The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Congrats on the upset, that's a huge win! Good luck against Baylor

[VandyRedskins21]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

NICE WIN!!! Good luck as the tournament goes on!

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Thanks, it was an awesome game that started out not swinging my way at all (my players all started with -10 confidence across the board) but by the end they all had 99. And it showed on the court.

Round 1 Final Results
(winners in bold)

#1 Ohio State 76 #16 Alabama A&M 56
#8 Texas 82 #9 Marquette 76
#5 Baylor 98 #12 Coll of Charl. 81
#4 Georgetown 57 #13 Norfolk State 67
#6 Xavier 62 #11 Pittsburgh 76
#3 Arizona 65 #14 American 54
#7 Texas A&M 61 #10 Gonzaga 68
#2 Kentucky 91 #15 UC Riverside 71

#1 Kansas 97 #16 ND State 60
#8 Clemson 83 #9 Missouri State 52
#5 Miss St. 81 #12 FL Atlantic 76
#4 Washington St 81 #13 UTEP 66
#6 Louisville 87 #11 Tenn 60
#3 Ole Miss 58 #14 Quinnipiac 54
#7 Indiana 55 #10 Conn 66
#2 Oregon 73 #15 E. Tenn St. 65

#1 Alabama 54 #16 Stony Brook 74
#8 Creighton 57 #9 Duke 81
#5 UCLA 78 #12 UNC Asheville 62
#4 Oklahoma 91 #13 Wichita St. 74
#6 Georgia Tech 68 #11 VCU 55
#3 Missouri 75 #14 Jacksonville St. 64
#7 LSU 61 #10 Fairfield 75
#2 Arizona St 60 #15 Akron 55

#1 Purdue 82 #16 Cleveland St 57
#8 Temple 65 #9 San Fransisco 62
#5 Dunquesne 86 #12 Harvard 84
#4 Florida 80 #13 Weber St. 64
#6 Oregon St. 65 #11 Utah 56
#3 UNC 57 #14 Stephen F. Austin 62
#7 Richmond 73 #10 Fordham 68
#2 Washington 70 #15 Fresno St. 58

Moral of Round 1? Many -- but you REALLY don't want to be Alabama or a #7 seed this year. Other trends you see? Predictions going forward?

[delija66]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

GREAT WIN! GL against Baylor

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

NCAA Tournament Round 2


Birmingham, AL

Today's game looks to be a match up of strength vs. strength. Norfolk State, the 2nd most efficient offense in the NCAA, takes on Baylor, the most efficient defense in the NCAA. The Bears are led by the three towers of Anthony Jones, stud freshman Perry Jones III, and J'Mison Morgan. It will be interesting to see how the much smaller Spartans match up. If you're looking for a high scoring game, you might want to tune in -- these teams like to run, run, and run some more. Could Baylor's superior athleticism be the difference? Or will the scrappy Norfolk State Spartans be led by Guy West to an improbable berth to the Sweet Sixteen to take on the winner of the Ohio State - Texas game later tonight?

(5) Baylor vs. (13) Norfolk State

From the start, it looked like the Spartans would be forced to exit the arena, pursued by Bears. The game started at a frenetic pace with O'Quinn winning the jump ball, then getting a brilliant entry pass as he ran down the lane. With the effects of his bum ankle far less apparent, O'Quinn rose up for an opening game slam -- only to have the ball swatted from him by Perry Jones III. He then passed the ball down the court, where A.J. Walton found Anthony Jones for a sweet ally oop. Before three minutes had passed, the Bears continued to streak by the Spartans and jumped out to an early 12-0 lead. Even with Coach West imploring his players to get back on defense, it seemed like they could never get back fast enough.

