Robin to the Bench: The Coaching Legacy of Scottie Pippen

[Beantown339]

Coach: Scottie Pippen
Age: 35
Height: 6'7"
Overall: C
Offense: C
Defense: C-
Teaching: C
Scouting: C-
Charisma: C+
Discipline: C

Description and Explanation
This will be mostly a sim legacy. One, I do not have a lot of time to sit down and play many games right now, but I do want to get more than just a few years into the legacy. The dynasty threads I find myself enjoying the most are the ones that don't necessarily do one semi-big post after each game they play, but actually sum several games (maybe a week's worth or month's worth) in one post with stats and standings updates.

I do not have any downloaded rosters so you'll have to bear with the ridiculous CPU generated names. I'm also well aware of the fact that Scottie Pippen is in his mid-40's in real-life, but for the sake of being able to carry this legacy further, I made him 35 years old.

[Beantown339]

Scottie Pippen Returns to Where it All Began

When you think of Scottie Pippen you think of Robin to Michael Jordan's Batman, or arguably the greatest sidekick in NBA history. In Pippen's storied NBA career he was a part of one of the most famous and still recognizable dynasties in sports history. Playing alongside Michael Jordan for the Chicago Bulls Pippen played a major role in six championships. However, if you ask many people where Scottie Pippen played his college basketball you might be greeted with a blank stare or, at the very least, a slight hesitation before an answer. That shouldn't come as a surprise, though, since he played at a school that barely anyone outside of the state of Arkansas has heard of, and naming a second famous alumni is nearly impossible.

This past Thursday afternoon, though, that school ended its coaching search by announcing Scottie Pippen will be their new lead man. The school? The University of Central Arkansas located in Conway, Arkansas, located just 30 minutes north of Little Rock. Conway is a burgeoning town and UCA is quickly gaining and challenging Arkansas State for "#2" status in the hierarchy of colleges in the state of Arkansas.

Pippen was born in tiny Hamburg, Arkansas, the youngest of 12 children. His rise to basketball stardom wasn't immediate and, in fact, it took him well into college to emerge on the scene. Pippen enjoyed a modest high school basketball career and upon graduating he stood at just 6'1" tall with no basketball scholarship offers. As a favor to his high school basketball coach, though, Pippen was offered a position on the basketball team at UCA as a student manager. Pippen miraculously enjoyed a growth spurt that saw him eventually reach 6'7" and his basketball legacy took off. From there, the rest is history. And now Pippen will attempt to get a coaching career off the ground as well.

"This is where it all began. This is where I got my start. If it wasn't for Central Arkansas, then there might not have been a Scottie Pippen, or at least not the Scottie Pippen you all know today. I'm very excited about being back here and very excited to get the basketball program off the ground." -Scottie Pippen

The University of Central Arkansas just recently became a Division-I member, moving up from the Division-II level. As one might expect, the transition has not been easy and getting the necessary recruits, funding, and fan support to make their basketball program relevant has not and will not be easy. However, the UCA Athletic Department feels the hiring of the school's most famous graduate might be just the thing to get them going.

There is just one jersey that hangs in the rafters of the Farris Center, and it's the jersey of the legendary Scottie Pippen




Pippen during his playing days at UCA

[Beantown339]

2007-2008 Season Preview


Roster





Depth Chart




Conference Predictions
Sam Houston State - 75 overall
Lamar - 74 overall
UT-Arlington - 72 overall
UT-San Antonio - 72 overall
Northwestern State - 71 overall
Stephen F. Austin - 71 overall
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - 71 overall
Southeast Louisiana State - 70 overall
McNeese State - 69 overall
Central Arkansas - 69 overall
Texas State - 69 overall
Nicholls State - 67 overall


Preseason Individual Honors (Southland)
Best Overall: SF Jay Blizzard, Sam Houston State - 78 OVR
Best Freshman: PF L. Forney, TXAM-CC - 63 OVR
Best Shooter: PG R. Hood, NW State - 66 OVR
Best Playmaker: PG K. Seagers, Lamar - 67 OVR
Best Pro Prospect: C W. Drayton, TXAM-CC - 78 OVR
Best Defender: SF J. Blizzard, Sam Houston State - 78 OVR



Preseason Top 25

NCAA Hoops Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Oct 22, 2007
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	RECORD
1	--	Kansas
2	--	North Carolina
3	--	Memphis
4	--	Michigan State
5	--	Louisville
6	--	Georgetown
7	--	UCLA
8	--	Tennessee
9	--	Marquette
10	--	Duke
11	--	Wisconsin
12	--	Kentucky
13	--	Arizona
14	--	Pittsburgh
15	--	Oregon
16	--	Texas A&M
17	--	Arkansas
18	--	Texas
19	--	Florida State
20	--	Indiana
21	--	Illinois
22	--	Clemson
23	--	Ohio State
24	--	Syracuse
25	--	Georgia Tech

