Paving Their Road to Success: The Legacy of Coach Moon

[VandyRedskins21]

Congrats on the sweet 16 bid!! Good luck against Oregon. Hope you can keep this magic carpet ride flying.

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2009-2010 NCAA Tournament
Sweet Sixteen

"Pac-10 Punishers?"

The main question going into this game was whether the Pac-10 was overrated or were the freshmen at Central Arkansas the real deal? The Bears had dispatched two Pac-10 opponents already in fairly dominant fashion and looked hungry for their third in a row and continue their unexpectedly long dance into the Elite Eight.

"We were just ready to go, it's exciting. All of us peaking at just the right time. It's like all our frustrations from earlier in the season didn't even exist we're playing that well."
-PG Elgrace Randle (UCA)

But round three was a different picture all together, as the Bears didn't jump out to a large lead out of the gate. Instead it was a slug fest for the whole 40 minutes, with neither team ever pushing a lead past seven points.

"Definitely had your adrenaline pumping, you really never had a moment to breath. It was just action, action, action. Just like how you'd imagine it be."
- SF Raimondas Feeney (UCA)

As expected the battle at point guard was truly one to watch, as Randle and Porter duked it out all night long. Porter though, got the last laugh. With under a minute remaining the Senior guard arched a beautiful runner over UCA big man Duncan Shimokawa breaking the stalemate at 69. UCA thought about holding for what more than likely would've been the last shot but Oswaldo Hairston found Randle as wide open as you could be at the top of the key.

"I shouldn't have taken the shot, we had a gameplan and I didn't follow it. But that's a shot you should make 9 out of 10 times, I guess that was the one other time."
-PG Elgrace Randle (UCA)

The ball went in and out and Oregon's Jasper Bryan collected one of his 12 rebounds on the night, practically icing the game.

"Best game of the tournament so far for us, We played at our best and dunno, if we didn't they woulda probably ran all over us. They're a really good group of guys and really made us work for it."
-PG Tajuan Porter (OREG)

Central Arkansas Bears at Oregon Ducks
Mar 25, 2010	1ST	2ND	SCORE
#13 Central Arkansas (22-10)	38	36	74
#1 Oregon (29-7)	36	41	77

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2009-2010 NCAA Tournament

Sweet Sixteen

East Regional

#1 California 83 v #5 Maryland 75

#6 Kentucky 98 v.#7 Mississippi State 75

South Regional

#1 Louisville 82 v. #5 Tennessee 92

#2 Connecticut 79 v. #3 Kansas 56

Midwest Regional

#1 Oregon 77 v. #13 Central Arkansas 74

#2 North Carolina State 64 v. #3 Georgetown 68

West Regional

#1 Cincinnati 88 v. #4 Syracuse 60

#7 Michigan 57 v. #11 Western Carolina 63

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2009-2010 NCAA Tournament

Elite Eight

East Regional

#1 California 89 v #6 Kentucky 68

South Regional

#2 Connecticut 63 v. #5 Tennessee 94

Midwest Regional

#1 Oregon 82 v. #3 Georgetown 62

West Regional

#1 Cincinnati 91 v. #11 Western Carolina 75

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2009-2010 NCAA Tournament

Final Four and Championship Results

Final Four
#1 California 93 v. #1 Cincinnati 66
#1 Oregon 113 v. #5 Tennessee 73

Championship Game
#1 California 96 v. #1 Oregon 87


2009-2010 Champions:
#1 California Golden Bears (35-3) (17-1)

Player of the Year:
JR C Kevin Love UCLA

Mid-Major Player of the Year:
SR PF Nick Aldridge Western Carolina

Coach of the Year:
Mike Montgomery California

Defensive Player of the Year:
JR C Deandre Jordan Texas A&M

Big Man of the Year:
JR C Kevin Love UCLA

Freshman of the Year:
FR SF Clyde Ames North Carolina

First Team All-Americans:
JR PG Derrick Rose Memphis
SR SG Jerome Dyson Connecticut
JR SF Bill Walker Kansas State
SR PF Ryan Anderson California
JR C Kevin Love UCLA