It didn't matter how many times the Spartans fed the ball to O'Quinn or kicked the ball out to jump shooters -- the Spartans could not get shots in the basket like the Bears could. The only thing that kept them in the game before the half was their ability to get to the line. O'Quinn continued his NCAA romp to the foul line, drawing foul after foul on the Bear's bigs. But the biggest story for the first half for the Spartans was Tim Zephyr, who was playing the game of his life. He led all Spartan scorers at the end of the first half with 10 points, and the highlight of the half had to be his ridiculously strong dunk over future NBA lottery pick Perry Jones III. Just the same the Spartans found themselves down 15 at the half.

The game continued at its frenetic pace in the second half, but Norfolk State began to find way to effectively get to the basket and score points. Slowly but surely, they chipped away at Baylor's halftime lead until the game was within single digits will less than 10 minutes left in the half. Unfortunately for the Spartans, that's as close as they would get.

Anthony Jones and Lacedaris Dunn began raining twos and threes on the Spartans. They incited a 10-0 run that would seal the game and the Bears' ticket to the Sweet Sixteen. The Bears continued to run and push the ball forward, ballooning the lead to as high as 33 points long after the game was decided. The final score: Baylor 106, Norfolk State 77.

Mar 23, 2011 - NORF at BAY
TEAM	1ST	2ND	SCORE
#13 Norfolk State (26-8)	35	42	77
#5 Baylor (23-9)	50	56	106

Norfolk State
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
R. Hampton	23	3-9	0-4	0-0	2	6	1	0	3	6
A. Pauline	23	5-17	1-4	3-4	2	3	0	0	3	14
R. McCauley	11	0-2	0-0	2-2	1	1	1	0	0	2
T. Zephyr	23	7-8	0-0	1-4	15	0	2	0	1	15
K. O'Quinn	22	8-15	0-0	8-11	4	1	1	2	2	24
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
M. Tamares	7	0-0	0-0	0-0	4	2	0	0	0	0
J. Weathers	7	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	2
K. Brown	6	0-2	0-0	0-0	0	5	0	0	2	0
B. Wheeless	7	3-4	0-0	0-2	5	0	0	0	0	6
M. Johnson	7	1-3	0-1	0-0	0	1	0	0	1	2
B. Good	8	2-8	0-0	0-0	3	0	0	0	0	4
R. Revels	6	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	2	1	0	1	2
TEAM TOTALS		31-71	1-9	14-23	36	21	6	2	13	77

Baylor
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
A. Walton	24	4-5	2-2	4-4	0	14	3	0	4	14
L. Dunn	24	9-25	3-9	1-2	3	7	2	1	2	22
A. Jones	17	12-18	4-5	1-1	7	2	0	1	0	29
P. Jones	24	3-6	0-0	0-0	3	0	0	3	0	6
J. Morgan	8	0-0	0-0	1-2	3	0	3	2	1	1
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
S. Love	13	1-1	0-0	1-2	0	4	1	0	0	3
C. Jefferson	14	2-4	0-0	3-3	6	2	2	1	0	7
F. Ellis	10	7-9	1-2	2-3	1	0	2	1	0	17
D. Sekelja	10	1-2	0-0	1-3	3	0	0	2	0	3
L. Norwood	10	1-2	0-0	1-3	3	0	0	2	0	3
Q. Acy	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		41-73	10-18	14-20	27	31	13	11	7	106

Coach West: "Yes I'm disappointed to lose -- we went out to win, not to be happy to be in the Tournament. But that disappointment can't overshadow just how special this team has been and how great of a season we've had. It's a credit to all of our players, especially the leadership of our departing seniors Hampton, Pauline, and Zephyr, that we were able to win the MEAC, beat Georgetown, and keep up with Baylor for most of the game. But the credit goes to the Bears -- they have a great, athletic team, were well prepared, and hit their shots. But this isn't over -- we'll be back next year"

R: Bold words from Coach West. Thanks again for your time.

