Under a Broken Rim - The resurrection of Fast Eddie Chilton (DDS:CB)

BYU 14 · 03-11-2009, 03:56 PM

03/11/1989 – Phoenix, Arizona
The Jazz team bus pulled up to the Embassy Suites Hotel we would be staying at for our game against the Suns. Embassy is one of my favorite places to stay on the road, comfortable rooms, good breakfast and a relaxing atmosphere. Still, it was just another game, on another road trip, with another long season winding down. Don’t get me wrong, I was fully appreciative of my good fortune in being an NBA player and never went a day without acknowledging it. Especially playing for the team in the State I was raised and went to college (BYU) in. It’s just that the routine could get monotonous after a certain point and it could wear on you. Little did I know at the time that today would be anything but routine.

As I approached the front desk to check in I was greeted by a friendly brunette with a nice smile, named Annette.

Annette: “Good afternoon, how may I help you?”

Me: “Hi, checking in under Race Bannon.” A cheesy alias, but I loved the Johnny Quest cartoons as a kid, what can I say.

Annette looked at me, knowing full well that name was registered as a team member of the Utah Jazz, but she seemed to be trying to figure out which one. “You’re the Ballplayer………..The Ballplayer, I know you because my husband is a big fan, he grew up in Utah….Darn, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t even be bothering you…..But you mind if I ask your name?

Me: (Laughing) “No problem, its Eddie Chilton.”

Annette: “That’s it, Fast Eddie Chilton, my husband said to look for you, he loves you, says you always go balls out, whatever that means? I know I shouldn’t but would you please sign a ball for him.” She then produced a regulation Basketball from under the Desk, adding sheepishly. “He made me bring it to work.”

Me: “Hey, most of the fans here are brutal to us, how can I say no to somebody that actually likes me, I’d be happy to sigh it.”

Annette: “Thank you…He doesn’t deserve it, but it will make him happy.”

Me: “If he is a Jazz fan in Phoenix, then he deserves it.”

Annette: “Yeah, well I wish he was a fan of some other things besides Basketball.” Her voice almost completely changed on that last sentence, going from bubbly, to almost forlorn, it was a little strange.

As I finished signing I looked up and noticed Annette was staring at me….In “that” way. I handed her the ball, expecting my key, but she just stood there smiling.

Me: (Smiling) “Could I get my key please?”

Annette: “Oh….sorry, ah hey……Can I ask you something.

Me: “Sure”

Annette: “I get off at 10, would you like to have a drink in your room after your game?”

The look on my face must have said it all, as Annette immediately looked down and in doing so must have noticed my wedding band.

Annette: “Oh….You’re married, I’m sorry, I should have just quit with the autograph.

Me: “It’s ok….But, you know you are married too and you seem very nice. Whatever is happening now with your Husband would not be worth the way either of us would feel if we met after the game in my room.”

Annette: (tears welling) “You are right, I am so sorry…….Your wife is very lucky….I feel ashamed…..please don’t tell anyone, I just got…..I don’t know….”

Me: “Annette, don’t worry, its no big deal…..Just remember why you fell in love and that will always get you through the tough times”

I walked away, knowing full well why she had asked to come to my room. Things were obviously not all good at home, and by sleeping with a player her Husband liked, it was a way to turn a joy of his into something that would bring him pain whenever he watched a game. Well, if she did do that, I would not be the other one involved. I felt quite proud of myself for doing the right thing and hoped I had just accrued good Karma points that might be worth an extra basket or two tonight. I smiled at the selfishness of that thought. Truth was I had turned these requests down before because I loved my wife, I wanted a future with her and would never risk having that. I had just turned 26 and hoped to play another 10-12 years then spend our days traveling and watching the Sun set overlooking every Ocean in the world…….twice. Being a pro athlete was a dream, growing old with the woman I loved….that would be heaven. As I reached the Elevator my self adulation for being of such high moral fiber was interrupted by a familiar voice.

Xavier: “What is up my man? Did I see you setting up a little something-something with that little skeezer at the front desk?”

Me: “No X, you did not.” Xavier Dickens lived like he played, his entire life a sports center highlight reel of living on the edge. I worried about him, but X would be X no matter what anyone else had to say.

Xavier: “Man, you need to tear that up; she was all over you, like a puppy dog staring at da bone my brother!! You know the X-man would have dem panties dropping before the door to my room shut!”

Me: “Dude, you know better, I would never do that to Nel and you shouldn’t either. Charisa is a great girl and you shouldn’t be bedding rats in every town you go to.”

Xavier: “Man, ixnay on the sermon brother…Listen, I love my wife too, but I can’t sit and read books on the road, a man get lonely out here and if it’s a different zip code it ain’t cheating.”

Me: “That’s weak and you know it buddy.”

Xavier: “Maybe, but the truth is this. One day this will end and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna be chilling at some Card show all middle aged, fat and bald. Faking a smile while I sign autographs for men that look just like me, telling me about their glory days and how they used to drain ‘em in High School until they blew their Knee out. Asking me the same questions over and over, staring at me like I’m some sorry old Animal in a Zoo. I don’t want to be that guy, sitting there and having regrets that I didn’t enjoy every second of this ride my man…..That’s just me Bro.”

The elevators opened and we each headed for our room, me to take a nap before the Bus left for the Arena and Xavier to drop his things off before likely heading to the bar to try and set something up for after the game. X is a great guy, he really is, and will always have your back…..Just a little caught up in the “NBA lifestyle.”

I dropped my bag, closed my eyes and drifted off to one of those exotic locations where I would spend my post Hoops days with my family. Xavier’s words about enjoying the ride for some reason, but eventually they slipped away as I drifted off to the sound of waves gently crashing on the shores I had created in my mind.

BYU 14 · 03-11-2009, 04:02 PM

03/11/1989 - Veterans Memorial Coliseum – 9:21pm

Fans of the Phoenix Suns were being treated to a dismantling of their home town heroes, as KTAR, the official Radio station of the Suns broadcast the carnage……….

Suns PBP Announcer Al McCoy: “Well folks, we’re back at the Vet and mercifully there is only 3:26 remaining in what has been a good old country whipping for our Suns, with the Jazz in front 108-85. The dynamic Jazz backcourt of Fast Eddie Chilton and Xavier Dickens has been lethal tonight as Chilton has 23 points and 11 assists, while Redmond has tallied 26 points, including 4 of 5 from behind the 3 point arc.”

Connie Hawkins: “They have definitely put on an exhibition, though I wonder at this point why Chilton is still in the game”…………………………

Me: “Ice, Ice, Ice!!!”

I saw my backup Jacques Foote make his way to the scorers table as I brought the ball up the court, so figured I would go out with a flourish, just for the hell of it. Ice was the call to spread the floor, set a pick at the high post and free me up to drive the lay, where I would either go to the hole or dish it to one of the wings, depending on where help came from. Alexi Levnikoff set the screen, I drove right and with a step on the defender saw nothing but the rim, I cut hard on my right Leg to the hoop and it hit me. I have never been struck by lightening, but the feeling that went up my right leg had to be close. As I crashed to the floor I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out, in fact there was no sound at all…….Very briefly a blinding white light flashed in front of my eyes, then the world came crashing back, the lights, the crowd, Levnikoff trying to lift me to my feet and at last the scream came. Not just a scream of pain, it was a scream of sheer panic……..My knee was gone!

Jerry Sloan: “Eddie….Eddie, is it your Knee?”

Me: “My Knee is gone coach!! It’s fucking gone!!! My Knee!!!”

By now I was virtually in tears, I raised my head as the trainer manipulated my knee and before Coach Sloan could push my head back I saw it bent at a 45 degree angle to the right…..At that point I must have gone into shock because I remembered nothing until the Suns Orthopedic Surgeon came into my room at the Hospital.

Doctor: “Mr. Chilton, I have gone over the results of your MRI, now keep in mind that there is a lot of swelling and I recommend a second MRI to be conclusive…”

Me: “Doctor, please, just tell me.”

Doctor: “It looks like your PCL, MCL and ACL are all completely torn…….You will need a complete Knee reconstruction and the recovery could take up to a year……I’m sorry.”

I called my Wife around midnight with the news on the way back to the Hotel, my dialog was pretty much constricted to telling her it was bad…..She had a million questions, but I just couldn’t talk about it. I told her I loved her and hung up…..I was pretty much done talking at that point. When we got back to the Hotel as one of the Assistant trainers pushed me off the Elevator towards my room I heard a door open down the hall, instinctively I looked and saw Annette coming out of Xavier Dickens’ room. Our eyes locked briefly and she looked down, turned and walked the opposite way. I entered my room and locked the door. Here I was with the first major injury of my career and as I sat there in the dark, leg throbbing, tears streaming down my face, I saw Xavier in front of me and one line ran through my head over and over again.

“I don’t want to be that guy, sitting there and having regrets that I didn’t enjoy every second of this ride my man…..That’s just me Bro”

How can someone who does everything he shouldn’t be “enjoying” his ride, while I did everything “right” yet it was my roller coaster that had jumped the tracks and was now hurtling to the ground below?

BYU 14 · 03-11-2009, 04:25 PM

02/08/2008 – Midvale, Utah
As I hurled my alarm clock across my Bedroom I laughed through bleary, bloodshot eyes, the result of several Bud lights too many. I wasn’t laughing at the hangover, I was laughing at the ridiculous notion of a man between jobs with nowhere to go had his alarm clock set. I lay there, reluctant to strip off the covers and face the numbing cold, staring at the faux wood paneling on my ceiling. Two things you could count on living in a trailer. Not enough insulation to keep the frigid Utah winters at bay and cheesy wood paneling everywhere. Especially in a rusted out shell of aluminum this old, but hey, at least it was paid for. I was a month away from turning 45 years old and a lifetime from that exotic Beach I knew I should have been spending days like this on.

I was in a different world than the one I knew nearly 20 years ago, but at least I was not forgotten. The kids in my Trailer park would drag me to the court nearly everyday the weather permitted, year round and take me on in 3 on 1, 4 on 1, sometimes even 7 on 1. Hell, who would not want to say they beat an ex-NBA star, even if he did have only one good leg and a chip on his shoulder bigger than the Wasatch Mountains that loomed over his grimy trailer park south of Salt Lake City. There was one other person that hadn’t forgotten either.

An ESPN reporter named Rod Sales, known as the Hangman, for his ruthless reporting and biting commentary. He had a passion for making professional athletes look like total assholes when they messed up. He had interviewed me for a piece on former “stars” whose careers had been cut short by various means about a month ago. Contrary to his reputation he had been rather pleasant to work with and I was happy with how the interview came off. It would be my first time on national TV since I announced my official retirement in November of 1990 after a year and a half of trying to make my decimated Knee do the things it had done before that night in Phoenix. The show aired tonight and I was actually excited to watch it.

BYU 14 · 03-11-2009, 05:06 PM

02/08/08 7:00pm
I had spent the afternoon at the Utah job service office, with no possibilities. When I got home there was a voice message from the AD at Alta High School. I knew the Head Basketball coach was leaving and had inquired about the job. The message was short and to the point. “Thank you for interest Mr. Chilton, but we feel that in light of circumstances surrounding your departure from West High 3 years ago we are unable to consider you as a candidate.” Great, the guy that was once hailed as having one of the finest Basketball minds in the league could not even get his foot back in the door at the High School level. I was a great coach, the kids loved me and I loved the job…….almost as much as I loved the Pain pills that I had been tied too for years after crippling arthritis took hold of my bad Knee. It didn’t matter that I had kicked that vice and had not swallowed a Vicodin or Oxycotin in over 2 and a half years. But hey, I was in Utah and things were conservative here and nobody was willing to take the controversy that hiring me would likely bring. It would be another spring of doing Card shows…..I had shaven my head, but at least I wasn’t fat as Xavier once feared he would end up.

Done with another round of self pity I cracked a Bud light and turned on the TV to watch my segment on Sale’s show “Behind the Curtain – A hard look at pro sports” God, what a hard ass he was, I thought sarcastically. Who cared, he was cool with me and this interview would show I was not a Basketball Leper.

“Good Evening and welcome to Behind the Curtain, I am Rod Sales and it’s time to take a hard look at pro sports.” God, he was an arrogant prick! “Tonight our first story details the travails of a man whose lighting quick moves, pinpoint passing and razor sharp mind for the game of Basketball made him one of the most dangerous players in the NBA. Fast Eddie Chilton was an established star, a future Hall of Famer whose career was derailed by a horrific knee injury in 1989.” So far so good, though he had obviously shot this part after our interview. “Fast Eddie was on top of the World, but like many who know nothing but the bright lights, when his career ended, his life took a tailspin that resulted in him losing almost everything, his fortune, his wife, his spacious home gone. His arena now is a cracked cement court, with a bent rim in the dilapidated Trailer Park he now calls home. When we return, we will talk to the man who once painted Basketball art on a hardwood canvas, but who now stares forlornly at the broken the rim that hangs over his head”

Ok, this was veering in a direction I did not like, he was making it sound like I just pissed everything away and spent my days on a Freeway on-ramp begging for spare change. It wouldn’t take long to confirm my fears.

Sales: “Welcome back, and welcome to Behind the Curtain Fast Eddie”

Me: laughing, “You can just call me Eddie Rod.”

Sales: “You got it; now let’s get right into it. Your life has taken a quite the path the last 20 years. You were the toast of the game, an icon in your native Utah. A High School legend, an All-American at BYU, before getting drafted by the Jazz and becoming one of the premier young point guards in the NBA. Then, that fateful night in Phoenix and from that point on it seems that the game you love so much. Have given so much to, has shown none of that love back. Are you bitter Eddie?”

Me: “Absolutely. I put my heart and soul into the game and gave it all I had every night out. It’s just how I feel Rod.”

WHAT THE HELL!!! This Sonofabitch had edited answers to two different questions and put them with this question!!! Me real answer was “Not at all, the game gave me the best times of me life.” He took my answers to “You always left it on the court, would you like that to be your legacy?” and “How can you still love the game that has seemingly been so unfair to you?” and put them together to answer this question…..The bitch was, with the Camera angles and changing shots it looked seamless. He screwed me for ratings and I fell for it!! I thought some of the questions were a bit strange here and there and he was using them to lead me. As the interview went on it was more of the same, including some questions he must have taped after I left because he never asked them during the show.

It was painful, and he twisted it all. My post injury job as an NBA scout, which I lost due to depression and drinking. Things that sometimes happen when your Wife leaves you because you are on the road more than you were as a player and the pay cut wasn’t worth the lonely nights. Losing everything because I thought we could work it out, while she got the most ruthless lawyer in the State, who she later married. Yeah, that could screw you up! Then the botched follow up surgeries that caused an addiction to pain meds as the Arthritis become so bad I was actually on SSI for a couple of years. And finally, losing my High School coaching job, just when rumor had it I was in line for the Utah State head job. You see, I had a seizure during a game, brought on by the excessive pain medication abuse. Of course, that somehow got leaked to the media, they went wild and I was shown the door. He took it all, bad enough as it was when relayed truthfully and twisted it so I looked like an angry, bitter, drug addicted shell of a man who had all but cashed in his chips………..

I didn’t even make it through the whole interview as my half empty bottle of Bud Light went crashing through my TV screen. I sat there in a daze, my TV set smoking wondering how this happened again. I had done everything right, yet one stupid decision in a game already locked up had cost me everything. Maybe I was bitter, but damn, I was clean, hungry and just needed a chance.

BYU 14 · 03-11-2009, 06:09 PM

02/11/2008
I picked up the phone to a voice that sounded vaguely familiar.

“You are a tough man to track down”

Me: “Who am I speaking with please?”

“It’s me, Donny Wiseman”

Donny Wiseman had played High School ball with me. He was a tenacious player, but not overly skilled. Still, while I was the star of the team, he was the glue, a great sense of humor and loyal, almost to a fault. He had gone into administration and after a long stint at Snow College, a JC in St George Utah; he had landed the AD job at Weber State last year. I had thought about calling him then to see if there was anything in the Athletics department, but pride won out and I didn’t.

Me: “Donny, how have you been Buddy?”

Donny: “Better than it seems you have been.”

Me: “You saw it?”

Donny: “Yeah, but I just couldn’t buy it….Not from the Eddie Chilton I knew.”

Me: “I wish more people remember me like you do. Donny, he butchered that interview, spliced answers and edited answers to change what I really said, he added questions I was never even asked and…..” I was growing angry again staring at my broken TV.

Donny: “Eddie, Eddie……I know. You forget my brother works in the Media. I really had my doubts, but he was watching it with me and started pointing things out. Slightly different lighting, the way the camera filmed from behind you and how the angles changed at key points. It really started to make sense then, I actually felt bad for believing you were saying those things.”

Me: “You have no idea how much I appreciate that. You’re a good friend.”

Donny: “Actually you are….Remember that time before our junior year in High School I was going to quit because it looked I thought the Coach didn’t like me and I knew I would get cut. You pulled me aside and said I should never make someone’s choice for them and if I quit that’s what I would be doing. You told me to go down swinging and if you weren’t going to make the team, let the coach decide, not quit because I couldn’t handle the challenge.”

Me: (Laughing) “Yeah, I think I remember, I’ve slept since then you know.”

Donny: “That makes one of us. Well you did say that and I never forgot it. Believe it or not making the team and winning State with you opened doors for me. The President of Utah valley college was a South high Alumni. That was the first Championship for the school in hoops in over 30 years and the last before they closed the campus. That got my foot in the door their as an assistant AD and he gave me the recommendation for the Snow job. They told me later they had never seen such a glowing letter. You put me where I am Eddie. If I had quit I would never be where I am now.”

Me: “Donny, you were going to succeed no matter what happened in High School, come one, you have a fire buddy, you’re a winner.”

Donny: “And so are you, I know the person I saw in that interview is not you. It may have made you look like you have thrown in the towel, but I know better. This sport needs you”

Me: “Well, you might be wrong there my friend. I can’t say I have a lot of hope when it comes to Basketball Don. I want Basketball, but I don’t think it wants or needs me, after that debacle on ESPN I think I need to look in other venues.”

Donny: “Did you watch ESPN yesterday?”

Me: I looked at my shattered TV and laughed. “Actually no, I have had some technical issues with my TV”

Donny: (Laughing) “I won’t ask. Victor Tillman took the Utah job yesterday.”

Me: “OK, should I know him?”

Donny: “Ah, he was the Coach here…..”

Me: “Oh, that Victor Tillman, well good for him. Sorry being a BYU alumnus I would have taken a prison intramural squad over Utah.”

Donny: “Glad to see you have held on to one piece of anger. Anyway, enough of that team on the hill. If you could have any coaching job in the world, where would it be?”

Me: “Well you know it would by BYU, but since last time I checked, nobody was Ice skating in hell that probably won’t be coming up anytime soon, I mean Alta high turned me down the other day.”

Donny: “Where does Weber State fall on your list?”

Me: “Would be a great job, now where does getting fired fall on your list?”

Donny: “Eddie, I am serious here! I am offering you a Job. We have known that Tillman was looking to move on and I have been discussing this with the administration for weeks. Now I do admit, that your interview raised some eyebrows, but after we spoke and I explained what I believe happened they loosened up a bit. Then I pulled out the big guns. Testimonials from High school players you coached, people you played with and I even got a letter from a Doctor explaining how and why you could have become addicted to the pain meds. I talked about what you did for me and felt that I, that Basketball, owed you a chance.”

Me: “I don’t get it Donny, why would you stick your neck out like that for someone like me that will bring you a lot of heat.”

Donny: “Do I need to go over it again? I believe in you and I am not going to let you quit on your dream. Not now, not ever. You were born for Basketball and it’s time the game gave you something back. All I need to know is…..are you truly clean?”

Me: “I have a beer now and again, but yeah. I would rather live with the pain than live in the hell that being pain free brought me.”

Donny: “Good, we are prepared to offer you a 3 year deal at $342,000.00 per year, can you live on that?”

Me: I was speechless, I have probably made only a third of that the last three years combined, I was sure I was dreaming. “I would do it for half that Donny, I don’t know what to say…I can’t believe you have done all this for me”

Donny: “Say yes! In terms of why……..You deserve it my friend.”

Me: “YES! But I have a question……..Do you have an extra TV?”

BYU 14 · 03-11-2009, 08:25 PM

I went to bed that night and never had the faux paneling on my Trailer ceiling looked so elegant. My only intrepidation was how this news would be received. Of the three main cities in Utah, Ogden may well be the most liberal and diverse, due to the Air Force base and the number of people that come through the Job Corp center that seem to settle there. Maybe it was time to just quit worrying. I had been as low as one can get, so no matter how this turned out it could not be any worse than anything I had already endured.

As I lay back I flicked on my radio in the middle of a song from Styx that somehow seemed very fitting.

“I look to the Sea, reflections in the waves spark my memories.
Some happy, some sad.
I think of childhood friends, and the dreams we had.
We’ll live happily forever, so the story goes.
Yet somehow we missed out, on the pot of gold.
But we’d try best that we can,
To carrrryyyyy on…………”

I closed my eyes with the melodic crooning of Dennis DeYoung echoing in my head…..Tomorrow I would be introduced as the new Coach of the Weber State Wildcats.

02/12/2008
The press conference went by like a blur. It had been a while but I had done plenty and this one just seemed to fly…..at least until the point came for the media to ask me questions.

“Eddie, in light of your recent interview with Rod Sales were you surprised to be offered this job?”

Me: “To be honest I was, but let me just say there were some creative liberties taken with the editing process. I am sure you are all familiar with Mr. Sales style, as was I and I probably made a mistake doing the interview, knowing his tendency to portray people in the worst way possible.”

“Can you elaborate on that Eddie?”

Me: “I would prefer not to at this time. I don’t feel it is fair to the University and I would like to focus on the Basketball program.”

“You know this hiring has created some controversy, what steps have you taken to insure the University you are capable of this job?”

Me: “There is no denying I have had my challenges since retiring from the NBA, but Weber State has shown incredible faith in me and I have assured them that any past issues are just that…past. I am grateful for this opportunity and will go to great lengths to prove I am worthy of their trust.”

“You live in a trailer park; you don’t think that casts a negative light on your personal affairs?”

Me: “You can answer that better than me. Where I live has no effect on my ability to coach a Basketball team….And I will give you a scoop. I plan to go House hunting later today, would a three Bedroom, two story rambler with a view put me in a better light?”

The scattered laughter eased my tension a bit, but as much as I tried to talk hoops the questions always wound their way back to my past troubles. Though one question towards the end I found quite intriguing.

“You and Xavier Dickens were quite the duo with the Jazz. With his son Jermaine now attracting out of Timpanogos High School will be recruiting him and will your relationship with Xavier possible sway him to Weber State?”

Me: “In terms of recruits, I have to evaluate our needs as a program and then we will set a target list which we will pare down over the summer. Jermaine is a very good player and I would love to see him in Purple and White, but I would never use a personal relationship to sway a decision. I simply present our vision and the benefits our school has to offer, the parents and player then have to decide what is in their best interest.”

A brilliant politically correct answer if I do say so. Truth is I had not spoken to Xavier since I retired, though I had tried and I also received word from others he often asked about me. I passed on my number more than once and to be honest it hurt he had not used it. If we did go after Jermaine, that first meeting with Xavier and Charisa, who had survived the NBA life and were still married, would be quite interesting.

BYU 14 · 03-11-2009, 09:15 PM

05/01/2008
Settled in my House I was set to begin work in earnest in preparation for the upcoming Season. First up was a meeting with Donny Wiseman to discuss the Budget. He gives me a figure of $211,250.00 which will cover Assistant Coaches salaries, camps and recruiting. Vic Tillman had taken all his Coaches to Utah so I was starting fresh. Despite the way I played, I was truly a Defensive minded Coach and that was my strength and something I would be very involved in. With that in mind I had been looking for a first assistant with strong offensive skills, a solid recruiter as my 2nd assistant and coach that was solid on scouting for my number 3 man. With a limited budget I shy away from big names and look at some more guys that may not have the prestige, but deserve a chance. After all, that was the reason I was here. All of April was spent on interviews and today I unveiled the complete Wildcat coaching staff.

1st Assistant
Erwin Childress age 42 – 3 yrs $63,000.00 per year
Erwin is happy being an assistant has a good offensive mind (64/100) and in the 20’s on all other attributes. He will be the coach in charge of academics and will run the Offense during practice. I have decided we will run 60% Triangle and 40% motion. At least initially I will limit offensive freedom as I want our players to have a good grasp of the basics.

2nd Assistant
Brandon McBride age 56 – 1 yr $45,000.00 per year
Brandon has high ambition and does not seem like a long term candidate, but I like his recruiting skills (64/100) and he will be invaluable as I find my comfort level in this area. He believes in discipline, as I do and also is very intense, which would describe me as well. We will probably clash here and there, but he is only on a 1 year deal so if it doesn’t work out I will replace him.

3rd Assistant
Brennen Malone age 64 – 3 yrs $22,050.00 per year
This hiring cultivates plenty of speculation. One rumor is established coaches won’t work for me, another is I am just hiring an old buddy to help him out. You see, Malone was my High School coach and he had been retired two years. There was a reason I sought him out, but not what anyone thought. He was the one that deserved the credit for my “Basketball mind” and he could break down film efficiently (72/100 scouting) and his laid back nature would offset my intensity.

None of these were sexy hires, but they fit my plan and I believed they would help me achieve the goals expected of us.

Speaking of which, Donny also went over the expectations of the board of regents and what he himself thought was attainable for a great mind like mine.

1 - Qualify for the NCAA tournament
2 - Win the Conference tournament
3 - Win 15+ games
4 - Improve School prestige

There was no doubt expectations were high I relished the challenge, though there was a great deal of fear as well. I thought I was ready for this and the best way to maintain that confidence was to just not think about it. I let Donny know I would prefer a balanced schedule in terms of OOC games and promises to do his best. I also ask him to try and sign a long term deal with BYU as out OOC rival, which he thinks will not be a problem.

My final order of the day was to prepare for the recruiting.

I purchase the gold recruiting report for the Western region for 30K and the basic report for the Great Plains for 5K. I also schedule trips to the Las Vegas and Houston revues for a combined 8-9K.

With that done I gather last years game tapes and prepare to evaluate my squad. I felt from cursory looks at the tapes earlier that we would be best in zone most of the time and plan a 70/30 ratio of zone/man (I prefer the 2-3 and the 3-2) and we will play with a high intensity. I will see more when I really get into the tapes, but I think I will find we did not rebound well last year and hopefully playing more zone will help here.

BYU 14 · 03-11-2009, 11:19 PM

2008 Weber State Wildcats Preview (Red = Redshirted)

Guards
#1 Geoff York PG – SO 6-2 203
Excellent outside shooter (maybe our best) and could be a good Free throw shooter as well. Ball handling and vision are good and he is fairly athletic. Only adequate overall as a passer, but the best we have right now. Not very good defensively but tough.

#12 Neil Miller PG – SO 6-1 201
Another good outside shooter, not a great passer in terms of technique, but good vision and intelligence offset this. One of our most athletic players and a good work ethic

#10 Anthony Rencher SG – SR 6-5 183
Our backcourt leader, he also possesses a good outside shot, but can be overly aggressive at times forcing his shots. Will gamble and get steals, but this hurts his defense overall. Another great athlete who we will need to create on the offensive end.

#14 Ryan Ryan SG – FR 6-5 213
He will redshirt this year but will compete for a starting spot next year. The best athlete on the team, Ryan has a great outside shot, is a superb free throw shooter and has a great mind for the game, a future star.

#15 Gaylon Lovitt SG – SO 6-4 218
Another good young backcourt player, he is our best free throw shooter, has very good ball handling skills and a good mind for the game. Will be a valuable player off the bench.

Forwards
#35 Jay Wilcox SF – SO 6-8 214
Horrendous from the line, he is athletic and aggressive, but is not very consistent. He will get limited minutes and be expected to refine his game this year.

#34 Cortez Frazier SF – FR 6-7 201
A good shooter with potential, projects at 60 or better in several areas but still very raw. He could get some starts if Eddie Blackmon struggles.

#31 Eddie Blackmon SF – FR 6-5 201
A youngster we need to contribute right away, a good outside shot and a very good defender who can make a difference on both ends of the court. He will have growing pains and really needs to work on his rebounding.

#23 Robert Crenshaw PF – JR 6-7 195
Likely our first man off the Bench, Robert is slight for a power forward but strong and will probably play some center when we go small. Smart and Athletic, though not overly flashy. He is as consistent as anyone we have and probably out best rebounder, which does not say a lot unfortunately.

#33 Benjamin Gainous PF – FR 6-9 228
Works hard in the paint and specializes in drawing fouls, which is a shame as he is our worst Free Throw shooter. Fairly consistent shooter both inside and out and a good ball handler for a big man.

#40 Bill Lewis PF – SR 6-8 236
A beast down low, Bill will be our best threat inside, is also adept at drawing fouls and very good defensively. He needs to work on his rebounding, which is a common thread on our team. Still I like him the best among our current crop of Power forwards.

#44 Keith Davis PF – FR 6-7 233
A walk on who is a good athlete but does not have much upside. Likely never more than a practice player. He will redshirt this season.

#25 Billy Cundiff PF – SR 6-7 219
Streaky shooter from all areas, inside, outside and the line. Very athletic and can get up, but needs to get stronger. Will be relied upon for leadership, but will likely only see 8-10 minutes a game.

Centers
#54 Jason Carroll C – SR 6-9 240
Not really great in any area, but he is very athletic for a big man which makes up for some short comings. He is our best shot blocker and will get the first crack at Center, but will have a short leash.

#53 Ed Cleveland C – 6-10 256
A very good inside shooter, but he is a bit of a plodder and not at all a force defensively. He is also a horrible rebounder for a player his size.

Projected Starting Lineup (Returning Starters in Bold)
PG – Geoff York
SG – Anthony Rencher
SF – Eddie Blackmon
PF – Bill Lewis
C – Jason Carroll

Bench
Robert Crenshaw PF/C
Gaylon Lovitt SG/SF
Benjamin Gainous PF/SF
Billy Cundiff PF/SF
Neil Miller PG/SG
Ed Cleveland C
Jay Wilcox SF
Cortez Frazier SF/SG

The biggest concern for me is rebounding, we are just weak here and getting somebody who can control the boards will be a priority in this class. SF is also a concern and if Blackmon struggles I will have some decisions to make and would likely alternate several players here depending on the game situation. I see this team as a group with no true stars, but with enough talent that we should always have someone able to step up on any given night. We are very athletic overall and I may experiment against weaker teams by cranking up the pace offensively and see how we do.

BYU 14 · 03-12-2009, 07:33 PM

Recruiting
After a busy 6 weeks in which I initially targeted almost 40 prospects, attended the Las Vegas review and Houston classic camps and watched nearly 100 hours of game film I have pared my list of recruits down to 14. I have 3 scholarships and rebounding is our most critical need. We lose 2 PF and 1 C after the season so I am looking to add 1 player at each position. I will look for a walk-on at SF as there is nobody I really like that has an interest in Weber State. The third Scholarship will go to guard with good passing skills as I feel we need a more adept triggerman at the point. (Yes I have some very Jestor tendencies about me) One of the Kids I offered was Jermaine Dickens and it has nothing to do with playing with his Father or wanting to know why he has not called me. The Kid can play down low and will get physical and rebound. A stark contract in style to his Dad and he seems like a great kid. My Parent conversation has been only with Charisa to date, as Xavier has been busy with my old job scouting for the Jazz in Europe all summer.

