Luke Gregory, Coach for Hire (FBCB Dynasty)

[GoBlue2419]

2018 NCAA Tournament Second Round Matchup

We will play 1-seed Villanova (ranked #2), who beat Florida International 85-53 in the First Round.

Villanova Scouting Report
Villanova is 32-1 on the season thus far, and went 15-1 in the Catholic Conference. They are led by PG Steve Peaslee, who averages 13.8 PPG, and SF Clay Smith, who also averages 13.8 PPG. As a team, they average 77.6 PPG and give up just 57.4 PPG. Their scoring defense is 4th in the nation. They average 9 steals a game, good for 2nd in the nation, and turn the ball over just 11.8 per game, good for 9th in the nation. They also force 19.5 turnovers a game, which leads the nation. Their lone loss was against Xavier on January 16th, losing at Xavier 86-76.

Starting Line-up
C - Daniel Morales, 7-0, 223 lbs, SO (7.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG)
PF - Shannon Snodgrass, 6-8, 239 lbs, SR (7.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.9 BPG)
SF - Clay Smith, 6-6, 221 lbs, JR (13.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.2 SPG)
SG - Bernard Hardie, 6-4, 193 lbs, FR (10.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.2 SPG)
PG - Steve Peaslee, 5-9, 180 lbs, SR (13.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.9 APG, 2.3 SPG)

[GoBlue2419]

2018 NCAA Tournament

3/18/18 - lose to Villanova 75-49 (25-10) - This one was very close for much of the first half, in spite of us shooting less than 20% from the field. But Villanova started pulling away towards the end of the half, and ended up taking a 32-16 lead into the locker room. It didn't get much better in the second half, as we didn't score until 3:20 had elapsed when Micah Tolson hit a three. That made the score 46-19. The lead increased to 30 for a good part of the half, but we made a valiant effort, eventually getting it down to 17, but that was as close as it got. In the end, they were just too good defensively. We hit just 28% of our shots overall, 28% of our threes (9-32), and had 15 turnovers. Villanova shot 46% overall, and 44% from the three-point line (8-18), and out rebounded us 40 to 30. Renn led us in scoring with 16 points, but was the only Spider in double-digits. He and Tverdovsky both grabbed 6 boards, leading the team. Clay Smith led Villanova with 19 points, and Shannon Snodgrass grabbed 10 rebounds.


Other Notable Second Round Games

West
(8) Oklahoma State beat (1) Kentucky 79-61
(12) BYU beat (4) Arizona 71-63
(7) LSU beat (2) Cincinnati 100-95

East
(6) Rhode Island beat (3) Stanford 77-74

Sweet Sixteen
West
(8) Oklahoma State beat (12) BYU 68-65
(3) Virginia Tech beat (7) LSU 86-78

Midwest
(1) Texas A&M beat (5) Oklahoma 93-68
(3) North Carolina (2) Marquette 88-64

South
(1) Duke beat (5) Florida 91-71
(3) Memphis beat (10) Gonzaga 78-72

East
(1) Villanova beat (5) Missouri 64-41
(2) Syracuse beat (6) Rhode Island 84-70

Great 8 Round
West - (3) Virginia Tech beat (8) Oklahoma State 70-68
Midwest - (1) Texas A&M beat (3) North Carolina 89-84
South - (1) Duke beat (3) Memphis 66-58
East - (1) Villanova beat (2) Syracuse 67-65

Final Four
(1) Duke beat (3) Virginia Tech 80-57
(1) Villanova beat (1) Texas A&M 82-66

Championship
Villanova beat Duke 71-68


NIT - Notre Dame beat UConn 82-81
CBI - DePaul beat Hofstra 85-68
CIT - UNC-Charlotte beat Georgia Southern 58-38

[GoBlue2419]

2017-2018 Richmond Spiders Season Summary



Final Stats


Final Shooting Stats


NCAA Awards


Atlantic 10 Awards


- Renn finished 2nd in the conference in scoring, behind UMass's David Dixon at 20.6 PPG. Tramel was 6th.
- Williams finished 10th in the conference.
- Tramel finished 8th, Chase 9th in assists.
- Renn finished 9th in steals.
- Renn finished 2nd in turnovers.

We bid farewell to Micah Tolson, the only graduating senior on the team this year. Tolson, from Springarn High in Washington, DC, played in 130 games over his career, starting 1 game. He finished with 534 points scored, averaging 4.1 a game over his career. He grabbed 282 rebounds, dished out 95 assists. He shot 43% from the field overall, 37% from the three-point line, and 70% from the free throw line. Coming out of high school, Tolson was a *** recruit, ranked #311.

[GoBlue2419]

Recruiting Summary

Commits
- C Edward Hong (Seaford Senior HS, DE) - ***, #394

Our class ranked as the #236 class.

Top 10 Classes
1. Duke
2. Stanford
3. Nevada
4. Clemson
5. North Carolina
6. Minnesota
7. Texas
8. Memphis
9. Oklahoma
10. Villanova

Top A10 Class: Duquesne (#99)

[GoBlue2419]

2018-2019 Head Coaching Round

In the 1st Round of the Head Coaching Round, I receive a number of job offers:
- Xavier (Prestige:68) - $580,000
- UCLA (77) - $598,406
- Tennessee (74) - $587,437
- South Carolina (61) - $567,594
- Notre Dame (90) - $694,687
- New Mexico (71) - $516,250
- Nebraska (59) - $546,250
- Mississippi (65) - $568,750
- Minnesota (83) - $667,531
- La Salle (50) - $448,437
- Indiana (84) - $546,250
- Dayton (67) - $547,437
- Auburn (67) - $576,250

There are three jobs I am really focusing on, and trying to decide between them is tough:

- Notre Dame - Highest prestige, highest budget of the teams offering a job. They have had great success, play in the ACC, which may be the toughest conference overall. But they have missed the Tournament the last couple years, and the talent is down slightly, though they did go 24-12 last year. Also, the expectation right out of the gate is to reach the Final Four. And even though I am a Michigan fan in real life, my wife is a Notre Dame fan, her father and brother are ND grads, and I do like them more than the typical Michigan fan.

- Minnesota - Had a great season last year, as well as have a great recruiting class coming in. They play in the Big 10 of course, which is where my heart lies. Their prestige is middle of the pack in the Big 10 though, and accepting a job at a Big 10 school other than Michigan may make it difficult to ever get back to Michigan.

- Indiana - All the history. While they have struggled the last number of years, the chance to get them back to where they once were is intriguing. But of course, the road ahead will be long and arduous. There is also the issue of being in the Big 10, and getting the Michigan job at some point.


* Editor's note: The file I used to start the career had Indiana's prestige where it was legitimately at the beginning of the actual Tom Crean era, like 59 or so, so it's no wonder they have continued to struggle. At the turn of the calendar to this season in-game, I did bump their prestige up to 84. So if I were to take the Indiana job, it might feel a little bit like cheating, though that wasn't my intention when I increased their prestige.

[GoBlue2419]

Notre Dame Hires Richmond's Gregory as Coach
May 25, 2018

Notre Dame will name Richmond's Luke Gregory as its basketball coach and is expected to introduce him at a news conference today.

Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick confirmed the hiring, and Gregory reportedly met with the Richmond basketball team last night to announce his departure.

Gregory, who has been at Richmond the past three seasons, will replace Kevin Stallings, who retired after four seasons at Notre Dame, and Vanderbilt before that. Gregory has compiled an 80-25 record at Richmond, leading them to the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons. Prior to Richmond, Gregory was the head coach at Holy Cross, where he compiled a 57-37 record.

Notre Dame won the NIT Tournament last season, but has missed the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons. Expectations for Gregory are certain to include returning the team to March Madness.

The Irish are returning two starters from the NIT Champion squad of a year ago. Horace Deffresnes averaged 11.8 points a game last season, playing primarlily at shooting guard, hitting 38% of his three-point attempts. Deffresnes is a 6'4" senior hailing from France. Also returning from last season's starting lineup is center Casey Angle, who averaged 7.4 points a game and 6.1 rebounds as a sophomore.

Gregory is from Arlington Heights, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, where he played his high school ball, and the proximity of Notre Dame to Chicago, and his local roots, should be a great boon in recruiting the Chicago area. Despite being an alumnus and former player at Michigan, Gregory's father-in-law and brother-in-law are Notre Dame graduates, so he certainly has some familiarity with the school, its campus, and unique qualities.