Second Round Final Scores
(winners in bold)

#1 Ohio State 99 #8 Texas 87
#5 Baylor 106 #13 Norfolk State 77
#11 Pittsburgh 51 #3 Arizona 79
#10 Gonzaga 89 #2 Kentucky 82

#1 Kansas 61 #8 Clemson 101
#5 Miss St. 60 #4 Wash St. 70
#6 Louisville 86 #3 Ole Miss 70
#10 Conn 77 #2 Oregon 83

#16 Stony Brook 53 #9 Duke 79
#5 UCLA 89 #4 Oklahoma 63
#6 Georgia Tech 64 #3 Missouri 88
#10 Fairfield 65 #2 Arizona St. 58

#1 Purdue 62 #8 Temple 48
#5 Dunquesne 79 #4 Florida 85
#6 Oregon St. 67 #14 Stephen F. Austin 53
#7 Richmond 61 #2 Washington 76

After a first round with some surprising upsets, it seems like round 2 has restored order to the basketball world. Only a few double digit non power conference teams broke through to the Sweet Sixteen this year. Still, two Number 1 seeds did not even make it out of the first weekend. Who knows how the tournament will shake up?

[Deuce2223]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Looking forward to the OSU vs UW matchup. Go Zags. After a upset win over Kentucky they could finally get to a Elite 8.

[VandyRedskins21]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Dang tough loss to Baylor. Maybe next year you'll get into the second weekend! And just out of curiosity did Vandy even make the NITs?

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Dang tough loss to Baylor. Maybe next year you'll get into the second weekend! And just out of curiosity did Vandy even make the NITs?

I'll need to check when I get home. I think they did, but I'm not sure.

But yes, 2nd weekend in the NCAAs next year is the goal -- but I'll have to make it to the NCAAs first. In the end Norfolk State matched up horribly with Baylor, and our lack of power conference athleticism was severely exposed.

NCAA Tournament Summary
&
Season Awards

Sweet Sixteen
#1 Ohio State 69 #5 Baylor 55
#3 Arizona 71 #10 Gonzaga 76
#8 Clemson 72 #4 Wash St. 61
#6 Louisville 76 #2 Oregon 61

#9 Duke 66 #5 UCLA 75
#3 Missouri 56 #10 Fairfield 61
#1 Purdue 66 #4 Florida 80
#6 Oregon St. 88 #2 Washington 58

Not at all a good day for higher seeds. Will Ohio State even make it to the Final Four at this rate? If Gonzaga continues its giant killing ways maybe not. Meanwhile, Florida trounces Purdue showing how dangerous they are, and Fairfield and Oregon State continue their improbable runs further into the tournament.

Elite Eight
#1 Ohio State 84 #10 Gonzaga 56
#8 Clemson 72 #6 Louisville 61
#5 UCLA 83 #10 Fairfield 69
#4 Florida 54 #6 Oregon St. 67

Such an odd seed combo to make it to the final four. No double digit seeds though, but only one team seeded in the top 16 slots in the tournament. The selection committee may need to go back to the drawing board next year. Oh, and when's the last time two Pac-10 teams made it to the Final Four?

Final Four
#1 Ohio St 79 #8 Clemson 71
#5 UCLA 56 #6 Oregon St. 90

Both Ohio State and Oregon State have not caught any break for the teams they've faced so far in the tournament. Too bad Clemson could not slay its second #1 seed this tournament.

Championship
#1 Ohio State 88 #6 Oregon St. 63

Not much more to say. I is are disappoint. And talk about a 25 point blow out in the final game -- bye bye ratings.

NCAA Season Awards

National Champion: Ohio State
NIT Champion: Bradley
Player of the Year: JaJuan Johnson (Purdue)
Mid-Major Player of the Year: Mike Glover (Iona HOLY COW averaged 20/15 with 1.3 steals and 1.8 blocks)
Coach of the Year: Thad Matta (Ohio St)
Defensive Player of the Year: Mike Glover (Iona)
Big Man of the Year: JaJuan Johnson (Purdue)
Freshman of the Year: Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)

First Team All-American
PG: Jacob Pullen (KSU)
SG: Ashton Gibbs (Pitt)
SF: Mike Glover (Iona)
PF: Derrick Williams (Arizona)
C: JaJuan Johnson (Purdue)

Second Team All-American
PG: Terrell Holloway (Xavier)
SG: Xavier Silas (Northern Illinois)
SF: Kyle Singler (Duke)
PF: Jared Sullinger (OHST)
C: Aaric Murray (La Salle)

No love for Kyle O'Quinn? Oh well, it's tough to get recognition in a small conference (and while he played C he's listed as a PF).

