more, ended up being a very nice 3 and D guy with real defensive chops.

Sam Hibbler

The top point guard in his HS class and the successor to Tevin Ridder. Hibbler ended up with a great career, and is all over the Oklahoma State record books. Had moments his sophomore year where he looked like the best player in the nation, and had moments in other seasons where I could hardly get him to be aggressive offensively. Regardless he was a tremendous player and excellent point guard to have for 4 years. Hopefully I have another 4 year stud to follow Ridder and Hibbler. Clearly I need to be looking for some guy named Biggster or something.

Finishes:

1st all time in points
2nd all time in assists (907 to 899 to Ridder)
1st all time in steals
1st in WS

Gyasi Sidney

After getting into a lot of games freshman year, the playing time just trickled away to nothing. I wish he could redshirt and transfer and go play somewhere else as I think he's an interesting player who could help out some teams on a lower level.

So going into the transfer season we are looking at:

PG: SR D'Wayne Israelson
SG: JR Chuck Tiedeman, JR Wilbert Cann
SF: SR Tariq McCrory
PF: SO Dezman Marentez, JR Ibrahim Vang
C: SO Jakerious Gruden, JR Praise Dixon-Waters, So Xavius Rike

If we don't lose any transfers, I really don't see a reason to add a post, especially when McCrory can play the 4 easily in a pinch.

I'd like a stud point guard of course, and I'd like a replacement for Behr one way or another. Either as a guy who can come off the bench or if I get lucky a stud 3 and D guy that banishes McCrory to 10 minutes a game his senior year.

Emmett13 · 02-01-2026, 10:46 PM

With 4 scholarships to play and really only looking for perimeter players we took a couple of decent swings on two interesting players and hit on one of them.

Harper Gruninger, 6'8", 208, Sophomore, Houston, Texas

At first glance, it doesn't look promising. He did not do well in his role early on in the season and then was benched by conference play on a really good Oral Roberts team. His high school pedigree had him ranked 54th, and his skills make him look the part. He's a high level catch and shoot three point shooter with excellent size and with a 7'1" wing span. His ball skills are decent, but he's not looking to create. He's a top notch athlete who can defend at a pretty high level with the ability to switch on a post if need be. He also should be helpful on the glass.

He got a really large offer from me, and the obvious spot for him is to replace McCrory. I promised him 24 minutes a game, and I'll aim to get him that, but I still think you'll see McCrory start to begin the year and see if Gruninger can carve out a role as the 6th man or if he's better with the starting group.

Definitely a potential play, but having a guy who can truly shoot and space the floor is such a tremendous asset and hopefully it pays off.

We now have 3 scholarships left, I might add a backup option at point guard if I can find a senior worth taking. But I doubt it at this point.

PG: SR D'Wayne Israelson
SG: JR Chuck Tiedeman, JR Wilbert Cann
SF: SR Tariq McCrory, SO Harper Gruninger
PF: SO Dezman Marentez, JR Ibrahim Vang
C: SO Jarekious Gruden, JR Praise Dixon-Waters, SO Xavius Rike

Obviously the main thing we need is a couple of point guards, and having the flexibility of 3 offers for HS recruiting might be more valuable than whatever not so great option I can bring in now the portal has been picked through once.

Emmett13 · 02-11-2026, 11:20 PM

And potentially this could be the only one.

We had 3 scholarships to give, and our only real need on the roster was at PG, so it made for a very straight forward recruiting cycle with really just needing to line up some PG options for each phase and take some swings with our EH stick.

And we made contact on a couple.

From lowest ranked to highest:

Travarus Bova, 5'9", 170, Fort Worth, Texas, #475

Easily the tiniest guard I've ever offered a scholarship, and I'm pretty sure the first sub 6 footer we've had. Of course, he's got to have some skills for me to go after him at that size, and he does. The main one is he is a tremendous pest defensively who will generate turnovers and be a great head to an aggressive defense. He's got a solid shot from outside, though it dipped his last year of high school, and he can run the offense decently.

I only promised him 4 minutes, which won't be a problem to meet, since I'll toss him in a few non conference soup cans to get him minutes. But he looks like a great guy to be able to have at the end of the bench and his work ethic is maxed out, which I'm hoping means he can develop some more skills and see real rotation minutes as an upperclassman.

Arion Pearman, 6'6", 172, Prosper, Texas, #5

The guy who got our max offer. Obviously the size jumps out at you and the wingspan at 7'1" is a nice touch. Really, has a pretty similar game to Hibbler. Gets to to the rim, lives at the foul line, and has just a competent three point shot.

Defensively he uses his length to great effect, gets turnovers and is a really strong athlete. The intangibles are just okay, but he can really run the pick and roll which I like, and I think he might be able to thrive some as the 3rd or 4th option in the offense, as I hope to let everything just kind of center around Tiedeman and Marentez pick and rolls. I'll also be interested to see where he lands on the pro prospects list to start, as I think there might a chance he sticks around for a year or two.

We have one more scholarship, and we're taking a pretty interesting, out of character offer out on a guy, but we have virtually no minutes to give and between Pearman, Israelson and Bova, I've got plenty of guys to soak up the PG minutes. That being said, if a guy looks solid, I'll add one more, we just don't have much to offer to be competitive at this point. If we did add someone, it'd be someone who can play the 2.

Roster:

PG: FR Arion Pearman, SR D'Wayne Israelson, FR Travarus Bova
SG: JR Chuck Tiedeman, JR Wilbert Cann
SF: SR Tariq McCrory, SO Harper Gruninger
PF: SO Dezman Marentez, JR Ibrahim Vang
C: SO Jarekious Gruden, JR Praise Dixon-Waters, SO Xavius Rike

I'm very optimistic about this roster at this point. Talent at every position, solid depth. Perimeter scorers and post scorers. Gruninger being a dead eye shooter could put us on an elite level. Trying not to get too excited.

Emmett13 · 02-22-2026, 09:46 PM

The season is ready to kick off here in a few days which means it's time for my yearly rundown. We ended up not adding anyone else in recruiting, nothing came of the handful of guys we knocked around, which means we have 12/13 scholarships filled this season. Always slightly risky, but I was happy with the walk-on crop we got if everything goes to hell injury wise.

Starting lineup to begin the season: (I can not and will not explain the difference in size of headshots)

PG: Arion Pearman, 6'6", 172, Freshman, Propser, Texas

Top 5 recruit, with an insane 7'1" wing span. I was a bit underwhelmed with his ratings, and I do not think he's a top 5 recruit, but the facts are his defense and fantastic size for the position is going to make him a pretty good player. Really his profile is similar to Hibbler with maybe a better three point shot. Obviously that is lofty praise, but I was underwhelmed by Hibbler when he came in as well. He's not going to be a top option offensively, that's Tiedeman and Marentez to start the season anyways, so I'm hoping he'll be a solid secondary creator and will play great point of attack defense.

SG: Chuck Tiedeman, 6'4", 203, Junior, Camden, New Jersey

At just sheer ratings, he's probably the best player I've ever had. He just does everything really well, truly, I don't know what his weakness is. He has a low steals ratings but he still performed pretty well there last year. His shooting percentages have not been great, but his three point shot was excellent after the first 10 games last year. I didn't anticipate getting 3 years out of him, and now with Hibbler gone, I'm going to try to make Tiedeman the star of the show and see how far he can take us.

SF: Tariq McCrory, 6'8", 234, Senior, Highland, Utah

Will begin the season as a starter, but there's a real chance he gets replace by Gruninger as the season goes on. But, McCrory is what he is always is, and he just gets incrementally better each season. Our glue defender who can do it all, get steals, protect the rim, guard in and out. His three point shot is solid, but he only gets off a couple a game so the variance year to year has been striking. But I think he's a solid 37%ish type guy. I wish he would rebound better, but I think that's also a bit of an engine thing? If we're winning he'll stay in the starting lineup, but he's sure to see less minutes as I have a minutes promise to keep with Gruninger.

PF: Dezman Marentez, 6'8", 232, Sophomore, Alexandria, Louisiana

Had a tremendous freshman season and far outstripped my expectations. And even though he's very unathletic relative to Big 12 competition, he just gets buckets. He scores with ease inside and gets to the free throw line at a high rate and knocks them down. He's just okay defensively, and is definitely not a rim protector, but you just kind of have to hide him there. He's going to get steady work running pick and rolls with Tiedeman all season and I think it's going to result in a lot of points for us.

C: Jarekious Gruden, 6'10", 237, Sophomore, Arlington, Texas

Didn't have the offensive chops I was expecting, and then Marentez really took some shine off of him. I tried to bully teams with Marentez and Gruden last year and I think it only partially worked as Gruden struggles with the pick and roll and was only kind of efficient on post ups. This year, I'm going to attempt to move him down the hierarchy some and hopefully just let him work off of dump offs and put backs, which should help out the field goal percentage. He's a really strong defender and solid on the glass, though like Marentez isn't a dynamic athlete. I'm sure that limits us some defensively. But, I definitely like him and am glad he's my center.

Bench (projected by playing time)

SG/SG Harper Gruninger, 6'8", 208, Sophomore, Houston, Texas

Definitely took a home run swing with this guy and gave him a hefty promise of 24 minutes. Potentially I think he could be a player that puts on another level offensively if he can really shoot and space the floor like his ratings say he can. His Oral Roberts experience was not much and his ratings didn't present themselves, but clearly I'm taking the risk that was just bad luck. He's going to get heavy minutes right off the bat both at the 2 and 3, and he'll get a long time to prove himself.

C/PF Ibrahim Vang, 6'11", 251, Junior, Edmond, Oklahoma

By far our most athletic post, and we actually played better when he was on the court than with Gruden, and I'm not as reluctant to explore that this year without promises burdening me as much. He'd probably fit better in another system, but Vang is a solid offensive post and some nice defensive chops even if his rebounding isn't much. But, he might get in more lineups with the starters as the year goes on and I might invert some of his and Gruden's minutes.

G D'Wayne Israelson, 6'1", 200, Senior, Spencer, Oklahoma

Really has become an interesting player. Has a 6'8" wing span, and really started to become a box score filler in his limited time, and he even started getting some minutes off the ball. I don't know if those minutes are there this year for him, but I think he'll be a great backup point guard yet again his senior year. He can score a little bit, pass a little bit, grab a rebound or two and maybe a couple of steals. A good bench player to have.

C Praise Dixon-Waters, 6'11", 229, Junior, Mayfield, Kentucky

Had to see his minutes shrink in a major way from his last school. Dixon-Waters is probably the one true center we have, despite his PF/C designation by the game. He's got real size, is very strong and does a solid job defensively. He draws fouls at a very high rate, so when he's in there is always the chance he can get a few free throws. I typically sprinkle these kind of guys in for a couple of 4 minute blocks per game, but most likely when we get to the tournament games he's sitting.

SG Wilbert Cann, 6'4", 192, San Antonio, Texas

Kind of like Dixon-Waters, a really solid player who will do well in his handful of minutes I try to squeeze in for him, but will probably be culled by conference tournament season. He's really just kind of a worse Tiedeman. He's got ball skills, can shoot, is a really good defender. But he's the same size as Tiedeman and really can't get away with playing another position. So, he's kind of doomed to just sop up a handful of SG minutes this year.

PG Travarus Bova, 5'9", 177, Freshman, Fort Worth, Texas

Bova is really interesting. He's obviously really small, but he's got great intangibles already as a freshman and is a super pesky, quick defender that can really disrupt an offense. I think he's going to be a great backup point guard as soon as next year, and I'll try to get him some playing time when I can, but I don't see him pushing Israelson out this year.

PF/C Xavius Rike, 6'8", 221, Sophomore, Harrison, Arkansas

By virtue of our slow pace, we don't get a lot of blowouts and he really never got much opportunity besides one or two planned 4 minute blocks. He's got really long arms for his size, I think he's a legitimately very good rebounder but his offensive game is so underbaked, I don't know if he's ever going to be a viable guy for me. But he has such great locker room intangibles it's hard to cut guys like that. I'll try to get him a few minutes here and there in the non conference and see if he gives me a spark that he can play.

There's a new scrimmage feature that allows us to simulate some games between our roster, they generate some unpredictable results, but they are fun to look at and over time, I assume I can parse information from them. So, I'm able to add that wrinkle as the season goes on, as opposed to trying to squeeze out info in a very small sample of non conference games.

As far as my overall prediction: I think we're going to be really, really good. I think if Gruninger can do what he's capable of and our returning guys improve even just incrementally we can be an awesome offensive team. So, I think we're going to be challenging for the conference championship and will get a....2 seed.

Wish us luck!

