The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

[superjames1992]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

I finally caught up with this. This legacy is fantastic! Great work!

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Revenge is sweet. Great win. The next couple of games are gonna be big, especially that contest vs. Kentucky. Games like that are a big indicator of how you'll fare come tournament time.

Yeah, revenge is good -- although it doesn't feel as much like a "revenge" game as the one last season where Norfolk State annihilated me. Going forward, I'm more than a little concerned about my inability to stop opponent's jump shooters though.

And this slate of games looked like a pretty huge deal when I scheduled them during the preseason. And all three teams are rated very highly. Sadly, Gonzaga and Kentucky have both been playing below expectations this year (you'll see a little bit of how in the polls below) so my games won't have top billing. On the other hand, it's hard for anyone to win at Rupp no matter how well Kentucky is doing. That's gonna be a fun game.

I finally caught up with this. This legacy is fantastic! Great work!

Thanks! Very weighty praise coming from you. Your legacy mastership is one of the reasons I started mine to begin with. Still have a lot of catching up to do on yours though.

Dragons, West Reach New Heights

The recruiting trail has been a busy place for Coach West and his staff, but with West being the only true "recruiter" of the bunch, the onus has been on him to make good use of Drexel's five scholarships. The team can hope to focus on building for the future, or for using JC players to shore up depth. But there is only one glaring hole going into next season -- and it's one some would argue was a glaring hole going into this season: point guard.

Enter Coach West's first ever five star recruit, and also his first ever All-American.

Drexel Dragons In-Season Recruiting 2014-2015 Season
NAME	POS	CLASS	HOMETOWN	HT	WT	CALIBER
#17 Shannon Legans (AA)	PG #7	HS SR	Detroit, MI (Mr. BB)	5'10"	156

With Perry McCarthy & Raymond Burnette graduating, and with Dallas Marsh looking like he is more of a combo guard than someone who can play PG full time, Shannon Legans looks to be the Dragons' starter going into next season. Of course, nothing is settled for certain until next season. But the campus is buzzing with Legans choosing Drexel over a number of other big time programs.

This past summer, Legans averaged the following numbers: 18.0 PPG, 4.6 APG, 3.3 SPG, and .363 from 3 point range. With his current skill set and coaches raving about his willingness to learn, it looks like the only thing Legans is lacking is size.

There is no other word from Coach West or Drexel on current recruiting commitments, but the rumor mill indicates that West is looking for at least another player to add to his strong front court and possibly another quality point guard.

But with this week's polls just being published, it looks like he has another pitch he can make to potential recruits: Drexel is back in the Top 25, and this time during the regular season.

Top 25 Rankings November 28 Update

With the early season continuing to be one big shake-out, highly ranked teams continue to sift down into a natural pecking order as they get their first loss (or in Louisville's case, losses) of the season. Texas Tech continues it's surprising run at the top of the polls, but critics have pointed out that the Red Raider's schedule may not have fully prepared them for Big 12 play. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt continues to make believers out of the biggest skeptics with its unbeaten run -- which this week included a convincing victory on the road against previously ranked Virginia Tech.

NCAA Hoops Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Nov 28, 2014
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	RECORD
1	1	Texas Tech	8-0
2	4	Missouri	4-0
3	3	Texas	5-1
4	5	Connecticut	8-0
5	2	Ohio State	6-1
6	7	LSU	7-1
7	6	Wisconsin	5-1
8	11	Vanderbilt	5-0
9	15	N.C. State	7-0
10	12	Florida	4-1
11	17	Mississippi State	7-0
12	9	Georgia	6-1
13	20	Arizona State	6-0
14	19	Kansas	5-1
15	NR	Cincinnati	5-0
16	8	Memphis	5-1
17	22	Indiana	8-1
18	NR	Colorado	6-1
19	24	Seton Hall	5-0
20	NR	Michigan State	5-1
21	10	Louisville	5-2
22	NR	Purdue	7-0
23	NR	West Virginia	5-2
24	NR	Oklahoma	5-1
25	NR	Drexel	7-0

Michigan State returns to the top 25 after a brief hiatus following a loss to a scrappy Detroit team. Also, Drexel makes their Top 25 debut after their string of wins over quality opponents can no longer be ignored.