[GoBlue2419]

Facts about the University of Notre Dame
Enrollment: 11,733 (8,371 undergrad)
Basketball Arena: Purcell Pavilion at the Edmund P. Joyce Center (Capacity: 9,149)


Basketball History at Notre Dame

Top Players in Notre Dame History
- Austin Carr (1968-1971)
- Adrian Dantley (1973-1976)
- Edward "Moose" Krause (1931-1934)
- Troy Murphy (1998-2001)
- Kevin O'Shea (1946-1950)
- David Rivers (1984-1988)
- Luke Harangody (2006-2010)

Leading Scorers in Notre Dame History
1. Austin Carr (1968-1971): 2,560 points
2. Luke Harangody (2006-2010): 2,476 points
3. Adrian Dantley (1973-1976): 2,223 points
4. Chris Thomas (2001-2005): 2,195 points
5. Pat Garrity (1994-1998): 2,085 points

Most Coaching Wins in Notre Dame History
1. Digger Phelps (393-197, 20 seasons)
2. George Keogan (327-97-1, 20 seasons)
3. John Jordan (199–131, 13 seasons)

Team History Facts
- National Champions in 1927 and 1936
- Reached the Final Four in 1978 and 2011* (in this dynasty)
- NIT Champions in 2018

[larrymcg421]

This mick wishes you good luck at Notre Dame!

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

This mick wishes you good luck at Notre Dame!

Thanks! With A.D. expectations of Final Four, I'm going to need some Irish luck, and a few pots with wins at the end of the rainbows!

[GoBlue2419]

Notable Head Coaching Moves

- Auburn - fires Tony Barbee. Hires Conrad Roop, an assistant from UNC-Asheville.
- Indiana - fires Tom Crean. Hires Pat Chambers from Penn State.
- Kansas State - Hired Jerry Slocum from Youngstown State.
- Minnesota - Fran McCaffrey retired. Hired Gregg Marshall from Wichita State.
- Richmond - Hired Alan Major from UNC-Charlotte to replace me.
- Tennessee - Fired Cuonzo Martin. Hired Bryce Drew from Valparaiso.
- Villanova - Jay Wright retired. Hired Billy Kennedy from Texas A&M to replace him.
- Texas A&M - Hired Frank Martin from Kansas State.
- UCLA - fired Ben Howland. Hired Steve Fisher from Gonzaga.
- Gonzaga - Hired Bill Coen from Rice to replace Fisher.

One other notable head coaching hire is my coaching assistant, John Byington, gets the head job at IPFW. He is the first assistant of mine to get a head coaching job.

[GoBlue2419]

Assistant Coaching Round

- with Byington getting the IPFW job, I need to hire a replacement. I end up moving Paul Marion to my coaching assistant position, so will now need to hire a new lead scout.

- I offer the job to Corey Bell, who was an assistant with Mark Few at Gonzaga and then Arkansas. He accepts.

Here is your 2018-2019 Notre Dame Coaching Staff

[GoBlue2419]

As I move into the ACC, here is a look at the other coaches I will be facing in the conference:

Boston College - Steve Donahue (9th season - Level 9)
Clemson - Brad Brownell (9th season - Level 9)
Duke - Mike Brey (4th season - Level 11)
Florida State - Brad Stevens (5th season - Level 9)
Georgia Tech - Randy Bennett (1st season - Level 8)
Louisville - Chris Lowery (4th season - Level 9)
Miami - Todd Howard (2nd season - Level 6)
North Carolina - Rick Stansbury (6th season - Level 11)
North Carolina State - Mark Gottfried (8th season - Level 9)
Pittsburgh - Jamie Dixon (15th season - Level 14)
Syracuse - Greg McDermott (5th season - Level 11)
Virginia - Tony Bennett (10th season - Level 8)
Virginia Tech - Seth Greenberg (14th season - Level 9)
Wake Forest - Josh Pastner (6th season)

[GoBlue2419]

2018-2019 Preseason Recruiting Summary

3 seniors graduating - C/PF, SF/SG, C/PF, and I cut 2 walk-ons, so we have 5 scholarships available.

July
- we offer scholarships right off the bat to C Stewart Sherwin (*****, #2), C Damien Johnson (*****, #18), PF Victor Bettencourt (****, #51), PG Julius Goodman (****, #62), SF Mervin Fasano (***, #130)

August
- Johnson (#5 behind Minnesota (offered), Marquette, Wisconsin, and Arizona)
- Sherwin (Not in top 4 - Memphis, Kansas, Marquette, Michigan State, Wisconsin)
- Goodman (Not in Top 5)
- Bettencourt (Not in Top 5)
- we revoke offers to Fasano, Sherwin, Bettencourt, and Goodman
- we offer to SG Wilson Hadfield (****, #30), PG Craig Kruse (****, #29), C Floyd Perez (****, #70), and C Charles Eagen (****, #81)

September
- Kruse has us #1
- Johnson has us #3 behind Minnesota and Wisconsin
- Hadfield has us #2 behind Michigan State
- Eagen has us #3 behind Ohio State and Pitt
- Perez has us #2 behind Dayton

October 2018
- Johnson has us #2 behind Minnesota
- Eagen has us #2 behind Ohio State
- Perez has us #2 behind Dayton
- Hadfield has us #2 behind Michigan State
- Kruse has us as his only choice

- we revoke offers to Eagen, Perez, and Hadfield.
- offer to C Michael Sparks (****, #61), C Irvin Alsop (****, #76), C Raul Snodgrass (***, #123)

[GoBlue2419]

November 2018 Season Preview

- Recruiting - Kruse, Sparks, and Alsop all commit this month.

- We are ranked #18 in the NCAA Top 25 Preseason Poll.

Roster


Lineup (Last year's stats listed)
C - Casey Angle (36 GS, 7.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.0 BPG, 28.1 Minutes per game)
PF - James Burdick (36 games, 2.2 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 11.0 minutes per game)
SF - Donn Lykins (4.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 12.9 minutes per game)
SG - Horace Deffresnes (36 GS, 11.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.7 SPG, 29.9 minutes per game)
PG - Scott Wendling (4.9 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 11.5 minutes per game)

6th - Gerald Leverett, C/PF (31 games, 0.7 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 3.7 minutes per game)
7th - Lucius Nesbit, PG/SG (12 games, 1.0 PPG, 0.3 RPG, 3.0 minutes per game)
8th - Thomas Dutcher, PF (N/A)
9th - Arnold Sanchez, SF (30 games, 0.6 PPG, 0.6 RPG, 0.3 APG, 2.7 minutes per game)
10th - Luigi Lunn, PG (N/A)
11th - Chris Vinson, PG (N/A)
12th - Graig Lampkin, SG (N/A)
13th - Wilmer Begley, PF (2 games, 0.0 PPG, 1.0 minute per game)

- Our key offensive players will be Deffresnes, Angle, and Lykins.

- Casey Angle is considered a draft prospect, projected to go in the late 2nd round, but not expected to leave early.

* Interesting side-note: Graig Lampkin is an alumnus of my (Luke Gregory's) high school, John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, IL.

[GoBlue2419]

November 2018 Games

Puerto Rico Challenge Tournament
11/18/18 - beat Murray State 110-103 (1-0) - We begin the tournament, and my Notre Dame coaching career, with an overtime win over a very pesky Murray State club. We had a 13 point lead at half, but they kept chipping away at the lead, before Murray State's Jim Barros put home a rebound dunk to tie the game 93-93 with 4 seconds. We pulled away in overtime thanks to foul trouble for Murray State, as they had 3 players foul out of the game. Horace Deffresnes led us in scoring with 30 points, including 10-10 shooting from the free throw line. Casey Angle added 18 points, while Scott Wendling chipped in 17, Donn Lykins had 16, and Gerald Leverett scored 14 off the bench. Angle grabbed 6 rebounds to lead us in that category, and Deffresnes also dished out 8 assists to lead us there. He also picked up 5 steals, with Lykins picking up 4 steals. We shot 62% for the game overall, and 57% from the three point line (8-14). Murray State shot 53% overall, 48% from threes.

* We have moved up to #12 in the NCAA Top 25 Poll. This is the highest I have been ranked in my career.


11/20/18 - beat Wright State 84-83 (2-0) - Two Scott Wendling free throws with :27 left give us the win in this game. Once again we let a double digit half-time lead slip away, as we led 50-40 after one half. Our defense is not pressuring shooters enough, as Wright State shoots 51% overall, and 52% on threes (14-27). On the plus side, we shot 56% overall, and 63% on threes (10-16), including 5-5 from Deffresnes. Deffresnes scored 22 points, followed by Wendling with 21, and Casey Angle with 16. James Burdick grabbed 8 rebounds, followed by Angle and Wendling with 7 each. Wendling also dished out 6 assists, though he did turn the ball over 4 times. But as a team we turned it over just 11 times. James Milner led Wright State with 18 points.

