CJBL - Oklahoma State Cowboys

[Emmett13]

28-13 (14-6), 5 seed conference tournament champions, sweet sixteen.

That was definitely the most up and down season we've had. Started it off with a home loss to NC State, then lost Tiedeman for a decent chunk of the season and racked up quite a few losses on the way. Recovered to be a really good team that ran through the conference tournament to hoist the trophy for the first time since 2042. We were able to get revenge for our opening season loss by beating NC State in the second round to make it to the Sweet Sixteen for the second season in a row. Given our talent I was hoping for a bit more, but contextually within the season it's hard to complain about it.

The website had a pretty substantial update, so we're dealing with new graphics and layouts and things. The website works great and is super quick, but the commissioner didn't even bother to ask me if it would mess up the flow of my graveyard online basketball dynasty thread.

Season Results



Ran into a really good 1 seed in Auburn. I think if this season was simmed 10 times and I Tiedeman was healthy all season, we could have made it past the sweet sixteen in...5 of them. Bold, I know.

Tiedeman missed games 6-23.

Team Stats



We were another solid version of what we've been trying to be the last decade or so, a good offensive rebound, foul drawing, solid defensive team. The nature of Tiedeman's game, kind of like Starkweather back in the day, is such that he doesn't really do the things I really, really like well, but he's so talented you have to play him 32 minutes. But, he's going to be much more effective in the pros in a more open, up tempo game. But, I'd like for Orb% and FTR to be higher. And I don't know who will replace Tiedeman yet, but hopefully they are a foul merchant type guy.

Player Stats


PG FR Arion Pearman - 44 GS, 29 mpg, 9 ppg, 5.7 apg, 1.4 spg, 44.3 FG%, 36.7 3FG%

Was just...pretty solid all year long. Popped off a couple of time for big games, but otherwise was consistently solid, knocking down a three, making good passes, generating a steal or two. His height and length is so tremendous, and he has a great work ethic, so I'm hoping for a really nice offseason. I'd love if I could make him the most dominating defensive point guard in CJBL. He's coming back!

SG JR Chuck Tiedeman - 28 GS, 27.7 mpg, 15.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.5 apg, 43.5 FG%, 42.3 3FG%

He's going pro! Will talk about later.

SF SO Harper Gruninger - 43 G 28 GS - 25.8 mpg, 9.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.6 spg, 49.7 FG%, 44.4 3FG%

Took the starting job from McCrory quickly, and I should have pulled the trigger earlier. Was really good, a floor spacer who shot a solid amount of three pointers and shot really nice percentages. By all account was a solid defender with really nice size. Excited to see what a full season in the starting lineup will do for him. He's coming back!

PF SO Dezman Marentez - 41 GS, 28.5 mpg, 14.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 57.5 FG%

Another really good year. He scores inside, gets to the foul line, contributes on the glass and tries hard on defense. He's the team captain and is a very consistent player. Earned 2nd team all-conference. He's coming back!

C SO Jarekious Gruden - 43 GS, 27.2 mpg, 8.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 53.4 FG%

Had a nice jump up season percentages wise. A really good defender who is our best rebounder. I've come to terms he isn't going to be some offensive dynamo, so I might as well lean into making him the best defensive center I can. Like Marentez he is limited athletically, which I wonder how that limits us at times. He's coming back!

Bench:

SR F Tariq McCrory - 44 G, 16 GS, 20.4 mpg, 4.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 38.2 FG%, 25.6 3FG%

Senior!

JR C Ibrahim Vang - 44 G, 4 GS, 18.9 mpg, 6.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 51.5 FG%

Has been a really consistent player all three years. Scores it fairly well, okay on the glass, and is athletic on defense. The lineup with him at PF are bad, but I still think he has the foot speed to do it. Totally fine with him being the 3rd post for the third straight year. He's coming back!

SR G D'Wayne Israelson - 43 G 12 GS, 18.2 mpg, 7.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.8 apg, 49.2 FG%

Senior!

JR G Wilbert Cann - 42 G, 4 GS, 10.3 mpg, 3.4 ppg, 48.1 FG%, 42.9 3FG %

Got a few starts with Tiedeman out, but he struggled. Recovered to shoot the ball well on the season. Provides a real defensive punch and can knock down a three. I'm definitely trying to get a new player to replace Tiedeman, but it's not the end of the world if he's the SG, but it is certainly pre-apocalyptic. He's coming back!

