USC In NCAA 53- A real life MP dynasty - Page 3

dawgfan · 08-03-2015, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radii

I suspect I'll always keep NC State and try to win titles, I'll probably keep Houston, Idaho I may ditch in favor of another conference full of human opponents, since I imagine Idaho and Houston may end up being very similar circumstances in different parts of the country after the shakeup.

The Big Ten is starting to fill up - with Vince taking Purdue it leaves Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Northwestern available. This should be a really good league in coming seasons.

Brian Swartz · 08-03-2015, 11:50 PM

I agree. Illinois and Iowa are pretty good teams right now so even if we gang up on them they'll still be quality for a while. That really only leaves the other two to potentially beat up on.

dawgfan · 08-04-2015, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

I agree. Illinois and Iowa are pretty good teams right now so even if we gang up on them they'll still be quality for a while. That really only leaves the other two to potentially beat up on.

Yep, and they should stay pretty good for quite a few more seasons. Illinois is getting the #3, #36 & #58 recruits in this class; Iowa has the #13, #20 & #60 recruits.

Wisconsin and Northwestern are probably going to fade soon if human coaches don't grab them.

The Big Ten was thisclose to getting 4 teams in the Big Dance, but my Spartans suffered too many close losses in-conference (shakes fist at Michigan) and were the first ones out in the selection process.

Vince, Pt. II · 08-04-2015, 02:32 AM

Yeah, I'm looking forward to being in the Big 10. I don't know what I'm going to do in the mid 60's when UCSB shows up though - I'm going to want to coach them, but I can already tell I'm way too invested in Stanford or Dartmouth to give either of them up. So I'll probably just watch UCSB from afar...I don't think it would be as fun to coach in a conference with no human owners though, so maybe it's for the best. I don't see a lot of people jumping on the opportunity to coach in the Big West

And I have no idea what you guys mean about backing off recruits because someone else is on them. I've had a very good time prying recruits away from people already

muns · 08-07-2015, 10:31 AM

The National Basketball Report: March 18, 1954

The NCAA Preview Issue

(Ed Note: Due to a technical glitch...specifically, the cord that powers our typewriters fell to its mortal coil), this piece is somewhat truncated, due to time constraints. There were more than two observations regarding this tournament. It is possible that we will get back to those observations and send out an edited piece. We hope you understand. Our typewriters should be fixed come Wednesday.)

The NCAA National Championship Tournament Rankings

As we did last year, we ranked every NCAA team, from 32 down to 1. You'll notice some things about this tournament that will stick out throughout our rankings. What everyone should know is this:

We are in for some amazing games. Just expect the cream to rise to the top this season.

And so, the ball begins.

The NCAA and NIT tournaments were announced; thirty-two teams in each tournament will attempt to attain championships, and the prestige that comes with it, for their schools. Last year, we rated each of the thirty-two teams in the NCAA Tournament. We will do that again this season, along with ten observations about the pairings, as well as the tournament itself. They will be filtered in throughout the ranking.

32. Morehead State

Why They Will Win: Because they're in, and they earned their way here.

Why They Won't Win: Because there's another team in the tournament. Actually, thirty-one of them. And NC State is the first team they have to play. Doesn't look good.

31. Toledo

Why They Will Win: Guard Floyd Sneed and forward Delmer Wells are exceptional players, capable of shooting outrageous numbers.

Why They Won't Win: Kansas.

30. St. John's

Why They Will Win: Talented core, from guard Titus Anderson, to center Marlin Tate. Flew under the radar this season. Great, though youthful, bench.

Why They Won't: Indiana has lost one regular-season game in the past two years.

29. Connecticut

Why They Will Win: Excellent backcourt, much better than people think.

Why They Won't: They're young, injured, and, oh, Bradley.

Observation #1: It will be very difficult to find upsets in the tournament.

This was true last year, but even moreso this year. The tournament, something everyone knew going in, is very top-heavy. The teams, from the fourth-seed down, will have severe difficulty moving throughout the tournament. The top teams in the tournament are a combined 111-11. NC State owns six of those losses, three coming when three key guys were hurt, and three others to other top teams. Kansas State and West Virginia, who went a combined 58-5 this year, are two-seeds, and could have been #1 seeds. Nobody would have argued against it.

28. Texas Tech

Why They Will Win: They are up from 32nd a year ago. That is an improvement. Delmer Lacey and Tony Starnes and an excellent inside-out combination.

Why They Won't: San Francisco, and, if somehow not, every other team but Toledo in the Midwest.

27. Niagara

Why They Will Win: Ben Perez and Curt To are quietly one of the best guard combos in the country. They are capable of beating anybody by themselves.

Why They Won't: West Virginia is one of the three-deepest teams in the nation. Niagara cannot contend with the waves of players the Mountaineers can throw at them.

26. Columbia

Why They Will Win: They will not be fazed or surprised by the level of intensity in this competition. They reached the round of eight a year ago, nearly defeating Kentucky to get to the national semifinal.

Why They Won't: North Carolina did the same, and have a much better roster. Should the Lions get by the Tar Heels, Kentucky/Arkansas await, as does (likely) Bradley. This is, arguably, the most difficult grouping in the tournament.

25. Oklahoma A&M

Why They Will Win: The Cowboys sputtered at the end, but with Erwin Plunkett, Joe Lee and Stefan Witcher, they have a truly crackerjack backcourt, one capable of leading them to a title. Add in Damian Ceasar at center, and a second-team at guard that is better than most teams' first-teams, and you have a team capable of beating anyone...

Why They Won't: ...except Kansas State is staring at them in the first round. And they were just slighted for a top-seed. Oh, and Indiana's here, too.

Observation #2: Why are Kansas State and Indiana in the same region?

They are two of the top three teams in the nation, in our estimation. Yes, West Virginia, NC State, and Bradley have arguments for inclusion. All season, however, it has been Indiana-Kansas-Kansas State, in some order. How did this happen? Yes, we're irritated that these two are on a collision course for the regional final. They were our pick for the NCAA Championship, a very realistic matchup that would have stood the test of time as one of the greatest.

Instead, it will have to be one of the greatest regional finals ever, provided both reach it. And one will not make the national semifinal, where both belong, as a result. This should upset John Everyfan, and the NCAA Tournament Bureau should be ashamed of their result.

24. Miami (Florida).

Why They Will Win: They have a veteran, large backcourt led by Manny Schmidt and Augustin Decourouble. Billy Simmons, a big 6'4 guard, is one of the best nobody knows.

Why They Won't: The Hurricanes were included in the tournament, and quite easily...they reached as a fifth-seed. We still would have taken Holy Cross or St. Joseph over them, but that's our opinion (and sod off on your East Coast preference nonsense...Miami is also on the East Coast. They are a rubbish choice in this tournament). If they do get Idaho State, a proposition we do not believe, they will be smited by the Hoosiers.

23. Arkansas

Why They Will Win: Their backcourt is sublime. Eddy Jarrell and Kerry Groves are the real deal.

Why They Won't: Their bench, their frontcourt, and Kentucky. Though not necessarily in that order.

22. Temple

Why They Will Win: They are battle-tested, having played top fifty teams fourteen times, winning eight. They have a top-ten defense, don't turn the ball over, force teams into bad shots (second in the nation in blocks; seventh in oFG%).

Why They Won't: Forward Mark Roberts is out with an injury. They are in the East, which makes for a very difficult path. While they prevent teams from scoring, they are only somewhat proficient at doing so themselves (64.1 PPG, 54th).

21. La Salle

Why They Will Win: The Twin Towers, 6'10 McSwain and 6'10 Davies, are a start. Freshman Cam Perry and senior Andy Moreno forming a top-flight backcourt is another reason. Their bench, while not as talented as others, is young has has the potential to play above the beyond expectations. They are effective on both offense and defense.

Why They Won't: Nothing they do truly sticks out. They are one of those teams who, in close games, just had it go their way. They feel as though they could easily be 15-14 as they are 22-7. They could get by Louisville, but how will the Explorers navigate past Kansas? If they do, somehow, they could be the team who crashes the national semifinals.

20. Cincinnati

Why They Will Win: Iowa seems way overseeded. That is a very winnable game for the Bearcats, who were the last team in the field. If they win that game, well...why couldn't they continue on?

Why They Won't: Because they're the last at-large in the field, with ten losses, who averaged under sixty points a game because of dreadfuly poor shooting, are not a particularly good rebounding team, who would have to face, in all likelihood, San Francisco if they won. And the Dons would pummel them.

19. California

Why They Will Win: This is very low for a three-seed, we understand. Junior point man Teddy Layne leads a balanced attack that has depth.

Why They Won't: Manny Barnard, their senior star, is out for the tournament. That turns the story to Tony Eyre, the freshman who couldn't decide where he wanted to go. The spotlight is on you, sir. You better step up and replace Banard, or Illinois will trounce the Golden Bears. Nevermind Kansas State.

18. Duquesne

Why They Will Win: Veteran roster that made it to the regional finals last year. Granger, Hinkley and Garrick make up a backcourt worthy of anyone's top lists. Mark Fernandez is a capable post player. They have a superior bench capable of supplanting first team players with equal quality. They have one of the nation's very best, most efficient offenses (8th in scoring, 2nd in shooting percentage).

Why They Won't: This is in part due to them being 18th in offensive rebounds, thanks to playing a schedule that will never be confused with a top-flight team. They played five teams who are in the NCAA, and lost to four of them. They are battle-tested in the same way zeppelins were safety-tested. Also, their defense will not serve them well against West Virginia, if one were to assume they get by Utah. We wouldn't assume that. Nor should you.

17. Dayton

Why They Will Win: Great offense, wonderful rebounding team that is one of the best in the nation. Solid veteran core that has been here before. As good a starting group as you can find, with a sparkplug in freshman Chris Duron leading a good bench group.

Why They Won't: They don't play good defense, don't shoot the ball overly well. If they don't rebound, they don't win. Very bad free-throw shooting outfit. While they have experience (beating NC State and Louisville), they don't have any other marquee win that makes one think they are capable of making a solid run.

16. Illinois

Why They Will Win: Second-best defense in the country. Force bad shots, and don't allow teams to rebound against them. They are an efficient offense, despite the lack of points. Haven't lost much despite losing Charlie Aubin to injury. Superb backcourt of Plaza, Flickinger and Davis, while Gladden has been crackerjack in the post.

Why They Won't: While they haven't lost much with Aubin out, they did lose major size. Only two players over 6'7 are in the rotation now. While they can win a game, perhaps, that way (Cal is not big, either), the notion that they would get past Kendrick Stone and Kansas State is an absurd folly.

15. Idaho State

Why They Will Win: Another team with a supreme defense that forces bad shots and doesn't let teams go and get the rebound. They don't score much, but they shorten the game and shoot extremely efficiently. Good foul-shooting team. Robin Revell, who was injured during a critical stretch last year, shows why he is one of the best players in the nation, scoring 13.5 points, registering 5.7 assists, and nabbing 4.1 rebounds a game. Their starting five is capable of beating nearly anyone...

Why They Won't: ...but Indiana doesn't fall into that category. The Bengals don't have the bench capable of giving Indiana fits. But let's say they put everything into beating Indiana, drain themselves and do it. Kansas State (in all likelihood) awaits.

14. Louisville

Why They Can Win: Unlike many other teams, the Cardinals punish teams with the Czech Bloc, Otokar Schulz, and 6'10 forward Emmitt Brenneman. Point guard Chris Jack is just as talented as anyone in the nation, and the triad they form makes for very difficult matchups for teams. The result is a prolific offense (sixth in the country) that is also efficient (9th).

Why They Won't: It also creates a defense that is 147th in the country, and a oddly poor rebounding team, at least in letting others get the ball (123rd in opposing rebounds, somehow getting outrebounded on the season). They also appear to be a team of two halves of the season. They beat La Salle and gave Kansas all they could handle early on...but struggled late in the season, before beating La Salle again. Beating a team three times in one season is difficult, and while we think they'll do it (they get La Salle in the first round), Kansas is a different beast than before, too.

13. Washington

Why They Can Win: Good offense, great rebounding team, can be suffocating on defense. Played in a very tough conference. Dean Wexler (13.7 ppg, 10.3 rpg) and Danny Fenton (13.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.7 apg) form a fantastic in-out combination. The Huskies are capable of playing with anyone.

Why They Won't: They are good enough defensively, but have a hard time getting stops when the heat is turned up. They are a dreadful free throw shooting team (142nd in the nation), and not all that efficient on offense. If they get rolling, then fine...but if a team can stop them (and Dayton can, and NC State most definitely can), that leads to problems for the Huskies.

12. Utah

Why They Can Win: Hugo Lubin and Robert Peeler. And they have that surprise factor. They are known without being known. Plus, as evidenced last year, a team or two are going to surprise. Utah is our pick to do that.

Why They Can't: West Virginia is an awful matchup for the Redskins, who can punish them inside. The Redskins are not a proficient rebounding team, which is fine against Duquesne, but against West Virginia, it simply will not do.

11. Duke

Why They Can Win: They already hit rock bottom. They know what their floor is. Nobody in their bracket will intimidate them. They can also play any type of game anyone wants to play. Slow it down or speed it up, Duke can do it. Their starting five is as good as any team playing, and Lane McCrary, Leandro Fall and Jonathan Fleenor are among the game's best at their respective positions.

Why They Can't: They still have yet to prove they can beat a team with their merit in the tournament. Temple can beat them in the first round. And Bradley is the cream of the crop. They also lost three times to North Carolina, in games that emcompassed the kind of styles available in the college basketball game. Gordon is a little banged up, and their bench has not totally met expectations so far this season. Why start now?

10. Iowa

Why They Can Win: Favorable matchup, first and foremost. Cincinnati is not an overwhelming first-round team. Neither is San Francisco. They could, conceivably, get to the regional final without playing their best. Beyond that, while they aren't particularly adept at anything, the only thing they are not good at is keeping teams off the boards for stretches at a time. Outside of that, they are pretty stout at it all. They are exceptional (our apologies) at forcing bad shots (12th in oFG%). They have plenty of players who have played in marquee games, led by guard Regis Delerouewe and the more-pronouncable Lincoln Brooks.

Why They Can't: Because, while they are not particularly awful at anything, they do have a hard time putting together a complete effort. They did lose by eight to Indiana midway through the season...but they also lost to Illinois, 50-31, at home. The Hawkeyes are capable of playing solid basketball, or of not showing up entirely. They've faced Kansas before, losing 69-67...but can they find that extra effort to push them over the top, should they even get to that game?

9. North Carolina

Why They Can Win: Solid, composed team from top to bottom. One of the most prolific scoring and rebounding teams in basketball. They prefer the uptempo game, and it shows. They pass extremely well, finding the open man for the easy shot. That means an efficient offense, where not a lot of shots are wasted. Center Andrew Caruso is one of the best scoring post players in the country (14.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.4 apg). Realistically, all five of their starters are capable of having a hot hand with the shooting touch, which makes them more difficult to guard. Dennis Sawicki, the super frosh, is capable of putting them on his back. Not many players in the tournament are capable of that.

Why They Won't: They don't defend well at all (126th in oPPG), which is part byproduct of their offense, but they also just prefer to play on the offensive side of the ball. Teams shoot 45% against them. Against Kentucky, or even Arkansas, and definitely Bradley, that kind of game is deadly. This might be the worst region North Carolina could be in for its brand of basketball. Even Columbia is no pushover in this regard.

8. San Francisco

Why They Can Win: Top offense (20th) and defense (12th), the latter of which is truly suffocating against the shot. They do nearly everything well, honestly. There is only one leak, which is the rebounds (47th for, 76th against). Stephen Ferrari and Perry Wilson form the best inside-out combo outside of the power elite.

Why They Can't: Against tournament teams, they went 1-4 (beat Dayton). They play in a conference that, while stacked with the nation's middle...are stacked with the nation's middle. That will hurt the Dons, who could get upset in the second round. The last game that meant anything on a national stage to the Dons was on January 9th. It was against Cal. They lost. They could use that culture of winning they have established and march to the national semis...or lose sight of the stage and lose in the first round. Nobody is quite sure.

7. Kentucky

Why They Can Win: They've been here before. Despite their lower seed, they have a favorable run to the national semis. Murray Dodd may be the nation's best scorer. Dallas Kovacs has become one of the country's most formidable centers (8.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.0 bpg). They are second in the nation in scoring, and first in free throw percentage. If you let them get going...and a lot of teams in their region will...they will be able to outscore you.

Why They Won't: They're built in the mold of North Carolina. All offense. Dodd is an open gate on defense. They don't keep teams off the boards. While they played against solid teams early, that faded late with the downturn of the SEC as the season wore on. They may feel they have unfinished business, but so does Bradley. And the Wildcats are not as committed to defense as the Braves. Sh

6. North Carolina State

Why They Can Win: They are an excellent team on both sides of the ball, and have been unstoppable since they got healthy. Yes, losing Anton Gonzalez hurts, but they are stacked at the guard spots, and should be able to get through that before he returns. They are a confident team, one who just sprinted though and pummeled the best conference in the country...

Why They Can't: ...and yet, we have them outside of the national semifinals. Frankly, it has a lot more to do with West Virginia, and less to do with the Wolfpack. We simply feel that NC State got an unfavorable draw with the Mountaineers in their region.

5. Indiana

Why They Can Win: They have been the best team in the nation all season. They have the best offense in the country, and it's not really even close. They played a solid schedule, and walked through it with only one scratch. They have maybe the game's best overall player in Enoch Horn, who has shaken off an early season injury, and is now ready to prove worthy of that claim. He isn't alone, though...Mikolas Mares and Marcos Godfrey are fantastic ballplayers at the guard spots, and Rupert Maldonaldo is as solid a center as possible. Rene Eckstein hasn't even been mentioned yet, and he is one of the finest players in the nation. They own one of the top defenses, the best passing offense, and are the third-best rebounding team in the nation. They are also the only team to make over half their shots from the field. There is not a flaw in this team.

Why They Can't: This is the greatest travesty in the tournament's short history. They get, yes, potentially, Kansas State in the regional final. Any other team, in our view, and they would coast to the national semifinals. But Kansas State...we took the Wildcats over the Hoosiers in our title game, and neither team has really given us a reason to switch that. It is a crying shame, because the Hoosiers should be #2 on this list, easy.

4. Bradley

Why They Can Win: They have a roster, led by National POTY candidate Antonia Dabney and seven-footer Graham Nance, that overwhelms teams. They are top-seven offensively and defensively. They, like Indiana, have no real weakness. They also have a very favorable path to the national semifinals, in that neither North Carolina or Kentucky matches up well with the Braves.

Why They Can't: Right now, they'd match up with Kansas, who bested them in a regional final last year. Kansas is still better, and still a bad matchup for the Braves.

3. West Virginia

Why They Can Win: Depth, depth, depth. And frontline talent. Don't forget that. Joe Jekins, Clay Metcalf, Elias France, and John Hildebrand are The Four Riders for a reason. And the players they can bring in, waves of terror for other teams. They are top-eight in offense and defense, and the second-best rebounding team in the nation. They are among the elite of the elite. We think they are simply the best team not in Kansas.

Why They Can't: They can. But a potential matchup with Kansas State boils down to experience, and the Jayhawks have been this far before. That should see them through. Honestly, a West Virginia/Kansas State matchup could go either way. The Mountaineers have beaten Indiana, the only ones to do so this season. They also beat Bradley. Nobody intimidates the Mountaineers.

2. Kansas

Why They Can Win: The defending champions returned a lot from that prolific team, led by The Cold Warrior, Timofei Malakhov. They do everything but shoot free throws well (which could very well be their downfall). They also played the most difficult schedule in the nation, going 18-2 against the nation's top fifty teams. Delbert Davis, Chris Seay, and Earle Maldonado provide a worthy supporting cast for Malakhov, while Henry McNair is Malakhov's equal at the point. This group has already done it once.

Why They Can't: Because the team from Manhattan is ready to win the war.

1. Kansas State

Why They Can Win: We picked them to win in the preseason, and we're stubborn. It worked last year. This team is the most talented in the nation, bar none. There really is no distinguishing the first team from the third. That said, Billy Jacob, Tommy Fritts, Erich Walton and Kendrick Stone are as good as it gets at their respective spots. Jacob, in particular, is ready to break out as a national star. The Wildcats are the nation's best defense (and it isn't even close), and they do it with incredible chemistry, teamwork, and flat out out-work other teams. They are also amazingly efficient on offense, especially for a team that expends so much energy on defense. If we can't have K-State/Indiana in the final, we'd love for K-State/Indiana in the regional final, K-State/WVU in the semis, and The Civil War for it all. Last year, Kansas got the best of the Wildcats. This year, it's the Wildcats' turn.

Why They Can't: Thirty-one other teams are ready to pick them off if they blink. Also, did you read the last two sentences in that last paragraph? That is one tough gauntlet. If the Wildcats can pull that off, they are most definitely a worthy champion.

NBR NCAA Picks

West
Indiana over St. John's
Idaho State over Miami
Illinois over California
Kansas State over Oklahoma A&M

Indiana over Idaho State
Kansas State over California

Kansas State over Indiana

Midwest
Kansas over Toledo
Louisville over La Salle
Iowa over Cincinnati
San Francisco over Texas Tech

Kansas over Louisville
San Francisco over Iowa

Kansas over San Francisco

South
NC State over Morehead State
Washington over Dayton
Utah over Duquesne
West Virginia over Niagara

NC State over Washington
West Virginia over Utah

West Virginia over NC State

East
Bradley over Connecticut
Duke over Temple
Kentucky over Arkansas
North Carolina over Columbia

Bradley over Duke
Kentucky over North Carolina

Bradley over Kentucky

National Semifinals
Kansas over Bradley
Kansas State over West Virginia

National Championship Game
Kansas State 78, Kansas 77 (OT)

muns · 08-07-2015, 10:31 AM

The National Basketball Report: March 22, 1955

The Shortest Recap In History...

On one hand, we're a little depressed by seeing only one real upset. At that, Cincinnati's defeat of Iowa didn't feel like one.

On the other hand...these are your regional semifinal matchups:

Bradley vs Temple
North Carolina vs Kentucky
NC State vs Dayton
West Virginia vs Duquesne
Kansas vs La Salle
San Francisco vs Cincinnati
Indiana vs Idaho State
Kansas State vs California

How can you be upset at that?

There were plenty of blowouts by the kingpins. But there were a few close games worth noting.

Idaho State 59, Miami 57 (OT): Idaho State couldn't get off a shot to end OT, but they were able to barely outlast the game Hurricanes in the first round. We do admit, Miami (22-8) impressed against the Bengals. Manny Schmidt scored 15 with 8 rebounds, as well as a pair blocks, to lead Miami.

The difference, though, was Idaho State's backcourt.

Robin Revell shot somewhat poorly (5-11), but scored 15 with six boards and three assists. David Calvert scored nine points, but generated eight assists. Together, the two had just one turnover. So, 24 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 turnovers. That's pretty phenomenal.