11/22/18 - beat East Carolina 74-49 (3-0) - We play better defense in this game, holding the Pirates to 28% shooting overall, and 21% from the three-point line. We didn't shoot all that well either, hitting 44% of our shots overall, but hit 39% of our threes (9-23). We won the rebounding battle 48-41. Deffresnes led us in scoring with 24 points, and Wendling added 11. Burdick grabbed 9 rebounds, and Angle grabbed 8 boards. Burdick picked up 3 steals, and Lykins dished out 4 assists to lead us. East Carolina's Charles Connor led them with 11 points.

* We have moved up to #9 in the Poll this week.

11/27/18 - beat Bradley 78-45 (4-0) - We force 23 turnovers and Bradley shoots just 35% overall, 28% from threes. We made 11 of 20 three-pointers we shot (55%), and shot 47% overall. Bradley did out-rebound us 33 to 32. Deffresnes scored 27 points to lead us, followed by Scott Wendling with 18, and Casey Angle with 12. Angle grabbed 7 rebounds to lead us on the boards, while Wendling dished out 6 assists. Angle blocked 2 shots as well, while Deffresnes and Wendling each tallied 3 steals. Deffresnes shot 6 of 13 on three-pointers. Bruce Windham led Bradley with 12 points.

[GoBlue2419]

December 2018

Recruiting Update
- Dyer has us #3 behind Duke (offered) and Alabama.
- Peery does not have us in his top 5, but we haven't really extended any effort at this point.

After the first month:
- Horace Deffresnes leads us in scoring at 25.8 PPG, followed by Scott Wendling at 16.8 PPG, and Casey Angle at 13.8 PPG.
- Angle leads us in rebounding at 7.0 RPG, with James Burdick averaging 6.0 RPG.
- Wendling is averaging 5.0 APG, Deffresnes at 4.5 APG.
- Deffresnes is averaging 3.0 SPG, Donn Lykins 2.0 SPG.
- Angle is averaging 2.0 BPG.
- Deffresnes is shooting 55% overall, 53% on threes (17-32), and 74% from the free throw line.

Current NCAA Top 10
1. Marquette, 4-0
2. Kansas, 4-0
3. UCLA, 2-0
4. Wisconsin, 5-0
5. North Carolina, 6-0
6. Seton Hall, 3-0
7. California, 3-0
8. Vanderbilt, 3-0
9. Notre Dame, 4-0
10. Mississippi, 3-1

Other ACC teams in the Top 25
Duke at #19 (3-1)
Florida State at #22 (3-1)

Games Review
12/1/18 - beat Purdue 73-51 (5-0) - We forced 24 Purdue (now 1-3) turnovers, while they shoot 40% from the floor overall, and just 18% (2-11) from the three-point line. We picked up 13 team steals, led by 7 from Horace Deffresnes. No Purdue players score in double figures. Deffresnes scored 22 points to lead us, while Wendling adds 16 points, and Donn Lykins scores 11. Deffresnes also added 8 rebounds to his impressive stat line. The halftime score was 38-16.

* We move up to #8 in the NCAA Top 25 Poll.

12/4/18 - beat DePaul 66-42 (6-0) - The shaky defense seen in the first couple games has either been resolved, or Wright State and Murray State are two really good teams, as we limit DePaul to 32% shooting overall, and 14% on threes (1-7). We pick up 9 steals as a team, leading to 16 turnovers by the Blue Demons. Deffresnes scores 24 points to pace us, and Wendling chips in with 20. Burdick grabs 8 rebounds and Deffresness gets 7. Lucius Nesbit picked up 5 assists off the bench. Deffresnes added 4 steals, and also hit 5 of the 11 threes he attempted. Radhi Richbell led DePaul with 10 points.

12/8/18 - beat IPFW 89-76 (7-0) - We play John Byington, my old assistant, now the head coach at IPFW. They held on as long as they could, trailing by 1 at half (42-41), before we pulled away in the last 4 minutes. Keys to their making a game of this were rebounding (40-39 edge for us), limiting turnovers (just 14 for them), and shooting decently (42% overall). They also hit 74% of their free throws (25-34), while we hit 73% (19-26). Deffresnes scored 26 points to lead us, while Donn Lykins and Lucius Nesbit scored 13 each, and James Burdick scored 10 points. Casey Angle grabbed 10 rebounds to lead us in rebounding, with Burdick adding 9 boards. Deffresnes had 4 steals, and shot 4 of 6 on threes. Martin Gordon led IPFW with 17 points.

* Luigi Lunn broke his foot in the IPFW game and will miss 131 days. He is eligible for a medical redshirt, which we will take advantage of.

* Arnold Sanchez was injured as well, breaking his nose, and is expected to miss about 8 days.

* We are now #7 in the Poll.

12/11/18 - beat Cleveland State 70-46 (8-0) - We forced 22 turnovers, limited them to 33% shooting overall, and just 24% from the three-point line. We didn't shoot all that well either, 42% overall, and 25% (5-20) on threes. We out-rebounded them 42-32 also. Deffresnes scores 20 points to lead us, scoring at least 20 in every game this season thus far. Angle scored 13, Wendling adding 12, and Lykins scored 10. Lykins also grabbed 8 rebounds, and Angle added 7 rebounds. Lonnie Sturgis led Cleveland State with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

12/15/18 - lose to Michigan 85-73 (8-1) - The first time I have coached against my Alma Mater, and where my college coaching career began as an assistant, Michigan was 6-2 coming into this game, including a 2 point win over Cleveland State and coming off of a 2 point loss to Wright State, so we should have won this game. But we struggled from the three-point line, hitting just 24% (6-25), while they hit 12 of 29 from the three-point line. They out rebounded us 41-35 as well. Deffresnes scored 22 points to continue his streak of 20+ point games, while Burdick scored 14, Angle added 13, and Wendling scored 11. Burdick also grabbed 11 rebounds, while Angle picked up 9 boards. Wendling dished out 6 assists, though he also turned the ball over 4 times. Deffresness shot 16 three-pointers, and hit just 4 of them. Michigan's Jerald Feeney scored 24 points to lead all scorers, and Herschel Banks added 23.

* Casey Angle badly sprained his ankle, and will miss around 23 days. This really hurts our depth as we now have no one taller than 6'6" off the bench.

* We fall to #12 in the Polls.

12/18/18 - lose to Columbia 64-59 (8-2) - A huge win for Columbia, shooting is our downfall. We shot 38% overall, just 26% from the three-point line, and only shot 9 free throws. We beat them handily on the boards, 48-30. And we turn the ball over 16 times, while they turn it over just 10. Deffresnes's streak comes to an end, as he scores just 12 points. But he does lead us in scoring, as he is the only Irish player in double-figures. Gerald Leverett grabbed 13 rebounds starting in place of the injured Angle. Avery Struble led Columbia with 17 points.

12/22/18 - lose to #13 Indiana (8-3) - We continue to really miss Angle, particularly defensively, as we cannot slow down Indiana's PF Tyron Helmuth (who I tried to recruit to Richmond). Helmuth scored 22 points, and we were forced to foul him often, sending him to the line 14 times, where he hit 12 of them. We had 4 players foul out, including backup PG Lucius Nesbit, who picked up 5 fouls in 7 minutes. Indiana shot 40 free throws to our 8. Fouls were 26 to 10 also. Wendling led us in scoring with 27 points (5-10 threes), while Deffresnes added 17 points. James Burdick led us in rebounding with 11 boards.

* After the three straight losses, we fall completely out of the Top 25 poll.

12/29/18 - beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 95-79 (9-3) - we get back on the winning side, despite APB shooting 54% overall, and 41% on threes. We hit 51% of our shots, while hitting 32% of our threes. One key difference is APB hit just 42% of their free throws. Deffresnes scores 21 to lead us, while Lykins adds 18, Burdick scored 14, and Nesbit added 10. Burdick grabbed 13 rebounds. Zachary Stouffer led A-PB with 18 points.

[GoBlue2419]

January 2019

- Peery declines to go to Marquette
- Dyer declines to go to Duke
- we offer PG Neil Westover (*****, #8) - only offer thus far is Nevada.
- we offer SF John Wall (*****, #19) - only offer in top 5 thus far is Temple.

