2050: The Four Young Aristocrats (DDS:CB)

[Izulde]

All right, so I've decided to kick off another four coach dynasty, inspired by Bryan Swartz's Race to the Top. Unlike his historical-ish setup, mine begins in 2050, for the purposes of allowing me to introduce a group of 25 year old coaches that I'm calling The Four Young Aristocrats for reasons which will immediately become clear. Everything is left at default for the conferences, teams, prestiges, and tournaments, because I'm lazy. With the exception of Icy's RealWorld mod.

Oh, I also eliminated the ability for players to declare early and turned off illegal recruiting, taking the stance that by 2050, the NCAA has tired of being just a minor league system for the NBA and cracked down.

The coaches:

Marques Yeaton
Marques is the second son of Mateen Yeaton, the legendary basketball Hall of Famer featured here who also had a short college coaching career of his own, seen here.

Perry, the first son mentioned in the college dynasty, is now an electrician in Denver. It's Marques, the second son, who has stepped in his father's basketball legacy, although it's worth noting that both Perry and Marques went to the University of Indiana, Mateen's alma mater, and maintained the Yeaton Hoosier tradition.

Marques's strengths as a rookie coach are in his understanding of offense, his ability to recruit, and his greatest ability, a real gift for teaching and developing players. That latter talent is ironic, considering Marques doesn't really care about academics. Some schools are also wary of Marques's surprising inability to teach defense, but that's just never been an area of interest for him.

He's not beholden to a specific system or philosophy at this point in time, but Marques is without question extremely ambitious and hopes to one day coach the Hoosiers, fulfilling a dream that even the great Mateen himself never achieved.

Dwight Arcadia
Not a son, but a grandson. Dwight's grandfather is, of course, Gabriel Arcadia, whose stellar career as general manager of the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves years ago are recorded here.

Where Dwight excels in his ability to read players and their talent levels. He's also a pretty good recruiter, although he's only an average tutor and frequently looks outmatched in games as he's not a good coach. He'd probably be best as a scouting director or a general manager at the professional level, but he insists on trying his hand at college coaching. Dwight values academics to the highest possible degree, but has only average ambition, as he's well aware that he doesn't have the in-game coaching ability to command a top-tier job.

Like Marques, Dwight currently holds to no specific style of play. Unlike Marques, he has no particular dream job.

Estevan Buboltz
Eldest son of Paulinho Buboltz, who those of you who have taken the time to read the Mateen Yeaton thread know all about. Estevan has made it his life mission to bring down the Yeatons and prove that the Buboltzs are just as good, if not better a basketball family dynasty as the hated rivals.

Naturally, that means his ambition is sky-high and, ironically enough, he's the most balanced of all four candidates, with no strengths or weaknesses as a coach, save for perhaps his fiery temper, one that frequently gets him in trouble.

The first coach profiled to have a system, the young Buboltz believes in full-court defensive press with a fast-paced offense and hitting the boards at every single turn. Estevan also teaches that defense is a matter of man vs. man and zone is for the weak.

He has no dream job, unless it's to get to the Hoosier before the Yeatons. He simply wants to beat Marques in all facets of the game.

Yogi Mentum
Although not a blood relation, Yogi can still claim to be a member of basketball aristocracy, for he is Jestor's most prized and talented pupil and a fierce devotee of his mentor's system.

Yogi is unusual in that even at 25, he's considered the most brilliant offensive mind in the game. Unfortunately, he fails at every other area of coaching, although he does have the rudiments of recruiting and developing ability. He has high ambition and value for academics.

Jestorball is also an unusual system in that it's not about a specific mode of play, but getting certain kinds of players and it is that system that Yogi the Master Disciple will do his best to follow and implement. He's also the polar opposite of Estevan Buboltz, in that if he was any more laid back, he'd be coaching from a lounge chair.