08-27-2024, 07:26 PM	#53
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2044 Season Preview The next season starts in the next day or two, so it's time to get my team preview and my initial thoughts on the squad before we sim the games. We'll start with my starting lineup for day 1, which is going to be a home game against UNLV. PG: Tevin Ridder, 6'2", 205, Junior, Chaska, Minnesota Super happy he's my point guard. Had to play a ton of minutes last year since we were stretched so thin with guard depth, so I certainly see him closer to 28-30 this year. But, he's an absolute top notch defender, as good as any defender in the nation at the point. He shot the ball very well from three last year, and rarely turns it over even if he's not the best passing PG. When it comes to CJBL tourney time, he's probably looking at a return to 32-34 minutes a game. SG: Johni Tusha, 6'7", 190, Freshman, Deer Park, Texas I was a little disappointed in Tusha after training camp, but I really shouldn't be since he does what I want him to do, very well. He's long, and a really solid defender. He's a lefty who can really shoot the three and should really space the floor for us. I promised him 28 mpg, and I aim to get him that. He'll probably see some time at the 3 as well. SF: Ismael Green, 6'7", 205, Sophomore, Roseville, California For his pedigree (#14 ranked HS recruit) he had an underwhelming season. He also was the 3rd or 4th option on the court in most lineups. I was underwhelmed by his progression, and he didn't improve in shooting like I was hoping he would. But, he's still a very valuable player for us. He's a good defender, will hopefully shoot a few points higher this year, and where I think he'll really be valuable for us, is I see him getting some time at the 4. It would allow us to be pretty switchy, and I think he could really be a floor spacer. He's a likely 30 mpg guy, and will probably go pro after the year is over. PF: AJ Rushin, 6'10", 254, Senior, Katy, Texas Our team captain is back and ready for his senior year. He's the same player he's been the last few years. He's a below average defender in the post, but is above average at just about every other aspect of basketball. He can shoot it, he's impactful on the glass and he's a really good passer for a big man. I played around with him initiating the offense from the high post, and it had mixed results. I'm sure I'll play with it again. C: Isaac Lopez, 6'11", 245, Freshman, Woodlands, Texas Lopez was the #3 recruit in last year's class, and he looks to step right into the large shoes of Marquese Henshaw. Lopez doesn't have the same game as Henshaw, who was a defensive oriented player. Lopez looks to be a major threat around the basket, and what I'm most excited about is his potential at drawing fouls and knocking down 85% or so of his free throws. He's a good defender, but not a great one. His rebounding is solid enough, but he's definitely more of a threat on the offensive glass than defensive. Early on, I plan to really feed him the ball and let him be the main guy and obviously I'll pivot away from that if it's too much for him. Now our reserves: I'm doing this by roughly who I think will play the most off the bench: Garth Ludwig, 6'9", 245, Junior, New Orleans, Louisiana Ludwig was really seeing himself as a marquee guy, and I thought there was a chance he'd transfer, but I'm super stoked to bring him back. He's just such a steady backup center to have. He's a really strong defender, who does good work on the glass despite his t-rexy wingspan. He's gotten better at finishing around the basket, which he has opportunities to do with his offensive rebounding abilities. He's a poor passer, poor free throw shooter, and has no range to his game whatsoever. I do see the potential of a Ludwig/Lopez duo in the post being effective. Lopez isn't ideal at the 4, but he's got a little foot speed and probably handle it some. Jahmel Goodlett, 6'3", 200, Freshman, Orem, Utah Goodlett is an odd player. Undersized for a SG, especially with his 6'2" wing span, but he seems to have all the skills of being a rough and tumble grit and grind guard. He defends, he's a legitimate rebounder, and it looks like he can shoot the ball well. Right now, he just needs to defend, catch and shoot threes and help out on the glass. And I think he'll be in lineups where he just has to be a role player and could perform well. Marquez Ahart, 6'5", 182, Senior, Jackson, Mississippi I think Ahart is a wild card to really get a lot of minutes this year. He's probably the only other true SF on the roster besides Green. He defends very well, has some ball skills, and like Goodlett will be a producer on the glass. His size would be an obvious issue, but he has the skillset to handle some time at the 4 in a small lineup if need be. I really want to pressure the basketball this year, and a guy like Ahart should be able to go all out for 4-6 minute blocks of time. Sinan Falls, 6'5", 204, Freshman, Hampton, Virginia Falls is looking like the guy who will get the majority of the backup PG minutes, at least to start the season. He's rangy and defends, and looks like he'll be an adequate offensive PG. He's a strong athlete and just doesn't have too many weaknesses to the game, but no real standout strengths. I promised him 12 minutes, and that's going to be tough to reach I think, unless I toss him a few minutes at the 2 every once in a while. Tykei Lipp, 6'4", 186, Senior, Kaukauna, Wisconsin Lipp has had an odd career, walk-on turned transfer turned MAC journeyman. For a 10th or 11th guy, I'm pretty thrilled. Even though his ratings didn't back it up, his assist rate last year was incredible. But what I'm crazy about is that he's almost as good of a defender as Ridder, but is longer and a better athlete. Like Ahart, I'm really excited to have him as depth as it hopefully allows me to play very aggressively and to bring a guy like him when we are in foul trouble or something like that is a heck of a luxury. I think there's a world he steals the backup PG job from Falls. Eros Zenga, 6'8", 231, Senior, Cologne, Germany Zenga's probably had a frustrating time in Stillwater. He's gotten bench minutes in the non-conference games the last two years, and really played just fine and even had a few games where he was extremely productive in limited minutes. But, he just keeps getting passed up by recruits. He can guard the perimeter and the post, but pretty average at both. Rebounds, can shoot it, and passes it really well. I don't see him getting a ton of playing time, but if we are getting smoked on the glass consistently or something, he has the ability to play and be productive. Naje Masters, 7'0", 245, Senior, Carmichael, California My emergency senior post transfer for the '44 season. Masters isn't much. He's a legit defender but it goes down hill after that. Solid enough on the glass, but his offensive game is very limited. Worst of all is that he brings poor intangibles to the locker room, which is not advisable for a guy who won't play. Hopefully the other players and Aucoin's culture will keep him in check. We have 3 walk ons, yet again, Jakoby Broadway, Marquis Evanochko, Jaret Fredricks. They won't play, they will be released after the season. I won't even tell you what position they play. I'm really optimistic about this team. We have so much playable depth and I'm really interested to experiment with some extremely high pressure, aggressive defense and be confident when the inevitable foul trouble hits that we have a lot of really solid depth who play defense just as well as the guys they replace. Last edited by Emmett13 : 08-27-2024 at 09:34 PM.

10-16-2024, 11:51 PM	#54
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2044 Recap 33-11 (16-6) - Elite Eight - 4 seed. Another season in the bucket...or some vessel anyways. To put it bluntly, I am spoiled. Winning the championship a couple of seasons ago has turned me into a real complainasaurus. We had another season that all but 7 other teams would be jealous of, though. As I'll detail throughout the post, this was just a flawed team with weak post defense that probably did do about as well as I could have hoped. Let's look at some *season results:* We ended up one game behind Kansas in the regular season, which was a heartbreaker. We led the standings for the majority of the conference season. Our road loss to Kansas State and home loss to BYU are killers in particular. If we win either one of those, we win the regular season championship, since we held the tiebreaker with Kansas. We had some injury issues at the guard position late in non-conference which played no small part in our struggles right before conference play kicked in. We had some absolutely tremendous wins throughout the season and just ran into a buzzsaw in North Carolina who made a great run as a #7 seed. Let's look at some *team stats:* Like I said earlier, we just weren't good on defense. At times I ramped up the pressure, and I did have good success turning teams over, but I think my main issue all year long was how lackluster my post defense was. I tried to get away with playing our stud Freshman Lopez at the 5 all year, and he was competent but probably out of position. It didn't help that his partner in the paint, AJ Rushin, just isn't a good defender and never has been. Even their primary backup, Garth Ludwig, is more of a stationary post defender with his short arms. So, I think we just got hammered around the basket all year long. Especially against tough teams with strong front lines. Lopez was incredible, but I do think I need to quit playing PF's at C. Especially if I'm sticking with grit and grind. I got away with it for two seasons with Henshaw, because I think he was just so good defensively he could adapt. Lopez is a really good defender, but he just didn't have the chops or physical strength that Henshaw did. Let's look at someplayer stats Let's take a quick look at each player: Starters PG JR Tevin Ridder - 30.9 mpg, 12.1 ppg, 5.7 apg, 1.75 spg, 51.5 FG%, 46 3FG% Another year and another extremely solid performance from Ridder. He was lights out shooting the ball. He took a step forward in assists, and by all accounts is a tremendous defender. His nearly two steals a game led the team. He doesn't seem to be any kind of threat to go pro, and I see no reason he would transfer, and he's an absolute lock to come back and start his 4th and final year. With Rushin graduating, he seems the most likely candidate to take his spot as team captain. SG FR Johni Tusha - 30.7 mpg, 11.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.22 spg, 42.7 FG%, 38.1 3FG% Tusha was a bit all over the place, but ultimately had a solid season. He had a game winning put back in the 2nd round against Mississippi State, and several games where he was hot from three. But, as freshman are, he was pretty inconsistent. He did show out in the CJBL tournament, shooting 11-20 from 3 in 4 tourney games, and that includes an 0-4 egg in our elite 8 loss. I assume he'll return, and he'll head right back to his starting spot as his combination of shooting and length is too good not to play. He's got a 20 (out of 20) in work ethic, and I'm optimistic he'll have a great offseason. SF SO Ismael Green - 32.1 mpg, 13.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.55 spg, 49.5 FG%, 45.3 3FG% I'll keep this one short, as I'm fairly sure he's going to go pro. I was a bit disappointed in his offseason, but he just went out and improved in just about every aspect. Shot the ball really well, helped out on the glass some, created a little bit. He's borderline to go pro, but I'd wager on him leaving. If we can bring him back, we should have an absolutely nasty back court. PF SR AJ Rushin - 30.4 mpg, 9.7 pgg, 6.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 46.2 FG%, 35.5 3FG% I'll keep this shorter, since he'll get his own post later. Really skilled player, who never really popped like I thought he would. I was really happy with his passing this year, he was the 2nd leading assist man this year. C FR Isaac Lopez - 28.8 mpg, 16.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.27 bpg, 55.8 FG% An absolute stud and worthy of his lofty HS ranking. I probably played him out of position, but his scoring chops did just fine at the 5. Nice touch around the basket, and an absolutely tremendous free throw shooter at 86.2 % in 5.6 attempts a game. He's a shoe-in to go pro, and I think he'll be a top 10 pick, which would give us two in a row. Bench JR C Garth Ludwig - 17.8 mpg, 5.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 53.5 FG% He's just steady and I dread if he's ever my starting center. He's been on the verge of transferring two years in a row, and he seems to have lofty expectations for his playing time and role. I think he could easily leave, but I hope that he doesn't. His intangibles are through the roof, and he's a strong rebounder who plays great position defense. He just doesn't have the physical size I'm looking for in a 5. I could do much worse for a backup center. But, I will be aggressively looking for a starter to keep him out of the starting lineup. FR G Jahmel Goodlett - 14.2 mpg, 5.1 ppg, 1.0 rpg, .8 apg, 47.3 3FG% Pretty happy with his freshman year. His shooting dropped off quite a bit in conference play, which shows how insane his start was shooting the ball. I was a little underwhelmed with his periphery stats, but I didn't let him do much more than shoot 3's anyway. His rebounding ratings are great for a guard, even if he's undersized with short arms, so I'm hoping as he matures that starts to show up some, because he was a complete non-factor on the glass this year. I promised him 12 minutes and he got 14, so he should come back. SR G/F Marquez Ahart - 25 G, 7 GS, 12.7 ppg, 4.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 53.6 FG% I'll detail him more in his senior post, but he was jerked in and out of the rotation, and even started at the 2 while Tusha was injured. He was solid when he played and had earned a spot back in the rotation by the time postseason came around, but he got hurt in the 1st round game and it knocked him out for the next games. FR G Sinan Falls - 11.8 mpg, 3.1 ppg, 1.9 apg, 50.7 FG%, 28.6 3FG% Promised him 12 minutes a game and ended up with 11.8. He had a late season injury, that kept him out until the 2nd round of the CJBL tournament, and I plugged him back into the rotation, and it's actually the reason he fell below 12.0 mpg. Anyways, Falls showed a lot of potential as a playmaker and lead guard, and did a good job attacking the rim even if his three point shot never got going. I expect him to return and I think he'll make for a salty backup point guard who might see some time at the 2 with his size. SR Tykei Lipp - 20 G, 6.4 mpg, 1.4 ppg, .7 apg Got to play in a CJBL tournament game, if nothing else. I was very intrigued by him, but he just didn't get much of a chance. Will detail more. SR PF Eros Zenga - 18 G, 5.4 mpg, 1.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg The German import stuck around for 4 years and basically had the same season in 3 of them. Solid offensive player who could rebound, but just wasn't good enough defensively to get run. Will detail more. SR C Naje Masters - 10 G, 2.6 mpg, 0.4 ppg, 0.7 rpg My annual senior post. He wasn't much. Will detail more.