Duquesne needed overtime to fend off Utah (our pick for the upset special), 74-72. In that game, Duquesne needed to stop Utah on their final possession, which they did, causing the Redskins to pass and pass and pass, until Robert Peeler finally threw up an ill-advised shot at the buzzer. They also had to withstand the Redskins' final possession in regulation, which saw Gene Theisen's shot roll around the rim for what seemed like eternity, before falling off the right side.

For the rest, it was steady as they go. The top seeds won their games easily. North Carolina needed a little extra to down Columbia, but that was not a surprise. Kentucky flattened Arkansas, which was mildly surprising; most figured that the Razorbacks would score more. Duke and Temple nearly fought to a draw. Duke led 22-16 at the half, but Temple forced 21 turnovers, and came from behind to beat the Blue Devils, 54-50.

In the South, Dayton beating Washington was only a mild upset. West Virginia overcame a sluggish start to upend Niagara, 61-47. La Salle was efficient to take down Louisville in the Midwest, shooting nearly 50% and going 22-30 from the line. Freshman Cam Perry arrived, scoring 21 points with six rebounds, all offensive, to lead that attack. Cincinnati held Iowa to 40% shooting and just nine free throws, as the Bearcats took out the Hawkeyes, 61-53. Regis Deleroeuwe scored 21, but had no other help on offense. And San Francisco had four score double-figures, and held Texas Tech to 35% shooting, as the Dons rolled 74-57.

Out West, Indiana raced out to a 40-14 halftime lead against St. John's, en route to a 71-39 win. Enoch Horn scored 27. Kansas State floored Oklahoma A&M, 70-54, while Cal upended Illinois, 68-58.

And that sets the stage for the regional semifinals.

So, that begs the question...is this the year of the favorite? Are there any upsets to be found in this round? The answer to that is...well, not likely, no.

In the West, Indiana and Kansas State are on a collision course. Idaho State and California are mere fodder for both. La Salle needs a near-perfect game from Timmy McSwain and Cam Perry to get past Kansas in the Midwest, and even then, they will likely fall short. Cincinnati could get past San Francisco, but it's not a likely prospect. Maybe the Bearcats are the destinic team of this year, though. So, watch that one.

Dayton could give NC State a run for its money in the South, but the Wolfpack looks like a totally different animal since they got healthy. And West Virginia, in our view, has far too much for the Dukes, and should get through to the Southern final. Bradley has too much of everything for Temple. The North Carolina/Kentucky game is, far and away, the most even matchup in this round of the bracket. That could go either way, though we believe Kentucky's experience, and offense, will see them through to the regional final.

muns · 08-07-2015, 10:32 AM

Well over the past 2 sims I have been disappointed and am getting concerned about where USC is going to stand in the near future not only in the PCC but in the West in general.

1. Washington lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament and took a loss by the score of 80-72.

2. Cal on the other hand beats Illinois 68-58, but then loses by 3 to Kansas State 78-75.

3. San Francisco freaking beats Texas Tech, then beats Cincy, and now plays 4 seed LaSalle who beat #1 seed Kansas.

So why am I disappointed and concerned?

1. Washington losing sucks for 2 reasons. One, I like Kirk, we go back a long time, and there isn't a better guy around playing in the league. Second, USC needs Washington to overtake Cal within our league prestige wise, so that our recruiting gets easier in the State of California. I can handle Washington coming down and taking top kids from California. I cannot have another Cali school sitting on top of the throne in Cali (where my recruiting base is) and then have Washington coming down in and grabbing kids. That simply won’t work for us. If I am going to be able to jump over top some of our other teams in the PCC, Washington needs to overtake Cal. At the moment that just isn't happening. Not only has Cal shared the regular season title within the PCC, but they are going further in the NCAA tourney. Their Prestige is going to get more of a bump and my recruiting just got harder.

2. While that BS is going on within the PCC- the little KNAT that is San Francisco just won’t GO AWAY. So not only did they swipe my recruit 2 seasons ago ( Center-Vaughn Griffis) who by the way would have solved my little freaking post issue this year (can you tell I am still a little hot about this) but these little bastards have a legit shot at making the final 4, which once again give them a huge prestige bump. So, I am going to have to compete against another top team from a different conference who can swipe recruits hard all because they got a sweet draw in the NCAA tournament. Not good at all for USC, nor the rest of my conference mates for that matter. I don’t even want to think about the number of recruits that are going to start out liking them now.

The State of the PCC compared to us.

So Washington and California I have already wrote about. That leaves the rest. Both are good and don’t look to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Oregon State- Their Freshman class was no joke last year, and honestly might be the only school that can say they had a better recruiting class that USC last year. Walk, Brodie, Pastor, and Toomer are all kids that can play and will be dangerous going forward. They have made the NIT 2 years in a row and should see some prestige bumps. Looking forward to seeing how they deal with losing Salazar and Sayer in the post. Am not sad to see either of them go. They get the edge over us going forward.

Oregon- Floyd Root and Colin Dunleavy are good guys to have but they need more. I feel ok about where I am in comparison to where they are.

Idaho- Had a hell of a class for being Idaho last year. I mean they beat us in conf play this year. However, Patterson can’t be there forever (being a rising senior), and it doesn’t look like they will be able to compete with USC in the future (they just need more). I feel good about where we are in comparison to them.

Washington State- This is the squad that nobody even knows is coming. But I’m telling everybody they are. Perkins, Barham, Visser and Barbieri are a hell of a freshman class. They certainly make me nervous with the class but they need another one to keep up. They are right there though and the rest of us need to take notice.

Stanford- They didn’t have a great class last year, but they weren’t terrible either. They should be able to provide spot mins, as long as they bring in some better guys. I feel ok with where we are with respect to them at the moment. We shall see who they sign this year to see if that assessment changes.

UCLA- They finished up 9-20 this year. Not good. If they didn’t land JUCO Tyler Williamson last year, can you imagine where they might have ended up without him? I love Jean Beckner, and he might be the Freshman of the year in the PCC. Busby will be around another 3 years in the post, and while Hoffman isn’t as good as the other 2, he will be a decent pg in the future. I think they are on par with us, but I give us the edge as we have more freshman than they do.

This conf is going to be bad ass in a few years, I just hope USC is around the top of it rather than at the bottom like we are at the moment. This next class can’t get here soon enough

muns · 08-07-2015, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawgfan

Yep, and they should stay pretty good for quite a few more seasons. Illinois is getting the #3, #36 & #58 recruits in this class; Iowa has the #13, #20 & #60 recruits.

Wisconsin and Northwestern are probably going to fade soon if human coaches don't grab them.

The Big Ten was thisclose to getting 4 teams in the Big Dance, but my Spartans suffered too many close losses in-conference (shakes fist at Michigan) and were the first ones out in the selection process.

I thought about taking a big 10 team over, but I wanted to try and fill up the ACC (took wake) and then I took Texas because I want to see if I can build them up to be something earlier on compared to what they did history wise.

I'm with Vince though, it would be hard switching because of the investment to the teams already. We need some more guys to join

britrock88 · 08-07-2015, 10:42 AM

Grumble grumble at the free throw discrepancy in UNC-Kentucky. But tossing that aside, congrats and good luck to Rob.

Vince, Pt. II · 08-07-2015, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muns

I thought about taking a big 10 team over, but I wanted to try and fill up the ACC (took wake) and then I took Texas because I want to see if I can build them up to be something earlier on compared to what they did history wise.

I'm with Vince though, it would be hard switching because of the investment to the teams already. We need some more guys to join

Yeah, my original thought was ACC, but I don't want to compete with myself for recruits with Dartmouth.

Ha. Ha ha. As if that would have been a problem

dawgfan · 08-07-2015, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muns

1. Washington losing sucks for 2 reasons. One, I like Kirk, we go back a long time, and there isn't a better guy around playing in the league. Second, USC needs Washington to overtake Cal within our league prestige wise, so that our recruiting gets easier in the State of California. I can handle Washington coming down and taking top kids from California. I cannot have another Cali school sitting on top of the throne in Cali (where my recruiting base is) and then have Washington coming down in and grabbing kids. That simply won’t work for us. If I am going to be able to jump over top some of our other teams in the PCC, Washington needs to overtake Cal. At the moment that just isn't happening. Not only has Cal shared the regular season title within the PCC, but they are going further in the NCAA tourney. Their Prestige is going to get more of a bump and my recruiting just got harder.

Thanks muns. Definitely a bummer - we had a great shot at taking the PCC this year but faded down the stretch (shakes fist at britrock and Oregon), and then another one and done in the tournament. I don't know how much was bad luck and how much was me not setting an ideal gameplan, but it hurts either way - Dean Wexler was a helluva post player, and while I've got good players returning, he's tough to replace.

I'm anxious to see how my recruits look. I think these guys will be a step up from last season's class, but I still need to do better on the recruiting trail to surpass Cal and hold off all the other rising teams in this conference. Losing local kid Dale Frank to Cal really stung - I thought he was mine after I overtook them in a recruiting sim, but Rob must not have given him a full recruiting push because they jumped back ahead of us in the next sim and I gave up. We really need 4 and 5 star kids from Washington to stay in-state and play for the Huskies. I didn't really feel like I had room for a JC transfer (would have made my roster too unbalanced between classes) so I passed on Marc Cundiff, but that was probably a mistake, and of course he too is headed to Cal.

San Fran is going to remain tough. If they were a computer team I'd feel confident of them fading, but being human-controlled I think they're going to stay strong. Our edge is the PCC being higher prestige.

britrock88 · 08-08-2015, 11:44 AM

Sorry 'bout that.

dawgfan · 08-08-2015, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by britrock88

Sorry 'bout that.

It's all good. Are you still planning on ditching Oregon when the PCC implodes?

dawgfan · 08-08-2015, 07:10 PM

Mush - A Husky Report

1954 Review:
It was a good season for Washington. It was also a season of disappointment. The Huskies once again finished 13-3 in the PCC, won 25 games and garnered an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately they also finished 2nd in the conference again and were bounced in the 1st round of the Big Dance again. The Huskies claimed nice wins over San Francisco, Cal, Arizona, Seattle (twice) and Oregon State. But losses to Oregon, Maryland and St. Johns proved they were not one of the elite teams of 1954. With a recent poll ranking of 11th and an RPI rank of 22nd, the Huskies should again get a prestige bump, probably to around 72 or so. But another season falling short of AD expectations means that much longer until needed coaching improvements and facilities upgrades arrive.

Team Leaders:
Points: C Dean Wexler (Sr) - 13.8, SG Daniel Fenton (So) - 12.9, SG Italo Malocco (Fr) - 9.2
Rebounds: C Dean Wexler (Sr) - 10.3, PF Joshua Lopez (Jr) - 8.3, SF Gisbert Bittes (RS-So) - 4.4
Assists: PG Ellis Murphy (Jr) - 5.8, SG Daniel Fenton (So) - 2.8, C Dean Wexler (Sr) - 1.8
Blocks: C Dean Wexler (Sr) - 2.0
Steals: SG Italo Malocco (Fr) - 1.3

Washington's biggest issue in 1954 was being good, but not quite good enough. They were 2nd in the conference in offensive and defensive efficiency, but weren't good enough in either category nationally to be a true top-10 type of team. The defense could have used another shot-blocker in the middle and/or more guys capable of getting steals. On offense there was plenty of good passing and ball-handling, but not enough isolation or jump shooting ability to fully take advantage. One clear area of strength was in defensive rebounding where they ranked 10th nationally in efficiency. More offensive rebounding would have helped with the offense numbers though.

Graduating players:
C Dean Wexler: 13.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 2.0 blks
Wexler is an excellent post player and has been a key player these past two seasons for UW. An excellent defender, good rebounder, strong inside on offense and with the strength to bang with anyone down low, he'll be very hard to replace. A touch short at 6'8", not terribly quick and lacking much of a shooting touch, he might not be a top-level NBA prospect, but he's still likely to be drafted. His season should earn him All-Conference honors and a shot at PCC PotY and All-American consideration.

C/PF Scott Campbell: 1.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.6 blks
Washington has been fortunate to have a nice collection of bigs the last two years; on many other teams Campbell would have been a starter or significant contributor. With the Huskies he was typically the 4th post player on the depth, but he provided solid play with no glaring weaknesses. He wasn't the strongest player offensively (though he had great FG% his two seasons) but could hold his own on the boards and on defense. We'll miss the quality depth he provided.

SF Brad Knuth: 1.6 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.4 stl
Knuth provided decent depth at the 3. He had strong passing and ball-handling skills and was not bad offensively and on the boards. But his perimeter defense was not great and his athleticism was a bit lacking to keep up with the high level wings out there.

Recruiting Class:

Code:

 #11 WASHINGTON HUSKIES Recruiting

 Name                Pos  Ovl  Reg  Pos  RPos   AA   AS  MBB
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Grégoire Dupretz      C   44    5   10     1   No   No   No
 Manuel Parenteau     SG  111   25   18     4   No  Yes   No
 Marquis Gray         PG   41   10    9     4  Yes  Yes  Yes

I like this class quite a bit and feel it’s a step up from my 1954 class. But I’m not sure it’s good enough to get the Huskies to the top of the PCC. Losing Dale Frank to the Bears was a bitter blow – we need to be able to land the 4 & 5 star local kids. And while I didn’t want to pursue any JC players so as to keep my classes balanced, I have a feeling I’ll regret not recruiting Marc Cundiff (also committed to Cal).

Dupretz is the key to the class. He looks like a potential difference-maker down low, featuring sufficient height, superior athleticism and very good potential on offense, as a rebounder and as a defender. We’re uncertain what to expect as his scouted current abilities and future potential show some significant variability and our scouts are not to be trusted. But we’re optimistic he’ll be a long-term answer at the 4 or 5 spot.

Gray is a really nice get for us as a future star at PG. I love his 9.6 assists to 1.9 turnovers, and he projects as potentially a pretty good shooter. He’s got enough athleticism and projects as an above-average defender – if so, he has a good chance at winning the PG job in 1956 and being a 4-year starter.

Parenteau was the final piece, a kid that qualified at the last possible moment. He looks like he’ll be a terrific shooter and scorer for us down the road. The main question is if his defense develops as projected (color me skeptical). Worst-case he’d be a terrific scorer off the bench.
We should have the luxury of redshirting all three, but we’ll have a better idea when they get to campus and we can properly assess their abilities.
I expect this class to rank ~20th, possibly a bit higher.

1955 Preview:
Losing Wexler changes the complexion of this team. While C Francis Calhoun is a good-looking young post, he's not quite ready to provide the same impact as Wexler, at least not next year. He's a bit bigger and a little more athletic, and he should end up being very strong defensively and on the glass (particularly the offensive glass), but his offensive skills are different as he relies more on his jump shot. Next to him on the front line with be Sr. Joshua Lopez in his 2nd year as a starter. Lopez is undersized at 6'7" and not a big shot-blocker or a primary option on offense, but he's an elite defender and rebounder and that's his niche. Backing them up with be RS-Fr Burt Lingle. Lingle has good size at 6'11" and is pretty strong, but he's destined to be a career back-up as he's just OK on offense and defense and is a below-average rebounder.

Out on the wing, RS-Jr Gisbert Wittes returns for his 2nd season as a starter. The German import is a good fit at the 3 as he has just enough quickness to hold his own against the smaller guys and enough strength to bang with the bigger ones. His defense is good with a chance to be great, he’s a decent passer and ball-handler, his offense is developing and he’s not a terrible rebounder. Right now he’s a glue-guy, but by 1956 he could be a significant piece. Pressing him for playing time will be So Italo Malacco, the only 1954 recruit that didn’t redshirt. He’s more of a SG with good quickness and hops, pretty good perimeter defense and elite potential as a ball-hawk, but he’s got enough strength to not be completely embarrassed at the 3. His hands are decent and he’s got enough potential offensively to be a focus, and he was our 3rd leading scorer despite coming off the bench. An interesting option at the 3 is a walk-on, Damien Elliot. He’s a big kid at 6’9” and strong, but he’s got really good perimeter defense skills and is a very good jumper. He’s not as quick as you’d like at the 3, but his height, rebounding and inside offense could make him a match-up problem for other teams. He’s got enough post-defense skills that he’ll also back-up the 4 & 5 spots.

The leader of the team now will clearly be Jr Daniel Fenton going into his 3rd year as a starter. Fenton is a terrific all-around player with a skill set that allows him to play 1-3. He’ll likely start at the 2, but he provides us a lot of flexibility and should be our leading offensive player. He’s already on the NBA radar with 2 years to go, and could be looking at All-American honors over his last 2 seasons. Next to him this year at the point was Ellis Murphy, and the Sr. is a strong candidate to start again in 1955. He has terrific passing skills, but is a little weak (relatively speaking) as a ball-handler and not quite as quick as I’d like, though he’s an able defender. If longer shots counted for more he’d be a pretty good offensive player, but in the current rules he needs to improve his mid-range shot and ability to penetrate.

Backing up the back-court, there’s Sr. Daniel Ruth, an all-around guard. He’s not quite skilled enough with the ball to start at the PG and needs to improve on defense, but his offensive game isn’t bad. RS-Fr Wayne Toro will enter the mix after a redshirt year. He has great quickness, is a pretty good shooter and has the passing and hands to contend as a starter at PG down the road; his major weakness is his defense though, and that will be an area where he needs to improve. Also coming off of a redshirt is the final member of the 1954 class, SG Jose Park. Unheralded out of high school, he’s very athletic and has very good potential as a scorer. He doesn’t rebound at all though, and like Toro, he’ll need to improve his defense if he wants to start down the road. For now though he could provide some nice scoring punch off the bench.

How this team fares will depend a lot on how they develop in the off-season. I wouldn’t be surprised at a modest step-back – I think the talent level around the PCC is rising, and I’m not sure the returning players can improve enough to make up for the graduation of Wexler. I’m still projecting them to contend for an NCAA berth, but winning the PCC is unlikely with what Cal is returning and bringing in.

Brian Swartz · 08-08-2015, 09:02 PM

Good stuff! Interesting view from the other end of the spectrum.

murrayyyyy · 08-08-2015, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muns

Oregon State- Their Freshman class was no joke last year, and honestly might be the only school that can say they had a better recruiting class that USC last year. Walk, Brodie, Pastor, and Toomer are all kids that can play and will be dangerous going forward. They have made the NIT 2 years in a row and should see some prestige bumps. Looking forward to seeing how they deal with losing Salazar and Sayer in the post. Am not sad to see either of them go. They get the edge over us going forward.

Nothing to see here, just keep moving. We will be gone as soon as we level out our roster. I have a feeling this coach will never be able to use his talent properly.

dawgfan · 08-09-2015, 02:35 AM

This is Sparta! - The Michigan State Report

1954 Review:
We weren’t really sure what to expect after taking over Michigan State. The roster appeared to have some talent, but a 10-19 (3-11 in conference) record in 1953 suggested some major holes, and indeed, the PG situation wasn’t ideal and there wasn’t a lot of quality depth in the backcourt. So we were pleased with the season, finishing at 23-10 (7-7 in conference) and a jump from 102nd in RPI to 31st. We came oh so close to making the NCAA Tournament and meeting our AD’s expectations in our first season, but we had to settle for the NIT where we picked up a couple of wins before falling to Rutgers. Considering the number of key injuries – starting PG Ronald Choe was lost for the season in game 2 and had to take a redshirt; starting PF Timothy Earl was lost for the season after 13 games and our best player, SG Joseph Barnes, missed 10 games during the Big Ten schedule – I’m pretty happy with how the season turned out. I would expect a nice bump to our prestige, possibly up to 59.

Team Leaders:
Points: SG Joseph Barnes (Sr) - 15.8, SF Cyril Clancy (RS-Fr) - 13.6, SG Thomas Diaz (Sr) - 13.1
Rebounds: C David Shavers (Jr) - 10.4, PF Timothy Earl (Jr) – 7.2, SF Cyril Clancy (RS-Fr) – 6.1
Assists: SG Joseph Barnes (Sr) – 4.1, PG Richie McGuire (RS-Sr) - 2.8, SG Thomas Diaz (Sr) – 2.1
Blocks: C David Shavers (Jr) – 1.8
Steals: SF Cyril Clancy (RS-Fr) - 1.2

This was a team that played off the mix of quality depth up front paired with a terrific all-around player in SG Joseph Barnes and surprising offense from backup SG Thomas Diaz. This allowed the Spartans to absorb the loss of PG Ronald Choe for the season and a general lack of strong PG play as Barnes himself frequently directed the offense. MSU played well on the offensive end, finishing 2nd to Indiana in the Big Ten in offensive efficiency, but fell to 4th in defensive efficiency as the injuries to Choe and Earl were felt here. Rebounding was generally a strength as they finished 3rd in the conference in rebounding percentage, and they were 4th in turnover percentage. In all, I think they did a good job of maximizing their strengths.

Graduating players:
SG Joseph Barnes: 15.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.1 apg
Barnes was the clear-cut MVP of the team and by far our best player. A very good shooter and with enough skill to play the PG if necessary, he also played respectable defense and wasn’t terrible on the glass. His quickness was an asset and he had enough strength, height and post defense to hold his own at the 3. He should be a shoe-in for All-Conference honors and should get some All-American consideration. While he appears to be a fringe-y NBA prospect, he’s a terrific college player and will be very tough to replace.

SG Thomas Diaz: 13.1 ppg, 2.1 apg, 1.1 steals
Diaz was not a guy whose attributes jumped off the page at you, but when given playing time he proved himself an effective volume shooter and scorer, playing better than his offensive skills suggested. He possessed decent athleticism which was certainly part of his success. Offense was where he shined; his defense was just OK and he wasn’t a passer at all, though he was OK as a ball-handler. He provided the luxury of an excellent bench scorer and held his own in the starting lineup when Barnes went down.

PG Richie McGuire: 6.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.8 apg
Thrust into the starting lineup when Choe went down for the year, McGuire did what he could. A touch slow for PG and not much of a defender, he also provided some needed passing skills to the starting lineup. That was about it though, as his shooting was strictly limited to long-range and he couldn’t rebound. The +/- numbers suggest he should have stayed on the bench, but there weren’t a lot of options otherwise.

C Frank Poe: 1.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.2 blocks
With a number of pretty good post players on the roster, Poe was usually the 3rd big off the bench. He wasn’t a bad player – he had some inside scoring skills and wasn’t terrible defensively, but he didn’t have ideal strength and was below-average as a rebounder. He was your basic deep reserve, a guy that wouldn’t have been a dumpster fire had he been pressed into major minutes, but not a guy you wanted to count on either.

Recruiting Class:

Code:

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS Recruiting

 Name              Pos  Ovl  Reg  Pos  RPos  AA   AS  MBB
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Don Colletti        C   59   14   13     3  No  Yes  Yes
 Homer Wilson       SF   55   15    9     3  No  Yes   No
 Douglas Gibson     PG  110   28   28     8  No   No   No
 Brent Burchell     PG   35    9    8     1  No  Yes  Yes

I’m pretty happy with this class – it appears at a glance to be one that fills some needs at PG, provides some quality depth at SF and adds in a potential impact C.