NCAA Hoops Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Nov 28, 2014
RK	TEAM (VOTES)	RECORD
1	Drexel	7-0
2	Utah State	5-1
3	Fairfield	5-0
4	Bradley	4-1
5	Southern Illinois	5-2
6	San Diego	8-0
7	Middle Tennessee	4-0
8	Missouri State	6-2
9	Virginia Commonwealth	4-0
10	Hawaii	4-0
11	Loyola Marymount	5-3
12	Nevada	7-0
13	Saint Mary's	4-3
14	Wichita State	4-1
15	Norfolk State	4-3
16	Buffalo	6-1
17	Valparaiso	4-2
18	Harvard	5-2
19	Creighton	3-2
20	Florida Atlantic	5-1
21	Gonzaga	3-2
22	Detroit	5-2
23	Kent State	3-2
24	Austin Peay	5-2
25	Manahttan	6-2

Drexel has also climbed to the top of the Mid Major poll after its convincing victory over Norfolk State. Gonzaga continues to slide with another confounding loss against New Mexico State. The Bulldogs are in serious danger of dropping out of the MM25 with a brutal road trip that includes a date with Drexel this week.

[VandyRedskins21]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Wow Drexel has had a good week! And look at Vandy!!

[delija66]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Back to back 100 pt games and wins against Villanova and USC great week for the Dragons

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Hell Week: Not the Hell We Signed Up For

The Drexel Dragons are in high form, but they get a big test in the coming week: mentally & physically. But despite a lot of hype going into the week, Drexel's first two foes were drastically outmatched.

at Old Dominion: W 88-69

Notable: The Monarch's Braxton could not be stopped, lighting up the dragons for six three pointers. But while Drexel's perimeter defense continued to struggle, their size continued to be their calling card. Ramsey, Cottrill, and McLaughlin each netted 19 points apiece and carried the Dragons to a convincing victory.

vs Gonzaga: W 95-54

Notable: The Bulldogs were beyond over matched. Mark Few watched as Gonzaga put together by far its worst effort of the season. They were out rebounded by 22 for the game, and were outscored by 23 points in the 2nd half by mostly Drexel 2nd stringers. By far the biggest surprise was McLaughlin scoring 14 points and grabbing 15 rebounds off the bench. The game was a combination of Drexel being that good, and, unfortunately, Gonzaga being that bad.

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

December 3, 2014

#25 vs
Balanced Attack Leads to Overwhelming Second Half

The question with last year's Kentucky Wildcats was how far could they go? The answer: running away with the National Championship. But this year's Wildcats, who lost some key pieces but were hardly in a rebuilding phase, raise an entirely different question: what team is going to show up. The Wildcats have already defeated Michigan State, but have also dropped head-scratching losses to South Carolina State and Boston College.

Compare them to Drexel, the team who everyone thought overachieved last year and thought could in no way repeat such production despite returning all five starters. The Dragons come to Rupp Arena undefeated and led by Future NBA draftee Femi Ramsey -- who while a great talent in his own right might not even be starting if he were on the Wildcats. That is because the Wildcats have an elite center of their own: Brandon Wadood, twin brother to last year's #1 Draft Pick out of LSU Daniel Wadood. Like his brother Brandon Wadood is a dominant force inside. But instead of relying on incredible size and brawn, Brandon uses his high basketball IQ and speed to create match up difficulties.

In fact, the Wildcats are full of much more heralded recruits and more talented players going up and down the line. But this isn't the first time Coach West has faced such odds. And no one was giving Drexel a chance going in.

