The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

O'Quinn is a f'in beast... all I can say

Forgot to mention that he also had games of 53, 47, and 46 points later on in the season.

MEAC Tournament Summary

The Spartans entered looking to be repeat tournament champions -- but as has been the case all year they are directly in the cross hairs. They're not sneaking up on anyone this year.

Round 2
Norfolk State v South Carolina State
W: 59-57

The Spartans came out tight, and South Carolina ground the brakes and played the slow down game as they always do. This time they took the advantage early and capitalized on Norfolk State's miscues in the halfcourt offense. Their center, Wooten, absolutely punished Friend, who fouled out with 0 points late in the second half. Fortunately the Spartans were able to ride O'Quinn and some good bench production (13 second half points) to a five point lead in the closing seconds. The Bulldogs hit their last 3 point shot as time expired, but the Spartans move on.

Other results:
Morgan State 72, Hampton 40
Coppin State 76, Delaware State 44
MD Eastern Shore 72, Florida A&M 71

Semifinal
Norfolk State v MD-Eastern Shore
W: 73-70 (OT)

Having already knocked out Florida A&M, the Eagles showed they weren't to be taken lightly. Not that the Spartans would, as they barely escaped from MDES's gym on a last second buzzer beater by Mihailovic in their only other meeting this season. The Spartans leaned on O'Quinn (31 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks) the whole game, but once again the Eagle's back court sliced up the Spartan's perimeter defense. With no team ever able to break its lead out to double digits, the Eagles managed to tie the game at the end of regulation on a pair of Dishawn Bradshaw free throws. However, when the extra period started out with 5 quick points for the Spartans, the took and kept control of a well deserved but very narrow victory.

Other Results
Morgan State 79, Coppin State 70

MEAC Final
Norfolk State v. Morgan State
W: 79-71

The Spartans are going back to the big dance after finally overcoming Morgan State for the first time this season. The game was tight the entire way, but in the end the Spartans won where they have been winning all season: at the free throw line. Their ability to get to the line has defined the Spartans the entire season, and by taking 24 more free throws than the Bears were able to secure a narrow victory. O'Quinn ended up having his best game versus the Bears the whole season (16 points), but the player of the final had to be the true freshman center Friend (19 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block).

NCAA Awards and Tournament Summary

The tournament is a familiar place for the Spartans, but can they once again be giant killers? This year they drew a #14 seed and face Xavier in the first round. The Muskateers have a very dangerous inside out game with Holloway at point and Frease clogging up the middle with his 7' frame. The Spartans do not match up particularly well, but that did not stop them from beating Georgetown last year.

NCAA Tournament First Round
Norfolk State v. Xavier
L: 75-79

It isn't hard to imagine that the Spartans climbed out a double digit lead early in the first half. Both Friend and O'Quinn were devestating on the inside, and John Weathers had an outstanding game early off the bench attacking the basket (finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 8-9 FT). Unfortunately, that is not the whole story. Frease was not only the focus of the Xavier offense on the low block, but he also kept drawing foul after foul on the Spartan's big men. Although Norfolk State entered the half with a 7 point lead, the dynamic of the game changed entirely when both Friend and O'Quinn picked up their fourth fouls midway through the second half. The Muskateers ended up going on a scoring tear, with Holloway nailing jump shots when Frease was not abusing the middle. In the end, three Spartans would foul out (including O'Quinn and Friend) and be forced to watch the end of their season from the sideline.

NCAA Tournament Results

Note for Vandy: Vanderbilt scored a #2 seed this year, only to get knocked out in the 2nd round by #7 Nevada in the 2nd round. Figures.

Elite Eight
#1 Florida 56, #3 Kentucky 75
#4 Gonzaga 71, #10 Clemson 64
#1 Kansas 94, #7 Nevada 77
#1 UCLA 96, #10 Dayton 60

Final Four
#3 Kentuky 78, #4 Gonzaga 68
#1 Kansas 72, #1 UCLA 63

Final
#3 Kentucky 65, #1 Kansas 76

End of Season Awards:
Player of the Year: Greg Smith (Fresno State)
Coach of the Year: Bill Self
Freshman of the Year: Kyree Irving (who became a lottery pick)