Schedule
Non-Conference Games
Conference Games

11/6 @ 12 Kentucky
11/17 @ Arkansas-Little Rock
11/24 vs. Jacksonville State
12/1 @ Jacksonville State
12/5 vs. Idaho
12/9 @ Tulsa
12/12 @ Arkansas State
12/18 @ Idaho
12/20 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
12/24 @ 17 Arkansas
12/29 vs. UMKC
1/2 at UNC-Greensboro

1/10 vs. UT-Arlington
1/12 vs. Texas State
1/17 @ UT-San Antonio
1/19 @ Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
1/24 vs. Lamar
1/26 vs. McNeese State
1/31 at Southeast Louisiana
2/2 at Nicholls State
2/9 vs. Northwestern State
2/14 at Stephen F. Austin
2/16 vs. Sam Houston State
2/21 at Lamar
2/23 at McNeese State
2/28 vs. Southeast Louisiana
3/1 vs. Nicholls State
3/8 at Northwestern State

Coach's Corner with Coach Pippen
Hello Bears fans, I'm your men's head basketball coach, Scottie Pippen. Join me this season as I sit down once a week to give you my thoughts, summaries and general synopsis of what is going on with the basketball team and around college basketball.

This year we will have a pretty balanced mixture of youth and experience on the roster. Senior's Hollis Diawara and Jair Powell will be who I look to lead the team on the court and I have also named them co-captains. I'm expecting them to set the tone each and every day in practice, the film room, weight room, and during games.

I'm excited about the potential this team has. I know we were picked in the bottom third of the conference but in my opinion there are a lot of even teams. I honestly believe any one can beat any other team on any given night. Protecting our home court will be vital and stealing a couple on the road can go a long way in winning a conference championship.

I'm very excited about the schedule this year. As you can see we have a trip to Lexington to take on Kentucky, but what I'm most excited about is the number of in-state teams on the roster. UALR is a bit of a rival and is just 30 minutes down the road, that game should be a lot of fun for the fans and players. We will also travel to Pine Bluff, Jonesboro and Fayetteville to take on the other three Division-I programs in the state. I'm looking forward to the trip to Fayetteville to play in Bud Walton Arena the most.

[Beantown339]

UCA Finishes First Half of Conference Play in First Place Tie

After dropping their last six non-conference games the Central Arkansas Bears have bounced back and are out to a 5-3 record in conference and in a first place tie with UT-Arlington and Stephen F Austin. They can't let up, though, because there are seven other teams currently just one or two games behind them.

"There's still a lot of basketball left to be played but I'm so proud of our guys. We suffered two injuries to our two team captains and went several weeks without either. It wasn't easy but the team picked themselves up after the losing streak and fought their way through the first half of conference play in an honorable manner." -Scottie Pippen

With just eight games remaining in the season Central Arkansas is sitting in a position with their remaining schedule to win the Southland Conference outright.

Player Stats (thru February 11)

Central Arkansas Bears Stats -2007-2008
Player	GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FG%
Damond Price	22	22.5	11.2	0.7	0.7	0.3	0.0	2.9	42.0
Quentin Laurelin	22	28.9	10.8	3.9	0.9	1.5	0.0	3.0	40.1
Jair Powell	18	27.6	8.9	9.3	0.5	0.5	1.6	2.2	49.6
Hollis Diawara	19	27.6	7.3	0.9	2.2	0.9	0.0	2.1	40.0
Haminn Stepp	22	24.0	6.9	3.1	0.7	0.7	0.0	1.5	36.6
Demario Love	22	23.1	6.3	1.5	4.5	1.1	0.0	2.0	45.2
Tyquawn Mutombo	22	17.6	6.0	5.7	0.5	0.3	0.0	1.1	50.0
Lorezno Weatherspoon	22	22.9	5.7	5.9	0.8	0.4	0.8	1.7	42.9

[Beantown339]

Bears Claim Conference Crown in First Year Under Pippen

It appears the road to becoming a relevant basketball program under new head coach Scottie Pippen may be shorter than most expected. In fact in just his first year Coach Pippen lead his UCA Bears to the Southland Conference crown as they wrapped up the regular season with a league best 11-5 conference record. That 11-5 record - which was accomplished on the final day of games with a win over Northwestern State - gave the Bears a one game edge over McNeese State and Sam Houston State, and a two game edge over three other teams. In fact, the conference was so tight that 1st-11th places were all within five games of each other.

Final Southland Conference Standings

UCA Bears (11-5)
McNeese State (10-6)
Sam Houston State (10-6)
UT-Arlington (9-7)
Nicholls State (9-7)
UT-San Antonio (9-7)
Northwestern State (8-8)
Stephen F. Austin (8-8)
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (7-9)
Texas State (6-10)
Lamar (6-10)
Southeastern Louisiana State (3-13)

Coach's Corner with Scottie Pippen
First, let me begin by congratulating the players on an incredible season. They deserve all the credit. They put in the long hours and they played the games. It was an incredible regular season that we hope will turn into some postseason success.