Colletti was perhaps a bit of a luxury for this class – MSU returns four pretty good post players, and recruiting a big-man wasn’t a requirement for this class. But Colletti was a local kid with interest in the Spartans, and he was simply too good to pass up. He’s got the size you like at 6’11”, 244 lbs and projects as a very good defender and shot-blocker and a strong rebounder. While his scouting report pins him as just OK on the offensive end, his stats suggest he may be a bit better than that.

Wilson is an interesting prospect. While he may be a bit overrated at #55 overall, he does have the potential to be a plus player offensively with above-average passing skills for a wing. With some focused conditioning I think his athleticism will really stand out and make him an ideal SF, but I’m concerned his defensive skills will be lacking.

Gibson should turn out to be the key recruit from this class, a JC kid that could step right in and fill our need at PG. I like his hands and passing, and he’s a very good shooter that should help make defenses pay for sagging inside. He also projects as somewhat above-average as a defender.

Burchell was the last to commit and long-term he’s also a key recruit, giving us a PG to take over when Gibson graduates. He appears to have excellent handles and passing skills and projects as an above-average defender. He’ll need to hit the gym hard to improve his quickness, but he’s got some good hops. His shooting percentages in H.S. were poor, but his offense projects to be respectable, especially from long-range.

We should be able to redshirt Colletti and Burchell; Gibson is in contention to start when he arrives, but we’ll see what he actually looks like when gets here. Wilson could stand to redshirt, but he might be needed to give us a true backup SF.

I could see this class ranking around 15th, possibly a bit higher.

1955 Preview:
There’s no getting around the loss of Barnes (and to a lesser extent Diaz). Barnes was the guy that held everything together with his talent on the offensive end, his passing ability and his defense (he was the best of our perimeter defenders). There’s nobody on the roster that can do what he did, so the nature of the team is going to have to change quite a bit.

That’s not to say all is lost for MSU in 1955 – far from it. They have quality and quantity in the front court, and that will become the focus of the team. At C, David Shavers returns for his Sr season and will be arguably our best player. He’s an elite rebounder, a very good defensive player and, with a good PG feeding the post, could turn out to be an OK scoring option down low. Next to him will be fellow Sr Timothy Earl. His return after missing the final 20 games of the season will be important. While he’s a bit on the short side at 6’7”, he has very good strength, is a terrific post defender and a pretty good rebounder (particularly on the offensive glass). He also should be our best option offensively in the post, and together with his proficiency on the offensive glass he may become a double-digit scorer for us. Backing them up are a couple of promising younger guys; Jr Chris Hendren got some starting experience when Earl went down and he did fairly well. He’s got some offensive skill down low and he’s a decent rebounder and post defender. His athleticism is a touch above average for the position, though he could stand to get a little stronger. RS-So Ronald Suter will also vie for time – he’s got more size at 6’10” but also needs to get stronger. He could emerge in the coming seasons as a real strong inside scorer and he’s got great potential on the offensive glass. We’ll be looking for him to improve his defense and his defensive rebounding, but with those two around we have quality depth.

A young player that emerged was Cyril Clancy. The RS-So will enter his 2nd season as a starter and does so as one of the key players we’ll be counting on to pick up the slack with Barnes gone. He’s a bigger player at the SF spot but has terrific athleticism – he’s quick, strong and has pretty good hops. He can defend the perimeter and down low and has really quick hands in the passing lane for grabbing steals. He’s raw offensively, relying on his inside game and size but he’s our leading returning scorer and #3 rebounder. He could play some at the 4 if needed, but we’re deep there and he gives us a match-up edge against most teams at the 3. His backup was Stephen Clarkson who will be a RS-Jr. He’s not highly rated, but he’s got some potential offensively if he can continue to develop and get a little quicker. He’s OK defensively, but not much of a rebounder or passer. Coming off a redshirt is RS-Fr Tony Hinman; he’s no star, but with some development he could work himself into being a useful player down the road. He’s not terrible anywhere, nor does he have any trait that really stands out.

Getting Ronald Choe back will be nice – while he’s just average as a ball-handler and passer, that qualifies him among returning players to be the PG. The redshirt he got will give him a chance to develop a bit more, and while he’s not much of a shooter, he’s very quick, a good jumper and a plus defender. He’ll either start at the 1 or provide quality backup minutes there. The starter at the SG spot could very well be a RS-Fr in Claude Younts. He’s got nice size for a wing at 6’6” and can jump out of the gym. He needs to get quicker and work on his jumper – right now he’s probably a below-average player on offense. His defense looks good and he could end up down the road as an excellent perimeter stopper. Beyond these two we’ll have to count on walk-on Tomas Vazquez to provide some back-up minutes, and with his defense that’s not ideal. It’s highly likely one (or more) of the incoming recruits will have to play this season to bolster the backcourt.

The loss of Barnes and Diaz leaves a major hole in terms of scoring and the team is front-court heavy. Team passing should improve and rebounding should become and even bigger strength, and I’d anticipate team defense improving as well. But injuries in the backcourt would be tough to overcome. I hesitate to predict improvement overall, but I think there’s enough talent for 1955 that this team should contend again for the NIT.

muns · 08-09-2015, 10:13 AM

Heck ya. All good reads right there

muns · 08-09-2015, 10:13 AM

The National Basketball Report, Vol 2, Issue 12: Thou Shall Not Repeat

The National Basketball Report: March 26, 1955
Where we find out things are as we thought, but not quite...

The King is dead. Long live the King.

The King is dead.

Long live the new King.

The La Salle Explorers made sure there would be no total defense of the NCAA crown this season, by knocking off the Kansas Jayhawks, 81-72. In this undoubted upset, it was not the final score that was shocking. Rather, it was the manner by which it was achieved.

The game, high-scoring from the start, saw La Salle turn a 12-8 lead at the 15:00 mark into a 33-19 lead at the 10:00 mark. The score was 48-28 at the half.

"(La Salle) could not miss," said Timofei Malakhov, who scored 22 points, with seven rebounds and six assists, in his final collegiate game. "For once, we could not keep up with an offense. It was humbling."

"We got into a rhythm, and we know what can happen when we do," said La Salle post star Timmy McSwain, who led La Salle with 20 points and eight rebounds. "We thought we could beat them. It doesn't matter what kind of trophies they have...if you don't think you can beat the person across from you, why get your shoes on?"

The Explorers (24-7) shot an outstanding 56% from the field, and an additional 25-36 from the line. Kansas (28-3) made several attempts to get back into the game. However, it seemed as though each time they would get back to within six or seven, the Explorers had an answer, whether a McSwain basket inside, or a jump shot from guard Andrew Moreno (15 points, 5-7 shooting), or a well-placed pass by William Perrotta (six points, seven assists).

That they did it without potential National Freshman of the Year, Cam Perry, is even more amazing.

Henry McNair had 15 points and 10 assists in a supporting role for Malakhov, but they got little help elsewhere. Earle Maldonaldo was 4-13 from the field, while Chris Seay had just six points on 3-8 shooting. They also committed 25 team fouls, and were out-rebounded 38-31.

"Getting outrebounded seems difficult for us, with our size," said Kansas coach Dave Keene afterwards. "You have to hand a lot of it to that other locker room. That McSwain is as good as they could.

"I will tell you, we got outhustled by that Philly team tonight. That should never happen to a Kansas team. It happened tonight."

The Explorers, now the tournament's surprise entrant into the regional finals. However, in an effort to, perhaps, pat ourselves on the back, we offer this, stated in our NCAA Preview issue:

21. La Salle

Why They Will Win: The Twin Towers, 6'10 McSwain and 6'10 Davies, are a start. Freshman Cam Perry and senior Andy Moreno forming a top-flight backcourt is another reason. Their bench, while not as talented as others, is young has has the potential to play above the beyond expectations. They are effective on both offense and defense.

Why They Won't: Nothing they do truly sticks out. They are one of those teams who, in close games, just had it go their way. They feel as though they could easily be 15-14 as they are 22-7. They could get by Louisville, but how will the Explorers navigate past Kansas? If they do, somehow, they could be the team who crashes the national semifinals.

The party-crashers will get San Francisco (28-4) in the Midwest final. They blitzed Cincinnati in the second half, forcing the Bearcats (20-11) into 41% shooting from the field, as well as 28 turnovers. Perry Wilson had 16 points.

The big story in this game, though, was the loss of super sophomore guard Stephen Ferrari. He was hit early in the game, hurting his back. He is bed-ridden, likely to miss the rest of the postseason.

"Sure, (losing Ferrari) hurts," said Dons head coach William Mays. "Losing anybody hurts. But go ask La Salle if they rolled over (when they lost Perry). There is still a locker room of young men that came here to be their best, and that's what we're going to be."

Ernie Paiz scored 16 for the Bearcats, who got further than most thought they would. That includes this publication.

In an early view of that game, it is hard to go against La Salle, given that Ferrari is out. The Explorers are far more skilled at the guard position than the Bearcats, and the Dons will have far more difficulty getting to the national semifinals without their young star. There is a chance, of course...San Francisco plays exceptional defense. But McSwain is the best big man they have played this year, and he will put an incredible strain on Wilson. If La Salle can make the San Fran Big Man work hard on the defensive end (where he excels), it will stunt their offense.

Meanwhile, it was as expected (as we expected) everywhere else. North Carolina State and West Virginia rolled to victories in the South, setting up a matchup of two of the nation's top overall teams. The Wolfpack, though, suffered a major setback. They lost backup shooting guard, Garry Sarmiento, for the rest of the postseason. This is devastating because, well, they don't have another shooting guard on the roster. Sure, junior Brady Rogers got the start in NC State's 72-62 win over Dayton (23-7), and he played fantastic, scoring 22 and registering 10 rebounds. But he is, by all accounts, a lead guard first (though he didn't register an assist). It will be up to Boyd Walley, Eddie Henry, and Angelo Parham to see the Wolfpack (29-6) through to national semifinals.

That will be difficult against the Mountaineers, even though NC State has excelled through several key injuries throughout the season. West Virginia (34-2) simply took Duquesne (25-6) behind the woodshed. They led 43-20 at the half, and held the Dukes to 41% shooting, 20 turnovers, and caused thirty fouls in the 85-56 win. Even with porous foul shooting--the two teams combined to shoot 23-43 from the not-so-charitable stripe), the Mountaineers were every bit king of this hill. Elias France scored 22, while Joe Jenkins scored 11 and nabbed 11 rebounds. They also held Duquesne's storied backcourt of Granger-Hinkley-Garrick to 22 points, on 11-30 shooting. For Granger and Garrick, it was a deflating way to end their illustrious careers, after getting to the title game a year ago. However, they were quick to praise their opponent.

"That is as tough a team as we have ever faced," said Granger. "They are quality, all the way."

In the end, even with a full side, we found difficulty in picking NC State past the Mountaineers. That feeling only strengthens with the short bench. We believe West Virginia may run away with this one, and not look back. The problem for NC State is that West Virginia thrives in both the fast and slow game. Trying to shorten the game does nothing for the Wolfpack, because the Mountaineers are so good defensively. It will take an absolute crackerjack effort by the Wolfpack to get this done.

The East, meanwhile, also went as expected. We said Bradley would out-ugly Temple, and they did just that. And we said Kentucky's experience, and offense, would see them through. Despite North Carolina taking a whopping eighty-one shots, they fell, 76-70 to the Wildcats. Murray Dodd scored 20 for Kentucky (26-5), while David Cohen scored 13 and took 16 rebounds. Kentucky gained their edge from the free throw line, where they shot 22-29. North Carolina was 8-12, which caused some grumbling out of their locker room after the game. But the proof is in the puddling. The Tar Heels played like their hair was on fire, throwing up wild shots at times. They played aggressively, especially late when they tried to get back into it. But Kentucky was too fluid on offense.

Bradley will provide a challenge Kentucky has not seen for some time, one with a well-rounded roster that can dictate the game from a defensive standpoint. This is one game in which the tempo is key. It does not favor the Bluegrassians. Bradley has been the best team to generate no conversation all season, and that is a shame. They can beat the Wildcats with their B- game, in our view, because they are that good on defense. We would expect Antonia Dabney and company to perform better, of course.

This brings us to the West, where a bittersweet result was almost sullied by two upstarts. Idaho State made Indiana work throughout, but the Hoosiers, and Enoch Horn, were eventually too much for the Bengals to handle. Indiana won in a deceivingly-close 81-77 game. The Hoosiers (32-1) led by double-digits for most of the game, before Idaho State (24-7) closed late.

That brings us to Horn. The much-discussed junior college product started slow this season, but is closing at breakneck speed. He scored 32 and registered 11 rebounds to pace Indiana. Make no mistake: This is his team now. It was always going to be, but now, it unquestionably is.

Idaho State, who probably would have been here last year had it not been for an injury to star guard Robin Revell, got 17 and eight assists from their guard. David Calvert (18-7-4) will be very difficult to replace next season, and Bengals fans have no reason to hold their head in shame. This team will be held in the annals as arguably the best team Idaho State sees for quite some time.

Indiana will get Kansas State in the regional final. This outcome was in doubt, namely, because of California. The Pacific Coast champions used a late first-half run to grab a 43-35 lead at the break. And, when Kansas State started to assert themselves in the second half, the Bears did not hibernate. Unfortunately for Cal fans, the Bears simply could not grab the lead back in the final fifteen minutes. Kansas State held it like a carrot on a string, pulling away a bit more when the Bears would get too close.

The final score, 78-75, almost seems too big.

David Gunter's 23, on 10-14 shooting, paced the Wildcats (28-3), while Kendrick Stone offered 14 and 11 rebounds. For Cal, we said that Tony Eyre would be called upon to pick up some of the scoring slack, in the wake of Manny Barnard's injury. Eyre more than answered that call, leading the way with a career-high 22. Unfortunately, he also registered four turnovers, including a couple key ones late that sealed things for Kansas State.

We said this before, and we'll say it again. It is without reason that Indiana and Kansas State shall meet here. It is an absurd result, a most unfortunate circumstance. While assumptions cannot be made, the game of college basketball would have been helped considerably by these two playing on a national stage. As it is, while the other contenders will be as worthy, it is the fans on the West Coast who will get the greatest treasure in this next round. These were, in our view, the two best teams in the country at the start of the year, and we felt that way going into the tournament. We still like Kansas State, because we're stubborn.

The truth is, neither team should be viewed as anything less than title-worthy if they lose here, and we are all better for seeing these two teams get to play each other.

We just wish it were in two games...not tomorrow.

Our final predictions:
West: Kansas State over Indiana
Midwest: La Salle over San Francisco
South: West Virginia over NC State
East: Bradley over Kentucky
(Bradley vs La Salle, WVU vs K-State in the national semifinals)

muns · 08-09-2015, 10:26 AM

Wow, this sim was brutal, and I mean brutal.

Top dog Indiana goes down with a loss by 1 to Kansas State.

The jag offs in San Francisco won again, which gets them to the final 4. Ya know just to piss me off.

West Virginia beats NC State, and Bradley beats Kentucky.

All 3 of our top human teams goes down. I didn't see that one coming at all.

I don't see San Fran making the final so there is that to hang my hat on I guess. That would also mean for the 2nd straight year no human team won the title.

Old Giants has Rutgers in the NIT title game. Kudos to you OG.

Radii · 08-09-2015, 02:28 PM

My loss to WVU wasn't a surprise, though shooting 31% from the field was pretty disappointing. The fact that all three of us lost, very, very surprising.

britrock88 · 08-09-2015, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawgfan

It's all good. Are you still planning on ditching Oregon when the PCC implodes?

It's a good question. My initial statement to that effect was in reaction to the fact that I'd be kicked out (so to speak) of a conference full of human coaches, which I like. OTOH, I like the idea of plying a trade as an Indy and trying to earn a berth in the NCAAs. I'm likely to end up doing whatever gives me the greatest opportunity to compete with peers (in a friendly way

) and try something novel. So I guess I'm not out the door already?

muns · 08-10-2015, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by britrock88

It's a good question. My initial statement to that effect was in reaction to the fact that I'd be kicked out (so to speak) of a conference full of human coaches, which I like. OTOH, I like the idea of plying a trade as an Indy and trying to earn a berth in the NCAAs. I'm likely to end up doing whatever gives me the greatest opportunity to compete with peers (in a friendly way

) and try something novel. So I guess I'm not out the door already?

Ya....... 53 is a blessing and a curse in that respect. You love the aspect of rewriting history, however establishing rivals, and then breaking that up kinda sucks.

Where does Oregon go? Do they become Indy? I'm guessing you will stay with them if they are even close to being what you want, because of the time spent, but I can't blame you if you do leave.

dawgfan · 08-10-2015, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muns

Ya....... 53 is a blessing and a curse in that respect. You love the aspect of rewriting history, however establishing rivals, and then breaking that up kinda sucks.

Where does Oregon go? Do they become Indy? I'm guessing you will stay with them if they are even close to being what you want, because of the time spent, but I can't blame you if you do leave.

They go independent for five seasons before getting invited to join the AAWU to bring it up to 8 teams. A few years after that the conference formally changes their name to the Pac-8.

muns · 08-11-2015, 07:20 PM

The National Basketball Report: March 31, 1955
The Game, and three other worthy contenders for the crown

For those of us who were fortunate enough to be in Pauley Pavilion, where Indiana and Kansas State battled in a game never to be forgotten, have a sense of history.

Save your ticket stub. Save your game program.

You will want them when you tell the story of how you were there for The Game.

It was fitting that the matchup between the Hoosiers and Wildcats came down to the game's final shot. It was befitting that it showed both teams showing their might: Kansas State using their depth and star power to throttle Indiana's offense at times, as they branched out to early domination. And Indiana, with their unrivaled determination, not only fighting their way back into the game, but taking a lead in the game's final minute.

And that play.

The Play.

Kansas State and Indiana fought to a near-draw in the West regional final Sunday at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. The Wildcats, after watching Indiana take a one-point lead with :32 left, scored on the game's final play to win the game, and advance to the national semifinals against West Virginia.

For Kansas State, it is a chance to get to the national championship, which eluded them a year ago. For Indiana, it is another year that ends in questions.

The Wildcats took an early lead in a see-saw battle for the game's first half. Then, behind offensive rebounding and Indiana's foul trouble, the Wildcats seized control. The score, 41-28 at the half, did not feel as such. The two teams played with grace and intensity befitting a matchup of mega powers.

"We felt as though it were a two-point lead, if that," said Kansas State coach Domingo Jones, about his team's odd, precariously substantial margin at the half. "We definitely felt like we played as the better team, but not by much. We knew Indiana would never just roll over."

Kansas State used another run early in the second half to stretch the lead to fifteen, at 47-32. It was then that the Hoosiers, and Enoch Horn, began to wake up.

Horn hit a jumper, then had another, to cut the lead to 47-36. After a Jack Shankle miss, Horn scored from the right side. That made it a nine-point game, and sent the Hoosier faithful into rapture.

The two teams then traded baskets, making it 49-40. Rene Eckstein drew a foul by Erich Walton, sinking two free throws to make it 49-42. Kansas State called timeout.

That didn't stop Indiana.

After Kansas State scored out of the timeout, Indiana kept chipping away. Eventually, it got to within two, 53-51. The Wildcats then did what they do very well: clamp down on defense. Several possessions went, for both teams, without a score.

Kansas State then got a turnover by Tommy Fritts, who scored to make it 56-51. But Indiana came back and scored. Like California on Friday, they simply would not go away.

"There would never be any quit in our squad," said Horn through tears after the game.

Kansas State stretched the game back to seven on the strength of their press and trapping defense. Indiana made another run, and got the lead back to two, at 62-60. But they still could not manage to even the score.

"There is pride in denying a level," said Jones. "We tell our team that. If the other team has an opportunity to square even, deny them with everything you have."

The Wildcats kept the lead around 3-5 for a few more minutes, before Heath Williams' stole Shankle's pass. He found Earle Maldonaldo break free, and hit him for a basket. That brought it to one, 67-66.

Still, Indiana could not break through.

Kansas State responded by drawing a foul on Williams. David Gunter sank both, making it 69-66 with 3:19 left. One minute later, Horn's jumper made it 69-68.

Shankle then threw it out of bounds. On the ensuing possession, Eckstein sank a jumper.

Indiana came all the way back. With two minutes left, it was 70-69, Indiana.

Pauley Pavilion shook. A 2.1 registered on the Richter scale, which is used to measure earthquakes.

"I have never, in all my years, seen any place that was that loud," said Jones. "You could feel the place rumble."

Kansas State went through their offense, a series of passing and cutting that befuddles teams often. Indiana is no ordinary team. They faced Kansas State to use all of their shot clock. With two seconds left, Kendrick Stone managed to break free on a screen. He got the ball, shot it, and sank it.

Seventy-one, seventy. Kansas State.

Horn shot on the other end. Miss. Fritts got the rebound, and tossed it quickly to Stone. Rene Eckstein, behind Stone, was able to sneak in and force a jump ball. The arrow favored Kansas State, but the message was clear.

Do not expect the next minute to proceed easily.

Sure enough, Indiana forced a bad ass, and a turnover, with forty-four seconds. The next Indiana possession will surely spark debate throughout the years to come. Do you shoot quickly, and hope to get two possessions if need be, or do you hold the ball, and try to shorten the game?

"No question, you shoot early," said Jones. "They had to. If they missed, and we get the lead to three, they're playing for multiple possessions."

With thirty-two seconds, Mikolas Mares took that shot.

He sank it.

72-71, Indiana.

Kansas State, curiously enough, did not call time. They had one left. But they ran their offense. They have the chemistry, and the experience, that one was not necessary. They ran several passes, as the clock rang down to the final seconds.

Finally, Fritts broke free, on Stone's screen. Walton found him on a curl cut.

Fritts took one dribble towards the basket, and shot it over Maldonaldo.

The clock struck zero. Some will tell you Fritts was too late, that he didn't get the shot off in time. Some will tell you the ball was already headed to the hoop. This will be a debate that will replay only in the memories of those who saw it, and those memories will be clouded with bias.

The ball rattled around the basket for eternity.

Time stood still.

Then, it fell through, into Maldonaldo's hands.

The crowd stormed the court. All of them. Nobody was quite sure who won at first. So, everyone took off. After the referees conferred, they made their judgment.

The basket was good.

Kansas State was heading back for unfinished business.

And Indiana was left holding the ball, wondering if they were handed a raw deal.

"You can't say that," said Indiana coach Kyle Kappe after the game. "All of those young men played their hearts out. One team had to win, one had to lose. In all honesty, it is fitting that it came down to the very end, and that there can be this discussion.

"We fought, and we put ourselves in a position to win. We've been 64-3 the last two seasons, and lost to the national champion a year ago. That team over there...they are definitely quality enough to raise the trophy."