JR C Praise Dixon-Waters - 36 G, 6.1 mpg, 1.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 42.0 FG%

Saw less time than the year before. But did what he did the year before. Play solid D, grab some rebounds and get to the line. He was aggressive offensively when he played. He was also aggressive in wanting to leave. He's transferring, headed to Dartmouth!

SO F Xavius Rike - 20 G, 4.4 mpg, 0.6 ppg, .8 rpg

Tried to give him some more time, because he's an interesting player, but with Vang sucking up all the reserve post minutes, there just wasn't much for him, and he didn't care for that. He's transferring, headed to San Jose State!

FR G Travarus Bova - 10 G, 3.6 mpg

He REALLY got no playing time. Shot 2-9 from the field, but he's got all sorts of intangibles and is a very pesky defender, even though he's very undersized. I'll be looking at point guards in the offseason, but I am intrigued to see him as the backup point guard.

[Emmett13]

D'Wayne Israelson



Cool new playing cards!

Isrealson had a steady trajectory in playing time, if nothing else. Turned into a pretty solid backup guard, who held his own when he got to get more than a handful of starts with the Tiedeman injury. Wasn't a good shooter, or at least I never let him, but had crazy long arms and provided some nice punch off the bench. A good player with a satisfying career arc.

Tariq McCrory



Had a really bad senior year, and got taken out of his 3 year starter spot because of it. Couldn't shoot it, and the offensive game just fell apart. He did get a handful of minutes at the 4 this year for the first time in his career.

He was a very effective defensive player though, finishes tied for 5th in career steals and 10th in blocks, which is really a heck of a combo. But, for a guy who played as many games and as many minutes he did, I won't miss him him much.

Chuck Tiedeman



Just an absurdly talented offensive player in virtually every way. He was very inconsistent at times, and he had a few horrific stretches in his career, but he also had games where he was the best player on the court, bar none. I think he'll have a very solid JBL career, and I think in a more open offensive scheme he could really fill a box score. A great player to have, but as I said earlier, kind of like Cole Starkweather didn't exactly fit the mold I'm looking for with the current grit and grind coach, at least as far as a star, usage heavy guard goes.

[Emmett13]

As already mentioned, transfer season bit us for the first time in a while, and bit us twice as both of our reserve posts Praise Dixon-Waters and Xavius Rike left looking for more playing time than we had to offer. I liked both of them and happily would have taken them both back for the depth they provided, but they aren't going to be too difficult to replace and while we took a huge swing at a wing that we didn't get, we did manage to find one post replacement.

Reece Hughey, 6'11", 256, Senior, Woodbridge, Connecticut



There was a stretch there where grabbing a senior post was a given. Hughey is one of the more accomplished 4th year guys I've snagged. He played quite a bit on two pretty solid Hartford teams, before transferring to play a lot for a really rough North Alabama program.

He'll slide right into Dixon-Waters spot, and might even be a tad bit better. He's a better shot blocker and defender, for sure. He's not a strong of a rebounder, and probably is less impactful offensively. He does have legit playmaking skills, which haven't really shown themselves in substantial minutes.

Depending on what my recruiting looks like, Hughey could be the 4th post, which would mean he probably plays every game. If he's a 6-8 minute guy, I think he can anchor a defense okay, and hopefully have enough offensive weapons on the court to hide him.


Roster going into high school recruiting:


PG: SO Arion Pearman, SO Travarus Bova
SG: SR Wilbert Cann
SF: JR Harper Gruninger
PF: JR Dezman Marentez, SR Ibrahim Vang
C: JR Jarekious Gruden, SR Reece Hughey

Obviously need some perimeter players, at least two, a combo guard would be nice if nothing else to give us a 3rd option at the point. I'll look at adding a high school post, but don't know how much playing time I have to offer. If I can't find one, probably need a wing that can play the 4 in a pinch. Still don't really have a great backup 4 option, unless Vang can figure it out.

[Emmett13]

Assistant coach J. Alcindor was a two year wonder, as he got hired away by The Citadel to be their head coach. They are coming off of a 5-32 season, so he's got his work cut out for him. So good luck!

To replace him, we just went and brought back the guy before Alcindor in Vitaliy Vilarino. Vilarino was our assistant coach for one season in 2048, where he helped us to a 30-10 record. He spent the last two seasons as the head coach for Southern, which is a very solid low major team in this universe. He did pretty well, but they went a different direction, so he's back with us as Aucoin's grit and grind assistant. No ratings changes in the last few years. Still a really good defensive coach who helps players develop.