Second Team All-Americans:
SR PG Eugene Harvey Seton Hall
SR SG Jermaine Beal Vanderbilt
SR SF Quincy Pondexter Washington
JR PF Gani Lawal Georgia Tech
JR C Deandre Jordan Texas A&M

Freshmen All-Americans
FR PG Brennan Coggins Texas
FR SG Abdul Gibson North Carolina
FR SF Clyde Ames North Carolina
FR PF Jerrold Martinez Texas A&M
FR C Frederick Bradley Alabama

Central Arkansas Graduations & Departures
SR SG King Cannon (Graduated)
SR SF Mitch Rueter (Graduated)

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2010-2011 Season Preview

Recruiting Special:

Across the board recruiting was a down year. Talent was harder to come by and gaps in the level of talent available were larger than last year's. In a year where the Bears possessed four available scholarships it might have seemed like another 'must year' in terms of striking gold, especially after Coach Moon's last class, but that's not exactly the case. The Bears only lost two players to graduation last year in the form of shooting guard King Cannon and small forward Mitch Rueter. Cannon was just another body on the bench, a hard worker, but just another body taking up a seat. Rueter was also expendable. Coach Moon went about nine players deep and on a good day Rueter was nine. He provided good nights early in Moon's regime, but after the recruitment of Feeney last year saw his value free fall. As a result? This year was all about stocking the bench with viable backups and possible projects for down the road. Here is this year's class of freshmen:

1) Paulius Riggs, 3* Small Forward (OVR #203 /SF #45), High School Senior out Federal Way, Washington: Riggs is a player who could prove valuable for spells of time throughout the season, but not when it matters most. Riggs provides average size at the three spot and is a very well-rounded player but has no standout traits. He replaces Senior Mitch Rueter who made a few appearances throughout the year but rarely played in the tournament, similiar to what we expect this Federal Way product to do. However, make no mistake about it, from a talent aspect Riggs definitely looks to be a step up from Rueter, which is always a good thing.

2) Mustafa Holcomb, 3* Power Forward (OVR #221/SF #37), High School Senior out of Wilmington North Carolina: Holcomb fall squarely in the first need, viable backups. This Wilmington product has been given the negative review of being "polished off with no real development to be seen" but is a very talented big man. Last year Senior Chris Brown played very valuable minutes in their Sweet Sixteen run but struggled in their loss to Oregon, a spot where Holcomb could make the difference, especially with his height (6'10, compared to Brown at 6'8). Now, Samabaly might've been named Southland conference Freshman of the Year but that doesn't make his spot absolute. Moon proved all spots are moveable when he handed the point position to Randle last year. However, it'll take a lot for Holcomb to dethrone Samabaly as the incumbent.

3) Magnus Heinen, 3* Point Guard (OVR #223/PG #85), High School Senior out of Flower Mound, Texas: Heinen is another bench spot filler. Unfortunately for this freshman he joins a very crowded position filled with last year standout Elgrace Randle (So.), sixth man Oswaldo Hairston (Jr.), and oft forgotten Marcus Pillow (Sr.). Heinen's signing is most likely a protection plan for the loss of Pillow following this season and we expect him to see a redshirt this season.

4) Kreigh Hedges, 3* Shooting Guard (OVR #236/SG #38), High School Senior out of Long Beach, California:
Where Hedges fits into this team will definitely be worth watching this season. For starters he replaces departed Senior King Cannon, representing a large improvement in the position. However, after an impressive ABL showing from Hedges and sudden disappearance by Capel vs. Oregon it's not hard to speculate that Hedges could be in the running to steal his starting role. Obviously potential plays a huge factor into that decision. And Hedges appears to have a relatively average ceiling while with the right training Capel can see heaps and bounds of improvement, but it's definitely something to look for.

Southland Class Rank: 1st
NCAA Class Rank: 31st

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2010-2011 Season Preview

Roster

Not much needs to be said here, as everyone followed the "Southland Sinderella's" surprise run to the Sweet Sixteen last year before losing to eventual National Champion runner up Oregon in exciting fashion. This year, much to the dismay of the Southland, will look very similiar to last year. With fresh and improved reinforcements the Bears look to defend their Southland title for the first time and make a statement that they're here to stay. The beginning of a tyrant in the Southland? We won't rule the possibility out.