As we head into January, here are the stats leaders:
- Scoring - Defressnes at 22.3 PPG, Wendling 14.2, Angle 10.8
- Rebounding - Burdick 8.0 RPG, Angle 7.0 RPG, Leverett 5.6 RPG
- Assists - Deffresnes 3.4 APG, Wendling 3.3 APG
- Steals - Deffresnes 2.9 SPG
- Blocks - Angle 1.9 BPG

Deffresnes is shooting 47% overall, 41% (44-107) on threes. Burdick is shooting 54% overall. Wendling is shooting 51% overall, 44% on threes (27-62).

1/2/19 - beat Toledo 70-49 (10-3) - We limit Toledo to 33% shooting, 17% from the three-point line, while out-rebounding them 42-30, for the win. Lykins leads us in scoring with 20 points, followed by Wendling with 14. Deffresnes has his first game not in double-digits, as he scores just 8 points. Burdick grabbed 12 rebounds to lead us there. Deffresnes did pick up 6 assists to lead the team in helpers. Britt Quesada led Toledo with 13 points.

1/5/19 - beat Chicago State 75-63 (11-3) - We shot just 36% from the floor, making this one closer than it should have been. We hit just 6 of 26 (23%) three-pointers also. Chicago State shot 41% overall, 30% on threes, and turned the ball over 20 times. Chris Vinson came off the bench and scored 20 points, Deffresnes scored 18 points, and Angle and Lykins scored 15 each. Burdick grabbed 13 boards, and Angle, back from injury, added 8 boards. Angle and Burdick each blocked 3 shots. Deffresnes hit just 3 of 15 threes. Robert Brown led Chicago State with 17 points.

* Lucius Nesbit broke his nose, and will miss around 9 days.

1/7/19 - beat Ball State 88-86 (12-3) - a win is a win, but yikes, this was not good. Ball State shot 48% overall, 43% on threes and 73% from the free throw line to keep this close. We shot 47% overall, 50% on threes (9-18), and 77% from the free throw line. Deffresnes scored 23 points, Lykins added 20, and Angle scored 16 points. Angle and Lykins also grabbed 10 boards each to lead us. Both Deffresnes and Wendling dished out 5 assists. Angle blocked 2 shots. Deffresnes shot 5 of 8 from the three-point line. James Furtado led Ball State with 18 points.

1/12/18 - beat Brown 72-62 (13-3) - While we won the battle, we take a big hit in the war in this game versus Brown. Horace Deffresnes scores 19 points in 19 minutes, but then broke his foot on a drive to the basket. He is expected to miss about 45 days, which really hurts as we are about to enter ACC play. Lykins led us in scoring with 23 points, while Casey Angle grabbed 17 boards to pace us on the glass. Angle also blocked a career-high 10 shots. Wendling added 6 assists, and Lykins also picked up 3 steals. Jacinto Goree led Brown with 14 points.

* We will begin the Deffresnes absence with Arnold Sanchez starting at SG, but we may try moving Wendling to SG and start Nesbit at PG. Sanchez is 6'5", so gives us a little more size in the starting lineup.

1/15/19 - lose to #12 UCLA 58-44 (13-4) - UCLA shut us down, limiting us to 26% shooting, 36% on threes, and out-rebounding us 47-38. Lykins led us with 17 points, and was the only player in double-digits for us. Angle grabbed 10 rebounds to pace the team. UCLA shot just 36% overall, and 27% on threes. Gary Shoup led the Bruins with 14 points, and Jules Penner added 11 rebounds.

1/19/19 - beat Navy 81-76 (14-4) - Once again, a game closer than it should have been. Navy held steady, despite turning the ball over 20 times. They shot 47% overall, 47% on threes (7-15), while we shot 51% overall, 36% from the three-point line. Navy out-rebounded us 34-32 as well. Lykins led us with 20 points, Arnold Sanchez added 13, Nesbit scored 11, and Angle and Chris Vinson scored 10 points. Burdick grabbed 11 rebounds.

* Begin ACC play

1/23/19 - lose to #23 Syracuse 65-63 (14-5, 0-1) - We made a valiant comeback, trailing at half 37-25, but it was a case of too little, too late. Neither team shot the bell well, 42% for us, 41% for Syracuse, but they shot 40% on threes to 25% for us. Syracuse also out-rebounded us 42-37. Casey Angle led us in scoring with 19 points, while Wendling added 14, and Lykins scored 11. Burdick pulled down 9 rebounds. Wendling dished out 6 assists and picked up 5 steals. SG Ambrose Lozoya led Syracuse with 19 points.

* The injury bug continues, as we lose Gerald Leverett to a broken foot. He is expected to miss about 56 days.This hurts as we now have no one taller than 6'6" on the bench.

1/26/19 - lose to #23 Syracuse 56-39 (14-6, 0-2) - In a strange scheduling twist, we play back-to-back games against Syracuse, and lose them both. We shot 32% overall, and just 1 of 14 on threes, while also turning the ball over 20 times. We are really struggling offensively with Jeffresnes out. Donn Lykins scores 14 points to lead us, but is the only player in double-digits. Burdick grabbed 12 rebounds. Lucius Nesbit dished out 5 assists. Ambrose Lozoya once again led Syracuse in scoring, this time with 17 points.

* after this game we insert Nesbit into the starting lineup at PG, and move Wendling to SG.

1/30/19 - lose to Pittsburgh 78-59 (14-7, 0-3) - We shoot better from the three-point line (42%), but shoot only 36% overall, and turn the ball over 20 times. Pitt, meanwhile, shoots 46% overall, and out-rebounds us 43-39. Nesbit and Sanchez scored 12 each for us, with Angle scoring 11, and Wendling adding 10. Burdick pulled down 11 rebounds, while blocking 2 shots, as did Angle. Wendling turned the ball over 7 times in his first game at the SG position. Pitt's C Rene Scott led them in scoring with 16 points.

[GoBlue2419]

February 2019 Update

Recruiting
- SF Wall declines to attend Temple.
- PG Westover has us #4 behind Wake Forest, Nevada (offered), Illinois
- Offered SG Ulrich Fleurkin (****, #48)

Stats
- Scoring - Deffresnes (20.9 PPG), Lykins (12.6 PPG), Wendling (11.5 PPG)
- Rebounding - Burdick (8.5 RPG), Angle (7.3 RPG)
- Assists - Deffresnes (3.6 APG), Wendling (3.1 APG)
- Steals - Deffresnes (2.4 SPG), Lykins (1.2 SPG)
- Blocks - Angle (2.2 BPG)
- Shooting - (Burdick 49%), Sanchez (46%)
- 3PT Shooting - Deffresnes (41%), Wendling (36%)
- Free Throws - Deffresnes (80%), Wendling (71%)

Conference Standings
1. #3 North Carolina (2-0)
2. #9 Wake Forest (2-0)
3. Louisville (3-0)
4. Florida State (1-0)
5. #24 Duke (2-1)
6. #17 Miami (2-1)
7. #11 Virginia Tech (2-1)
8. #13 Syracuse (2-1)
9. Boston College (1-1)
10. Pittsburgh (2-2)
11. Georgia Tech (1-2)
12. Virginia (1-3)
13. Notre Dame (0-3)
14. Clemson (0-4)
15. NC State (0-2)

NCAA Top 10
1. Kansas (20-0)
2. Ohio State (19-1)
3. North Carolina (19-1)
4. Marquette (17-1)
5. Maryland (16-3)
6. Illinois (17-2)
7. Texas (16-3)
8. Wisconsin (15-4)
9. Wake Forest (17-3)
10. Indiana (16-3)

Injuries
- Deffresnes (25 days left)
- Leverett (47 days left)

2/2/19 - beat #17 Miami 94-92 (15-7, 1-3) - on my 40th birthday, we get off the snide and finally get a win. This game was back and forth the whole time, nip and tuck. We took the lead for good with 1:09 left thanks to a Chris Vinson free throw. We shot 46% overall, and 46% from the three-point line, while Miami shot 46% overall but just 19% on threes. Casey Angle led us in scoring with 18 points, Arnold Sanchez added 14, Lykins had 13, and Lucius Nesbit scored 11. Sanchez also grabbed 11 rebounds. Angle blocked 4 shots, while Wendling had 3 steals. Leon Iglesias scored 16 to lead Miami.

* The current Bubble Watch has us out.