10-20-2024, 10:50 PM	#55
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2044 Senior Ode Large senior class this year, with 5 graduating this go-around. AJ Rushin, Katy, Texas Ranked #50 out of high school, AJ Rushin got a lot of run for me. I knew it going in that he was a bad defender, but I hoped that his offensive ability and at least being competitive on the glass would outweigh his deficiencies. And I think for the most part they did. He could shoot it a little, scored inside, a really good passer for a big man as well. He was the polar opposite of his predecessor at PF, Khadre Thurman, who was all defense with very little offensive skill. We'll have to find his replacement in the off season,and I'm leaning more towards a Thurman type. After 20+ years of CJBL, Rushin finishes: 5th all time in points 2nd all time in rebounds 10th all time in assists Eros Zenga, Cologne, Germany Just never got a real chance in the rotation past non-conference play. In hindsight, it is odd that I took he and Rushin in the same class since they are very similar players with Zenga being just a tad bit worse at most things. He was a better rebounder and had better passing ratings. In fact, I'm now regretting not playing him more as his defense wasn't too much worse than Rushin's, but Zenga was a decent amount switchier. Oh well! Marquez Ahart, Jackson, Mississippi Had really impressive numbers at Jackson State, and he had some really impactful games for us as well. He actually got the starts at the 2 when Tusha got hurt, but we lost a few games and I got grumpy and he got sent to the deep bench. By the end of the season though, he was back in the rotation. He got hurt in the 1st round of the CJBL tournament which was a bummer. But, even though he couldn't shoot, he played good defense, helped on the glass and could get to the basket. A very good senior transfer. Tykei Lipp, Kaukauna, Wisconsin Never was given a ton of playing time, and didn't do anything to blow me out of the water when he did play. Most of his value certainly came on defense and some other un-quantifiable things, and it wasn't like he was horrendous at other things. But, probably over his head in the Big XII. Naje Masters, Carmichael, California A 'break in case of emergency' take in the transfer portal. Masters had great size and held his own defensively, even if the other parts of his game were atrocious. He did end up getting 9 minutes in our 2nd round CJBL win. So he'll always have that. Last edited by Emmett13 : 11-04-2024 at 10:42 AM.

10-20-2024, 11:04 PM	#57
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2045 Offseason Preview Just like the last few seasons, we'll have a lot of spots to fill. Our roster going into the offseason looks like: C: Garth Ludwig PF: ??? SF: ??? SG: Johni Tusha, Jahmel Goodlett PG: Tevin Ridder, Sinan Falls I also cut the 3 walk-ons from last year and will go with a whole new group. Our needs are obvious. Multiple post players, and hopefully brand new starters at the 4 and 5. I really don't like Ludwig as a 30 minute a game guy, but if it comes to that, I think the senior will be serviceable. There is a chance he transfers, since he's wanted to be a focal point for a while. I do think potentially if we just strike out horribly in recruiting, I could move Tusha to the 3, and try Goodlett at the 2. But, I'd definitely prefer to get a true 3 that can do a lot of the things Green did for us. With 8 spots to give, here are my top 5 hopes: 1. A stud anchor center to really improve our team defense. 2. A Khadre Thurman+ type at PF. I got away from a defensive identity, and I'd love to have a defensive oriented guy step into the 4 spot and give more shots to better offensive players. 3. A new SF. Hopefully one that provides great size and perimeter defense. If they can knock down a league average number of their three point attempts, even better. 4. My mythical 4/3 combo forward. Every year I look for a guy who can play both positions, but predictably everyone wants one of them and the competition for them is always off the charts. But, one of these years I'll get one. If I could find an Ismael Green who could truly play the 4 for 25 minutes a game, I'd be thrilled. 5. A Ridder replacement. I'm not sold on Falls being the PG of the future here, and I also don't like the idea of starting a true Freshman at PG if I can help it. Although Ridder was a true freshman when we won the championship...

11-05-2024, 04:35 PM	#58
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2045 Transfers Transfer season is underway, and we were fortunate enough not to lose anyone. I thought Ludwig might bail for his senior year, and there's always a chance some reserve who wants greener pastures. So no losses, and so far two additions. We took a couple of big swings at some high level transfers, but missed out. So the two that we did get: Colten Denton, 6'9", 214, Senior, Roland, Texas An Oklahoma kid who was a 2* out of high school, that didn't get any kind of look from us. But, after 3 years at Houston Baptist, he's going to get a homecoming of sorts. Denton is a wing with some major size, who provides some legit defensive chops. He uses his size effectively on the perimeter and to hold his own in the paint. Unfortunately, he doesn't rebound well enough to get away with playing the 4 for he however. Offensively, he's limited to mid-range and in. Doesn't shoot the three, and shot too many long two pointers at HBU. Here, he will be far down the offensive pecking order and hopefully is limited to finishing drives and in transition close to the basket. He seems to be a good finisher and will draw some fouls and be a 75%ish free throw shooter. He's pretty darn similar to Ahart from last year. Obviously, I don't want him as my starting 3, and I'm going to big for a 3 in the HS ranks, but if he gets 10 minutes off the bench, I think he'll do a good job. He was 2nd team all-conference as a sophomore. and Akol Bento, 7'0", 252, Senior, Williamsville, New York 3 years running we've taken a senior center to provide emergency depth. Bento provides major size and some legit defensive anchor ability. He rebounded well at Canisius, even though his rebounding ratings aren't great. Predictably, his offense is garbage, and his athletic ability is bottom of the barrel too. But, from sheer size and defensive smarts, he at least wouldn't be an embarrassment on the court. But, like his predecessors, the hope he plays nothing but mop up minutes all year. I'm still looking at some guys. I wouldn't mind picking up a 3rd PG, and made an offer to a guy. But, like Bento, this would be a guy who just wouldn't be likely to see much time. The roster as of right now: PG: Tevin Ridder SR, Sinan Falls SO SG: Johni Tusha SO, Jahmel Goodlett SO SF: Colten Denton SR PF: ? C: Garth Ludwig SR, Akol Bento SR

08-21-2024, 11:26 PM	#52
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	That is definitely about 10% payback for the beating you took in the CJBL tournament.

10-20-2024, 10:56 PM	#56
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	Other Departures Since our move into the upper echelon of CJBL, a fact that we have to confront every season now is that we're going to lose guys to the JBL. 2 more go pro this season, which makes this the 3rd season in a row we've had two guys declare early. Isaac Lopez, The Woodlands, Texas Lopez was a stud from the word go. Solid scorer inside, gets fouled a lot and is a tremendous free throw shooter for a big man. This is probably the 4th time I've said this now, but I certainly did him a disservice playing him at the 5 so much. It caused him some foul issues, and I don't think he has the physicality to do that full time. Regardless, he was part of a really solid season and I anticipate him being a top 10 pick. Maybe even top 5, depending on what teams are needing. Ismael Green, Roseville, California I was really, really hoping he'd come back for one more season. Was just so efficient this year, shot the ball extremely well, and just really has no flaws to his game. He's ranked in the 30ish range, and there are always tons of talented wings in the draft, so I had some hope that he'd stick around for one more year. I think he'll be a mid to late 2nd round pick unless his combine pops off. Last edited by Emmett13 : 11-18-2024 at 11:38 PM.

11-19-2024, 05:38 PM	#59
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2045 Recruiting Update #1 The first major phase of deciding has just wrapped up, and we were aggressive with 5 offers to posts who were deciding in this early phase. We got 2 out of the 5, and frankly it was the two I was least expecting to get. I thought we were a shoe-in for the #4 and #96 recruit, but lost out. Instead we have to "settle" for #11 and #51. From the bottom up: *Kreg Dunkley, 6'8", 228, Lehigh Acres, Florida, 4, #51 I don't think we've had a player like Dunkley since I've been at Ok. State. He's a tough, strong, hustling rebounder who really excels at finishing around the basket. His defense awareness is pretty spotty, which isn't great, but he plays excellent position defense, which hopefully will shore up some of those issues. He's quick for a big man, and his offensive game seems to consist of a lot of iso and trying to get to the basket. I'm a bit skittish about his defensive capabilities, when that's what I'm trying to shore up, but I think he's going to productive in the counting stats when he's on the court, which is hard to complain about. I promised him starter/18 minutes. At the last second, I bumped up his promise. He's definitely going to get those minutes, but I'm not 100% he's going to be starting at the 4, despite the promised status based on the other recruit I had commit. And he is: Antoine Hanks, 6'10", 228, Missouri City, Texas, 5, #11* Finding a comparison to Hanks isn't hard at all. He's basically AJ Rushin, but just better at about everything. He's not as strong, but he has the athleticism and quickness to guard a little bit out on the perimeter and still uses his length to be effective against stronger players. Like Rushin, he has legit three point range and will hopefully put up 2-3 attempts a game for us. He's also a legit passer, which is always excellent to have as a PF. I offered him important/28, and he's going to start at one of the post spots. The conundrum I have now is that the 5 guys I offered were two centers, two power forwards and a 3/4 hybrid guy. And I got the commitments of the two power forwards. I was really wanting a true anchor big, and I thought I had him, but now I'm faced with the prospect of starting these two as my front line and that's definitely not what I was wanting. I still have Ludwig of course, and he would be a decent starter. But, he's no post anchor. So, we'll still be looking at centers, but missing out on the #4 recruit, and the best HS center is a real bummer, as anyone else we potentially get will pale in comparison. Our roster now: PG: Tevin Ridder SR, Sinan Falls SO SG: Johni Tusha SO, Jahmel Goodlett SO SF: Colten Denton SR PF: Antoine Hanks FR, Kreg Dunkley FR C: Garth Ludwig SR, Akol Bento SR Still wanting one more center. I am after the #2 recruit, who is a SG from Oklahoma. I've offered him the whole enchilada, and he would of course start at the 2 if we get him, sliding Tusha over to the 3. He'll decide in a couple of days.

11-22-2024, 08:39 AM	#60
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2045 Recruiting Update #2 The next big phase has run, and we picked up just one more commitment, but it was a big one: *Cole Starkweather, 6'5", 204, Oklahoma City, OK, 5, #2** If it wasn't for an incredible foreign recruit who got the #1 spot, we'd be bringing in the #1 guy, and I guess we are bringing in the #1 domestic recruit. And even though I wasn't particularly looking for a shooting guard, he's so stinking good, I'll happily take him and slide Tusha over to the 3 for this season. Starkweather is just literally good at everything. He scores at all 3 levels, he can really, really defend. He's got PG skills to the point, that I think it makes more sense that his listed position should be PG instead of SG, and he even puts his nose in there and rebounds some. If he has weaknesses, it is probably that he's not a great free throw shooter, and doesn't look to get to the line much. And that's about it. He's got great endurance and is a very good athlete, so I'm going to try to give him as many minutes as I can at the 2 and the 1. I think he and Ridder as a backcourt could really be something. Especially if lets Ridder play off the ball and space the floor more. This is kind of a season changing recruit. After missing out on the center prospect I really, really wanted, I wasn't sure how good we were going to be (a tourney team for sure!), I think we had limits on what he could accomplish. But, now adding a stud like Starkweather potentially makes us as solid as any team in the nation. Our roster as of right now: PG: Tevin Ridder SR, Sinan Falls SO SG: Cole Starkweather FR, Jahmel Goodlett SO SF: Johni Tusha SO, Colten Denton SR PF: Antoine Hanks FR, Kreg Dunkley FR C: Garth Ludwig SR, Akol Bento SR That gets us to 10 scholarship players, and 3 spots left. I feel really confident that we are about to get a commitment from a 2* post from Australia, who I think might scrap for a couple of minutes off the bench periodically. We do have one more top 50 recruit on our radar, a center, but I'm not sure how high I want to take his offer. Hanks has a 28 minute promise, Dunkley has 18. Ludwig, even though I feel like I only talk negatively about him, is still a good player who is on pace to start and play 18-24 minutes a game. The roster is definitely shaping up, and I'm eager to see the team in action.

11-22-2024, 03:46 PM	#61
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2045 Recruiting Update #3 As saged in my last post, we got the big man recruit I figured we would. *Auryn Williamson, 6'11", 254, Canberra, Australia, 2, #631** Pleasantly surprised with how his his ranking is. I'm pretty excited to snag Williamson, as he does a lot of things that I like out of an emergency center. He's obviously got solid size, but he also is a really good defender who will hold his own on the glass. Offensively, he's got a mid-range game and finishes around the basket, but I don't anticipate him ever getting the opportunity to develop his offensive game with us. Hopefully, I can just have him concentrate on defense every year and I can turn him into a decent emergency 3rd center for the next 4 years. It would save me from having to recruit some random transfer senior each season. Roster as of right now: PG: Tevin Ridder SR, Sinan Falls SO SG: Cole Starkweather FR, Jahmel Goodlett SO SF: Johni Tusha SO, Colten Denton SR PF: Antoine Hanks FR, Kreg Dunkley FR C: Garth Ludwig SR, Akol Bento SR, Auryn Williamson FR Still in the running for a high level C recruit, but I don't think we'll get him. There's another foreign center that I'm going after, but if neither of those guys pan out, this might be the roster right here.