First Team All-American
PG: Josh Selby (Kansas)
SG: E'Twaun Moore (Purdue)
SF: Mike Glover (Iona)
PF: Mouphtaou Yaroo (Villanova) (22.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.2 bpg)
C: Greg Smith (Fresno State)

Second Team All-American
PG: Terrell Holloway (Xavier)
SG: John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
SF: Jeff Taylor (Vanderbilt)
PF: Chris Gatson (Fordham) (25.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.3 bpg)
C: Aaric Murray (La Salle)

Norfolk State Awards
MEAC Coach of the Year: Guy West
MEAC Player of the Year: Kyle O'Quinn
MEAC Freshman of the Year: Danijel Mihailovic
MEAC 1st Team All Conference: Kyle O'Quinn
MEAC 2nd Team All Conference: Tom Friend
MEAC Freshman All Conference: Mihailovic, Friend, and Elton Cowen

So that's that for this season. Coming up next is a recruiting update and a preview for what's happening in the 2012-2013 season. Expect to see the normal content and quality of posts as before.

I'll say this much, no idea who's going to step up to take O'Quinn's place. I guess it takes a village.

[HeyCoRT]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Don't lose hope in Friend! And hit the recruiting trail HARD!

[HeyCoRT]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

tough out losing 1st round. Then losing O'Quinn. But with 2 NCAA berths im sure you can get a few offers somewhere unless your gonna stay at Norfolk you definitely need some bigs though.

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

NCAA Basketball Coaching Update

The heads have been rolling all summer, with a number of high profile coaches losing their jobs. Although Connecticut's job opened up due to Jim Calhoun's retirement, other AD's decided to give their coaches the axe. Power conference school openings include Virginia, Rutgers, and St. John's.

Meanwhile, in an interesting development that must have the folks at Norfolk State very worried, a number of different sources have indicated that many schools are lining up to offer coach Guy West a job. By far the biggest names to offer their head coaching position to Coach West are Nevada, who went to the Elite Eight last season, Houston, and Texas Christian. So far no one has been able to reach Coach West for comment, but the Norfolk State AD has said he will do everything he can to keep their coach.

[HeyCoRT]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Uh Oh! one of these Big East, Acc schools trying to get Coach West in the program!!

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Decisions Decisions -- Another Off-Season Update

A number of reports have surfaced that Coach Guy West has been offered the keys to a number of strong college programs. This comes as little surprise, as he went from being a nobody to leading the Norfolk State Spartans to two straight NCAA berths and two straight 20 win seasons. (Ed. Note: this is the first time ever that I have been offered a major conference job -- Houston -- straight from a small conference school) But before getting to the decision, along with a look at a coaching carousel full of carnage, it's time to check out what Coach West has accomplished this year.

Coach Guy West
(numbers in parentheses are from current season)
Total Legacy Points: 14529 (7561)
Coaching Record: 50-16 (24-8)

Legacy Goals Achieved
(2 Points Earned + 7 points on holdover)
Sign a Four Star Recruit
Win a Non-Conference Tournament

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

Coach West continues to improve both off the court and on the court. Not only can he motivate his players and have excellent sway with potential recruits, but he's starting to piece it together on the court too. With an up-tempo slashing attack on offense, his skill increase should come as no surprise. It's like he's been saying from the start, "If you can't get baskets, you can't win the game."

Both Assistant Coaches Replaced

"Meanwhile, in a stunning move, it appears the AD at Norfolk State has decided to replace both of West's assistant coaches. The reasoning behind this is currently unclear. Maybe it's an attempt to get him to stay with the Spartans, or maybe to inject some new blood? The old blood did not seem to be doing too badly, but here are the new assistants.

Ron Carling
Ovr: C+
Off C
Def B-
Tea C-
Sco B-
Cha F
Dis B-
Amb A-

Cornelius Petway
Ovr: C+
Off B+
Def C+
Tea C+
Sco D
Cha C-
Dis C-
Amb A-

Update: Coach West Stuns Nation, Sticks with Norfolk State

With six figure offers coming from eager schools across the nation, Coach West once again showed that he's not cut from the standard mold: instead of climbing up the rungs of college hoops he has chosen to stay with tiny Norfolk State.