[Emmett13]

It's been a bit of a strange recruiting phase, but a fairly productive one and even if we don't add anyone else (and I certainly think we will), we've filled some gaps and we can at least roll out a full squad right now with 11 scholarship players.

The three we got:

D.K. DiLauro, 6'11", 249, Tyler, Texas, #128



Kind of got him by mistake, honestly I was going after a guy with the first name D.D. and used a campus visit (a precious commodity) on this guy on accident. He's not what I was looking for in a post addition, but no other teams really went after him and I could get a fairly high ranked post basically uncontested with zero minutes promised to him. He's listed as a PF, but he seems a true center to me. Has nice size, good intangibles, plays strong defense and gets on the glass. Definitely a defensive minded post. Shooting percentage in HS are all out of wack right now I think, so not much to glean from those, but it does look he'll shoot the three. Will try to pepper him into some non-conference games, but his best bet will be blow out lineups this year and can actually compete for a real rotation spot as a sophomore if he'll stick around.

Daviyon Hupmann, 6'8", 200, Cecil, Alabama, #86



Horrible, horrible stats even in the depressed HS environment. Another guy that just didn't have much competition and I was able to get with a pretty weak offer, which is always nice. Hupmann has really, really nice size for a wing with some legit high level athleticism. Guards well, has real ball skills and can create, but his three point shot is limited, and his intangibles (besides his maxed out leadership?) He reminds me of Aaron O'Neal back in the early days, who I mistakenly played a lot at PG back in the day. I won't have that issue with Hupmann, but I think he's an interesting player whose playing time as a freshman is really dependent on who we can pick up with these next two scholarships. But, he's potentially tremendous value as a reserve if he can handle bench minutes his whole career.

Jacco Higgenbotham, 6'8", 227, Silverton, Oregon, #55



The guy I went after the hardest and promised a marquee role too and gave my last major pitch too. Looks like a defensive whiz who is going to fly all over the court and disrupt passing lanes and switch extremely effectively. He's not the strongest guy but he is very competitive on the glass. He's not a shooter, but it looks like he'll put them up, so I might have to prepare for it. But, he can pass some and act as a hub and should be able to contribute on offense in addition to what is hopefully tremendous defense. He's basically a souped up version of McCrory, who really had pretty middling ratings, he was just extremely versatile defensively. But given what I promised him he'll start at the 3 which will have Gruninger (unless I hit on someone big) at the 2. He'll also see a decent amount of time at the 4 I imagine.

Roster as of right now:

PG: SO Arion Pearman, SO Travarus Bova
SG: SR Wilbert Cann, JR Harper Gruninger
SF: FR Jacco Higgenbotham, FR Daviyon Hupmann
PF: JR Dezman Marentez, SR Ibrahim Vang
C: JR Jarekious Gruden, SR Reece Hughey, FR D.K. DiLario

11 scholarships right now. Have to have another perimeter player of some sort. I'd like another option at PG and have a lot of different possibilities going. I'd like one more shooter as well as neither Hupmann or Higgenbotham are ever going to be much of a threat. Will update!

[Emmett13]

One player to add real quick, and it's a very intriguing one:

Kamaka Goodlow, 6'7", 196, Golden, Colorado, #447



I'll get the main thing out of the way, he's got a 7'3" wing span which is elite for any player let alone a wing. His skills are solid, but he has no standout skill. He's a solid shooter, solid defender, handles the ball a little, you get the point. It's completely his high level athleticism and absurd length. I was able to bring him in with zero minutes promised, and I imagine he'll get buried once we get past training camp. But, he'll definitely be in my blowout lineup, and I'll see if I can get him some minutes here or there. Because if he can get some development, he could be a really solid wing to have. He's very low ball dominance and really prefers catch and shoot, so I'll just try to make him the longest armed 3 and D guy I can.

One spot left.

PG: SO Arion Pearman, SO Travarus Bova
SG: SR Wilbert Cann, JR Harper Gruninger, FR Kamaka Goodlow
SF: FR Jacco Higgenbotham, FR Daviyon Hupmann
PF: JR Dezman Marentez, SR Ibrahim Vang
C: JR Jarekious Gruden, SR Reece Hughey, FR D.K. DiLario

I'm going hard after a combo guard with some major defensive chops and if I get him, he's probably looking at being the backup PG. If I don't get him, we might be barrel scraping.