Stone was named Player of the Game for Kansas State (29-3), for his 15-point, eight-round effort. Fritts scored fourteen, and added seven rebounds. Shankle, playing the point in absence of potential All-American sophomore Billy Jacob, scored 12, while David Gunter added ten points, five rebounds, and five assists.

Horn scored 24 for Indiana (32-2), while Godfrey added ten points and ten assists.

Kansas State may have won this game on the glass. They outrebounded the Hoosiers, 41-28.

"I have every confidence we will be back," said Kappe. "We have enough talent in the system, and we play well together. I think we'll return."

For Kansas State, whose run ended in the national semifinals to Duquesne a year ago, they now set their sights on another behemoth. West Virginia won the South region, defeating top seed North Carolina State, 51-43. The Wolfpack were playing short-handed, with forwards Anton Gonzlaez and Garry Sarmiento limited or out with injuries. But make no mistake, West Virginia was the better outfit.

"This was a very ugly, tense game," said NC State coach Richard Dixon afterward. "West Virginia is capable of winning the ugly contest, and they showed it today."

The Mountaineers (35-2) held the Wolfpack (29-7) to 30% shooting, and forced 17 turnovers. They controlled the rebounding, 45-38, and had 18 assists to NC State's ten.

Elias France was named Player of the Game, with 15 points, four assists, and three rebounds. John Hildebrand and Harland Crowe added ten points; Travis Eisele offered no points, but registered twelve rebounds.

For NC State, the hobbled Gonzlaez scored fifteen to lead the way. Boyd Walley scored ten, but Eddie Henry was thrown for a 2-15 shooting night. He grabbed thirteen rebounds and registered eight assists, but managed only four points.

Joining Kansas State and West Virginia as titans of the basketball industry is Bradley. The Braves, ranked in the top five all season, outpaced Kentucky, 77-74, to win the East regional. They did so in the usual Bradley way: efficient offense, draw fouls, and get turnovers.

The Wildcats, though, made it tough, and wouldn't allow the Braves to run awy with it. A two-point lead at the half, Kentucky would answer every Bradley run by the last one. In fact, the Wildcats had a one-point lead with seven minutes left.

However, Bradley turned up the defense, and Kentucky went cold. Before Kentucky could find baskets again, it was too late.

"That is one heck of a team over there," said Kentucky coach Ron Robertson Jr. "Those kids played a complete game. So did we, and they beat us. They are every bit a lion in this game."

The lion among lions is Antonia Dabney, a favorite to be the top overall pick in the professional draft in June. Dabney led all scorers with 21 points, and generated five rebounds. Robert Bohannan added sixteen off the bench to help the Braves (30-2).

David Cohen had 17 with 12 rebounds for Kentucky, who finishes their year at 26-6. Dallas Kovacs, turning into a star at center, had 11 points and 13 rebounds.

The Braves will play San Francisco, who ended La Salle's season, 57-45, to win the Midwest. Warren Tandy won Player of the Game despite scoring just six points and dishing four assists. It was his four steals, and harrassment of Andrew Moreno on defense, that won him the award.

"He makes opposing players very uncomfortable," said San Francisco coach William Mays. "He is a very skilled defender, and it showed today. We don't win if he does not impose his will on their guards."

Tandy will need every bit of that defense in the semifinals. Dabney awaits him.

However, he was not alone in that defensive effort, which forced La Salle to 31% shooting and ten turnovers. Perry Wilson didn't score, focusing his efforts on Explorers' star Timmy McSwain. It worked: he registered nineteen rebounds, and held McSwain to seven points (2-6 shooting) and seven rebounds.

"I knew right away, we had to stop him if we were going to have a chance," said Wilson after the game. "I was not going to let him beat me."

Wilson and Tandy set the tone on defense for the Dons (29-4). On offense, Scotty Suber and reserve Darin Armstrong scored twelve apiece.

William Perrotta was the only double-digit scorer for La Salle (24-8). He had ten.

The national semifinals are now set:

Kansas State (29-3) vs West Virginia (35-2)
Bradley (30-2) vs San Francisco (29-4)

Our predictions are clear:

Kansas State over West Virginia, in another classic. We can't stray from our preseason pick.
Bradley over San Francisco. The Braves are too much balance for the Dons.

muns · 08-11-2015, 07:25 PM

For my sanity, San Fran got blown out by the Bradley Braves 88-43. They still end the season with a final 4 visit. Irritating to no end.

In the National Title game Bradley beat Kansas State 59-43 for their first title, and the AI's 2nd in a row.

The National Awards looked like this

Code:

1954 OVERALL AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

SR SG Timofei Malakhov  Kansas  19.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.8 APG 2.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR PF Curt Davis  Kentucky  7.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.6 APG 0.7 SPG, 2.3 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Kyle Kappe  Indiana  32 - 2 (14 - 0) 

All-league 1st Team:
C  SR Otokar Schulz  Louisville  18.0 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.1 BPG
PF SR Angelo Parham  North Carolina State  8.1 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.1 SPG, 3.8 BPG
SF SR Edward Henry  North Carolina State  12.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG SR Timofei Malakhov  Kansas  19.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.8 APG, 2.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG
PG JR Theodore Layne  California  16.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.0 APG, 2.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C  SR Joe Craver  Vanderbilt  15.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PF SR Rene Eckstein  Indiana  6.9 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 3.9 BPG
SF SR Robert Ventura  Holy Cross  18.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SG SR John Garrick  Duquesne  12.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 6.9 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PG JR Marcos Godfrey  Indiana  10.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 7.6 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 3rd Team:
C  SR Dean Wexler  Washington  13.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.0 BPG
PF SR Les Osburn  Brigham Young  15.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.5 BPG
SF SO Jessie Calvert  Connecticut  14.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SG JR Enoch Horn  Indiana  17.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.0 BPG
PG SR Robin Revell  Idaho State  13.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 5.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C  FR Nickolas Parker  Tennessee Tech  13.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.2 BPG
PF FR Curt Davis  Kentucky  7.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.3 BPG
SF FR Sonny Freeman  Dartmouth  15.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SG FR Trevor Decarlo  Oklahoma City  12.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Rubin Wilcher  Saint Mary's  10.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG

A couple of PCC boys make this list which was nice to see.

muns · 08-11-2015, 07:35 PM

The PCC Awards

Code:

1954 PCC AWARDS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Player of the Year:

JR PG Theodore Layne  California  16.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.0 APG 2.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SG Jean Beckner  UCLA  11.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.5 APG 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Rob Roberson  California  24 - 7 (14 - 2) 

All-league 1st Team:
C  SR Dean Wexler  Washington  13.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.0 BPG
PF SR Ronald Sayer  Oregon State  6.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.7 BPG
SF SO Tyron Crandall  California  10.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG SR Aldo Granados  Stanford  17.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PG JR Theodore Layne  California  16.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.0 APG, 2.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C  SR Stewart Fraser  Idaho  6.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.6 SPG, 2.3 BPG
PF JR Joshua Lopez  Washington  6.4 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG
SF SR Tyrell Phipps  Oregon  16.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SG SR Manuel Barnard  California  11.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG
PG JR Dwayne Jackson  Oregon  13.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C  FR Derek Busby  UCLA  4.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.2 SPG, 1.0 BPG
PF FR J.C. Quiles  Southern California  7.1 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SF FR Ted Walk  Oregon State  6.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG FR Jean Beckner  UCLA  11.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG FR Fabio Pastor  Oregon State  6.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG

J.C. Quiles making the freshman team was nice. He will certainly help us going forward. I have no real complaints except my boy Hernando Hernandez being left off the Freshman team. Having Ted Walk replace him was shocking. The stats are below. Hernando is the top one. Somebody better be motivated next season.

Code:

       G  GS  MIN  PTS  ORE  REB  AST   TO   A/T  STL  BLK   PF
1954  29  29 32.3 12.0  1.8  5.8  1.8  3.7  0.49  0.6  0.2  2.8

1954  32  32 26.2  6.3  1.4  5.5  1.9  2.4  0.77  0.8  0.1  2.8

Some nice talent leaving the league, but as you can see, California has some coming right back, which puts them once again in the drivers side for the PCC crown next season.

Radii · 08-11-2015, 07:45 PM

I'm gonna miss Angelo Parham and his almost 4 blocks per game.

muns · 08-11-2015, 07:45 PM

All we do is sit back and hope our recruits come in just as advertised.

Overall I like our class. Could have been better, but we cant compete with California and Washington just yet. Still surprised we haven't bumped heads with UCLA on the recruiting trail yet. I'm sure that is bound to happen sooner rather than later though.

We needed posts and got them, and the cherry on top is a scorer that can sit next year and get better. Our talent level should be vastly improving as we haven't had much talent going out the door the past 2 years.

Code:

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TROJANS Recruiting

 Name               Pos  Ovl  Reg  Pos  RPos   AA   AS  MBB
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Edmund Nelson       SG   29    8    8     2   No   No   No
 Dante Douglas        C   53   12   11     2  Yes  Yes  Yes
 Michael Fanning     PF   92   17   16     2   No   No   No

 Name               Pos    Ht   Wt   Pts   Reb  Ast  Stl  Blk   To
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Edmund Nelson       SG   6-3  192  23.1   6.2  3.1  0.7  0.1  3.4
 Dante Douglas        C  6-10  227  16.0   7.7  0.9  0.9  2.5  1.7
 Michael Fanning     PF   6-9  202  17.7  11.0  1.0  2.3  1.5  2.4

We do graduate one guy I will miss. David could do a little bit of everything, and had to. We had no scoring, no rebounding, and no "D". I am counting on guys that red-shirted this year to pick up that slack, and of course my freshman that played this year. I think its do-able, but time will tell there. I wont lie though, we will miss David next season.

PLAYER DETAILS

#45 SG David Haynes - Southern California - Senior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Height: 6-2
Weight: 199
High School: Hollywood Senior High School
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Code:

Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:     6  14  18  16  10  15   2  13   3  14  17   6  20  10  17  13    
    1953:     6  13  18  14  10  15   2  12   3  12  15   5  20  10  17  11    
    1952:     5  12  18  13  10  15   2  11   3  11  15   5  20   9  17   9    
 Potential:   D   B   B   A   F   B   F   B   F   B   B   D                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Active Roster                                  
 Academics:   17
 
 Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   G  GS  MIN  PTS  ORE  REB  AST   TO   A/T  STL  BLK   PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1953  29  29 34.9 12.8  0.5  3.7  4.8  4.1  1.17  1.7  0.1  2.7
   1954  29  29 32.3 12.0  0.3  4.2  4.2  3.8  1.10  1.6  0.3  2.5
 Career  58  58 33.6 12.4  0.4  4.0  4.5  3.9  1.10  1.6  0.2  2.6

 Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season  FGM  FGA   FG%  FTM  FTA   FT%  3PM  3PA   3P%  PPS   +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1953  4.3 10.0  .436  4.1  5.0  .814  0.0  0.0  .000 1.28  1.14
   1954  4.8 10.6  .456  2.3  2.7  .848  0.0  0.0  .000 1.13 -1.03
 Career  4.6 10.3  .446  3.2  3.9  .826  0.0  0.0  .000 1.20  0.05
 
 Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   G  GS  MIN  PTS OREB  REB  AST   TO  STL  BLK   PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1953  29  29 1012  370   14  108  138  118   48    2   79
   1954  29  29  937  347    9  122  122  111   46    8   72
 Career  58  58 1949  717   23  230  260  229   94   10  151

 Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season  FGM  FGA  FTM  FTA  3PM  3PA  +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1953  126  289  118  145    0    0   33
   1954  140  307   67   79    0    0  -30
 Career  266  596  185  224    0    0    3
 
 Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type      Pts OReb  Reb  Ast  Stl  Blk   TO  FGM  FGA  FTM  FTA  3PM  3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season     24    2    8    8    6    2    8   12   24   10   10    0    0
 Career     27    2    8   10    6    2    9   12   24   16   18    0    0
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 All      Player of the Game: 15

muns · 08-11-2015, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Radii

I'm gonna miss Angelo Parham and his almost 4 blocks per game.

LOL you should sir, you certainly should! Didn't you say you thought he will go down as one of your all time favorite players ever to be in any of your games?

I just looked. He was only 6'7. If that guy was bigger his blocks would have been even higher. That's something to think about right there.

dawgfan · 08-12-2015, 01:01 AM

The Bear Essentials - A Brown Report

1954 Review:
New coach Howard Stone was under no illusions that he was taking over a conference contender and a team that would make the post-season. Expectations were more modest - play .500 ball (or better) in the Ivy League and in the soft out of conference schedule and shoot for 17 wins and a small bump in prestige. After a decent start that saw them sitting at 11-10 overall and 4-2 in the Ivy, things fell apart for the Bears as they went 1-8 the rest of the way to finish 12-18 (5-9) and next to last in the conference. While the roster certainly was lacking in many areas and with almost no quality depth, it also boasted two pretty good players in C Erhard Schmuck and SG/SF Dirk Long and the thought was they could provide enough solid play to make the season a modest success. It was not to be however - a serious lack of ball-handling and passing skills team-wide (no players were higher than 11 in ball-handling or 8 in passing) crippled the offense that already lacked much in the way of players that could create their own shots. Now they lose their two best players to graduation and face a drop in prestige while their conference rivals appear to be improving.

Team Leaders:
Points: SG Dirk Long (Sr) - 14.4, C Erhard Schmuck (Sr) - 9.8, PG James Marshall (Jr) - 8.0
Rebounds: C Erhard Schmuck (Sr) - 8.3, PF Mark Coons (So) - 5.2, SF Philip Smith (Sr) - 5.2
Assists: SG Dirk Long (Sr) - 2.2, PG James Marshall (Jr) - 2.0, SF Philip Smith (Sr) - 1.6
Blocks: C Erhard Schmuck (Sr) - 1.2
Steals: SG Dirk Long (Sr) - 1.1

As you can see most of the production on this team came from seniors - Long & Schmuck were the guys carrying the team, and they just didn't have enough quality help around them to meet expectations. As mentioned the offense really struggled - they were 4th in the Ivy in Offensive Efficiency, but it was a small gap between #4 and #8 while the gap from #4 to #3 was large. They were a little better on defense, ranking 3rd in the conference. But mediocre rebounding - especially on defense gave opponents too many opportunities, as did turnovers (5th in TO% in the conference). Smith was inserted into the lineup mid-season to improve rebounding (which he did), but it wasn't enough to improve team fortunes - in fact, it may have been a mistake as the Bears went 6-12 with him as a starter compared to 6-6 with him coming off the bench.

Graduating Players:
C Erhard Schmuck: 9.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.2 blocks
Schmuck was easily our most talented player, a good sized (6'9") post with the skill to start on most teams in the country. He was extremely strong, very good on defense and had good post moves and a decent jumper. His rebounding was average and he wasn't a great athlete, but he was our biggest match-up advantage. He struggled with his offense this past season, shooting just 41.6% but I have to think that was a reflection of the poor team-wide passing and the Bears having only one other decent option on offense. He'll be sorely missed.
SG Dirk Long: 14.4 ppg, 2.2 apg, 1.1 steals
Long was 1A to Schmuck's 1, the only other player on the roster that would have a hope of seeing playing time on a decent team. A very good athlete who could jump out of the gym, he was a decent shooter and the only other guy on the team we could turn to for points. He was a below-average passer and rebounder, and while he was OK defending the passing lanes his perimeter defense was below-par. But he was far ahead of anyone else on the roster, and he too will be tough to replace next season.
SF Philip Smith: 5.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.6 apg
Smith is your typical depth player at the Ivy level, and at first glance we didn't give him much of a look. But he was a returning starter, and as the season progressed and our rebounding became an issue, we gave him another look and gave him a shot. A rugged wing at 6'5", 236 lbs and with decent enough athleticism for the position, he gave us an upgrade on the boards, had an OK jumper and was another guy that could grab a steal here and there. His defense wasn't that good and his passing was poor, but that was typical on this roster. This is a player we should be able to replace with little problem if our recruiting is on track.
C Jeremiah Butler: 1.2 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.1 blocks
Butler was a player on this team. Now he's not. This is a good thing.

Recruiting Class:

Code:

BROWN BEARS Recruiting

 Name               Pos  Ovl  Reg  Pos  RPos  AA   AS  MBB
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Richie Vaden         C  254   48   53    10  No  Yes  Yes
 Charles Strouse     SG  604  112  120    25  No   No   No
 Tian Lin            SG  227   15   45     3  No   No   No

Brown is still trying to fill one final spot in the class and is in rather dire need of a PG - unfortunately all the players we've targeted this season have ended up committing to higher prestige teams, so we're scraping the barrel at this point hoping against hope to find a hidden gem. That said, I'm cautiously optimistic about the guys I have already and am almost certain they will represent a talent upgrade to the roster.

Vaden is likely the key guy so far, a 2-star post player ranked 254th. He's got nice length at 6'10" and appears to be a really good athlete for the position with decent strength and a lot more quickness and hops than your average post player. It's obviously a crapshoot whether his true ratings will match our scouting report, but I think he'll end up being an above-average Ivy league C on defense (and potentially a very good shot-blocker), a decent enough player on offense and an average rebounder.

Strouse is a guy that has the stats you like, but as a 1-star recruit ranked #604 overall you have to take those stats with a bit of skepticism. Still, he should improve the team passing, provide a nice scoring option as a wing, hopefully not embarrass himself defensively and appears to be another well above-average athlete (for the Ivy League at least). I'm intrigued to see how he turns out.

Lin is a guy I recruited off of stats and ranking - as a foreign player I simply didn't have the budget to scout him as that money had to go into recruiting him. So I really have no idea what to expect. The hope (obviously) is that the numbers are somewhat validated by his actual ability, as he looks like a pretty good offensive player that can shoot and get to the line and should be a decent ball-handler given his low TO rate. He doesn't foul much and he appears to be at least halfway decent at generating steals. He does not appear to be much of a rebounder though.

I don't have a great feel yet for how this class will compare to the rest of the conference, but I get the sense that, while it will represent a talent upgrade to the roster, it's not among the top classes in the Ivy. But it's a start.

1955 Preview:
I could try to sugar-coat things, but the reality is I think Brown is headed for a really tough season. This conference has a lot of savvy coaches that have done a great job of finding talent despite the academic restrictions on recruiting, and Brown is behind the 8-ball. Redshirting our classes appears to be the only way to get this program on solid-footing long-term, and that means no matter how good (or not) the 1955 recruiting class is, they won't provide any help next season.

The one beacon of optimism resides around the 1954 recruiting class - all three redshirted, and Brown was fortunate that the previous staff was able to land a pretty good post player in Willard Lindstrom. Like the departing Schmuck he's very strong but not much of an athlete otherwise, but projects as an above-average post defender. Better yet he appears to possess a wealth of post moves, which is good because he can't shoot a lick. He's not bad with the ball in his hands (at the very least he won't be a turnover black hole). His biggest weakness is he's not much of a rebounder, so we'll be counting on him to make up for that elsewhere. Also from that class is Roland Orcutt, a smallish (6'7", 216 lb) PF. He'll need to get stronger, but he's got the potential to be a very good defender down low and provide some decent high-post passing. He's nothing special offensively, but should end up an OK option as an upper-classman. Like Lindstrom he's a below-average rebounder, though he's got some potential on the offensive glass. Returning starter Mark Coons will be a Jr, and he will compete with Orcutt to start at PF and provide Lindstrom some backup at C. He's very strong, a decent (and improving) post defender and pretty good on the offensive glass (but terrible boxing out at the other end). He's mostly a threat on put-backs, but he's got a decent jumper.

Albert Rathbone will be a Sr, and he started off the year as a starter in a 3-guard lineup before getting replaced by Smith. He's much more of a 2 than a 3, but he's got enough strength to not be overwhelmed as a SF, though his post defense is poor. He's OK guarding the perimeter and he can connect from long range, but his jumper isn't that great nor is he much for creating his own shot or passing the ball, and he's a below-par rebounder (a troubling trend for this team). He'll get pushed by the final member of the 1954 class, Gaspard Deffresnes. He's a similar player - more of a 2 than a 3, but he'll play some SF out of necessity. He's an elite jumper, has decent potential as a perimeter defender and should be a pretty good ball-hawk. He shares a similar offensive profile to Rathbone, but he does project as at least an average passer. Like most on this roster, he's not a rebounder - at all.

James Marshall is the other returning starter, and the Sr. will again be counted on to man the PG spot. He's ultra-quick and OK defensively, but he needs to improve his passing. He's not terrible on the offensive end possessing an OK jumper, but really relies on his quicks and jumping ability to get himself looks at the basket. Cortez Ralph will also be a Sr and will compete with Marshall for the PG job and will certainly get plenty of playing time in the backcourt. He's not the athlete that Marshall is, but he's the best perimeter defender on the team and is a slightly better passer, but also a nearly complete void on the offensive end other than from long range.

And that's basically it - six players that aren't bottom of the barrel walk-on quality. The rest of the roster isn't worth discussing. Best-case scenario the team stays healthy, we get some good fortune in our training results and we can find a style of play that suits the team, but the reality is this is likely a season where we take some serious lumps. There's just not enough star talent or quality depth and major holes in terms of team rebounding and passing to overcome. This is a long-term project to get Brown in a position to contend for the Ivy League title, and we hope our AD exercises some patience.

murrayyyyy · 08-12-2015, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muns

Having Ted Walk replace him was shocking. The stats are below. Hernando is the top one. Somebody better be motivated next season.

Code:

       G  GS  MIN  PTS  ORE  REB  AST   TO   A/T  STL  BLK   PF
1954  29  29 32.3 12.0  1.8  5.8  1.8  3.7  0.49  0.6  0.2  2.8

1954  32  32 26.2  6.3  1.4  5.5  1.9  2.4  0.77  0.8  0.1  2.8

Ted Walk has that swag... wait, it's 1956. He is a really super keen guy. I'd say the difference was Walk having a higher PPS (1.15 v .99) and a big difference in +/- (+89 v -51). Dem intangibles.

Or maybe the #177th recruit is really better than the #60 recruit. I dunno, just sayin'

muns · 08-12-2015, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

Ted Walk has that swag... wait, it's 1956. He is a really super keen guy. I'd say the difference was Walk having a higher PPS (1.15 v .99) and a big difference in +/- (+89 v -51). Dem intangibles.

Or maybe the #177th recruit is really better than the #60 recruit. I dunno, just sayin'

lol, Walk is good, and actually might be better, but team stats shouldn't be used for individual awards and that's what the + - stat is. I cant help it that you had a better team and better players

I'm sure that's what did it though.

murrayyyyy · 08-12-2015, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muns

lol, Walk is good, and actually might be better, but team stats shouldn't be used for individual awards and that's what the + - stat is. I cant help it that you had a better team and better players

I'm sure that's what did it though.