Coach West: "I would be lying if I said it wasn't temping. Reno is a great town, and Nevada has a successful squad returning some of its players who made an Elite 8 run last year. Houston is rich with tradition and plays in a great conference. TCU's AD impressed me tremendously, and they really seem to be looking to build up their basketball program. But in the end of the day, I don't feel like my work at Norfolk State is done yet. We've got a great recruiting class coming in, and I really think we're going to be able to make some noise in the coming year. I'd hate to work so hard to build these guys up, only to hand the keys over to someone else. Conference size doesn't matter to me, it's the team. And Norfolk State is the team for me."

He may have a refreshing take, but it could be fraught with risks as well. According to sources who do not wish to be identified, Coach West was not offered an extension by Norfolk State after he turned down a number of suitors -- even though West is entering the final year of his first contract. Who knows if this is because the Spartans can't afford the market rate or are waiting to see how he performs without stud player Kyle O'Quinn, but at least for this season the Spartans will be led by "The Professor."

Coaching Carousel Summary

Connecticut: Calhoun (retired), replaced by D.Carter (Nevada)
Georgia: M.Fox (fired), replaced by C. APSU (APSU)
Rutgers: M. Rice (fired), replaced by D. Wolff (Boston U.)
Virginia Tech: S. Greenburg (fired), replaced by S. Smart (Virginia Commonwealth)
Boston College: S. Donahue (fired), replaced by C. WKY (Western KY)
Virginia: T. Bennett (fired), replaced by B Williams (UC Santa Barbra)
St. John’s: S. Lavin (fired), replaced by I. Thomas (Florida Atlantic)
Tulane: E. Conroy (fired), replaced by T. Amaker (Harvard)
Houston: J. Dickey (fired), replaced by C. MORG (Morgan State)
TCU: J. Christian (fired), replaced by R. McKay (Liberty)
Nevada: D. Carter (new job), replaced by B. Radebaugh (CHSO)

Norfolk State Recruiting Update

It would appear Coach West was not lying about the recruiting haul he brought in. Not only did he bring in the school's first ever Four Star recruit, but he also managed to snag five players who appear ready to contribute right away.

Norfolk State 2012-13 Incoming Recruits
#	NAME	POS	HT	WT	CLASS	HOMETOWN
35	Jerrold Doss (75)	PF	6'7"	217	HS SR	Bristol, CT
55	Gregory Seymour (75)	PF	6'9"	235	HS SR	Annapolis, MD
33	Randal Casey (72)	PG	5'11"	170	HS SR	Virginia Beach, VA
24	Tomas Schmidt (68)	SF	6'6	237	HS SR	Stuttgart, Germany
25	Romain Hancock (68)	SF	6'8	240	JC FR	Newport News, VA

Doss and Seymour look to bolster the front line. Although neither has the size of O'Quinn, they should fit in nicely with Friend, who is entering his sophomore season. Doss is the more lauded recruit with better upside and much greater speed (although he is undersized), while Seymour seems to have already hit his ceiling. However, Seymour is a tough interior defender, something Friend is not.

Randal Casey seems to have a very similar skill set to Mihailovic with a more reliable jump shot, but as Coach West does not ask his guards to shoot as much it will be interesting to see if he can run the offense and break better than DM -- who has a knack for making some sweet passes into ridiculously tight windows. Hancock has amazing size for a Small Forward, but also has great speed to go along with it. His jump shot will need work. Meanwhile, Schmidt has a good mid-range jump shot, but will need to work on moving without the ball to create open spaces on the floor.

All in all, it looks like Coach West will be leaning on his freshmen this year -- and it will be interesting to see how they blend in with the rest of the squad.

Norfolk State 2012-2013 Schedule

And with the coming season, Norfolk State has just released its schedule for the upcoming year. It features some marquee opponents, although with all the new blood it will be interesting to see how the players react to a strong, out of conference schedule.

Coach West also wanted to point out that he has increased the difficulty to All-American and is changing to Auburnfan's sliders. I'm not entirely sure what that means. Probably that he needs to open the windows while painting the interior of his house or something.