[Emmett13]

13th and final scholarship is filled:

Travante DeLaurier, 6'3", 179, Houston, Texas, #181




Lengthy combo guard who can really get after it defensively. Had a huge offensive load his senior year of high school and managed it pretty darn well. From his size and length he probably has the leg up on Bova as far as the backup point guard goes, but he has some versatility in that I think he could be decent off the ball if need be. Doesn't have the most aggressive ratings but gets to the line well and finishes around the basket. Isn't going to be a traditional point guard, but if I can play him another creator I think he'll do fine. Excited about the addition.

Going into the beginning of the season our roster looks like:

PG: SO Arion Pearman, SO Travarus Bova, FR Travante DeLaurier
SG: SR Wilbert Cann, JR Harper Gruninger, FR Kamaka Goodlow
SF: FR Jacco Higgenbotham, FR Daviyon Hupmann
PF: JR Dezman Marentez, SR Ibrahim Vang
C: JR Jarekious Gruden, SR Reece Hughey, FR D.K. DiLario


With Higgenbotham's ability to play the 4, I really think we have as much depth and versatility to our lineups that we've ever had. Interested to see scrimmage results and get some stats going.

[Emmett13]

Heading into the season I feel like we have about as much depth as I've ever had. I wish I had a guy who was a little more a true 4 to come off the bench and I'm a little wary about back up PG, but besides that it's a solid looking roster.

I'm a little late in typing this up, as we're two games into the season already (2-0!) so I have a little bit of foresight when putting this together.

We'll start with the starting lineup:

PG: Arion Pearman, 6'6", 172, Sophomore, Prosper, Texas



It's obviously all about the length and elite size he provides at the head of the defense. He had a solid floor game last year, good passing numbers, solid enough shooting percentages, but without Tiedeman in the backcourt with him, he's going to have the ball a lot more and will have to carry a heavy load on both sides of of the ball. He can run the pick and roll and will do that all day long with Marentez, hoping for a very strong year out of him.

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



Definitely our best athlete, definitely our best outside shooter, one of our most versatile defenders, excellent size for a wing, competes on the glass, gets steals. He's just a stud. Between the two and the three, he's going to be a shoe-in for 30-34 minutes a game come conference play, our spacing really takes a hit when he's on the bench. Frankly, I'm worried his skill set is going to get him to the JBL before I get one more year out of eligibility out of him.


Jacco Higgenbotham, 6'8", 227, Freshman, Silverton, Oregon


Our big fish recruit. Higgenbotham is definitely a defense first player. He can guard in and out, gets on the glass, does most of his offensive damage from mid-range in, but will put a three up every once in a while. Really he profiles as a better version of Tariq McCrory. If I can keep the offensive pieces around him and he can just be a general defensive boost to us when he's on the court, and I'll take it. Has the ability, but not the strength to play the 4, and I will experiment with him there though.

Dezman Marentez, 6'8", 232, Junior, Alexandria, Louisiana



Mr. Consistent is back for more. I'd love to get him 12ish shot a game this year and let him run pick and rolls all day long. He does have defensive limitations and just has zero range to his offensive game at all which clogs up the lane quite a bit, but his ability to score is undeniable and like Pearman, when it comes down to big games, he'll get 30+ minutes.

Jarekious Gruden, 6'10", 237, Junior, Arlington, Texas




Had a much better sophomore year while taking less usage. His offensive game is probably never going to get a chance to flourish, and I've leaned into him just being the best defensive anchor I can make him, and frankly, he's a pretty good one. Maybe a tad big smaller than I'd like, but he's strong on the glass and is a really good defensive center.



Bench (in rough order of projected playing time)

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



Each year has slowly afforded Cann a little bit more playing time, and this year will be no different. Cann is looking like the top perimeter player off of the bench this year. Has his stats (that consistency!) prove he's a competent player who does a little bit of everything, he's just been squeezed out in the past, and he's really limited to playing just the 2, so he doesn't offer much versatility. But, he's probably the second best shooter on the team, is a great defender, and increased his ball skills quite a bit that he could play some point in an absolute emergency. And really if both of our backup PG options crap the bed, he might anyways. But, he's got great intangibles, solid skills, and I think he'll have a productive senior year.