11-25-2024, 12:03 AM	#62
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2045 Recruiting Update #4 Against my better judgement, I rolled some dice and decided to add one more player to get us to 12 scholarships. The real question is going to be if he makes it past this season. Milan Widemann, 6'3", 191, Leimen, Germany Widemann is listed as a SG/SF, but I envision him as a PG with his ability to create. He's got a shitty attitude, which is bad luck, since I offered him before I had fully scouted him. So, I think that makes the odds higher that I'll just cut him at the end of the season. But, as far as what he brings. He's a strong athlete that I think can develop some legit point guard skills. His ability to shoot is there, it's just his defense looks just okay. But, he'll provide me depth, and maybe take a few minutes in blowouts. The stats are bad which can't be a good omen. So, this will the roster for 2045. We will add 3 walk-ons. I'm probably aiming for a PF, PG, and SF. PG: Tevin Ridder SR, Sinan Falls SO, Milan Widemann FR SG: Cole Starkweather FR, Jahmel Goodlett SO SF: Johni Tusha SO, Colten Denton SR PF: Antoine Hanks FR, Kreg Dunkley FR C: Garth Ludwig SR, Akol Bento SR, Auryn Williamson FR We'll have a general season preview once we get through training camp. Last edited by Emmett13 : 11-25-2024 at 12:04 AM.

11-28-2024, 02:01 AM	#63
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2045 Season Preview Training Camp has run, the schedule is all set and we're ready for another season of CJBL Oklahoma State basketball. We'll do what we normally do, go through the predicted lineup then the rotation pieces. Starting lineup for game 1: PG: Tevin Ridder, 6'2", 205, Senior, Chaska, Minnesota Back for his 4th year starting at PG, Ridder is a stud. He's a tremendous defender with a really nice three point shot. He's not the most impactful passer, but has done well with assists the last few years. I'm hoping that Starkweather is going to be able to shoulder a lot of the load when it comes to creating for the offense and I think it could mean that Ridder could be the recipient of a lot of open shots. I could see him being a tad under 30 minutes this year, but I do think when we get to conference play he'll be a 32-34 minute guy. SG: Cole Starkweather, 6'6", 204, Freshman, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma A real sharp eye might notice that he grew an inch. Starkweather, at least ratings wise, looks like an absolute stud. There's really not many flaws to his game. He's going to score it, score at every level, his passing looks off the charts, and he defends at an extremely high level too. Heck, he might even grab 3 or 4 rebounds a game this year. His main flaw is that his free throw shooting is pretty average. But, I'm going to give him the keys to the offense from day one, and prove to me he can't do it before I let Ridder be the main guy again. SF: Johni Tusha, 6'7", 190, Deer Park, Texas With Starkweather coming in, Tusha slides over to the 3. He spent about 20% of his court time there last year, so it's not a completely new transition. Tusha has a very similar body type to Starkweather and it will provide us two pretty rangy guys defensively. Offensively, Tusha has a really nice three point shot, although he was really inconsistent with it. He provides major spacing, and has the ability to be a pest on the offensive glass, and even had a game winning put back in the CJBL tournament last year. I'm hoping that he'll get a lot of open 3's this season. PF: Antoine Hanks, 6'10", 228, Freshman, Missouri City, Texas For being the #11 overall recruit, I'm a little underwhelmed. He's just not the athlete I'm looking for in a 4 in a grit and grind system. I think he will be a competent defender and does a solid job on the glass. But, I worry about his lack of athleticism in the Big XII. He does look like a really skilled offensive player with a nice shot out to 3 and the ability to pass the ball which I always covet. I'm hoping his high basketball IQ and general skill will reign for him though and he has a productive season for us. I think he could see some time at the 5 this year, especially with me having to get him 28 minutes and Dunkley 18. C: Garth Ludwig, 6'9", 245, Senior, New Orleans, Louisiana My greatest fear has happened. I have to start Garth Ludwig at center. I really thought I was about to have the #4 recruit who is a nightmare of a defensive center but instead I get short-armed Ludwig. To be fair, he's a good defender and will really clean up the glass. If he gets 25 minutes, I'll be interested to see how many rebounds he ends up averaging. His intangibles are off the charts and since he's going to start for us, he's also going to be our team captain this season. Bench: Kreg Dunkley, 6'8", 228, Freshman, Lehigh Acres, Florida The aforementioned Dunkley is an interesting player, and I'm curious to see how he produces. His rebounding didn't translate quite how I was hoping, but he's a strong, hustling post who finishes around the rim. His defensive awareness is definitely lower than I typically tolerate, but I'm hoping he'll be productive as a freshman. I promised him 18 minutes, and I'll aim to get him there. Even though that could mean some Hanks/Dunkley duos which doesn't excite me. Jahmel Goodlett, 6'3", 200, Sophomore, Orem, Utah Goodlett is 6'3" with a 6'2" wing span and can really, really shoot it. I'm trying to develop his ball skills so I can play him at point guard and frankly it's working a little bit as he had some nice improvements in training camp. I'm not sure who is going to see less playing time between him and Falls yet. But, a tough defending guard who can shoot the ball will see the court for sure. Sinan Falls, 6'5", 204, Sophomore, Hampton, Virginia Falls is a super athletic guard who really had a nice offseason defensively. With his size and athletic ability he just might be our best overall defender on the perimeter. He's not a great shooter, but seems to be able to get to the basket some. His playing time this year just comes down to if I let Starkweather play most of the backup PG minutes or if I let Falls do it. I wouldn't be surprised if one of Falls or Goodlett is out of the rotation by the end of the season. Colten Denton, 6'9", 214, Senior, Roland, Oklahoma Denton is really the only true SF we probably have on the squad. Real, legit size at the 3 and he's a really good perimeter defender with some definite switchy ability. I tried to have him work on his rebounding this training camp and it helped a bit. It wouldn't be ideal but he could certainly play the 4 if need be. He won't shoot 3's and mainly just looks to drive and I'm hoping he doesn't too much more but finish in transition and at the rim for us. I don't know how much playing time he'll find, but being the only real SF we have will probably result in some PT. Auryn Williamson, 6'11", 254, Canberra, Australia Pleasantly surprised with how Williamson came in and as long as he doesn't have delusions of grandeur with playing time, I'll be happy to have him as my emergency center for the next few years. He looks like a legit defender and is very strong. His rebounding has a little work to do and will never be great. His personality isn't great, but hopefully he's such a low role guy it never rears its head. I'll give him some minutes for sure in the non-conference and we'll see how the post rotation shakes out this year. Akol Bento, 7'0", 252, Senior, Williamsville, New York Bento is very intriguing, because his defensive ratings are sky high. But, he's such a weak athlete and a zero offensively it's hard to imagine me ever giving him much run. It seems pretty simple that if we are having a hard time defensively inside, I'll give him a crack at some minutes and see how it goes. But, if not, he's probably just an emergency guy as I'll prioritize getting Williamson minutes for developmental purposes. Milan Widemann, 6'3", 191, Freshman, Leimen, Germany Not totally sure why I offered him and I feel pretty confident he's getting cut after the year. But, he can play all 3 positions on the perimeter and will provide some shooting when he's on the court. If he does stick around multiple seasons (he won't), I could see trying to make him into a PG where his size and skill set might work. I have 3 walk-ons. They aren't bad. I just don't see any way I give any of them a scholarship so I won't take time. Overall, I think we will be a really good team, with potentially an elite offense. Just like last year, I worry that our defensive interior isn't going to be able to stand up to certain teams or styles. But, on the other hand, I think the Ridder/Starkweather/Tusha back court can put a lot of scoreboard pressure on some teams, and I think it will result in another 30ish win season and hopefully a prolonged run in the tournament. Last edited by Emmett13 : 11-28-2024 at 02:03 AM.

01-25-2025, 12:59 PM	#64
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2045 Season Results 31-9 (15-7) - 2nd round of the CJBL tournament 8th season in the books, and it's another very competent season but with our worst tournament performance since 2040. We had some very good players and had some really strong wins, and at times could be a legit top 5 team, but I had a very oddly constructed team, that kind of did well in spite of itself. Our defense was really, really good and Garth Ludwig ended up being a legit defensive 5, and was a big improvement over our last few centers who were probably playing out of position. But, our issues were that we were way over reliant on jump shooters, and we weren't great at scoring around the basket or making free throws, so if we were missing jump shots our offense could really grind down. Let's look at some season results: BYU was obviously a thorn in our sides as they ran the conference pretty ragged. But, we had some really good wins and we've established ourselves as a program that's going to be in the top 20 year in and year out. Let's look at team stats: Like I said above, we were a really talented team that played a fairly unpredictable style of basketball. Unlike last year, we were just awful at the free throw line and it cost us in a couple of games, including our CJBL tournament loss to UCONN. With the crazy slow pace we play, and I would like to continue to play that way, I really need to get back to some guys who can draw free throws and knock them down. I've definitely fallen into a bit of a trap of chasing big time stars. Starkweather is awesome, but he definitely was not a grit and grind guard, and we built the whole offense around him. Let's look at player stats: Starkweather, Ridder and Tusha are some really good shooting perimeter, but they weren't nearly as successful at doing grit and grindy things on the offensive end. Our rotation really tightened up by the end of the year, and our post depth caused us a few issues at times. Let's take a quick look at each player: Starters:All played and started all 40 regular season games PG SR Tevin Ridder - 28.8 mpg, 11.5 ppg, 5.4 apg, 1.35 spg, 52.3 FG%, 50.3% 3PT% Like always, seniors will get a larger ode in a later post. So, briefly, Ridder had one more tremendous season to cap off a really excellent career. Steady with the ball, shot it tremendously, especially early in the season. Wll be missed. SG FR Cole Starkweather - 30.9 mpg, 15.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.18, 46 FG%, 40.2 3PT% He's basically 100% to go pro, so he'll get treated like Ridder when that day comes. I already kind of spoiled by bit with him, but he's crazy talented and going to be a top 5 JBL pick, and was a really, really good player, he just didn't fit the grit and grind system, and our offense became very jump shot heavy, since that's the type of player he is. SF SO Johni Tusha - 29.8 mpg, 10.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.23 spg, 44.1 FG%, 40.8 3PT% If there's one guy I feel nearly positive is coming back, it's Tusha. His usage fell a decent amount with Starkweather coming in, but he still had a strong season and was more efficient than last year. He knocked down a nice percentage of his three pointers and he's a good defender. I would like to get him back to SG though. PF FR Antoine Hanks - 28.6 mpg, 10.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.10 bpg, 51.9 FG%, 32.4 3PT% I came around on Hanks. I was underwhelmed by him early on, and his first few games were not great. But, eventually, he turned it on and turned into a pretty productive player. The highlight being an absurd 23 rebound game on the road against Dayton. He's currently top 10 on the JBL prospect list, so he's another guy that's almost certainly one and done. C SR Garth Ludwig - 26.4 mpg, 7.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.23 bpg I dreaded the prospect of starting him, the entire time he was here, thinking he was just too boring, but he got a crack at it and did great. Senior leadership (he was the captain) and really good defense. Will talk more later! Rotation: SF SR Colten Denton - 40 G, 15.1 mpg, 5.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1 spg, .55 pbg, 57.6 FG% Transfer from Houston Baptist who really found a role right away. Scored inside well, and reminded me that it's not the end of the world to have a SF who doesn't shoot threes at all, if they can do other things well. PF FR Kreg Dunkley - 39 G, 16.1 mpg, 4.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, .82 bpg, 59.3 FG% Ended up 2 minutes shy of his 18 minute promise, so easily could be transferring. I was surprised I got him to begin with, as I kind of offered as a whim backup plan. He's kind of an odd player. Scored the ball well, and was one of our few solid free throw shooters. I definitely want him back, but I'd lean towards him hitting the portal. SG SO Jahmel Goodlett - 40 G, 11.1 mpg, 4.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, .8 apg, 44 FG%, 35.9 3PT% Fell off a bit, but he shot so well as a freshman, this season was kind of destined to be a disappointment. Received less minutes with Starkweather sopping up so many, and Denton sliding Tusha to the 2 pretty frequently. Sometimes when guys see a decline in minutes they can bolt even if they are relatively happy with their role. I do think he's coming back, and I think he's an awesome depth piece to have, even if he's undersized. C FR Auryn Williamson - 38 G, 8.2 mpg, 1.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 48.3 FG% I made the choice early on to give Williamson playing time over Bento, hoping that I could eventually develop Williamson into a competent Big 12 post down the line. He really didn't do half bad, but predictably was worse in conference play. I'm going to try to max him out as a defensive/rebounding post, but will have zero qualms about overrecruiting him down the line. His attitude sucks, which means there's a chance he could transfer. But, he's not getting a better situation than this. PG FR Sinan Falls - 25 G, 7.4 mpg, 2.4 ppg, 1.0 apg, 38.1 FG%, 13 3PT% Really struggled offensively, and fell right out of the rotation, which in hindsight, might have been a poor decision. Still really like his size and ability to defend, but he started shooting more threes than usual, and really, really struggled. Could definitely transfer after seeing so much less playing time. C SR Akol Bento - 5 G, 8.0 mpg, 1.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg Senior transfer who I never gave a fair shake. A really good defender, but he was so awful everyone where else I didn't want to play him, and like I said I decided to invest a little into Williamson. SG FR Milan Widemann - 3 G, 3.8 mpg, 0.0 ppg, 1.3 apg Panic take last year to fill in some depth. We were virtually injury free this year besides a one game injury to Dunkley, so he never got much time at all. He's for sure getting cut. And some walkons who didn't see a single second