Freshman All-American
PG: Josh Shelby (Kansas)
SG: Brandon Knight (Kentucky)
SF: Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)
PF: Jared Sullinger (OHST)
C: Fab Melo (Syracuse)

End of Season Awards

MEAC Champions: Norfolk State (Regular Season + Tournament)
MEAC Coach of the Year: Guy West (Norfolk State)
MEAC Player of the Year: Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk State)
MEAC Freshman of the Year: Pendarvis Williams (Norfolk State)

Wow, that last award took me completely be surprise -- even if he did average double figures along with good rebound and assist numbers. I wonder if the tournament would have gone differently without him being injured. Oh well. And hey! Looks like we swept the awards in year one!

First Team All MEAC
PG: Kevin White (U-Maryland Eastern Shore)
SG: Darrion Pellum (Hampton)
SF: Hillary Haley (U-Maryland Eastern Shore)
PF: Kyle O’Quinn (Norfolk State)
C: Corey Morris (Winston Salem State University)

All well deserved except for possibly Haley over the 2nd team small forward. Still, the 4 non-NORF players were tough match ups in games I played them. Interesting that UMES had two all conference players and made almost no noise in the conference. That's too bad.

Second Team All MEAC
PG: Marc Hill (North Carolina A&T)
SG: Kwame Morgan (Hampton)
SF: Dewayne Jackson (Morgan St.)
PF: Brandon Doughty (Coppin State)
C: Dante Wooten (South Carolina State University)

A little surprised to not see Pauline make Second Team All MEAC, but I can't complain. Morgan lit us up both times we played Hampton.

Freshman All MEAC
PG: Justin Black (Morgan State)
SG: Pendarvis Williams (Norfolk State)
SF: Mike Simpson (Coppin State)
PF: Raymoan McAffe (Bethune-Cookman)
C: Ian Childs (Morgan State)

Not much to say here, other than I was very surprised Black didn't win MEAC Freshman of the Year based on how good he was when I played him. Then I looked at his season averages, and William's were way better. It will be interesting to see how good Black is in a few years.

[delija66]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

106 ouch

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

106 ouch

Yes, I finally met a team that runs harder than I do. It was brutal.

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Postseason Report

Coach Guy West
Total Legacy Points: 6968
Coaching Record: 26-8

Legacy Goals Achieved
(12 Points Earned)
Sign a World Recruit
Go Full Season Without an Unhappy Player
Have a Player Chosen Freshman All-Conference
Have a Player Chosen All-Conference
Coach a Conference Player of the Year
Coach a Team to a Winning Record
Coach a Team to 10 Wins
Coach a Team to 20 Wins
Coach a Team to a Conference Championship
Coach a Team to an NCAA Tournament Bid
Be Chosen Conference Coach of the Year
Get 5,000 Legacy Points in One Season

West's Coaching Attributes Changes
Overall: C+ (+1)
Offense: C-
Defense: C-
Teaching: C+(+2)
Scouting: C-
Charisma: A (+2)
Discipline: C (+1)

Coach West's abilities as a would-be professor are beginning to translate to the basketball court. Still, as a neophyte basketball couch, he'll still rely on his assistant coaches for game planning and offensive and defensive strategy.

Both Assistant Coaches Retained
Enrique Gerlach
Ovr: C-
Off C+
Def F
Tea D
Sco C+
Cha C-
Dis D
Amb B+

Duboise Dickerson
Ovr: C
Off C-
Def C+
Tea C-
Sco D
Cha C
Dis C-
Amb B+

*Fun Fact! Coach NORF was available to hire in the assistant pool! Didn't do it.