2/9/19 - beat Florida State 68-66 (16-7, 2-3) - A James Burdick layup with 3 seconds left gave us the win in another tight game that obviously came right down to the wire. We shot 42% overall, and just 22% on threes, while Florida State shot 41% overall and 27% on threes. We out-rebounded the Seminoles 41-38. Donn Lykins led us in scoring with 21 points, and Angle and Burdick chipped in 12 each. Angle also grabbed 11 rebounds. Burdick blocked 3 shots as well. We shot 21 free throws, making 14 of them, while Florida State got to the line just 7 times, making 4 of them. Joe Baker led the Seminoles in scoring with 15 points.

* The current Bubble Watch now has us in.

2/13/19 - beat Boston College 61-59 (17-7, 3-3) - We get our third win in a row, and our third win in a row by 2 points. This time it was Donn Lykins scoring the winning basket, shooting a short jumper in the lane with :23 left. We won despite shooting just 35% overall, and made only 29% of our threes (5-17). Boston College shot 40% overall, and hit 5 of 9 threes. We pounded the glass though, getting 48 rebounds to their 36, which was one of the keys to the win. Lykins scored 18 points to lead us, and Wendling added 11. Burdick grabbed 10 rebounds, and Angle and Lykins added 9. Angle blocked 3 shots. Chase Aker led Boston College with 16 points.

2/16/19 - beat Miami 74-63 (18-7, 4-3) - We are on a roll now with Deffresnes's return getting closer. This one was won on the boards and at the free throw line. We won the war of the boards 42-33, and we hit 33 of the 39 free throws we attempted. On the flip side, Miami shot just 10 free throws, making 7 of them. Lykins scored 20 points, Burdick added 14, Nesbit scored 11, and Sanchez scored 10. Burdick pulled down 10 rebounds, and Angle and Thomas Dutcher grabbed 9 boards. Jack Shill led Miami with 14 points.

2/20/19 - lose to NC State 71-57 (18-8, 4-4) - NC State PG Mac Webster was the catalyst for the Wolfpack victory, going for 21 points and dishing out 7 assists. NC STate shot 45% overall, and hit 38% of their threes, while he hit just 39% of our shots overall, and 33% from threes. Wendling scored 18 points, Lykins scored 14, and Angle scored 11. Angle, Lykins, and Dutcher led us in rebounds with 7 each.

* Deffresnes will be back for our next game, at Georgia Tech.

2/27/19 - lose to Georgia Tech 70-59 (18-9, 4-5) - Deffresnes's return wasn't enough to pick up the victory. He scored 21 points in his return, but he was the only player in double-figures in points. As a team, we shot 36% overall, and hit 44% of our threes (10-23), including 5-8 for Deffresnes. Burdick led us with 10 rebounds, and he and Angle also blocked 3 shots each. Georgia Tech SG Winston Ramirez led them with 22 points.

[GoBlue2419]

March 2019 Update

As we head into March, here is an updated look at the ACC standings:
1. #7 Wake Forest (7-1)
2. #11 Duke (8-2)
3. #10 Syracuse (8-2)
4. #3 North Carolina (7-2)
5. Louisville (6-4)
6. #12 Virginia Tech (5-4)
7. Notre Dame (4-5)
8. Florida State (3-4)
9. Pittsburgh (4-6)
10. Georgia Tech (4-6)
11. NC State (3-6)
12. Clemson (3-7)
13. Virginia (3-7)
14. Boston College (2-6)
15. Miami (2-7)

Notre Dame Stats
- Scoring - Deffresnes (20.9), Lykins (13.2), Wendling (11.3), Angle (10.6)
- Rebounding - Burdick (8.4), Angle (7.5), Lykins (5.3)
- Assists - Deffresnes (3.5), Wendling (2.9), Lykins (2.3)
- Steals - Deffresnes (2.4), Lykins (1.2)
- Blocks - Angle (2.3), Burdick (1.0)
- Shooting - Burdick (48%), Sanchez (47%), Wendling (46%)
- 3PT Shooting - Deffresnes (42%, 63-151), Wendling (36%, 42-118)
- Free Throws - Deffresnes (81%, 55-68), Wendling (74%, 40-54)

NCAA Top 10
1. Kansas (26-2)
2. Marquette (24-2)
3. North Carolina (25-3)
4. Illinois (25-2)
5. Ohio State (24-4)
6. Texas (22-5)
7. Wake Forest (23-4)
8. Wisconsin (21-6)
9. Maryland (22-5)
10. Syracuse (22-5)

Recruiting
- Westover and Fleurkin commit.

3/2/19 - lose to Virginia 83-63 (18-10, 4-6) - Deffresnes's return has not had the effect I thought it would, as we lose our 3rd straight. We shot 40% overall, 47% on threes, but get out-rebounded 39-31 and turn the ball over 18 times. Wendling led us in scoring with 19 points, and Angle added 12. Deffresnes led us in rebounding with 7. PF Steven Jankowski led Virginia in scoring with 18 points.

* Current bubble watch has us out.

3/6/19 - beat Clemson 83-74 (19-10, 5-6) - we break the losing streak, winning on the road at Clemson, thanks to outstanding free throw shooting (81% as a team), and good enough shooting (42% overall/33% on threes). We also forced 20 Clemson turnovers. Lykins scored 21 to lead us, while Deffresnes chipped in 17, and Wendling added 13. Burdick grabbed 9 rebounds, and Lykins pulled down 8. Deffresnes picked up 4 steals. Dewayne Montenegro scored 11 points to lead Clemson.

* Current bubble watch has us back in. My old team Richmond is also in according to the Bubble Watch.

3/9/19 - beat Louisville 66-60 (20-10, 6-6) - Despite being outshot 42% to 35%, out-rebounded 45-33, we pull out the win, our 20th of the season. Better three-point shooting (30% to 17%) and forcing 21 Louisville turnovers, were the key to the win. We shot 73% as a team from the free throw line, going 16 of 22. Lykins led us with 21 points, Deffresnes added 13, and Wendling scored 11. Deffresnes also grabbed 8 rebounds to lead the team. Casey Angle blocked 4 shots. Daniel McPhail led Louisville with 12 points.

* a negative coming out of the Louisville game is Deffresnes is suffering from severe migraines, and may miss around 8 days.

[bbgunn]

Ugh, tough conference campaign. Don't worry, we believe in you!

On a side note, sad to see that Hawaii has collapsed. They were making regular NCAA appearances for a short while!

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by bbgunn

Ugh, tough conference campaign. Don't worry, we believe in you!

On a side note, sad to see that Hawaii has collapsed. They were making regular NCAA appearances for a short while!

Appreciate the faith! Losing Deffresnes really hurt.

[GoBlue2419]

2019 ACC Tournament
We end up as the 6th seed in the ACC Tournament, and will play the winner of (11) NC State and (14) Boston College.



1st Round
Virginia 86, Clemson 80
NC State 49, Boston College 46

With the NC State win over BC, we play the Wolfpack in the Second Round.

[GoBlue2419]

2019 ACC Tournament Second Round

- we lose to NC State 59-55 (20-11, 6-6) - Poor shooting is once again the name of the loss here. We shot 36% overall, 29% from threes, and only got to the free throw line 7 times. We also turned the ball over 18 times. Deffresnes played, and led us in scoring with 14 points, while Wendling added 13, and Lykins scored 10. Burdick grabbed 9 boards. Claude Dillon scored 18 points for NC State.

Georgia Tech 68, Pitt 50
Louisville 91, Virginia 79
Virginia Tech 74, Florida State 51

[GoBlue2419]

Rest of 2019 ACC Tournament

Quarterfinals
Wake Forest 61, Georgia Tech 58
Syracuse 59, Louisville 49
North Carolina 76, Virginia Tech 69
Duke 88, NC State 76

Semifinals
Wake Forest 90, Syracuse 81
North Carolina 86, Duke 77

Finals
North Carolina 82, Wake Forest 64

[GoBlue2419]

2019 Selection Sunday

* we earn an NCAA Tournament bid and will play in the West Region as the 11b team, playing California for the right to be the 11th seed.

#1 Seeds
West - Marquette
Midwest - Illinois
South - North Carolina
East - Kansas

ACC Teams in - Louisville (9) , Duke (4), North Carolina (1), Pittsburgh (11), Notre Dame (11), Virginia Tech (8), Syracuse (2), Wake Forest (4)

My Previous Teams
* Holy Cross is in the play-in game of the Midwest Region vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff. They earn that based on winning the Patriot League Tournament, as they went 14-18 (3-11) in the regular season.

* Richmond is the 7th seed in the South Region, and will face off against 10th seed Connecticut. The Spiders went 24-11 (10-6) on the regular season, and lost in the A10 Tournament Championship Game to Temple, 93-81.