01-25-2025, 11:17 PM	#65
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2045 Senior Class Akol Bento, 7'0", 252, Williamsville, New York Not a whole lot to say about him. My defense held up pretty well, so I never felt compelled to put him in at center, and I just chose to give Williamson minutes, and he never played so poorly to make me change my mind. This marks the 3rd year in a row I've taken a senior transfer center, and I'm hoping Williamson makes me not have to do that the next few years. Colten Denton, Roland, Oklahoma Really pretty pleased with his year for us. He was a really impactful defender who did a good job of converting around the basket. He got a little time at PF in one game when Dunkley was injured and we played extremely well, and I probably should have given him some more run there this year with his length and ability to switch. Like I said in the earlier post, he reminded me that it's okay to have a perimeter player who can't shoot if there good at quite a few things. Especially with how 'national' my recruiting has become, it's pretty cool that an Oklahoma player got to come back to the state for his senior year and was a contributor to the rotation. Garth Ludwig, New Orleans, Louisiana Had a really, really strong senior year. He was never some super efficient guy in the paint, but he held his own and provided a really good defensive base for us and was quite effective on the glass as well. He has fantastic intangibles and was our captain this season, so he'll missed in a number of ways. Despite only starting his senior year, he finishes 2nd all time in rebounds at Oklahoma State with 1,021. The league is only about 25 seasons old, so it's not quite as impressive as it sounds at first glance, but still notable nonetheless. Our former center and one of my first recruits Troy Moss is still at the top. Tevin Ridder, Chaska, Minnesota Ridder and Ludwig are the last remnants of the 2042 championship squad, so it's definitely weird to see them gone. Ridder was a 4 year starter and an absolute stud to have for 4 years. Took great care of the ball, passed it well, played strong defense and typically shot it great from three. He'll always be remembered for almost single handedly shooting us out of the national championship game, before hitting what eventually became the game winning three pointer with 17 seconds left. Also, in 15 tournament games he shot 53% on 45 three point attempts. He was a tremendous player to have and his name is all over the OKST leaderboards. He finishes: 1st in assists, 2nd in steals, 3rd in 3PM and 5th in points. Between transfers and early declarations, we still have more players to lose and that will come in the next post in a week or so.

01-29-2025, 12:08 AM	#66
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	Early defections As expected our two highly ranked freshman decide to forgo their last 3 years of eligibility. Cole Starkweather, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Starkweather was the #2 recruit in the nation coming out of high school, and I've already beaten this dead horse, but he just wasn't a grit and grind guy. Supremely talented and I think he'll be a very high pick and have a great JBL career. I'm never going to be in a position where I feel good about passing up on the #2 recruit when he's a guy from Oklahoma. His season high was 26 which he hit in his first collegiate game against Gonzaga, so in a way it was literally down hill from there. But to be certain, he was awesome, and I'd love to have a guy like him every year, but it's made me acutely aware on what kind of guards I should go after. Antoine Hanks, Missouri City, Texas One more guy that didn't really fit what we were trying to do. He ended up impressing me with his ability to rebound and I think he and Ludwig made for a pretty salty post duo on defense. But, he could knock down a three, help out on the glass and was a good passer and was effective at scoring the basket, but was more of a finesse guy than a get in the paint and bully guys. He was the #11 recruit out of high school, so it's not unexpected that he left early, but I am surprised that he ranks so highly on the JBL lists. So, I'll be interested to see where he ends up being drafted.

01-29-2025, 12:12 AM	#67
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	Coaching and pre-transfers Both of our coaches, Travell Aucoin and Ben Green are up for contract renewal. I'm definitely trying to bring Aucoin back, and I expect for him to return. I'm still on the fence about Green, who is a jack of of all trades and master of none type coach. He was on staff for our championship team, so it's hard to bail on him, but I potentially could change it up. I've also cut the freshman from Germany Milan Widemann. He wasn't ever going to play and wasn't even a good locker room guy, so he had to go and I assume I'll upgrade that scholarship spot. So going into transfer season, here's what we're looking at: PG: Sinan Falls, JR SG: Jahmel Goodlett, JR SF: Johni Tusha, JR PF: Kreg Dunkley, SO C: Auryn Williamson, SO So, we basically have a starting lineup and nothing else. I think there's a pretty high chance we could see Dunkley leave, and definitely a non-zero chance that Falls and Goodlett could bail. Even Williamson has a mercurial enough attitude that he could bail for whatever reason. So, I think there's a slim chance at Tusha being the only guy to return. Even if all 5 of those guys stick around, that's still 8 scholarships available and we probably are looking at at least 2 guys to add to the roster.

02-05-2025, 07:44 PM	#68
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2046 Offseason update #1 First thing is we bring back the same coaching staff in Travell Aucoin at HC and Ben Green as AC. I almost made a move for a new AC, but decided I'd rather keep the same staff for the consistency and cohesion of it all. Much to my surprise, we didn't lose anyone at all to the transfer portal, which means we brought back 5 guys and had 8 scholarships to give. When the transfer portal open, we did strike out on our main targets which was frustrating, but it's also a thing where mid-level and lower teams typically make huge promises and teams in my echelon typically won't go that high for them. Even some of our targets with far less competition went another direction. But, we did grab one guy: Roshown Salnave, 6'7", 201, Senior, Radnor, Pennsylvania No photo for Salnave which is a rare occurrence. Salnave played at Army, so we'll pretend he was honorably discharged. He's a former 3* recruit and was ranked #482 out of high school, which is a pretty good snag for us with us promising him basically no playing time. He's a really good defender with nice size and can even play some 4 in a pinch. He can't shoot, but has some ability to get to the basket. He's really pretty similar to Denton, who was one of our senior transfer last year. I'm hoping he doesn't play much, but he's a decent piece. I'm trying to get two more deep bench players still, but going into this last phase of transfers our team looks like: PG: Sinan Falls JR SG: Jahmel Goodlett JR SF: Johni Tusha JR, Roshown Salnave SR PF: Kreg Dunkley SO C: Auryn Williamson

02-16-2025, 01:50 AM	#69
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2046 Offseason update #2 It happened more than a week ago, but I've had a lot going on in real life that slowed me down from making this update. We're almost to the first major deciding phase in HS recruiting, and things are looking good on that front and hopefully we have a very positive update to add about 24 hours from now. But, we did pick up just one more transfer: Viorel Torromino, 6'7", 235, Sophomore, Aci Sant'Antonio, Italy Torromino was at Gonzaga last year and clearly didn't get many opportunities before being unceremoniously let go. In hindsight, seeing how good the HS class looks, I sort of regret taking him, but for a guy who will be a deep bench post (hopefully) the next few years, he's not bad. He defends well inside and is a little bit switchy, though he's not going to be locking anyone down on the perimeter or anything. He is a contributor on the glass, and is role will definitely be as a defensive, scrapping rebounder when and if he gets to play. He has strong intangibles which is always nice to add. There's a decent possibility I end up cutting him next year, but you never know! Our roster going into recruiting: PG: Sinan Falls JR SG: Jahmel Goodlett JR SF: Johni Tusha JR, Roshown Salnave SR PF: Kreg Dunkley SO, Viorel Torromino SO C: Auryn Williamson SO

02-17-2025, 12:55 AM	#70
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2046 Recruiting Update #1 The early phase has some and gone, and we had a pretty successful session, though we missed out on both our center prospects and a SG I really, really wanted, it is hard to complain too much and there are teams who were far worse off than we were. In reverse order: Rhamel Knorr, 6'8", 209, Fort Worth, Texas, #434 Knorr was a guy who was an Oklahoma State "dreamer" that he was already predisposed to wanting to come here, and I liked his profile and I think other teams stayed away once they saw us on him. He's a SF with some very nice size and is a pretty solid athlete. He's not the defender I normally would want on the perimeter, but I really like his offensive game. He shoots it from three fairly well, but what I really like about him is his ability to drive to the rim and finish. He also is excellent at drawing fouls which was something I was really wanting to improve on. I only promised him 4 minutes a game, which I should manage. Right now we kind of have a hole at SF, so he might sneak in some playing time if he proves he can score. Sam Hibbler, 6'2", 175, Allen, Texas, #25 The #1 ranked PG in the nation, which is obviously a huge boon and a big time replacement for Tevin Ridder. Hibbler is a really strong defender and athlete which I love to be the head of the defense. He's a big time iso player that can get to the rim at will, and is very creative in getting the ball to the basket. Like Knorr is really, really good at drawing fouls and I'm hoping he's going to spend a lot of time there this year. He's not great at the pick and roll, and isn't the best at improvising playmaking, but he looks like a stud from day one. Elijah Worthing, 6'8", 213, Cibolo, Texas, #1 That's right! A year after getting the #2 player in the nation in Cole Starkweather, we go and pull #1. The way players were ranked this year was a little different, so I don't know he truly is the best HS player in the nation, but he's damn good and we're lucky to have him. He's a great defender and rebounder, and an extremely smart player. He's not the most amazing offensive player, but is very, very efficient scorer when he does shoot. But, what really sets him apart is how skilled he is with the ball. He can handle it like a guard, really passes it well and is probably going to be where a lot of the offense will be initiated this season. I could see a lot of letting him operate from the high post and letting him pick apart defenses. The roster as of now: PG: Sinan Falls JR, Sam Hibbler, FR SG: Johni Tusha JR, Jahmel Goodlett JR SF: Roshown Salnave SR, Rhamel Knorr FR PF: Kreg Dunkley SO, Elijah Worthing FR, Viorel Torromino SO C: Auryn Williamson SO Really taking shape and looks pretty strong. I'd really like to add a starting center, and those aren't easy to find, but I have a few options. If we don't find him, I could see a lot of Dunkley/Worthing lineups, which might not be the best. I'd also like one more guard, particularly a solid SG, with maybe some PG skills. But, that's definitely a secondary need to a legit center. Another week or so of recruiting, so we'll update soon. Hopefully with a center in tow.

02-19-2025, 12:23 PM	#71
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2046 Recruiting Update #2 A couple more commitments to add to our class. Frankly, I kind of mismanaged some resources here, offered guys I should have held off on and missed a chance at getting a much better guard than I did. Regardless, I think both of these guys are capable and will help out, but I can definitely see a world where at least one of these guys gets cut before they graduate. Let us take a look! Gyasi Sidney, 6'8", 241, Sumter, South Carolina, #388 After missing out on two center prospects, and my next option being a late decider, I panicked a little bit by jumping in and snagging this guy. But, really, he's not half bad and his HS ranking is decent as well. He's listed as a PF/C, and is a bit smaller than I'd like at the 5, but that's where he seems most likely to get some PT. He has the looks of a very good defender, even if his rebounding isn't much. Offensively, he's got a decent touch out to 15 or so, but his primary benefit on offense is that he's a strong passer, which is always something I like out of a post. His 'toughness' and 'hustle' are very lacking, which is the opposite of what I want out of a post, but hopefully he's just fighting for backup post minutes, and we land the center we want in this late phase. Duby Behr, 6'7", 196, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, #1011 Here is where I messed up, I was his only offer and could have easily held off for a phase or two, and thrown my hat in for a more accomplished HS recruit, even if that recruit wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I do like Behr, but he's kind of redundant with some of the wings we have. He looks like he could turn into a pretty solid 3 and D wing. He shoots the ball pretty well, and seems like he's going to be a pretty solid defensive wing with some nice athletic ability. I don't see a lot of playing time for him this year, and he could easily be expendable this offseason. We're up to 12/13 scholarships, and we have our last one out for a center, who likely would be our starting 5, if he signs on. Roster as of now: PG: Sinan Falls JR, Sam Hibbler, FR SG: Johni Tusha JR, Jahmel Goodlett JR, Duby Behr FR SF: Roshown Salnave SR, Rhamel Knorr FR PF: Kreg Dunkley SO, Elijah Worthing FR, Viorel Torromino SO C: Auryn Williamson SO, Gyasi Sidney, FR