The final 14
Jovan Wesby PG – Bullhead City, AZ
Rankings: Regional overall 36 – Regional position 10
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 7th
Overall Scouting: B
Strengths: Scoring B, Ball Handling B
Weaknesses: Rebounding D, Shot Blocking D, Inside Shooting D, FT Shooting D

Torraye Cameron PG – Salt Lake City, UT
Rankings: Regional overall 150 – Regional position 34
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 5th
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Passing A, Ball Handling B
Weaknesses: Defense D, Shot Blocking D, Inside Shooting D

RaShawn Hester PG – Provo, UT
Rankings: Regional overall 90 – Regional position 24
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: Yes – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Passing A, Ball Handling B, Stealing B, Outside Shooting B
Weaknesses: Rebounding D, Defense D, Inside Shooting F, Athleticism D

Walker Simmons SG – Morgan, UT
Rankings: Regional overall 84 – Regional position 12
Visit: No – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Scoring B, Athleticism B
Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Shot Blocking D, Inside Shooting D

Ramal Moody SG – Garland, UT (JC)
Rankings: Regional overall 118 – Regional position 19
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Scoring B, Passing B, Defense B, Outside Shooting A, Athleticism B
Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Stealing D, Inside Shooting F, FT Shooting D

Kevin Pederson SG – Fernley, NV
Rankings: Regional overall 92 – Regional position 14
Visit: No – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: No film scouted yet
Strengths: N/A
Weaknesses: N/A

Joem Hart SF – Scappoose, OR (JC)
Rankings: Regional overall 68 – Regional position 19
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 8th
Overall Scouting: B
Strengths: Scoring B, Passing B, Rebounding B, Shot Blocking B
Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Athleticism F

Morrow White SF – Bountiful, UT
Rankings: Regional overall 31 – Regional position 6
Visit: No – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 10th
Overall Scouting: B
Strengths: Scoring B, Ball Handling B, Outside Shooting B, Athleticism A
Weaknesses: Rebounding D, Shot Blocking D, Stealing D, FT Shooting D

Jermaine Dickens PF – Orem, UT
Rankings: Regional overall 34 – Regional position 6
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: Yes – Top ten list: Weber State 1st
Overall Scouting: B
Strengths: Scoring B, Inside Shooting B, Athleticism B
Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting D

Sam Thompson PF – Brigham, UT
Rankings: Regional overall 44 – Regional position 8
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: B
Strengths: Scoring B, Passing B, Defense B, Inside Shooting B
Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting D, Athleticism F

Ross Walker PF – Burlington, WY
Rankings: Regional overall 53 – Regional position 11
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: B
Strengths: Scoring B
Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Shot Blocking D, Stealing D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting F, Athleticism D

Michael King C – Milano, TX
Rankings: Regional overall 28 – Regional position 6
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: B
Strengths: Scoring B, Rebounding A,
Weaknesses: Ball Handling F, Shot Blocking D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting D, Athleticism F

Allen Faust C – Roosevelt, UT
Rankings: Regional overall NR – Regional position NR
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Passing B, Rebounding B, Shot Blocking B
Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Defense D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting D, Athleticism F

Kyle Henson C – Provo, UT
Rankings: Regional overall NR – Regional position NR
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 1st
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Passing B, Rebounding B
Weaknesses: Scoring D, Ball Handling D, Defense D, Outside Shooting D, Athleticism F

* Note: All skills scouted at A or B are strengths, D-F are weaknesses. All skills not listed are scouted as C.

RaShawn Hester is someone I really like for PG, but although he has interest in our school, we are not in his top 10. I am hoping that will change as time goes on, but I keep close contact with Wesby and Cameron just in case as either would fit into my scheme. The SG and SF prospects I have left are all long shots and I don’t really need anyone here if I get my Point. Still if things fell through I would take Joem Hart if I had the chance, he is not athletic but still does a lot of things really well. Up front Xavier Dickens son is a priority, but if things go south with him Sam Thompson would be a decent pickup, though he is nowhere hear the athlete Jermaine is. The big men left on my board are all lumbering hulks, but they can all rebound and I feel Kyle Henson is way under the Radar since he did not go to any camps. Out regional Magazine ranks him 29 at his position in the west, but he is getting no love on the national report. I will pare this list down to 6-8 within 2 weeks as I really want to have my recruits in place by the time the season starts.

Izulde · 03-12-2009, 07:56 PM

I'd make White and Dickens my top two targets out of that list and of the PGs... hmm. Strange as this may seem, I'd say Wesby. Bad defense will get you lit up by the scoring points at the low conference level you're at.

Hell, I'd say if you got White and Dickens, you'd have a 1-2 punch that would give your conferencemates headaches for the next four years.

BYU 14 · 03-12-2009, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izulde

I'd make White and Dickens my top two targets out of that list and of the PGs... hmm. Strange as this may seem, I'd say Wesby. Bad defense will get you lit up by the scoring points at the low conference level you're at.

Hell, I'd say if you got White and Dickens, you'd have a 1-2 punch that would give your conferencemates headaches for the next four years.

I am rethinking White and believe it or not it is now down to Wesby by default. I would totally forget a Center, but next year I will be down to only one Scholarship Center and that worries me. As you will see in the next post, the recruiting tides have shifted quite a bit and not all for the better.

BYU 14 · 03-12-2009, 09:14 PM

Pre-Season
It’s mid September and I start to whittle down the recruit list. As I ponder some tough decisions the Phone rings. It’s Donny Wiseman, who indicates he has finalized the schedule, but has two options for opening day. Either #3 Florida or San Diego, both would be home games. I don’t even have to think about…..”Please Donny that first game is going to be a fiasco as it is, let’s do San Diego.” Donny laughs. “I thought you might go that route. I also got us into the Alaskan Classic and we will play Western Kentucky first.” I liked the idea of a pre-season tourney to give us a couple extra games to get the kinks out. “That sounds good Donny, who else do we have?” Donny say he thinks I will be happy. “Only 1 top 10 team Eddie, I’ll fax it over.”

The Fax Machine comes to life and within seconds I am pouring over the Weber State Wildcats schedule for the 2008/2009 Season. (* = Conference Game)

11/15 San Diego
11/18 Utah Valley State
11/22 @ #8 Georgetown (Ugh!!!)
11/25 Alaskan Classic
11/29 @ Rhode Island
12/02 Brown
12/06 Mississippi
12/09 @ Missouri (A nice 2 game combo)
12/13 @ BYU
12/16 Utah State
12/20 @ Hofstra
12/27 Eastern Washington*
12/30 @ Portland State*
1/03 Sacramento State*
1/10 @ Montana*
1/13 Idaho State*
1/17 @ Montana State*
1/20 Northern Colorado*
1/24 @Northern Arizona*
1/27 @Eastern Washington*
1/31 Portland State*
2/03 @Sacramento State*
2/10 Montana*
2/14 @Idaho State*
2/17 Montana State*
2/21 @Northern Colorado*
2/24 Northern Arizona*

A decent mix that should give us a halfway decent RPI. I am definitely glad I nixed Florida though as I would have hated the Eddie Chilton era to start with a 30 point loss!

My excitement at the schedule is tempered as I open my email to find RaShawn Hester has elected to go to Portland. What the hell, what happened to a phone call and a man to man discussion? This would take some getting used to. I promptly call Jovan Wesby and offer him the Scholarship and he informs me we are now his #1 school, though he is not yet ready to commit. I do get calls from Torraye Cameron who has verballed to Southern Utah and Allen Faust, who has verballed to conference rival Eastern Washington. Along with these three I also make some cuts of my own and my list is now down to the following. (Our rank on the recruits list in parenthesis)

Jovan Wesby PG (#1) – Offer
Ramal Moody SG (#1)
Walker Simmons SG (#2)
Joem Hart SF (#3)
Morrow White SF (#5)
Sam Thompson PF (#1)
Jermaine Dickens PF (#3) – Offer (We have suddenly fallen, which is a big blow)
Michael King C (#2) – Offer

I can make 4 visits this week and first and foremost will be Jermaine Dickens as we suddenly trail Tulsa and Utah after leading most of the way. Something is amiss here. I will also visit Wesby, King and Moody, who is undersized, but can play both PG and SG.

September 26th, 2008
I stand in front of a very lovely house in Orem, Utah, which I guess you could call a suburb of Provo. I have not been this nervous in some time as the door swings open. There before me is Xavier Dickens, a man who was once my running mate, who I have not seen in nearly 18 years. There is a moment of silence and a weak smile on Xavier’s face masks obvious pain.

Xavier: “I’m sorry man.”

Me: “For what?” Xavier comes outside and closes the door.

Xavier: “All these years, I felt so guilty, at first I just couldn’t stand to look at myself let alone look at you. I deserved what you got and you should be on one of those damn beaches you always talked about. I took everything for granted and used people and you were always on target…..It just sucks man!!”

Me: “Whoa, X, what are you talking about? It’s all good buddy. What happened is done with and I think I am finally accepting it. I have a second chance and I have learned to finally stop feeling sorry for myself. Hell this past summer has been great, I’m really alive again….hey, I even sold my Trailer.” We both chuckled at that, but I was still perplexed. “I just wish you had called X, it wasn’t your fault, it was a fluke and there were times I just needed to hear from a friend.”

Xavier: “I couldn’t Eddie, I felt like crap, I was a shitty person and you were a saint and you got screwed. What happened to you made me look hard on the mirror and I didn’t like what I saw. It also changed my life, I got away from all the Bullshit, told Charisa everything….You know we were touch and go for a few years, but we made it. I asked her to marry me again and she said yes. I came to your office that day to thank you and to get everything off my chest and I was told you were let go. Here I was again getting away scot free and you had just lost your wife, then your job..”

Me: “X you’re rambling, just give me a hug, and then let’s talk about Jermaine. I thought he was really excited about being a Wildcat?”

We embraced and Xavier explained that he had talked to Jermaine a lot about the past and how he felt guilty about losing touch. Jermaine had cooled a bit because he didn’t want to make his father relive his guilt. He really was a good kid and I could respect that, but hopefully after tonight both Father and Son would see that things truly were fine…..

BYU 14 · 03-12-2009, 09:30 PM

Black Monday
I feel the sting of rejection as C Michael King say he just can’t see himself playing for us. I remove him from my list and am now faced with having to get a walk-on Center for next year. I quickly switch Kings Scholarship to Morrow White on the advice of a young NBA GM I know.

Then comes the dagger. Jermaine Dickson calls and tells me he has verballed to Tulsa, he says he know his Dad and I are cool, but thinks it still may be a distraction and is just thinking getting out of Utah may be good for him. I tell him I respect his decision, but ask for one more chance to meet with him. I also let him know I am holding his Scholarship offer for now in case he changes his mind. He agrees to meet again, but say he thinks Tulsa is the best place for him.

On a good note we also start practice this week and I am anxious to see the team up close and personal.
I also schedule visits with Morrow White, Ramal Moody and Sam Thompson. Wow, fortunes sure change fast when dealing with 17 and 18 year old kids.

BYU 14 · 03-12-2009, 10:19 PM

Well we start practice off with a bang as both Neil Miller and Gaylon Lovitt have a couple of minor conflicts each. I pull them both in and let them know they need to be a bit more personable and mature. Miller apologizes and vows to try harder, but Lovitt wants to shift the blame, which does not make me happy. I let it go this time, but he is a sneeze and a Banana peel away from my Dog house!

The feedback I get from my visits varies. Jermaine thanks me for my time and coming by again, but I get the feeling he is just being polite. Morrow White tells me he doesn’t think Weber State would be a good fit and I think I just waited too long to get serious with him. Thompson and Moody were a lot more positive and Moody in particular says I gave him a lot to think about. I like him, but just don’t need another SG as bad as I need help up front.

Just as I am getting settled in at the office the phone rings and it is Jovan Wesby, who wastes no time in telling me he will be wearing the Purple and White of Weber State next Season!!! I am very excited and though he is not the best pure passer; he is very balanced and will be a great addition to the team. I welcome him and jokingly say that just like a business making their first Dollar, since he is my first recruit I am going to staple him onto a picture frame and hang him above my desk. He laughs but I don’t think he gets it.

It is clear I won’t sway Jermaine Dickens so I offer his schollie to Thompson and offer White’s to Moody as they are my best shots. If I don’t land them both I will save a scholarship for the summer and hope to land a transfer.

Another week of practice and another incident involving Gaylon "Thug" Lovitt, this time I am stern and tell him to cut the crap. He again deflects the blame and tells me this is starting to get him mad.

Me: “Oh really, this is ticking you off a little eh? That’s great, let’s see, oh yeah, here’s an idea. YOU’RE SUSPENDED FOR A WEEK!!! And when you get back from your vacation your ass better be back in joint….Now get the hell out of my office! Lovitt looks shocked and meekly mumbles something about time away doing him some good, then skulks off.

As I sit there fuming the phone rings, its Sam Thompson. “Coach, I want to be a Wildcat.” This cheers me up and though he is nowhere near the athlete that Dickson is, he can score inside, is solid defensively and a decent rebounder, averaging 8.5 in High School. One more Scholarship left and I decide to focus on Moody. He is an above average scorer, passer and Defender and very athletic. I keep in touch with Joem Hart and Walker Simmons just in case.

Another incident with Jay Wilcox and Jason Carroll mixing it up, what the hell, enough! My sources say Carroll started it so I call him in and tell him to cool it. He agrees to keep it cool and says he is sorry. As October comes to a close we are making progress and I am really pleased with the way that Anthony Rencher has grasped the triangle, he is probably our smartest player and should excel in my scheme. Bill Lewis is comfortable too and he is getting better daily, he does however get involved in an incident himself (I feel like I am coaching Animal House) but responds well when I tell him to play nice. November is here and it is time to start getting ready for San Diego, I am so ready to get the season going!

BYU 14 · 03-12-2009, 11:35 PM

Starting Lineup to open the Season
PG – Geoff York
SG – Anthony Rencher
SF – Eddie Blackmon
PF – Bill Lewis
C - Jason Carroll

November 15th VS San Diego
The Toreros come into the Dee event center as the Fast Eddie Chilton era gets underway. Both teams start slow and at the 15:43 mark it is tied 5-5 as our defense is playing with the intensity I like, making San Diego work on each possession, though we do allow an uncontested 3 which pisses me off. Offensively we start a horrid 2-9 from the field as Bill Lewis has all 5 of our points and Jason Carroll is 0-3. An 11-1 run puts us up 16-6 with 11:04 left in the half as Eddie Blackmon gets it going scoring 7 points, including a long 3 pointer. The freshman also has 3 rebounds and it looks like the decision to start him might pay off handsomely. The rest of the first half is far from pretty. We manage to maintain the lead, which fluctuates between 4 and 11 and end up leading 34-25 at the Half. We have 8 turnovers due mostly to sloppy passing and I am especially galled by our rebounding as San Diego gets 8 offensive rebounds, which they convert into 7 second chance points. This lack of intensity on the boards really offsets a good defensive effort that sees San Diego shoot only 32.3%. Offensively we are paced by Bill Lewis and Eddie Blackmon with 7 points each, while Robert Crenshaw chips in 6 off the bench. I do like our work inside as we have 14 point in the paint.

The second half sees Eddie Blackmon come out with guns blazing and he carries us to a 47-29 lead with 12:37 remaining scoring 10 quick points, including two more from behind the arc. Anthony Rencher is being contained fairly well, but his presence alone is opening it up inside for us. San Diego pulls to within 10 on three different occasions. The last time comes with 4:44 remaining, but they can get no closer as Anthony Rencher scores 5 straight points and we close it out it out in style, pulling away for a 71-50 win! A star is born as Eddie Blackmon tallies 23 points and 7 rebounds. Bill Lewis chips in 14, while Anthony Rencher finishes with 9. Jason Carroll is only 1-6 from the field, but also grabs 7 boards. We hold San Diego to 33.9% from the field, while we shoot 48.1%. Still, giving up 13 offensive rebounds is totally unacceptable as San Diego finishes with a 15-5 edge in second chance points. Oh well, at least we have something to work on. A good job overall and you can’t bitch too much after a 21 point win.

I pick up a Basketball Magazine on the way home and am surprised to see the “experts” have picked us 6th in the Big Sky. One reason given is the growing pains I will experience as a Coach. Kiss my Ass, drag some of the top NBA point guards up and down the court for 48 minutes and tell me about “growing pains.” Why did I even buy this stupid Magazine anyway?

Projected order of finish in the Big Sky

1 – Northern Arizona
2 – Eastern Washington
3 – Idaho State
4 – Sacramento State
5 – Montana State
6 – Weber State
7 – Northern Colorado
8 – Portland State
9 – Montana

We will check back on this later to see how the pundits did.

The Pre-Season Top 25
1 – Syracuse
2 – North Carolina
3 – Louisville
4 – Duke
5 – Florida
6 – Michigan State
7 – Arizona
8 – Georgetown
9 – UCLA
10 – Oregon
11 – Notre Dame
12 – Auburn
13 – Indiana
14 – Alabama
15 – Ohio State
16 – Pitt
17 – Memphis
18 – Kentucky
19 – Illinois
20 – Georgia Tech
21 – Texas
22 – Maryland
23 – Gonzaga
24 – Connecticut
25 - Kansas

Izulde · 03-13-2009, 12:17 AM

Great job snapping up Wesby.

And I so would have laughed at you if you'd have lost to the University of Spoiled Daughters.

BYU 14 · 03-13-2009, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izulde

Great job snapping up Wesby.

And I so would have laughed at you if you'd have lost to the University of Spoiled Daughters.

God no doubt, that would have been a bitch slap

I love our backcourt for the next few years, but the rebounding debacle against San Diego really bugs me and I don't think I did enough to improve things with this years class.

Watching the game we were out of position a ton in Zone, which I was hoping would help but didn't. I may go back to more Man, just because of our real athleticism.

BYU 14 · 03-13-2009, 10:08 PM

November 18th - VS Utah Valley State 2-0
The Pre-game breakdown lists PG, SG and SF even. UVS has the edge at PF and we have the edge at Center (scary) The Bench is also even, so we should be in for a good game. PF Billy Cundiff is out 10 days with Back Spasms, but his 4 minutes should be easy to fill.

We come out firing bricks and at the 16:28 mark trail 7-0 on 0-8 shooting, with Jason Carroll the main offender at 0-5 and Eddie Blackmon yet to take a shot. I quickly change it up to favor the outside game and with 13:20 remaining we roar back to take a 12-11 lead, all our points coming on 3’s by York, Rencher and Blackmon (2). Both teams heat up and begin to trade baskets and with 7:23 to go to half it’s tied at 26 with our 3 point shooting keeping us in it, as we are 6-8 as a team behind the arc. Eddie Blackmon leads the offense with 11 points, while Gaylon Lovitt is next with 4 off the bench. We end the 1st half with a little spurt and lead 38-32 at the break. We are 8-14 as a team on 3 point shots, while Jason Carroll is 1-7 (The 1 was a dunk) from the Center spot. He is about to meet the bench. Neil Miller is strong off the bench down the stretch and has 9 points (all threes).

The 2nd half sees both teams a bit sloppy, but we are able to extend our lead to 44-34 with 14:05 remaining as Jason Carroll actually makes a shot from further away than 1 foot. Neil Miller’s 15 footer with 8:10 left gives him 13 points and stretches our lead to a game high 16 at 55-39. After a Bill Lewis slam with 1:39 to go gives us a 65-50 lead, I clear the bench as we coast home with a 65-55 win due solely to shooting a blistering 56.3% behind the arc. Eddie Blackmon paces us with 14 points, while Neil Miller goes for 13 points off the bench. He is pushing Geoff York for the starting PG job after York fouled out with 5 points and 3 assists after being in foul trouble all night. Jason Carroll was 3-3 in the 2nd half and finished with 8 points and 8 rebounds, as well as 3 steals and 3 assists. Defensively Anthony Rencher and Gaylon Lovitt held UVS Guard Mario Hastie, coming off a 21 point game against Delaware to 3-17 from the field. We now sit at 2-0 with a trip to Georgetown looming.

On November 19th Jovan Wesby and Sam Thompson stop by and sign their LOI’s. I also call Ramal Moody, who has us, #1, but he is not ready to pull the trigger yet, I butter him up and start prepping for the Hoya’s

November 22nd - @ Georgetown 2-0
Not surprisingly the pre-game report gives Georgetown the edge at every position but SG, which is surprising since Anthony Rencher has not played extremely well to date. The Hoya’s are led by SF Jermar Frazier 15.5 PPG, 12.5 RPG and C Frank Chatman 15.0 PPG and 13.5 RPG. I have a feeling we are going to get destroyed on the boards.

Surprisingly we jump out to a 6-4 lead behind the sniping of Eddie Blackmon, before Georgetown mounts a quick 11-1 run, but we are not going away and Blackmon’s third trey of the game pulls us to within 15-12 with 11:37 left in the first half. With 7:52 left in the first, we still trail by only 3 (22-19) but we are getting beat off the dribble a lot and have 6 team fouls as a result. I worry their athleticism will wear on us as the game goes on. Though we manage to grab a brief 25-24 lead, the Hoya’s soon step on the gas and at times it looks like Piper Cubs chasing F-16s as they sprint to a 37-27 lead at the break. Surprisingly they are only out rebounding us 15-14 and we are outshooting them 47.6% to 41.4%. The problem is 11 Turnovers!! Eddie Blackmon has 9 points, while Anthony Rencher has 5. Geoff York is again foul trouble with 3 and has only played 5 minutes.

The 2nd half sees the Hoya’s extend the lead to 13, but we fight back and cut it to 42-34 on an Eddie Blackmons trey (what else) with 15:43 to go. Blackmon fights to keep us in it, but he is getting no help and when he goes to the bench to get a rest, Georgetown stretches the lead to 62-45 with 9:40 to go, with 19 of our points belonging to Eddie. From there the Hoya’s slowly pull away, leading by as much as 25 as the buzzer sounds with us on the wrong end of a 80-59 ass kicking. We played them tough, but in the end we just didn’t have enough Horses to hang. Eddie Blackmon again leads us with 21 points; it is hard to believe he is a true freshman. Anthony Rencher adds 12, but also fouls out as does Geoff York…AGAIN! He will be starting the next game on the bench. Jason Carroll has 6 rebounds, but often looks stupid trying to guard the quicker post players from Georgetown. Jermer Frazier lives up to the hype for the Hoya’s feasting for 28 points and 8 boards against us. For the game they out rebound us by 7, (33-26) but 9 of them are offensive…..If I had hair I would be pulling it. We now sit at 2-1 heading into the Alaskan Classic.

To my chagrin, Eddie Blackmon does not win freshman of the week honors in the first round of conference awards, don’t know what more he needed to do.

BYU 14 · 03-14-2009, 02:04 AM

November 25th, VS Western Kentucky 0-1 (Alaskan Classic)
The pre-game report shows a near dead even matchup and I hope the difference will be the fact we have played 3 games to their one. In addition to Billy Cundiff still being out, Robert Crenshaw has a sore leg and may be very limited. We will again work the outside and hopefully Eddie Blackmon can continue to scorch the nets.

We come out on fire, scoring the first 9 points and holding a 15-3 lead with 15:41 left in the first half. A great start sparked by Anthony Renchers 7 points and Neil Millers 3 assists and 1 steal, making the most of his first start. The Hilltoppers then begin to rain down treys and come alive, hitting 6 of them to slice the lead to a single point at 27-26 with 7:08 to go until halftime. It stays tight the rest of the half, but Western Kentucky scores the last 4 points to take a 38-35 lead into the locker room. Eddie Blackmon has been limited to 2 shots, but Anthony Rencher (9 points) and Bill Lewis (8 points) pick up the slack.

I switch it up and decide to go straight man the 2nd half and when Eddie Blackmon drains a three with 17:07 to go, we are back in the lead 42-40. The change in defense takes away the Hilltoppers 3 point assault, but we give up some cheap second chance points, which keep it close as we lead 55-49 with 9:07 left. Eddie Blackmon has found his groove and now has 11 points. Our PG’s are both in foul trouble though as Miller has 3 fouls and York has 4. After Neil Miller makes two straight baskets to give us an 8 point lead we go to sleep and Western Kentucky ties it at 64 with a three pointer coming with 3:25 to play. Rencher and Blackmon then take over and score our next 6 points to give us a 70-66 lead with 1:29 to play. Western Kentucky pulls within 2, then miss three put back attempts that would have tied it, before we can corral the rebound with 31 seconds left. After a Bill Lewis hoop, the Hilltoppers nail a quick three to pull within 72-71, but Neil Miller seals the deal with 2 free throws and we escape with the 74-71 win! A good team effort that sees Anthony Rencher with 16 points and 8 boards, Eddie Blackmon adds 13 and Bill Lewis 12 points and 6 rebounds. Neil Miller does great in his first start scoring 9 points and dishing 7 assists, for now the PG job is his. The win means we will move on to face a tough Boston College Team.

November 26th, VS Boston College 3-1 (Alaskan Classic)
The pundits give BC the edge at every position, including the bench. We are back at full health and are going to have to play our asses off here. BC has a punishing C in Michael Emery and he is going to be a handful. I will start with a tight zone and hopefully they can’t hit from outside.

Things start well enough as Eddie Blackmon nails a 3 to start the game, but BC shows they can hit from the outside as well when we collapse on Emery. They build a 7 point lead just over 5 minutes in, but then a spark comes from an unlikely source as Gaylon Lovitt scores 5 quick points as we trail 16-14 with 13:08 left in the 1st. BC surges ahead by as many as 7, but we keep clawing back and pull back to within two, 26-24 on another basket by Lovitt (11 points) who is 5 for 5 at this point. We tie it late on a 3 by Rencher, but BC scores the last 4 to lead 35-31 at halftime.

Things go to hell quickly in the second half as the Eagles score 11 straight and lead 46-31 with 16:13 left to play. Rodney Jarmond leads the BC attack with 14 and Emery has 11, plus 7 rebounds. With 9:37 to play the deficit has grown to 61-42 and we seem incapable of making a run, with our golden child Eddie Blackmon stuck on 3 points and Anthony Rencher shooting a dismal 3 for 11. We get no closer than 15 the rest of the way and that’s were the final margin falls as we go down to defeat 74-59 to drop to 3-2 on the year. Anthony Rencher and Gaylon Lovitt (working his way out of my Dog House) both score 13, while Bill Lewis chips in 11. We have 20 turnovers (5 by both Miller and Rencher) while BC has only 7. I am quickly seeing the difference between good and very good teams. It’s called holding onto the ball! Again we play a top level team tough for a half and then totally unravel. The Plane ride home is long and quiet.

Showtime
Eddie Blackmon is named the Big Sky Freshman of the week for the week ending 11/26/08

I also have one other small piece of good news when I back to the School. Ramal Moody has left a Voice mail committing to Weber State! My first class is now complete and though I didn’t get as much inside help as I wanted, I still think we got three pretty good players.

Weber State recruiting class of 2009 (Updated Scout rankings)
Jovan Wesby PG – Bullhead City, AZ
Rankings: Regional overall 37 – Regional position 10
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: Yes – Signed LOI
Overall Scouting: B
Strengths: Scoring B, Ball Handling B
Weaknesses: Rebounding D, Shot Blocking D, Inside Shooting D, FT Shooting D

Ramal Moody SG – Garland, UT (JC)
Rankings: Regional overall 99 – Regional position 14
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: Yes – Verbal
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Scoring B, Passing B, Defense B, Outside Shooting A, Athleticism B
Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Rebounding D, Shot Blocking F, Stealing D, Inside Shooting F, FT Shooting D

Sam Thompson PF – Brigham, UT
Rankings: Regional overall 57 – Regional position 12
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: Yes – Signed LOI
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Scoring B, Inside Shooting B
Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting D, Athleticism F

Wesby is very consistent and will give us versatility at both guard spots.
Moody is wildly inconsistent, but has the potential control a game when hot
Thompson's stock dropped a bit, but he will still give us a good inside scoring threat

BYU 14 · 03-14-2009, 11:18 AM

November 29th, 2008 - @ Rhode Island 1-3
The Pre-Game scouting report gives the Rams the advantage at PG and SF and us the edge off the Bench. I can’t believe that Niki Lucas 5.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 1.3 BPG and rated as their best player, is better than our frosh phenom Eddie Blackmon 14.8 PPG, 1.0 APG and 2.4 RPG.

I opt for straight man to start out and it’s a mixed bag as we force some mistakes but they hit 3 of their first 4 shots. We exception of Eddie Blackmon we start out cold, but Eddie propels us to a 9-7 lead at the 15:31 mark, scoring 7 of our points. The Rams Pat Osteen is giving us fits as he has 10, but we still cling to a 22-21 lead with 9:01 to go in the half as Robert Crenshaw gives us a lift off the bench with 4 quick points and some strong work on the boards. It is a seesaw battle the rest of the half as neither team leads by more than 3 and Rhode Island takes a 34-32 lead into the locker room. Eddie Blackmon has not scored since his initial outburst, but still leads us with 7 points, while Robert Crenshaw has 6. We have an edge in rebounding (20-15) and shooting, but fouls have been troublesome and spell the difference (We have yet to take a foul shot BTW, nice home cooking!)

I go back to mixing it up on defense in the 2nd half and it remains tight. Eddie Blackmon goes on another tear scoring 12 of our first 14 points in the half and we retake the lead 46-45 with 12:03 to go. Unfortunately we can’t hold the lead with Blackmon on the bench and when he returns we trail 57-54 with 5:45 remaining. As big as Gaylon Lovitt was off the bench against BC, he is equally bad today, shooting just 2 of 8 at this point. His running mate at SG Anthony Rencher is no better at 2 of 7. Upon returning to the floor, Eddie Blackmon hits a trey to tie it and then we totally implode! We will score only 2 points the rest of the way as Rhode Island leaves us in the dust as we lose 70-59. Eddie Blackmon goes for 22 but nobody else has more than 6. Neil Miller is shaky with 7 assists, but 7 turnovers as well (21 as a team!!!). God I can’t wait for Wesby to get here!! Geoff York hurts his foot and only plays 7 minutes, but he will be OK for our next game and I will likely return him to the starting lineup.

On the Flight home
I make the decision to play a more balanced offensive game as only Blackmon can score from outside consistently and I will also up Gaylon Lovitts minutes as Anthony Rencher has been disappointing shooting 36.9%. Speaking of which, I am getting jack from my Centers who are both shooting under 35%. As an experiment I decide to start Robert Crenshaw at Center next game. I almost feel like I am panicking, but I have to get production from somebody besides Eddie Blackmon, who is shooting an amazing 71.4% from behind the arc!!!

BYU 14 · 03-14-2009, 12:39 PM

At least two of our losses are to top 25 teams and I would like to blame the loss to Rhode Island on traveling from Alaska to the East coast. Hey it makes me feel better!

Izulde · 03-14-2009, 12:46 PM

Gorgeous graphic! How did you make it?

BYU 14 · 03-14-2009, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izulde

Gorgeous graphic! How did you make it?

Thank you

It's just powerpoint with one of the fancy background options saved as a JPEG file. So easy even I can do it

BYU 14 · 03-14-2009, 04:02 PM

December 2nd, 2008 - VS Brown 2-4
Home sweet home, but not without distractions. Coach Childress brings me news that Billy Cundiff is talking crap about Bill Lewis and feels he is the better player. Are you kidding me, Mr. Back strain is back ready to play for the first time since game 1 and he starts this? I call him in and tell him to relax, he gives me attitude and I suspend him on the spot for a week. Have fun in the stands smart ass! This team is full of poison and I will get rid of it one way or another. The pre-game reports give Brown the edge at PG and SF (Wow) and us the edge in Bench strength. I unveil my new lineup, which will hopefully not backfire.
Starters
PG – Geoff York
SG – Anthony Rencher
SF – Eddie Blackmon
PF – Bill Lewis
C – Robert Crenshaw
First off the bench will be Neil Miller, Gaylon Lovitt (with increased minutes) and Jason Carroll if Crenshaw falters.

Talk about your slow starts, we get two quick fouls and the whole team gets tentative as we go nearly 4 minutes without a score. With 13:49 left in the first half we are down 10-4 and Browns zone is giving us fits. With 8:16 remaining in the 1st we are down 27-13 and I am looking like an idiot with my “new” lineup. It also doesn’t help that Eddie Blackmon is 2 for 9 shooting , neither Lewis or Crenshaw have taken a shot and their starting Center has 6 points and 6 rebounds (4 offensive). Our worst half of Basketball of the young season ends with us down 40-25 and shooting 33.3% (only 1-7 on threes) after trailing by as many as 21. We are on pace for another 20 turnover game and Eddie Blackmon is 3-10 with only 7 points. On top of that Anthony Rencher has 3 fouls and our top rebounder is a guard, Gaylon Lovitt with 4 in only 7 minutes.

The 2nd half is not showing signs of getting any better as we are still down by 15 (49-34) with 14:22 remaining. At least Eddie Blackmon shows signs of regaining his shot as he now has 12 points, but Brown SG Perry Paben continues to sizzle and now has 25 points. Desperate I have Blackmon start guarding him and put Lovitt and Rencher on Browns SF. It makes no difference as Brown extends their lead to 64-41 with 7:01 left and Paben now has 34 points. I sit down to suffer through the final few minutes of carnages as the kids continue to fight, but we suffer our third crushing loss in a row 78-60. The fans boo and some yell at me to go back to my Trailer as we leave the court, I smile and wave. Folks, this is what happens when you money man gets shut down. Eddie Blackmon ends up with 17 very insignificant points on 7 of 19 shooting. Bill Lewis adds 12 and is our only starter to shoot over 40%. The Robert Crenshaw experiment ends like the Hindenburgs last voyage as he goes 0-4 with 4 rebounds in 25 minutes as we fall to 3-4. In a backhanded bright spot we ONLY have 15 turnovers.