The first half started well enough for the Dragons, as they jumped out to a quick 12-4 lead. The front line was able to overwhelm the Wildcats, but with a few adjustments the Dragons suddenly found themselves in hot water. It only took one time out for Coach Calipari to right the ship and neutralize the Dragon's offense. Suddenly there was no fast break. Suddenly there were no interior passing lanes. And Brandon Wadood showed he is one of the few centers in the country who can keep pace with Femi Ramsey.

But Coach West showed he was not over matched. Although the Dragons still tried to work the ball inside, this game the team would need to rely on its jump shooters instead of its trees in the middle. And despite Kentucky being able to hold a lead for most of the half, it was Perry McCarthy who single handedly kept the Dragons at pace. Add Duncan Richard's three to close the half and the Dragons were only down one point at the end of the half.

And with such a tight, tense, first half, Rupp Arena was wild when the whistle started the 2nd half. The arena was loud, but there was also an air of desperation. Drexel was a quality mid-major team that was supposed to be easily taken care of. They weren't of the same class as the Wildcats. This wasn't supposed to be close.

But when the 2nd half started, the air was sucked right out of the arena. Suddenly, the Dragons were spacing the floor and creating mismatches in the paint. Suddenly, they were able to pick apart the Wildcats interior defense. Ramsey still had trouble getting on track due to Wadood's terrific defense, but Duncan Sow, Gilbert Laughlin, and Tracey Cottrill filled up the stat sheet by attacking the basket. The half wasn't defined by one man's performance, but by the team spreading the ball around and overwhelming Kentucky from all angles.

A 25-4 run at the start of the half knocked Kentucky down. The defending National Champions were unable to get back up. Drexel scores a 74-57 victory by what can only be the basketball equivalent of a TKO.

Drexel Dragons at Kentucky Wildcats
Dec 3, 2014	1ST	2ND	SCORE
#25 Drexel (9-0)	32	40	74
Kentucky (5-3)	33	24	57

Drexel Dragons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
P. McCarthy	15	6-6	1-1	2-3	0	3	1	0	2	15
J. Payton	19	2-6	1-2	3-3	1	3	1	0	1	8
D. Richard	17	2-6	1-2	0-1	0	2	1	0	1	5
D. Sow	19	5-9	0-0	1-1	8	3	0	1	0	11
F. Ramsey	20	5-13	0-0	2-3	5	2	0	1	1	12
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. Cottrill	19	4-10	0-0	3-3	6	1	1	3	0	11
D. Marsh	12	1-1	1-1	2-2	0	3	1	0	2	5
G. McLaughlin	10	3-3	0-0	1-2	3	0	2	1	1	7
J. Vassallo	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	1	0	0	0
W. Morandais	5	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	1	1	0	0	0
D. Wilson	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
R. Burnette	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		28-55	4-7	14-18	23	18	9	6	8	74

Kentucky Wildcats
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
D. Bills	17	4-7	1-2	2-2	0	5	1	0	1	11
H. Loughton	24	4-14	3-9	0-0	6	3	1	0	2	11
U. Sameul	12	3-7	0-1	1-2	1	2	0	0	1	7
A. McClurkin	18	4-7	1-2	0-0	7	2	1	1	2	9
B. Wadood	17	2-5	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	1	0	4
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
J. Wheless	16	3-10	1-4	0-0	2	1	2	0	4	7
S. Cain	13	0-3	0-1	4-4	2	0	1	1	1	4
N. Hamilton	8	1-2	0-0	0-0	5	0	0	0	0	2
A. Duhon	8	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	2	0	0	1	2
D. Diawara	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
R. Dennis	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	2	0
K. Macklin	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		22-56	6-19	7-8	26	15	6	3	14	57

Coach's Take: There are some great equalizers in basketball. If you can take care of the ball, you're in the game. If you can control spaces on the floor, you're in the game. If you can force turnovers and get points off of those turnovers, you control the game. That was where we succeeded in the 2nd half. We got our transition offense on track, and we were able to beat Kentucky to spaces on the floor. Everyone was at the top of our game today. And I don't think anyone is going to be overlooking us now. Those days are over.

What's Next: The Dragons get a big layoff off to celebrate 10 victories to start the season before taking on Holy Cross.