He's not better. I was shocked to see 2 guys make the FR team considering we don't do a lot offensively.

dawgfan · 08-14-2015, 12:41 PM

Washington:
Well, the game rated our 3-man class #22 in the country. That's not bad, but considering how well the PCC is recruiting, I'll need to step it up another notch. Here's how they turned out:

Code:

PLAYER DETAILS

 #23 C Grégoire Dupretz - Washington - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       6-9
 Weight:       224
 High School:  
 Hometown:     Toulouse, France
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:     7   9   9   2   5   8   8  10   7   2   9  11   9  18   6  17    
 Potential:   C   C   C   F   D   C   C   A   C   F   C   B                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Active Roster                                  
 Academics:   20
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954     High School: Rated **** and #44 overall by the FBCB scouting service.

Code:

PLAYER DETAILS

 #53 SG Manuel Parenteau - Washington - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       6-0
 Weight:       184
 High School:  Tumwater High School
 Hometown:     Tumwater, WA
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:     6  12  10  18   5   8   6   6   5   5   5   5  17   8  19   9    
 Potential:   D   B   C   A   D   C   C   C   D   C   D   D                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Active Roster                                  
 Academics:   3
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954     High School: Rated *** and #111 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
 1954     High School: All-State (Washington)

Code:

PLAYER DETAILS

 #25 PG Marquis Gray - Washington - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       6-2
 Weight:       198
 High School:  Brighton High School
 Hometown:     Salt Lake City, UT
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:     5   9   9  10  10  11   9   5   8   7   6   5  19   7  10   7    
 Potential:   D   B   C   B   C   A   C   C   C   C   C   D                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Active Roster                                  
 Academics:   6
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954     High School: Rated **** and #41 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
 1954     High School: All-State (Utah)
 1954     High School: Mr. Basketball (Utah)
 1954     High School: All-American

I'm really happy with Gray - he's got a chance to be a 4-year starter for us. Dupretz didn't turn out quite as good as hoped, but he'll likely start for us down the road after some development. Parenteau I'm pretty happy with - while he's not as good at creating his own shot as I expected from his FTA and his scouting report, he has decent potential on defense, as a rebounder and with the ball. He'll need some development time, but we can afford that.

Washington jumped another 5 in prestige to land at 74. Our Lead Scout improved and our Recruiting Coordinator (Maurice Powell) got hired away to be the Head Coach at Western Michigan. He's a good coach - he should improve that program, and at age 26 he's got a great career ahead of him. We've got plenty of budget so we should be able to replace him with an equal or better recruiter. We are considering upgrading our Lead Scout too, although he's becoming a bargain for his salary and age.

Michigan State:
With 4 players signed and 3 of them top-100, the Spartans landed a class rated 10th overall. The bad news is Indiana, Illinois and Iowa had even higher rated classes (the Big Ten is quickly turning into a heck of a conference). Here's how they look:

Code:

PLAYER DETAILS

 #43 C Don Colletti - Michigan State - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       6-11
 Weight:       244
 High School:  Lowell Senior High School
 Hometown:     Lowell, MI
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:     7   3   7   0   9   6   6  13  13   5   2  13   4  17   7   9    
 Potential:   C   F   C   F   C   C   D   B   A   D   F   A                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Active Roster                                  
 Academics:   13
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954     High School: Rated **** and #59 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
 1954     High School: All-State (Michigan)
 1954     High School: Mr. Basketball (Michigan)

Code:

PLAYER DETAILS

 #51 SF Homer Wilson - Michigan State - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       6-4
 Weight:       208
 High School:  Gallatin High School
 Hometown:     Gallatin, TN
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:     6   8   6   9   8   9   7  11   7   6   5   8  14   9  14   5    
 Potential:   C   B   D   C   B   C   C   A   D   C   D   B                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Active Roster                                  
 Academics:   9
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954     High School: Rated **** and #55 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
 1954     High School: All-State (Tennessee)

Code:

PLAYER DETAILS

 #23 PG Douglas Gibson - Michigan State - Junior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       6-3
 Weight:       197
 High School:  Upper Arlington High School
 Hometown:     Upper Arlington, OH
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:     5  16   9  14  12  13   6   3   4  13   9   3  17   6  14  14    
 Potential:   D   B   D   B   C   B   D   F   D   B   C   F                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Active Roster                                  
 Academics:   20
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954     High School: Rated *** and #110 overall by the FBCB scouting service.

Code:

PLAYER DETAILS

 #31 PG Brent Burchell - Michigan State - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       5-10
 Weight:       161
 High School:  Hamden High School
 Hometown:     Hamden, CT
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:    11   7   8  14  14  10   3   6   5  10   9   4  16   7  15  17    
 Potential:   C   D   D   B   A   C   F   D   D   B   B   D                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Active Roster                                  
 Academics:   9
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954     High School: Rated **** and #35 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
 1954     High School: All-State (Connecticut)
 1954     High School: Mr. Basketball (Connecticut)

The most important recruit is Gibson, the JC PG. He's an immediate upgrade at PG and will start for the next two seasons. We're also pretty happy with Burchell as our long-term PG. Colletti is not as good as we hoped; while he projects as a terrific defensive post, his rebounding is just OK and his offense a little below average, though he'll provide above-average passing from the high post. Wilson is intriguing - he'll get to develop the next three seasons while Cyril Clancy holds down the SF spot, and by that point Wilson could be a really good wing.

MSU gains 4 in prestige to 59, still well behind the big three of Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. No changes in our coaching staff in ability, and all three have been retained. Our recruiting budget has risen to $22,335, and with only 2 spots to fill we're hopeful we can land a couple more impact players in the 1956 class.

Brown:
It's all a matter of context with Ivy League teams; a 4-man recruiting class ranked 88th is nothing to write home about in general, but it does place the Bears 4th in the Ivy between Columbia at 45th and Cornell at 164th. Here's how they turned out:

Code:

PLAYER DETAILS

 #45 C Richie Vaden - Brown - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       6-10
 Weight:       201
 High School:  Stevens High School
 Hometown:     Claremont, NH
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:     9   4   9   0   2   3   7   6   6   6   8  14   9  17   9  11    
 Potential:   C   F   C   F   F   F   C   C   C   C   C   A                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Active Roster                                  
 Academics:   19
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954     High School: Rated ** and #254 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
 1954     High School: All-State (New Hampshire)
 1954     High School: Mr. Basketball (New Hampshire)

Code:

PLAYER DETAILS

 #43 SG Tian Lin - Brown - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       6-3
 Weight:       178
 High School:  
 Hometown:     Yong'An, China
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:     7   9  10  14   9   6   2   3   7   5   8   5  17   9  20  14    
 Potential:   C   C   C   A   C   C   F   F   D   D   C   D                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Active Roster                                  
 Academics:   14
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954     High School: Rated ** and #227 overall by the FBCB scouting service.

Code:

PLAYER DETAILS

 #15 SG Charles Strouse - Brown - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       6-4
 Weight:       183
 High School:  Frederick Douglass Academy
 Hometown:     New York, NY
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:     8   8   7   8   6  10   6   7   5   6   2   5  17   8  19  19    
 Potential:   D   C   D   C   D   C   D   C   D   D   F   D                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Active Roster                                  
 Academics:   17
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954     High School: Rated * and #604 overall by the FBCB scouting service.

Code:

PLAYER DETAILS

 #0 PG Elroy Schuman - Brown - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       6-4
 Weight:       183
 High School:  Maple Lake High School
 Hometown:     Maple Lake, MN
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:     5   8   7   7  11  10   7   2   7   5   4   5  17   5  12  11    
 Potential:   D   C   C   C   C   B   C   F   C   D   F   D                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Active Roster                                  
 Academics:   14
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954     High School: Rated * and #492 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
 1954     High School: All-State (Minnesota)

We gambled on a couple guys and it paid off. Lin we took on faith, and he comes in as our best recruit. His athleticism and offense should combine to make him a pretty good scoring option and he improves our passing and ball-handling. His weakness comes on defense and in rebounding, but we have to expect some flaws recruiting at this level. Schuman is as good as we could have hoped for given we were down to the bitter end in trying to land a PG; a 1-star ranked #492 overall, we took a flier on him without having scouted him and he's actually useful. He'll be our best passer, should be OK offensively and will end up pretty quick. Like Lin he's not much of a defender which is too bad, but beggars can't be choosers. Vaden gives us another decent young post to pair with Willard Lindstrom. He's got athletic potential, could be a very good defensive player and at least decent on the boards and as an inside scorer. He'll be a turnover machine though. Lastly, our other 1-star Strouse isn't as promising as Schuman, but his athleticism gives him a chance to be a useful player down the road if he develops.

A tough season resulted in a loss of 4 from our prestige to drop us down to 25, 2nd worst in the Ivy League. This drops our recruiting budget to just $10,581 - with 4 spots open, we may have to punt on one and focus on getting 2-3 guys given our shoestring budget.

Brian Swartz · 08-15-2015, 02:34 AM

You did incredibly well this year with recruiting at Michigan State. I have to say, as the coach of Michigan, I'm a little disgusted because the two teams that I want to beat are of course the Spartans and Buckeyes. Those are also the two teams that are recruiting amazingly well beyond their station and appear to be priming themselves to pull the Big 10 up to the elite of conferences in the nation. The lay of the land changes every year, but the way it's going right now I can see getting the Wolverines semi-competitive in the conference, rising above a few teams in the cellar, but getting beat by the both of you to keep me from making the top half.

I might have to try to hate Spartans and Buckeyes even more, if that's even possible :P.

With all the Big 10 talk, I thought putting up my Michigan write-up on our recruits might be useful:

While I place a limited amount of value in the official recruiting rankings, they do show a picture of a Big 10 sharply on the rise with four out of the Top 10 classes coming from the conference. Overall the league breaks down with Indiana still very much at the top, Illinois and Iowa as the main challengers in the second tier, and Michigan State breaking away from the pack at the bottom. That leaves six scrambling for competitiveness, of which Michigan is still considered last with 46 prestige. The rising tide is indeed lifting all boats though. The numbers for the first two years show the improvement in recruiting:

In 1953 the classes ranged all the way through 155th, with only two top 10 classes and two well outside the Top 100(both Michigan schools). The median was 55th, average 57th. There were 6 5-star recruits, 4 4-star, and 10 3-star. In '54, nobody ranked worse than 90th, unfortunately that means the Wolverines are last according to the Sporting News tally(I'll get into the accuracy of that in a bit). The median was 32nd and the average 35th. Once again there were 6 5-star players, but 10 4-star and 10 3-star. In other words, the conference brought in a lot more 'very good' talent.

Last year the Big 10 had 3 teams in the Dance, but that could easily become 5-6 on a regular basis soon if this continues.

Recruiting Analysis

Michigan is disappointed overall; having the worst class this year and the second-worst last year in the conference is not a sign of good things. That is partly a PR concern though. Maloney begs to differ, just as he did last year with Beane, that this group is actually that bad. The official rankings sometimes(often? even usually??) do not tell all of the story. Minnesota is a good example, as they trumpeted 4-star F John Pelton, a solid player but somebody that seems to be highly undeserving of being ranked that highly. Overall, Michigan feels they did a little better than the Gophers: similar quality but four players instead of two and Minny is a scholarship short now along with having one of their newcomers a JC transfer. C James Gooch will help them now but in the longer run Michigan would prefer the players they brought in when aggregate contributions are considered. We also think we'll be better off than Northwestern and Purdue, and pretty competitive with Wisconsin in terms of the new talents. That would still put Michigan in about a 6th-place tie in the conference with this class, so obviously the Wolverines are not in any way satisfied with that and we definitely need to do better, but still we take exception to the narrative out there that the publications are pushing about our new players.

Here's how they look as individuals:

G William Harrison -- Offensive limitations were overlooked in terms of his potential as a defender and distributor. Unfortunately the distributor part looks like it will only be decent at best. Harrison will eventually be a very fine perimeter defender, but there is a bit of buyer's remorse here. His surprising ability to defend in the post as well may lead to him eventually getting the call as an undersized(6-3) small forward.

G Chris Strobel -- A better passer than Harrison but limited defensively. A decent shooter, which goodness knows this team needs, but he'll score only on spot-up attempts. Hopefully he'll not be needed to be more than a backup. A solid player, but that means not good enough in this conference. Another guy who we scouted as better than he is.

F Emile Patel -- Patel was expected to be the weak point of this class. Raw and yet already a pretty good athlete, he can score and defend inside but is only 6-4. Looks like he'll be an 'energy sub' kind of player.

C Ervin Sessions -- Much like Harrison, Session is good but we expected more based on what we saw of him in HS. You can't teach 7-0, 284 lbs., so that's one advantage. As of now, there are three seven-footers in the conference. Alvaro Iglesias at Indiana is the better player for sure, but not competing with the Hoosiers isn't news. Session is strong as an ox but doesn't move well at all -- hopefully there will be at least some improvement there. Should become a very good inside scorer and shot-blocker, with decent defense but won't rebound as well as you would expect for someone of his size. He won't need to do much this year unless Sandlin gets hurt, but after he graduates next year we need him to step up as the man in the middle.

Underclassmen Talent

Looking at the next few years, it's a tough battle for the Wolverines no matter how you slice it. Michigan fans can be assured though that this program is in fact in the battle. The real winners right now are the hated Ohio State Buckeyes, who have amassed a fabulous array of young talent, the first of which will begin to hit the court this season. In a couple of years, they could well be giving the 'Triple-I' a run for their money on the court. After that though, Michigan is right now in the middle tier along with Purdue and Michigan State -- but if the Spartans keep recruiting like they did this past season, they'll be up there with the best of the conference as well. Wisconsin's about a step behind, with Northwestern and Minnesota rounding out the bottom of the league in terms of future talent. The Gophers are a team to watch this year on the recruiting trail. They will be replacing five seniors, some very good players among them. They'll have a solid group to watch this season, but they really need to bring in some top talent if they want to avoid sinking in '56 and beyond.

muns · 08-16-2015, 09:49 AM

PCC Prestige rankings since the beginning file.

As you can see we have some notable jumps in 2 years time and everybody has gone up. That's what a strong conference can and will do for you. We sit at 54 which puts us right smack in the middle of the pack. We need a big jump this year as that lead UCLA and Cali has cannot stay that way.

Code:

California	                     64	69	76
Oregon	                             42	43	49
Washington	                     65	69	74
UCLA	                             60	59	60
Washington State	             42	41	43
Southern California	             51	51	54
Oregon State	                     50	53	58
Idaho	                             30	32	37
Stanford	                     42	49	51

muns · 08-16-2015, 10:00 AM

PCC Game Recruiting Rankings

Code:

1954 Recruiting Rankings

     # Team                   Conference        Best Player    Rtg  5*  4*  3*  2*  1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    9. California                    PCC      SF Dale Frank  *****   2   1   0   0   0
   15. Oregon State                  PCC     PG Gerald Kutz  *****   1   1   1   0   0
   21. Southern California           PCC   SG Edmund Nelson   ****   0   3   0   0   0
   22. Washington                    PCC    PG Marquis Gray   ****   0   2   1   0   0
   24. Stanford                      PCC  PF Romain Dehalle   ****   0   1   2   0   0
   27. UCLA                          PCC     C  Daniel Nock   ****   0   2   1   0   0
   47. Idaho                         PCC  PG Charles Witten   ****   0   1   0   1   2
   66. Oregon                        PCC  C  Joshua Sherman    ***   0   0   1   1   2
   84. Washington State              PCC    PF Scott Ribich    ***   0   0   1   2   0

muns · 08-16-2015, 10:05 AM

Don't let those ratings fool you. Yes we had a decent class, but I think some other teams brought in stronger classes than we did this year.

This is how I would rate the PCC in terms of recruiting rankings this year. Total is the points I gave based on my own methods of ranking the recruits, and ATH is athletic ability.

Code:

                                  Total         Ath
CAL	                            187	        47.66
Washington 	                    176.66	48.66
Stanford	                    174.33	47
Oregon State	                    173.66	39.66
USC	                            173.66	46.66
Washington State	            171.33	44.33
UCLA	                            166.66	38
Idaho	                            165.75	42.75
Oregon 	                            142.5	33.25

muns · 08-16-2015, 10:08 AM

As you can see there are some decent differences between the to. I've been saying this for the past 2 years. Washington state is going to be a problem sooner rather than later. They brought in a good JUCO which the game doesn't give enough credit for. But when you add up all the attributes, they are right there in the mix.

muns · 08-16-2015, 10:13 AM

Our Recruits

Dante comes is as expected and will get major playing time in the post this year. We have a grand total of 4 posts now, but I am thinking about redshirting our other Freshman post to help balance out the roster.

Code:

 PLAYER DETAILS

 #14 C Dante Douglas - Southern California - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       6-10
 Weight:       227
 High School:  Coolidge High School
 Hometown:     Coolidge, AZ
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:    10   5   8   3  10   4  13   6   8   4   6  12   6  14   5  12    
 Potential:   B   D   C   F   B   D   A   C   C   F   C   B                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Active Roster                                  
 Academics:   10
 
 Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   G  GS  MIN  PTS  ORE  REB  AST   TO   A/T  STL  BLK   PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Career   0   0  0.0  0.0  0.0  0.0  0.0  0.0   A/T  0.0  0.0  0.0

 Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season  FGM  FGA   FG%  FTM  FTA   FT%  3PM  3PA   3P%  PPS   +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Career  0.0  0.0  .000  0.0  0.0  .000  0.0  0.0  .000 0.00  0.00
 
 Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   G  GS  MIN  PTS OREB  REB  AST   TO  STL  BLK   PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Career   0   0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0

 Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season  FGM  FGA  FTM  FTA  3PM  3PA  +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Career    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 
 Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type      Pts OReb  Reb  Ast  Stl  Blk   TO  FGM  FGA  FTM  FTA  3PM  3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season      0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 Career      0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954     High School: Rated **** and #53 overall by the FBCB scouting service.
 1954     High School: All-State (Arizona)
 1954     High School: Mr. Basketball (Arizona)
 1954     High School: All-American

Michael is our other Post in this class. Not as seasoned as Dante, but wll eventually play a good bit. he is the one I am thinking about redshirting and taking a gamble with 3 posts this year to balance out the roster.

Code:

PLAYER DETAILS

 #3 PF Michael Fanning - Southern California - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       6-9
 Weight:       202
 High School:  Atascadero High School
 Hometown:     Atascadero, CA
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:     8   9  12   0   9   4  14   7   7   4   8   7   6  15   8  11    
 Potential:   C   C   B   F   C   D   A   C   C   D   B   B                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Redshirting                                    
 Academics:   10
 
 Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   G  GS  MIN  PTS  ORE  REB  AST   TO   A/T  STL  BLK   PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Career   0   0  0.0  0.0  0.0  0.0  0.0  0.0   A/T  0.0  0.0  0.0

 Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season  FGM  FGA   FG%  FTM  FTA   FT%  3PM  3PA   3P%  PPS   +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Career  0.0  0.0  .000  0.0  0.0  .000  0.0  0.0  .000 0.00  0.00
 
 Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   G  GS  MIN  PTS OREB  REB  AST   TO  STL  BLK   PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Career   0   0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0

 Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season  FGM  FGA  FTM  FTA  3PM  3PA  +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Career    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 
 Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type      Pts OReb  Reb  Ast  Stl  Blk   TO  FGM  FGA  FTM  FTA  3PM  3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season      0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 Career      0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954     High School: Rated **** and #92 overall by the FBCB scouting service.

muns · 08-16-2015, 10:16 AM

Our last piece is going to get redshirted and he was our best guy from this class.

Edmund will eventually be able to score a bunch for us, but I like his height and his athletic ability. Being able to redshirt him due to a bunch of guards on the roster will eventually pay off for us.

Code:

PLAYER DETAILS

 #54 SG Edmund Nelson - Southern California - Freshman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Height:       6-3
 Weight:       192
 High School:  Redlands Senior High School
 Hometown:     Redlands, CA
 
 Attributes:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type       INS JPS FTS 3PS HND PAS ORB DRB PSD PRD STL BLK QKN STR JMP STA    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Current:    12   8  10  11   4   5  10   8   8   6   5   2  18  11  18  16    
 Potential:   A   C   C   B   D   D   B   C   C   C   D   F                

 Health:      Good                                           
 Scholarship: Yes
 Status:      Redshirting                                    
 Academics:   7
 
 Stat Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   G  GS  MIN  PTS  ORE  REB  AST   TO   A/T  STL  BLK   PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Career   0   0  0.0  0.0  0.0  0.0  0.0  0.0   A/T  0.0  0.0  0.0

 Shooting Averages:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season  FGM  FGA   FG%  FTM  FTA   FT%  3PM  3PA   3P%  PPS   +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Career  0.0  0.0  .000  0.0  0.0  .000  0.0  0.0  .000 0.00  0.00
 
 Stat Totals:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   G  GS  MIN  PTS OREB  REB  AST   TO  STL  BLK   PF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Career   0   0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0

 Shooting Totals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season  FGM  FGA  FTM  FTA  3PM  3PA  +/-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Career    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 
 Career Highs:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Type      Pts OReb  Reb  Ast  Stl  Blk   TO  FGM  FGA  FTM  FTA  3PM  3PA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season      0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 Career      0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0
 
 Awards & Acheivements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954     High School: Rated **** and #29 overall by the FBCB scouting service.

muns · 08-16-2015, 10:19 AM

Our biggest addition this offseason however isn't a recruit. Coach Aceves coming over from Arizona to be our Coaching Assistant is huge for us. Having a 20-20 guy will help our pups develop and help us win some games this year.

I hope to have him around for a few years. Him being 69 though, Im not sure how much gas will be left in the tank.

Code:

COACH DETAILS

 Richard Aceves - Coaching Assistant - Southern California
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Age:             69
 High School:     San Juan High School
 Hometown:        Citrus Heights, CA
 Alma Mater:      Minnesota
 
 Current Level:   7
 Career Record:   35 - 25
 Salary:          $200,000
 
 Recruiting:      5
 Scouting:        5
 Offense:         20
 Defense:         20
 
 Coaching History:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season Team                     Position      W   L  CW  CL  Postseason
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1954   Arizona                  Head Coach   19  12   8   4  Loss in NIT Round 2
 1953   Arizona                  Head Coach   16  13   9   3  No Postseason
 
 Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          No awards won.
 
 Job Movement:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Move
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1955     Hired by Southern California (Assistant Coach)
 1953     Hired by Arizona (Head Coach)

murrayyyyy · 08-16-2015, 11:01 AM

200k for a coach? My total budget at St Joe's is only 325k.

muns · 08-16-2015, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

200k for a coach? My total budget at St Joe's is only 325k.

And here I was thinking I got a steal since Radi paid 260K for his.

Honestly though, I know I am taking a huge gamble here. I take around a 20K hit in my recruiting budget, but I am hoping I can continue to recruit the way I have the past 2 years without it.... I know easier said than done right.

I think this is a good year for me to take the gamble though. All of my guys that play with be FR or SO sans 2 seniors and the young guys have been good classes in general. So if this coach sticks around for 2 years, those training camps should be worth it to me. If he doesn't stick around, and retires after this year, I might have lost out. It will be hard to replace a 20-20 coach without throwing around Radi money.

Radii · 08-16-2015, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muns

And here I was thinking I got a steal since Radi paid 260K for his.