[GoBlue2419]

2019 NCAA Tournament

Play-in Game - we beat Cal 72-69 (21-11) - Neither team shot well, (36% for us, 37% for them), but we got to the free throw line 11 more times then they did, making 13 more free throws then they did. We also won the rebounding battle 44-43. Lykins scored 18 points, Deffresnes and Burdick scored 13 each, and Wendling added 12. Angle rebounded 11 shots, and Burdick added 10 boards. Gabriel Porter led Cal with 17 points.


We play #15 Oklahoma, the 6th seed in the West. Their record is 24-8, and they were 12-4 in the Big 12. They are led in scoring by SF Damien Hurdle, averaging 18.3 PPG. PF John Bittner leads them in rebounding at 8.6 RPG, while their leading assist man is Francis Pope, who comes off the bench to average 4.3 APG. Bittner also averages 2.5 blocks per game. They average 76.8 PPG as a team, good for 22nd nationally, and give up an average of 66.5 PPG. They turn the ball over relatively often, 14.6 times per game, so maybe we can take advantage of that.

[GoBlue2419]

2019 NCAA Tournament

- we lose to Oklahoma 74-68 (21-12) - Once again, shooting is the issue, particularly three-point shooting where we went 8 for 32 (25%), while Oklahoma shot 9 of 21 (43%). Lykins scores 17 points, Deffresnes scores 15 in his final collegiate game, and Wendling adds 15. Burdick grabs 11 rebounds in his final game, and Deffresnes added 5 assists. Lykins also picked up 3 steals.

Other Notable 1st Round Games
West - (13) San Francisco beat (4) Texas Tech 54-51
South - (12) Long Island beat (5) Georgetown 78-67
South - (15) Jacksonville beat (2) Missouri 71-65
South - (11) Pittsurgh beat (6) Wichita State 69-59
South - (7) Richmond beat (10) UConn 77-75 - William Hayes hit a shot from the top of the key at the buzzer to win it.
East - (12) Hofstra beat (5) Indiana 62-49

Round of 32 Notable Games
West - (9) Louisville beat (1) Marquette 72-70
West - (7) Air Force beat (2) Ohio State 68-66
West - (6) Oklahoma beat (3) Michigan State
Midwest - (9) Vanderbilt beat (1) Illinois 75-69
Midwest - (6) Florida beat (3) Rhode Island 84-76
South - (12) Long Island beat (4) Wake Forest 71-70
South - (15) Jacksonville beat (7) Richmond 86-77
South - (11) Pitt beat (3) St. John's 68-62
East - (9) Belmont beat (1) Kansas 68-59

Sweet Sixteen
West - (5) Wisconsin beat (9) Louisville 64-56
West - (6) Oklahoma beat (7) Air Force 95-77
Midwest - (9) Vanderbilt beat (4) Duke 82-67
Midwest - (2) Texas beat (6) Florida 71-51
South - (1) North Carolina beat (12) Long Island 87-56
South - (15) Jacksonville beat (11) Pitt 64-63
East - (4) Mississippi beat (9) Belmont 62-43
East - (2) Syracuse beat (3) Maryland 74-71

Great 8
West - (5) Wisconsin beat (6) Oklahoma 65-62
Midwest - (9) Vanderbilt beat (2) Texas 85-75
South - (1) North Carolina beat (15) Jacksonville 94-71
East - (2) Syracuse beat (4) Mississippi 83-58

Final Four
(1) North Carolina beat (5) Wisconsin 75-71
(9) Vanderbilt beat (2) Syracuse 81-79 - Vandy's Antwan Trexler hit a jumper at the buzzer for the win.

Finals
(9) Vanderbilt beat (1) North Carolina 84-67

Other Postseason Tournaments
NIT - Utah State 84, Wright State 75
CBI - Baylor 80, Mercer 70
CIT - San Diego 61, Drexel 56

[GoBlue2419]

2018-2019 Season Summary

ACC Final Standings


Final Notre Dame Stats


Final Notre Dame Shooting Stats


NCAA Awards


ACC Awards


- Deffresnes tied for the ACC scoring crown with Syracuse's Ambrose Lozoya.
- Burdick was 11th in the ACC in rebounding
- Deffresnes was 3rd in the ACC in steals
- Angle was 7th in the ACC in blocks

[GoBlue2419]

2019 Notre Dame Departures

- C Casey Angle has let me know that he has decided to leave early and enter the NBA Draft. That is a big loss as our recruiting class is definitely perimeter-friendly. We are losing 3 starters and our top forward off the bench.

Here are the players we bid farewell to this offseason:

- POG 17 times
- 1st Team All-Conference (2018)
- 3rd Team All-American (2018)
- NIT Champion
- Rated *** and #361 out of HS


- POG 3 times
- NIT Champion
- All-State in Ohio - *** and #412


- NIT Champion
- All State in Michigan - ***, #309


- POG 5 times
- NIT Champion
- All-State in Indiana - ****/#37

[nol]

Tough season, but 5 top-100 recruits should have your incoming class ranked pretty close to #1 in the country. That could be three career goals crossed off in just one season! Not sure how the hot seat will be after this year, but it could be a blessing in disguise if you want to coach at Michigan eventually. Once you're entrenched at a 90 prestige school in a power conference, the job offers dwindle down as schools consider you to be out of their league.

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by nol

Tough season, but 5 top-100 recruits should have your incoming class ranked pretty close to #1 in the country. That could be three career goals crossed off in just one season! Not sure how the hot seat will be after this year, but it could be a blessing in disguise if you want to coach at Michigan eventually. Once you're entrenched at a 90 prestige school in a power conference, the job offers dwindle down as schools consider you to be out of their league.

Oh, good point about the job offers . . . . . I didn't think through that aspect too thoroughly when taking the Notre Dame job. Well, I suppose there could be worse things then being "stuck" at a 90-prestige school in a power conference, but as you say, if I can't get the Irish to the Final Four soon, I may not have to worry about that.

Stay tuned shortly for the results of recruiting.

[GoBlue2419]

2018-2019 Recruiting Summary

Here is the final list of our recruits for this season:

- PG Neil Westover - 6'2", 171 (Southwestern Randolph HS, NC) - *****, #8 - Mr. Basketball in North Carolina.
Our scouts give Westover's potential A's in Inside and Steals, B's for JPS, HND, PAS, ORB, and C's for FTS, 3PS, DRB, PSD, PRD, BLK. He has 100 quickness.

- PG Craig Kruse - 6'2", 178 (Coweta HS, OK) - ****, #29 - Mr. Basketball in Oklahoma.
Our scouts give Kruse's potential an A in HND, B's in JPS, PAS, BLK, and C's in INS, FTS, DRB, PSD, PRD, and STL. He has a 94 for quickness and 64 in jumping.

- SG Ulrich Fleurkin - 6'4", 186 (Canada) - ****, #48.
Our scouts give Fleurkin's potential A's in JPS, PAS, B's in FTS, 3PS, ORB, and C's in INS, HND, PSD, BLK. He has a 66 in quickness and 86 in jumping.

- PF Irvin Alsup - 6'8", 249 (Greenwood HS, PA) - ****, #76.
Our scouts give Alsup's potential A's in INS, ORB, PSD, and C's in 3PS, HND, PAS, DRB, BLK. He has 34 in quickness, 63 in strength, and 34 in jumping.

- SF Isaac Sparks - 6'4", 209 (Rensselaer Central HS, IN) - ***, #207.
Our scouts give Spark's potential an A in INS, B's in JPS, 3PS, PAS, ORB, and PRD, and C's in FTS, HND, and PSD. He has a 53 in quickness, 56 in strength, and 64 in jumping.

We end up with four of Top-100 recruits, and come in with the #1 recruiting class in the country! As much talent as we were able to bring in, it is very perimeter-focused, so our front-line play could be a struggle this coming season.