Ed Note: This game led me to switch sliders and switch to MOP. I was not anticipating starting 10-0.

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Always love the wins of big-time schools because regardless of their records they usually always have tough squads. Way to keep Woodard from even getting shots off, big shooting nights from your guys as well.

Good luck on MOP.

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Always love the wins of big-time schools because regardless of their records they usually always have tough squads. Way to keep Woodard from even getting shots off, big shooting nights from your guys as well.

Good luck on MOP.

Thanks for the MOP luck. I wasn't sure what sliders to choose, and to be honest I'm still wondering what would be appropriate. But yes, it's nice that my interior defense keeps their bigs from even thinking about putting up shots. It helps forcing them stick to jumpers.

The Crusaders Never Quit

#10 Drexel at Holy Cross: W 110-106

Notable: For most of the game Drexel hovered at anywhere between a 10 and 15 point lead until both Femi Ramsey and Duncan Sow fouled out with 7 minutes left in the game. Holy Cross charged back, nearly tying the game twice except for Perry McCarthy making a clutch 3 and both ends of a one and one to hold off the Crusaders until Josh Payton missed the first part of a 1 and 1. With the Dragons only up two, it took Duncan Richard, who was playing PF due to others fouling out, clutch rebound to seal the game at the line.

Ed Note: I forgot whose sliders I used for this game, but they were fun. The beef I have was the game felt too arcade-y. These sliders also had 20 minute halves, which is just too much time for my play style. I have another set in mind that I'll use as a starting point.

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

AP Top 25 Rankings
December 19, 2014 Update

Three things are approaching quickly: the holidays, the new year, and conference schedules. And while a few teams have some big games before the switch, the top of the Basketball world looks like it is starting to shake out.

NCAA Hoops Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Dec 19, 2014
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	RECORD
1	1	Missouri	8-0
2	4	Texas	9-2
3	5	Vanderbilt	9-0
4	2	Connecticut	11-1
5	10	Drexel	11-0
6	3	Texas Tech	10-1
7	11	Arizona State	11-0
8	12	Kansas	9-1
9	6	Ohio State	9-2
10	16	Louisville	10-2
11	15	Memphis	8-1
12	18	Utah State	10-1
13	8	Wisconsin	8-2
14	13	Cincinnati	9-0
15	17	Colorado	9-1
16	7	Mississippi State	11-1
17	20	West Virigina	8-2
18	9	N.C. State	9-1
19	NR	LSU	9-3
20	19	Purdue	10-0
21	14	Georgia	9-2
22	22	Virginia Tech	8-1
23	24	Fairfield	10-0
24	NR	Stanford	10-1
25	NR	Penn State	8-0

Missouri continues to dominate the competition this week, and pollsters seem impressed enough by Texas' strength of schedule to keep them at #2 despite having two losses. This week's biggest risers are the Drexel Dragons, who will test their 11-0 record this week on Christmas Eve against the equally surprising 9-0 Vanderbilt Commodores. Meanwhile, NC State takes a dive after suffering its first loss of the season to Pittsburgh. However, the Wolfpack were without both membrs of their starting back court, so they should be looking to bounce back this week against some very weak competition.

[HarkTheSound]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

If you're still looking for a slider set, check out a modified version of mojorises sliders i uploaded to the 2kshare. You definitely get a more of a challenge out of those. 15/16 minute halves. Love em.

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

If you're still looking for a slider set, check out a modified version of mojorises sliders i uploaded to the 2kshare. You definitely get a more of a challenge out of those. 15/16 minute halves. Love em.

Thanks, I found a slider set that I've modified a good bit that works for this season. However, I will keep those in mind if/when those sliders become insufficient.

Unfortunately, I had a huge layoff in time between when I chose the sliders and when I picked them up again, so I can't remember the name of them when I found them on this site :\

edit: Nope, can't confirms where I got the sliders from. Been too long and didn't make a note of it. Oh well. But if the next few games are an indication I'm happy with what I've found.