11/6 at Alabama
11/11 vs Belmont
11/17 at Wake Forest
11/20 Blackjack Shootout B (Marist)
11/21 Blackjack Shootout B
11/28 at Winston Salem State
12/1 vs Coastal Carolina
12/5 vs Utah Valley
12/12 at Virginia Tech
12/14 at Radford
12/19 vs ULM
12/26 Jim 'N Nick's Cougar Classic (Old Dominion)
12/27 Jim 'N Nick's Cougar Classic
12/31 vs Old Dominion
1/9 vs Florida A&M
1/11 vs MD-Eastern Shore
1/16 vs Coppin State
1/18 vs Hampton
1/23 at Howard
1/25 at Bethune-Cookman
1/30 vs NC A&T
2/1 vs South Carolina State
2/6 at Morgan State
2/8 at Dealware State
2/13 at Coppin State
2/15 at Hampton
2/20 vs Howard
2/22 vs Bethune-Cookman
2/27 at NC A&T
3/1 at South Carolina State
3/4 vs Winston Salem State

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Wow, how bad did VT do for Greenberg to get canned? That sucks, but I am looking forward to you playing them next season. I'm surprised you didn't get screwed over with a ridiculously hard schedule in between conference games...that's always been the case for me in one of my closed legacies.

Good luck next season.

[HeyCoRT]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Wow! I can understand staying with such a strong recruiting class coming in. But looks like that Morgan State coach had other ideas lol. Some TOUGH early tests for your young guys at Bama and at Wake. Lets see how they respond

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Wow, how bad did VT do for Greenberg to get canned? That sucks, but I am looking forward to you playing them next season. I'm surprised you didn't get screwed over with a ridiculously hard schedule in between conference games...that's always been the case for me in one of my closed legacies.

Good luck next season.

VTech's first two seasons: 16-18 and 8-8 in ACC, 11-18, 4-12 in ACC. From bad to abysmal I guess.

And I agree with the schedule point, although I did try to change a game or two in there and it would not let me because, apparently, I can only schedule two non conference games during my conference schedule. I have to take what the CPU gives me without hope of editing it because of the late November/early December conference match up.

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Spartans Roll #12 Tide, Score a Convincing Upset

Who said new faces took time to blend into the squad? Coach West got the most out of his players as they overcame the pressure of starting the season against the defending SEC champions to defeat the Crimson Tide 73 - 63. What might be most surprising is that the Spartans were able to keep control for most of the game, regardless of Alabama's advantages both in talent and experience.

The Spartans were fast out the gate with two quick dunks by Seymour, but quickly came out to earth and the first half turned into a slug fest. The Spartans seemed to have some trouble creating open shots, but fortunately for them they were rewarded for their constant attacks on the basket.

With boos raining down throughout the game and with some fans shouting "rigged" or "robbed," the Spartans made it to the free throw line an astounding thirty times. And although Alabama did much better in executing its halfcourt offense, it could not compete with making 24 less free throws. Norfolk State set a new school record both in free throw makes (27) and consecutive free throws made by the team (17).

Two Spartans that made very significant impacts early were Seymour and Hancock. Both were far stronger than the competittion and able to create easy, hardly contested shots. Their solo acts show up plainly in the stat line, as the Spartans had a paltry 9 assists as a team.

Maybe the Spartans caught the Tide off guard or unaware, but at the end of the day their aggressive play led them to a great victory to start the season.

Nov 6, 2012 - NORF at AL
TEAM	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Norfolk State (0-0)	34	39	73
#12 Alabama (0-0)	31	32	63

Norfolk State
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
R. Casey	19	1-6	0-3	0-0	0	3	1	0	1	2
E. Cowen	18	3-7	0-0	5-6	0	2	0	0	1	11
J. Doss	19	3-10	0-0	5-5	12	1	0	1	2	11
G. Seymour	21	6-9	0-0	10-11	11	0	1	2	0	22
T. Friend	11	1-6	0-0	0-0	8	1	0	1	1	2
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
R. Hancock	20	5-7	1-1	2-2	6	0	0	1	0	13
T. Schmidt	12	0-2	0-0	4-4	2	2	1	0	2	4
D. Mihailovic	15	0-4	0-2	0-0	1	0	0	0	1	0
P. Williams	10	2-3	1-1	1-1	1	0	1	0	0	6
M. Johnson	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	1	0
J. Weathers	4	1-2	0-0	0-1	1	0	0	0	1	2
K. Brown	1	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		22-57	2-7	27-30	43	9	4	5	10	73