Eddie Blackmon gets his 2nd straight Big Sky freshman of the week award for the week ending 12/03/09.

Next week we have games against Mississippi and at Missouri, it gets no easier for us and I decide to quit playing around and just work on building for league play with a standard lineup. We need to work the motion game better and play more man to man as our zones are just terrible right now.
The new/old lineup will be.
PG – Geoff York (SO)
SG – Anthony Rencher (SR)
SF – Eddie Blackmon (FR)
PF – Bill Lewis (SR)
C – Jason Carroll (SR)
First 3 off the Bench
PG/SG Neil Miller (SO)
SG/SF Gaylon Lovitt (SO)
SF/SG Cortez Frazier (FR)

BYU 14 · 03-14-2009, 07:54 PM

December 6th, 2008 - VS Mississippi 1-5
The scouting report gives ole Miss the advantage at both Forward sports, with everything else being even. They do not have anyone averaging in double figures and we match up well size wise. I will run a balanced attack and play about 50/50 man/zone.

A good competitive start as Geoff York gets us going with a three and both teams go toe to toe from there. Ole Miss holds a 13-11 advantage at the 12:26 mark of the 1st half, but we are playing them dead even, with the only black mark being Eddie Blackmons 3 turnovers. Missouri sinks a couple of long range bombs as we hit a cold streak and fall behind 21-16 with 7:17 to go. The Rebels have 6 team fouls and instruct the team to attack inside a bit more hoping to get to the line. Both teams get sloppy late in the half and a 2 minute period goes by without even one shot. We close the gap to 2 on a three from Eddie Blackmon and two free throws from Geoff York, but the Rebels nail their own trey as time winds down and lead us 32-27 at halftime. Both teams have 12 turnovers, but we are still in the game despite shooting only 37.5% behind Eddie Blackmons 9 points, while Geoff York has 5 points and 4 assists.

We increase the aggression in the 2nd half and Jason Carroll pulls us to within 1 at 37-36 with 14:22 remaining. Mississippi also picks up 4 quick fouls and both PG Tommy Stanley and SF Joe Jackson are forced to the bench with 3 each. This does not help however as their bench outplays ours and they go on a 13-4 run to lead 50-40 with 9:25 remaining. Reckless play yields some easy fast break points as the Rebels stretch the lead to 17, but we claw back to get it under 10 at 64-55 on a 16 foot jumper by Geoff York with 3:47 to go. We manage to close it to 6 on a Bill Miller slam, but just as quickly Mississippi has it back up to 12 and we eventually fall 73-63, our 4th loss in a row and it gets no easier against Missouri. Eddie Blackmon as usual leads the way with 19 points, while Bill Lewis adds 12. Jason Carroll has a solid game in the post with 6 points and 8 rebounds, but again turnovers kill us as we end up with 22. The Rebels also have 22, but they out shoot us 54.9% to 45.5%. They also hit 11 threes pointers!

After the game Coach snitch…..errrr Childress tells me he witnessed Gaylon Lovitt and redshirt Ryan Ryan in shoving match, WTF? This is the third time for the “The Thug” and I am about sick of him. I call Ryan first and he deflects and tells me to talk to the other guy. I can’t really suspend a redshirt, so I repeat my order to quite getting into fights and he cools off and agrees. Now, I call “Thug” and he isn’t hearing it at all. “Ok Gaylon, since the problem is never yours, maybe you need a nice two week break, you’re suspended and next time you’re gone!” This really hurts us and it means Cortez Frazier will have to play some 2 guard, because I am not wasting Ryan’s redshirt.

December 9th, 2008 @ Missouri 4-2
I am fed up with this infighting crap on the team as it puts us as a serious disadvantage that we don’t need. Missouri has the edge at every position but center, where Jason Carroll has the edge, yippee. The Benches are considered even. Osei Donald is their best player and he is averaging 21.1 PPG, Anthony Rencher will have his hands full.

The setting is getting familiar, we score first, then Missouri goes on a 10-3 run to take control and we keep fighting and tie it on a little jumper by Bill Lewis at 10 with 13:51 left in the 1st. Lewis has scored 6 of our 10 and I call for our guards to feed him more. As seems to happen far too often though, the Tigers adapt and we can’t hang with their superior players for long stretches which results in a 30-19 deficit with 4:54 left in the half. Our guards have 3 turnovers each already and they are all over Eddie Blackmon outside the arc as he hasn’t even had a clean look at a three yet. We continue to plug away however and a 10-0 run cuts it to 30-29 with 1:42 left. We fight on even terms the rest of the half and A Bill Lewis drive with 5 seconds left knots it up at 33-33 at the half. We played a great half and I let the kids know how proud I am of them. We are banging away at a 54.5% clip and are 9-11 from the line, with no three pointers. Anthony Rencher is playing his best game of the season and leads our team with 12.

The second half is back and forth as neither team can build a lead of more than 3 points and when Neil Miller drives and hits a floating 10 footer with 11:46 left in the game it is tied again 44-44 and this without Eddie Blackmon who only has 6 points. After Missouri gets its biggest lead of the half at 4, we strike back quickly and Cortez Frazier nails a big three to put us back in front 51-50, 8:19 to go. Once again however we seem to run out of gas and Missouri gets the biggest lead of the game, 66-57 with a three and the clock showing 3:39 remaining. We are not done tonight however, as Jason Carroll sparks us with a 3 point play, followed by an Eddie Blackmon jumper and a Geoff York slam to make it 67-64 with 1:17 left, we have a shot!! 36 seconds left and we now trail by 1, Jason Carroll, who has been instrumental in the comeback, steals the ball with 23 seconds left, but Anthony Rencher is unable to get a shot off as time expires and we lose a heartbreaker 67-66!! I still think this is our best showing of the season losing by 1 on the road to a good big 12 team is no shame. Anthony Rencher gets 14 points; Bill Lewis has 12, while Jason Carroll records 7 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, a pretty solid outing for the senior. Now if only we can build off of this, we will be good as conference play approaches.

It also shows me that we are just fine without cancers like Gaylon Lovitt and he has one foot out the door if he screws up again.

BYU 14 · 03-15-2009, 03:45 PM

December 13th, 2008 - @ BYU 3-4
We travel to play my alma mater and I will admin I want this one badly. They have the edge at PG, where Felipe Flanigan is an electric player and SF. We have the edge at C, while Bench strength also goes to BYU. No changes from the Missouri game, though I do let Eddie Blackmon know I want him to shoot more threes. They like to push the ball offensively, so we will need to get back on D quickly.

Both teams look sharp starting out and we are having come success penetrating and working the inside game as Jason Carroll gets a couple of early baskets and we lead 15-14 with 12:55 left in the first. BYU always shoots well as a team they go on a torrid run to take a 29-19 lead with 8:28 left in the half as SG Bridney Bell has 13 points going 6 of 7 from the field. We then find our own flow and quickly cut the lead down to 36-35 with 4:26 to go in the half, with all 5 players contributing. Spurred by an Anthony Rencher three ball, we close the half with a 6-0 run and lead 41-36 at the break, shooting 52% as a team! Rencher is lighting it up with 13 points, while three others, including Jason Carroll have 6.

Bill Lewis paces us early in the 2nd half boosting his point total to 12 as we extend our lead to 48-39 with 15:30 remaining. BYU can score in bunches and they hit four straight threes to tie it at 51-51 with 13:05 left. To compound matters we are missing some foul shots which hopefully won’t bite us in the ass. We get some solid contributions from the bench, especially Benjamin Gainous, who chips in 5 points during his stint and the starters return to 64-58 lead and 6:50 to play. We are in the bonus the rest of the way and we need to start knocking down the freebies! BYU gets as close as 1 down the stretch but our guards play flawlessly as we break our 5 game skid with a 79-72 win! Anthony Rencher is the man with 20 points, while Geoff York adds 18, including 12 of 14 from the charity stripe, most in the last 2 minutes! Inside Bill Lewis gives us 14 points and Jason Carroll snags 13 rebounds! Our first double figure rebound game of the season. In fact the only starter that struggles is Eddie Blackmon who only hits 2 of 11 and commits 4 turnovers. It’s great to see others step up, a total team effort.

On the Bus ride home I get some bad news from the trainer. Neil Miller has a sprained wrist and may miss the Utah St game. With Gaylon Lovitt suspended we may only have two pure guards available and I will have to do some major scrambling or just play Geoff York 40 minutes

December 16th, 2008 – VS Utah State 2-6
With our 2 Guard roster we prepare for the Aggies, who despite their record are given the nod over us at SF, C and Bench, while PG, SG and PF are rated even. Their best player is C Michael Bragg 10.3 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Neil Miller is still sore, but he will try and go. If I can just get 6-8 minutes out of him I think Geoff York will be fine.

Despite our situation in the backcourt, I think we are a lot more athletic than the Aggies so we come out pressing. The results are good to start as we race to a 11-4 lead with 14:36 left in the half following a Geoff York steal and an Anthony Rencher slam on the ensuing break. Eddie Blackmon also has 4 points along with 3 offensive rebounds. We continue to come at them hard defensively and extend the lead to 22-10 at the 9:09 mark. Jason Carroll is doing a great job on Michael Bragg who has yet to score for the Aggies (0-3 from the field) and has just 1 rebound. Eddie Blackmon has 7 points to lead our effort and Neil Miller is putting on a gutty display playing through the pain. Our defense continues its chokehold on USU and we hit the half with a 38-16 lead. I think I may have stumbled onto something here as they are struggling to break down our press and are shooting just 16.7%!! Meanwhile, led by Geoff York’s 10 points we are lighting it up to the tune of 57.1%! Blackmon and Lewis each have 7 points and Jason Carroll has held Michael Bragg to 1 of 6 shooting and grabbed 7 rebounds.

USU begins to solve our press in the second half and get some better looks, but we stay consistent on offense thanks to some fine work by Cortez Frazier (7 points) off the bench and we continue to hold a comfortable lead at 47-26 with 13:59 to go in the contest. We extend the lead to as much as 30, before allowing Utah State to go on a 13-3 run, but with 5:41 left and a 63-43 lead the game is still well in hand. Geoff York is having another fine game with 14 points (though he still has 5 turnovers) and Billy Cundiff, back from suspension is giving us good D off the bench with 2 blocks and 2 rebounds in just 3 minute thus far. As close as the Aggies get the rest of the way is 18 with a little run in garbage time as we ride our big 1st half to a decisive 76-56 win. Eddie Blackmon gets hot late in the 2nd half and leads us with the quietest 22 points you will ever see, to go with 8 rebounds. Geoff York finishes with 14 points and 4 assists, while Bill Lewis was a beast in the low post giving us 13 tough points in the paint. Jason Carroll has his 2nd straight double digit rebound game with 10 and Cortez Frazier adds 9 off the bench.

Nothing gets the home fans happier than back to back wins against two of the hated instate “big boys” and tonight I see a Chilton for Mayor Sign as we leave the court. Guess I can hold off on going back to my Trailer for a while at least.

Just one game to go before conference play starts and I think we have finally found our identity. Thanks in large part to the 1 point loss at Missouri we are playing with confidence and even a little bit of swagger, which I hope will carry us the rest of the way. I make a point to pull Neil Miller aside and tell him how impressed I am with his gutty effort (he gave us 15 minutes despite his wrist) He is humble and simply states "Whatever it takes to be playing in March coach."

BYU 14 · 03-15-2009, 07:04 PM

December 20th, 2008 - @ Hofstra 4-4
Another long road trip for our final non-conference game and we need to keep momentum going. The pre-game gurus rate every position dead even except SF, where the edge goes to Hofstras Donald Ballis, who is their best player at 10.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 2.0 ASG. We are spreading the wealth much better and now have three starters in double figures in scoring (Blackmon 15.3, Lewis 10.5 and Rencher 10.1)

I go back to our normal defensive stuff until I get a feel for things. They come out hard and aggressive and at the 16:21 mark we hold a 6-2 lead and will be shooting free throws the rest of the half! This has got to make them back-off a bit as three starters have 2 fouls. They do ease up a bit, but soon fight back to tie the score as they hit a trio of threes over our tightly packed zone. I up the pressure a bit and call for straight man to man and we surge back into the lead 20-14 with 9:21 remaining in the half, with the scoring spread out among seven different Wildcats. The Pride are tough on their home court and we can not shake them. Despite their foul troubles we cling to a 32-31 lead at halftime, mainly because they are harassing us into 39.3% shooting. (0 for 5 from downtown) Bill Lewis leads in scoring with 9, while Anthony Rencher has 8. Even more important, we only have 5 turnovers in the 1st half and the Point Guards have combined for just 1 between them!!

In the 2nd half I crank up the intensity, but we can still not shake them holding a tenuous 38-35 lead with 14:35 to go in the game. Rencher and Lewis continue to be the go to guys with 10 and 11 points respectively and we have three of their starters (including Donald Ballis) in trouble with 3 fouls each. With 9:23 remaining our defensive pressure has allowed us to stretch the lead a bit to 46-39. Jason Carroll has a shot at a double-double with 8 points and 8 boards and their starting PG Neill Dilligard now has 4 fouls. I decide to start working it inside more since we are scoring well in the paint. That strategy quickly sees our lead dwindle to 2, but a quick 5 point spurt that includes an Eddie Blackmon three gets us back up 52-45 with 4:55 to go and we are in the penalty the rest of the way. I return to balanced attack for the rest of the game and Anthony Rencher, who finishes with 14 points, hits a couple of big buckets and we hit our foul shots to win going away 67-52 for our third in a row. In addition to Rencher, Bill Lewis adds 14 points, Jason Carroll gets our first Dub-Dub with 12 points and 13 rebounds and Eddie Blackmon goes for 10. High points as a team were a 35-28 rebound edge, 34 points in the paint and 22-27 from the free throw line.

On the flight home I recognize Jason Carroll’s work on the glass. Ever since the 1 game demotion against Brown he has been a rebounding machine, averaging 10.4 over the last 5 games. I was worried about this in the pre-season and he has really picked it up. We are 6-6 heading into conference play and I feel pretty good.

Make room on the Mantle:
Eddie Blackmon wins the Big Sky freshman of the week award for the week of 12/17/08, his third time being honored this season.

I enjoy the short Christmas break before conference play starts by watching some film of our incoming recruits and getting out and watching a couple of their games in person, just to keep in touch. I also hear from my old friend Xavier Dickson, who lets me know he is looking to get into coaching and asks if I will give him a good reference. I question his sanity for asking for one from me, which we both laugh about, and agree to help him anyway possible. In fact I ask him about coming on here if something comes up before he finds a job and the idea seems to intrigue him. I wish him and the family merry Christmas and remind him that I will make room for Jermaine if he changes his mind, which get us talking more.

Xavier: “You know Eddie, I have talked to Jermaine quite a bit about his decision and I think the real reason he is going to Tulsa is to get away from me.”

Me: “You really think so?”

Xavier: “He hasn’t straight said it, but he was really high on your program then the papers started calling and it seemed the questions always went along the lines of ‘Do you feel pressure to play in state when your father was such a big star here in the NBA?’ or ‘How do you feel about playing for one half of the best Jazz backcourts ever and being the son of the other half?’ It was never really about his future or his thoughts on college or how he would do and I think he wanted to go make his own name.”

Me: “That makes a lot of sense X, I think you are right and I don’t think you can blame him. You made me want to go to Tulsa sometimes!”

We share another laugh and I ask to make sure he lets me know if there is anything I can do. It is good to be talking to X again after all these years and even better to see how life has turned out for him.

BYU 14 · 03-17-2009, 12:23 AM

December 27th, 2008 VS Eastern Washington 3-8
Despite their record they are given the advantage over us at SG, SF, PF and Bench with PG and C even. I would say we have played a tougher schedule, but they still get the nod. There best player is PF Eric Wilcox, but it doesn’t look like he is even slated to start, we will see.

Eastern plays a very deliberate game and there is not a lot of scoring early, with our best success coming inside to Bill Lewis. We eventually grow impatient; make some mistakes and Eastern Washington takes advantage to grab a 13-8 lead with 11:22 left in the 1st half. I just tell the team to relax and not force things and we come back to take a 16-15 lead on an Anthony Rencher dunk with 9:51 to go. We continue to hammer it inside and score 13 of the next 17 points to stretch the lead to 29-19 at the halftime buzzer. We are strong on the boards again as Jason Carroll has 6 at the break, while Anthony Rencher has 9 points and 2 steals.

I turn up the pressure in the second half to try and put them away as I don’t feel they pass well enough to break the press consistently. The good news is I am right and they don’t hit their first field goal until 16:18 remains in the game. The bad news is they still outscore 4-2 over that stretch and we lead 31-23. Outside of Anthony Rencher, we continue to shoot poorly, but still lead 38-28 with 10:37 left as Eastern is fairing no better under our withering pressure. As our starters rest Eastern Washington cuts our lead to 43-37 with 7:36 to go and we need someone to step up. Geoff York and Bill Lewis answer the call and our lead balloons to 55-41 with 1:55 left in the game. From here we coast in with the win 55-47 as EW hits a couple of late threes to make it look respectable. Anthony Rencher finishes with 14 points and Bill Lewis adds 12 for the cause. Jason Carroll’s string of double digit rebound games ends, but he still grabs 9. Benjamin Gainous gives us 4 points, 3 boards and a block off the bench in only 7 minutes. It feels good to be back over .500 and even better to be 1-0 in conference play.

December 30th, 2008 @ Portland State 3-9
Pre-game notes give the Vikings the edge at SF, we have the edge at C (I must admit Jason Carroll is really playing above expectations) PG, SG, PF and Bench are rated even. They are pretty athletic, so I will scale it back a bit as I don’t want to get into a run and gun contest with them.

We score first, and then promptly allow a 9-0 run that sees Jason Carroll pick up 2 quick fouls, before Eddie Blackmon stops the bleeding with a three as we trail 9-5 at the 15:38 mark. With Carroll on the bench we are not the same team and Portland State continues to pick us apart behind Ben Hackworth’s 9 points, and if not for Eddie Blackmon keeping us in the game single handedly with 14 points, it would be much worse than the 23-17 deficit we face with 10:16 remaining in the 1st half. I call for more pressure on defense, but we can still can’t catch up and remain on the short end of a 31-25 score with 4:43 left in the 1st. We aren’t getting a damn thing inside as Bill Lewis and Jason Carroll have 2 points each. We close the half with a small flurry and are only behind 38-35 as we go to the locker room. 12 1st half turnovers tell the whole story and totally spoil an incredible half by Eddie Blackmon who has 19 points on 7 of 8 shooting. (5 for 5 on threes) Bill Lewis has 6 rebounds, but has only scored 4 points and we need more from him.

I go to straight man to start the second half and keep the pressure up. Portland, though bothered by our intensity on defense, gives us just as much trouble with their pressure and with 9:52 to go we have 18 turnovers and still trail 46-44, as we still can’t score in the paint. Our bench then totally drops the proverbial ball and in a blink we are down 55-45 with the clock showing 5:48 to play. We get no closer than 8 the rest of the way and couldn’t hit a Bulls ass with a handful of BB’s in the last 3 minutes losing 60-49. As good as our previous four games have been, this one is just as bad as we finish with 25 turnovers and give up 14 offensive rebounds!!! Eddie Blackmon ends up with 23 points, but cooled down considerably after halftime. (only 4 2nd half points) Geoff York and Anthony Rencher have 7 points each, but shoot a combined 6 of 17. On top of that York has 8 turnovers and only 3 assists. Jason Carroll only plays 18 minutes due to foul trouble and which is a big reason we get raped on the offensive boards. I break my first clipboard of the year and only tell the team to come prepared to work at our next practice.

Ringing in the New Year
Eddie Blackmon wins yet another Big Sky freshman of the week award for the week ending 12/31, but it doesn’t ring as sweet after the disaster in Portland. As I watch the Portland game before going out to party likes it's 2008 it is clear I need to keep Jason Carroll on the court. His athleticism makes up for a lack of strength and he is a scrapper. Portland State exposed how weak we are inside when Carroll sits. I am now more tempted than ever to throw Gaylon Lovitt off the team if there is a good Center available when transfer time comes. Speaking of Mr. Thug-a-matic, he made his return in the Portland game, didn't really help at all and we lost! Coincidence??? I am beginning to wonder.

BYU 14 · 03-17-2009, 04:06 PM

From the Weber State book store

BYU 14 · 03-17-2009, 09:05 PM

January 3rd, 2009 VS Sacramento State 3-9
Do the pundits think we are better than anyone? Once again the opposition is deemed better as the Hornets get the edge at PF and the Bench, with all other positions being a wash. Their top guy is C Kevin Stallings, who comes off the bench and averages 8.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. They like to run and they play mostly man, which we will try and exploit by running more motion.

Both teams come out shooting well as we make 7 of our first 8 shots to grab a 15-10 lead with 15:47 remaining. Anthony Rencher (6) and Geoff York (4) combine for two thirds of our points in the early going. Sac State is 4 of 5 at this point, but we have forced 4 turnovers. The torrid pace continues as Defense is in neither team’s vocabulary so far and with 9:18 left, we lead 28-24 as York, Rencher, Blackmon and Lewis all have 6 points. For the bad guys, McEverett Cole has 9. We cool off a little bit down the stretch, but the shooting numbers are staggering at the half. 59.3% for us and 58.6% for them as we enter the locker room tied 42-42. The main difference at this point is we are 1-4 behind the arc and they are 6-11. Our scoring is balanced as Bill Lewis has 8 points and Eddie Blackmon and Anthony Rencher both have 7. One thing we need to take advantage of in the 2nd half is Sacramento’s starting PG Maurice Briggery’s 3 fouls.

I decide to up the offensive tempo as the 2nd half gets underway and neither team shows any signs of cooling off. The Hornets take a 6 point leads on us early, but we storm right back and a Jason Carroll jam puts us up 54-52 with 14:58 to go in the game. I switch back to a slower pace on offense and crank up the defensive pressure, which helps us get a little breathing room, taking a 64-57 lead on a Jay Wilcox free throw with 10:13 remaining. Jay is giving us some good minutes off the bench as he has 7 points, but Sacramento State keeps bombing away and they shave our lead down to 72-68 with 5:52 left, plus both teams will be in the bonus the rest of the way. York and Rencher both have 3 fouls and Briggery now has 4 for the Hornets. We stretch the lead back to 7 at 79-72 with 3:32 to go and I back off on the pressure to conserve some energy down the stretch and employ some zone as well. Bill Lewis now has 14 points and has been a force down low and I want to feed him the rest of the way, but they defense him well. With 32 seconds left Sacramento State cuts it to 85-84 and we are set for a big finish. Anthony Rencher sinks 2 freebies, they miss a three and Geoff York then hits 1 of 2 from the stripe. On the ensuing possession, York makes a steal and drives home a slam dunk at the buzzer as we win 90-84!! Plenty of kudos to go around as Eddie Blackmon finishes with 16 points and 6 rebounds, Bill Lewis scores 14 and the Rencher/York duo gets 13 and 12 respectively. Off the bench Robert Crenshaw and Jay Wilcox combine for 12 points in only 16 minutes. Gaylon Lovitt is the only player that doesn’t see action for us and I really could care less at this point as I am over him. As a team we shoot a blistering 63.5% from the field and get a season high 42 points in the paint!!

Back in my office
It’s the only game we play that first week and with League leading Montana on tap I don’t mind the extra prep time and rest. Eddie Blackmon is making the Big Sky freshman of the week award his his own, as he captures his 5th for the week ending 1/7/09. I decide to work Gaylon Lovitt back into the lineup again after we chat and he promises me he will fly right. I remind him that the ice under his feet is thin and he says he understands….we will see.

BYU 14 · 03-19-2009, 12:49 AM

January 10th, 2009 @ Montana 9-6 (3-1)
Led by SG Chris Elder 18.3 PPG, 3.5 APG, 5.7 RPG the Grizzlies will be a tall order. The preview gives them the edge at PG, SF and PF. Surprisingly we are even at SG, as well as C and Bench. They run a slow paced flex offense and 2-3 zone. We will play man against them and try and tire them out as most of their production comes from the starting five.

They have success early posting up our guards and it gets them an early 10-1 lead, but I don’t panic and we are able to close the gap to 14-10 when Gaylon Lovitt drains a three with 11:60 to go in the half. Geoff York is in foul trouble and whether I like it or not, we need Lovitt tonight. With 8:48 to go we grab our first lead 17-16 on a Neil Miller jumper and Gaylon Lovitt is our leading scorer with 6 points and some good defense against Chris Elder. As the half winds down a 9-3 disparity in fouls hurts us as it allows Montana to take a 29-27 lead with 3:24 left. I am jawing at the ref, but he is pretty much ignoring me, which pisses me off more. The trend continues and we end the half down 41-33 as they are 13 of 15 from the line, while we have shot only 4 free throws. Eddie Blackmon has 8 points to lead our cause while Lovitt is next with 6. Geoff York has 3 fouls and only played 4 minutes in the first half, which left the turnover machine Neil Miller running the point.

I want to press more, but I don’t dare do it with the abundance of fouls we are getting hit with. The 2nd half begins like a bad dream as we play good defense and have several chance to cut the lead to 3 or 4, but can’t sink a shot. Anthony Rencher is the biggest bricklayer and is shooting a pathetic 2 of 12 as we trail 51-44 with 12:22 left. I pull Rencher and put Lovitt in and despite his effort (10 points) we trail 61-50 with 6:17 to go, thanks again to some handy fouls. I am at my wits end as to this point we have been called for 18 fouls and Montana whistled for just 5! I come unglued when Jason Carroll is called for his 4th with 3:08 left and get T’d up. That about seals our fate and when the smoke from the free throws clears we are down 64-52. We get a couple of late treys, but they are only cosmetic as we fall 68-58 and I have quite the discussion with the Ref coming off the court. Gaylon Lovitt gains some redemption with 13 points, while Eddie Blackmon chips in 11. Jason Carroll adds 9 rebounds and continues to lead the Big Sky in this category. I might also add we are outscored from the free throw line 20-4!! We are now 2-2 in conference and have to start picking up some wins on the road or it will be a long season.

January 13th, 2009 VS Idaho State 6-10 (3-2)
The Bengals have been sharp since conference play started and the preview gives them an edge at SF, PF and Bench, while we get the edge at C and both Guard positions are even. Mark Mason averages 13.3 from the PG spot for Idaho State, but he is not a big assist guy. They like to slow it down on offense and run a lot of zone on D.

Idaho State takes 7 of their first 8 shots from behind the 3 point line and fortunately only hit 2 of them, which allows us to take an 11-6 lead at the 13:26 mark, led by Geoff York’s 4 points. York continues to scorch the twine and runs his total to 9 points as we hold the lead at 22-14 with 7:03 to go in the 1st. Eddie Blackmon is only 1 for his first 6, but has 3 assists and 3 rebounds, but the best part is we only have 3 turnovers so far as a team. As the half winds down we have some terrible shot selection, but solid defense, including a couple of steals by Geoff York allows us to take a 28-23 lead into the locker room. We end the half still sitting at only 3 turnovers and I am ecstatic about that. York’s 9 points pace the scoring, while Bill Lewis has 6. One other stat of note is that Idaho State does not commit a single foul in the first half, wow!

We come out in the 2nd half ice cold and fall behind 31-30 with 15:00 remaining. I am livid and pull both Anthony Rencher and Eddie Blackmon early as they are a combined 4 of 16 from the field. I bring in seldom used Jay Wilcox on a hunch and his first shot is a trey, Gaylon Lovitt follows with a nice running jumper and we lead 40-38 with 11:01 left. Time to start pressing! This decision leads to a 7-2 Idaho State run as we are just plain frigid from the field. I put Eddie Blackmon back in and he promptly drains a 3 to tie things up 45-45 with 6:12 to go, looks like another nail biter on tap. Turnovers and our “torrid” shooting soon dispel that thought and we suddenly trail 58-51 with only 1:36 remaining. We have life yet though as a 3 from Geoff York and a steal and slam by Billy Cundiff cut Idaho States lead to 58-56 with 15 seconds left. We stop them, but can’t get off a shot as time expires, another bitter loss 58-56!! Except for the fact that he had a couple of key turnovers down the stretch, Geoff York was a bright spot going for 14 points. Eddie Blackmon added 11, but only shot 4 for 13. Bill Miller has 10 points and was 5 for 6. I need to get him the ball more as he is now shooting 56.2% on the season. A particularly galling aspect of this loss is that we had 1 foul shot the entire game!! And missed it.

As I mull over stats the next day, I am none too happy to see Anthony Rencher slip back to under 40% from the field. I hate to bench a senior who has started all year, but his inconsistency is killing us. For a moment I contemplate moving my favorite player Gaylon Lovitt into the starting lineup...Hey, he has stayed out of trouble for almost 2 weeks now

MacroGuru · 03-19-2009, 12:21 PM

Great read....I was upset that my gamefiles corrupted when I was running my UVU dynasty, I just got the game reinstalled and I might start one back up.

But this has me following.

BYU 14 · 03-19-2009, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

Great read....I was upset that my gamefiles corrupted when I was running my UVU dynasty, I just got the game reinstalled and I might start one back up.

But this has me following.

Thanks Dennis, of course you know the eventual goal here is to get the BYU job.

BYU 14 · 03-20-2009, 06:03 PM

January 17th, 2009 @ Montana State 9-7 (2-3)
Looks like a pretty even match on paper as we are both 2-3 in league play. Montana State gets the edge at SF and Bench; we get the edge at C with everyone else even. Alexander Nahra is the type of PG I would like to have averaging 4.9 APG. I don’t take Anthony Renchers starting spot away, but I basically give both him and Gaylon Lovitt 20 minutes each and I will eventually go with whoever steps up and performs.

I make good on my promise to attack the paint more and Bill Lewis promptly rewards me by missing his first 4 shots! Still, thanks to some good defense and a resurgent Anthony Rencher (7 points) we lead 14-13 with 9:51 to go in the first. It is at this point that I finally relent and go back to a balanced offensive approach. With 7:01 left in the half, Bill Lewis finally hits his first basket, but we now trail 20-18 and it looks like another one of “those” games where we play to the level of our opponent. Unfortunately we can’t even do that as 37.5% shooting leads to a 36-28 deficit at halftime. Anthony Rencher leads the battle of the two guards with 9 points, while Gaylon Lovitt is 0 for 3. Eddie Blackmon has yet to even take a shot, but we are getting a good performance from Jason Carroll with 6 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.

I go to more man in the 2nd half and start to press a bit more. Early on we finally start to get it going inside as Bill Lewis finds his range and we start to chip away at the lead, finally tying it with 15:06 to go on an Eddie Blackmon three. (His first points of the game) We trade Baskets over the next two minutes before Montana State surges to a 5 point lead thanks to some dandy perimeter shooting. The boys then wake up and an 8-0 run ensues, capped by a Cortez Frazier trey which propels us to a 55-52 edge with 9:14 to play. We continue to attack and draw fouls, getting into the penalty, where a pair of Bill Lewis freebies gives us our biggest lead of the night, 64-57 with 5:40 to play. Unfortunately we can’t get the key stops when we need them and Montana State fights back to tie it up at 71 apiece with 2:01 to play. A huge three by Eddie Blackmon puts us up 77-74 with 49 seconds left and it looks like another exciting finish. With 14 seconds to go it is tied at 78 and we have the ball….and throw it away with 3 seconds to go!! We have our first overtime as regulation ends 78-78.

In OT our big men get us going as we get 4 quick points in the paint, but Montana State matches us and it is tied when Eddie Blackmon knocks down a huge three with 2:03 left to give us an 85-82 lead….Now we need a stop! Sure enough, Anthony Rencher comes up big with a steal and Jason Carroll is fouled, hitting both free throws to give him 14 points and us an 87-82 advantage with 1:26 to go. From there we take care of business at the line and close it out for a big 93-85 win on the road! All five starters score in double figures led by Bill Lewis with 17, a nice recovery from his 0-4 start. Jason Carroll secures another double-double with 14 points and 12 boards, while Anthony Rencher adds 13 points and 3 steals. For the game we go 27 of 33 from the line and 10 of 14 from downtown. It was an exciting game that saw 20 lead changes and 13 ties, but most important, a Wildcat victory!