Job Hunt

Marques Yeaton's most prestigious offers came from IUPUI, Stephen F. Austin, and Detroit (20 prestige), but he wanted to go to the school that had the best facilities, and the clear-cut winner there was Kennesaw State in Kennesaw, Georgia. On the other hand, the Owls were a 2 prestige team, far removed from Marques's ambitions of coaching the Hoosiers. So he took the job at Eastern Illinois, which had the right combination of prestige, contract offer, and demands, while being as close to Indiana as possible.

Dwight Arcadia had the same job offers as Yeaton in terms of top prestige, but had several more schools: Yale, San Diego, and UNC-Asheville. Wanting a low-pressure job with as long a contract as possible and to get out of the Midwest, but still in a major city, Dwight accepted the post at Portland.

Estevan Buboltz had Yeaton's initial three, plus San Diego and UNC-Asheville, which led the Yeatons to fear that perhaps Marques's inattention to academics would cost him his shot at the Hoosiers gig. Buboltz immediately signed on to Detroit, which offered a whopping 4 year contract for $100,000 a season and only wanted to avoid last place and win 10+ games.

Yogi Mentum took the job at Campbell, because it was in a warmer weather state, with low expectations and the awesome team name of the Camels.

Up next, a look at each coach and team's specific situation.

[Izulde]

2050-51 Season Preview

Dwight Arcadia - Portland Pilots
Reputation: 10
Team Prestige: 18
Conference Prestige: 38

The Pilots are picked to finish fourth in the West Coast Conference, which will of course be dominated by #17 Gonzaga, with everyone else fighting it out for the rest of the places.

Starting Lineup
PG Roy Brown (Sr)
SG DeAntoine Garvin (Sr)
SF Mark Smith (Jr)
PF Garrett Callahan (So)
C Damien Brohm (Sr)

Dwight is instituting a high-post offense with a 3-2 halfcourt defensive scheme. The senior-heavy lineup would normally be good, but the high post was only partially used by the prior coach, the 3-2 defense not at all, so it'll be interesting to see how this team pans out.

Estevan Buboltz - Detroit Titans
Reputation: 10
Team Prestige: 19
Conference Prestige: 35

Preseason mags are picking the Titans to finish second in the Horizon behind only UW-Green Bay. That's a tough challenge, considering the Titans are going to have to get used to the demands of a new 5 out offense and the energy-draining full-court press.

Starting Lineup
PG Scott Kelly (Sr)
SG Bobby Lane (Sr)
SF Jarion Walker (Sr)
PF Jason Barnes (Fr)
C Matt Williams (Jr)

Barnes is a surprise winner of a starting spot as a true freshman. The pressure will be on him to show he can execute, but at least he'll have the help of more experienced players around him.

Marques Yeaton - Eastern Illinois Panthers
Reputation: 10
Team Prestige: 17
Conference Prestige: 27

Picked to finish 6th in the Ohio Valley, Marques and his Panthers have a tough road ahead of them this season, particularly with how brutal recruiting has been (more on that later). They'll live and die by the outside shot in the 5 out offense and are running a 1-2-11 diamond press defense.

Starting Lineup
PG Jermaine Muhammad (Sr)
SG Ross Clay (Jr)
SF Andy Camara (Jr)
PF Chip Holdan (Fr)
C Edmund Wormley (Jr)

Yogi Mentum - Campbell Camels
Reputation: 10
Team Prestige: 16
Conference Prestige: 18

The Camels, like the Titans, are tabbed to finish second in their conference, the Atlantic Sun. Campbell is the only one of the four schools running more than one offense and defense, splitting time evenly between the 5 out, as best fits the current team, and the flex, the offense Yogi prefers to run. The half-court defense will be divided between man defense and 2-3 zone.

Starting Lineup
PG Elton Cambridge (Sr)
SG Travis Williams (So)
SF Mario Brown (So)
PF Jamie Boone (Fr)
C Brian Frahm (Sr)

Campbell has the youngest starting lineup of the four aristocrats' schools and it should be a fun, outside-heavy shooting team to watch.