Alabama
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. Releford	26	3-13	2-8	0-0	1	10	3	0	2	8
L. Kann	27	10-24	2-10	0-0	2	3	2	0	1	22
T. Mitchell	23	4-5	1-1	1-2	5	0	1	1	0	10
J. Carter	16	1-6	0-0	0-0	3	1	0	1	1	2
C. Engstrom	15	2-4	0-1	0-2	7	0	0	4	0	4
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
K. Durant	17	3-12	0-3	1-2	6	3	2	1	0	7
M. Payne	16	2-4	1-2	1-1	0	2	2	0	0	6
C. Hankerson	7	1-1	0-0	0-0	2	1	0	1	0	2
B. Eblen	-- DID NOT PLAY --
A. Steele	4	1-1	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	2
A. Sanders	-- DID NOT PLAY --
J. Jack	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		27-70	6-25	3-7	27	20	10	8	4	63

Coach West: "This is a credit to the whole team. I told them to stay aggressive regardless of how nervous they felt playing on the road in a huge venue. And they delivered. They went after loose balls, they went after the basket, and they did not back down from the moment. That's all you can ask from our young guys, and I'm pleased they were rewarded for their aggressive play. They kept their composure at the charity stripe. I can't think of many situations where you lose after hitting 27/30 free throws. I had no idea we were that accurate until after the game, but I hope it stays that way. But we can't rest on our laurels. We need to keep working -- one game does not make a season, it only starts it"

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Way to hold Bama to just 7 shots at the charity stripe, that's good defense from your guys to avoid fouls. Doss and Seymour manhandled the boards, congrats on the win.

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Way to hold Bama to just 7 shots at the charity stripe, that's good defense from your guys to avoid fouls. Doss and Seymour manhandled the boards, congrats on the win.

Yeah, they seemed very happy to set up for jump shots and pass out of the post for jump shots. I was fortunate they didn't hit more, but the 3-2 proved to be very effective.

Doss and Seymour were also a very good pair in the paint. I was surprised at how ineffective Friend was. He shot poorly and fouled often. I hope that doesn't last.

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Spartan Faithful Witness Track Meet, Ians

For fans of high scoring basketball, the matchup between the veteran Belmont Bruins and the Norfolk State Spartans was a sight to behold. Both teams prioritize offense over defense, and both teams want to push the ball as much as possible. The name on everyone's mind coming into the game was Ian Clark, a fantastic shooter and distributor that keeps the Bruins running. But when he was met with moderate foul trouble, it was freshman Ian Lopez who stole the show in his stead. No matter which Ian was on the floor, the Bruins were a juggernaut that Coach West could not stop, spoiling the Spartan home opener by a wide margin: 97-80.

The story of the game might be that new faces are still bringing along the same problems that have plagued Norfolk State for years: perimeter defense. It did not matter whether they were in man to man, 3-2, 1-3-1, or any other defense, players were constantly out of position or not staying tight on the Bruin shooters. Instead, they got picked apart from the outside in and back out again, as many of Belmont's shots were uncontested.

If there is a silver lining from the loss, it is that Seymour and Doss continue to perform and Cowen and Williams proved to be capable shooters for most of the night. However, Coach West may need to reevaluate his point guard rotation. It is still early, but so far he is not getting solid production from either Casey, who looks overwhelmed running the offense at times, and Mihailovic, who is clearly despondent about coming off the bench after winning MEAC freshman of the year.

But the blame can't just go on the 1 spot. After upsetting the Crimson Tide on the road, Norfolk State laid an egg for the home crowd.

Nov 11, 2012 - BEL at NORF
TEAM	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Belmont (1-0)	50	47	97
Norfolk State (1-0)	44	36	80

Belmont
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
K. Johnson	20	6-15	1-4	2-2	0	7	2	0	4	15
I. Clark	15	6-9	2-3	1-2	1	4	2	1	0	15
J. Mann	18	6-11	2-4	4-4	9	1	0	0	0	18
T. Noack	22	3-5	0-0	2-4	7	1	2	9	1	8
C. Lang	15	2-4	0-0	0-0	3	1	2	0	0	4
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
I. Lopez	14	8-14	3-5	2-2	2	6	1	2	0	21
B. Baker	10	3-6	0-1	2-2	3	3	0	1	1	8
H. Mobley	11	1-3	0-1	0-0	4	0	0	0	0	2
T. Sigurdarson	9	3-3	0-0	0-0	0	4	0	0	2	6
S. Eldridge	-- DID NOT PLAY --
M. Carlson	-- DID NOT PLAY --
C. Bradley	15	0-0	0-0	0-0	3	1	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		38-70	8-18	13-16	32	28	9	4	8	97