As I browse the conference stats the next day I am delighted to see that Jason Carroll, in addition to leading the Big Sky in rebounds at 7.7 per game, is also first in blocked shots 1.1 per game and 4th in steals at 1.4 per game. The big man has really come on as the season has progressed.

January 20th, 2009 VS Northern Colorado 10-7 (5-1)
The Big Sky leaders come to the Dee event center and I am very optimistic as we are rated even at every position but SF, where they have the advantage as their best player Mark Myers resides there. Eddie Blackmon outscores Myers 14.2 PPG to 9.6 PPG and we need a big effort from him. I tell him to take more threes and ease up on the mid range jumpers. This game is vital if we want to stay within striking distance.

We come out auditioning for the Bricklayers union, missing our first 7 shots. Fortunately they are not fairing any better and when Geoff York finally scores our first basket on a breakaway dunk, we only trail 4-2 with 14:34 to go in the half. As the half progresses neither team gets warm enough to ward off frostbite and with 8:38 left we continue to trail 13-10. With 2:55 left we finally manage to take our first lead of the game, 18-17 on a nice post up move by Bill Lewis as he becomes our first player to make two shots….Ugh! From here it gets better however as we score the last 7 points of the half (5 by Lewis) to grab a 25-17 lead at the break.

After our ugly 1st half I go full motion on offense and tell the team to push it inside more. This seems to help as we stretch our lead to 32-19 with 16:46 to play, is there a chance, knock on wood, that we could actually post a double digit win? God knows my digestive tract needs it. Well, no sooner does this thought enter my mind, then Northern Colorado cuts the lead to 6. This time however we have an answer in the form of Neil Miller and Gaylon Lovitt, whose sharpshooting off the bency spurs us on and we hold a 44-29 lead with 9:26 to play. From here we are able to maintain our double digit lead the rest of the way and we even show some killer instinct in doing it, riding out a 59-45 win. Not pretty, but a win nonetheless. Bill Lewis leads the way with 13 points, while Gaylon Lovitt snags 11 points off the bench. The only other performance of “note” is Eddie Blackmons 0 for 10 day from the field which Simon Cowell would likely describe as “absolutely horrendous!” The difference maker in my mind was our work on the offensive glass as 11 offensive rebounds led to 15 second chance points, while Northern Colorado had 0, which was pretty much the difference. 1 game out of first place baby!!

BYU 14 · 03-22-2009, 02:37 AM

Eddie Blackmon garners yet another Big Sky Freshman Player of the week award for the week ending 01/21/09, despite not having an extremely great week.

January 24th, 2009 @ Northern Arizona 10-8 (4-3)
We travel to Flagstaff to take on a tough Northern Arizona Team. They love to shoot the three and we will have to pressure that. Northern Arizona gets the edge at PG, SF and Bench, with the other three spots even. Their best player is C Corry Walker, though Jason Carroll is better than him in most statistical categories.

The Lumberjacks come out firing threes early and nail three of them, which helps to propel them to a 15-9 lead with 13:43 to go in the half, as we again struggle to get an early rhythm. After allowing Northern Arizona to extend their lead to 11, Gaylon Lovitt gives us a boost off the bench with 5 points and after two free throws by backup C Ed Cleveland we close to with 4 at 20-16, with 8:58 to go in the first. We do a great job drawing fouls down the stretch, which helps stay with NAU as we cut their lead to 31-30 at the break behind 7 points from Bill Lewis. Eddie Blackmon and Gaylon Lovitt both have 5 and Jason Carroll has 6 boards in the first half.

Both teams come out playing very well offensively and whenever it looks like Northern Arizona is set to bury us with an extended run, we come back with guns blazing to close the gap. A Billy Cundiff hook pulls us to within 51-49 with 12:45 to play, with Neil Smiths 5 assists off the bench playing a big part for us. With things looking good, we suddenly can’t take care of the ball and this time NAU will not be shackled as a 14-2 run puts us down 65-51 with 8:43 remaining. We manage to pull to within 8 with 1:26 to go at 77-69, but it will take a miracle to pull this one out of the fire. Unfortunately our lamp is out of Genies and 8 is as close as we get losing 82-74. Eddie Blackmon has 20 in a losing cause and both Anthony Rencher and Bill Lewis finish with 11. Fouls killed us in the 2nd half as we had 4 players finish with 4 each. 20 turnovers and 13 offensive boards by the Lumberjacks ruined a great team shooting performance (60%) and keeps us firmly in the middle of the Big Sky pack.

January 27th, 2009 @ Eastern Washington 7-12 (4-4)
We begin our second time through the Conference schedule going to Eastern Washington who we beat 55-47 back in December. The pregame report says this should be a blowout for them. Advantage EWU at SG, SF, PF and Bench, with PG and C even. We are going to attack inside and run a high pressure defense from the opening tip.

They come out just as aggressive as we do on defense and it looks like it may be another low scoring affair as we ride the hot hand of Gaylon Lovitt off the bench (7 points) to an early 13-8 lead at the 12:26 mark. The high intensity defense puts both teams in the bonus with over 7 minutes left in the first half and both Jason Carroll and Geoff York are in early foul trouble. I increase the offensive freedom to combat the EWU press with minimal success, though we still lead 20-18 with 4:36 remaining. It is a physical game and we are in for a dog fight, though late threes by Blackmon and Lovitt give us a tenuous 32-26 lead at the half. We are holding them to 28% from the field, but 14 fouls on us is keeping them in the game. Gaylon Lovitt leads us in scoring with 10 points and he also has a team high 5 rebounds. Eddie Blackmon has 8 and Bill Lewis is going to be sitting to start the 2nd half with 3 fouls.

I gamble and keep up the defensive pressure and it pays off early as we stretch out lead to 43-28 with 15:32 to play in the game as Jason Carroll establishes the low post. The big lead is almost like a sleeping pill to this team at times and with 8:44 to go lackluster play has allowed Eastern Washington to take a 49-46 lead on the strength of a 21-3 run. We answer with 4 straight to grab a short lived lead, but we again run into foul trouble and Eastern Washington takes advantage to lead 56-54 with 4:48 showing on the clock. Bill Lewis and Jason Carroll make back to back baskets as we head into the home stretch up 60-57 and 2:44 showing on the clock. When the buzzer sounds our score is still 60 as we again fail to rebound and give up second chance points to hand Eastern Washington a 67-60 win. Gaylon Lovitt leads our effort with 14 points and 6 rebounds, all off the bench, while Eddie Blackmon has 12. Bill Lewis fouls out and Jason Carroll only plays 21 minutes, which sums up why we gave up 15 offensive rebounds. I have to take the blame for this as I should have backed off the defensive pressure when we had a double digit lead. A lesson learned by a rookie head Coach.

As January winds down we sit at 10-11 overall and 4-5 in conference. It is going to take some effort to reach my goal of 15+ wins, not to mention winning the conference tournament. Eddie Blackmon is once again Big Sky freshman of the week award for the week ending 01/28/09 and he has been one of the few bright spots in a frustrating first season at the helm.

BYU 14 · 03-23-2009, 12:30 AM

January 31st, 2009 VS Portland State 6-14 (3-6)
A chance to avenge a 60-49 loss at their place, but the pregame report doesn’t seem to think we will, giving the Vikings the advantage at PG, SF and Bench. We get the edge at C, with SG and PF even. They are solid defensively and we have to get better looks than we did the first time around.

It is a game of runs at the beginning as we score the first 9 points, and then promptly allow them to score the next 8, in what is becoming a very frustrating trend. Both teams then settle into a pattern of normalcy and with 9:23 left in the 1st half we hold a 15-10 lead behind Geoff York’s 5 points and 3 assists. Jason Carroll picked up 2 early fouls and I keep him on the bench as we can’t afford a 3rd before the half. While Carroll stays clean Geoff York does get his third foul and predictably we can’t establish any separation and cling to a 27-24 lead at halftime. We are whistled for 11 fouls in the 1st and luckily Portland State is only 7-13 from the line. Anthony Rencher has 8 points to leads our scoring and Eddie Blackmon is a horrendous 1 for 9 from the field.

As the second half begins I order the team to crash the defensive boards harder as we gave up 8 offensive rebounds in the first and it is getting old. As hoped Eddie Blackmon finds his stroke and now has 12 points to carry us to a 47-33 lead with 11:13 to play. I have also been pressing much more to this point and I now decide to back off a bit and play a 3-2 zone to conserve energy and avoid another late game collapse. It seems like a smart move as we keep a comfortable lead and with 5:41 left are on the good end of a 49-37 score. At this point I decide to turn up the offensive tempo and try and run them out of the building. My cards are falling right tonight, and while we don’t quite run them out of the building, we do bring home a very comfortable 61-46 victory behind Eddie Blackmons 14 points (only 2 at halftime) and 12 points from Bill Lewis. Billy Cundiff gave us some great defense off the bench collecting 6 rebounds in only 6 minutes to lead the team. We only gave up 3 offensive boards the second half and as close as it was at times, never trailed from the opening tipoff to the final buzzer.

I go back and read over my notes from an early meeting with Donny Wiseman. One of my goals was win 15 and we have to go 4-2 the rest of the way, or make a run in the tourney and get a a win or two. More than the goal I really just want a winning record my first year. Another goal was the NCAA tournament, but I honestly can't see us winning the Big Sky tourney. There are too many evenly matched teams and in that situation you need to maintain consistent play over long stretches. Something we have not been able to do this season.

BYU 14 · 03-23-2009, 07:45 PM

Well, looking at things, with the top 7 teams separated by only 2 games and 6-7 games to play things are still very wide open. If we can get hot we could make a run at the regular season title, or at the very least improve our seeding for the tournament. Should be a wild finish to the 2008/2009 Big Sky season.

BYU 14 · 03-25-2009, 08:59 PM

I get a call from a producer at ESPN. Rod Sales would like to tape a follow up interview with me regarding my return to the game and the new challenges I am facing trying to take a 1-AA program to the national stage in the State I am so beloved...I cut him off.

Me: "Are you fucking kidding me? Sales wants to tape an interview....Why? so he can butcher to show how a floundering ex-NBA derelict is now dragging the defending Big Sky Champions into the gutter with him?"

Producer: "No, not at all, Mr. sales says he is very impressed with your return to the game and thinks it will make a feel good story and show that you have grown since he first talked to you?"

Me: "WHAT?? Are you new to ESPN, did you see the unedited tape of my first interview? Are you actually keeping a straight face?"

Producer: "Well, I did see the first interview on TV, like the rest of America did and I think this would be a....."

Me: "A what, a good opportunity to redeem myself? There is nothing to redeem, show the unedited version or better yet watch it yourself, then think about much of a shill for the great Mr. Sales you sound like right now."

Producer: "Do you need to think about it?"

Me: "Ah...yeah, let's see, give me just a second....OK, Go to hell and take Rod Sales with you! If he wants to interview me we'll do it live or not at all. Better yet, get one of the real jounalists there to interview...Hannah Storm maybe, I'll gladly talk to her all day."

I hang up the phone, incredulous that they would even dare request something like this. I was finally getting to the point where I was willing to let that first interview go and chalk it up to experience.....Now I have a new fire to call him out, though I am sure that is the last thing the administration here wants. Especially as closely as I am still being watched.

OOC Note: Officially going on my vacation hiatus with this until next week now

BYU 14 · 04-02-2009, 01:01 PM

February 3rd, 2009 @ Sacramento State 5-16 (2-7)
The pundits once again give them the edge in the preview, with all positions even except PF and Bench, which both go to the Hornets. We beat them 90-84 at our place on January 3rd and I expect another high scoring game and though they are in last place in the Big Sky, they are still dangerous. We really need a road win or two down the stretch to help our cause and this is as good a place as any to start.

As expected this is a wild one, with both teams ripping the twine at an impressive clip. I open it up a bit with more movement offensively and Gaylon Lovitt is a dynamo off the bench, with 7 points and 4 rebounds in 8 minutes as we cling to a 29-28 lead with 7:55 in the half, in a game that looks headed well into the 80’s for both teams. The insanity continues as we exchange 1-2 point leads the rest of the half and our kids are enjoying the wide open play, which sees Bill Lewis sinking 18 footers and Anthony Rencher throwing down earth shattering slams. It is only fitting the half ends tied 46-46. Things are not all strippers and fire trucks though as the Refs are whistle happy calling us for 14 fouls and Sacramento State for 9 and Both Robert Crenshaw and Geoff York have 3. Scoring wise we spread it around as Blackmon and Lewis both have 8 points and Gaylon Lovitt has 7. With York sitting much of the half, Neil Miller chips in 5 assists off the pine.

We come out absolutely smoking in the 2nd half as Eddie Blackmon quickly scores 11, which gives him 19 for the game and us our biggest lead at 59-48, with 17:15 still remaining. I keep waiting for our obligatory cold spell, but the kids just keep lighting it up and every time Sacramento State looks to make a move we swat them down. With 9:10 left we are still up 76-62 and Eddie Blackmon now has 22 points, while Neil Miller has 9 assists and Jason Carroll 10 rebounds. I jump to the 3-2 zone the rest of the way to make them work a little more for good looks and I also get some players in the game earlier than usual, with the end result a not being as close as it looks 89-78 win on the road, which is a huge moral boost as the regular season winds down. Eddie Blackmon is wanted in three counties for his shooting rampage which results in 24 points and we also get 11 points each from Anthony Rencher, Gaylon Lovitt and Ed Cleveland. Cleveland is particularly impressive scoring his points in just 6 minutes ad going 7 of 8 from line. Jason Carroll finishes with 6 points and 11 boards, giving us 17 points and 12 rebounds from our Center spot. As a team we go 21 of 26 from the stripe and also shoot 56.4% from the field in one of our more impressive offensive outputs of the season.

Eddie Blackmon wins his third straight (9th overall) Big Sky Freshman of the week award for the week ending 02-04-09 and after his showing in Sac town, it is definitely well deserved! Looking at our remaining schedule we play every team above us and have the top two teams (Montana and NAU) at home. We are in a good position to make a run at the title if we stay focused.

BYU 14 · 04-02-2009, 02:15 PM

February 10th, 2009 VS Montana 14-9 (8-4)
To say this is huge is the understatement of the season. Montana is in 2nd place and looks to lull you to sleep with a slow paced flex offense. Chris Elder is one of the best in the Big Sky and averages 18.7 PPG. They have the edge on us at PG, SF and PF, with SG, C and Bench even. I really find it amusing that the “experts” rate Anthony Rencher even with Elder, when I barely consider him our best SG.

We start cold, but our offensive rebounding keeps it tight early. Then Montana’s dynamic duo of Matt Baptist and Chris Elder take over, combining for 16 points to give the Grizzlies a 24-14 lead with 10:51 left in the first. Eddie Blackmon has 6 points for us, but is only shooting 2 for 6. They continue to work us off the dribble drive and we continue to lay bricks, yet somehow stay close enough that when we do start to get shots to drop we are able to close it to 35-29 with 4:25 left on the half, thanks to some spirited play by Gaylon Lovitt and Robert Crenshaw off the bench. Fouls kill us down the stretch, but we stay within striking distance trailing 45-37 at the half, thanks mainly to our 10 second chance points. Montana is shooting 56.7% and we need to slash that drastically or we are cooked. Anthony Rencher leads the way for us with 7 points and 5 rebounds, while three other Wildcats have 6 each.

Some great defense allows us to cut the Grizzlies lead to 4 early in the 2nd half, but we commit some costly turnovers and can’t take advantage of several golden opportunities as Montana still holds a 58-51 lead with 10:12 to go. Eddie Blackmon has 12 points, but it is the play of Anthony Rencher, 9 points and 7 rebounds that is keeping us in it. After Cortez Frazier sinks a running 1 hander to close the gap to 60-55 with 8:14 to play I go to the press. The gamble pays off and with 6:51 to play we take our first lead of the game, 61-60! It is nip and tuck for a few minutes but we can’t contain the Montana guards and Bill Lewis misses some easy baskets down low. Geoff York nails a three at the buzzer, but all it does is make our 74-72 loss look like a cliff hanger. Eddie Blackmons 12 points end up leading our offense, while Anthony Rencher shot 55.6% to finish with 11 points and 9 boards. Geoff York had 10 points and 5 assists, while Gaylon Lovitt added 8 off the bench. For the Grizzlies Elder and Baptist combined for 35 points and had only 1 turnover each. That’s why they are the Big Sky’s best backcourt. We really let a game we needed get away here.

Looking ahead, we have two weeks to play and our first game next week is huge as we travel to Idaho State. They beat us 58-56 on our home court in January and we trail them by ½ a game for 4th place. This one is a must have! Eddie Blackmon sees his run as Big Sky freshman of the week end at 3 straight as Adrian Luton of Portland State snags the honor for the week of 02-11-09. Montana’s Chris Elder wins his 5th Big Sky player of the week award and he pretty much has my vote for Big Sky player of the year at this point.

BYU 14 · 04-04-2009, 12:15 AM

February 14th, 2009 @ Idaho State 10-14 (7-6)
Valentines Day and we hope to show some love for the Bengals by passing them for 4th place in the conference. We need to shut down PG Mark Mason (13.6 PPG) and shake their defense. In hopes of accomplishing this I am increasing our offensive freedom and will press late in the first half. They have the edge at SF, PF and Bench, while Jason Carroll gives us an edge at C.

They are beyond pesky on Defense and the freedom isn’t really helping as they jump out to a 15-9 lead with 11:02 left in the half. I heap some praise on Geoff York as he scores 4 points early and it apparently goes to his head as he spends the next few minutes in lala land. We are not getting inside at all, so I ask the kids to focus on this. While we don’t start pushing them around inside, Gaylon Lovitt comes up big off the bench and his 11 points help guide us to a 23-17 lead with 4:41 left after a jump hook and 1 by Bill Lewis. Increased defensive pressure holds Idaho State to 25.9% from the field and we enter the locker room up 29-20. Gaylon Lovitt still leads us with 11, while Bill Lewis has 7 (5-5 from the line) and a couple of steals.

I back off to start the 2nd half, leery of fatigue and also start Lovitt at SG. He hits our first basket, then Eddie Blackmon sinks two three pointers, followed by one from Geoff York. Suddenly we lead 42-22 with 16:34 left and have a good rhythm going. Idaho State stakes advantage of our relaxed defense and hits some bombs, but we continue to shoot well and still hold a 59-41 lead with 7:24 left as Gaylon Lovitt continues to scorch the nets with 18 points. I decide to go for the throat and turn up the pressure again. They do a better job of solving it this time and manage a mini run, but in the end we take home a comfortable 70-57 win which keeps us in the hunt for a possible top three seed in the Big Sky tournament. Gaylon Lovitt’s 18 points off the bench (in 19 minutes) lead the way, followed by Eddie Blackmon with 13. Geoff York adds 9 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds.

February 17th, 2009 VS Montana State 12-12 (5-8)
We had a wild 93-85 OT win at their place in January and I expect another shootout. I will allow more freedom again on offense as they play mostly man and I think we can take them off the dribble. They have the advantage at SF and Bench, while we have it at C. I want to pound it inside to start and hopefully get them in foul trouble.

The inside game looks like the ticket as they can’t guard Bill Lewis to save their lives and with 10:40 left in the 1st half he has 14 points (7 for 7) and 5 rebounds as we jump out to a 19-5 lead. Geoff York looks like I used to out there with 5 assists and only 1 turnover in the early going. We continue to hammer Montana State inside and ride 60% shooting to a 48-27 halftime lead. We have 30 points in the paint and have outrebounded them 26-10. Bill Lewis has 18 points and 7 boards, Gaylon Lovitt and Billy Cundiff have each chipped in 7 off the Bench. Lovitt also has 5 rebounds and York finishes the half with 6 assists.

No need to fix what isn’t broke, so we continue to work it inside. Montana State is now collapsing on Bill Lewis, so Jason Carroll steps up with 7 points out of the gate, giving him 11 for the game, along with 10 rebounds and with 9:54 to go we lead 63-42. Montana State can get no closer than 19 the rest of the way and we complete a dominating performance with a 82-54 victory. Bill Lewis leads all scorers with 22 points and adds 8 boards. Our Center play was incredible as Jason Carroll snagged another double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Ed Cleveland stroked in a season high 14 off the bench. All told we had 52 points in the paint and just murdered the Bobcats inside, out rebounding them 46 to 24. We look to be getting hot at the right time, with two games to go in the regular season.

Geoff York injures his hip in the win over Montana State, but X-Rays are negative and he should be good to go for our final two games. If there is one area we have had good fortune in this year, it is injuries.

BYU 14 · 04-04-2009, 03:05 PM

February 21st, 2009 @ Northern Colorado 12-13 (7-7)
Mark Meyers is Northern Colorado’s best player averaging 10.2 PPG and 4.7 RPG. He has the edge over Eddie Blackmon at SF and the Bears have the edge at Bench as well, with everything else even. They like a 1-2-2 on defense so we will work it inside again and attack from the high post. We beat them 59-45 at home the first time through and will need that same effort on defense to carry what is a very big game for us. Hell, they all are big at this point. Geoff York’s hip is still sore, so Neil Miller will get the start at PG.

Tough sledding early and our success inside is a mixed bag, as we play to a 12-12 tie with 10:12 remaining. Bill Lewis has 6 points, but we are not hitting anything outside and need to loosen them up a bit. I finally put Geoff York in the game to hopefully accomplish this and give the team some more freedom on offense. Instead, things spiral out of control as we only score 8 points over the final 10+ minutes and trail 28-20 at Halftime. We are just not patient and our 32.1% shooting shows that. Bill Lewis and Anthony Rencher lead us with 6 points a piece, but I am not getting a thing from anyone else.

We pick up the shooting early in the 2nd half as Neil Miller hits our first two three pointers of the game and we manage to shave Northern Colorado’s lead down to 37-36 with 15:16 to play. Anthony Rencher is finding his stroke as well and now has 10 points. The Bears then stretch their lead to 7, but we come charging back and jump on top 47-45 with 9:39 to play after a Neil Miller steal and slam. He is playing is butt off now, but I need him fresh for the end of the game, so I bring the hobbled Geoff York in to give him a breather. Anthony Rencher carries the slack while Miller rests and when he returns with 3:32 to play we are up 58-49 and all our starters are well rested, so I turn up the heat on defense to try and close it out. As they have most of the game Rencher and Miller hit some key foul shots down the stretch and we escape with a 65-57 victory for our third win in a row. Anthony Rencher paces our attack with 19 points and 8 rebounds, Neil Miller makes up for 5 turnovers with 17 points and 3 steals, while Jason Carroll is again Mr. double-double with 10 points and 11 boards.

On the Plane ride home I thank the team for their perseverance. With 5 wins over our last 6 games we now have 4th place locked up and a chance to finish 2nd or 3rd and send a message to League leading Northern Arizona, who we close out the regular season with at home. We have also reached one of the Administrations pre-season goals with our 15th win and I hope a legitimate shot at winning the Big Sky tournament, another of the goals I was given by Donny. I also make sure I compliment Gaylon Lovitt on his turnaround. He was literally two steps from being kicked off the team, but has turned into a model citizen, getting along well with his teammates and showing a good attitude. He and Ryan Ryan will be a nice combination at SG next season.

February 24th, 2009 VS Northern Arizona 17-9 (11-4)
We enter our final game with a chance at a three way tie for 2nd place as both Montana and Eastern Washington lose and now sit ½ game ahead of us at 10-6 in conference. We lost to NAU 82-74 at their house a month ago, but played them tough. They have the edge at PG, SF and Bench and we are even at SG, PF and C. They like to run and gun so I will press a little less to start and work some more zone in. We have to keep their 2nd chance points to a minimum.

It could not start any better as we score the first 19 points of the game before NAU gets on the board after missing their first 10 shots. With 12:14 to play we lead 21-3, behind 8 points and 5 rebounds from Jason Carroll. I sub early, which allows them to cut into our lead, but Neil Miller again is solid off the bench with 5 points and the starters come back with 4:42 left in the half and a 32-19 lead for the good guys. We take advantage and extend the lead to 44-26 at the half behind blistering 65.5% shooting and a 14-7 assist to turnover ratio. Jason Carroll leads a balanced attack with 10 points and 7 rebounds, while Geoff York tallies 9. Anthony Rencher has not scored, but he has 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 block.

Northern Arizona is the best team in the conference for a reason and they refuse to lie down, cutting our lead to 10 on three separate occasions to start the 2nd half, but we punch back each time and long three by Eddie Blackmon gives him 14 points and the team a 58-42 lead with 12:15 to play. I decide to get an extended rest for the starters and sub out all 5, having the reserves go to a full court press as well. The backups work hard with Robert Crenshaw grabbing 5 rebounds and Ed Cleveland knocking down 6 points. When the starters return with 5:06 to play we are still up big 73-54. I again empty the bench with 1:54 to go and we cruise home to our 4th straight win 85-66!! Eddie Blackmon leads the scoring parade with 17 points, while Geoff York, showing no ill effects from his injured hip goes for 16 points. Jason Carroll gets yet another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Anthony Rencher dishes 7 assists and grabs 8 rebounds of his own.

The regular season is over and I believe we are playing as well as anyone in the Big Sky right now, finishing up at 16-12 overall and 10-6 in conference, tied for 2nd place with Montana and Eastern Washington. We end up with the #3 seed in the Big Sky Tournament and draw Northern Colorado at home in the first round on March 3rd.

BYU 14 · 04-04-2009, 04:01 PM

Final regular season edition of the Wildcat Review

BYU 14 · 04-04-2009, 11:52 PM

March 3rd, 2009 VS Northern Colorado 13-14 – Big Sky tournament 1st round
Not much to say here since we played these guys a week and a half ago. Things hopefully won’t be much different then the first two times we beat them, but our 2-0 record against them this year is what worries me. It is always tough to beat the same team 3 times in one season and Northern Colorado has given us problems at times.

As they did last time they give us fits early with their pressure and it is a sloppy game tied 10-10 with 11:04 to go in the half. Jason Carroll and Bill Lewis are a combined 1 for 7, which will force me to balance things up a bit more. It remains close until Northern Colorado suddenly finds their range behind the arc and we fall behind 29-20 with 4:10 left in the half. I call timeout and for the first time all year lose it with the entire team. It doesn’t really help and we enter the locker room down 35-24 as my fears are being realized. Defensively we are abysmal as the Bears shoot 62.5% in the 1st half. Eddie Blackmon and Jason Carroll have 5 points each to pace our “offense” if you can call it that.

I tell the team at the half we need to get more tenacious on defense and not allow them to dictate the pace like they have been doing. Geoff York, who was scoreless in the first, tries to carry us back but with 12:56 to go we are still down 48-39. It is time to gamble and I call for high pressure and hopefully we can wear them down. With 4:21 to go we are still fighting to get it under double digits and trail 61-51, the Bears are just hot tonight and I don’t have an answer. Just as it appears we are dead, we get a couple of stops and a Jason Carroll slam pulls us within six at 61-55, 2:43 to play. With 50 seconds left Eddie Blackmon hits a jumper and we trail 63-59, we need a big play!! We fumble away a chance to pull within two, but then get a steal and Geoff York drains a three. We trail 63-62, but only 7 seconds remain. I scream for a foul, but we can’t even do that right and are knocked out of the Big Sky tournament 63-62 on our home court. Anthony Rencher leads us with 12 points in his final game. Eddie Blackmon tallies 11 and both Jason Carroll and Gaylon Lovitt get 10. Our death knell this game? We were out rebounded 36-16 and gave up 11 offensive boards. We also had no inside game getting only 16 points in the paint. A disappointing finish to a great end of season run to be sure.

After talking to the team I check the internet and am shocked to see that #1 seed NAU was also upset by Portland State, it helps me feel a little better…..Who the hell am I kidding, I still feel like shit.

Northern Colorado goes on to win the Big Sky tournament beating Portland State in the finals. I guess that shows the parity in our league when the #6 and #8 tournament seeds play for the title. Either that or it shows how crappy our league is. I also get welcome news that none of our underclassmen are declaring for the draft. It is hard for me to keep a straight face while Donny tells me this, like I was worried we were going to lose anyone, but he seems happy so I pretend to be also. I head home and watch the selection show on my upgraded TV…..Keeping all Beer bottles at a distance. Northern Colorado gets the 15th seed in the Denver regional and draws #2 seed Virginia (25-6) for their pleasure. At least they will get their asses kicked in front of a home crowd.

BYU 14 · 04-05-2009, 12:23 AM

Buffalo Regional
#1 Kentucky 77
#16 Lafayette 54

#8 Kansas State 69
#9 Texas 73

#5 Kent State 76
#12 Tulane 63

#4 Alabama 69
#13 Wichita State 50

#3 Florida 62
#14 Cal State Fullerton 47

#6 Gonzaga 62
#11 Charlotte 78

#7 Missouri 59
#10 Texas Tech 68

#2 Iowa 81
#15 Tennessee State 50

Columbus Regional
#1 Syracuse 87
#16 Virginia Commonwealth 60

#8 Texas A&M 80
#9 Tennessee 76

#5 Notre Dame 52
#12 Akron 41

#4 Maryland 68
#13 Northwestern State 58

#3 UCLA 80
#14 Charleston 60

#6 North Carolina 59
#11 St Francis 64

#7 Boston College 66
#10 Gardner-Webb 77

#2 Oregon 56
#15 Western Kentucky 52

Orlando Regional
#1 Duke 57
#16 Fairfield 42

#8 St Johns 74
#9 Connecticut 56

#5 Michigan State 66
#12 Hartford 53

#4 Louisville 78
#13 Nevada 67

#3 Pittsburgh 83
#14 Wisconsin-Green Bay 71

#6 Wyoming 50
#11 Coastal Carolina 70

#7 Miami 54
#10 Auburn 79

#2 Arizona 90
#15 IPFW 69

Denver Regional
#1 Georgetown 81
#16 North Carolina A&T 50

#8 Oklahoma State 72
#9 Stanford 78

#5 Ohio 54
#12 Brown 59

#4 Ohio State 59
#13 Winthrop 64

#3 Indiana 76
#14 Grambling 60

#6 Utah 50
#11 Rhode Island 68

#7 Iowa State 69
#10 Mississippi State 60

#2 Virginia 69
#15 Northern Colorado 66

The 6th and 7th seeds were the lottery numbers of death in the first round as they went a combined 1-7. The biggest upset of the round is easily Winthrop knocking off #4 Ohio State in the Denver regional, though Northern Colorado make a heck of a bid for the honor, falling to #2 seed Virginia by only 3 points. Fans in Chapel Hill will not be happy with North Carolinas (one of the ill-fated #6 seeds) first round exit. All the #1 seeds cruised as expected, though Dukes win was a bit sloppy.

BYU 14 · 04-05-2009, 10:33 AM

Buffalo Regional
#1 Kentucky 52
#9 Texas 54

#4 Alabama 74
#5 Kent State 65

#3 Florida 51
#11 Charlotte 56

#2 Iowa 81
#10 Texas Tech 64

Our first #1 seed falls as Texas shocks Kentucky. I really thought the Wildcats were the favorites to take it all, but Texas is playing very good defensively right now. Even more shocking is Florida falling to Charlotte, though I think Iowa will turn their Coach into a Pumpkin in short order.

Columbus Regional
#1 Syracuse 80
#8 Texas A&M 53

#5 Notre Dame 72
#4 Maryland 67

#3 UCLA 87
#11 St Francis 62

#2 Oregon 80
#10 Gardner-Webb 50

Things hold pretty much true to form here as I don't consider the Notre Dame win an upset. Oregon and UCLA has some epic games in the Pac-10 this year and their sweet 16 matchup should not disappoint.

Orlando Regional
#1 Duke 68
#8 St Johns 67

#4 Louisville 71
#5 Michigan State 43

#3 Pittsburgh 74
#11 Coastal Carolina 49

#2 Arizona 74
#10 Auburn 56

The top 4 seeds all move on, though Duke has a razor thin escape against St Johns. Louisville beating MSU is not a big surprise, how badly they did it is though.

Denver Regional
#1 Georgetown 77
#9 Stanford 63

#12 Brown 81
#13 Winthrop 69

#3 Indiana 75
#11 Rhode Island 57

#2 Virginia 82
#7 Iowa State 66

The Cinderella bracket is now down to one. Brown has looked very impressive and having been beaten handily by both them and the Hoyas, I think the game may be closer than people expect.