02-26-2025, 01:03 PM	#72
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2026 Preview Another CJBL season is about to start in the next handful of days, and ready or not, we've got our squad ready to go. We missed out on our last center prospect, which was a real bummer, and it creates a pretty big hole for us at the 5, but I'm hopeful that the guys I have will be able to hold their own by committee. But, let's take a look at our squad, starting with who (I think) will start on day one. Sorry for the inconsistent sizes on the screencaps, I coulllld go and fix it, but I won't, I don't get the sense that is what is keeping people from reading this. PG: Sam Hibbler, 6'2", 175, Freshman, Allen, Texas I went all in on getting him, he was the highest ranked HS point guard, and I'm definitely glad I got him, but I am slightly underwhelmed by his ratings after training camp. He's got solid defensive chops, and will distribute the ball well, and the thing I really like about him is that he's going to drive the ball to the basket and finish and create contact and knock down a huge percentage of his free throws. He's not the best shooter, though I think he'll keep teams honest, and he's a very good athlete. I do think there's a chance he comes back next year and I don't think he's a one and done type guy, which is a silver lining to him being slightly underwhelming. But, I think he'll have a strong season. SG: Johni Tusha, 6'7", 190, Sophomore, Deer Park, Texas This is a big year for Tusha. He'll be relied on to hit a lot of threes and to really space the floor for our guys who can drive the basketball. He's got really good size and doesn't turn the ball over much, and I'm hoping with Hibbler and Worthing orchestrating the offense he'll find himself open on the wing a lot. He's still an excellent defender who is a nuisance on the offensive glass. I'm hoping to see his usage go up a bit and I'd like 13-15 points out of him this year. SF: Roshown Salnave, 6'7", 201, Senior, Radnor, Pennsylvania No photo for Salnave. Salnave had an absolute beast of a training camp, and much to my surprise is going to start the season as our starting SF, although that is definitely subject to change. He's a really good defender, although he might struggle athletically at this level. He has the ability to switch down into the paint as well, which is nice, and he actually spent the majority of his time playing the 4 last year for Army. He won't be doing that at all for us, however. But, he's creative with the ball, and runs the pick and roll very well. I'm hoping he doesn't shoot too often, and he's mainly there for defensive purposes. But, I think he's a good glue guy for our lineup right now, and I like that he keeps Tusha at the 2. But, Goodlett or Falls could jump right into the starting lineup very quickly. PF: Elijah Worthing, 6'8", 213, Freshman, Cibolo, Texas The #1 recruit in the nation got knocked around pretty hard in training camp, which isn't abnormal. But, even after the dust settled he still looks pretty dang good. Defends really well, with great awareness, and will be competitive on the glass right away. A strong athlete with really good intangibles, he might be forced to play some 5 this year, which concerns me some with his 6'8", 213 frame. But, what really is exciting is how good of a passer he is. I'll be running a lot of offense through the high post with him, and letting him initiate the offense which I think could potentially work very well. Like Hibbler, I don't think he's 100% a guarantee to go pro, so potentially I think he could come back, which is not something I've said about my other recent 5* guys. C: Auryn Williamson, 6'11", 254, Sophomore, Canberra, Australia With missing out on so many centers, suddenly the big Aussie is looking like he's going to start the year in the the starting lineup. He had a really nice training camp, and really beefed up his defensive abilities which is why he's going to start. Offensively, he's not much at all, besides being a solid finisher around the basket which is all I really need him to do anyways. Like Salnave, there is every possibility he loses his starting spot, but I'm trying to lean into defense to start the season and hope our offense is good enough to get the job done. Our bench players in rough order of how much playing time I think they will get: Kreg Dunkley, 6'8", 228, Sophomore, Lehigh Acres, Florida Dunkley is going to get a lot of playing time this season, and I think there is a real chance he starts at the 4 with Worthing at the 5 before too long. He's strong and very capable around the basket and should rebound at a decent clip. He has zero range to his offensive game, and he's limited as a rim protector, but he should be productive in his 18-24 minutes a game he's going to see. Jahmel Goodlett, 6'3", 200, Junior, Orem, Utah Goodlett fell off a bit last year, but his freshmen year percentages were probably unsustainable. He's undersized with a negative wingspan, but he's a strong defender who can rebound a little bit. He's slowly developing some ball skills and is our 3rd PG if the need arises. He can really shoot the ball and helps spacing, and I could see him taking Salnave's spot really quickly if our offense is struggling. Sinan Falls, 6'5", 204, Junior, Hampton, Virginia He fell out of the rotation last year and I was a bit surprised to see him come back. He's an elite athlete and our best overall perimeter defender and will be at the minimum the backup point guard this year. His shooting isn't quite as bad as last year made it look, and I think there's the possibility he sees a lot of playing time at the 2 in addition to his backup PG role. Gyasi Sidney, 6'8", 241, Freshman, Sumter, South Carolina Sidney and Torromino are going to battle it out for the 4th post spot. Sidney is a solid passer and really good defender but an underwhelming rebounder, which is something I think we might struggle with as a team. He lacks some toughness that I'd like and defensively is really just stuck at the 5 despite being slightly undersized. But, I like his defensive chops and his ability to move the ball. Rhamel Knorr, 6'8", 209, Freshman, Fort Worth, Texas Really nice size as a freshman who held onto his ratings pretty well through training camp. Really good at driving to the basket and finishing around the rim and drawing contact. Has enough of a three point shot to keep teams honest, and even his defense didn't fall apart too bad. He can even get spot minutes at the 4 in a worst case scenario. I like his offensive potential, so I'm going to try to get him a few minutes each game, at least to start the year. Viorel Torromino, 6'7", 235, Sophomore, Aci Sant'Antonio, Italy Undersized and not that athletic, but at least a little versatile defensively in that he can guard on the perimeter a little bit. Rebounds well, but his offensive game is almost non-existent. I don't see both he and Sidney surviving offseason cuts. A questionable transfer take on my end. Duby Behr, 6'7", 196, Freshman, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Behr actually looks better than I anticipated. He's got nice size and looks like a legit defender from day one. I think he's going to be a solid catch and shoot guy from 3, and hopefully in a season or two he's a legit 3 and D guy that can earn some playing time. I don't see him and Knorr both getting playing time, but Behr's physicals and defensive abilities might have him leap frog Knorr. We did bring back a walk-on from last year, PG Akoy de Laveaga, who didn't play last year, but has enough skills that I brought him back for emergency purposes, but he'll be cut after this season as I either have to cut him or offer him a scholarship. We also snagged a 3* walk-on ranked in the 600s named Damon Sekunda who we recruited a little bit, but was never close to offering. He's 6'11" and a local kid who can shoot a bit and has nice size even if he doesn't do much with it. There's about a 5% chance he stays past his sophomore year. All in all, I have some reservations about this team. We don't have the post depth I'd like, and I'd really love to have one more scoring guard. But, I think we'll still be a solid team who will make the CJBL tournament, but I see us potentially being at a 7-10 seed. Last edited by Emmett13 : 04-22-2025 at 03:07 AM.

04-24-2025, 12:29 AM	#73
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2046 Season Recap 27-13 (14-8) - Lost in the 2nd round of the CJBL tournament. The last line in my 2046 preview was: "But, I think we'll still be a solid team who will make the CJBL tournament, but I see us potentially being at a 7-10 seed." And that's what we were, we grabbed a 7 seed in the tournament and finished 3rd in a really tough Big 12. I think we were a little underseeded, but 12 losses going into the tournament is quite a few. But, in context, I'm pretty happy with the season. It was not a good recruiting cycle for us, missing out on multiple center recruits and not really having much of a perimeter threat didn't help either. But, we still had some good players and did some good things. But, making the 2nd round saved me from the possible catastrophe that I saw as a distinct possibility. Being an Extremely High prestige team and missing the tournament would have been a nightmare. A 2nd round exit isn't ideal, but it definitely isn't a nightmare. Let's look at some season results: Some really good wins, with the best being the road win at Kansas. We lost to them in OT at home. We led the majority of the game against Houston in the conference tournament, before falling apart near the end. If we had a few more bounces our way, I think we could have been a 3 or 4 seed really easily. Let's look at some team stats: We definitely were able to play more how I envision, compared to last year which was really, really jump shot heavy. We didn't shoot as many threes, did a way better job at getting to the line and definitely had a more defensive identity. Adjusted for strength of schedule, we actually were slightly better defensively this year, though we definitely weren't as good offensively without the outside shooting of Ridder and Starkweather that we had in '45. Let's look at player stats: We'll take a look at our players on an individual basis: Compared to last year where the same 5 guys started all 40 games, this year only two players Hibbler and Worthing started every game, I shuffled up the starting lineup more than I ever have at Oklahoma State, and frankly second place is light years away. The following order is the starting lineup the last handful of games of the season: PG FR Sam Hibbler: 42 G, 42 GS, 30.3 mpg, 11.8 ppg, 5.2 apg, 1.24 spg, 45.8 FG%, 24.4 3FG% Fell off some in conference play and had a few duds, but he also had some games where he was the best player on the court, getting to the rim, drawing a lot of fouls and doing damage at the line. I think he's about to be a 4 year player, and I'm thrilled with that. He's too eager to shoot the three, and I'm hoping I can help that out one way or the other, but if he sticks to his strengths I think he's an excellent grit and grind point guard. SG JR Jahmel Goodlett: 42 G, 24 GS, 22.2 mpg, 10.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.1 apg, .86 spg, 51.9 FG%, 50.3 3FG% Shot the heck out of the ball, and I was hoping he and Tusha would go along way to spacing the floor for our other guys, but I'm not sure how successful it was. Undersized for a 2, but plays good defense and has some toughness. His point guard skill have developed to being passable, and I think it's going to allow me to not have to take a point guard this cycle, assuming everyone comes back. Hibbler, Falls and Goodlett should have the position covered. I do hope he's back on the bench next season. SF JR Johni Tusha: 40 G, 31 GS, 28.1 mpg, 9.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.18 spg, 37.1 FG%, 36.4 3FG% A maddeningly inconsistent player. He completely tanked from inside the arc, but at least salvaged his three point shot. It seems like he just goes 2-6 every game. But, he's so supremely talented ratings wise, I'm almost certainly going to start him again. I'd like to find a big time SF, to keep him at the 2, as I don't think he's done well when he's at the 3. If he has another similar season to his previous three, he should be the schools all time leading three point shooter. PF SO Kreg Dunkley - 42 G, 25 GS, 26.2 mpg, 7.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, .76 bpg Pretty steady presence all year, but I think struggled at times with the top level teams. He's got zero range to his game, but gets to the line and does convert around the basket at a decent rate. His rebounding consistently improved as the season went along, and I'd be fine with running him back as the starter at the 4. C FR Elijah Worthing - 42 G, 42 GS, 30.4 mpg, 11.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1 bpg, .69 spg Declared for the draft, so I'll detail him more later. A really skilled solid player I forced to play out of position at center. If I could have surrounded him with better players I think he really could have had more of an impact. But, he scored consistently, though his three point shot fell apart in conference play, and did a great job at the line and could really pass it. Bench: SR Roshawn Salnave - 42 G, 23 GS, 19.6 mpg, 8.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, .8 apg, 1 spg, 50.9 FG% Senior, so I'll talk more about him later, but really had a surprisingly good season and was effective most of the season. JR Sinan Falls - 42 G, 6 GS, 15.1 mpg, 4.6 ppg, 2.2 apg, 49.3 FG%, 29.8 3FG% Started the season off the ball, and then settled into a 10 mpg pattern spelling Hibbler. But really our best lineups were with him on the court. He's a great defender and athlete with some great size, and his offensive game was much better this season, even if he's not that aggressive shooting the ball. Hopefully he sticks around for his senior year, as he's a great backup option to have at point guard, even though I'm sticking with Hibbler due to the potential. SO Auryn Williamson - 42 G, 17 GS, 15.6 mpg, 3.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, .9 bpg, 50.4 FG% Williamson was just too much of a zero offensively to stay in the starting lineup, and even saw his playing time get taken away from the freshman Sidney as the season went along. He's the only true center we have on the roster right now, and will be a guy who gets some playing time just because his size and defensive chops. FR Gyasi Sidney 35 G, 7.6 mpg, 2.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 54.7 FG% Had some real highlights where he was scoring the ball, and even grabbed a few rebounds. He's just not big enough play long minutes at the 5 and I don't think he's athletic enough to play the 4. But, he's a good defender and good passer who I'll keep around as a backup option. FR Duby Behr - 32 G, 6.6 mpg, 2.4 ppg, .8 rpg, 54.9 FG%, 44.4 3FG% (18 3PA) Ended up getting into the rotation and even played in the CJBL tourney games. I think he's going to be a really strong 3 and D guy as he develops. He's a guy that I hope never starts, but it's a luxury to have a guy like him who will stick around for 4 years and be a guy I can trust to be in the rotation if need be. SO Viorrel Torromino - 15 G, 6 mpg, .4 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 3-10 FG Small sample size, but the offense just doesn't exist and I already struggle enough offensively to deal with guys like that. Is almost certainly getting cut. FR Rhamel Knorr - 14 G, 6.3 mpg, 1.7 ppg, .6 rpg, 32.1 FG%, 1-10 3PM/A I thought he had an outside of chance of being an offensive punch off the bench, but in his playing time in non-conference he just really, really stunk. And then since he's an average at best defender and useless on the glass, he got replaced by Behr pretty quick. I still like his offensive capabilities, but I just don't know if I want to keep him and Behr for the next 4 years, so he might be on the chopping block. Last edited by Emmett13 : 04-24-2025 at 12:30 AM.