I've never paid that much for a coach before, I went a bit insane based on the issues I had last season in hiring. That said, $200-$230k isn't unusual for me at all. Of course, I place zero value in scouting so I'm also min/maxing a good bit here. I'll hire a $30k scout to be able to splurge on assistant/recruiter as needed.

You've still got $23k/mo recruiting budget, which is just about perfect I think. $25k+ always feels like a waste to me.

Brian Swartz · 08-16-2015, 01:14 PM

I have to say I really don't understand why people don't place value in scouting in this game. Maybe it's different with the top recruits at a powerhouse program, but you can have 1-stars with the potential to be a good starter at a lower-tier school, or have the potential to do absolutely nothing.

Scouting is the only way you know which is which. I think it's huge.

Radii · 08-16-2015, 01:34 PM

Most of my experience does come at top schools. Not NC State level of dominant recruiting, which is just silly right now, though other teams will catch up quickly in this league and there will be a lot more of us competing for the top recruits soon other than just Kentucky/Indiana/NC State or whatever... anyway. So maybe that does make a difference. Getting the "wrong" guy in the #80-#150 range isn't so bad as getting the wrong guy when you're really trying to find a diamond in the rough.

That said, the other thing for me is trusting my ability to read the scouting information and stats and make an educated guess that works out often enough for me. Some of this for me is a fallback to the old version of the game, where it was a little more obvious and I absolutely had it 100% down to a science. Its not as easy in this version, but I still find myself tending towards paying twice as much for a good recruiter and having basically no scouting instead of paying for an ok recruiter and ok scout and trusting myself to piece together what information is there to make the best guess on who to go after - combined with figuring out who I have a realistic chance of landing, which often trumps everything else anyway.

I'm not exactly shooting up the charts with Idaho or Houston right now, so I may well consider changing strategies at the lower schools later on if I need to.

dawgfan · 08-16-2015, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muns

Our biggest addition this offseason however isn't a recruit. Coach Aceves coming over from Arizona to be our Coaching Assistant is huge for us. Having a 20-20 guy will help our pups develop and help us win some games this year.

...and muns throws down the gauntlet in the PCC. Here I was thinking I was doing pretty well with my 13/18 guy. I'm hopeful he's just one more season away from seeing a bump in his ratings which would make him more of a coaching bargain, but I'm probably saving too much money for my recruiting budget and should bump up my payroll.

It'll be interesting to see who Roberson decides to hire at Cal. If he's not careful, he's going to lose Burrus soon.

For fun, here's the coaching attributes and training facility totals for the PCC:

Code:

Cal:
HC:	17	13
AC:		
Facilities:	15

Idaho:
HC:	9	20
AC:	6	16
Facilities:	6

Oregon:
HC:	20	9
AC:	11	20
Facilities:	11

Oregon State:
HC:	20	9
AC:	3	9
Facilities:	13

USC:
HC:	11	11
AC:	20	20
Facilities:	11

Stanford:
HC:	19	11
AC:	5	10
Facilities:	9

UCLA:
HC:	9	17
AC:	19	10
Facilities:	12

Washington:
HC:	17	17
AC:	13	18
Facilities:	14

WSU:
HC:	17	12
AC:	18	3
Facilities:	9

Pending what Cal does with their opening, I figure I'm probably still getting the most development bump, but there's also schedule to consider. My SoS last season wasn't as good as I'd hoped and I know some teams (like USC) had tougher schedules that should result in some bonus training points.

If my guy Bray doesn't get a bump in his ratings next off-season I'll have to seriously consider looking to upgrade there.

murrayyyyy · 08-16-2015, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawgfan

...and muns throws down the gauntlet in the PCC. Here I was thinking I was doing pretty well with my 13/18 guy. I'm hopeful he's just one more season away from seeing a bump in his ratings which would make him more of a coaching bargain, but I'm probably saving too much money for my recruiting budget and should bump up my payroll.

It'll be interesting to see who Roberson decides to hire at Cal. If he's not careful, he's going to lose Burrus soon.

For fun, here's the coaching attributes and training facility totals for the PCC:

Code:

Cal:
HC:	17	13
AC:		
Facilities:	15

Idaho:
HC:	9	20
AC:	6	16
Facilities:	6

Oregon:
HC:	20	9
AC:	11	20
Facilities:	11

Oregon State:
HC:	20	9
AC:	3	9
Facilities:	13

USC:
HC:	11	11
AC:	20	20
Facilities:	11

Stanford:
HC:	19	11
AC:	5	10
Facilities:	9

UCLA:
HC:	9	17
AC:	19	10
Facilities:	12

Washington:
HC:	17	17
AC:	13	18
Facilities:	14

WSU:
HC:	17	12
AC:	18	3
Facilities:	9

Pending what Cal does with their opening, I figure I'm probably still getting the most development bump, but there's also schedule to consider. My SoS last season wasn't as good as I'd hoped and I know some teams (like USC) had tougher schedules that should result in some bonus training points.

If my guy Bray doesn't get a bump in his ratings next off-season I'll have to seriously consider looking to upgrade there.

I think this shows part of the strategy of the coaching assistant. I've always thought they were more valuable to me in the recruiting part since I can use him on the cheap in recruiting with regard to international recruits. The way you guys are acting about it I guess someone's getting moved to scout and we gonna spend some of this cash on the off/def side of the ball.

08-07-2015, 10:32 AM	#107
muns Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Baltimore MD	Well over the past 2 sims I have been disappointed and am getting concerned about where USC is going to stand in the near future not only in the PCC but in the West in general. 1. Washington lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament and took a loss by the score of 80-72. 2. Cal on the other hand beats Illinois 68-58, but then loses by 3 to Kansas State 78-75. 3. San Francisco freaking beats Texas Tech, then beats Cincy, and now plays 4 seed LaSalle who beat #1 seed Kansas. So why am I disappointed and concerned? 1. Washington losing sucks for 2 reasons. One, I like Kirk, we go back a long time, and there isn't a better guy around playing in the league. Second, USC needs Washington to overtake Cal within our league prestige wise, so that our recruiting gets easier in the State of California. I can handle Washington coming down and taking top kids from California. I cannot have another Cali school sitting on top of the throne in Cali (where my recruiting base is) and then have Washington coming down in and grabbing kids. That simply won’t work for us. If I am going to be able to jump over top some of our other teams in the PCC, Washington needs to overtake Cal. At the moment that just isn't happening. Not only has Cal shared the regular season title within the PCC, but they are going further in the NCAA tourney. Their Prestige is going to get more of a bump and my recruiting just got harder. 2. While that BS is going on within the PCC- the little KNAT that is San Francisco just won’t GO AWAY. So not only did they swipe my recruit 2 seasons ago ( Center-Vaughn Griffis) who by the way would have solved my little freaking post issue this year (can you tell I am still a little hot about this) but these little bastards have a legit shot at making the final 4, which once again give them a huge prestige bump. So, I am going to have to compete against another top team from a different conference who can swipe recruits hard all because they got a sweet draw in the NCAA tournament. Not good at all for USC, nor the rest of my conference mates for that matter. I don’t even want to think about the number of recruits that are going to start out liking them now. The State of the PCC compared to us. So Washington and California I have already wrote about. That leaves the rest. Both are good and don’t look to be going anywhere anytime soon. Oregon State- Their Freshman class was no joke last year, and honestly might be the only school that can say they had a better recruiting class that USC last year. Walk, Brodie, Pastor, and Toomer are all kids that can play and will be dangerous going forward. They have made the NIT 2 years in a row and should see some prestige bumps. Looking forward to seeing how they deal with losing Salazar and Sayer in the post. Am not sad to see either of them go. They get the edge over us going forward. Oregon- Floyd Root and Colin Dunleavy are good guys to have but they need more. I feel ok about where I am in comparison to where they are. Idaho- Had a hell of a class for being Idaho last year. I mean they beat us in conf play this year. However, Patterson can’t be there forever (being a rising senior), and it doesn’t look like they will be able to compete with USC in the future (they just need more). I feel good about where we are in comparison to them. Washington State- This is the squad that nobody even knows is coming. But I’m telling everybody they are. Perkins, Barham, Visser and Barbieri are a hell of a freshman class. They certainly make me nervous with the class but they need another one to keep up. They are right there though and the rest of us need to take notice. Stanford- They didn’t have a great class last year, but they weren’t terrible either. They should be able to provide spot mins, as long as they bring in some better guys. I feel ok with where we are with respect to them at the moment. We shall see who they sign this year to see if that assessment changes. UCLA- They finished up 9-20 this year. Not good. If they didn’t land JUCO Tyler Williamson last year, can you imagine where they might have ended up without him? I love Jean Beckner, and he might be the Freshman of the year in the PCC. Busby will be around another 3 years in the post, and while Hoffman isn’t as good as the other 2, he will be a decent pg in the future. I think they are on par with us, but I give us the edge as we have more freshman than they do. This conf is going to be bad ass in a few years, I just hope USC is around the top of it rather than at the bottom like we are at the moment. This next class can’t get here soon enough Last edited by muns : 08-07-2015 at 10:46 AM.

08-08-2015, 07:10 PM	#114
dawgfan Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Seattle	Mush - A Husky Report 1954 Review: It was a good season for Washington. It was also a season of disappointment. The Huskies once again finished 13-3 in the PCC, won 25 games and garnered an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately they also finished 2nd in the conference again and were bounced in the 1st round of the Big Dance again. The Huskies claimed nice wins over San Francisco, Cal, Arizona, Seattle (twice) and Oregon State. But losses to Oregon, Maryland and St. Johns proved they were not one of the elite teams of 1954. With a recent poll ranking of 11th and an RPI rank of 22nd, the Huskies should again get a prestige bump, probably to around 72 or so. But another season falling short of AD expectations means that much longer until needed coaching improvements and facilities upgrades arrive. Team Leaders: Points: C Dean Wexler (Sr) - 13.8, SG Daniel Fenton (So) - 12.9, SG Italo Malocco (Fr) - 9.2 Rebounds: C Dean Wexler (Sr) - 10.3, PF Joshua Lopez (Jr) - 8.3, SF Gisbert Bittes (RS-So) - 4.4 Assists: PG Ellis Murphy (Jr) - 5.8, SG Daniel Fenton (So) - 2.8, C Dean Wexler (Sr) - 1.8 Blocks: C Dean Wexler (Sr) - 2.0 Steals: SG Italo Malocco (Fr) - 1.3 Washington's biggest issue in 1954 was being good, but not quite good enough. They were 2nd in the conference in offensive and defensive efficiency, but weren't good enough in either category nationally to be a true top-10 type of team. The defense could have used another shot-blocker in the middle and/or more guys capable of getting steals. On offense there was plenty of good passing and ball-handling, but not enough isolation or jump shooting ability to fully take advantage. One clear area of strength was in defensive rebounding where they ranked 10th nationally in efficiency. More offensive rebounding would have helped with the offense numbers though. Graduating players: C Dean Wexler: 13.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 2.0 blks Wexler is an excellent post player and has been a key player these past two seasons for UW. An excellent defender, good rebounder, strong inside on offense and with the strength to bang with anyone down low, he'll be very hard to replace. A touch short at 6'8", not terribly quick and lacking much of a shooting touch, he might not be a top-level NBA prospect, but he's still likely to be drafted. His season should earn him All-Conference honors and a shot at PCC PotY and All-American consideration. C/PF Scott Campbell: 1.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.6 blks Washington has been fortunate to have a nice collection of bigs the last two years; on many other teams Campbell would have been a starter or significant contributor. With the Huskies he was typically the 4th post player on the depth, but he provided solid play with no glaring weaknesses. He wasn't the strongest player offensively (though he had great FG% his two seasons) but could hold his own on the boards and on defense. We'll miss the quality depth he provided. SF Brad Knuth: 1.6 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.4 stl Knuth provided decent depth at the 3. He had strong passing and ball-handling skills and was not bad offensively and on the boards. But his perimeter defense was not great and his athleticism was a bit lacking to keep up with the high level wings out there. Recruiting Class: Code: #11 WASHINGTON HUSKIES Recruiting Name Pos Ovl Reg Pos RPos AA AS MBB -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grégoire Dupretz C 44 5 10 1 No No No Manuel Parenteau SG 111 25 18 4 No Yes No Marquis Gray PG 41 10 9 4 Yes Yes Yes I like this class quite a bit and feel it’s a step up from my 1954 class. But I’m not sure it’s good enough to get the Huskies to the top of the PCC. Losing Dale Frank to the Bears was a bitter blow – we need to be able to land the 4 & 5 star local kids. And while I didn’t want to pursue any JC players so as to keep my classes balanced, I have a feeling I’ll regret not recruiting Marc Cundiff (also committed to Cal). Dupretz is the key to the class. He looks like a potential difference-maker down low, featuring sufficient height, superior athleticism and very good potential on offense, as a rebounder and as a defender. We’re uncertain what to expect as his scouted current abilities and future potential show some significant variability and our scouts are not to be trusted. But we’re optimistic he’ll be a long-term answer at the 4 or 5 spot. Gray is a really nice get for us as a future star at PG. I love his 9.6 assists to 1.9 turnovers, and he projects as potentially a pretty good shooter. He’s got enough athleticism and projects as an above-average defender – if so, he has a good chance at winning the PG job in 1956 and being a 4-year starter. Parenteau was the final piece, a kid that qualified at the last possible moment. He looks like he’ll be a terrific shooter and scorer for us down the road. The main question is if his defense develops as projected (color me skeptical). Worst-case he’d be a terrific scorer off the bench. We should have the luxury of redshirting all three, but we’ll have a better idea when they get to campus and we can properly assess their abilities. I expect this class to rank ~20th, possibly a bit higher. 1955 Preview: Losing Wexler changes the complexion of this team. While C Francis Calhoun is a good-looking young post, he's not quite ready to provide the same impact as Wexler, at least not next year. He's a bit bigger and a little more athletic, and he should end up being very strong defensively and on the glass (particularly the offensive glass), but his offensive skills are different as he relies more on his jump shot. Next to him on the front line with be Sr. Joshua Lopez in his 2nd year as a starter. Lopez is undersized at 6'7" and not a big shot-blocker or a primary option on offense, but he's an elite defender and rebounder and that's his niche. Backing them up with be RS-Fr Burt Lingle. Lingle has good size at 6'11" and is pretty strong, but he's destined to be a career back-up as he's just OK on offense and defense and is a below-average rebounder. Out on the wing, RS-Jr Gisbert Wittes returns for his 2nd season as a starter. The German import is a good fit at the 3 as he has just enough quickness to hold his own against the smaller guys and enough strength to bang with the bigger ones. His defense is good with a chance to be great, he’s a decent passer and ball-handler, his offense is developing and he’s not a terrible rebounder. Right now he’s a glue-guy, but by 1956 he could be a significant piece. Pressing him for playing time will be So Italo Malacco, the only 1954 recruit that didn’t redshirt. He’s more of a SG with good quickness and hops, pretty good perimeter defense and elite potential as a ball-hawk, but he’s got enough strength to not be completely embarrassed at the 3. His hands are decent and he’s got enough potential offensively to be a focus, and he was our 3rd leading scorer despite coming off the bench. An interesting option at the 3 is a walk-on, Damien Elliot. He’s a big kid at 6’9” and strong, but he’s got really good perimeter defense skills and is a very good jumper. He’s not as quick as you’d like at the 3, but his height, rebounding and inside offense could make him a match-up problem for other teams. He’s got enough post-defense skills that he’ll also back-up the 4 & 5 spots. The leader of the team now will clearly be Jr Daniel Fenton going into his 3rd year as a starter. Fenton is a terrific all-around player with a skill set that allows him to play 1-3. He’ll likely start at the 2, but he provides us a lot of flexibility and should be our leading offensive player. He’s already on the NBA radar with 2 years to go, and could be looking at All-American honors over his last 2 seasons. Next to him this year at the point was Ellis Murphy, and the Sr. is a strong candidate to start again in 1955. He has terrific passing skills, but is a little weak (relatively speaking) as a ball-handler and not quite as quick as I’d like, though he’s an able defender. If longer shots counted for more he’d be a pretty good offensive player, but in the current rules he needs to improve his mid-range shot and ability to penetrate. Backing up the back-court, there’s Sr. Daniel Ruth, an all-around guard. He’s not quite skilled enough with the ball to start at the PG and needs to improve on defense, but his offensive game isn’t bad. RS-Fr Wayne Toro will enter the mix after a redshirt year. He has great quickness, is a pretty good shooter and has the passing and hands to contend as a starter at PG down the road; his major weakness is his defense though, and that will be an area where he needs to improve. Also coming off of a redshirt is the final member of the 1954 class, SG Jose Park. Unheralded out of high school, he’s very athletic and has very good potential as a scorer. He doesn’t rebound at all though, and like Toro, he’ll need to improve his defense if he wants to start down the road. For now though he could provide some nice scoring punch off the bench. How this team fares will depend a lot on how they develop in the off-season. I wouldn’t be surprised at a modest step-back – I think the talent level around the PCC is rising, and I’m not sure the returning players can improve enough to make up for the graduation of Wexler. I’m still projecting them to contend for an NCAA berth, but winning the PCC is unlikely with what Cal is returning and bringing in.

08-09-2015, 02:35 AM	#117
dawgfan Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Seattle	This is Sparta! - The Michigan State Report 1954 Review: We weren’t really sure what to expect after taking over Michigan State. The roster appeared to have some talent, but a 10-19 (3-11 in conference) record in 1953 suggested some major holes, and indeed, the PG situation wasn’t ideal and there wasn’t a lot of quality depth in the backcourt. So we were pleased with the season, finishing at 23-10 (7-7 in conference) and a jump from 102nd in RPI to 31st. We came oh so close to making the NCAA Tournament and meeting our AD’s expectations in our first season, but we had to settle for the NIT where we picked up a couple of wins before falling to Rutgers. Considering the number of key injuries – starting PG Ronald Choe was lost for the season in game 2 and had to take a redshirt; starting PF Timothy Earl was lost for the season after 13 games and our best player, SG Joseph Barnes, missed 10 games during the Big Ten schedule – I’m pretty happy with how the season turned out. I would expect a nice bump to our prestige, possibly up to 59. Team Leaders: Points: SG Joseph Barnes (Sr) - 15.8, SF Cyril Clancy (RS-Fr) - 13.6, SG Thomas Diaz (Sr) - 13.1 Rebounds: C David Shavers (Jr) - 10.4, PF Timothy Earl (Jr) – 7.2, SF Cyril Clancy (RS-Fr) – 6.1 Assists: SG Joseph Barnes (Sr) – 4.1, PG Richie McGuire (RS-Sr) - 2.8, SG Thomas Diaz (Sr) – 2.1 Blocks: C David Shavers (Jr) – 1.8 Steals: SF Cyril Clancy (RS-Fr) - 1.2 This was a team that played off the mix of quality depth up front paired with a terrific all-around player in SG Joseph Barnes and surprising offense from backup SG Thomas Diaz. This allowed the Spartans to absorb the loss of PG Ronald Choe for the season and a general lack of strong PG play as Barnes himself frequently directed the offense. MSU played well on the offensive end, finishing 2nd to Indiana in the Big Ten in offensive efficiency, but fell to 4th in defensive efficiency as the injuries to Choe and Earl were felt here. Rebounding was generally a strength as they finished 3rd in the conference in rebounding percentage, and they were 4th in turnover percentage. In all, I think they did a good job of maximizing their strengths. Graduating players: SG Joseph Barnes: 15.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.1 apg Barnes was the clear-cut MVP of the team and by far our best player. A very good shooter and with enough skill to play the PG if necessary, he also played respectable defense and wasn’t terrible on the glass. His quickness was an asset and he had enough strength, height and post defense to hold his own at the 3. He should be a shoe-in for All-Conference honors and should get some All-American consideration. While he appears to be a fringe-y NBA prospect, he’s a terrific college player and will be very tough to replace. SG Thomas Diaz: 13.1 ppg, 2.1 apg, 1.1 steals Diaz was not a guy whose attributes jumped off the page at you, but when given playing time he proved himself an effective volume shooter and scorer, playing better than his offensive skills suggested. He possessed decent athleticism which was certainly part of his success. Offense was where he shined; his defense was just OK and he wasn’t a passer at all, though he was OK as a ball-handler. He provided the luxury of an excellent bench scorer and held his own in the starting lineup when Barnes went down. PG Richie McGuire: 6.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.8 apg Thrust into the starting lineup when Choe went down for the year, McGuire did what he could. A touch slow for PG and not much of a defender, he also provided some needed passing skills to the starting lineup. That was about it though, as his shooting was strictly limited to long-range and he couldn’t rebound. The +/- numbers suggest he should have stayed on the bench, but there weren’t a lot of options otherwise. C Frank Poe: 1.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.2 blocks With a number of pretty good post players on the roster, Poe was usually the 3rd big off the bench. He wasn’t a bad player – he had some inside scoring skills and wasn’t terrible defensively, but he didn’t have ideal strength and was below-average as a rebounder. He was your basic deep reserve, a guy that wouldn’t have been a dumpster fire had he been pressed into major minutes, but not a guy you wanted to count on either. Recruiting Class: Code: MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS Recruiting Name Pos Ovl Reg Pos RPos AA AS MBB -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don Colletti C 59 14 13 3 No Yes Yes Homer Wilson SF 55 15 9 3 No Yes No Douglas Gibson PG 110 28 28 8 No No No Brent Burchell PG 35 9 8 1 No Yes Yes I’m pretty happy with this class – it appears at a glance to be one that fills some needs at PG, provides some quality depth at SF and adds in a potential impact C. Colletti was perhaps a bit of a luxury for this class – MSU returns four pretty good post players, and recruiting a big-man wasn’t a requirement for this class. But Colletti was a local kid with interest in the Spartans, and he was simply too good to pass up. He’s got the size you like at 6’11”, 244 lbs and projects as a very good defender and shot-blocker and a strong rebounder. While his scouting report pins him as just OK on the offensive end, his stats suggest he may be a bit better than that. Wilson is an interesting prospect. While he may be a bit overrated at #55 overall, he does have the potential to be a plus player offensively with above-average passing skills for a wing. With some focused conditioning I think his athleticism will really stand out and make him an ideal SF, but I’m concerned his defensive skills will be lacking. Gibson should turn out to be the key recruit from this class, a JC kid that could step right in and fill our need at PG. I like his hands and passing, and he’s a very good shooter that should help make defenses pay for sagging inside. He also projects as somewhat above-average as a defender. Burchell was the last to commit and long-term he’s also a key recruit, giving us a PG to take over when Gibson graduates. He appears to have excellent handles and passing skills and projects as an above-average defender. He’ll need to hit the gym hard to improve his quickness, but he’s got some good hops. His shooting percentages in H.S. were poor, but his offense projects to be respectable, especially from long-range. We should be able to redshirt Colletti and Burchell; Gibson is in contention to start when he arrives, but we’ll see what he actually looks like when gets here. Wilson could stand to redshirt, but he might be needed to give us a true backup SF. I could see this class ranking around 15th, possibly a bit higher. 1955 Preview: There’s no getting around the loss of Barnes (and to a lesser extent Diaz). Barnes was the guy that held everything together with his talent on the offensive end, his passing ability and his defense (he was the best of our perimeter defenders). There’s nobody on the roster that can do what he did, so the nature of the team is going to have to change quite a bit. That’s not to say all is lost for MSU in 1955 – far from it. They have quality and quantity in the front court, and that will become the focus of the team. At C, David Shavers returns for his Sr season and will be arguably our best player. He’s an elite rebounder, a very good defensive player and, with a good PG feeding the post, could turn out to be an OK scoring option down low. Next to him will be fellow Sr Timothy Earl. His return after missing the final 20 games of the season will be important. While he’s a bit on the short side at 6’7”, he has very good strength, is a terrific post defender and a pretty good rebounder (particularly on the offensive glass). He also should be our best option offensively in the post, and together with his proficiency on the offensive glass he may become a double-digit scorer for us. Backing them up are a couple of promising younger guys; Jr Chris Hendren got some starting experience when Earl went down and he did fairly well. He’s got some offensive skill down low and he’s a decent rebounder and post defender. His athleticism is a touch above average for the position, though he could stand to get a little stronger. RS-So Ronald Suter will also vie for time – he’s got more size at 6’10” but also needs to get stronger. He could emerge in the coming seasons as a real strong inside scorer and he’s got great potential on the offensive glass. We’ll be looking for him to improve his defense and his defensive rebounding, but with those two around we have quality depth. A young player that emerged was Cyril Clancy. The RS-So will enter his 2nd season as a starter and does so as one of the key players we’ll be counting on to pick up the slack with Barnes gone. He’s a bigger player at the SF spot but has terrific athleticism – he’s quick, strong and has pretty good hops. He can defend the perimeter and down low and has really quick hands in the passing lane for grabbing steals. He’s raw offensively, relying on his inside game and size but he’s our leading returning scorer and #3 rebounder. He could play some at the 4 if needed, but we’re deep there and he gives us a match-up edge against most teams at the 3. His backup was Stephen Clarkson who will be a RS-Jr. He’s not highly rated, but he’s got some potential offensively if he can continue to develop and get a little quicker. He’s OK defensively, but not much of a rebounder or passer. Coming off a redshirt is RS-Fr Tony Hinman; he’s no star, but with some development he could work himself into being a useful player down the road. He’s not terrible anywhere, nor does he have any trait that really stands out. Getting Ronald Choe back will be nice – while he’s just average as a ball-handler and passer, that qualifies him among returning players to be the PG. The redshirt he got will give him a chance to develop a bit more, and while he’s not much of a shooter, he’s very quick, a good jumper and a plus defender. He’ll either start at the 1 or provide quality backup minutes there. The starter at the SG spot could very well be a RS-Fr in Claude Younts. He’s got nice size for a wing at 6’6” and can jump out of the gym. He needs to get quicker and work on his jumper – right now he’s probably a below-average player on offense. His defense looks good and he could end up down the road as an excellent perimeter stopper. Beyond these two we’ll have to count on walk-on Tomas Vazquez to provide some back-up minutes, and with his defense that’s not ideal. It’s highly likely one (or more) of the incoming recruits will have to play this season to bolster the backcourt. The loss of Barnes and Diaz leaves a major hole in terms of scoring and the team is front-court heavy. Team passing should improve and rebounding should become and even bigger strength, and I’d anticipate team defense improving as well. But injuries in the backcourt would be tough to overcome. I hesitate to predict improvement overall, but I think there’s enough talent for 1955 that this team should contend again for the NIT.