BYU 14 · 04-05-2009, 01:07 PM

Sweet 16
Buffalo Regional
#4 Alabama 66
#9 Texas 57

#2 Iowa 69
#11 Charlotte 46

Columbus Regional
#1 Syracuse 65
#5 Notre Dame 74

#2 Oregon 75
#3 UCLA 61

Orlando Regional
#1 Duke 54
#4 Louisville 61

#2 Arizona 55
#3 Pittsburgh 70

Denver Regional
#1 Georgetown 60
#12 Brown 61

#2 Virginia 79
#3 Indiana 74

All the #1 seeds are now gone, the most shocking of course is the Brown upset of Georgetown. Brown now takes their Cinderella run into the Elite 8 to face Virginia.

Elite Eight
Buffalo Regional
#2 Iowa 70
#4 Alabama 79

Columbus Regional
#2 Oregon 63
#5 Notre Dame 68

Orlando Regional
#3 Pittsburgh 81
#4 Louisville 72

Denver Regional
#2 Virginia 60
#12 Brown 53

With the exception of Virginia and Pittsburgh the higher seeds all fall, which sets up a very interesting Final four. Even in defeat Brown again committed themselves well and was easily the surprise team of the year.

Final Four
#4 Alabama 83
#5 Notre Dame 82

#2 Virginia 94
#3 Pittsburgh 83

2009 NCAA Championship
#2 Virginia 62
#4 Alabama 80

Bama rode Sr. SF Aaron Halls 24 points to victory in a game they had in the bag at the half, leading 46-31. C Keith Penny chipped in 18 points and 7 rebounds for the tide, while Freshman SG Mills Costello led Virginia with 21 points. Congratulations to the ……..

2009 NCAA Champions – Alabama Crimson Tide

BYU 14 · 04-05-2009, 01:39 PM

National Post Season Awards

Norton Award:
SG Omar Miller Jr Connecticut – 30.2 PPG, 2.5 APG, 4.7 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 0.8 BPG

National Player of the Year Award:
SG Omar Miller Jr Connecticut – 30.2 PPG, 2.5 APG, 4.7 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 0.8 BPG

NCAA Tournament MVP:
SF Aaron Hall Sr Alabama – 17.9 PPG, 2.1 APG, 7.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 0.7 BPG

National freshman of the Year Award:
PF Chris Bobbit Louisville – 18.2 PPG, 1.4 APG, 10.6 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 3.0 BPG

National Defensive Player of the Year Award:
C Duez Brotherson Fr Arizona – 14.0 PPG, 1.5 APG, 9.9 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 3.4 BPG

National Coach of the Year:
Freddie Gilbert Kentucky – 31-3

1st Team All-American
SG Omar Miller Jr – Connecticut
SG Mike Dare Fr – Michigan State
SG Osei Donald Sr – Missouri
SG Hunter Hale Jr – Florida
SG Josh Correa So – Maryland

2nd Team All-American
PF Chris Bobbit Fr – Louisville
PG Lance Johnson Sr – Rice
SG Gabe Colter So – Notre Dame
SG Leonard Serraville Jr – Bradley
SG Ivan Steele Fr – Iowa

Extremely bizarre that the entire 1st team is made up of shooting guards, seems a little biased IMO.

Big Sky Post Season Awards

Player of the Year:
SG Chris Elder Jr Montana – 18.2 PPG, 3.0 APG, 5.6 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 0.7 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
SF Eddie Blackmon Weber State – 13.4 PPG, 1.4 APG, 3.3 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Defensive Player of the Year:
PF Ben Sankes Sr Northern Colorado – 3.9 PPG, 1.9 APG, 5.9 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Earl Lenzy Montana – 17-12

1st Team All Big Sky
SG Chris Elder Jr – Montana
PG Matt Baptist Sr – Montana
SG Ben Rodgers Sr – Northern Colorado
SF Jason Moore Sr – Montana State
C Jason Carroll Sr – Weber State

2nd Team All Big Sky
PG Tom Ohnstad Jr – Northern Arizona
SF Eddie Blackmon Fr – Weber State
SF Will Hyle So – Montana
SF Mark Myers Jr – Northern Colorado
C Clarence Hutson Jr – Eastern Washington

I guess position just doesn’t matter with these teams, though I am glad both Carroll and Blackmon were honored as I feel they deserved it. No surprise with Elder being named player of the year, he is a stud and Montana gets both him and Will Hyle back next season.

BYU 14 · 04-05-2009, 04:46 PM

Postseason meeting

Donny calls me into his office to go over me performance.

Donny: “Come in Eddie, sit down and let’s go through a review of the season. First off, your job security is fine. Everyone is happy with the way you run the program and the administration will be patient while you get the players you need in to run your system.”

Me: “I feel there is a but coming Donny.”

Donny: “Well, we do have high expectations within our conference and that is to make the NCAA tournament and continue to improve our prestige. You went 16-13, which meets the 15+ win goal, but we didn’t make the any tournaments and most important did not win the Big Sky Tournament, though the team played well down the stretch. We also don’t feel there was a gain in prestige.”

Me: “You know I will work to get to where we need to be Donny and I learned a lot this season too.”

Donny: “And we realize that, so please don’t take this as a negative, just under stand where we eventually want you to be.”

Me: “I do understand Donny and I want the exact same thing.”

Donny: “Good, now that is out of the way (Donny is smiling again) let’s go grab a Beer.”

Me: Laughing “Glad we finished on that note buddy.”

Over the next couple of weeks I start getting ready for next season. Ramal Moody finally signs his LOI, so our recruiting class is now set, as long as they all qualify, which should not be an issue. Brandon McBride’s contract is up and losing him would hurt as he is a good recruiter. I offer him 48,000 per year for two years and to my surprise he resigns. I am glad he feels this is the place to be, especially considering he has high ambition. I also am happy we will keep the staff intact. My final order is meeting with the board and I request a budget increase, which they deny. One throws in a snide remark about how it may have been possible “if we had some tournament money”. I smile and say understand, then leave, uttering many unspeakable things about the crusty old bastard as I go.

I am informed later that I have just over $78,000 to spend on recruiting, which is enough for what we need so I purchase a Gold Report for the West, which leaves me 48K and change for recruiting and camps. As I check up on the players I realize that Ryan Ryan has not done a thing to get better and is out of shape. I expected great things from him, but he looks like he really doesn’t even have a passion. I need a big man and decide to cut him. This does not go over well, but I see no need to carry dead weight. Gaylon Lovitt is working hard and incoming JC transfer Ramal Moody can play right now.

With a Schollie to give I look at transfers at finally arrive on Alex Hare, a 6’8” sophomore who played at St Mary’s last season, averaging 15.2 minutes, 5.9 PPG and 3.8 rebounds. Not quite as good scoring in the post as Ed Cleveland, he is more athletic and after sitting a year should fit well into our system. I offer him a scholarship and he accepts immediately. This also means I only have to redshirt one player and that player looks like it will be Javon Wesby right now. For summer travel I decide to only do the Las Vegas review, we have no means to recruit outside of the west now and quite frankly don’t need to at this level. I decide to take a little vacation, then it’s off on the recruiting trail in June. Before leaving I pull in another walkon in SG Adam Grant. He is actually not too bad of a player, better than Ryan and I will redshirt him as well to let him develop. I am somewhat surprised he didn't hook up with someone.

BYU 14 · 04-05-2009, 06:43 PM

Recruiting
The time has come again when I emerge, pasty white and 10 pounds overweight from my exile in the film room with the fabulous 14. This year it is mostly Centers as I need one badly, along with a few SG and 1 play each at PG and SF.

The final 14
Peter Bullock PG – Spanish Fork, UT (JC)
Rankings: Regional overall 268 – Regional position 57
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 1st
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Scoring B, Free Throws B, Athleticism B
Weaknesses: Rebounding D, Defense D, Shot Blocking D, Stealing D, Inside Shooting D.

Aaron Waldrop SG – Pleasant Grove, UT
Rankings: Regional overall 158 – Regional position 30
Visit: No – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 3rd
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Passing B, Rebounding B, Athleticism B
Weaknesses: Defense D, Inside Shooting D

Brad Michaels SG – Albuquerque, NM
Rankings: Regional overall 266 – Regional position 51
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Passing A, Outside Shooting A, Athleticism B
Weaknesses: Defense F, Inside Shooting F

Higgins Sasser SG – Murray, UT
Rankings: Regional overall 299 – Regional position 56
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Passing B, Rebounding B, Outside Shooting B, FT Shooting B, Athleticism B
Weaknesses: Scoring D, Ball Handling D, Defense D, Stealing D

Glenn Cornell – St George, UT (JC)
Rankings: Regional overall 136 – Regional position 36
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 3rd
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Passing B
Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Defense F, Inside Shooting D

Donald Winter C – Pleasant Grove, UT
Rankings: Regional overall 223 – Regional position 33
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 2nd
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Scoring B, Inside Shooting B
Weaknesses: Passing D, Ball Handling F, Shot Blocking D, Stealing D, Outside Shooting D

Erick Hampton C – Salem, OR
Rankings: Regional overall 256 – Regional position 41
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Passing B, Rebounding B, Shot Blocking B, Inside Shooting B
Weaknesses: Scoring D, Ball Handling D, Defense F, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting D, Athleticism F

Jamie Jensen C – Salt Lake City, UT
Rankings: Regional overall 107 – Regional position 13
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 7th
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Rebounding B, Inside Shooting B
Weaknesses: Ball Handling F, Defense F, Outside Shooting F, FT Shooting F, Athleticism F

Davey Henry C – Kaysville, UT
Rankings: Regional overall 281 – Regional position 47
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Rebounding B
Weaknesses: Passing F, Defense F, Shot Blocking D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting F, Athleticism F

Clyde Diggs C – Honolulu, HI
Rankings: Regional overall 220 – Regional position 31
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Scoring B, Rebounding A, Inside Shooting A
Weaknesses: Shot Blocking D, Outside Shooting F, FT Shooting F, Athleticism D

Travis Christian C – Forsyth, MT
Rankings: Regional overall 122 – Regional position 15
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Scoring B, Inside Shooting A
Weaknesses: Passing D, Ball Handling D, Outside Shooting F, FT Shooting F

Clay Carter C – West Valley City, UT
Rankings: Regional overall 83 – Regional position 9
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: B
Strengths: Scoring B, Inside Shooting B
Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Shot Blocking D, Stealing D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting D, Athleticism F

Dennis White C – Post Falls, ID
Rankings: Regional overall 39 – Regional position 2
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: B
Strengths: Scoring B, Inside Shooting B
Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Shot Blocking D, Stealing D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting F

Matt Hawkins C – Nampa, ID
Rankings: Regional overall 139 – Regional position 18
Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R
Overall Scouting: C
Strengths: Rebounding B, Inside Shooting A
Weaknesses: Shot Blocking D, Defense F, Stealing D, Outside Shooting F, Athleticism D

* Note: All skills scouted at A or B are strengths, D-F are weaknesses. All skills not listed are scouted as C.

Higgins Sasser and Erick Hampton are my top two targets. Especially Hampton, not just because he can do a lot well, but his passing skills will fit in with what I eventually want to start running at some point (Princeton Offense) It's a shame that the one Player who has us #1 is a player I really don't need with the PG's I have in the pipeline. The fact that he is a JC transfer hurts him even more.

03-13-2009, 10:08 PM	#18
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	November 18th - VS Utah Valley State 2-0 The Pre-game breakdown lists PG, SG and SF even. UVS has the edge at PF and we have the edge at Center (scary) The Bench is also even, so we should be in for a good game. PF Billy Cundiff is out 10 days with Back Spasms, but his 4 minutes should be easy to fill. We come out firing bricks and at the 16:28 mark trail 7-0 on 0-8 shooting, with Jason Carroll the main offender at 0-5 and Eddie Blackmon yet to take a shot. I quickly change it up to favor the outside game and with 13:20 remaining we roar back to take a 12-11 lead, all our points coming on 3’s by York, Rencher and Blackmon (2). Both teams heat up and begin to trade baskets and with 7:23 to go to half it’s tied at 26 with our 3 point shooting keeping us in it, as we are 6-8 as a team behind the arc. Eddie Blackmon leads the offense with 11 points, while Gaylon Lovitt is next with 4 off the bench. We end the 1st half with a little spurt and lead 38-32 at the break. We are 8-14 as a team on 3 point shots, while Jason Carroll is 1-7 (The 1 was a dunk) from the Center spot. He is about to meet the bench. Neil Miller is strong off the bench down the stretch and has 9 points (all threes). The 2nd half sees both teams a bit sloppy, but we are able to extend our lead to 44-34 with 14:05 remaining as Jason Carroll actually makes a shot from further away than 1 foot. Neil Miller’s 15 footer with 8:10 left gives him 13 points and stretches our lead to a game high 16 at 55-39. After a Bill Lewis slam with 1:39 to go gives us a 65-50 lead, I clear the bench as we coast home with a 65-55 win due solely to shooting a blistering 56.3% behind the arc. Eddie Blackmon paces us with 14 points, while Neil Miller goes for 13 points off the bench. He is pushing Geoff York for the starting PG job after York fouled out with 5 points and 3 assists after being in foul trouble all night. Jason Carroll was 3-3 in the 2nd half and finished with 8 points and 8 rebounds, as well as 3 steals and 3 assists. Defensively Anthony Rencher and Gaylon Lovitt held UVS Guard Mario Hastie, coming off a 21 point game against Delaware to 3-17 from the field. We now sit at 2-0 with a trip to Georgetown looming. On November 19th Jovan Wesby and Sam Thompson stop by and sign their LOI’s. I also call Ramal Moody, who has us, #1, but he is not ready to pull the trigger yet, I butter him up and start prepping for the Hoya’s November 22nd - @ Georgetown 2-0 Not surprisingly the pre-game report gives Georgetown the edge at every position but SG, which is surprising since Anthony Rencher has not played extremely well to date. The Hoya’s are led by SF Jermar Frazier 15.5 PPG, 12.5 RPG and C Frank Chatman 15.0 PPG and 13.5 RPG. I have a feeling we are going to get destroyed on the boards. Surprisingly we jump out to a 6-4 lead behind the sniping of Eddie Blackmon, before Georgetown mounts a quick 11-1 run, but we are not going away and Blackmon’s third trey of the game pulls us to within 15-12 with 11:37 left in the first half. With 7:52 left in the first, we still trail by only 3 (22-19) but we are getting beat off the dribble a lot and have 6 team fouls as a result. I worry their athleticism will wear on us as the game goes on. Though we manage to grab a brief 25-24 lead, the Hoya’s soon step on the gas and at times it looks like Piper Cubs chasing F-16s as they sprint to a 37-27 lead at the break. Surprisingly they are only out rebounding us 15-14 and we are outshooting them 47.6% to 41.4%. The problem is 11 Turnovers!! Eddie Blackmon has 9 points, while Anthony Rencher has 5. Geoff York is again foul trouble with 3 and has only played 5 minutes. The 2nd half sees the Hoya’s extend the lead to 13, but we fight back and cut it to 42-34 on an Eddie Blackmons trey (what else) with 15:43 to go. Blackmon fights to keep us in it, but he is getting no help and when he goes to the bench to get a rest, Georgetown stretches the lead to 62-45 with 9:40 to go, with 19 of our points belonging to Eddie. From there the Hoya’s slowly pull away, leading by as much as 25 as the buzzer sounds with us on the wrong end of a 80-59 ass kicking. We played them tough, but in the end we just didn’t have enough Horses to hang. Eddie Blackmon again leads us with 21 points; it is hard to believe he is a true freshman. Anthony Rencher adds 12, but also fouls out as does Geoff York…AGAIN! He will be starting the next game on the bench. Jason Carroll has 6 rebounds, but often looks stupid trying to guard the quicker post players from Georgetown. Jermer Frazier lives up to the hype for the Hoya’s feasting for 28 points and 8 boards against us. For the game they out rebound us by 7, (33-26) but 9 of them are offensive…..If I had hair I would be pulling it. We now sit at 2-1 heading into the Alaskan Classic. To my chagrin, Eddie Blackmon does not win freshman of the week honors in the first round of conference awards, don’t know what more he needed to do. Last edited by BYU 14 : 03-13-2009 at 10:54 PM.

03-14-2009, 02:04 AM	#19
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	Adventures in the final Frontier November 25th, VS Western Kentucky 0-1 (Alaskan Classic) The pre-game report shows a near dead even matchup and I hope the difference will be the fact we have played 3 games to their one. In addition to Billy Cundiff still being out, Robert Crenshaw has a sore leg and may be very limited. We will again work the outside and hopefully Eddie Blackmon can continue to scorch the nets. We come out on fire, scoring the first 9 points and holding a 15-3 lead with 15:41 left in the first half. A great start sparked by Anthony Renchers 7 points and Neil Millers 3 assists and 1 steal, making the most of his first start. The Hilltoppers then begin to rain down treys and come alive, hitting 6 of them to slice the lead to a single point at 27-26 with 7:08 to go until halftime. It stays tight the rest of the half, but Western Kentucky scores the last 4 points to take a 38-35 lead into the locker room. Eddie Blackmon has been limited to 2 shots, but Anthony Rencher (9 points) and Bill Lewis (8 points) pick up the slack. I switch it up and decide to go straight man the 2nd half and when Eddie Blackmon drains a three with 17:07 to go, we are back in the lead 42-40. The change in defense takes away the Hilltoppers 3 point assault, but we give up some cheap second chance points, which keep it close as we lead 55-49 with 9:07 left. Eddie Blackmon has found his groove and now has 11 points. Our PG’s are both in foul trouble though as Miller has 3 fouls and York has 4. After Neil Miller makes two straight baskets to give us an 8 point lead we go to sleep and Western Kentucky ties it at 64 with a three pointer coming with 3:25 to play. Rencher and Blackmon then take over and score our next 6 points to give us a 70-66 lead with 1:29 to play. Western Kentucky pulls within 2, then miss three put back attempts that would have tied it, before we can corral the rebound with 31 seconds left. After a Bill Lewis hoop, the Hilltoppers nail a quick three to pull within 72-71, but Neil Miller seals the deal with 2 free throws and we escape with the 74-71 win! A good team effort that sees Anthony Rencher with 16 points and 8 boards, Eddie Blackmon adds 13 and Bill Lewis 12 points and 6 rebounds. Neil Miller does great in his first start scoring 9 points and dishing 7 assists, for now the PG job is his. The win means we will move on to face a tough Boston College Team. November 26th, VS Boston College 3-1 (Alaskan Classic) The pundits give BC the edge at every position, including the bench. We are back at full health and are going to have to play our asses off here. BC has a punishing C in Michael Emery and he is going to be a handful. I will start with a tight zone and hopefully they can’t hit from outside. Things start well enough as Eddie Blackmon nails a 3 to start the game, but BC shows they can hit from the outside as well when we collapse on Emery. They build a 7 point lead just over 5 minutes in, but then a spark comes from an unlikely source as Gaylon Lovitt scores 5 quick points as we trail 16-14 with 13:08 left in the 1st. BC surges ahead by as many as 7, but we keep clawing back and pull back to within two, 26-24 on another basket by Lovitt (11 points) who is 5 for 5 at this point. We tie it late on a 3 by Rencher, but BC scores the last 4 to lead 35-31 at halftime. Things go to hell quickly in the second half as the Eagles score 11 straight and lead 46-31 with 16:13 left to play. Rodney Jarmond leads the BC attack with 14 and Emery has 11, plus 7 rebounds. With 9:37 to play the deficit has grown to 61-42 and we seem incapable of making a run, with our golden child Eddie Blackmon stuck on 3 points and Anthony Rencher shooting a dismal 3 for 11. We get no closer than 15 the rest of the way and that’s were the final margin falls as we go down to defeat 74-59 to drop to 3-2 on the year. Anthony Rencher and Gaylon Lovitt (working his way out of my Dog House) both score 13, while Bill Lewis chips in 11. We have 20 turnovers (5 by both Miller and Rencher) while BC has only 7. I am quickly seeing the difference between good and very good teams. It’s called holding onto the ball! Again we play a top level team tough for a half and then totally unravel. The Plane ride home is long and quiet. Showtime Eddie Blackmon is named the Big Sky Freshman of the week for the week ending 11/26/08 I also have one other small piece of good news when I back to the School. Ramal Moody has left a Voice mail committing to Weber State! My first class is now complete and though I didn’t get as much inside help as I wanted, I still think we got three pretty good players. Weber State recruiting class of 2009 (Updated Scout rankings) Jovan Wesby PG – Bullhead City, AZ Rankings: Regional overall 37 – Regional position 10 Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: Yes – Signed LOI Overall Scouting: B Strengths: Scoring B, Ball Handling B Weaknesses: Rebounding D, Shot Blocking D, Inside Shooting D, FT Shooting D Ramal Moody SG – Garland, UT (JC) Rankings: Regional overall 99 – Regional position 14 Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: Yes – Verbal Overall Scouting: C Strengths: Scoring B, Passing B, Defense B, Outside Shooting A, Athleticism B Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Rebounding D, Shot Blocking F, Stealing D, Inside Shooting F, FT Shooting D Sam Thompson PF – Brigham, UT Rankings: Regional overall 57 – Regional position 12 Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: Yes – Signed LOI Overall Scouting: C Strengths: Scoring B, Inside Shooting B Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting D, Athleticism F Wesby is very consistent and will give us versatility at both guard spots. Moody is wildly inconsistent, but has the potential control a game when hot Thompson's stock dropped a bit, but he will still give us a good inside scoring threat Last edited by BYU 14 : 03-14-2009 at 02:09 AM.

03-14-2009, 12:46 PM	#22
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Gorgeous graphic! How did you make it? __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

03-15-2009, 03:45 PM	#26
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	December 13th, 2008 - @ BYU 3-4 We travel to play my alma mater and I will admin I want this one badly. They have the edge at PG, where Felipe Flanigan is an electric player and SF. We have the edge at C, while Bench strength also goes to BYU. No changes from the Missouri game, though I do let Eddie Blackmon know I want him to shoot more threes. They like to push the ball offensively, so we will need to get back on D quickly. Both teams look sharp starting out and we are having come success penetrating and working the inside game as Jason Carroll gets a couple of early baskets and we lead 15-14 with 12:55 left in the first. BYU always shoots well as a team they go on a torrid run to take a 29-19 lead with 8:28 left in the half as SG Bridney Bell has 13 points going 6 of 7 from the field. We then find our own flow and quickly cut the lead down to 36-35 with 4:26 to go in the half, with all 5 players contributing. Spurred by an Anthony Rencher three ball, we close the half with a 6-0 run and lead 41-36 at the break, shooting 52% as a team! Rencher is lighting it up with 13 points, while three others, including Jason Carroll have 6. Bill Lewis paces us early in the 2nd half boosting his point total to 12 as we extend our lead to 48-39 with 15:30 remaining. BYU can score in bunches and they hit four straight threes to tie it at 51-51 with 13:05 left. To compound matters we are missing some foul shots which hopefully won’t bite us in the ass. We get some solid contributions from the bench, especially Benjamin Gainous, who chips in 5 points during his stint and the starters return to 64-58 lead and 6:50 to play. We are in the bonus the rest of the way and we need to start knocking down the freebies! BYU gets as close as 1 down the stretch but our guards play flawlessly as we break our 5 game skid with a 79-72 win! Anthony Rencher is the man with 20 points, while Geoff York adds 18, including 12 of 14 from the charity stripe, most in the last 2 minutes! Inside Bill Lewis gives us 14 points and Jason Carroll snags 13 rebounds! Our first double figure rebound game of the season. In fact the only starter that struggles is Eddie Blackmon who only hits 2 of 11 and commits 4 turnovers. It’s great to see others step up, a total team effort. On the Bus ride home I get some bad news from the trainer. Neil Miller has a sprained wrist and may miss the Utah St game. With Gaylon Lovitt suspended we may only have two pure guards available and I will have to do some major scrambling or just play Geoff York 40 minutes December 16th, 2008 – VS Utah State 2-6 With our 2 Guard roster we prepare for the Aggies, who despite their record are given the nod over us at SF, C and Bench, while PG, SG and PF are rated even. Their best player is C Michael Bragg 10.3 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Neil Miller is still sore, but he will try and go. If I can just get 6-8 minutes out of him I think Geoff York will be fine. Despite our situation in the backcourt, I think we are a lot more athletic than the Aggies so we come out pressing. The results are good to start as we race to a 11-4 lead with 14:36 left in the half following a Geoff York steal and an Anthony Rencher slam on the ensuing break. Eddie Blackmon also has 4 points along with 3 offensive rebounds. We continue to come at them hard defensively and extend the lead to 22-10 at the 9:09 mark. Jason Carroll is doing a great job on Michael Bragg who has yet to score for the Aggies (0-3 from the field) and has just 1 rebound. Eddie Blackmon has 7 points to lead our effort and Neil Miller is putting on a gutty display playing through the pain. Our defense continues its chokehold on USU and we hit the half with a 38-16 lead. I think I may have stumbled onto something here as they are struggling to break down our press and are shooting just 16.7%!! Meanwhile, led by Geoff York’s 10 points we are lighting it up to the tune of 57.1%! Blackmon and Lewis each have 7 points and Jason Carroll has held Michael Bragg to 1 of 6 shooting and grabbed 7 rebounds. USU begins to solve our press in the second half and get some better looks, but we stay consistent on offense thanks to some fine work by Cortez Frazier (7 points) off the bench and we continue to hold a comfortable lead at 47-26 with 13:59 to go in the contest. We extend the lead to as much as 30, before allowing Utah State to go on a 13-3 run, but with 5:41 left and a 63-43 lead the game is still well in hand. Geoff York is having another fine game with 14 points (though he still has 5 turnovers) and Billy Cundiff, back from suspension is giving us good D off the bench with 2 blocks and 2 rebounds in just 3 minute thus far. As close as the Aggies get the rest of the way is 18 with a little run in garbage time as we ride our big 1st half to a decisive 76-56 win. Eddie Blackmon gets hot late in the 2nd half and leads us with the quietest 22 points you will ever see, to go with 8 rebounds. Geoff York finishes with 14 points and 4 assists, while Bill Lewis was a beast in the low post giving us 13 tough points in the paint. Jason Carroll has his 2nd straight double digit rebound game with 10 and Cortez Frazier adds 9 off the bench. Nothing gets the home fans happier than back to back wins against two of the hated instate “big boys” and tonight I see a Chilton for Mayor Sign as we leave the court. Guess I can hold off on going back to my Trailer for a while at least. Just one game to go before conference play starts and I think we have finally found our identity. Thanks in large part to the 1 point loss at Missouri we are playing with confidence and even a little bit of swagger, which I hope will carry us the rest of the way. I make a point to pull Neil Miller aside and tell him how impressed I am with his gutty effort (he gave us 15 minutes despite his wrist) He is humble and simply states "Whatever it takes to be playing in March coach." Last edited by BYU 14 : 03-15-2009 at 03:47 PM.

03-15-2009, 07:04 PM	#27
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	December 20th, 2008 - @ Hofstra 4-4 Another long road trip for our final non-conference game and we need to keep momentum going. The pre-game gurus rate every position dead even except SF, where the edge goes to Hofstras Donald Ballis, who is their best player at 10.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 2.0 ASG. We are spreading the wealth much better and now have three starters in double figures in scoring (Blackmon 15.3, Lewis 10.5 and Rencher 10.1) I go back to our normal defensive stuff until I get a feel for things. They come out hard and aggressive and at the 16:21 mark we hold a 6-2 lead and will be shooting free throws the rest of the half! This has got to make them back-off a bit as three starters have 2 fouls. They do ease up a bit, but soon fight back to tie the score as they hit a trio of threes over our tightly packed zone. I up the pressure a bit and call for straight man to man and we surge back into the lead 20-14 with 9:21 remaining in the half, with the scoring spread out among seven different Wildcats. The Pride are tough on their home court and we can not shake them. Despite their foul troubles we cling to a 32-31 lead at halftime, mainly because they are harassing us into 39.3% shooting. (0 for 5 from downtown) Bill Lewis leads in scoring with 9, while Anthony Rencher has 8. Even more important, we only have 5 turnovers in the 1st half and the Point Guards have combined for just 1 between them!! In the 2nd half I crank up the intensity, but we can still not shake them holding a tenuous 38-35 lead with 14:35 to go in the game. Rencher and Lewis continue to be the go to guys with 10 and 11 points respectively and we have three of their starters (including Donald Ballis) in trouble with 3 fouls each. With 9:23 remaining our defensive pressure has allowed us to stretch the lead a bit to 46-39. Jason Carroll has a shot at a double-double with 8 points and 8 boards and their starting PG Neill Dilligard now has 4 fouls. I decide to start working it inside more since we are scoring well in the paint. That strategy quickly sees our lead dwindle to 2, but a quick 5 point spurt that includes an Eddie Blackmon three gets us back up 52-45 with 4:55 to go and we are in the penalty the rest of the way. I return to balanced attack for the rest of the game and Anthony Rencher, who finishes with 14 points, hits a couple of big buckets and we hit our foul shots to win going away 67-52 for our third in a row. In addition to Rencher, Bill Lewis adds 14 points, Jason Carroll gets our first Dub-Dub with 12 points and 13 rebounds and Eddie Blackmon goes for 10. High points as a team were a 35-28 rebound edge, 34 points in the paint and 22-27 from the free throw line. On the flight home I recognize Jason Carroll’s work on the glass. Ever since the 1 game demotion against Brown he has been a rebounding machine, averaging 10.4 over the last 5 games. I was worried about this in the pre-season and he has really picked it up. We are 6-6 heading into conference play and I feel pretty good. Make room on the Mantle: Eddie Blackmon wins the Big Sky freshman of the week award for the week of 12/17/08, his third time being honored this season. I enjoy the short Christmas break before conference play starts by watching some film of our incoming recruits and getting out and watching a couple of their games in person, just to keep in touch. I also hear from my old friend Xavier Dickson, who lets me know he is looking to get into coaching and asks if I will give him a good reference. I question his sanity for asking for one from me, which we both laugh about, and agree to help him anyway possible. In fact I ask him about coming on here if something comes up before he finds a job and the idea seems to intrigue him. I wish him and the family merry Christmas and remind him that I will make room for Jermaine if he changes his mind, which get us talking more. Xavier: “You know Eddie, I have talked to Jermaine quite a bit about his decision and I think the real reason he is going to Tulsa is to get away from me.” Me: “You really think so?” Xavier: “He hasn’t straight said it, but he was really high on your program then the papers started calling and it seemed the questions always went along the lines of ‘Do you feel pressure to play in state when your father was such a big star here in the NBA?’ or ‘How do you feel about playing for one half of the best Jazz backcourts ever and being the son of the other half?’ It was never really about his future or his thoughts on college or how he would do and I think he wanted to go make his own name.” Me: “That makes a lot of sense X, I think you are right and I don’t think you can blame him. You made me want to go to Tulsa sometimes!” We share another laugh and I ask to make sure he lets me know if there is anything I can do. It is good to be talking to X again after all these years and even better to see how life has turned out for him. Last edited by BYU 14 : 03-16-2009 at 10:01 AM.