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

#5 at #3
With Coach West, Don't Use the "P" Word

The Dragons are soaring higher than they ever have before, but don't think Coach Guy West of Drexel is resting on his laurels. For him the work isn't done and he isn't content with the national spotlight. After all, their reward for their perfect play is a trip to Nashville to take on the equally undefeated Vanderbilt Commodores. But if you happen to find yourself in the same room as Coach West, as we did for this interview, don't think about describing his team as "perfect." He'll be the first to tell you they're just getting started:

Romeo Williams (ESPN): There's no better way to start the season with a perfect record. A perfect start of the season. Has the team taken you by surprise as much as it did the rest of the nation?

Guy West (Drexel): They haven't surprised me. They've been good, and they have been pushing themselves in practice and reaping the rewards on the court. But calling them perfect means the work is done. That we've peaked. We haven't peaked.

Williams: And if you beat Vandy tomorrow?

West: If we beat Vandy tomorrow it's another win. A big win, but then we've got the CAA coming up and there are a lot of strong teams in the conference this year. You can't focus too much on one game because they're all important.

Williams: So this means it only took you 5 seasons to master coach speak?

West: (laughs) Yep. Five seasons or I'd be getting canned. But Vandy is a high powered offense that outpaced an explosive Seaton Hall squad earlier this month. It's the kind of challenge we were hoping for when we set the schedule before the season.

Williams: Well so far your team hasn't had much trouble devouring challenges so far this year. What would you say has been the biggest challenge for the team so far?

West: We are fantastic at defending the paint. We still need to work on fighting through screens to defend the perimeter. McCarthy is a fighter, but he's smaller than a lot of PGs he faces and still needs to work on fighting through screens. Payton & Richard are also strong defenders, but the zones we play leave some pockets open and sometimes Payton and Richard stick too tightly on their men and make those windows a little wider.

Williams: Interesting take. And what about your recruiting class this year. Woody Morandais has not had a huge impact yet this year, and Dez Braxton is redshirted. What do you think of their performance so far and their long term potential?

West: I'm happy both with what Woody and Dez have shown in practice thus far, and they are going to be key Drexel contributors for a long time. But remember: they're still fresh at this. The speed of the game and the strength of the players are different and takes some getting used to.

Williams: Are you going to do anything to try and get Morandais more involved in the game?

West: Woody is a great player and he's fast, he just needs to be confident and keep finding his place in the offense. When he starts putting up shots instead of passing them off, he will really start pick up the scoring. But I'm happy with the passes he's making. He constantly makes winning plays that don't always stuff the stat sheet.

Williams: What impact did it have on your team for Femi Ramsey to stay another year.

West: Obviously when you can retain a player of that caliber it is a big boost. I know I wasn't the one who brought Ramsey in, but don't forget that he chose Drexel over much larger, more prestigious schools. He marches to his own drummer, and the rest of the team feeds off of it. I'm glad he's still here.

Williams: And who else on your roster would you say has had the biggest effect on your team's early season run.

West: Our senior leadership has been fantastic. McCarthy, Payton, and Burnette really set the pace and tone for our team. They keep people moving, and they did a lot to organize players to work out during the off season on their own time.

Williams: Final question: how far do you think your team can go this year?

West: We are a better team than we were last year. If everything bounces our way, I don't see why we can't do better than we did last year.

Williams: All the way to the Final 4 then? Bold words from one of America's brightest young coaching stars. Thank you for your time, and good luck tomorrow.

West: Thanks, take care.

[VandyRedskins21]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

GO DORES

[Spoonska]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Man I wish I could write as good as you. Good Luck in the next game !

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

GO DORES

Ha. Oh no you didn't

Man I wish I could write as good as you. Good Luck in the next game !

Thanks. I'd like to think of it as my calling card and what makes my dynasties a little different. I'll add that it comes with a lot of practice and continuing to work, and part of the reason I put so much into these is because it's good practice to me now that I'm working in a field that has me doing much more technical writing than writing like this.