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



Vang has received very consistent playing time all three seasons and has performed pretty identically as well. Vang has nice size, is a great athlete and provides probably the closest thing we have to a post that can guard on the perimeter a little bit. In the past he's essentially been the 3rd post and sopped up all the minutes that Marentez and Gruden didn't get, with Higgenbotham potentially getting more run at the 4, Vang might see his minutes limited. He's a good center, and I've had plenty of success with him playing the 4, so I think Higganbotham's lack of strength will probably keep Vang with those minutes.

Daviyon Hupmann, 6'8", 200, Freshman, Cecil Alabama


Could make for an interesting player, solid athlete with great size for a wing, but what makes him interesting is that he has a really nice handle package. Can create, get to the rim, can create and act as a hub, he just doesn't shoot it well. Besides that he doesn't really have any weaknesses, and to start the season anyways he'll get some decent minutes off the bench, especially for as long as Jacco gets minutes at the 4.


Travante DeLaurier, 6'3", 179, Freshman, Houston, Texas


He's probably the guy I'm having the hardest time figuring out what to do with. I really like his size and defensive profile for a PG, but his point guard skills are pretty underdeveloped, but he has the innate knack to get to the rim and score the ball. So, at first glance I think DeLaurier has the most potential as the backup PG, but I think depending on the lineups he's in with could really stall out the offense. He does have the profile to be able to play off the ball some, and I think he could be impactful there.

Travarus Bova, 5'9", 284, Sophomore, Forth Worth, Texas



I want him to be good, so bad. He's undersized, but is so pesky defensively, has great intangibles, and definitely can probably run an offense better than DeLaurier. But, he's 5'9", is only an okay shooter, and isn't lightning bug quick despite his size. But, like I said, his intangibles are as good as it gets, and for a backup PG, that sure seems like something you try to take advantage of. I just think it will end up being a lot of back and forth all year with those two guys as far as who gets Pearman's off-minutes.

Kamaka Goodlow, 6'7", 196, Freshman, Golden, Colorado


Not sure how this will work out. Besides blowout lineups and maybe a bit of actual time in some of my easier non-conference games I don't see how he's going to get much playing time, and I didn't promise him any to begin with, and for some reason that feels like it will result in him wanting to transfer.

But I hope he doesn't because if he can stick around and develop he could be a super interesting player. A 7'3" wing span which is absolutely absurd and it comes with above average athleticism and developing skills. He's not a pure shooter and probably never will be, and actually has some solid creation skills and would be interesting as a secondary hub. But, I think the only way he gets playing time on this team in the future is if I can make him as much of a 3 and D guy as I can. So that's the goal right now. He's further along defensively than offensively right now. I hope he stays all 4 years, and I wish we were able to redshirt our own guys.

D.K. DiLauro, 6'11", 249, Freshman, Tyler, Texas


Frankly, didn't mean to get this guy. I wanted a guy named D.D. Faried who went to Texas Tech, and mistakenly offered DiLauro a campus visit really early on in recruiting, which is a really valuable resource in that aspect of the game. Rather than chalk it up to oh well, I decided to stay on the positive side and realized he's highly ranked and has a solid base of skills. He's a true 5, but is pretty weak and limited athletically, but he competes and knows how to play defense, and is a clever offensive player who draws fouls and knows to play offense. I also promised him zero minutes, and I don't necessarily want him to leave, but I will not be disappointed if he transfers and I would have rather have had D.D. Faried.

Reece Hughey, 6'11", 256, Senior, Woodbridge, Connecticut



It's going to be tough get Hughey minutes, even though I think he would be productive if given the chance. A good athlete who is really solid defensively even though he's not the best rebounder. Offensively, he's proven to be competent at his previous stops, but it was probably no coincidence when his amount of shots increased at North Alabama, his efficiency went down. I'll try to get him into blowout lineups, but hard to imagine me giving him much of a chance at anything baring injury. He might end up being a guy who gets to play a 5th year somewhere else with the new redshirt rule the game has.



So, really a ton of depth. A lot of perimeter guys with nice size and the ability to play strong perimeter defense and turns guys over. Gruden and Marentez are solid defensive players, but they are both limited athletically and neither are huge for their position. So right now my strategy defensively is more to really pressure the perimeter, force turnovers, hopefully bad shots, and then just hope Gruden and Marentez are solid enough to hold their own. Not sure if it will work (it has so far!), or if better teams are going to be able to exploit that too often.

I think our biggest weaknesses are going to be lack of outside shooting, and potentially no real useful PG on the team outside of Pearman, but I truly think we will be really good.

I'm going big on my prediction. 1 seed, conference champs.