03-11-2009, 04:02 PM	#2
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	03/11/1989 - Veterans Memorial Coliseum – 9:21pm Fans of the Phoenix Suns were being treated to a dismantling of their home town heroes, as KTAR, the official Radio station of the Suns broadcast the carnage………. Suns PBP Announcer Al McCoy: “Well folks, we’re back at the Vet and mercifully there is only 3:26 remaining in what has been a good old country whipping for our Suns, with the Jazz in front 108-85. The dynamic Jazz backcourt of Fast Eddie Chilton and Xavier Dickens has been lethal tonight as Chilton has 23 points and 11 assists, while Redmond has tallied 26 points, including 4 of 5 from behind the 3 point arc.” Connie Hawkins: “They have definitely put on an exhibition, though I wonder at this point why Chilton is still in the game”………………………… Me: “Ice, Ice, Ice!!!” I saw my backup Jacques Foote make his way to the scorers table as I brought the ball up the court, so figured I would go out with a flourish, just for the hell of it. Ice was the call to spread the floor, set a pick at the high post and free me up to drive the lay, where I would either go to the hole or dish it to one of the wings, depending on where help came from. Alexi Levnikoff set the screen, I drove right and with a step on the defender saw nothing but the rim, I cut hard on my right Leg to the hoop and it hit me. I have never been struck by lightening, but the feeling that went up my right leg had to be close. As I crashed to the floor I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out, in fact there was no sound at all…….Very briefly a blinding white light flashed in front of my eyes, then the world came crashing back, the lights, the crowd, Levnikoff trying to lift me to my feet and at last the scream came. Not just a scream of pain, it was a scream of sheer panic……..My knee was gone! Jerry Sloan: “Eddie….Eddie, is it your Knee?” Me: “My Knee is gone coach!! It’s fucking gone!!! My Knee!!!” By now I was virtually in tears, I raised my head as the trainer manipulated my knee and before Coach Sloan could push my head back I saw it bent at a 45 degree angle to the right…..At that point I must have gone into shock because I remembered nothing until the Suns Orthopedic Surgeon came into my room at the Hospital. Doctor: “Mr. Chilton, I have gone over the results of your MRI, now keep in mind that there is a lot of swelling and I recommend a second MRI to be conclusive…” Me: “Doctor, please, just tell me.” Doctor: “It looks like your PCL, MCL and ACL are all completely torn…….You will need a complete Knee reconstruction and the recovery could take up to a year……I’m sorry.” I called my Wife around midnight with the news on the way back to the Hotel, my dialog was pretty much constricted to telling her it was bad…..She had a million questions, but I just couldn’t talk about it. I told her I loved her and hung up…..I was pretty much done talking at that point. When we got back to the Hotel as one of the Assistant trainers pushed me off the Elevator towards my room I heard a door open down the hall, instinctively I looked and saw Annette coming out of Xavier Dickens’ room. Our eyes locked briefly and she looked down, turned and walked the opposite way. I entered my room and locked the door. Here I was with the first major injury of my career and as I sat there in the dark, leg throbbing, tears streaming down my face, I saw Xavier in front of me and one line ran through my head over and over again. “I don’t want to be that guy, sitting there and having regrets that I didn’t enjoy every second of this ride my man…..That’s just me Bro” How can someone who does everything he shouldn’t be “enjoying” his ride, while I did everything “right” yet it was my roller coaster that had jumped the tracks and was now hurtling to the ground below?

03-11-2009, 04:25 PM	#3
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	02/08/2008 – Midvale, Utah As I hurled my alarm clock across my Bedroom I laughed through bleary, bloodshot eyes, the result of several Bud lights too many. I wasn’t laughing at the hangover, I was laughing at the ridiculous notion of a man between jobs with nowhere to go had his alarm clock set. I lay there, reluctant to strip off the covers and face the numbing cold, staring at the faux wood paneling on my ceiling. Two things you could count on living in a trailer. Not enough insulation to keep the frigid Utah winters at bay and cheesy wood paneling everywhere. Especially in a rusted out shell of aluminum this old, but hey, at least it was paid for. I was a month away from turning 45 years old and a lifetime from that exotic Beach I knew I should have been spending days like this on. I was in a different world than the one I knew nearly 20 years ago, but at least I was not forgotten. The kids in my Trailer park would drag me to the court nearly everyday the weather permitted, year round and take me on in 3 on 1, 4 on 1, sometimes even 7 on 1. Hell, who would not want to say they beat an ex-NBA star, even if he did have only one good leg and a chip on his shoulder bigger than the Wasatch Mountains that loomed over his grimy trailer park south of Salt Lake City. There was one other person that hadn’t forgotten either. An ESPN reporter named Rod Sales, known as the Hangman, for his ruthless reporting and biting commentary. He had a passion for making professional athletes look like total assholes when they messed up. He had interviewed me for a piece on former “stars” whose careers had been cut short by various means about a month ago. Contrary to his reputation he had been rather pleasant to work with and I was happy with how the interview came off. It would be my first time on national TV since I announced my official retirement in November of 1990 after a year and a half of trying to make my decimated Knee do the things it had done before that night in Phoenix. The show aired tonight and I was actually excited to watch it.

03-11-2009, 05:06 PM	#4
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	02/08/08 7:00pm I had spent the afternoon at the Utah job service office, with no possibilities. When I got home there was a voice message from the AD at Alta High School. I knew the Head Basketball coach was leaving and had inquired about the job. The message was short and to the point. “Thank you for interest Mr. Chilton, but we feel that in light of circumstances surrounding your departure from West High 3 years ago we are unable to consider you as a candidate.” Great, the guy that was once hailed as having one of the finest Basketball minds in the league could not even get his foot back in the door at the High School level. I was a great coach, the kids loved me and I loved the job…….almost as much as I loved the Pain pills that I had been tied too for years after crippling arthritis took hold of my bad Knee. It didn’t matter that I had kicked that vice and had not swallowed a Vicodin or Oxycotin in over 2 and a half years. But hey, I was in Utah and things were conservative here and nobody was willing to take the controversy that hiring me would likely bring. It would be another spring of doing Card shows…..I had shaven my head, but at least I wasn’t fat as Xavier once feared he would end up. Done with another round of self pity I cracked a Bud light and turned on the TV to watch my segment on Sale’s show “Behind the Curtain – A hard look at pro sports” God, what a hard ass he was, I thought sarcastically. Who cared, he was cool with me and this interview would show I was not a Basketball Leper. “Good Evening and welcome to Behind the Curtain, I am Rod Sales and it’s time to take a hard look at pro sports.” God, he was an arrogant prick! “Tonight our first story details the travails of a man whose lighting quick moves, pinpoint passing and razor sharp mind for the game of Basketball made him one of the most dangerous players in the NBA. Fast Eddie Chilton was an established star, a future Hall of Famer whose career was derailed by a horrific knee injury in 1989.” So far so good, though he had obviously shot this part after our interview. “Fast Eddie was on top of the World, but like many who know nothing but the bright lights, when his career ended, his life took a tailspin that resulted in him losing almost everything, his fortune, his wife, his spacious home gone. His arena now is a cracked cement court, with a bent rim in the dilapidated Trailer Park he now calls home. When we return, we will talk to the man who once painted Basketball art on a hardwood canvas, but who now stares forlornly at the broken the rim that hangs over his head” Ok, this was veering in a direction I did not like, he was making it sound like I just pissed everything away and spent my days on a Freeway on-ramp begging for spare change. It wouldn’t take long to confirm my fears. Sales: “Welcome back, and welcome to Behind the Curtain Fast Eddie” Me: laughing, “You can just call me Eddie Rod.” Sales: “You got it; now let’s get right into it. Your life has taken a quite the path the last 20 years. You were the toast of the game, an icon in your native Utah. A High School legend, an All-American at BYU, before getting drafted by the Jazz and becoming one of the premier young point guards in the NBA. Then, that fateful night in Phoenix and from that point on it seems that the game you love so much. Have given so much to, has shown none of that love back. Are you bitter Eddie?” Me: “Absolutely. I put my heart and soul into the game and gave it all I had every night out. It’s just how I feel Rod.” WHAT THE HELL!!! This Sonofabitch had edited answers to two different questions and put them with this question!!! Me real answer was “Not at all, the game gave me the best times of me life.” He took my answers to “You always left it on the court, would you like that to be your legacy?” and “How can you still love the game that has seemingly been so unfair to you?” and put them together to answer this question…..The bitch was, with the Camera angles and changing shots it looked seamless. He screwed me for ratings and I fell for it!! I thought some of the questions were a bit strange here and there and he was using them to lead me. As the interview went on it was more of the same, including some questions he must have taped after I left because he never asked them during the show. It was painful, and he twisted it all. My post injury job as an NBA scout, which I lost due to depression and drinking. Things that sometimes happen when your Wife leaves you because you are on the road more than you were as a player and the pay cut wasn’t worth the lonely nights. Losing everything because I thought we could work it out, while she got the most ruthless lawyer in the State, who she later married. Yeah, that could screw you up! Then the botched follow up surgeries that caused an addiction to pain meds as the Arthritis become so bad I was actually on SSI for a couple of years. And finally, losing my High School coaching job, just when rumor had it I was in line for the Utah State head job. You see, I had a seizure during a game, brought on by the excessive pain medication abuse. Of course, that somehow got leaked to the media, they went wild and I was shown the door. He took it all, bad enough as it was when relayed truthfully and twisted it so I looked like an angry, bitter, drug addicted shell of a man who had all but cashed in his chips……….. I didn’t even make it through the whole interview as my half empty bottle of Bud Light went crashing through my TV screen. I sat there in a daze, my TV set smoking wondering how this happened again. I had done everything right, yet one stupid decision in a game already locked up had cost me everything. Maybe I was bitter, but damn, I was clean, hungry and just needed a chance.

03-11-2009, 06:09 PM	#5
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	02/11/2008 I picked up the phone to a voice that sounded vaguely familiar. “You are a tough man to track down” Me: “Who am I speaking with please?” “It’s me, Donny Wiseman” Donny Wiseman had played High School ball with me. He was a tenacious player, but not overly skilled. Still, while I was the star of the team, he was the glue, a great sense of humor and loyal, almost to a fault. He had gone into administration and after a long stint at Snow College, a JC in St George Utah; he had landed the AD job at Weber State last year. I had thought about calling him then to see if there was anything in the Athletics department, but pride won out and I didn’t. Me: “Donny, how have you been Buddy?” Donny: “Better than it seems you have been.” Me: “You saw it?” Donny: “Yeah, but I just couldn’t buy it….Not from the Eddie Chilton I knew.” Me: “I wish more people remember me like you do. Donny, he butchered that interview, spliced answers and edited answers to change what I really said, he added questions I was never even asked and…..” I was growing angry again staring at my broken TV. Donny: “Eddie, Eddie……I know. You forget my brother works in the Media. I really had my doubts, but he was watching it with me and started pointing things out. Slightly different lighting, the way the camera filmed from behind you and how the angles changed at key points. It really started to make sense then, I actually felt bad for believing you were saying those things.” Me: “You have no idea how much I appreciate that. You’re a good friend.” Donny: “Actually you are….Remember that time before our junior year in High School I was going to quit because it looked I thought the Coach didn’t like me and I knew I would get cut. You pulled me aside and said I should never make someone’s choice for them and if I quit that’s what I would be doing. You told me to go down swinging and if you weren’t going to make the team, let the coach decide, not quit because I couldn’t handle the challenge.” Me: (Laughing) “Yeah, I think I remember, I’ve slept since then you know.” Donny: “That makes one of us. Well you did say that and I never forgot it. Believe it or not making the team and winning State with you opened doors for me. The President of Utah valley college was a South high Alumni. That was the first Championship for the school in hoops in over 30 years and the last before they closed the campus. That got my foot in the door their as an assistant AD and he gave me the recommendation for the Snow job. They told me later they had never seen such a glowing letter. You put me where I am Eddie. If I had quit I would never be where I am now.” Me: “Donny, you were going to succeed no matter what happened in High School, come one, you have a fire buddy, you’re a winner.” Donny: “And so are you, I know the person I saw in that interview is not you. It may have made you look like you have thrown in the towel, but I know better. This sport needs you” Me: “Well, you might be wrong there my friend. I can’t say I have a lot of hope when it comes to Basketball Don. I want Basketball, but I don’t think it wants or needs me, after that debacle on ESPN I think I need to look in other venues.” Donny: “Did you watch ESPN yesterday?” Me: I looked at my shattered TV and laughed. “Actually no, I have had some technical issues with my TV” Donny: (Laughing) “I won’t ask. Victor Tillman took the Utah job yesterday.” Me: “OK, should I know him?” Donny: “Ah, he was the Coach here…..” Me: “Oh, that Victor Tillman, well good for him. Sorry being a BYU alumnus I would have taken a prison intramural squad over Utah.” Donny: “Glad to see you have held on to one piece of anger. Anyway, enough of that team on the hill. If you could have any coaching job in the world, where would it be?” Me: “Well you know it would by BYU, but since last time I checked, nobody was Ice skating in hell that probably won’t be coming up anytime soon, I mean Alta high turned me down the other day.” Donny: “Where does Weber State fall on your list?” Me: “Would be a great job, now where does getting fired fall on your list?” Donny: “Eddie, I am serious here! I am offering you a Job. We have known that Tillman was looking to move on and I have been discussing this with the administration for weeks. Now I do admit, that your interview raised some eyebrows, but after we spoke and I explained what I believe happened they loosened up a bit. Then I pulled out the big guns. Testimonials from High school players you coached, people you played with and I even got a letter from a Doctor explaining how and why you could have become addicted to the pain meds. I talked about what you did for me and felt that I, that Basketball, owed you a chance.” Me: “I don’t get it Donny, why would you stick your neck out like that for someone like me that will bring you a lot of heat.” Donny: “Do I need to go over it again? I believe in you and I am not going to let you quit on your dream. Not now, not ever. You were born for Basketball and it’s time the game gave you something back. All I need to know is…..are you truly clean?” Me: “I have a beer now and again, but yeah. I would rather live with the pain than live in the hell that being pain free brought me.” Donny: “Good, we are prepared to offer you a 3 year deal at $342,000.00 per year, can you live on that?” Me: I was speechless, I have probably made only a third of that the last three years combined, I was sure I was dreaming. “I would do it for half that Donny, I don’t know what to say…I can’t believe you have done all this for me” Donny: “Say yes! In terms of why……..You deserve it my friend.” Me: “YES! But I have a question……..Do you have an extra TV?”

03-11-2009, 08:25 PM	#6
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	I went to bed that night and never had the faux paneling on my Trailer ceiling looked so elegant. My only intrepidation was how this news would be received. Of the three main cities in Utah, Ogden may well be the most liberal and diverse, due to the Air Force base and the number of people that come through the Job Corp center that seem to settle there. Maybe it was time to just quit worrying. I had been as low as one can get, so no matter how this turned out it could not be any worse than anything I had already endured. As I lay back I flicked on my radio in the middle of a song from Styx that somehow seemed very fitting. “I look to the Sea, reflections in the waves spark my memories. Some happy, some sad. I think of childhood friends, and the dreams we had. We’ll live happily forever, so the story goes. Yet somehow we missed out, on the pot of gold. But we’d try best that we can, To carrrryyyyy on…………” I closed my eyes with the melodic crooning of Dennis DeYoung echoing in my head…..Tomorrow I would be introduced as the new Coach of the Weber State Wildcats. 02/12/2008 The press conference went by like a blur. It had been a while but I had done plenty and this one just seemed to fly…..at least until the point came for the media to ask me questions. “Eddie, in light of your recent interview with Rod Sales were you surprised to be offered this job?” Me: “To be honest I was, but let me just say there were some creative liberties taken with the editing process. I am sure you are all familiar with Mr. Sales style, as was I and I probably made a mistake doing the interview, knowing his tendency to portray people in the worst way possible.” “Can you elaborate on that Eddie?” Me: “I would prefer not to at this time. I don’t feel it is fair to the University and I would like to focus on the Basketball program.” “You know this hiring has created some controversy, what steps have you taken to insure the University you are capable of this job?” Me: “There is no denying I have had my challenges since retiring from the NBA, but Weber State has shown incredible faith in me and I have assured them that any past issues are just that…past. I am grateful for this opportunity and will go to great lengths to prove I am worthy of their trust.” “You live in a trailer park; you don’t think that casts a negative light on your personal affairs?” Me: “You can answer that better than me. Where I live has no effect on my ability to coach a Basketball team….And I will give you a scoop. I plan to go House hunting later today, would a three Bedroom, two story rambler with a view put me in a better light?” The scattered laughter eased my tension a bit, but as much as I tried to talk hoops the questions always wound their way back to my past troubles. Though one question towards the end I found quite intriguing. “You and Xavier Dickens were quite the duo with the Jazz. With his son Jermaine now attracting out of Timpanogos High School will be recruiting him and will your relationship with Xavier possible sway him to Weber State?” Me: “In terms of recruits, I have to evaluate our needs as a program and then we will set a target list which we will pare down over the summer. Jermaine is a very good player and I would love to see him in Purple and White, but I would never use a personal relationship to sway a decision. I simply present our vision and the benefits our school has to offer, the parents and player then have to decide what is in their best interest.” A brilliant politically correct answer if I do say so. Truth is I had not spoken to Xavier since I retired, though I had tried and I also received word from others he often asked about me. I passed on my number more than once and to be honest it hurt he had not used it. If we did go after Jermaine, that first meeting with Xavier and Charisa, who had survived the NBA life and were still married, would be quite interesting.

03-11-2009, 09:15 PM	#7
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	Welcome to Ogden 05/01/2008 Settled in my House I was set to begin work in earnest in preparation for the upcoming Season. First up was a meeting with Donny Wiseman to discuss the Budget. He gives me a figure of $211,250.00 which will cover Assistant Coaches salaries, camps and recruiting. Vic Tillman had taken all his Coaches to Utah so I was starting fresh. Despite the way I played, I was truly a Defensive minded Coach and that was my strength and something I would be very involved in. With that in mind I had been looking for a first assistant with strong offensive skills, a solid recruiter as my 2nd assistant and coach that was solid on scouting for my number 3 man. With a limited budget I shy away from big names and look at some more guys that may not have the prestige, but deserve a chance. After all, that was the reason I was here. All of April was spent on interviews and today I unveiled the complete Wildcat coaching staff. 1st Assistant Erwin Childress age 42 – 3 yrs $63,000.00 per year Erwin is happy being an assistant has a good offensive mind (64/100) and in the 20’s on all other attributes. He will be the coach in charge of academics and will run the Offense during practice. I have decided we will run 60% Triangle and 40% motion. At least initially I will limit offensive freedom as I want our players to have a good grasp of the basics. 2nd Assistant Brandon McBride age 56 – 1 yr $45,000.00 per year Brandon has high ambition and does not seem like a long term candidate, but I like his recruiting skills (64/100) and he will be invaluable as I find my comfort level in this area. He believes in discipline, as I do and also is very intense, which would describe me as well. We will probably clash here and there, but he is only on a 1 year deal so if it doesn’t work out I will replace him. 3rd Assistant Brennen Malone age 64 – 3 yrs $22,050.00 per year This hiring cultivates plenty of speculation. One rumor is established coaches won’t work for me, another is I am just hiring an old buddy to help him out. You see, Malone was my High School coach and he had been retired two years. There was a reason I sought him out, but not what anyone thought. He was the one that deserved the credit for my “Basketball mind” and he could break down film efficiently (72/100 scouting) and his laid back nature would offset my intensity. None of these were sexy hires, but they fit my plan and I believed they would help me achieve the goals expected of us. Speaking of which, Donny also went over the expectations of the board of regents and what he himself thought was attainable for a great mind like mine. 1 - Qualify for the NCAA tournament 2 - Win the Conference tournament 3 - Win 15+ games 4 - Improve School prestige There was no doubt expectations were high I relished the challenge, though there was a great deal of fear as well. I thought I was ready for this and the best way to maintain that confidence was to just not think about it. I let Donny know I would prefer a balanced schedule in terms of OOC games and promises to do his best. I also ask him to try and sign a long term deal with BYU as out OOC rival, which he thinks will not be a problem. My final order of the day was to prepare for the recruiting. I purchase the gold recruiting report for the Western region for 30K and the basic report for the Great Plains for 5K. I also schedule trips to the Las Vegas and Houston revues for a combined 8-9K. With that done I gather last years game tapes and prepare to evaluate my squad. I felt from cursory looks at the tapes earlier that we would be best in zone most of the time and plan a 70/30 ratio of zone/man (I prefer the 2-3 and the 3-2) and we will play with a high intensity. I will see more when I really get into the tapes, but I think I will find we did not rebound well last year and hopefully playing more zone will help here.

03-11-2009, 11:19 PM	#8
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	2008 Weber State Wildcats Preview (Red = Redshirted) Guards #1 Geoff York PG – SO 6-2 203 Excellent outside shooter (maybe our best) and could be a good Free throw shooter as well. Ball handling and vision are good and he is fairly athletic. Only adequate overall as a passer, but the best we have right now. Not very good defensively but tough. #12 Neil Miller PG – SO 6-1 201 Another good outside shooter, not a great passer in terms of technique, but good vision and intelligence offset this. One of our most athletic players and a good work ethic #10 Anthony Rencher SG – SR 6-5 183 Our backcourt leader, he also possesses a good outside shot, but can be overly aggressive at times forcing his shots. Will gamble and get steals, but this hurts his defense overall. Another great athlete who we will need to create on the offensive end. #14 Ryan Ryan SG – FR 6-5 213 He will redshirt this year but will compete for a starting spot next year. The best athlete on the team, Ryan has a great outside shot, is a superb free throw shooter and has a great mind for the game, a future star. #15 Gaylon Lovitt SG – SO 6-4 218 Another good young backcourt player, he is our best free throw shooter, has very good ball handling skills and a good mind for the game. Will be a valuable player off the bench. Forwards #35 Jay Wilcox SF – SO 6-8 214 Horrendous from the line, he is athletic and aggressive, but is not very consistent. He will get limited minutes and be expected to refine his game this year. #34 Cortez Frazier SF – FR 6-7 201 A good shooter with potential, projects at 60 or better in several areas but still very raw. He could get some starts if Eddie Blackmon struggles. #31 Eddie Blackmon SF – FR 6-5 201 A youngster we need to contribute right away, a good outside shot and a very good defender who can make a difference on both ends of the court. He will have growing pains and really needs to work on his rebounding. #23 Robert Crenshaw PF – JR 6-7 195 Likely our first man off the Bench, Robert is slight for a power forward but strong and will probably play some center when we go small. Smart and Athletic, though not overly flashy. He is as consistent as anyone we have and probably out best rebounder, which does not say a lot unfortunately. #33 Benjamin Gainous PF – FR 6-9 228 Works hard in the paint and specializes in drawing fouls, which is a shame as he is our worst Free Throw shooter. Fairly consistent shooter both inside and out and a good ball handler for a big man. #40 Bill Lewis PF – SR 6-8 236 A beast down low, Bill will be our best threat inside, is also adept at drawing fouls and very good defensively. He needs to work on his rebounding, which is a common thread on our team. Still I like him the best among our current crop of Power forwards. #44 Keith Davis PF – FR 6-7 233 A walk on who is a good athlete but does not have much upside. Likely never more than a practice player. He will redshirt this season. #25 Billy Cundiff PF – SR 6-7 219 Streaky shooter from all areas, inside, outside and the line. Very athletic and can get up, but needs to get stronger. Will be relied upon for leadership, but will likely only see 8-10 minutes a game. Centers #54 Jason Carroll C – SR 6-9 240 Not really great in any area, but he is very athletic for a big man which makes up for some short comings. He is our best shot blocker and will get the first crack at Center, but will have a short leash. #53 Ed Cleveland C – 6-10 256 A very good inside shooter, but he is a bit of a plodder and not at all a force defensively. He is also a horrible rebounder for a player his size. Projected Starting Lineup (Returning Starters in Bold) PG – Geoff York SG – Anthony Rencher SF – Eddie Blackmon PF – Bill Lewis C – Jason Carroll Bench Robert Crenshaw PF/C Gaylon Lovitt SG/SF Benjamin Gainous PF/SF Billy Cundiff PF/SF Neil Miller PG/SG Ed Cleveland C Jay Wilcox SF Cortez Frazier SF/SG The biggest concern for me is rebounding, we are just weak here and getting somebody who can control the boards will be a priority in this class. SF is also a concern and if Blackmon struggles I will have some decisions to make and would likely alternate several players here depending on the game situation. I see this team as a group with no true stars, but with enough talent that we should always have someone able to step up on any given night. We are very athletic overall and I may experiment against weaker teams by cranking up the pace offensively and see how we do. Last edited by BYU 14 : 03-12-2009 at 08:42 AM.

03-12-2009, 07:33 PM	#9
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	Recruiting After a busy 6 weeks in which I initially targeted almost 40 prospects, attended the Las Vegas review and Houston classic camps and watched nearly 100 hours of game film I have pared my list of recruits down to 14. I have 3 scholarships and rebounding is our most critical need. We lose 2 PF and 1 C after the season so I am looking to add 1 player at each position. I will look for a walk-on at SF as there is nobody I really like that has an interest in Weber State. The third Scholarship will go to guard with good passing skills as I feel we need a more adept triggerman at the point. (Yes I have some very Jestor tendencies about me) One of the Kids I offered was Jermaine Dickens and it has nothing to do with playing with his Father or wanting to know why he has not called me. The Kid can play down low and will get physical and rebound. A stark contract in style to his Dad and he seems like a great kid. My Parent conversation has been only with Charisa to date, as Xavier has been busy with my old job scouting for the Jazz in Europe all summer. The final 14 Jovan Wesby PG – Bullhead City, AZ Rankings: Regional overall 36 – Regional position 10 Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 7th Overall Scouting: B Strengths: Scoring B, Ball Handling B Weaknesses: Rebounding D, Shot Blocking D, Inside Shooting D, FT Shooting D Torraye Cameron PG – Salt Lake City, UT Rankings: Regional overall 150 – Regional position 34 Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 5th Overall Scouting: C Strengths: Passing A, Ball Handling B Weaknesses: Defense D, Shot Blocking D, Inside Shooting D RaShawn Hester PG – Provo, UT Rankings: Regional overall 90 – Regional position 24 Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: Yes – Top ten list: Weber State N/R Overall Scouting: C Strengths: Passing A, Ball Handling B, Stealing B, Outside Shooting B Weaknesses: Rebounding D, Defense D, Inside Shooting F, Athleticism D Walker Simmons SG – Morgan, UT Rankings: Regional overall 84 – Regional position 12 Visit: No – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R Overall Scouting: C Strengths: Scoring B, Athleticism B Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Shot Blocking D, Inside Shooting D Ramal Moody SG – Garland, UT (JC) Rankings: Regional overall 118 – Regional position 19 Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R Overall Scouting: C Strengths: Scoring B, Passing B, Defense B, Outside Shooting A, Athleticism B Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Stealing D, Inside Shooting F, FT Shooting D Kevin Pederson SG – Fernley, NV Rankings: Regional overall 92 – Regional position 14 Visit: No – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R Overall Scouting: No film scouted yet Strengths: N/A Weaknesses: N/A Joem Hart SF – Scappoose, OR (JC) Rankings: Regional overall 68 – Regional position 19 Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 8th Overall Scouting: B Strengths: Scoring B, Passing B, Rebounding B, Shot Blocking B Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Athleticism F Morrow White SF – Bountiful, UT Rankings: Regional overall 31 – Regional position 6 Visit: No – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 10th Overall Scouting: B Strengths: Scoring B, Ball Handling B, Outside Shooting B, Athleticism A Weaknesses: Rebounding D, Shot Blocking D, Stealing D, FT Shooting D Jermaine Dickens PF – Orem, UT Rankings: Regional overall 34 – Regional position 6 Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: Yes – Top ten list: Weber State 1st Overall Scouting: B Strengths: Scoring B, Inside Shooting B, Athleticism B Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting D Sam Thompson PF – Brigham, UT Rankings: Regional overall 44 – Regional position 8 Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R Overall Scouting: B Strengths: Scoring B, Passing B, Defense B, Inside Shooting B Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting D, Athleticism F Ross Walker PF – Burlington, WY Rankings: Regional overall 53 – Regional position 11 Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R Overall Scouting: B Strengths: Scoring B Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Shot Blocking D, Stealing D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting F, Athleticism D Michael King C – Milano, TX Rankings: Regional overall 28 – Regional position 6 Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R Overall Scouting: B Strengths: Scoring B, Rebounding A, Weaknesses: Ball Handling F, Shot Blocking D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting D, Athleticism F Allen Faust C – Roosevelt, UT Rankings: Regional overall NR – Regional position NR Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State N/R Overall Scouting: C Strengths: Passing B, Rebounding B, Shot Blocking B Weaknesses: Ball Handling D, Defense D, Outside Shooting D, FT Shooting D, Athleticism F Kyle Henson C – Provo, UT Rankings: Regional overall NR – Regional position NR Visit: Yes – Scholarship offer: No – Top ten list: Weber State 1st Overall Scouting: C Strengths: Passing B, Rebounding B Weaknesses: Scoring D, Ball Handling D, Defense D, Outside Shooting D, Athleticism F * Note: All skills scouted at A or B are strengths, D-F are weaknesses. All skills not listed are scouted as C. RaShawn Hester is someone I really like for PG, but although he has interest in our school, we are not in his top 10. I am hoping that will change as time goes on, but I keep close contact with Wesby and Cameron just in case as either would fit into my scheme. The SG and SF prospects I have left are all long shots and I don’t really need anyone here if I get my Point. Still if things fell through I would take Joem Hart if I had the chance, he is not athletic but still does a lot of things really well. Up front Xavier Dickens son is a priority, but if things go south with him Sam Thompson would be a decent pickup, though he is nowhere hear the athlete Jermaine is. The big men left on my board are all lumbering hulks, but they can all rebound and I feel Kyle Henson is way under the Radar since he did not go to any camps. Out regional Magazine ranks him 29 at his position in the west, but he is getting no love on the national report. I will pare this list down to 6-8 within 2 weeks as I really want to have my recruits in place by the time the season starts.

03-12-2009, 07:56 PM	#10
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	I'd make White and Dickens my top two targets out of that list and of the PGs... hmm. Strange as this may seem, I'd say Wesby. Bad defense will get you lit up by the scoring points at the low conference level you're at. Hell, I'd say if you got White and Dickens, you'd have a 1-2 punch that would give your conferencemates headaches for the next four years. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

03-12-2009, 09:14 PM	#12
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	Pre-Season It’s mid September and I start to whittle down the recruit list. As I ponder some tough decisions the Phone rings. It’s Donny Wiseman, who indicates he has finalized the schedule, but has two options for opening day. Either #3 Florida or San Diego, both would be home games. I don’t even have to think about…..”Please Donny that first game is going to be a fiasco as it is, let’s do San Diego.” Donny laughs. “I thought you might go that route. I also got us into the Alaskan Classic and we will play Western Kentucky first.” I liked the idea of a pre-season tourney to give us a couple extra games to get the kinks out. “That sounds good Donny, who else do we have?” Donny say he thinks I will be happy. “Only 1 top 10 team Eddie, I’ll fax it over.” The Fax Machine comes to life and within seconds I am pouring over the Weber State Wildcats schedule for the 2008/2009 Season. (* = Conference Game) 11/15 San Diego 11/18 Utah Valley State 11/22 @ #8 Georgetown (Ugh!!!) 11/25 Alaskan Classic 11/29 @ Rhode Island 12/02 Brown 12/06 Mississippi 12/09 @ Missouri (A nice 2 game combo) 12/13 @ BYU 12/16 Utah State 12/20 @ Hofstra 12/27 Eastern Washington* 12/30 @ Portland State* 1/03 Sacramento State* 1/10 @ Montana* 1/13 Idaho State* 1/17 @ Montana State* 1/20 Northern Colorado* 1/24 @Northern Arizona* 1/27 @Eastern Washington* 1/31 Portland State* 2/03 @Sacramento State* 2/10 Montana* 2/14 @Idaho State* 2/17 Montana State* 2/21 @Northern Colorado* 2/24 Northern Arizona* A decent mix that should give us a halfway decent RPI. I am definitely glad I nixed Florida though as I would have hated the Eddie Chilton era to start with a 30 point loss! My excitement at the schedule is tempered as I open my email to find RaShawn Hester has elected to go to Portland. What the hell, what happened to a phone call and a man to man discussion? This would take some getting used to. I promptly call Jovan Wesby and offer him the Scholarship and he informs me we are now his #1 school, though he is not yet ready to commit. I do get calls from Torraye Cameron who has verballed to Southern Utah and Allen Faust, who has verballed to conference rival Eastern Washington. Along with these three I also make some cuts of my own and my list is now down to the following. (Our rank on the recruits list in parenthesis) Jovan Wesby PG (#1) – Offer Ramal Moody SG (#1) Walker Simmons SG (#2) Joem Hart SF (#3) Morrow White SF (#5) Sam Thompson PF (#1) Jermaine Dickens PF (#3) – Offer (We have suddenly fallen, which is a big blow) Michael King C (#2) – Offer I can make 4 visits this week and first and foremost will be Jermaine Dickens as we suddenly trail Tulsa and Utah after leading most of the way. Something is amiss here. I will also visit Wesby, King and Moody, who is undersized, but can play both PG and SG. September 26th, 2008 I stand in front of a very lovely house in Orem, Utah, which I guess you could call a suburb of Provo. I have not been this nervous in some time as the door swings open. There before me is Xavier Dickens, a man who was once my running mate, who I have not seen in nearly 18 years. There is a moment of silence and a weak smile on Xavier’s face masks obvious pain. Xavier: “I’m sorry man.” Me: “For what?” Xavier comes outside and closes the door. Xavier: “All these years, I felt so guilty, at first I just couldn’t stand to look at myself let alone look at you. I deserved what you got and you should be on one of those damn beaches you always talked about. I took everything for granted and used people and you were always on target…..It just sucks man!!” Me: “Whoa, X, what are you talking about? It’s all good buddy. What happened is done with and I think I am finally accepting it. I have a second chance and I have learned to finally stop feeling sorry for myself. Hell this past summer has been great, I’m really alive again….hey, I even sold my Trailer.” We both chuckled at that, but I was still perplexed. “I just wish you had called X, it wasn’t your fault, it was a fluke and there were times I just needed to hear from a friend.” Xavier: “I couldn’t Eddie, I felt like crap, I was a shitty person and you were a saint and you got screwed. What happened to you made me look hard on the mirror and I didn’t like what I saw. It also changed my life, I got away from all the Bullshit, told Charisa everything….You know we were touch and go for a few years, but we made it. I asked her to marry me again and she said yes. I came to your office that day to thank you and to get everything off my chest and I was told you were let go. Here I was again getting away scot free and you had just lost your wife, then your job..” Me: “X you’re rambling, just give me a hug, and then let’s talk about Jermaine. I thought he was really excited about being a Wildcat?” We embraced and Xavier explained that he had talked to Jermaine a lot about the past and how he felt guilty about losing touch. Jermaine had cooled a bit because he didn’t want to make his father relive his guilt. He really was a good kid and I could respect that, but hopefully after tonight both Father and Son would see that things truly were fine…..