The Top 10 Recruiting classes go to:
1. Notre Dame
2. Kansas
3. Stanford
4. Temple
5. Virginia Tech
6. Vanderbilt
7. Michigan State
8. Oklahoma
9. Texas
10. Ohio State

Here are the Top 10 Recruits, and where they committed:
1. SG Ivory Ruggles (6-6, 185), Vacaville/Wood HS (CA) - CAL
2. C Stewart Sherwin (6-7, 243), Pleasant Plains HS (IL) - KANSAS
3. SG Antoine Wells (6-3, 182), Flomaton HS (AL) - ALABAMA
4. PF Morgan Zellers (6-4, 192), Cartersville HS (GA) - OHIO STATE
5. SG Octavio Brimmer (6-2, 192), Oneida HS, (NY) - TEMPLE
6. PF Thad Dobbins (6-6, 201), Leesburg HS (FL) - SOUTH FLORIDA
7. PG Neil Westover - NOTRE DAME
8. SG Chris Mohr (6-2, 178), Fayetteville/Starrs Mill HS (GA) - VANDERBILT
9. C Stephan Cancel (6-7, 209), Dallas/David W. Carter HS (TX) - TEXAS
10. SF Andrew Thibeault (6-4, 203), Sacramento/El Camino HS (CA) - STANFORD

[GoBlue2419]

2019-2020 Offseason Summary

- NBA Draft - Angle went 35th overall.

- John Byington went 12-17 in his first season at IPFW.

- Our prestige drops 1 to 89.
- My hot seat rating is still Yellow/Average
- Expectations are to reach the Final Four.

Conference Movement
- Murray State went to the Southern Conference from the Summit.
- Elon went from the Southern Conference to the Summit.

Notable Head Coaching Moves
- Boston College - fired Steve Donahue. Hired Scott Sutton from Air Force to replace him.
- UConn - Fran Dunphy retired. Hired Henry Long from Hofstra to replace him.
- Illinois - Bruce Weber retired. Hired Steve Lavin from St. John's to replace him.
- St. John's - hired Brad Stevens from Florida State.
- Florida State - Hired Roderick Bruno, an assistant from Boise State.
- NC State - fired Mark Gottfried. Hired Steve Payne from Southern Illinois to replace him.
- Purdue - fired Matt Painter. Hired Randy Monroe from Oral Roberts to replace him.

- We get invited to the Preseason NIT Tournament as the #3 seed.

[GoBlue2419]

2019-2020 Recruiting Overview

- we have 4 scholarships available - need to hit the frontline hard.

Initial Very Highs - PF Andrew Clegg (****, #68), PF Wilfred O'Malley (***, #443), SF Vernon Marquis (***, #441), SF Von Sierra (***, #245), C Reed Jacoby (***, #417), SF Troy Tucker (***, #261), C Francis Nichols (***, #219), C Andrew Stickler (***, #206), C Jonathan Fitzwater (***, #439)

- Initial offers go to Clegg, Leif Davis (*****, #18 - High), C William Ayala (*****, #7 - Average), SF Jerry Beatty (****, #29 - High)

[collegesportsfanms]

GoBlue, I see you are using real life coaches for your dynasty. Did you find a file somewhere that had them, or did you manually edit them? Reason I ask is because in addition to my whatifsports sim dynasty I have going on, I want to start my FBCB dynasty where I add a high school league from my state and make it a division 1 prestige 5 league. But I'm lazy and I don't want to have to take the time to manually edit all the coaches names. lol

[GoBlue2419]

I am. I got it from the FBCB2 thread in the Off Topics forum here (FBCB2 discussion: Full version now available - Front Office Football Central. It's from 2011 I think, so it's not current, but gave me real names at least to start with.

[collegesportsfanms]

thanks, I found the file and tried to download it, but now I can't find it in the game. Ugh, I may be better off creating my own coaches file by hand, it might take me less time to do that than to figure out how to download and install the file. lol

[GoBlue2419]

August 2019 Recruiting Update

- Clegg - High (#5 behind DePaul, Purdue, Northwestern, Illinois)
- Ayala - Average (not in top 5 - Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Memphis, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati)
- Davis - Average (not in top 5 - North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Cincinnati)
- Beatty - Average (not in top 5 - Illinois, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Indiana, North Carolina)

- We revoke the offers to Beatty
- extend an offer to C Tim Roberts (*****, #10) - has us #3 behind Arizona and Michigan State

[GoBlue2419]

September 2019 Update

- Roberts - Very High (#1, ahead of Arizona (not offered), Nevada, and Utah State)
- Clegg - Very High (#1 ahead of DePaul)
- Ayala - Average (#4 behind Ohio State (offered), Vanderbilt, Memphis)
- Davis - Average (not in top 5)

- revoke offers to Ayala and Davis
- offered PF Jim Hall (*****, #4) - not yet qualified but getting closer
- offered PF James Johnson (*****, #9) - #3 behind Kansas and Oklahoma, who have offered. We'll give it a month and see what happens.

[GoBlue2419]

October 2019 Update

- Roberts (#1, ahead of only Arizona, who has not offered)
- Clegg (the only school in top 5 now)
- Hall (#1, ahead of USC, Utah State, and Nevada) - has not yet qualified
- Johnson (#3 behind Oklahoma and Kansas) - will back out

- throw it all in for Andrew Hutchinson (*****, #13) - only us and Wisconsin (#1 right now)

[GoBlue2419]

November 2019 Update

- C Tim Roberts commits (****, #10).
- PF Andrew Clegg commits (****, #68).
- Hutchinson rejects to attend Wisconsin.

- Offer scholarship to SG Buster Despain (*****, #25)

- Early mock drafts are projecting Neil Westover to go in the lottery, and are predicting that he will more than likely enter the draft after this season.

[GoBlue2419]

2019-2020 Season Preview

Notre Dame Roster


Starting-Lineup
PG - Craig Kruse
SG - Scott Wendling (* returning starter)
SG/SF - Neil Westover
PF - Thomas Dutcher
C - Donn Lykins (* returning starter)

6th - Irvin Alsup, C/PF
7th - Arnold Sanchez, SF
8th - Lucius Nesbit, PG
9th - Ulrich Fleurkin, SG
10th - Isaac Sparks, SF
11th - Luigi Lunn, PG
12th - Chris Vinson, PG
13th - Graig Lampkin, SG
14th - Wilmer Begley, PF
15th - Daniel Benighof, C/PF

We're going to go with a 3-guard lineup this season. We may struggle with interior defense/rebounding as we will be small. Lykins was our starting small forward last season, so while we will be smaller, we should be quicker and more athletic.

Notre Dame Schedule



2019-2020 Preseason Top 25 Poll

25. Clemson

* Side note: Richmond, my previous school, received some votes for Top 25 Poll.

[hoopsguy]

Enjoyable dynasty, except for fact that you are now coaching the Irish. Not sure Michigan is any better, but I'll try to look past the teams and enjoy the ride.

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

Enjoyable dynasty, except for fact that you are now coaching the Irish. Not sure Michigan is any better, but I'll try to look past the teams and enjoy the ride.

- I appreciate any following, whether reluctantly or wholeheartedly!

[GoBlue2419]

November 2019 Games

Preseason NIT
11/14/19 - beat North Texas 77-53 (1-0) - We force 24 North Texas turnovers with a pressing, in-your-face defense. We shot 46% overall, and 5 of 10 on threes, while they shot 42% overall, 25% on threes. We also picked up 10 steals as a team, led by Lykins with 5. Craig Kruse led us in scoring with 20 points, Westover added 17, and Wendling scored 11. Lykins also picked up 9 rebounds.Tony Coen led North Texas with 11 points.

11/16/19 - beat LSU 78-64 (2-0) - Once again, the pressuring defense forces 24 turnovers, allowing us to overcome getting out rebounded 41-29 and LSU shooting 49%. We shot 42% overall, and 35% from the three-point line. We also hit 18 of 21 free throws. We turned the ball over just 11 times. Kruse led us with 16 points, Lykins added 15, and Westover scored 11 points. Dutcher grabbed 8 rebounds. Kruse dished out 5 assists. Dutcher and Wendling picked up 3 steals each. Justin Wiggs scored 15 to lead LSU.

11/23/19 - beat Robert Morris 64-61 (3-0) - We win the first game of the Preaseason NIT, with defense and rebounding. We out rebounded Robert Morris 40-32, and forced 18 turnovers. We shot 41% overall, 25% on threes, while they shot 40% overall and 25% also on threes. Lykins scored 16 points to lead us, with Kruse adding 13. Dutcher and Kruse each pulled down 9 rebounds to lead us. Bertram Trueblood scored 19 points to lead Robert Morris.

* we move into the Top 25 at #18.

11/25/19 - we lose to #16 St. John's 74-60 (3-1) - We were down by just 1 at the half, but couldn't hang with St. John's due to poor shooting. We shot 33% overall, and 25% on threes (6-24), though we were chucking up the threes towards the end trying to get back in it. We force 17 turnovers and turn the ball over just 11 times ourselves, but the shooting was just too much to overcome, not to mention St. John's shot 56% overall and 50% (9-18) on threes. Lykins led us in scoring with 19 points, Westover added 16, and Wendling scored 14. Lykins shot just 8 of 21 though, and Craig Kruse hit just 2 of the 12 shots he took. Thomas Dutcher grabbed 11 rebounds to lead us there. Kruse also picked up 3 steals. Grover Cordero led St. John's with 22 points, who win the Preseason NIT Tournament.