08-12-2015, 01:01 AM	#131
dawgfan Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Seattle	The Bear Essentials - A Brown Report 1954 Review: New coach Howard Stone was under no illusions that he was taking over a conference contender and a team that would make the post-season. Expectations were more modest - play .500 ball (or better) in the Ivy League and in the soft out of conference schedule and shoot for 17 wins and a small bump in prestige. After a decent start that saw them sitting at 11-10 overall and 4-2 in the Ivy, things fell apart for the Bears as they went 1-8 the rest of the way to finish 12-18 (5-9) and next to last in the conference. While the roster certainly was lacking in many areas and with almost no quality depth, it also boasted two pretty good players in C Erhard Schmuck and SG/SF Dirk Long and the thought was they could provide enough solid play to make the season a modest success. It was not to be however - a serious lack of ball-handling and passing skills team-wide (no players were higher than 11 in ball-handling or 8 in passing) crippled the offense that already lacked much in the way of players that could create their own shots. Now they lose their two best players to graduation and face a drop in prestige while their conference rivals appear to be improving. Team Leaders: Points: SG Dirk Long (Sr) - 14.4, C Erhard Schmuck (Sr) - 9.8, PG James Marshall (Jr) - 8.0 Rebounds: C Erhard Schmuck (Sr) - 8.3, PF Mark Coons (So) - 5.2, SF Philip Smith (Sr) - 5.2 Assists: SG Dirk Long (Sr) - 2.2, PG James Marshall (Jr) - 2.0, SF Philip Smith (Sr) - 1.6 Blocks: C Erhard Schmuck (Sr) - 1.2 Steals: SG Dirk Long (Sr) - 1.1 As you can see most of the production on this team came from seniors - Long & Schmuck were the guys carrying the team, and they just didn't have enough quality help around them to meet expectations. As mentioned the offense really struggled - they were 4th in the Ivy in Offensive Efficiency, but it was a small gap between #4 and #8 while the gap from #4 to #3 was large. They were a little better on defense, ranking 3rd in the conference. But mediocre rebounding - especially on defense gave opponents too many opportunities, as did turnovers (5th in TO% in the conference). Smith was inserted into the lineup mid-season to improve rebounding (which he did), but it wasn't enough to improve team fortunes - in fact, it may have been a mistake as the Bears went 6-12 with him as a starter compared to 6-6 with him coming off the bench. Graduating Players: C Erhard Schmuck: 9.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.2 blocks Schmuck was easily our most talented player, a good sized (6'9") post with the skill to start on most teams in the country. He was extremely strong, very good on defense and had good post moves and a decent jumper. His rebounding was average and he wasn't a great athlete, but he was our biggest match-up advantage. He struggled with his offense this past season, shooting just 41.6% but I have to think that was a reflection of the poor team-wide passing and the Bears having only one other decent option on offense. He'll be sorely missed. SG Dirk Long: 14.4 ppg, 2.2 apg, 1.1 steals Long was 1A to Schmuck's 1, the only other player on the roster that would have a hope of seeing playing time on a decent team. A very good athlete who could jump out of the gym, he was a decent shooter and the only other guy on the team we could turn to for points. He was a below-average passer and rebounder, and while he was OK defending the passing lanes his perimeter defense was below-par. But he was far ahead of anyone else on the roster, and he too will be tough to replace next season. SF Philip Smith: 5.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.6 apg Smith is your typical depth player at the Ivy level, and at first glance we didn't give him much of a look. But he was a returning starter, and as the season progressed and our rebounding became an issue, we gave him another look and gave him a shot. A rugged wing at 6'5", 236 lbs and with decent enough athleticism for the position, he gave us an upgrade on the boards, had an OK jumper and was another guy that could grab a steal here and there. His defense wasn't that good and his passing was poor, but that was typical on this roster. This is a player we should be able to replace with little problem if our recruiting is on track. C Jeremiah Butler: 1.2 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.1 blocks Butler was a player on this team. Now he's not. This is a good thing. Recruiting Class: Code: BROWN BEARS Recruiting Name Pos Ovl Reg Pos RPos AA AS MBB -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Richie Vaden C 254 48 53 10 No Yes Yes Charles Strouse SG 604 112 120 25 No No No Tian Lin SG 227 15 45 3 No No No Brown is still trying to fill one final spot in the class and is in rather dire need of a PG - unfortunately all the players we've targeted this season have ended up committing to higher prestige teams, so we're scraping the barrel at this point hoping against hope to find a hidden gem. That said, I'm cautiously optimistic about the guys I have already and am almost certain they will represent a talent upgrade to the roster. Vaden is likely the key guy so far, a 2-star post player ranked 254th. He's got nice length at 6'10" and appears to be a really good athlete for the position with decent strength and a lot more quickness and hops than your average post player. It's obviously a crapshoot whether his true ratings will match our scouting report, but I think he'll end up being an above-average Ivy league C on defense (and potentially a very good shot-blocker), a decent enough player on offense and an average rebounder. Strouse is a guy that has the stats you like, but as a 1-star recruit ranked #604 overall you have to take those stats with a bit of skepticism. Still, he should improve the team passing, provide a nice scoring option as a wing, hopefully not embarrass himself defensively and appears to be another well above-average athlete (for the Ivy League at least). I'm intrigued to see how he turns out. Lin is a guy I recruited off of stats and ranking - as a foreign player I simply didn't have the budget to scout him as that money had to go into recruiting him. So I really have no idea what to expect. The hope (obviously) is that the numbers are somewhat validated by his actual ability, as he looks like a pretty good offensive player that can shoot and get to the line and should be a decent ball-handler given his low TO rate. He doesn't foul much and he appears to be at least halfway decent at generating steals. He does not appear to be much of a rebounder though. I don't have a great feel yet for how this class will compare to the rest of the conference, but I get the sense that, while it will represent a talent upgrade to the roster, it's not among the top classes in the Ivy. But it's a start. 1955 Preview: I could try to sugar-coat things, but the reality is I think Brown is headed for a really tough season. This conference has a lot of savvy coaches that have done a great job of finding talent despite the academic restrictions on recruiting, and Brown is behind the 8-ball. Redshirting our classes appears to be the only way to get this program on solid-footing long-term, and that means no matter how good (or not) the 1955 recruiting class is, they won't provide any help next season. The one beacon of optimism resides around the 1954 recruiting class - all three redshirted, and Brown was fortunate that the previous staff was able to land a pretty good post player in Willard Lindstrom. Like the departing Schmuck he's very strong but not much of an athlete otherwise, but projects as an above-average post defender. Better yet he appears to possess a wealth of post moves, which is good because he can't shoot a lick. He's not bad with the ball in his hands (at the very least he won't be a turnover black hole). His biggest weakness is he's not much of a rebounder, so we'll be counting on him to make up for that elsewhere. Also from that class is Roland Orcutt, a smallish (6'7", 216 lb) PF. He'll need to get stronger, but he's got the potential to be a very good defender down low and provide some decent high-post passing. He's nothing special offensively, but should end up an OK option as an upper-classman. Like Lindstrom he's a below-average rebounder, though he's got some potential on the offensive glass. Returning starter Mark Coons will be a Jr, and he will compete with Orcutt to start at PF and provide Lindstrom some backup at C. He's very strong, a decent (and improving) post defender and pretty good on the offensive glass (but terrible boxing out at the other end). He's mostly a threat on put-backs, but he's got a decent jumper. Albert Rathbone will be a Sr, and he started off the year as a starter in a 3-guard lineup before getting replaced by Smith. He's much more of a 2 than a 3, but he's got enough strength to not be overwhelmed as a SF, though his post defense is poor. He's OK guarding the perimeter and he can connect from long range, but his jumper isn't that great nor is he much for creating his own shot or passing the ball, and he's a below-par rebounder (a troubling trend for this team). He'll get pushed by the final member of the 1954 class, Gaspard Deffresnes. He's a similar player - more of a 2 than a 3, but he'll play some SF out of necessity. He's an elite jumper, has decent potential as a perimeter defender and should be a pretty good ball-hawk. He shares a similar offensive profile to Rathbone, but he does project as at least an average passer. Like most on this roster, he's not a rebounder - at all. James Marshall is the other returning starter, and the Sr. will again be counted on to man the PG spot. He's ultra-quick and OK defensively, but he needs to improve his passing. He's not terrible on the offensive end possessing an OK jumper, but really relies on his quicks and jumping ability to get himself looks at the basket. Cortez Ralph will also be a Sr and will compete with Marshall for the PG job and will certainly get plenty of playing time in the backcourt. He's not the athlete that Marshall is, but he's the best perimeter defender on the team and is a slightly better passer, but also a nearly complete void on the offensive end other than from long range. And that's basically it - six players that aren't bottom of the barrel walk-on quality. The rest of the roster isn't worth discussing. Best-case scenario the team stays healthy, we get some good fortune in our training results and we can find a style of play that suits the team, but the reality is this is likely a season where we take some serious lumps. There's just not enough star talent or quality depth and major holes in terms of team rebounding and passing to overcome. This is a long-term project to get Brown in a position to contend for the Ivy League title, and we hope our AD exercises some patience.

08-16-2015, 09:49 AM	#137
muns Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Baltimore MD	PCC Prestige rankings since the beginning file. As you can see we have some notable jumps in 2 years time and everybody has gone up. That's what a strong conference can and will do for you. We sit at 54 which puts us right smack in the middle of the pack. We need a big jump this year as that lead UCLA and Cali has cannot stay that way. Code: California 64 69 76 Oregon 42 43 49 Washington 65 69 74 UCLA 60 59 60 Washington State 42 41 43 Southern California 51 51 54 Oregon State 50 53 58 Idaho 30 32 37 Stanford 42 49 51 Last edited by muns : 08-16-2015 at 09:50 AM.

08-03-2015, 11:50 PM	#102
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	I agree. Illinois and Iowa are pretty good teams right now so even if we gang up on them they'll still be quality for a while. That really only leaves the other two to potentially beat up on.

08-04-2015, 02:32 AM	#104
Vince, Pt. II Pro Starter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Somewhere More Familiar	Yeah, I'm looking forward to being in the Big 10. I don't know what I'm going to do in the mid 60's when UCSB shows up though - I'm going to want to coach them, but I can already tell I'm way too invested in Stanford or Dartmouth to give either of them up. So I'll probably just watch UCSB from afar...I don't think it would be as fun to coach in a conference with no human owners though, so maybe it's for the best. I don't see a lot of people jumping on the opportunity to coach in the Big West And I have no idea what you guys mean about backing off recruits because someone else is on them. I've had a very good time prying recruits away from people already

08-07-2015, 10:31 AM	#106
muns Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Baltimore MD	The National Basketball Report: March 22, 1955 The Shortest Recap In History... On one hand, we're a little depressed by seeing only one real upset. At that, Cincinnati's defeat of Iowa didn't feel like one. On the other hand...these are your regional semifinal matchups: Bradley vs Temple North Carolina vs Kentucky NC State vs Dayton West Virginia vs Duquesne Kansas vs La Salle San Francisco vs Cincinnati Indiana vs Idaho State Kansas State vs California How can you be upset at that? There were plenty of blowouts by the kingpins. But there were a few close games worth noting. Idaho State 59, Miami 57 (OT): Idaho State couldn't get off a shot to end OT, but they were able to barely outlast the game Hurricanes in the first round. We do admit, Miami (22-8) impressed against the Bengals. Manny Schmidt scored 15 with 8 rebounds, as well as a pair blocks, to lead Miami. The difference, though, was Idaho State's backcourt. Robin Revell shot somewhat poorly (5-11), but scored 15 with six boards and three assists. David Calvert scored nine points, but generated eight assists. Together, the two had just one turnover. So, 24 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 turnovers. That's pretty phenomenal. Duquesne needed overtime to fend off Utah (our pick for the upset special), 74-72. In that game, Duquesne needed to stop Utah on their final possession, which they did, causing the Redskins to pass and pass and pass, until Robert Peeler finally threw up an ill-advised shot at the buzzer. They also had to withstand the Redskins' final possession in regulation, which saw Gene Theisen's shot roll around the rim for what seemed like eternity, before falling off the right side. For the rest, it was steady as they go. The top seeds won their games easily. North Carolina needed a little extra to down Columbia, but that was not a surprise. Kentucky flattened Arkansas, which was mildly surprising; most figured that the Razorbacks would score more. Duke and Temple nearly fought to a draw. Duke led 22-16 at the half, but Temple forced 21 turnovers, and came from behind to beat the Blue Devils, 54-50. In the South, Dayton beating Washington was only a mild upset. West Virginia overcame a sluggish start to upend Niagara, 61-47. La Salle was efficient to take down Louisville in the Midwest, shooting nearly 50% and going 22-30 from the line. Freshman Cam Perry arrived, scoring 21 points with six rebounds, all offensive, to lead that attack. Cincinnati held Iowa to 40% shooting and just nine free throws, as the Bearcats took out the Hawkeyes, 61-53. Regis Deleroeuwe scored 21, but had no other help on offense. And San Francisco had four score double-figures, and held Texas Tech to 35% shooting, as the Dons rolled 74-57. Out West, Indiana raced out to a 40-14 halftime lead against St. John's, en route to a 71-39 win. Enoch Horn scored 27. Kansas State floored Oklahoma A&M, 70-54, while Cal upended Illinois, 68-58. And that sets the stage for the regional semifinals. So, that begs the question...is this the year of the favorite? Are there any upsets to be found in this round? The answer to that is...well, not likely, no. In the West, Indiana and Kansas State are on a collision course. Idaho State and California are mere fodder for both. La Salle needs a near-perfect game from Timmy McSwain and Cam Perry to get past Kansas in the Midwest, and even then, they will likely fall short. Cincinnati could get past San Francisco, but it's not a likely prospect. Maybe the Bearcats are the destinic team of this year, though. So, watch that one. Dayton could give NC State a run for its money in the South, but the Wolfpack looks like a totally different animal since they got healthy. And West Virginia, in our view, has far too much for the Dukes, and should get through to the Southern final. Bradley has too much of everything for Temple. The North Carolina/Kentucky game is, far and away, the most even matchup in this round of the bracket. That could go either way, though we believe Kentucky's experience, and offense, will see them through to the regional final.

08-07-2015, 10:42 AM	#109
britrock88 Pro Starter Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Madison, WI	Grumble grumble at the free throw discrepancy in UNC-Kentucky. But tossing that aside, congrats and good luck to Rob.

08-08-2015, 11:44 AM	#112
britrock88 Pro Starter Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Madison, WI	Sorry 'bout that.

08-08-2015, 09:02 PM	#115
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	Good stuff! Interesting view from the other end of the spectrum.

08-09-2015, 10:13 AM	#118
muns Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Baltimore MD	Heck ya. All good reads right there