03-12-2009, 09:30 PM	#13
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	Black Monday I feel the sting of rejection as C Michael King say he just can’t see himself playing for us. I remove him from my list and am now faced with having to get a walk-on Center for next year. I quickly switch Kings Scholarship to Morrow White on the advice of a young NBA GM I know. Then comes the dagger. Jermaine Dickson calls and tells me he has verballed to Tulsa, he says he know his Dad and I are cool, but thinks it still may be a distraction and is just thinking getting out of Utah may be good for him. I tell him I respect his decision, but ask for one more chance to meet with him. I also let him know I am holding his Scholarship offer for now in case he changes his mind. He agrees to meet again, but say he thinks Tulsa is the best place for him. On a good note we also start practice this week and I am anxious to see the team up close and personal. I also schedule visits with Morrow White, Ramal Moody and Sam Thompson. Wow, fortunes sure change fast when dealing with 17 and 18 year old kids. Last edited by BYU 14 : 03-12-2009 at 09:32 PM.

03-12-2009, 10:19 PM	#14
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	Well we start practice off with a bang as both Neil Miller and Gaylon Lovitt have a couple of minor conflicts each. I pull them both in and let them know they need to be a bit more personable and mature. Miller apologizes and vows to try harder, but Lovitt wants to shift the blame, which does not make me happy. I let it go this time, but he is a sneeze and a Banana peel away from my Dog house! The feedback I get from my visits varies. Jermaine thanks me for my time and coming by again, but I get the feeling he is just being polite. Morrow White tells me he doesn’t think Weber State would be a good fit and I think I just waited too long to get serious with him. Thompson and Moody were a lot more positive and Moody in particular says I gave him a lot to think about. I like him, but just don’t need another SG as bad as I need help up front. Just as I am getting settled in at the office the phone rings and it is Jovan Wesby, who wastes no time in telling me he will be wearing the Purple and White of Weber State next Season!!! I am very excited and though he is not the best pure passer; he is very balanced and will be a great addition to the team. I welcome him and jokingly say that just like a business making their first Dollar, since he is my first recruit I am going to staple him onto a picture frame and hang him above my desk. He laughs but I don’t think he gets it. It is clear I won’t sway Jermaine Dickens so I offer his schollie to Thompson and offer White’s to Moody as they are my best shots. If I don’t land them both I will save a scholarship for the summer and hope to land a transfer. Another week of practice and another incident involving Gaylon "Thug" Lovitt, this time I am stern and tell him to cut the crap. He again deflects the blame and tells me this is starting to get him mad. Me: “Oh really, this is ticking you off a little eh? That’s great, let’s see, oh yeah, here’s an idea. YOU’RE SUSPENDED FOR A WEEK!!! And when you get back from your vacation your ass better be back in joint….Now get the hell out of my office! Lovitt looks shocked and meekly mumbles something about time away doing him some good, then skulks off. As I sit there fuming the phone rings, its Sam Thompson. “Coach, I want to be a Wildcat.” This cheers me up and though he is nowhere near the athlete that Dickson is, he can score inside, is solid defensively and a decent rebounder, averaging 8.5 in High School. One more Scholarship left and I decide to focus on Moody. He is an above average scorer, passer and Defender and very athletic. I keep in touch with Joem Hart and Walker Simmons just in case. Another incident with Jay Wilcox and Jason Carroll mixing it up, what the hell, enough! My sources say Carroll started it so I call him in and tell him to cool it. He agrees to keep it cool and says he is sorry. As October comes to a close we are making progress and I am really pleased with the way that Anthony Rencher has grasped the triangle, he is probably our smartest player and should excel in my scheme. Bill Lewis is comfortable too and he is getting better daily, he does however get involved in an incident himself (I feel like I am coaching Animal House) but responds well when I tell him to play nice. November is here and it is time to start getting ready for San Diego, I am so ready to get the season going! Last edited by BYU 14 : 03-12-2009 at 10:19 PM.

03-12-2009, 11:35 PM	#15
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	Opening Night Starting Lineup to open the Season PG – Geoff York SG – Anthony Rencher SF – Eddie Blackmon PF – Bill Lewis C - Jason Carroll November 15th VS San Diego The Toreros come into the Dee event center as the Fast Eddie Chilton era gets underway. Both teams start slow and at the 15:43 mark it is tied 5-5 as our defense is playing with the intensity I like, making San Diego work on each possession, though we do allow an uncontested 3 which pisses me off. Offensively we start a horrid 2-9 from the field as Bill Lewis has all 5 of our points and Jason Carroll is 0-3. An 11-1 run puts us up 16-6 with 11:04 left in the half as Eddie Blackmon gets it going scoring 7 points, including a long 3 pointer. The freshman also has 3 rebounds and it looks like the decision to start him might pay off handsomely. The rest of the first half is far from pretty. We manage to maintain the lead, which fluctuates between 4 and 11 and end up leading 34-25 at the Half. We have 8 turnovers due mostly to sloppy passing and I am especially galled by our rebounding as San Diego gets 8 offensive rebounds, which they convert into 7 second chance points. This lack of intensity on the boards really offsets a good defensive effort that sees San Diego shoot only 32.3%. Offensively we are paced by Bill Lewis and Eddie Blackmon with 7 points each, while Robert Crenshaw chips in 6 off the bench. I do like our work inside as we have 14 point in the paint. The second half sees Eddie Blackmon come out with guns blazing and he carries us to a 47-29 lead with 12:37 remaining scoring 10 quick points, including two more from behind the arc. Anthony Rencher is being contained fairly well, but his presence alone is opening it up inside for us. San Diego pulls to within 10 on three different occasions. The last time comes with 4:44 remaining, but they can get no closer as Anthony Rencher scores 5 straight points and we close it out it out in style, pulling away for a 71-50 win! A star is born as Eddie Blackmon tallies 23 points and 7 rebounds. Bill Lewis chips in 14, while Anthony Rencher finishes with 9. Jason Carroll is only 1-6 from the field, but also grabs 7 boards. We hold San Diego to 33.9% from the field, while we shoot 48.1%. Still, giving up 13 offensive rebounds is totally unacceptable as San Diego finishes with a 15-5 edge in second chance points. Oh well, at least we have something to work on. A good job overall and you can’t bitch too much after a 21 point win. I pick up a Basketball Magazine on the way home and am surprised to see the “experts” have picked us 6th in the Big Sky. One reason given is the growing pains I will experience as a Coach. Kiss my Ass, drag some of the top NBA point guards up and down the court for 48 minutes and tell me about “growing pains.” Why did I even buy this stupid Magazine anyway? Projected order of finish in the Big Sky 1 – Northern Arizona 2 – Eastern Washington 3 – Idaho State 4 – Sacramento State 5 – Montana State 6 – Weber State 7 – Northern Colorado 8 – Portland State 9 – Montana We will check back on this later to see how the pundits did. The Pre-Season Top 25 1 – Syracuse 2 – North Carolina 3 – Louisville 4 – Duke 5 – Florida 6 – Michigan State 7 – Arizona 8 – Georgetown 9 – UCLA 10 – Oregon 11 – Notre Dame 12 – Auburn 13 – Indiana 14 – Alabama 15 – Ohio State 16 – Pitt 17 – Memphis 18 – Kentucky 19 – Illinois 20 – Georgia Tech 21 – Texas 22 – Maryland 23 – Gonzaga 24 – Connecticut 25 - Kansas Last edited by BYU 14 : 03-13-2009 at 12:51 AM.

03-13-2009, 12:17 AM	#16
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	Great job snapping up Wesby. And I so would have laughed at you if you'd have lost to the University of Spoiled Daughters. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

03-14-2009, 11:18 AM	#20
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	November 29th, 2008 - @ Rhode Island 1-3 The Pre-Game scouting report gives the Rams the advantage at PG and SF and us the edge off the Bench. I can’t believe that Niki Lucas 5.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 1.3 BPG and rated as their best player, is better than our frosh phenom Eddie Blackmon 14.8 PPG, 1.0 APG and 2.4 RPG. I opt for straight man to start out and it’s a mixed bag as we force some mistakes but they hit 3 of their first 4 shots. We exception of Eddie Blackmon we start out cold, but Eddie propels us to a 9-7 lead at the 15:31 mark, scoring 7 of our points. The Rams Pat Osteen is giving us fits as he has 10, but we still cling to a 22-21 lead with 9:01 to go in the half as Robert Crenshaw gives us a lift off the bench with 4 quick points and some strong work on the boards. It is a seesaw battle the rest of the half as neither team leads by more than 3 and Rhode Island takes a 34-32 lead into the locker room. Eddie Blackmon has not scored since his initial outburst, but still leads us with 7 points, while Robert Crenshaw has 6. We have an edge in rebounding (20-15) and shooting, but fouls have been troublesome and spell the difference (We have yet to take a foul shot BTW, nice home cooking!) I go back to mixing it up on defense in the 2nd half and it remains tight. Eddie Blackmon goes on another tear scoring 12 of our first 14 points in the half and we retake the lead 46-45 with 12:03 to go. Unfortunately we can’t hold the lead with Blackmon on the bench and when he returns we trail 57-54 with 5:45 remaining. As big as Gaylon Lovitt was off the bench against BC, he is equally bad today, shooting just 2 of 8 at this point. His running mate at SG Anthony Rencher is no better at 2 of 7. Upon returning to the floor, Eddie Blackmon hits a trey to tie it and then we totally implode! We will score only 2 points the rest of the way as Rhode Island leaves us in the dust as we lose 70-59. Eddie Blackmon goes for 22 but nobody else has more than 6. Neil Miller is shaky with 7 assists, but 7 turnovers as well (21 as a team!!!). God I can’t wait for Wesby to get here!! Geoff York hurts his foot and only plays 7 minutes, but he will be OK for our next game and I will likely return him to the starting lineup. On the Flight home I make the decision to play a more balanced offensive game as only Blackmon can score from outside consistently and I will also up Gaylon Lovitts minutes as Anthony Rencher has been disappointing shooting 36.9%. Speaking of which, I am getting jack from my Centers who are both shooting under 35%. As an experiment I decide to start Robert Crenshaw at Center next game. I almost feel like I am panicking, but I have to get production from somebody besides Eddie Blackmon, who is shooting an amazing 71.4% from behind the arc!!!

03-14-2009, 04:02 PM	#24
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	December 2nd, 2008 - VS Brown 2-4 Home sweet home, but not without distractions. Coach Childress brings me news that Billy Cundiff is talking crap about Bill Lewis and feels he is the better player. Are you kidding me, Mr. Back strain is back ready to play for the first time since game 1 and he starts this? I call him in and tell him to relax, he gives me attitude and I suspend him on the spot for a week. Have fun in the stands smart ass! This team is full of poison and I will get rid of it one way or another. The pre-game reports give Brown the edge at PG and SF (Wow) and us the edge in Bench strength. I unveil my new lineup, which will hopefully not backfire. Starters PG – Geoff York SG – Anthony Rencher SF – Eddie Blackmon PF – Bill Lewis C – Robert Crenshaw First off the bench will be Neil Miller, Gaylon Lovitt (with increased minutes) and Jason Carroll if Crenshaw falters. Talk about your slow starts, we get two quick fouls and the whole team gets tentative as we go nearly 4 minutes without a score. With 13:49 left in the first half we are down 10-4 and Browns zone is giving us fits. With 8:16 remaining in the 1st we are down 27-13 and I am looking like an idiot with my “new” lineup. It also doesn’t help that Eddie Blackmon is 2 for 9 shooting , neither Lewis or Crenshaw have taken a shot and their starting Center has 6 points and 6 rebounds (4 offensive). Our worst half of Basketball of the young season ends with us down 40-25 and shooting 33.3% (only 1-7 on threes) after trailing by as many as 21. We are on pace for another 20 turnover game and Eddie Blackmon is 3-10 with only 7 points. On top of that Anthony Rencher has 3 fouls and our top rebounder is a guard, Gaylon Lovitt with 4 in only 7 minutes. The 2nd half is not showing signs of getting any better as we are still down by 15 (49-34) with 14:22 remaining. At least Eddie Blackmon shows signs of regaining his shot as he now has 12 points, but Brown SG Perry Paben continues to sizzle and now has 25 points. Desperate I have Blackmon start guarding him and put Lovitt and Rencher on Browns SF. It makes no difference as Brown extends their lead to 64-41 with 7:01 left and Paben now has 34 points. I sit down to suffer through the final few minutes of carnages as the kids continue to fight, but we suffer our third crushing loss in a row 78-60. The fans boo and some yell at me to go back to my Trailer as we leave the court, I smile and wave. Folks, this is what happens when you money man gets shut down. Eddie Blackmon ends up with 17 very insignificant points on 7 of 19 shooting. Bill Lewis adds 12 and is our only starter to shoot over 40%. The Robert Crenshaw experiment ends like the Hindenburgs last voyage as he goes 0-4 with 4 rebounds in 25 minutes as we fall to 3-4. In a backhanded bright spot we ONLY have 15 turnovers. Eddie Blackmon gets his 2nd straight Big Sky freshman of the week award for the week ending 12/03/09. Next week we have games against Mississippi and at Missouri, it gets no easier for us and I decide to quit playing around and just work on building for league play with a standard lineup. We need to work the motion game better and play more man to man as our zones are just terrible right now. The new/old lineup will be. PG – Geoff York (SO) SG – Anthony Rencher (SR) SF – Eddie Blackmon (FR) PF – Bill Lewis (SR) C – Jason Carroll (SR) First 3 off the Bench PG/SG Neil Miller (SO) SG/SF Gaylon Lovitt (SO) SF/SG Cortez Frazier (FR)

03-14-2009, 07:54 PM	#25
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	December 6th, 2008 - VS Mississippi 1-5 The scouting report gives ole Miss the advantage at both Forward sports, with everything else being even. They do not have anyone averaging in double figures and we match up well size wise. I will run a balanced attack and play about 50/50 man/zone. A good competitive start as Geoff York gets us going with a three and both teams go toe to toe from there. Ole Miss holds a 13-11 advantage at the 12:26 mark of the 1st half, but we are playing them dead even, with the only black mark being Eddie Blackmons 3 turnovers. Missouri sinks a couple of long range bombs as we hit a cold streak and fall behind 21-16 with 7:17 to go. The Rebels have 6 team fouls and instruct the team to attack inside a bit more hoping to get to the line. Both teams get sloppy late in the half and a 2 minute period goes by without even one shot. We close the gap to 2 on a three from Eddie Blackmon and two free throws from Geoff York, but the Rebels nail their own trey as time winds down and lead us 32-27 at halftime. Both teams have 12 turnovers, but we are still in the game despite shooting only 37.5% behind Eddie Blackmons 9 points, while Geoff York has 5 points and 4 assists. We increase the aggression in the 2nd half and Jason Carroll pulls us to within 1 at 37-36 with 14:22 remaining. Mississippi also picks up 4 quick fouls and both PG Tommy Stanley and SF Joe Jackson are forced to the bench with 3 each. This does not help however as their bench outplays ours and they go on a 13-4 run to lead 50-40 with 9:25 remaining. Reckless play yields some easy fast break points as the Rebels stretch the lead to 17, but we claw back to get it under 10 at 64-55 on a 16 foot jumper by Geoff York with 3:47 to go. We manage to close it to 6 on a Bill Miller slam, but just as quickly Mississippi has it back up to 12 and we eventually fall 73-63, our 4th loss in a row and it gets no easier against Missouri. Eddie Blackmon as usual leads the way with 19 points, while Bill Lewis adds 12. Jason Carroll has a solid game in the post with 6 points and 8 rebounds, but again turnovers kill us as we end up with 22. The Rebels also have 22, but they out shoot us 54.9% to 45.5%. They also hit 11 threes pointers! After the game Coach snitch…..errrr Childress tells me he witnessed Gaylon Lovitt and redshirt Ryan Ryan in shoving match, WTF? This is the third time for the “The Thug” and I am about sick of him. I call Ryan first and he deflects and tells me to talk to the other guy. I can’t really suspend a redshirt, so I repeat my order to quite getting into fights and he cools off and agrees. Now, I call “Thug” and he isn’t hearing it at all. “Ok Gaylon, since the problem is never yours, maybe you need a nice two week break, you’re suspended and next time you’re gone!” This really hurts us and it means Cortez Frazier will have to play some 2 guard, because I am not wasting Ryan’s redshirt. December 9th, 2008 @ Missouri 4-2 I am fed up with this infighting crap on the team as it puts us as a serious disadvantage that we don’t need. Missouri has the edge at every position but center, where Jason Carroll has the edge, yippee. The Benches are considered even. Osei Donald is their best player and he is averaging 21.1 PPG, Anthony Rencher will have his hands full. The setting is getting familiar, we score first, then Missouri goes on a 10-3 run to take control and we keep fighting and tie it on a little jumper by Bill Lewis at 10 with 13:51 left in the 1st. Lewis has scored 6 of our 10 and I call for our guards to feed him more. As seems to happen far too often though, the Tigers adapt and we can’t hang with their superior players for long stretches which results in a 30-19 deficit with 4:54 left in the half. Our guards have 3 turnovers each already and they are all over Eddie Blackmon outside the arc as he hasn’t even had a clean look at a three yet. We continue to plug away however and a 10-0 run cuts it to 30-29 with 1:42 left. We fight on even terms the rest of the half and A Bill Lewis drive with 5 seconds left knots it up at 33-33 at the half. We played a great half and I let the kids know how proud I am of them. We are banging away at a 54.5% clip and are 9-11 from the line, with no three pointers. Anthony Rencher is playing his best game of the season and leads our team with 12. The second half is back and forth as neither team can build a lead of more than 3 points and when Neil Miller drives and hits a floating 10 footer with 11:46 left in the game it is tied again 44-44 and this without Eddie Blackmon who only has 6 points. After Missouri gets its biggest lead of the half at 4, we strike back quickly and Cortez Frazier nails a big three to put us back in front 51-50, 8:19 to go. Once again however we seem to run out of gas and Missouri gets the biggest lead of the game, 66-57 with a three and the clock showing 3:39 remaining. We are not done tonight however, as Jason Carroll sparks us with a 3 point play, followed by an Eddie Blackmon jumper and a Geoff York slam to make it 67-64 with 1:17 left, we have a shot!! 36 seconds left and we now trail by 1, Jason Carroll, who has been instrumental in the comeback, steals the ball with 23 seconds left, but Anthony Rencher is unable to get a shot off as time expires and we lose a heartbreaker 67-66!! I still think this is our best showing of the season losing by 1 on the road to a good big 12 team is no shame. Anthony Rencher gets 14 points; Bill Lewis has 12, while Jason Carroll records 7 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, a pretty solid outing for the senior. Now if only we can build off of this, we will be good as conference play approaches. It also shows me that we are just fine without cancers like Gaylon Lovitt and he has one foot out the door if he screws up again.

03-17-2009, 12:23 AM	#28
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	December 27th, 2008 VS Eastern Washington 3-8 Despite their record they are given the advantage over us at SG, SF, PF and Bench with PG and C even. I would say we have played a tougher schedule, but they still get the nod. There best player is PF Eric Wilcox, but it doesn’t look like he is even slated to start, we will see. Eastern plays a very deliberate game and there is not a lot of scoring early, with our best success coming inside to Bill Lewis. We eventually grow impatient; make some mistakes and Eastern Washington takes advantage to grab a 13-8 lead with 11:22 left in the 1st half. I just tell the team to relax and not force things and we come back to take a 16-15 lead on an Anthony Rencher dunk with 9:51 to go. We continue to hammer it inside and score 13 of the next 17 points to stretch the lead to 29-19 at the halftime buzzer. We are strong on the boards again as Jason Carroll has 6 at the break, while Anthony Rencher has 9 points and 2 steals. I turn up the pressure in the second half to try and put them away as I don’t feel they pass well enough to break the press consistently. The good news is I am right and they don’t hit their first field goal until 16:18 remains in the game. The bad news is they still outscore 4-2 over that stretch and we lead 31-23. Outside of Anthony Rencher, we continue to shoot poorly, but still lead 38-28 with 10:37 left as Eastern is fairing no better under our withering pressure. As our starters rest Eastern Washington cuts our lead to 43-37 with 7:36 to go and we need someone to step up. Geoff York and Bill Lewis answer the call and our lead balloons to 55-41 with 1:55 left in the game. From here we coast in with the win 55-47 as EW hits a couple of late threes to make it look respectable. Anthony Rencher finishes with 14 points and Bill Lewis adds 12 for the cause. Jason Carroll’s string of double digit rebound games ends, but he still grabs 9. Benjamin Gainous gives us 4 points, 3 boards and a block off the bench in only 7 minutes. It feels good to be back over .500 and even better to be 1-0 in conference play. December 30th, 2008 @ Portland State 3-9 Pre-game notes give the Vikings the edge at SF, we have the edge at C (I must admit Jason Carroll is really playing above expectations) PG, SG, PF and Bench are rated even. They are pretty athletic, so I will scale it back a bit as I don’t want to get into a run and gun contest with them. We score first, and then promptly allow a 9-0 run that sees Jason Carroll pick up 2 quick fouls, before Eddie Blackmon stops the bleeding with a three as we trail 9-5 at the 15:38 mark. With Carroll on the bench we are not the same team and Portland State continues to pick us apart behind Ben Hackworth’s 9 points, and if not for Eddie Blackmon keeping us in the game single handedly with 14 points, it would be much worse than the 23-17 deficit we face with 10:16 remaining in the 1st half. I call for more pressure on defense, but we can still can’t catch up and remain on the short end of a 31-25 score with 4:43 left in the 1st. We aren’t getting a damn thing inside as Bill Lewis and Jason Carroll have 2 points each. We close the half with a small flurry and are only behind 38-35 as we go to the locker room. 12 1st half turnovers tell the whole story and totally spoil an incredible half by Eddie Blackmon who has 19 points on 7 of 8 shooting. (5 for 5 on threes) Bill Lewis has 6 rebounds, but has only scored 4 points and we need more from him. I go to straight man to start the second half and keep the pressure up. Portland, though bothered by our intensity on defense, gives us just as much trouble with their pressure and with 9:52 to go we have 18 turnovers and still trail 46-44, as we still can’t score in the paint. Our bench then totally drops the proverbial ball and in a blink we are down 55-45 with the clock showing 5:48 to play. We get no closer than 8 the rest of the way and couldn’t hit a Bulls ass with a handful of BB’s in the last 3 minutes losing 60-49. As good as our previous four games have been, this one is just as bad as we finish with 25 turnovers and give up 14 offensive rebounds!!! Eddie Blackmon ends up with 23 points, but cooled down considerably after halftime. (only 4 2nd half points) Geoff York and Anthony Rencher have 7 points each, but shoot a combined 6 of 17. On top of that York has 8 turnovers and only 3 assists. Jason Carroll only plays 18 minutes due to foul trouble and which is a big reason we get raped on the offensive boards. I break my first clipboard of the year and only tell the team to come prepared to work at our next practice. Ringing in the New Year Eddie Blackmon wins yet another Big Sky freshman of the week award for the week ending 12/31, but it doesn’t ring as sweet after the disaster in Portland. As I watch the Portland game before going out to party likes it's 2008 it is clear I need to keep Jason Carroll on the court. His athleticism makes up for a lack of strength and he is a scrapper. Portland State exposed how weak we are inside when Carroll sits. I am now more tempted than ever to throw Gaylon Lovitt off the team if there is a good Center available when transfer time comes. Speaking of Mr. Thug-a-matic, he made his return in the Portland game, didn't really help at all and we lost! Coincidence??? I am beginning to wonder.

03-17-2009, 09:05 PM	#30
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	Ringing in the new year January 3rd, 2009 VS Sacramento State 3-9 Do the pundits think we are better than anyone? Once again the opposition is deemed better as the Hornets get the edge at PF and the Bench, with all other positions being a wash. Their top guy is C Kevin Stallings, who comes off the bench and averages 8.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. They like to run and they play mostly man, which we will try and exploit by running more motion. Both teams come out shooting well as we make 7 of our first 8 shots to grab a 15-10 lead with 15:47 remaining. Anthony Rencher (6) and Geoff York (4) combine for two thirds of our points in the early going. Sac State is 4 of 5 at this point, but we have forced 4 turnovers. The torrid pace continues as Defense is in neither team’s vocabulary so far and with 9:18 left, we lead 28-24 as York, Rencher, Blackmon and Lewis all have 6 points. For the bad guys, McEverett Cole has 9. We cool off a little bit down the stretch, but the shooting numbers are staggering at the half. 59.3% for us and 58.6% for them as we enter the locker room tied 42-42. The main difference at this point is we are 1-4 behind the arc and they are 6-11. Our scoring is balanced as Bill Lewis has 8 points and Eddie Blackmon and Anthony Rencher both have 7. One thing we need to take advantage of in the 2nd half is Sacramento’s starting PG Maurice Briggery’s 3 fouls. I decide to up the offensive tempo as the 2nd half gets underway and neither team shows any signs of cooling off. The Hornets take a 6 point leads on us early, but we storm right back and a Jason Carroll jam puts us up 54-52 with 14:58 to go in the game. I switch back to a slower pace on offense and crank up the defensive pressure, which helps us get a little breathing room, taking a 64-57 lead on a Jay Wilcox free throw with 10:13 remaining. Jay is giving us some good minutes off the bench as he has 7 points, but Sacramento State keeps bombing away and they shave our lead down to 72-68 with 5:52 left, plus both teams will be in the bonus the rest of the way. York and Rencher both have 3 fouls and Briggery now has 4 for the Hornets. We stretch the lead back to 7 at 79-72 with 3:32 to go and I back off on the pressure to conserve some energy down the stretch and employ some zone as well. Bill Lewis now has 14 points and has been a force down low and I want to feed him the rest of the way, but they defense him well. With 32 seconds left Sacramento State cuts it to 85-84 and we are set for a big finish. Anthony Rencher sinks 2 freebies, they miss a three and Geoff York then hits 1 of 2 from the stripe. On the ensuing possession, York makes a steal and drives home a slam dunk at the buzzer as we win 90-84!! Plenty of kudos to go around as Eddie Blackmon finishes with 16 points and 6 rebounds, Bill Lewis scores 14 and the Rencher/York duo gets 13 and 12 respectively. Off the bench Robert Crenshaw and Jay Wilcox combine for 12 points in only 16 minutes. Gaylon Lovitt is the only player that doesn’t see action for us and I really could care less at this point as I am over him. As a team we shoot a blistering 63.5% from the field and get a season high 42 points in the paint!! Back in my office It’s the only game we play that first week and with League leading Montana on tap I don’t mind the extra prep time and rest. Eddie Blackmon is making the Big Sky freshman of the week award his his own, as he captures his 5th for the week ending 1/7/09. I decide to work Gaylon Lovitt back into the lineup again after we chat and he promises me he will fly right. I remind him that the ice under his feet is thin and he says he understands….we will see.