Dwight Arcadia - Portland Pilots
11/14 - vs UNC-Ashville 77-60 W
11/17 - vs Wyoming 64-74 L

Mark Smith went off in the first half of the season opener vs. UNC-Ashville, scoring 17 points in 13 minutes, including 4/6 from downtown and with 6 rebounds to boot as the Pilots cruised to a 46-28 halftime edge on the Bulldogs. His hot streak of points broke open what had then been a close game, with 12 lead changes and 5 ties. He finished the game with an astounding 26 points and 10 rebounds. Junior reserve Jeremy Knight scored 14 bench points.

The Pilots could have very easily beaten the Cowboys as well, as they were down by just a point at halftime, but Portland imploded on both offense and defense in the second half, wasting Mark Smith's 24 points.

Early LOIs
Portland finished its recruiting early, signing all three scholarship spots in November. The crown jewel of the class and the only one not ranked in the 1000s is PG Robert Johnson, a 6'1 191 lbs prospect out of Pilot Rock, Oregon whose father is also a Portland alum. Johnson is said to have fantastic handling potential, with good scoring, defense and outside shooting ability. On the negative side, he's not very athletic and doesn't have a knack for stealing the ball and can't hit an inside shot at all. He's bounced between 500-800 overall nationally and was a Top 25 player at the Las Vegas Revue.

Estevan Buboltz - Detroit Titans
11/15 - @ Binghamton 70-67 W
11/18 - @ SMU 53-62 L

The Titans broke out to a 9 point lead in the first half of the opener before letting the Bearcats tie it at 25. Then Bobby Lane stepped forward, hitting 4 3-point shots for all 12 of his halftime points and a 40-33 Detroit lead at the break. The Bearcats made a furious second-half rally and came very close to tying it or stealing a late-game victory, but Lane's 19 points and 11 rebounds secured the first road win for the Aristocrat coaches.

Early LOIs
With five scholarships to fill, Estevan needed to do a lot of work over the summer and he succeeded in getting four commits early. The best of them is 6'2, 207 lb PG Tony Jones out of Canton, Michigan. Although not a scorer, Jones is a textbook floor general who averaged 3.4 steals a game for Plymouth Salem High School. SF Tye Shaw and PF Nick Leep, from Chicago, IL and a local Detroit kid, don't impress the scouts, but they have the good athleticism Estevan craves in his players. Detroit will likely keep one scholarship open for a transfer.

Marques Yeaton - Eastern Illinois Panthers
11/15 - @ Georgia - 69-75 L
11/17 - vs Virginia Tech 72-64 W

The win over the ACC Hokies was a huge morale booster for a struggling Panthers team and it was the result of a breathtaking second half comeback engineered by 12/25 three point shooting and great play by the Eastern Illinois backcourt. Ross Clay and Jermaine Muhammad netted 23 and 20 points respectively, Clay hitting 7 of 13 from beyond the arc.

Early LOIs
None. Every recruit Marques has targeted has signed to other schools, including, most painfully, one to Western Illinois. Players just aren't interested in coming to play for him for some reason and it's the biggest mystery of the young season. Rather than scrounge the bottom of the barrel, however, Marques will look to bring in transfers with the two scholarships available.

Yogi Mentum - Campbell Camels
11/14 - @ Colgate 52-68 L
11/17 - @ Murray State 68-73 L

The worst part about the season-opening loss wasn't the fact that the Red Raiders buried the Camels beneath a sandstorm of three-pointers or Mario Brown's going 0/9. It was that starting senior center Brian Frahm tore his MCL, ending his college career. Junior Ishmael Roberts, the only other player even 6'10, becomes the starter for the rest of the season.

Early LOIs
It's been a painful early going, but Yogi locked up four of five scholarship openings in the initial signing period as a partial balm. SG Barry Ray is the best, having ping-ponged between 400-800 in the overall rankings. The 6'4, 211 Elkin, North Carolina product has good all-around game, save for his matador defense and terrible inside shooting. Yogi's targeting a fifth player, not wanting to trust to the transfer lottery.