04-24-2025, 12:33 AM	#74
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2046 Senior Class Roshown Salnave, 6'7", 201, Radnor Pennyslvania He got a picture right before he graduated! The former member of the armed services had an awesome training camp going into his senior year, and I was really pleased with how he played. He wasn't a perimeter threat at all, but was able to work with some success in the mid range and near the rim. I also think it helped that he played at the 3 all year after getting a lot of time at 4 his junior year at Army. We've been fortunate to have solid back to back senior transfers in Salnave and Denton. I think I might have liked Salnave slightly more.

04-24-2025, 12:37 AM	#75
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2046 early departures Elijah Worthing, 6'8", 213, Cibolo, Texas A really, really skilled player who was probably over extended with being the #1 option. But, I ran the offense through him, and 3 assists is no joke for a PF. He also was a really solid rebounder who got the line at at a decent clip. Was forced to play a lot at the 5, and I don't think he and Dunkley were the best dudes to pair up in the post with both being 6'8". He's an undersized 4 with a iffy jumpshot in the pros, but I'll really interested to see where he gets drafted. He's listed as a top 10 pick right now.

04-24-2025, 12:44 AM	#76
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2047 roster gaps With one senior graduating and Worthing declaring and one vacant spot we have 3 openings, I went ahead and cut Torromino which gets us to 4. Now the question is do I cut Knorr. I'm going to wait a bit to think about that one. Our roster going into transfer season: PG: SO Sam Hibbler, SR Sinan Falls SG: SR Johni Tusha, SR Jahmel Goodlett SF: SO Duby Behr, SO Rhamel Knorr PF: JR Kreg Dunkley C: JR Auryn Williamson, SO Gyasi Sidney The main things I want are a stud center and small forward. I'd love to have Tusha at the 2 and a ball handling, creative guy at the 3. I've been looking for a center recruit for a long time and have swung and missed quite a bit. But, I don't want to start Auryn Williamson again, so a repeat of last year would be tough to handle recruiting wise.

05-04-2025, 02:46 AM	#77
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2047 transfer portal We didn't lose anyone to the portal, and we gained one guy. I also cut Rhamel Knorr, who didn't get picked up by anyone which surprised me. I made one fairly big offer to a center and some middling offers to some other guys and didn't get any of them, but I was really trying to snag a backup PF, but I'm actually half way happy with this guy. Rayjon McCuthison, 6'8", 220, Junior, Hershey, Pennsylvania Clemson is one of the worst major programs in all of college basketball, but at least he has some power conference experience. Played a decent amount his freshman year before falling out of the rotation completely. Rumor is the commissioner might make it so guys who didn't play get a redshirt year, so it's possible he starts next year as a sophomore. McCuthison really looks halfway solid to me. Decent defender who contributes on the glass, finished around the rim at a high rate his freshman year, and will draw fouls at a high rate, all things we like. He's got a bit of mid range to him, and potentially could shoot threes, but almost certainly never will in my system. He can also pass it a little bit, which I always like out of a 4 when I can get it. He's definitely not better than Dunkley, but I could see him carving out a handful of minutes off the bench as his backup this season. High school recruiting is starting soon, and this is what we're looking at roster-wise: PG: SO Sam Hibbler, SR Sinan Falls SG: SR Johni Tusha, SR Jahmel Goodlett SF: SO Duby Behr PF: JR Kreg Dunkley, JR Rayjon McCuthison C: JR Auryn Williamson, SO Gyasi Sidney The must haves this recruiting cycle are a starting SF, or I suppose a SG that would slide Tusha to the 3, but I'd rather do the former, and then a stud center to be the anchor defensively and keep me from starting Williamson again.

05-14-2025, 12:19 AM	#78
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2047 Recruiting Update #1 We're a little past halfway in the recruiting phase in the game, and we've had surprising results. I was really hoping to land one stud post and one stud wing, but instead we've landed two stud posts and zero stud wings. The two guys we got: Khadeem Wills, 6'11", 263, Oak Hill, West Virginia, #69 Wills is a physical monster, with fantastic looking defensive chops. He's got the ability to switch defensively some and can easily get away with playing the 4 and will have to with the other prospect we brought in. He rebounds at a nice rate, and looks like he will draw a lot of fouls and knock down a nice percentage of his foul shots. His finishing rating isn't great, and I don't think he's going to hit double figures average wise, but we won't need him to. Really excited about him. Jadakiss Hollywood, 6'11", 250, Pearland, Texas, #2 Clearly the name is the main draw. But the other attraction is looks like a legit anchor big man with incredible defensive awareness and ability to clean the glass. I think he's going to the more offensive minded of he and Wills. He's not nearly the athlete that Wills is, but few are. But, he'll have to be the 5 man, despite his listing as a PF/C. Which is what Wills is as well. (that's a tongue twister). I had just kind of assumed Dunkley was going to start at the 4, and I was totally fine with that, but suddenly we have two tremendous looking post prospects who each pretty much do everything better than Dunkley, so now we have a really, really good 3rd option in the post. Roster as of right now: PG: SO Sam Hibbler, SR Sinan Falls SG: SR Johni Tusha, SR Jahmel Goodlett SF: SO Duby Behr PF: FR Khadeem Wills FR, JR Kreg Dunkley, JR Rayjon McCuthison C: C Jadakiss Hollywood, JR Auryn Williamson, SO Gyasi Sidney Suddenly we have tremendous post depth. I envision Dunkley getting a lot of minutes off the bench and having Wills slide down to the 5 in certain lineups. Don't forget about Williamson either, he also has major size and strong defensive chops. He's not the rebounder that the other guys are, but I think Williamson can be a solid big for 4-6 minute stretches. Sidney and McCuthison are going to have a hard time finding playing time this year, but I think they both provide solid depth. I really didn't anticipate striking out on the elite wings the way I did. I made some big offers to some guys and specifically missed on 3 top level guys, each of whom I would have been thrilled to add. I still have two scholarships open, and I'm feeling pretty confident on which two guys I'm going to be adding, but neither of them are at the level of the previous guys I've missed on. Will update when/if those two guys sign.

05-14-2025, 08:23 PM	#79
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2047 Recruiting Update #2 One more commitment, and a pretty nice talent: Tariq McCrory, 6'8", 231, Highland, Utah, #153 I like McCrory a lot, and I'll explain why in a bit, but I screwed up a bit in my offer for him. I was pretty confident, overly apparently, that I was going to get one of the wings I was going after, and so when I was recruiting McCrory as a backup option, I gave him a pretty solid promise. 24 minutes and a starter role, and I turned out to pretty much have no competition to get him, so I've got a pretty over promised player. But...he actually might get close to those kind of minutes. He's a kind of player I haven't really had before. He's a true 3/4 combo that can play down in the post and hold his own, even though he's not strong enough to do it full time. He rebounds well, and as a 3 man will really make us a tough rebounding squad. Has a little bit of a three point shot, but not one I think I can count on. Does finish and draw fouls at a high level which I always like. I'll probably let him start at the 3, and give him some legit minutes at the beginning of the season and see if he's legit. I'm glad I got him, I just wish I wasn't hamstrung a little bit by this minutes promise. We have one more spot to fill and an offer out trying to fill it with a 6'1" combo guard who has some skills I really like. If that falls through, we're probably done and will take the open scholarship into the season. Our roster as of right now: PG: SO Sam Hibbler, SR Sinan Falls SG: SR Johni Tusha, SR Jahmel Goodlett SF: FR Tariq McCrory, SO Duby Behr PF: FR Khadeem Wills FR, JR Kreg Dunkley, JR Rayjon McCuthison C: C Jadakiss Hollywood, JR Auryn Williamson, SO Gyasi Sidney

05-17-2025, 01:16 AM	#80
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2047 Recruiting Update #3 We snag one more to complete a HS class of 4, and we have a complete roster. I think this might be the first time we've ever had all 13 scholarships filled, and really I like just about everyone of them. Let's see the final guy: D'Wayne Israelson, 6'1", 196, Spencer, Oklahoma, #473 He's listed as a SG, but he will be a PG for me from day one. Israelson looks like a really dynamic offensive guard that can get to the basket at will, draw fouls, run the pick and roll and get after it defensively with his 6'8" wing span. Predictably, given his ranking he has to have some flaws to his game. The main one is that he's just a so-so shooter, and he's not great at finishing around the basket when he gets there. But, he should be able to defend day one and he definitely has the chops to play the point, just have to hope he has the foot speed to defend there. I'll probably give him some playing time in the non-conference to see if I have a little bit of a jewel here. Our roster going into training camp: PG: SO Sam Hibbler, SR Sinan Falls, FR D'Wayne Israelson SG: SR Johni Tusha, SR Jahmel Goodlett SF: FR Tariq McCrory, SO Duby Behr PF: FR Khadeem Wills FR, JR Kreg Dunkley, JR Rayjon McCuthison C: FR Jadakiss Hollywood, JR Auryn Williamson, SO Gyasi Sidney