My first year as a coach was made easy by having two great senior leaders on the court in Hollis Diawara and Jair Powell. Both provided the spark, determination, and necessary will that you need most nights to win ballgames. They made me look good by being coaches on the floor.

I'd also like point out some players who were pleasant surprises this year: Damond Price, Quentin Laurelin, and Haminn Stepp. Price, in a reserve role, lead the team in scoring with 12.2 points per contest. When Hollis went down for three weeks with a back injury Damond stepped in admirably in his absence and put the team on his back. Q [Quentin Laurelin] was asked to move to the bench this year as a combo-guard 6th man. We loved having him come off the bench with the ability to fill either guard-role and he had a great all-around season averaging 11.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.4 apg. Haminn was the unsung hero of the starting unit. He flew under the radar all season long but he averaged a solid 6.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, and 2.1 apg. He did a little bit of everything for us and without him we certainly wouldn't have won the conference.

That's it for now. Join me next time as I give you the season summary and a sneak-preview into next season.

Quarter Finals
1 Central Arkansas - 70
8 Northwestern State - 63

4 UT-Arlington - 62
5 UT-San Antonio - 74

3 Nicholls State - 66
6 Sam Houston State - 75

2 McNeese State - 56
7 Stephen F. Austin - 75


Semi-Finals

1 Central Arkansas - 74
5 UT-San Antonio - 67

6 Sam Houston State - 65
7 Stephen F. Austin - 61


Finals
1 Central Arkansas - 68
6 Sam Houston State - 77



Central Arkansas' surprisingly good season came to a bit of a disappointing end as they lost to Sam Houston State in the conference championship game last night. Senior Jair Powell lead the way for UCA with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Hollis Diawara chipped in with 11 points and 6 assists. However, Sam Houston State standout Sam Blizzard had a monster performance as he scored 23 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, and also had 5 steals and 3 blocks on the evening in leading his team to victory.

The loss did not mark the end of the Bears' season, though, as their Southland Conference regular season championship earned them a birth in the National Invitational Tournament where they will open up play against the Seton Hall Pirates on Tuesday night.

[Beantown339]

UCA's season finally came to an end after 94-80 loss to Seton Hall in the first round of the NIT Tournament. The UCA frontcourt of Jair Powell and Lorenzo Weatherspoon lead the way for UCA combining for 33 points and 21 rebounds and 7 blocks. However a monster 18 points 7 assist performance by Altron Basden and a 15 point 11 rebound game from J.S. Welch of Seton Hall were just too much for the Bears to overcome.

"I couldn't be more proud of my guys. No one expected us to many games, let alone 19 and make it to the NIT. That's a great season in my book and we will use this as a springboard to build success for future seasons. I hate it for Hollis and Jair, but both left their mark on UCA basketball and they will sorely be missed." -Scottie Pippen

NIT Final Four Results
Seton Hall - 101
Georgia - 80

Syracuse - 81
Butler - 76

Championship Game
Syracuse - 80
Seton Hall - 74






NCAA Tournament Final Four
(3) Duke - 89
(2) Memphis - 84

(1) Louisville - 90
(7) Michigan State - 78


NCAA Championship Game
(1) Louisville - 94
(3) Duke - 89




2008 National Champions




Season Awards and Recognition

National Player of the Year: Tyler Hansbrough, UNC
Mid-Major POY: Markus Northcutt, UNC-Greensboro
Coach of the Year: Rick Pitino, Louisiville
Defensive Player of the Year: Joey Dorsey, Memphis
Freshman of the Year: Michael Beasley, Kansas State

Southland Conference Awards
Coach of the Year: Jason Hooten, Sam Houston St.
Player of the Year: Wesley Drayton, TX A&M - Corpus Christi
Freshman of the Year: W.B. Urbutis, Texas State


UCA Players Leaving
Hollis Diawara - Graduated
Jair Powell - Graduated



UCA Welcomes Two New Recruits

PF Toby Brian | 6'7" 214 | 3* | Missouri City, TX
PF Nathaniel Sherrill | 6'10" 247 | 2* | San Antonio, TX

[Deuce2223]

Everything looks great. However I am confused what year you are playing in. I know you mentioned you didn't download the rosters, so I assume you are going with 2008 version, and your rosters say 2007-08.

You posted that pic of the 2008 Southland Tourney, yet a picture of the 2010 NCAA trophey, and below wrote 2011 National Champs, yet have M. Beasley as FOY and Hansbourgh as National POY, which then makes me think it should say 2008 National Champs.

Other then little things like that, like I said before, it looks good. Always love reading Collge Hoops legacies.

Looks like Toby Brian and Sherrill should help you build off your 19 win season.

[Beantown339]

Yeah, it's supposed to be the 2007-2008 season. I just unknowingly typed in 2011 since that's the actual year and didn't even notice what year was on the national championship trophy when I put it on here.