08-09-2015, 10:13 AM	#119
muns Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Baltimore MD	The National Basketball Report, Vol 2, Issue 12: Thou Shall Not Repeat The National Basketball Report: March 26, 1955 Where we find out things are as we thought, but not quite... The King is dead. Long live the King. The King is dead. Long live the new King. The La Salle Explorers made sure there would be no total defense of the NCAA crown this season, by knocking off the Kansas Jayhawks, 81-72. In this undoubted upset, it was not the final score that was shocking. Rather, it was the manner by which it was achieved. The game, high-scoring from the start, saw La Salle turn a 12-8 lead at the 15:00 mark into a 33-19 lead at the 10:00 mark. The score was 48-28 at the half. "(La Salle) could not miss," said Timofei Malakhov, who scored 22 points, with seven rebounds and six assists, in his final collegiate game. "For once, we could not keep up with an offense. It was humbling." "We got into a rhythm, and we know what can happen when we do," said La Salle post star Timmy McSwain, who led La Salle with 20 points and eight rebounds. "We thought we could beat them. It doesn't matter what kind of trophies they have...if you don't think you can beat the person across from you, why get your shoes on?" The Explorers (24-7) shot an outstanding 56% from the field, and an additional 25-36 from the line. Kansas (28-3) made several attempts to get back into the game. However, it seemed as though each time they would get back to within six or seven, the Explorers had an answer, whether a McSwain basket inside, or a jump shot from guard Andrew Moreno (15 points, 5-7 shooting), or a well-placed pass by William Perrotta (six points, seven assists). That they did it without potential National Freshman of the Year, Cam Perry, is even more amazing. Henry McNair had 15 points and 10 assists in a supporting role for Malakhov, but they got little help elsewhere. Earle Maldonaldo was 4-13 from the field, while Chris Seay had just six points on 3-8 shooting. They also committed 25 team fouls, and were out-rebounded 38-31. "Getting outrebounded seems difficult for us, with our size," said Kansas coach Dave Keene afterwards. "You have to hand a lot of it to that other locker room. That McSwain is as good as they could. "I will tell you, we got outhustled by that Philly team tonight. That should never happen to a Kansas team. It happened tonight." The Explorers, now the tournament's surprise entrant into the regional finals. However, in an effort to, perhaps, pat ourselves on the back, we offer this, stated in our NCAA Preview issue: 21. La Salle Why They Will Win: The Twin Towers, 6'10 McSwain and 6'10 Davies, are a start. Freshman Cam Perry and senior Andy Moreno forming a top-flight backcourt is another reason. Their bench, while not as talented as others, is young has has the potential to play above the beyond expectations. They are effective on both offense and defense. Why They Won't: Nothing they do truly sticks out. They are one of those teams who, in close games, just had it go their way. They feel as though they could easily be 15-14 as they are 22-7. They could get by Louisville, but how will the Explorers navigate past Kansas? If they do, somehow, they could be the team who crashes the national semifinals. The party-crashers will get San Francisco (28-4) in the Midwest final. They blitzed Cincinnati in the second half, forcing the Bearcats (20-11) into 41% shooting from the field, as well as 28 turnovers. Perry Wilson had 16 points. The big story in this game, though, was the loss of super sophomore guard Stephen Ferrari. He was hit early in the game, hurting his back. He is bed-ridden, likely to miss the rest of the postseason. "Sure, (losing Ferrari) hurts," said Dons head coach William Mays. "Losing anybody hurts. But go ask La Salle if they rolled over (when they lost Perry). There is still a locker room of young men that came here to be their best, and that's what we're going to be." Ernie Paiz scored 16 for the Bearcats, who got further than most thought they would. That includes this publication. In an early view of that game, it is hard to go against La Salle, given that Ferrari is out. The Explorers are far more skilled at the guard position than the Bearcats, and the Dons will have far more difficulty getting to the national semifinals without their young star. There is a chance, of course...San Francisco plays exceptional defense. But McSwain is the best big man they have played this year, and he will put an incredible strain on Wilson. If La Salle can make the San Fran Big Man work hard on the defensive end (where he excels), it will stunt their offense. Meanwhile, it was as expected (as we expected) everywhere else. North Carolina State and West Virginia rolled to victories in the South, setting up a matchup of two of the nation's top overall teams. The Wolfpack, though, suffered a major setback. They lost backup shooting guard, Garry Sarmiento, for the rest of the postseason. This is devastating because, well, they don't have another shooting guard on the roster. Sure, junior Brady Rogers got the start in NC State's 72-62 win over Dayton (23-7), and he played fantastic, scoring 22 and registering 10 rebounds. But he is, by all accounts, a lead guard first (though he didn't register an assist). It will be up to Boyd Walley, Eddie Henry, and Angelo Parham to see the Wolfpack (29-6) through to national semifinals. That will be difficult against the Mountaineers, even though NC State has excelled through several key injuries throughout the season. West Virginia (34-2) simply took Duquesne (25-6) behind the woodshed. They led 43-20 at the half, and held the Dukes to 41% shooting, 20 turnovers, and caused thirty fouls in the 85-56 win. Even with porous foul shooting--the two teams combined to shoot 23-43 from the not-so-charitable stripe), the Mountaineers were every bit king of this hill. Elias France scored 22, while Joe Jenkins scored 11 and nabbed 11 rebounds. They also held Duquesne's storied backcourt of Granger-Hinkley-Garrick to 22 points, on 11-30 shooting. For Granger and Garrick, it was a deflating way to end their illustrious careers, after getting to the title game a year ago. However, they were quick to praise their opponent. "That is as tough a team as we have ever faced," said Granger. "They are quality, all the way." In the end, even with a full side, we found difficulty in picking NC State past the Mountaineers. That feeling only strengthens with the short bench. We believe West Virginia may run away with this one, and not look back. The problem for NC State is that West Virginia thrives in both the fast and slow game. Trying to shorten the game does nothing for the Wolfpack, because the Mountaineers are so good defensively. It will take an absolute crackerjack effort by the Wolfpack to get this done. The East, meanwhile, also went as expected. We said Bradley would out-ugly Temple, and they did just that. And we said Kentucky's experience, and offense, would see them through. Despite North Carolina taking a whopping eighty-one shots, they fell, 76-70 to the Wildcats. Murray Dodd scored 20 for Kentucky (26-5), while David Cohen scored 13 and took 16 rebounds. Kentucky gained their edge from the free throw line, where they shot 22-29. North Carolina was 8-12, which caused some grumbling out of their locker room after the game. But the proof is in the puddling. The Tar Heels played like their hair was on fire, throwing up wild shots at times. They played aggressively, especially late when they tried to get back into it. But Kentucky was too fluid on offense. Bradley will provide a challenge Kentucky has not seen for some time, one with a well-rounded roster that can dictate the game from a defensive standpoint. This is one game in which the tempo is key. It does not favor the Bluegrassians. Bradley has been the best team to generate no conversation all season, and that is a shame. They can beat the Wildcats with their B- game, in our view, because they are that good on defense. We would expect Antonia Dabney and company to perform better, of course. This brings us to the West, where a bittersweet result was almost sullied by two upstarts. Idaho State made Indiana work throughout, but the Hoosiers, and Enoch Horn, were eventually too much for the Bengals to handle. Indiana won in a deceivingly-close 81-77 game. The Hoosiers (32-1) led by double-digits for most of the game, before Idaho State (24-7) closed late. That brings us to Horn. The much-discussed junior college product started slow this season, but is closing at breakneck speed. He scored 32 and registered 11 rebounds to pace Indiana. Make no mistake: This is his team now. It was always going to be, but now, it unquestionably is. Idaho State, who probably would have been here last year had it not been for an injury to star guard Robin Revell, got 17 and eight assists from their guard. David Calvert (18-7-4) will be very difficult to replace next season, and Bengals fans have no reason to hold their head in shame. This team will be held in the annals as arguably the best team Idaho State sees for quite some time. Indiana will get Kansas State in the regional final. This outcome was in doubt, namely, because of California. The Pacific Coast champions used a late first-half run to grab a 43-35 lead at the break. And, when Kansas State started to assert themselves in the second half, the Bears did not hibernate. Unfortunately for Cal fans, the Bears simply could not grab the lead back in the final fifteen minutes. Kansas State held it like a carrot on a string, pulling away a bit more when the Bears would get too close. The final score, 78-75, almost seems too big. David Gunter's 23, on 10-14 shooting, paced the Wildcats (28-3), while Kendrick Stone offered 14 and 11 rebounds. For Cal, we said that Tony Eyre would be called upon to pick up some of the scoring slack, in the wake of Manny Barnard's injury. Eyre more than answered that call, leading the way with a career-high 22. Unfortunately, he also registered four turnovers, including a couple key ones late that sealed things for Kansas State. We said this before, and we'll say it again. It is without reason that Indiana and Kansas State shall meet here. It is an absurd result, a most unfortunate circumstance. While assumptions cannot be made, the game of college basketball would have been helped considerably by these two playing on a national stage. As it is, while the other contenders will be as worthy, it is the fans on the West Coast who will get the greatest treasure in this next round. These were, in our view, the two best teams in the country at the start of the year, and we felt that way going into the tournament. We still like Kansas State, because we're stubborn. The truth is, neither team should be viewed as anything less than title-worthy if they lose here, and we are all better for seeing these two teams get to play each other. We just wish it were in two games...not tomorrow. Our final predictions: West: Kansas State over Indiana Midwest: La Salle over San Francisco South: West Virginia over NC State East: Bradley over Kentucky (Bradley vs La Salle, WVU vs K-State in the national semifinals)

08-09-2015, 10:26 AM	#120
muns Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Baltimore MD	Wow, this sim was brutal, and I mean brutal. Top dog Indiana goes down with a loss by 1 to Kansas State. The jag offs in San Francisco won again, which gets them to the final 4. Ya know just to piss me off. West Virginia beats NC State, and Bradley beats Kentucky. All 3 of our top human teams goes down. I didn't see that one coming at all. I don't see San Fran making the final so there is that to hang my hat on I guess. That would also mean for the 2nd straight year no human team won the title. Old Giants has Rutgers in the NIT title game. Kudos to you OG.

08-09-2015, 02:28 PM	#121
Radii Head Coach Join Date: Jul 2001	My loss to WVU wasn't a surprise, though shooting 31% from the field was pretty disappointing. The fact that all three of us lost, very, very surprising.

08-11-2015, 07:20 PM	#125
muns Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Baltimore MD	The National Basketball Report: March 31, 1955 The Game, and three other worthy contenders for the crown For those of us who were fortunate enough to be in Pauley Pavilion, where Indiana and Kansas State battled in a game never to be forgotten, have a sense of history. Save your ticket stub. Save your game program. You will want them when you tell the story of how you were there for The Game. It was fitting that the matchup between the Hoosiers and Wildcats came down to the game's final shot. It was befitting that it showed both teams showing their might: Kansas State using their depth and star power to throttle Indiana's offense at times, as they branched out to early domination. And Indiana, with their unrivaled determination, not only fighting their way back into the game, but taking a lead in the game's final minute. And that play. The Play. Kansas State and Indiana fought to a near-draw in the West regional final Sunday at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. The Wildcats, after watching Indiana take a one-point lead with :32 left, scored on the game's final play to win the game, and advance to the national semifinals against West Virginia. For Kansas State, it is a chance to get to the national championship, which eluded them a year ago. For Indiana, it is another year that ends in questions. The Wildcats took an early lead in a see-saw battle for the game's first half. Then, behind offensive rebounding and Indiana's foul trouble, the Wildcats seized control. The score, 41-28 at the half, did not feel as such. The two teams played with grace and intensity befitting a matchup of mega powers. "We felt as though it were a two-point lead, if that," said Kansas State coach Domingo Jones, about his team's odd, precariously substantial margin at the half. "We definitely felt like we played as the better team, but not by much. We knew Indiana would never just roll over." Kansas State used another run early in the second half to stretch the lead to fifteen, at 47-32. It was then that the Hoosiers, and Enoch Horn, began to wake up. Horn hit a jumper, then had another, to cut the lead to 47-36. After a Jack Shankle miss, Horn scored from the right side. That made it a nine-point game, and sent the Hoosier faithful into rapture. The two teams then traded baskets, making it 49-40. Rene Eckstein drew a foul by Erich Walton, sinking two free throws to make it 49-42. Kansas State called timeout. That didn't stop Indiana. After Kansas State scored out of the timeout, Indiana kept chipping away. Eventually, it got to within two, 53-51. The Wildcats then did what they do very well: clamp down on defense. Several possessions went, for both teams, without a score. Kansas State then got a turnover by Tommy Fritts, who scored to make it 56-51. But Indiana came back and scored. Like California on Friday, they simply would not go away. "There would never be any quit in our squad," said Horn through tears after the game. Kansas State stretched the game back to seven on the strength of their press and trapping defense. Indiana made another run, and got the lead back to two, at 62-60. But they still could not manage to even the score. "There is pride in denying a level," said Jones. "We tell our team that. If the other team has an opportunity to square even, deny them with everything you have." The Wildcats kept the lead around 3-5 for a few more minutes, before Heath Williams' stole Shankle's pass. He found Earle Maldonaldo break free, and hit him for a basket. That brought it to one, 67-66. Still, Indiana could not break through. Kansas State responded by drawing a foul on Williams. David Gunter sank both, making it 69-66 with 3:19 left. One minute later, Horn's jumper made it 69-68. Shankle then threw it out of bounds. On the ensuing possession, Eckstein sank a jumper. Indiana came all the way back. With two minutes left, it was 70-69, Indiana. Pauley Pavilion shook. A 2.1 registered on the Richter scale, which is used to measure earthquakes. "I have never, in all my years, seen any place that was that loud," said Jones. "You could feel the place rumble." Kansas State went through their offense, a series of passing and cutting that befuddles teams often. Indiana is no ordinary team. They faced Kansas State to use all of their shot clock. With two seconds left, Kendrick Stone managed to break free on a screen. He got the ball, shot it, and sank it. Seventy-one, seventy. Kansas State. Horn shot on the other end. Miss. Fritts got the rebound, and tossed it quickly to Stone. Rene Eckstein, behind Stone, was able to sneak in and force a jump ball. The arrow favored Kansas State, but the message was clear. Do not expect the next minute to proceed easily. Sure enough, Indiana forced a bad ass, and a turnover, with forty-four seconds. The next Indiana possession will surely spark debate throughout the years to come. Do you shoot quickly, and hope to get two possessions if need be, or do you hold the ball, and try to shorten the game? "No question, you shoot early," said Jones. "They had to. If they missed, and we get the lead to three, they're playing for multiple possessions." With thirty-two seconds, Mikolas Mares took that shot. He sank it. 72-71, Indiana. Kansas State, curiously enough, did not call time. They had one left. But they ran their offense. They have the chemistry, and the experience, that one was not necessary. They ran several passes, as the clock rang down to the final seconds. Finally, Fritts broke free, on Stone's screen. Walton found him on a curl cut. Fritts took one dribble towards the basket, and shot it over Maldonaldo. The clock struck zero. Some will tell you Fritts was too late, that he didn't get the shot off in time. Some will tell you the ball was already headed to the hoop. This will be a debate that will replay only in the memories of those who saw it, and those memories will be clouded with bias. The ball rattled around the basket for eternity. Time stood still. Then, it fell through, into Maldonaldo's hands. The crowd stormed the court. All of them. Nobody was quite sure who won at first. So, everyone took off. After the referees conferred, they made their judgment. The basket was good. Kansas State was heading back for unfinished business. And Indiana was left holding the ball, wondering if they were handed a raw deal. "You can't say that," said Indiana coach Kyle Kappe after the game. "All of those young men played their hearts out. One team had to win, one had to lose. In all honesty, it is fitting that it came down to the very end, and that there can be this discussion. "We fought, and we put ourselves in a position to win. We've been 64-3 the last two seasons, and lost to the national champion a year ago. That team over there...they are definitely quality enough to raise the trophy." Stone was named Player of the Game for Kansas State (29-3), for his 15-point, eight-round effort. Fritts scored fourteen, and added seven rebounds. Shankle, playing the point in absence of potential All-American sophomore Billy Jacob, scored 12, while David Gunter added ten points, five rebounds, and five assists. Horn scored 24 for Indiana (32-2), while Godfrey added ten points and ten assists. Kansas State may have won this game on the glass. They outrebounded the Hoosiers, 41-28. "I have every confidence we will be back," said Kappe. "We have enough talent in the system, and we play well together. I think we'll return." For Kansas State, whose run ended in the national semifinals to Duquesne a year ago, they now set their sights on another behemoth. West Virginia won the South region, defeating top seed North Carolina State, 51-43. The Wolfpack were playing short-handed, with forwards Anton Gonzlaez and Garry Sarmiento limited or out with injuries. But make no mistake, West Virginia was the better outfit. "This was a very ugly, tense game," said NC State coach Richard Dixon afterward. "West Virginia is capable of winning the ugly contest, and they showed it today." The Mountaineers (35-2) held the Wolfpack (29-7) to 30% shooting, and forced 17 turnovers. They controlled the rebounding, 45-38, and had 18 assists to NC State's ten. Elias France was named Player of the Game, with 15 points, four assists, and three rebounds. John Hildebrand and Harland Crowe added ten points; Travis Eisele offered no points, but registered twelve rebounds. For NC State, the hobbled Gonzlaez scored fifteen to lead the way. Boyd Walley scored ten, but Eddie Henry was thrown for a 2-15 shooting night. He grabbed thirteen rebounds and registered eight assists, but managed only four points. Joining Kansas State and West Virginia as titans of the basketball industry is Bradley. The Braves, ranked in the top five all season, outpaced Kentucky, 77-74, to win the East regional. They did so in the usual Bradley way: efficient offense, draw fouls, and get turnovers. The Wildcats, though, made it tough, and wouldn't allow the Braves to run awy with it. A two-point lead at the half, Kentucky would answer every Bradley run by the last one. In fact, the Wildcats had a one-point lead with seven minutes left. However, Bradley turned up the defense, and Kentucky went cold. Before Kentucky could find baskets again, it was too late. "That is one heck of a team over there," said Kentucky coach Ron Robertson Jr. "Those kids played a complete game. So did we, and they beat us. They are every bit a lion in this game." The lion among lions is Antonia Dabney, a favorite to be the top overall pick in the professional draft in June. Dabney led all scorers with 21 points, and generated five rebounds. Robert Bohannan added sixteen off the bench to help the Braves (30-2). David Cohen had 17 with 12 rebounds for Kentucky, who finishes their year at 26-6. Dallas Kovacs, turning into a star at center, had 11 points and 13 rebounds. The Braves will play San Francisco, who ended La Salle's season, 57-45, to win the Midwest. Warren Tandy won Player of the Game despite scoring just six points and dishing four assists. It was his four steals, and harrassment of Andrew Moreno on defense, that won him the award. "He makes opposing players very uncomfortable," said San Francisco coach William Mays. "He is a very skilled defender, and it showed today. We don't win if he does not impose his will on their guards." Tandy will need every bit of that defense in the semifinals. Dabney awaits him. However, he was not alone in that defensive effort, which forced La Salle to 31% shooting and ten turnovers. Perry Wilson didn't score, focusing his efforts on Explorers' star Timmy McSwain. It worked: he registered nineteen rebounds, and held McSwain to seven points (2-6 shooting) and seven rebounds. "I knew right away, we had to stop him if we were going to have a chance," said Wilson after the game. "I was not going to let him beat me." Wilson and Tandy set the tone on defense for the Dons (29-4). On offense, Scotty Suber and reserve Darin Armstrong scored twelve apiece. William Perrotta was the only double-digit scorer for La Salle (24-8). He had ten. The national semifinals are now set: Kansas State (29-3) vs West Virginia (35-2) Bradley (30-2) vs San Francisco (29-4) Our predictions are clear: Kansas State over West Virginia, in another classic. We can't stray from our preseason pick. Bradley over San Francisco. The Braves are too much balance for the Dons.

08-11-2015, 07:45 PM	#128
Radii Head Coach Join Date: Jul 2001	I'm gonna miss Angelo Parham and his almost 4 blocks per game.

08-15-2015, 02:34 AM	#136
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	You did incredibly well this year with recruiting at Michigan State. I have to say, as the coach of Michigan, I'm a little disgusted because the two teams that I want to beat are of course the Spartans and Buckeyes. Those are also the two teams that are recruiting amazingly well beyond their station and appear to be priming themselves to pull the Big 10 up to the elite of conferences in the nation. The lay of the land changes every year, but the way it's going right now I can see getting the Wolverines semi-competitive in the conference, rising above a few teams in the cellar, but getting beat by the both of you to keep me from making the top half. I might have to try to hate Spartans and Buckeyes even more, if that's even possible :P. With all the Big 10 talk, I thought putting up my Michigan write-up on our recruits might be useful: While I place a limited amount of value in the official recruiting rankings, they do show a picture of a Big 10 sharply on the rise with four out of the Top 10 classes coming from the conference. Overall the league breaks down with Indiana still very much at the top, Illinois and Iowa as the main challengers in the second tier, and Michigan State breaking away from the pack at the bottom. That leaves six scrambling for competitiveness, of which Michigan is still considered last with 46 prestige. The rising tide is indeed lifting all boats though. The numbers for the first two years show the improvement in recruiting: In 1953 the classes ranged all the way through 155th, with only two top 10 classes and two well outside the Top 100(both Michigan schools). The median was 55th, average 57th. There were 6 5-star recruits, 4 4-star, and 10 3-star. In '54, nobody ranked worse than 90th, unfortunately that means the Wolverines are last according to the Sporting News tally(I'll get into the accuracy of that in a bit). The median was 32nd and the average 35th. Once again there were 6 5-star players, but 10 4-star and 10 3-star. In other words, the conference brought in a lot more 'very good' talent. Last year the Big 10 had 3 teams in the Dance, but that could easily become 5-6 on a regular basis soon if this continues. Recruiting Analysis Michigan is disappointed overall; having the worst class this year and the second-worst last year in the conference is not a sign of good things. That is partly a PR concern though. Maloney begs to differ, just as he did last year with Beane, that this group is actually that bad. The official rankings sometimes(often? even usually??) do not tell all of the story. Minnesota is a good example, as they trumpeted 4-star F John Pelton, a solid player but somebody that seems to be highly undeserving of being ranked that highly. Overall, Michigan feels they did a little better than the Gophers: similar quality but four players instead of two and Minny is a scholarship short now along with having one of their newcomers a JC transfer. C James Gooch will help them now but in the longer run Michigan would prefer the players they brought in when aggregate contributions are considered. We also think we'll be better off than Northwestern and Purdue, and pretty competitive with Wisconsin in terms of the new talents. That would still put Michigan in about a 6th-place tie in the conference with this class, so obviously the Wolverines are not in any way satisfied with that and we definitely need to do better, but still we take exception to the narrative out there that the publications are pushing about our new players. Here's how they look as individuals: G William Harrison -- Offensive limitations were overlooked in terms of his potential as a defender and distributor. Unfortunately the distributor part looks like it will only be decent at best. Harrison will eventually be a very fine perimeter defender, but there is a bit of buyer's remorse here. His surprising ability to defend in the post as well may lead to him eventually getting the call as an undersized(6-3) small forward. G Chris Strobel -- A better passer than Harrison but limited defensively. A decent shooter, which goodness knows this team needs, but he'll score only on spot-up attempts. Hopefully he'll not be needed to be more than a backup. A solid player, but that means not good enough in this conference. Another guy who we scouted as better than he is. F Emile Patel -- Patel was expected to be the weak point of this class. Raw and yet already a pretty good athlete, he can score and defend inside but is only 6-4. Looks like he'll be an 'energy sub' kind of player. C Ervin Sessions -- Much like Harrison, Session is good but we expected more based on what we saw of him in HS. You can't teach 7-0, 284 lbs., so that's one advantage. As of now, there are three seven-footers in the conference. Alvaro Iglesias at Indiana is the better player for sure, but not competing with the Hoosiers isn't news. Session is strong as an ox but doesn't move well at all -- hopefully there will be at least some improvement there. Should become a very good inside scorer and shot-blocker, with decent defense but won't rebound as well as you would expect for someone of his size. He won't need to do much this year unless Sandlin gets hurt, but after he graduates next year we need him to step up as the man in the middle. Underclassmen Talent Looking at the next few years, it's a tough battle for the Wolverines no matter how you slice it. Michigan fans can be assured though that this program is in fact in the battle. The real winners right now are the hated Ohio State Buckeyes, who have amassed a fabulous array of young talent, the first of which will begin to hit the court this season. In a couple of years, they could well be giving the 'Triple-I' a run for their money on the court. After that though, Michigan is right now in the middle tier along with Purdue and Michigan State -- but if the Spartans keep recruiting like they did this past season, they'll be up there with the best of the conference as well. Wisconsin's about a step behind, with Northwestern and Minnesota rounding out the bottom of the league in terms of future talent. The Gophers are a team to watch this year on the recruiting trail. They will be replacing five seniors, some very good players among them. They'll have a solid group to watch this season, but they really need to bring in some top talent if they want to avoid sinking in '56 and beyond.

08-16-2015, 10:05 AM	#139
muns Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Baltimore MD	Don't let those ratings fool you. Yes we had a decent class, but I think some other teams brought in stronger classes than we did this year. This is how I would rate the PCC in terms of recruiting rankings this year. Total is the points I gave based on my own methods of ranking the recruits, and ATH is athletic ability. Code: Total Ath CAL 187 47.66 Washington 176.66 48.66 Stanford 174.33 47 Oregon State 173.66 39.66 USC 173.66 46.66 Washington State 171.33 44.33 UCLA 166.66 38 Idaho 165.75 42.75 Oregon 142.5 33.25

08-16-2015, 10:08 AM	#140
muns Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Baltimore MD	As you can see there are some decent differences between the to. I've been saying this for the past 2 years. Washington state is going to be a problem sooner rather than later. They brought in a good JUCO which the game doesn't give enough credit for. But when you add up all the attributes, they are right there in the mix.

08-16-2015, 11:01 AM	#144
murrayyyyy College Benchwarmer Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Las Vegas	200k for a coach? My total budget at St Joe's is only 325k.

08-16-2015, 01:14 PM	#147
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	I have to say I really don't understand why people don't place value in scouting in this game. Maybe it's different with the top recruits at a powerhouse program, but you can have 1-stars with the potential to be a good starter at a lower-tier school, or have the potential to do absolutely nothing. Scouting is the only way you know which is which. I think it's huge.

08-16-2015, 01:34 PM	#148
Radii Head Coach Join Date: Jul 2001	Most of my experience does come at top schools. Not NC State level of dominant recruiting, which is just silly right now, though other teams will catch up quickly in this league and there will be a lot more of us competing for the top recruits soon other than just Kentucky/Indiana/NC State or whatever... anyway. So maybe that does make a difference. Getting the "wrong" guy in the #80-#150 range isn't so bad as getting the wrong guy when you're really trying to find a diamond in the rough. That said, the other thing for me is trusting my ability to read the scouting information and stats and make an educated guess that works out often enough for me. Some of this for me is a fallback to the old version of the game, where it was a little more obvious and I absolutely had it 100% down to a science. Its not as easy in this version, but I still find myself tending towards paying twice as much for a good recruiter and having basically no scouting instead of paying for an ok recruiter and ok scout and trusting myself to piece together what information is there to make the best guess on who to go after - combined with figuring out who I have a realistic chance of landing, which often trumps everything else anyway. I'm not exactly shooting up the charts with Idaho or Houston right now, so I may well consider changing strategies at the lower schools later on if I need to. Last edited by Radii : 08-16-2015 at 01:36 PM.

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