11/27/19 - beat Kennesaw State 78-53 (4-1) - We force 19 turnovers and Kennesaw State hits just 2 of 14 threes. We shot 49% overall, 50% (7 of 14) on threes, and turned the ball over just 9 times. Kruse scored 18 points, Westover scored 15, and Lykins and Wendling added 12 each. Dutcher rebounded 10 shots to lead us, and Wendling dished out 7 assists, while Kruse had 5 assists. Wendling had 4 steals and Westover had 3 steals. Charles Rockwell scored 15 to lead Kennesaw State.

11/30/19 - beat Evansville 95-62 (5-1) - We play probably our best overall game of the young season thus far. We shot 57% from the field overall, 39% on threes, and forced 25 turnovers by Evansville. They did shoot 50% overall, but much of that was towards the end in scrub time. Kruse scored 21 points to lead us, Lykins added 20 points, and Westover and Lucius Nesbit scored 12 each. Dutcher pulled down 9 rebounds to lead our team. Wendling dished out 6 assists and Kruse had 5 assists. Westover and Wendling each had 3 steals. Evansville was led by Larry Moffatt with 19 points.

[britrock88]

Are 16-team preseason tourneys giving teams 4 games even if they lose in the early going now?

[GoBlue2419]

Originally Posted by britrock88

Are 16-team preseason tourneys giving teams 4 games even if they lose in the early going now?

I had my indicator for the start of the NIT Tournament in the wrong place above, which I have fixed, but the only teams that played 4 games in the Preseason NIT were St. John's and us, since we played in the Championship Game. It's the same in the other 16 team preseason tourneys as well. Now granted, I believe I am one FBCB update behind the current release, so it may have been fixed in this last release?

[britrock88]

Nah, I don't think it has. (Can't wait for FBCB3!) Thanks for clarifying.

[GoBlue2419]

December 2019 Update

- Hall (#1 - Very High)
- Despain (High - #4 behind Georgia Tech, Villanova, Duke - we are the only one who has offered thus far)

- with the way Kruse is playing thus far, we have concerns about losing both Westover and Kruse. So since we have two bigs committed already, we'll revoke the scholarship to Hall, but keep recruiting him in case he becomes eligible. We'll go after 2 guards hard now.

- offer PG Henry Hammer (*****, #19) - currently not in top 5, but none of them have offered yet.

12/4/19 - beat Monmouth 104-70 (6-1) - Defense leads to fast breaks, which can lead to lots of points. That was the case here as we played very good defense, forcing 27 Monmouth turnovers, limiting them to 41% shooting overall, and 31% from the three-point line. We shot 51% overall, and 60% (9-15) on threes. Lykins scored 24 points, Kruse added 19 points, Wendling chipped in 14, Westover scored 12, and Irvin Alsup added 11. Dutcher brought down 11 rebounds, and Kruse had 9 boards. Kruse also dished out 8 assists. Lykins hit 3 of 4 three-pointers. Charles Cramer led Monmouth with 13 points.

12/9/19 - beat St. Francis - PA 79-52 (7-1) - Rebounding was the big key here, as we grabbed 47 to their 32, particularly on the offensive glass, since we were out-shot, 47% to 44%. We only hit 7 of 21 three-pointers, and worse yet, hit only 8 of 17 free throws (Kruse 3-7, Lykins 2-5). Scott Wendling nearly matched his career high, scoring 24 points, with Kruse and Lykins adding 15 each, and Westover scoring 10. Dutcher pulled down 9 rebounds, and Kruse and Irvin Alsup added 7 each. Westover dished out 7 assists. Dewitt Juan led St. Francis with 10 points.

12/14/19 - lose at Marquette 96-60 (7-2) - Disaster!! This is the type of game that could come back to haunt us if we end up being a bubble team later on. Issues here were just 33% shooting from the field overall, and 18% (3-17) on threes. We also turned the ball over 19 times (14 Marquette steals). Kruse was really the lone highlight. He scored 20 points, shooting 8 of 17. Lykins was the only other player in double-digits with 13 points, but he shot 5 of 22. He did pull down 9 rebounds to lead us, while Dutcher and Alsup added 8 boards each. Horace Joshua and Brian Hayes scored 20 points each for Marquette to lead them.

12/18/19 - beat IUPUI 87-72 (8-2) - We rebound with a solid performance. We shot 58% from the field, though we hit only 3 of 11 three-pointers. But we turned the ball over just 6 times, while forcing 10 turnovers by IUPUI. They did out-rebound us 33-27 for one negative. Neil Westover had his biggest game as a collegiate player, scoring 31 points on 14 of 19 shooting overall, 2 of 4 on threes, while picking up 6 steals.. The other half of our freshman duo, Kruse scored 21 points (10-19 shooting), and fellow freshman Irvin Alsup added 11 points. Dutcher led us in rebounding with 8. Radko Nemchinov scored 18 to lead IUPUI.

12/21/19 - win at Purdue 83-77 (9-2) - A sloppy game, as Purdue turns the ball over 22 times and we have 18 turnovers. They shot 52% overall, and 40% on threes, while we shot 44% overall and 31% on threes. The key was rebounding (we out-rebounded them 40-34) and free throw shooting (22-32 for us, 9 of 17 for them). Lykins scored 22 points, Westover added 20, and Kruse scored 16. Dutcher pulled down 13 rebounds to lead the team, while Lykins grabbed 8 boards. Wendling dished out 5 assists and had 4 steals. Purdue had 4 players in double-digits scoring, with PF Dewey Cureton leading them with 16 points.

12/24/19 - beat North Dakota State 55-39 (10-2) - We do enough to pull off a win against a clearly overmatched team on Christmas Eve. ND State missed all 6 three-point shots it attempted, and shot 37% overall. We shot just 39% overall however, and 21% on threes. We out-rebounded them 39-30. Donn Lykins led us in scoring with 14, Kruse scored 13, and Westover added 11. Westover also led us in rebounding with 9. Michael Rooker led North Dakota State with 11 points.

12/28/19 - won at Arizona 77-75 (11-2) - After trailing 46-34 at half-time, we come back in the second before Neil Westover hits a jumper from the top of the key with :37 left to give us the win. This was pretty close all around in the end, with Arizona hitting 53% of their overall shots, while we hit 51%. Rebounding was 31-30 for us. We hit 20 of 29 free throws, while they hit 15 of 23. We hit 3 of 10 threes, Arizona hit 6 of 11. Craig Kruse hit for 28 points to pace us, with Lykins adding 19 points. Dutcher and Westover led us in rebounding with 7 each. Westover also had 3 steals. Demetrius Valentino scored 14 to lead Arizona (7-4).

Stats after Dec:
Leading Scorers: Kruse (17.2 PPG), Lykins (15.5), Westover (13.7)
Leading Rebounders: Dutcher (8.8 RPG), Lykins (5.3), Kruse (4.5)
Leading Assists: Wendling (3.8 APG), Kruse (3.5), Westover (2.5)
Leading Steals: Wendling (2.2 SPG), Westover (1.9), Kruse/Lykins (1.1)
Leading Blocks: Lykins (1.1 BPG), Kruse (0.5)
Leading Shooters: Alsup (50%), Westover (49%), Kruse (48%)
Leading 3PT Shooters (#): Westover, Lykins (19), Wendling (10)
Leading 3PT Shooters (%): Westover, Kruse (38%)
Leading Free Throws: Wendling (88%), Sanchez (86%)

- We're averaging 76.7 points per game (39th overall)
- Averaging 13.3 offensive rebounds a game (24th overall)
- Averaging 36.8 rebounds overall a game (111th overall)
- Averaging 8.4 steals a game (14th overall)
- Averaging 11.5 turnovers a game (22nd overall)
- Forcing 19.7 turnovers a game (leading the nation)

Top 10 Poll
1. Texas (13-0)
2. Wisconsin (10-1)
3. St. Joseph's (12-1)
4. Kentucky (11-0)
5. Villanova (12-1)
6. St. John's (12-0)
7. Tennessee (12-0)
8. Marquette (11-2)
9. Creighton (12-0)
10. Ohio State (11-1)

[bbgunn]

Woot! Nice start there.