03-19-2009, 12:49 AM	#31
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	January 10th, 2009 @ Montana 9-6 (3-1) Led by SG Chris Elder 18.3 PPG, 3.5 APG, 5.7 RPG the Grizzlies will be a tall order. The preview gives them the edge at PG, SF and PF. Surprisingly we are even at SG, as well as C and Bench. They run a slow paced flex offense and 2-3 zone. We will play man against them and try and tire them out as most of their production comes from the starting five. They have success early posting up our guards and it gets them an early 10-1 lead, but I don’t panic and we are able to close the gap to 14-10 when Gaylon Lovitt drains a three with 11:60 to go in the half. Geoff York is in foul trouble and whether I like it or not, we need Lovitt tonight. With 8:48 to go we grab our first lead 17-16 on a Neil Miller jumper and Gaylon Lovitt is our leading scorer with 6 points and some good defense against Chris Elder. As the half winds down a 9-3 disparity in fouls hurts us as it allows Montana to take a 29-27 lead with 3:24 left. I am jawing at the ref, but he is pretty much ignoring me, which pisses me off more. The trend continues and we end the half down 41-33 as they are 13 of 15 from the line, while we have shot only 4 free throws. Eddie Blackmon has 8 points to lead our cause while Lovitt is next with 6. Geoff York has 3 fouls and only played 4 minutes in the first half, which left the turnover machine Neil Miller running the point. I want to press more, but I don’t dare do it with the abundance of fouls we are getting hit with. The 2nd half begins like a bad dream as we play good defense and have several chance to cut the lead to 3 or 4, but can’t sink a shot. Anthony Rencher is the biggest bricklayer and is shooting a pathetic 2 of 12 as we trail 51-44 with 12:22 left. I pull Rencher and put Lovitt in and despite his effort (10 points) we trail 61-50 with 6:17 to go, thanks again to some handy fouls. I am at my wits end as to this point we have been called for 18 fouls and Montana whistled for just 5! I come unglued when Jason Carroll is called for his 4th with 3:08 left and get T’d up. That about seals our fate and when the smoke from the free throws clears we are down 64-52. We get a couple of late treys, but they are only cosmetic as we fall 68-58 and I have quite the discussion with the Ref coming off the court. Gaylon Lovitt gains some redemption with 13 points, while Eddie Blackmon chips in 11. Jason Carroll adds 9 rebounds and continues to lead the Big Sky in this category. I might also add we are outscored from the free throw line 20-4!! We are now 2-2 in conference and have to start picking up some wins on the road or it will be a long season. January 13th, 2009 VS Idaho State 6-10 (3-2) The Bengals have been sharp since conference play started and the preview gives them an edge at SF, PF and Bench, while we get the edge at C and both Guard positions are even. Mark Mason averages 13.3 from the PG spot for Idaho State, but he is not a big assist guy. They like to slow it down on offense and run a lot of zone on D. Idaho State takes 7 of their first 8 shots from behind the 3 point line and fortunately only hit 2 of them, which allows us to take an 11-6 lead at the 13:26 mark, led by Geoff York’s 4 points. York continues to scorch the twine and runs his total to 9 points as we hold the lead at 22-14 with 7:03 to go in the 1st. Eddie Blackmon is only 1 for his first 6, but has 3 assists and 3 rebounds, but the best part is we only have 3 turnovers so far as a team. As the half winds down we have some terrible shot selection, but solid defense, including a couple of steals by Geoff York allows us to take a 28-23 lead into the locker room. We end the half still sitting at only 3 turnovers and I am ecstatic about that. York’s 9 points pace the scoring, while Bill Lewis has 6. One other stat of note is that Idaho State does not commit a single foul in the first half, wow! We come out in the 2nd half ice cold and fall behind 31-30 with 15:00 remaining. I am livid and pull both Anthony Rencher and Eddie Blackmon early as they are a combined 4 of 16 from the field. I bring in seldom used Jay Wilcox on a hunch and his first shot is a trey, Gaylon Lovitt follows with a nice running jumper and we lead 40-38 with 11:01 left. Time to start pressing! This decision leads to a 7-2 Idaho State run as we are just plain frigid from the field. I put Eddie Blackmon back in and he promptly drains a 3 to tie things up 45-45 with 6:12 to go, looks like another nail biter on tap. Turnovers and our “torrid” shooting soon dispel that thought and we suddenly trail 58-51 with only 1:36 remaining. We have life yet though as a 3 from Geoff York and a steal and slam by Billy Cundiff cut Idaho States lead to 58-56 with 15 seconds left. We stop them, but can’t get off a shot as time expires, another bitter loss 58-56!! Except for the fact that he had a couple of key turnovers down the stretch, Geoff York was a bright spot going for 14 points. Eddie Blackmon added 11, but only shot 4 for 13. Bill Miller has 10 points and was 5 for 6. I need to get him the ball more as he is now shooting 56.2% on the season. A particularly galling aspect of this loss is that we had 1 foul shot the entire game!! And missed it. As I mull over stats the next day, I am none too happy to see Anthony Rencher slip back to under 40% from the field. I hate to bench a senior who has started all year, but his inconsistency is killing us. For a moment I contemplate moving my favorite player Gaylon Lovitt into the starting lineup...Hey, he has stayed out of trouble for almost 2 weeks now

03-19-2009, 12:21 PM	#32
MacroGuru Coordinator Join Date: May 2003 Location: Utah	Great read....I was upset that my gamefiles corrupted when I was running my UVU dynasty, I just got the game reinstalled and I might start one back up. But this has me following. __________________ "forgetting what is in the past, I strive for the future"

03-20-2009, 06:03 PM	#34
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	January 17th, 2009 @ Montana State 9-7 (2-3) Looks like a pretty even match on paper as we are both 2-3 in league play. Montana State gets the edge at SF and Bench; we get the edge at C with everyone else even. Alexander Nahra is the type of PG I would like to have averaging 4.9 APG. I don’t take Anthony Renchers starting spot away, but I basically give both him and Gaylon Lovitt 20 minutes each and I will eventually go with whoever steps up and performs. I make good on my promise to attack the paint more and Bill Lewis promptly rewards me by missing his first 4 shots! Still, thanks to some good defense and a resurgent Anthony Rencher (7 points) we lead 14-13 with 9:51 to go in the first. It is at this point that I finally relent and go back to a balanced offensive approach. With 7:01 left in the half, Bill Lewis finally hits his first basket, but we now trail 20-18 and it looks like another one of “those” games where we play to the level of our opponent. Unfortunately we can’t even do that as 37.5% shooting leads to a 36-28 deficit at halftime. Anthony Rencher leads the battle of the two guards with 9 points, while Gaylon Lovitt is 0 for 3. Eddie Blackmon has yet to even take a shot, but we are getting a good performance from Jason Carroll with 6 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. I go to more man in the 2nd half and start to press a bit more. Early on we finally start to get it going inside as Bill Lewis finds his range and we start to chip away at the lead, finally tying it with 15:06 to go on an Eddie Blackmon three. (His first points of the game) We trade Baskets over the next two minutes before Montana State surges to a 5 point lead thanks to some dandy perimeter shooting. The boys then wake up and an 8-0 run ensues, capped by a Cortez Frazier trey which propels us to a 55-52 edge with 9:14 to play. We continue to attack and draw fouls, getting into the penalty, where a pair of Bill Lewis freebies gives us our biggest lead of the night, 64-57 with 5:40 to play. Unfortunately we can’t get the key stops when we need them and Montana State fights back to tie it up at 71 apiece with 2:01 to play. A huge three by Eddie Blackmon puts us up 77-74 with 49 seconds left and it looks like another exciting finish. With 14 seconds to go it is tied at 78 and we have the ball….and throw it away with 3 seconds to go!! We have our first overtime as regulation ends 78-78. In OT our big men get us going as we get 4 quick points in the paint, but Montana State matches us and it is tied when Eddie Blackmon knocks down a huge three with 2:03 left to give us an 85-82 lead….Now we need a stop! Sure enough, Anthony Rencher comes up big with a steal and Jason Carroll is fouled, hitting both free throws to give him 14 points and us an 87-82 advantage with 1:26 to go. From there we take care of business at the line and close it out for a big 93-85 win on the road! All five starters score in double figures led by Bill Lewis with 17, a nice recovery from his 0-4 start. Jason Carroll secures another double-double with 14 points and 12 boards, while Anthony Rencher adds 13 points and 3 steals. For the game we go 27 of 33 from the line and 10 of 14 from downtown. It was an exciting game that saw 20 lead changes and 13 ties, but most important, a Wildcat victory! As I browse the conference stats the next day I am delighted to see that Jason Carroll, in addition to leading the Big Sky in rebounds at 7.7 per game, is also first in blocked shots 1.1 per game and 4th in steals at 1.4 per game. The big man has really come on as the season has progressed. January 20th, 2009 VS Northern Colorado 10-7 (5-1) The Big Sky leaders come to the Dee event center and I am very optimistic as we are rated even at every position but SF, where they have the advantage as their best player Mark Myers resides there. Eddie Blackmon outscores Myers 14.2 PPG to 9.6 PPG and we need a big effort from him. I tell him to take more threes and ease up on the mid range jumpers. This game is vital if we want to stay within striking distance. We come out auditioning for the Bricklayers union, missing our first 7 shots. Fortunately they are not fairing any better and when Geoff York finally scores our first basket on a breakaway dunk, we only trail 4-2 with 14:34 to go in the half. As the half progresses neither team gets warm enough to ward off frostbite and with 8:38 left we continue to trail 13-10. With 2:55 left we finally manage to take our first lead of the game, 18-17 on a nice post up move by Bill Lewis as he becomes our first player to make two shots….Ugh! From here it gets better however as we score the last 7 points of the half (5 by Lewis) to grab a 25-17 lead at the break. After our ugly 1st half I go full motion on offense and tell the team to push it inside more. This seems to help as we stretch our lead to 32-19 with 16:46 to play, is there a chance, knock on wood, that we could actually post a double digit win? God knows my digestive tract needs it. Well, no sooner does this thought enter my mind, then Northern Colorado cuts the lead to 6. This time however we have an answer in the form of Neil Miller and Gaylon Lovitt, whose sharpshooting off the bency spurs us on and we hold a 44-29 lead with 9:26 to play. From here we are able to maintain our double digit lead the rest of the way and we even show some killer instinct in doing it, riding out a 59-45 win. Not pretty, but a win nonetheless. Bill Lewis leads the way with 13 points, while Gaylon Lovitt snags 11 points off the bench. The only other performance of “note” is Eddie Blackmons 0 for 10 day from the field which Simon Cowell would likely describe as “absolutely horrendous!” The difference maker in my mind was our work on the offensive glass as 11 offensive rebounds led to 15 second chance points, while Northern Colorado had 0, which was pretty much the difference. 1 game out of first place baby!!

03-22-2009, 02:37 AM	#35
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	Eddie Blackmon garners yet another Big Sky Freshman Player of the week award for the week ending 01/21/09, despite not having an extremely great week. January 24th, 2009 @ Northern Arizona 10-8 (4-3) We travel to Flagstaff to take on a tough Northern Arizona Team. They love to shoot the three and we will have to pressure that. Northern Arizona gets the edge at PG, SF and Bench, with the other three spots even. Their best player is C Corry Walker, though Jason Carroll is better than him in most statistical categories. The Lumberjacks come out firing threes early and nail three of them, which helps to propel them to a 15-9 lead with 13:43 to go in the half, as we again struggle to get an early rhythm. After allowing Northern Arizona to extend their lead to 11, Gaylon Lovitt gives us a boost off the bench with 5 points and after two free throws by backup C Ed Cleveland we close to with 4 at 20-16, with 8:58 to go in the first. We do a great job drawing fouls down the stretch, which helps stay with NAU as we cut their lead to 31-30 at the break behind 7 points from Bill Lewis. Eddie Blackmon and Gaylon Lovitt both have 5 and Jason Carroll has 6 boards in the first half. Both teams come out playing very well offensively and whenever it looks like Northern Arizona is set to bury us with an extended run, we come back with guns blazing to close the gap. A Billy Cundiff hook pulls us to within 51-49 with 12:45 to play, with Neil Smiths 5 assists off the bench playing a big part for us. With things looking good, we suddenly can’t take care of the ball and this time NAU will not be shackled as a 14-2 run puts us down 65-51 with 8:43 remaining. We manage to pull to within 8 with 1:26 to go at 77-69, but it will take a miracle to pull this one out of the fire. Unfortunately our lamp is out of Genies and 8 is as close as we get losing 82-74. Eddie Blackmon has 20 in a losing cause and both Anthony Rencher and Bill Lewis finish with 11. Fouls killed us in the 2nd half as we had 4 players finish with 4 each. 20 turnovers and 13 offensive boards by the Lumberjacks ruined a great team shooting performance (60%) and keeps us firmly in the middle of the Big Sky pack. January 27th, 2009 @ Eastern Washington 7-12 (4-4) We begin our second time through the Conference schedule going to Eastern Washington who we beat 55-47 back in December. The pregame report says this should be a blowout for them. Advantage EWU at SG, SF, PF and Bench, with PG and C even. We are going to attack inside and run a high pressure defense from the opening tip. They come out just as aggressive as we do on defense and it looks like it may be another low scoring affair as we ride the hot hand of Gaylon Lovitt off the bench (7 points) to an early 13-8 lead at the 12:26 mark. The high intensity defense puts both teams in the bonus with over 7 minutes left in the first half and both Jason Carroll and Geoff York are in early foul trouble. I increase the offensive freedom to combat the EWU press with minimal success, though we still lead 20-18 with 4:36 remaining. It is a physical game and we are in for a dog fight, though late threes by Blackmon and Lovitt give us a tenuous 32-26 lead at the half. We are holding them to 28% from the field, but 14 fouls on us is keeping them in the game. Gaylon Lovitt leads us in scoring with 10 points and he also has a team high 5 rebounds. Eddie Blackmon has 8 and Bill Lewis is going to be sitting to start the 2nd half with 3 fouls. I gamble and keep up the defensive pressure and it pays off early as we stretch out lead to 43-28 with 15:32 to play in the game as Jason Carroll establishes the low post. The big lead is almost like a sleeping pill to this team at times and with 8:44 to go lackluster play has allowed Eastern Washington to take a 49-46 lead on the strength of a 21-3 run. We answer with 4 straight to grab a short lived lead, but we again run into foul trouble and Eastern Washington takes advantage to lead 56-54 with 4:48 showing on the clock. Bill Lewis and Jason Carroll make back to back baskets as we head into the home stretch up 60-57 and 2:44 showing on the clock. When the buzzer sounds our score is still 60 as we again fail to rebound and give up second chance points to hand Eastern Washington a 67-60 win. Gaylon Lovitt leads our effort with 14 points and 6 rebounds, all off the bench, while Eddie Blackmon has 12. Bill Lewis fouls out and Jason Carroll only plays 21 minutes, which sums up why we gave up 15 offensive rebounds. I have to take the blame for this as I should have backed off the defensive pressure when we had a double digit lead. A lesson learned by a rookie head Coach. As January winds down we sit at 10-11 overall and 4-5 in conference. It is going to take some effort to reach my goal of 15+ wins, not to mention winning the conference tournament. Eddie Blackmon is once again Big Sky freshman of the week award for the week ending 01/28/09 and he has been one of the few bright spots in a frustrating first season at the helm.

03-23-2009, 12:30 AM	#36
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	January 31st, 2009 VS Portland State 6-14 (3-6) A chance to avenge a 60-49 loss at their place, but the pregame report doesn’t seem to think we will, giving the Vikings the advantage at PG, SF and Bench. We get the edge at C, with SG and PF even. They are solid defensively and we have to get better looks than we did the first time around. It is a game of runs at the beginning as we score the first 9 points, and then promptly allow them to score the next 8, in what is becoming a very frustrating trend. Both teams then settle into a pattern of normalcy and with 9:23 left in the 1st half we hold a 15-10 lead behind Geoff York’s 5 points and 3 assists. Jason Carroll picked up 2 early fouls and I keep him on the bench as we can’t afford a 3rd before the half. While Carroll stays clean Geoff York does get his third foul and predictably we can’t establish any separation and cling to a 27-24 lead at halftime. We are whistled for 11 fouls in the 1st and luckily Portland State is only 7-13 from the line. Anthony Rencher has 8 points to leads our scoring and Eddie Blackmon is a horrendous 1 for 9 from the field. As the second half begins I order the team to crash the defensive boards harder as we gave up 8 offensive rebounds in the first and it is getting old. As hoped Eddie Blackmon finds his stroke and now has 12 points to carry us to a 47-33 lead with 11:13 to play. I have also been pressing much more to this point and I now decide to back off a bit and play a 3-2 zone to conserve energy and avoid another late game collapse. It seems like a smart move as we keep a comfortable lead and with 5:41 left are on the good end of a 49-37 score. At this point I decide to turn up the offensive tempo and try and run them out of the building. My cards are falling right tonight, and while we don’t quite run them out of the building, we do bring home a very comfortable 61-46 victory behind Eddie Blackmons 14 points (only 2 at halftime) and 12 points from Bill Lewis. Billy Cundiff gave us some great defense off the bench collecting 6 rebounds in only 6 minutes to lead the team. We only gave up 3 offensive boards the second half and as close as it was at times, never trailed from the opening tipoff to the final buzzer. I go back and read over my notes from an early meeting with Donny Wiseman. One of my goals was win 15 and we have to go 4-2 the rest of the way, or make a run in the tourney and get a a win or two. More than the goal I really just want a winning record my first year. Another goal was the NCAA tournament, but I honestly can't see us winning the Big Sky tourney. There are too many evenly matched teams and in that situation you need to maintain consistent play over long stretches. Something we have not been able to do this season. Last edited by BYU 14 : 03-23-2009 at 10:20 AM.

03-25-2009, 08:59 PM	#38
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	The Nerve of some I get a call from a producer at ESPN. Rod Sales would like to tape a follow up interview with me regarding my return to the game and the new challenges I am facing trying to take a 1-AA program to the national stage in the State I am so beloved...I cut him off. Me: "Are you fucking kidding me? Sales wants to tape an interview....Why? so he can butcher to show how a floundering ex-NBA derelict is now dragging the defending Big Sky Champions into the gutter with him?" Producer: "No, not at all, Mr. sales says he is very impressed with your return to the game and thinks it will make a feel good story and show that you have grown since he first talked to you?" Me: "WHAT?? Are you new to ESPN, did you see the unedited tape of my first interview? Are you actually keeping a straight face?" Producer: "Well, I did see the first interview on TV, like the rest of America did and I think this would be a....." Me: "A what, a good opportunity to redeem myself? There is nothing to redeem, show the unedited version or better yet watch it yourself, then think about much of a shill for the great Mr. Sales you sound like right now." Producer: "Do you need to think about it?" Me: "Ah...yeah, let's see, give me just a second....OK, Go to hell and take Rod Sales with you! If he wants to interview me we'll do it live or not at all. Better yet, get one of the real jounalists there to interview...Hannah Storm maybe, I'll gladly talk to her all day." I hang up the phone, incredulous that they would even dare request something like this. I was finally getting to the point where I was willing to let that first interview go and chalk it up to experience.....Now I have a new fire to call him out, though I am sure that is the last thing the administration here wants. Especially as closely as I am still being watched. OOC Note: Officially going on my vacation hiatus with this until next week now

04-02-2009, 01:01 PM	#39
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	February 3rd, 2009 @ Sacramento State 5-16 (2-7) The pundits once again give them the edge in the preview, with all positions even except PF and Bench, which both go to the Hornets. We beat them 90-84 at our place on January 3rd and I expect another high scoring game and though they are in last place in the Big Sky, they are still dangerous. We really need a road win or two down the stretch to help our cause and this is as good a place as any to start. As expected this is a wild one, with both teams ripping the twine at an impressive clip. I open it up a bit with more movement offensively and Gaylon Lovitt is a dynamo off the bench, with 7 points and 4 rebounds in 8 minutes as we cling to a 29-28 lead with 7:55 in the half, in a game that looks headed well into the 80’s for both teams. The insanity continues as we exchange 1-2 point leads the rest of the half and our kids are enjoying the wide open play, which sees Bill Lewis sinking 18 footers and Anthony Rencher throwing down earth shattering slams. It is only fitting the half ends tied 46-46. Things are not all strippers and fire trucks though as the Refs are whistle happy calling us for 14 fouls and Sacramento State for 9 and Both Robert Crenshaw and Geoff York have 3. Scoring wise we spread it around as Blackmon and Lewis both have 8 points and Gaylon Lovitt has 7. With York sitting much of the half, Neil Miller chips in 5 assists off the pine. We come out absolutely smoking in the 2nd half as Eddie Blackmon quickly scores 11, which gives him 19 for the game and us our biggest lead at 59-48, with 17:15 still remaining. I keep waiting for our obligatory cold spell, but the kids just keep lighting it up and every time Sacramento State looks to make a move we swat them down. With 9:10 left we are still up 76-62 and Eddie Blackmon now has 22 points, while Neil Miller has 9 assists and Jason Carroll 10 rebounds. I jump to the 3-2 zone the rest of the way to make them work a little more for good looks and I also get some players in the game earlier than usual, with the end result a not being as close as it looks 89-78 win on the road, which is a huge moral boost as the regular season winds down. Eddie Blackmon is wanted in three counties for his shooting rampage which results in 24 points and we also get 11 points each from Anthony Rencher, Gaylon Lovitt and Ed Cleveland. Cleveland is particularly impressive scoring his points in just 6 minutes ad going 7 of 8 from line. Jason Carroll finishes with 6 points and 11 boards, giving us 17 points and 12 rebounds from our Center spot. As a team we go 21 of 26 from the stripe and also shoot 56.4% from the field in one of our more impressive offensive outputs of the season. Eddie Blackmon wins his third straight (9th overall) Big Sky Freshman of the week award for the week ending 02-04-09 and after his showing in Sac town, it is definitely well deserved! Looking at our remaining schedule we play every team above us and have the top two teams (Montana and NAU) at home. We are in a good position to make a run at the title if we stay focused.

04-02-2009, 02:15 PM	#40
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	February 10th, 2009 VS Montana 14-9 (8-4) To say this is huge is the understatement of the season. Montana is in 2nd place and looks to lull you to sleep with a slow paced flex offense. Chris Elder is one of the best in the Big Sky and averages 18.7 PPG. They have the edge on us at PG, SF and PF, with SG, C and Bench even. I really find it amusing that the “experts” rate Anthony Rencher even with Elder, when I barely consider him our best SG. We start cold, but our offensive rebounding keeps it tight early. Then Montana’s dynamic duo of Matt Baptist and Chris Elder take over, combining for 16 points to give the Grizzlies a 24-14 lead with 10:51 left in the first. Eddie Blackmon has 6 points for us, but is only shooting 2 for 6. They continue to work us off the dribble drive and we continue to lay bricks, yet somehow stay close enough that when we do start to get shots to drop we are able to close it to 35-29 with 4:25 left on the half, thanks to some spirited play by Gaylon Lovitt and Robert Crenshaw off the bench. Fouls kill us down the stretch, but we stay within striking distance trailing 45-37 at the half, thanks mainly to our 10 second chance points. Montana is shooting 56.7% and we need to slash that drastically or we are cooked. Anthony Rencher leads the way for us with 7 points and 5 rebounds, while three other Wildcats have 6 each. Some great defense allows us to cut the Grizzlies lead to 4 early in the 2nd half, but we commit some costly turnovers and can’t take advantage of several golden opportunities as Montana still holds a 58-51 lead with 10:12 to go. Eddie Blackmon has 12 points, but it is the play of Anthony Rencher, 9 points and 7 rebounds that is keeping us in it. After Cortez Frazier sinks a running 1 hander to close the gap to 60-55 with 8:14 to play I go to the press. The gamble pays off and with 6:51 to play we take our first lead of the game, 61-60! It is nip and tuck for a few minutes but we can’t contain the Montana guards and Bill Lewis misses some easy baskets down low. Geoff York nails a three at the buzzer, but all it does is make our 74-72 loss look like a cliff hanger. Eddie Blackmons 12 points end up leading our offense, while Anthony Rencher shot 55.6% to finish with 11 points and 9 boards. Geoff York had 10 points and 5 assists, while Gaylon Lovitt added 8 off the bench. For the Grizzlies Elder and Baptist combined for 35 points and had only 1 turnover each. That’s why they are the Big Sky’s best backcourt. We really let a game we needed get away here. Looking ahead, we have two weeks to play and our first game next week is huge as we travel to Idaho State. They beat us 58-56 on our home court in January and we trail them by ½ a game for 4th place. This one is a must have! Eddie Blackmon sees his run as Big Sky freshman of the week end at 3 straight as Adrian Luton of Portland State snags the honor for the week of 02-11-09. Montana’s Chris Elder wins his 5th Big Sky player of the week award and he pretty much has my vote for Big Sky player of the year at this point.

04-04-2009, 12:15 AM	#41
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	February 14th, 2009 @ Idaho State 10-14 (7-6) Valentines Day and we hope to show some love for the Bengals by passing them for 4th place in the conference. We need to shut down PG Mark Mason (13.6 PPG) and shake their defense. In hopes of accomplishing this I am increasing our offensive freedom and will press late in the first half. They have the edge at SF, PF and Bench, while Jason Carroll gives us an edge at C. They are beyond pesky on Defense and the freedom isn’t really helping as they jump out to a 15-9 lead with 11:02 left in the half. I heap some praise on Geoff York as he scores 4 points early and it apparently goes to his head as he spends the next few minutes in lala land. We are not getting inside at all, so I ask the kids to focus on this. While we don’t start pushing them around inside, Gaylon Lovitt comes up big off the bench and his 11 points help guide us to a 23-17 lead with 4:41 left after a jump hook and 1 by Bill Lewis. Increased defensive pressure holds Idaho State to 25.9% from the field and we enter the locker room up 29-20. Gaylon Lovitt still leads us with 11, while Bill Lewis has 7 (5-5 from the line) and a couple of steals. I back off to start the 2nd half, leery of fatigue and also start Lovitt at SG. He hits our first basket, then Eddie Blackmon sinks two three pointers, followed by one from Geoff York. Suddenly we lead 42-22 with 16:34 left and have a good rhythm going. Idaho State stakes advantage of our relaxed defense and hits some bombs, but we continue to shoot well and still hold a 59-41 lead with 7:24 left as Gaylon Lovitt continues to scorch the nets with 18 points. I decide to go for the throat and turn up the pressure again. They do a better job of solving it this time and manage a mini run, but in the end we take home a comfortable 70-57 win which keeps us in the hunt for a possible top three seed in the Big Sky tournament. Gaylon Lovitt’s 18 points off the bench (in 19 minutes) lead the way, followed by Eddie Blackmon with 13. Geoff York adds 9 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds. February 17th, 2009 VS Montana State 12-12 (5-8) We had a wild 93-85 OT win at their place in January and I expect another shootout. I will allow more freedom again on offense as they play mostly man and I think we can take them off the dribble. They have the advantage at SF and Bench, while we have it at C. I want to pound it inside to start and hopefully get them in foul trouble. The inside game looks like the ticket as they can’t guard Bill Lewis to save their lives and with 10:40 left in the 1st half he has 14 points (7 for 7) and 5 rebounds as we jump out to a 19-5 lead. Geoff York looks like I used to out there with 5 assists and only 1 turnover in the early going. We continue to hammer Montana State inside and ride 60% shooting to a 48-27 halftime lead. We have 30 points in the paint and have outrebounded them 26-10. Bill Lewis has 18 points and 7 boards, Gaylon Lovitt and Billy Cundiff have each chipped in 7 off the Bench. Lovitt also has 5 rebounds and York finishes the half with 6 assists. No need to fix what isn’t broke, so we continue to work it inside. Montana State is now collapsing on Bill Lewis, so Jason Carroll steps up with 7 points out of the gate, giving him 11 for the game, along with 10 rebounds and with 9:54 to go we lead 63-42. Montana State can get no closer than 19 the rest of the way and we complete a dominating performance with a 82-54 victory. Bill Lewis leads all scorers with 22 points and adds 8 boards. Our Center play was incredible as Jason Carroll snagged another double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Ed Cleveland stroked in a season high 14 off the bench. All told we had 52 points in the paint and just murdered the Bobcats inside, out rebounding them 46 to 24. We look to be getting hot at the right time, with two games to go in the regular season. Geoff York injures his hip in the win over Montana State, but X-Rays are negative and he should be good to go for our final two games. If there is one area we have had good fortune in this year, it is injuries.

04-04-2009, 03:05 PM	#42
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	A big finish February 21st, 2009 @ Northern Colorado 12-13 (7-7) Mark Meyers is Northern Colorado’s best player averaging 10.2 PPG and 4.7 RPG. He has the edge over Eddie Blackmon at SF and the Bears have the edge at Bench as well, with everything else even. They like a 1-2-2 on defense so we will work it inside again and attack from the high post. We beat them 59-45 at home the first time through and will need that same effort on defense to carry what is a very big game for us. Hell, they all are big at this point. Geoff York’s hip is still sore, so Neil Miller will get the start at PG. Tough sledding early and our success inside is a mixed bag, as we play to a 12-12 tie with 10:12 remaining. Bill Lewis has 6 points, but we are not hitting anything outside and need to loosen them up a bit. I finally put Geoff York in the game to hopefully accomplish this and give the team some more freedom on offense. Instead, things spiral out of control as we only score 8 points over the final 10+ minutes and trail 28-20 at Halftime. We are just not patient and our 32.1% shooting shows that. Bill Lewis and Anthony Rencher lead us with 6 points a piece, but I am not getting a thing from anyone else. We pick up the shooting early in the 2nd half as Neil Miller hits our first two three pointers of the game and we manage to shave Northern Colorado’s lead down to 37-36 with 15:16 to play. Anthony Rencher is finding his stroke as well and now has 10 points. The Bears then stretch their lead to 7, but we come charging back and jump on top 47-45 with 9:39 to play after a Neil Miller steal and slam. He is playing is butt off now, but I need him fresh for the end of the game, so I bring the hobbled Geoff York in to give him a breather. Anthony Rencher carries the slack while Miller rests and when he returns with 3:32 to play we are up 58-49 and all our starters are well rested, so I turn up the heat on defense to try and close it out. As they have most of the game Rencher and Miller hit some key foul shots down the stretch and we escape with a 65-57 victory for our third win in a row. Anthony Rencher paces our attack with 19 points and 8 rebounds, Neil Miller makes up for 5 turnovers with 17 points and 3 steals, while Jason Carroll is again Mr. double-double with 10 points and 11 boards. On the Plane ride home I thank the team for their perseverance. With 5 wins over our last 6 games we now have 4th place locked up and a chance to finish 2nd or 3rd and send a message to League leading Northern Arizona, who we close out the regular season with at home. We have also reached one of the Administrations pre-season goals with our 15th win and I hope a legitimate shot at winning the Big Sky tournament, another of the goals I was given by Donny. I also make sure I compliment Gaylon Lovitt on his turnaround. He was literally two steps from being kicked off the team, but has turned into a model citizen, getting along well with his teammates and showing a good attitude. He and Ryan Ryan will be a nice combination at SG next season. February 24th, 2009 VS Northern Arizona 17-9 (11-4) We enter our final game with a chance at a three way tie for 2nd place as both Montana and Eastern Washington lose and now sit ½ game ahead of us at 10-6 in conference. We lost to NAU 82-74 at their house a month ago, but played them tough. They have the edge at PG, SF and Bench and we are even at SG, PF and C. They like to run and gun so I will press a little less to start and work some more zone in. We have to keep their 2nd chance points to a minimum. It could not start any better as we score the first 19 points of the game before NAU gets on the board after missing their first 10 shots. With 12:14 to play we lead 21-3, behind 8 points and 5 rebounds from Jason Carroll. I sub early, which allows them to cut into our lead, but Neil Miller again is solid off the bench with 5 points and the starters come back with 4:42 left in the half and a 32-19 lead for the good guys. We take advantage and extend the lead to 44-26 at the half behind blistering 65.5% shooting and a 14-7 assist to turnover ratio. Jason Carroll leads a balanced attack with 10 points and 7 rebounds, while Geoff York tallies 9. Anthony Rencher has not scored, but he has 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 block. Northern Arizona is the best team in the conference for a reason and they refuse to lie down, cutting our lead to 10 on three separate occasions to start the 2nd half, but we punch back each time and long three by Eddie Blackmon gives him 14 points and the team a 58-42 lead with 12:15 to play. I decide to get an extended rest for the starters and sub out all 5, having the reserves go to a full court press as well. The backups work hard with Robert Crenshaw grabbing 5 rebounds and Ed Cleveland knocking down 6 points. When the starters return with 5:06 to play we are still up big 73-54. I again empty the bench with 1:54 to go and we cruise home to our 4th straight win 85-66!! Eddie Blackmon leads the scoring parade with 17 points, while Geoff York, showing no ill effects from his injured hip goes for 16 points. Jason Carroll gets yet another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Anthony Rencher dishes 7 assists and grabs 8 rebounds of his own. The regular season is over and I believe we are playing as well as anyone in the Big Sky right now, finishing up at 16-12 overall and 10-6 in conference, tied for 2nd place with Montana and Eastern Washington. We end up with the #3 seed in the Big Sky Tournament and draw Northern Colorado at home in the first round on March 3rd.

04-04-2009, 11:52 PM	#44
BYU 14 Coordinator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: The scorched Desert	Big Sky Tournament March 3rd, 2009 VS Northern Colorado 13-14 – Big Sky tournament 1st round Not much to say here since we played these guys a week and a half ago. Things hopefully won’t be much different then the first two times we beat them, but our 2-0 record against them this year is what worries me. It is always tough to beat the same team 3 times in one season and Northern Colorado has given us problems at times. As they did last time they give us fits early with their pressure and it is a sloppy game tied 10-10 with 11:04 to go in the half. Jason Carroll and Bill Lewis are a combined 1 for 7, which will force me to balance things up a bit more. It remains close until Northern Colorado suddenly finds their range behind the arc and we fall behind 29-20 with 4:10 left in the half. I call timeout and for the first time all year lose it with the entire team. It doesn’t really help and we enter the locker room down 35-24 as my fears are being realized. Defensively we are abysmal as the Bears shoot 62.5% in the 1st half. Eddie Blackmon and Jason Carroll have 5 points each to pace our “offense” if you can call it that. I tell the team at the half we need to get more tenacious on defense and not allow them to dictate the pace like they have been doing. Geoff York, who was scoreless in the first, tries to carry us back but with 12:56 to go we are still down 48-39. It is time to gamble and I call for high pressure and hopefully we can wear them down. With 4:21 to go we are still fighting to get it under double digits and trail 61-51, the Bears are just hot tonight and I don’t have an answer. Just as it appears we are dead, we get a couple of stops and a Jason Carroll slam pulls us within six at 61-55, 2:43 to play. With 50 seconds left Eddie Blackmon hits a jumper and we trail 63-59, we need a big play!! We fumble away a chance to pull within two, but then get a steal and Geoff York drains a three. We trail 63-62, but only 7 seconds remain. I scream for a foul, but we can’t even do that right and are knocked out of the Big Sky tournament 63-62 on our home court. Anthony Rencher leads us with 12 points in his final game. Eddie Blackmon tallies 11 and both Jason Carroll and Gaylon Lovitt get 10. Our death knell this game? We were out rebounded 36-16 and gave up 11 offensive boards. We also had no inside game getting only 16 points in the paint. A disappointing finish to a great end of season run to be sure. After talking to the team I check the internet and am shocked to see that #1 seed NAU was also upset by Portland State, it helps me feel a little better…..Who the hell am I kidding, I still feel like shit. Northern Colorado goes on to win the Big Sky tournament beating Portland State in the finals. I guess that shows the parity in our league when the #6 and #8 tournament seeds play for the title. Either that or it shows how crappy our league is. I also get welcome news that none of our underclassmen are declaring for the draft. It is hard for me to keep a straight face while Donny tells me this, like I was worried we were going to lose anyone, but he seems happy so I pretend to be also. I head home and watch the selection show on my upgraded TV…..Keeping all Beer bottles at a distance. Northern Colorado gets the 15th seed in the Denver regional and draws #2 seed Virginia (25-6) for their pleasure. At least they will get their asses kicked in front of a home crowd.