Norfolk State
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
R. Casey	16	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	6	1	0	4	0
E. Cowen	20	6-14	2-3	2-2	3	4	0	1	0	16
R. Hancock	18	2-8	0-0	2-5	0	0	1	0	1	6
J. Doss	20	5-9	0-0	3-3	10	3	3	0	2	13
G. Seymour	20	9-11	0-0	4-4	8	1	1	0	3	22
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. Friend	16	4-9	0-0	0-0	7	0	0	2	2	8
T. Schmidt	7	0-1	0-0	0-2	0	0	0	0	0	0
D. Mihailovic	12	1-3	0-0	0-0	0	3	0	0	0	2
P. Williams	10	4-8	0-1	2-4	0	3	0	2	0	10
M. Johnson	3	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0
J. Weathers	3	1-1	0-0	1-2	1	0	1	0	1	3
K. Brown	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		32-64	2-5	14-22	29	21	7	5	13	80

Coach West: "I take full responsibility for this loss. It is my job to have the players prepared and ready to go, and that obviously did not happen today. I don't know if it was the excitement of playing at home, or overconfidence from beating a ranked SEC opponent. But you can't underestimate anyone in Division I. Belmont is a squad full of juniors and seniors -- a team that has been there. Hopefully our young guys can learn from this as we go forward, but for now we've got a lot of work to do."

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Which Squad Shows Up at West's Alma Mater?

For the first time in his coaching career, Coach West gets to coach against his alma mater: Wake Forest University. Reports state that he had attempted to schedule with them in prior years but that it was touch-and-go. This year West brings a talented squad to Winston Salem, but which squad? The one that stunned Alabama or the one who dropped the ball to Belmont? The answer is a bit of both, as the highly favored Demon Deacons prevailed 77-68.

At times the Spartans showed life and were able to take the basket and control the tempo of the game. This was especially apparent when they were down by 15 with five minutes to play in the first half. West got the team together in a time out and somehow found the right button to get them to push. Their inside game wasn't working, so instead they broke and went for quick jump shots. The result was some strong transition defense and 11 unanswered points to end the half.

However, there were other times where the Spartans looked out-muscled and outmatched. In the early minutes of the game, they continued to force the ball to Doss, Seymour, and Friend and them attempted to watch them make something happen. No one was assertive -- well, no one in green. Instead, the Spartans continually got their shots blocked or the ball stripped from their hands. This problem intensified in the second half when Wake Forest slowed down the tempo tremendously and created open shot after open shot for their back court. In the end, the Spartans could not keep up, especially when they would force shots or force passes moving the ball up the court.

If inconsistency is the calling card of a young team, then the Spartans are most certainly young. Then again, with their early schedule being what it is, many prognosticators would have thought Norfolk State would be 1-2 at this stage anyhow.

Nov 17, 2012 - NORF at WFU
TEAM	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Norfolk State (1-1)	44	24	68
Wake Forest (1-1)	48	28	77

Norfolk State
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
R. Casey	19	4-5	2-2	2-2	1	4	3	0	1	12
E. Cowen	18	6-12	1-4	4-4	1	0	0	0	3	17
R. Hancock	14	2-3	0-1	3-4	3	1	1	0	2	7
J. Doss	21	2-8	0-0	0-0	9	3	2	1	0	4
G. Seymour	18	1-5	0-2	2-3	7	0	0	1	1	4
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. Friend	15	3-7	1-2	0-0	2	2	1	1	2	7
T. Schmidt	14	4-5	0-0	0-0	5	0	0	0	0	8
D. Mihailovic	12	2-6	1-2	0-0	1	1	1	0	0	5
P. Williams	11	1-5	0-1	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	2
M. Johnson	2	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
J. Weathers	4	0-2	0-1	0-2	0	0	0	0	0	0
K. Brown	2	0-0	0-0	2-2	0	0	0	0	0	2
TEAM TOTALS		25-59	5-14	13-17	30	12	8	3	9	68