Most Intriguing Signed Prospect
PG Robert Johnson - Portland Pilots

[Izulde]

Dwight Arcadia - Portland Pilots
11/21 - @ Oklahoma State 60-74 L
11/24 - @ Monmouth 63-82 L
11/28 - @ Penn State 73-70 W

Portland once again imploded in the second half, giving up a 29-26 halftime lead thanks to a horrific 25 team turnovers by the end of the game at Oklahoma State.

The Monmouth game was a see-saw first half and ended tied at 35 thanks to a buzzer-beater Mark Smith 3 point shot, the junior finishing with 16 first half points. Of course, this being the Pilots, they self-destructed in the second half for the third straight game and look a far cry from the team that won their opener so easily. Smith had no support for his 25 points and is quickly becoming a terrific player on a very bad team.

Finally Portland played well in the second half and used an 8-0 second-half run and reserve Jeremy Knight's 18 points to shock the Big Ten Nittany Lions. Sad part is, the Pilots could have a much better record if they weren't so prone to implosions in the final 20 minutes.

Estevan Buboltz - Detroit Titans
11/22 - vs Lafayette 79-71 W
11/25 - @ Stetson 59-61 L
11/29 - vs. #24 LSU 64-61 W

The Titans nearly lost a 45-29 halftime lead as the Leopards tied it up at 62-all at one point in the second half, but Detroit did just enough to grind out the win.

Both teams shot in the 30s in the ugly Stetson game. Detroit had several chances to tie or win it late in the second half after blowing a second half lead, but couldn't convert.

And then came the biggest win yet for the young aristocrat coaches. Utilizing stifling defense to generate a 33-23 halftime lead, the Titans beat the Top 25, undefeated Tigers by far more than the final box score shows, hitting free throw after free throw and harassing LSU all night long with Estevan's trademark full court man press. Tigers star Desmond Freymond did score 24 points, but he was 7/23 and needed lots of charity to climb to the 20 point mark.

It marked the first victory over a Top 25 team for any of the four and was one of the biggest wins in Detroit school history. Buboltz took huge pride in that fact, as it was a mark of distinction that he'd stolen from the Yeatons.

Marques Yeaton - Eastern Illinois Panthers
11/22 - @ Valparaiso 92-83 W
11/25 - @ Wyoming 57-71 L
11/29 - @ UNC-Greensboro 65-81 L

Andy Camara ripped the Crusaders for 18 first half points, carrying the Panthers to a 44-35 halftime lead, made all the more remarkable by the fact that it was 3 and a half minutes before either team scored a point. Valpo made repeated runs in the second half, but every time they did, a Panther would make a big shot. Converting their free throws down the stretch won the game for Eastern Illinois, along with their 11/26 3 point shooting and Camara's 28 points.

Familiar story against Wyoming. Aristocrat team halftime lead, Cowboys crushing them in the second half. Wyoming's now 4-1, the best the Pokes have done in years.

Yogi Mentum - Campbell Camels
11/21 - @ Illinois 59-66 L
11/24 - vs UNC-Charlotte 75-67 W
11/28 - @ Memphis 46-65 L

The Camels shot a blistering 59.3% in the first half against the Fighting Illini, at one point leading 26-9 before going into the locker room up 39-30. Sophomores Travis Williams and Mario Brown each had 12 points at the break. Campbell extended their lead to 11 points on a 3 pointer to start the second half and looked on the verge of an upset... until Illinois fought back to take the lead for the first time all game with 2:30 left. And then Campbell collapsed like the proverbial house of cards, a heartbreaking end to what could have been a monumental upset to reverse the course of this so far unhappy season.

Playing at home against the fellow 0-3 49ers gave Campbell its best shot at its first win and with both teams checking defense at the door, the Camels went on a late first half run, keyed by Mario Brown's 14 points, for a 45-39 advantage. The second half was a reprise of the first half, with UNC-Charlotte taking the lead back and the Camels fighting their way for the comeback late in the game and a sorely needed first win of the year. Although Brown didn't score a single second half point, Travis Williams, the team's offensive star, and freshman Jamie Boone, each equalled Brown's 14 points by game's end.

November review up next.