Now where there wasn't much movement in the starting line up their definitely was in the coaching ranks. Coach Moon remains at the helm, as he should be. After wrongly being placed on the hot seat two seasons ago Moon garnered Conference Coach of the Year honors as he led an all freshman starting lineup to UCA's first conference title and highly publicized run to the Sweet Sixteen. In turn the athletic department did everything in their power to cover their behind's and prevent Moon from leaving (who reportedly received offers from Florida International and conference rival UT-Arlington, among others) by giving him a five year extension, with an included option to leave at anytime. However, Neither Bree or Elias will be back with him, as Moon elected to go a different direction. He brought in charismatic assistant Kenny Cleaves and scouting proficient Herb Pressley. Many believe this move is to allow for Coach Moon to spend more time coaching and training the team, which should pay huge dividends down the road.

Coaches:

Head Coach: Nicholas Moon
Assistant Coach: Kenny Cleaves (1st year on Moon's staff)
Assistant Coach: Herb Pressley (1st year on Moon's staff)

2010-2011 Central Arkansas Bears Roster
#	NAME	POS	HT	WT	CLASS	HOMETOWN
5	Elgrace Randle	PG	6'4	203	SO	Provo, Utah
12	Oswaldo Hairston	PG	6'1	182	JR	Charlotte, North Carolina
25	Magnus Heinen**	PG	6'0	173	FR	Flower Mound, Texas
22	Marcus Pillow	PG	6'1	186	SR	Little Rock, Arkansas
23	Will Capel	SG	6'6	219	SO	Hesperia, California
2	Kreigh Hedges	SG	6'5	212	FR	Long Beach, California
21	Raimondas Feeney	SF	6'6	202	SO	Lakewood, Colorado
24	Paulius Riggs	SF	6'5	215	FR	Federal Way, Washington
52	Harding Samabaly	PF	6'9	212	SO	Mali, Africa
54	Mustafa Holcomb	PF	6'10	221	FR	Wilmington, North Carolina
40	Chris Brown	PF	6'8	233	RS SR	Fort Smith Arkansas
50	Duncan Shimokawa	C	7'1	268	SO	Dallas, Texas

**Redshirted

2010-2011 Central Arkansas Bears Schedule

@ LSU
UT-Pan American
Gardner-Webb
@Tulane
JACKPOT CHALLENGE A
-Alabama
-TBD
@ #19 Michigan
UCF Holiday Classic
- Savannah State
-TBD
Montana
@UT-Arlington
Stephen F. Austin
@Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
@ UT-San Antonio
@Lamar
Sam Houston State
Texas State
McNeese State
@Northwestern State
Nicholls State
SE Louisiana
Lamar
@Sam Houston State
@Texas State
@McNeese State
Northwestern State

Out of Conference
Conference
Tournament

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Preseason Top 25 & All Americans

NCAA Hoops Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Oct 24, 2010
RK	TEAM (VOTES)	RECORD
1	Florida	0-0
2	Maryland	0-0
3	Cincinnati	0-0
4	Kansas	0-0
5	Duke	0-0
6	Georgetown	0-0
7	Oregon	0-0
8	North Carolina	0-0
9	USC	0-0
10	Ohio State	0-0
11	Georgia Tech	0-0
12	Louisville	0-0
13	Michigan State	0-0
14	Syracuse	0-0
15	Texas	0-0
16	Wisconsin	0-0
17	Illinois	0-0
18	Washington	0-0
19	Michigan	0-0
20	Marquette	0-0
21	Vanderbilt	0-0
22	North Carolina State	0-0
23	Kentucky	0-0
24	Pittsburgh	0-0
25	Boston College	0-0

Big Moves In the 2009-2010 Coaching Carousel:
None worth noting*

First Team:
PG: Collier Sogdazi Duke
SG: Markus Grady Cincinnati
SF: Taylor King Duke
PF: Zac Zimnickas Oregon
C: Marcel McCroskey UCLA

Second Team:
PG: Abraham Rice Kansas
SG: Nolan Smith Duke
SF: Clyde Ames North Carolina
PF: J.C. Helms Georgetown
C: Jasper Bryan Oregon