Wake Forest
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. Chennault	24	5-13	4-8	3-4	0	5	1	1	2	17
J. McKenzie	25	6-9	4-5	1-2	4	1	0	0	2	17
A. Stewart	25	4-4	1-1	0-0	5	4	0	1	1	9
C. Desrosiers	23	4-10	0-1	0-0	8	0	2	1	0	8
T. Brittian	20	3-10	0-2	3-4	5	3	2	2	0	9
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. McKie	12	2-5	0-2	4-9	1	2	1	1	1	8
J. terrell	12	1-6	0-1	5-6	1	0	1	0	0	7
R. Lucas	-- DID NOT PLAY --
M. Tabb	9	1-1	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	2	2
T. Reed	-- DID NOT PLAY --
T. Mbanugo	-- DID NOT PLAY --
M. Sherrod	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		26-58	9-20	16-25	26	15	7	6	8	77

Coach West: "I'm proud of the way our team was able to pull together and close out the first half. Unfortunately, we were not able to maintain the momentum, and we got out-executed in the half court offense in the second half. Not too much more to say then that. They're a strong team that was able to shut down our front court -- in the end we weren't able to keep up when we had to keep settling for jump shot after jump shot."

R: Question. Wake Forest has been struggling in recent seasons and I'm sure you've heard the speculation linking you to their possible job opening. Care to comment?

West: "Really? We're doing this today?"

R: The public will want to know -- especially with no report of you and Norfolk State reaching an extension a month into the season. How would you like to coach Wake Forest?

West: "Coaching in the ACC would be a great honor, but so is coaching in the MEAC. No further comment."

[waytofailself]

Re: The Accidental Career of Guy West (CH2k8)

Undercard Schmundercard

Norfolk State finds itself in the lower rung of the Black Jack Shootout once again. Last year they swept through the tournament without a hitch, but this year could be another story. So far the Spartans have seemed to have some trouble bringing things together, but on the other hand they have been facing some stiff competition.

Black Jack Shootout B
Norfolk State vs. Marist
W: 93-58

Notable: For the first time since West took over as coach, the Spartans did not surrender a single three point field goal. Scoring was very balanced, especially because the bench got so much time on the floor. Schmidt led all scorers with 18 points.

Black Jack Shootout B
Norfolk State vs. Vermont
W: 72-62

Notable: The game was very close for most of the first half, with Vermont taking a lead as large as 8 points. However, eventually the Spartans collected themselves and went on a 13 point swing to end the half leading by four -- their largest margin to that point. From there, the Spartans cruised to victory. Top performer was Doss with 14 points and 15 rebounds, though Cowen had an impressive shooting display finishing with 16 points and a 50% FG%.

MEAC Early Conference Showdown
Norfolk State at Winston Salem State
W: 71-53

Notable: The Spartans doubled the Ram's score at the half: 44-22. There is not much more to know than that, other than role players getting more playing time. Hancock had an especially good defensive game, shutting down WSSU's top scoring option sophomore Preston Westphall while finishing the game with 4 steals.

AP Top 25 Update

And for those of you who are interested, here are the national rankings at the end of November 2012. Needless to say, the Spartans are not represented. The season is still early and there are a number of undefeated teams -- but it looks like the Atlantic 10 is starting to encroach into the bottom of the poll as a whole. It will be interesting to see how many tourney bids the conference earns. Also note that Alabama is no longer ranked and is currently 5-3.

NCAA Hoops Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Nov 30, 2012
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	RECORD
1	2	Florida	5-0
2	3	Tennessee	6-0
3	4	Connecticut	7-0
4	1	Duke	5-2
5	6	UCLA	5-1
6	7	NC State	6-0
7	8	Syracuse	4-1
8	10	Clemson	6-0
9	9	South Carolina	5-0
10	12	Marquette	5-1
11	13	Arizona State	7-0
12	18	Texas	7-1
13	16	Illinois	7-0
14	15	Dayton	7-0
15	23	Gonzaga	7-1
16	8	Kansas	5-2
17	21	West Virginia	5-1
18	22	LSU	6-1
19	5	Villanova	5-2
20	NR	Charlotte	7-0
21	NR	Baylor	8-0
22	NR	Ole Miss	7-0
23	24	Saint Louis	6-0
24	NR	Rhode Island	5-1
25	17	Saint Joseph's	8-1