05-20-2025, 11:14 PM	#81
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2047 Season Preview Training camp is all wrapped up and the season should kick off in a couple of days. Our rotation and depth chart is locked and loaded and ready for our first game, with Wichita State visiting us in which would be a tough first match up. Here's what the team looks like heading into the season: Not sure why the pictures are all different sizes, can't say I'm going to take the time to fix it! PG: Sam Hibbler, 6'2", 175, Sophomore, Allen, Texas I've really hitched my wagon to him. He's my marquee player, and had some major highlights as a freshman but there was some major inconsistency that marked his entire campaign. He had a solid offseason, improving quite a bit defensively which always helps. I tried to get him to drive more to the basket. He's a tremendous finisher at the rim and is adept at getting to the foul line. I'm hoping for better defense and more efficient version of what he was last year. I'm going to let him operate with the ball a lot to start the season and I'm hoping for 15 or so a game out him. SG: Johni Tusha, 6'8", 190, Senior, Deer Park, Texas A true enigma (who grew an inch!) It doesn't seem to matter if he's open or not, he's seemingly gotten worse as his career's gone on. But, he's 100% going to start the season back in the lineup after his little foray onto the bench last season. I'm hoping to play him more at the 2, where I think he's better suited. But he has tremendous length and defensive chops that keep him in the lineup, but if he could ever hit 40% of his threes, we'd really have something. SF: Tariq McCrory, 6'8", 231, Freshman, Highland, Utah I don't know how long it will last, but I'm going to give him a shot to start the season. I did promise him a starting role, stupidly, so I'm going to play him with the top dogs and see how he looks. He does have some upside to him. He's my switchiest defender and guards the perimeter pretty well and will do just fine if he gets switched down low. He looks like a legit rebounder who should make for a pretty salty rebounding frontline with the other two freshmen. His three point shot is okay and he finishes around the rim and gets to the line. The issues are he's not a great athlete, his ball handling is mediocre and he's just not a high intangible guy. But, I like having Tusha at the 2, and I think his rebounding and defensive versatility (and the promise) get him the first crack at the starting lineup. PF: Khadeem Willis, 6'11", 263, Freshman, Oak Hill, West Virginia Willis is looking like a defensive monster. Major physical attributes, will be as athletic as any player on the court, no matter who we play. Major, major defensive chops who should do a heck of a job protecting the rim. Strong rebounder, with good hs stats, but doesn't have elite ratings there. Struggles finishing around the rim, but does get to the foul line where he's solid. I'd have been thrilled to land him and just have him at center, but since I got Hollywood as well, it means Wills will start at the 4, where he looks tailor made defensively. He's got actual on ball ability and should be able to handle perimeter oriented 4 guys, and I wonder how well they'll be able to handle him in return. Very excited to see how his season looks. I won't be asking him to do a ton offensively, but I'm hoping he's the part of some nasty defensive lineups. C: Jadakiss Hollywood, 6'11", 251, Freshman Pearland, Texas Obviously his name was the first draw, but he's also an elite defensive center prospect. Same height and wingspan as Wills (7'3"), but is more of a anchor big man that Wills. Very good defensive center who looks like he'll really clean up on the glass as well. I'm hoping he and Wills cause major issues for teams on the offensive glass this season. More offensive oriented than Wills, and he might get fed the ball somewhat regularly to see if he can handle being a 2nd or 3rd option offensively. Off the charts intangibles, and he might end up being our captain over Dunkley. Unlike Wills who I think will go pro this season, I'm not sure about Hollywood. If he can stick around for a few seasons, it'd be a major boon. Bench: G Jahmel Goodlett, 6'3", 200, Senior, Orem, Utah If McCrory struggles, Goodlett likely will get the next crack at the starting lineup. Had an amazing year last year shooting the ball, and that is definitely his bet attribute, his ability to stretch the floor. He's undersized at the 2, especially with his 6'2" wingspan, but he's a pesky defender who will gram some steals and isn't easy to shake, even if he is easier to shoot over. He played quite a bit last year, and his shooting is hard to bench, so he's still slated for 20-22 minutes a game right now and hopefully has success against a lot of second units. PF Kreg Dunkley, 6'8", 228, Junior, Lehigh Acres, Florida I had just assumed Dunkley would be starting at the 4, and really I was pretty happy with that. Instead we get the two stud freshman big men and suddenly Dunkley is the 3rd post, and really it's a luxury, because Dunkley is pretty dang good. He's solid, if unspectacular defensively, and doesn't have the ability to guard on the perimeter, but he scores around the basket is strong on the glass and is developing a bit of playmaking. With Wills having limited endurance, Dunkley is going to see a lot of time at the 4, and I think 18-20 minutes will happen easy, if not more. PG Sinan Falls, 6'5", 204, Senior, Hampton, Virginia Ended up with quite a bit better +/- stats than Hibbler last year, but I, again, have a lot invested in Hibbler. Falls is a great defender with tremendous length for the position, and he had his best season offensively for us last year. His three point shot is still shaky, but he's a solid point guard who takes really good care of the ball, every once in a while he shows some burst and gets to the rim. If Falls continues to shine +/- wise and Hibbler struggles, I'll make the move at that point, a year and half of data is all I need to realize Hibbler's not the guy. C Auryn Williamson, 6'11", 254, Junior, Canberra, Australia Another guy who started some last year. He's really going to get buried on the bench this year, but I still plan on trying to get him into every game. Williamson is a similar size to Wills and Hollywood and just like them provides a legit defensive presence in the paint. Williamson's offense is really limited to dump offs and put backs. But, he's actually turned into a legit defensive post and his rebounding is slowly approaching above average. He has high expectations for himself, so after a season of 6 or so minutes a game, I could see him transferring. SF Duby Behr, 6'7", 196, Sophomore, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma I really think he's a dark horse to start this year. He had a tremendous off season defensively and is now a wing with good size and very good defensive ratings with high level athleticism. He shoots the three well, but is just very passive on the court, which is kind of why I think he might fit into the starter role, where he can just play solid defense for 20ish minutes and maybe go 2-3 from beyond the arc every once in a while. But, he's going to start off in the rotation and see if he can take advantage of 8 or so minutes to start off the season. C/F Gyasi Sidney, 6'8", 241, Sophomore, Sumter, South Carolina Now we're really talking about guys being buried. Sidney had a few bright spots last year, and I think he's an alright player. Another really good defender, though he's just average on the glass. Has some skills with the ball and can pass it pretty well, and is just pretty skilled in general. But, he just really has no stand out skill so he's just kind of a boring option who might be at risk of being cut this offseason. But a very nice deep bench option. F Rayjon McCuthison, 6'8", 220, Junior, Hershey, Pennsylvania The Clemson transfer really actually had a pretty solid training camp and it probably put him above Sidney in the post pecking order. He didn't play last year after being in the rotation for a bad Clemson program as a freshman. He's a pretty solid defender, but the worst one on the team. A better rebounder than Sidney, and definitely has more ability to put the ball in the basket. I took him before I grabbed the two freshmen post, and if I had known I would have grabbed both of them, I wouldn't have taken McCuthison. It does seem inevitable that I'll pick between him and Sidney next offseason. G D'Wayne Israelson, 6'1", 196, Freshman, Spencer, Oklahoma Didn't expect to take a 6'1" combo guard when recruiting started. Israelson has a 6'8" wingspan to make up for his height deficiency. He's got decent ball skills that I'll look to develop more in the future. Offensively he just looks like an attack dog type who will try to get the rim over and over and get to the line, and I think he'll be pretty good at it. He runs the pick and roll very well, which is a great attribute for your backup PG. I'm going to try to pepper playing time in for him this year when I can, but I really think I'd be happy if he's my backup PG next year. With the post defenders we have and the range and stealing ability we have on the perimeter, I might dial up the pressure and see what kind of havoc we can cause on defense and try to generate more turnovers than your average grit and grind team might normally be aiming for. I wish we had one stud wing to tie the team together, but I'm pretty happy with the squad and hope to take advantage of our depth this year. I definitely think we have a better team than last years. Last edited by Emmett13 : 05-20-2025 at 11:55 PM.

07-20-2025, 12:29 AM	#82
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2047 Recap 33-8 (17-3), Regular season Big 12 Champs, lost in the 2nd Round, #2 seed. A really awesome season, and our first regular season championship since 2042. However, an intensely disappointing finish to the season, losing in the 2nd round to 7 seed Indiana. This is now our 3rd straight round of 32 exit, which is not idea and it has resulted in a drop from 'extremely high' prestige to the very tip top of 'very high' prestige, so if we can finally make a run in the tournament again next year we should be right back among the giants. Let's look at some season results: Unfortunately, I forgot to grab the screenshot of the schedule I've been using before the season ticked over. Oh, well, lesson learned. Some team stats: Balanced for strength of schedule, we end up 5th in offense and 10th in defense. We were really a solid team all the way through and had very few weaknesses. We were strong on the offensive glass, got to the line and knocked them down and we knocked our threes down at an efficient clip, but we got beat by some excellent free throw shooting in the 2nd round of CJBL tournament and that was the end of that. Let's look at some player stats: We got lucky with injuries and this was our starting 5 all season long. PG SO Sam Hibbler: 30.2 mpg, 15.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 5.8 apg, 1.63 spg, 52 FG%, 29.5 3FG% The absolute key to our team offensively. Got the rim at will and had a few games where he just dominated. He was 1st team all-conference as well as conference POTY, and it's looking like he's going to return for his junior year which is an absolute boon for us. I wish I could get him to shoot it better, so that might be a project this offseason, but come conference play next year he's getting every minute he can handle. SG SR Johni Tusha 28.7 mpg, 13.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.3 spg, 46 FG%, 42.5 3FG% Seniors will get their own profile later, but Tusha really had a solid senior season after a disappointing junior one. He's all over the Oklahoma State record books and was a huge part of our offense this season with his three point shooting. SF FR Tariq McCrory: 25.5 mpg, 8.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.16 spg, .77 bpg, 52.5 FG%, 37.3 3FG% Had a crazy good start to the season with multiple double digit efforts, he came down to earth and became a solid player. He provides legit versatility for us on defense and his offensive game is solid, if not spectacular. If a crazy good 3 falls into our laps I'll take him, but I'd be happy with this guy starting for the next three years, even if I wish he were a better athlete. PF FR Khadeem Wills 25.7 mpg, 7.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, .88 bpg, 51.2 FG% The uber-athletic big man was a bit of a disappointment numbers wise, but I think his defense made up for it. He had a handful of really strong games, and I'm excited to see what an offseason will do him. I still think he can be a monster, and is a shoe-in to start at the 4 or 5 next year based on how recruiting goes. C FR Jadakiss Hollywood 27.7 mpg, 7.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.16 bpg Going pro, so I'll spend more time on him later. But, very solid defensive piece who was just okay offensively. Bench: JR Kreg Dunkley 18.6 mpg, 5.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 49.2 FG% Went back to his bench role and I'm interested to see if he handles it okay and will stick around for his senior year. Just a solid post who plays strong defense and is fairly productive inside. I'd be fine with him starting at the 4 next year, but won't be completely ignoring prep posts this recruiting cycle. SR Jahmel Goodlett 15.9 mpg, 8.0 ppg, 2 rpg, 1.1 apg, 48.9 FG%, 45.7 3FG% A senior, so he'll get his own capsule. Another efficient season shooting the ball under his belt. SR Sinan Falls 9.2 mpg, 4.3 ppg, 1.6 apg, 45.3 FG%, 41.3 3FG% Finally broke out a little bit, but not enough to overcome Hibbler's breakout. Another senior who will get more later. SO Duby Behr 8.7 mpg, 2.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 40.7 FG%, 28.6 3FG% Recovered from a 2-25 start from the field, which means he was 54% after that point. When he's hitting some shots, he's a solid wing with real size and defensive chops. I wouldn't mind upgrading him, but I think he's good for 8 or so minutes if I can surround him with some solid guys. JR Auryn Williamson 30 G, 7.4 mpg, 1.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 38.6 FG% A really, really good defensive center who struggled finishing around the rim in a small sample size. Definitely will bring him back for his last year, where I still think he is a valuable bench addition. Didn't play him in the postseason. SO Gyasi Sidney: 16 G 6.3 mpg, 1.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg Battled with Williamson for the 4th post spot, but Williamson won out for the most part. He's a bit undersized and just doesn't rebound very well. He might get cut. FR D'Wayne Israelson: 12 G, 6.2 mpg, 2.0 ppg, 1 rpg, 1 apg, 47.1 FG% Barely got to play, but has a real chance to be the backup point guard next year. Showed an ability to fill a box score in his limited minutes. JR Rayjon McCuthison: 5 G, 3.8 mpg, 1.4 ppg He REALLY didn't play. I don't see how a world where I keep Sidney and McCuthison. Sidney is a little more versatile defensively while McCuthison is an okay offensive player.

07-28-2025, 10:01 PM	#83
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2047 Graduates 3 seniors graduate this year and we'll hit them in alphabetical order. Sinan Falls, 6'5", 204, Hampton, Virginia Finished with his best performance from beyond the arc after a career of struggling from there. Provided really nice size and defensive chops at the point guard position, dabbled with him playing off the ball some in his career and it never really worked. Solid backup who was pretty solid except for his blip of a sophomore year. Jahmel Goodlett, 6'3", 200, Orem, Utah Short armed (6'2" wingspan) guard who could really, really shoot the three. Don't know how much his wingspan impacted his defense over the years, but he was a good guy to bring off the bench because he would pop off and go 2-3 every other game from three. Slowly rounded into a more skilled offensive player and started to help out on the glass some his last year. A really solid depth piece for four years. Check that 50.3 3FG% performance his junior year, and 46% overall. His three point total of 214 is good for 6th in school history. Johni Tusha, 6'8", 190, Deer Park, Texas After a really rough junior year, Tusha bounced back and had his best season of his career. Shot more threes this year and made more of them and was a sorely needed offensive punch from the perimeter. He was never more than a catch and shoot and run off screen guy, and I wish he had been able to play with a better SF during his career, he finally got to play next to a legit one with McCrory and his freshman year as well with Green. Finishes 1st all time in three point makes in Oklahoma State history. Finishes 6th in points in Oklahoma State history, just about 40 points behind Tevin Ridder. All together a really impactful recruiting class on the perimeter, and we have some real work to do to replace about 60 minutes of playing time.

07-28-2025, 10:08 PM	#84
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2047 Early Departures Jadakiss Hollywood, 6'11", 251, Pearland, Texas A big time recruit with a big time name, who I expected to declare early in the season, but kind of toiled in the late 20's and early 30's in the draft lists all year long before rocketing up to the top 15 late in the year. Extremely impressive looking defensive center with high production on the glass. My frustration with him this year was his inability to finish around the rim off of offensive rebounds. He could have scored 3-4 more points a game if his finishing had been better. But a really good defensive anchor for us this year, and yet another big man who is going to join the JBL ranks. Last edited by Emmett13 : 07-28-2025 at 10:10 PM.

07-28-2025, 10:18 PM	#85
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	Coaching Staff Update Ben Green, who had been an assistant for us since 2042, and was part of the championship winning squad that year, had his contract run out and we decided it was time to switch things up. Three straight 2nd round exits has got to get something churning, and it's Green who moves on. He quickly found his footing by snagging a job as the assistant for a good UMASS program. We wish him luck. The coach we signed to replace him comes with a ton of head coaching experience, if not much success, but has some really solid defensive knowledge he's bringing to the team. Vitaly Vilarino Green was a solid all around coach who could do a little of everything, but Vilarino is definitely more defensive minded and hopefully we'll see some dividends.

07-28-2025, 10:21 PM	#86
Emmett13 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Aug 2003	2048 Transfer Portal We decided to cut Rayjon McCuthison, and we are lucky enough to not lose anyone else, so we go into transfer season with 5 scholarships to give. Our current roster: PG: JR Sam Hibbler, SO D'Wayne Israelson SG: SF: SO Tariq McCrory, JR Duby Behr PF: SR Kreg Dunkley, SO Khadeem Wills C: SR Auryn Williamson, JR Gyasi Sidney If the season started, Wills would start at the 5 and Dunkley at the 4, and I think that is most likely going to be the front court next year, as I don't see us grabbing a post that I know will be better than a senior Dunkley next year. Otherwise, it's pretty clear we need some shooting guards. Israelson is probably better suited off the ball, but we're going to force him to be a point guard in our system. I'd like to add a senior 3rd point guard as a just in case, if Isreaelson doesn't work out, and I'd like one more post. But, the main concern is grabbing at least two guys who can play the 2, and hopefully one of them is a stud who can step right into a major role.