Players Leaving
SG: Hampton (64 OVR) -- Graduated
SG: Pauline (62 OVR) -- Graduated
PF: Zephyr (60 OVR) -- Graduated

Incoming Recruits
3/3 Available Scholarships Used

The Spartans managed to improve their talent base. Although Norfolk State did not seem to get any "home runs" with this recruiting class, they do have some new blood to build off of going forward. All three players look slotted to be starters next year -- making the Spartans one of the youngest starting fives in the MEAC.

Elton Cown, Baltimore MD
*** (67 OVR) 6'1" 181 HS SR SG
C- Pot

Fast and great defender, as advertised. He has a workable jump shot that should get better over the years, but for now he's more of a driver/opportunistic scorer than either Pauline or Hampton.

Danijel Mihailovic, Serbia
*** (66 OVR) 6'0" 178 HS SR PG.
C+ Pot

Another good defender who can move around. He is also an excellent passer, and can handle the ball better than any of the other PGs currently on the Norfolk State roster. He has a serviceable jump shot, but it is something he'll need to work on.

Tom Friend, New Zealand
** (67 OVR) 6'10" 220 HS SR C.
C- Pot

According to Coach West, the Spartans had been rebuffed by multiple center prospects during the season -- though he would not disclose who specifically. Towards the end of recruiting, the Spartans had a few two star players on their board, but West's assistants were not entirely sold on them after visits and scouting. West and the AD were also wary because they were Junior College Sophomores. In the end, West went to the other side of the world with Friend, and he ended up finding a player who is just as good -- if not better -- than his other, more lauded three star recruits.

Coaching Carousel

There was only one significant change and only five coaching changes total in the NCAA. So this season it was more like the coaching turnstile.

Northwestern: B. Carmody Fired, E. Cooley hired from Fairfield
(after Fairfield's great NCAA run no surprise there)

2011-2012 Preseason NCAA Media Poll Top 25

NCAA Hoops Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Nov 1, 2011
RK	TEAM (VOTES)	RECORD
1	Kansas
2	UCLA
3	Duke
4	Louisville
5	Ohio State
6	Arizona
7	UNC
8	Pittsburgh
9	Alabama
10	Memphis
11	Kentucky
12	Georgia Tech
13	Florida
14	Gonzaga
15	Arizona State
16	Mississippi State
17	Marquette
18	Oklahoma State
19	Texas
20	Indiana
21	LSU
22	Connecticut
23	Florida State
24	Baylor
25	Purdue

[Getty51]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Congrats on a solid season you had there.

Two 3 star recruits is nothing to laugh at, or atleast from how I'm doing recruiting it isn't. Good luck with next season.

[Deuce2223]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Looking forward to the new year.

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Looking forward to the new year.

And it has been a pretty interesting season what weeks I've managed to play of it so far. However, it's that time of year where I have three major papers due this week and exams next week. I have some updates ready to put together, it's just finding time to sit down in front of the game and enter some data.

So updates coming...eventually. But I'll give one preview from the latest game I've played:

As I think I mentioned before, Friend does not dunk...ever, despite being 6'10". I've been training his inside scoring from the start. Well, late in one game where I was managing a come back (I had no business being competitive in the first place), Friend gets a pass on the corner and has a clear path to the basket. Oh my goodness! He drives! He's doing the dunk animation! This is it! The Spartans within 5 points on a powerful...

and then Friend gets REJECTED by a 5'11" PG. FAIL.

[VandyRedskins21]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

As I think I mentioned before, Friend does not dunk...ever, despite being 6'10". I've been training his inside scoring from the start. Well, late in one game where I was managing a come back (I had no business being competitive in the first place), Friend gets a pass on the corner and has a clear path to the basket. Oh my goodness! He drives! He's doing the dunk animation! This is it! The Spartans within 5 points on a powerful...

and then Friend gets REJECTED by a 5'11" PG. FAIL.

I legit lol'd when I saw that hahahahahahaha.