What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

[VandyRedskins21]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

AROUND THE NCAA

NCAA Hoops Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Jan 13, 2015
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	RECORD
1	1	Texas	14-1
2	2	Duke	12-3
3	5	Ohio State	13-2
4	10	Kentucky	13-2
5	3	North Carolina	15-3
6	4	Gonzaga (#1 Mid-Major)	14-3
7	6	Western Kentucky (#2 Mid-Major)	14-2
8	7	Vanderbilt	15-3
9	8	Washington	13-4
10	16	Cincinnati	17-1
11	15	Indiana	13-2
12	19	Louisville	13-4
13	9	West Virginia	9-5
14	11	Arkansas	15-3
15	20	Creighton (#3 Mid-Major)	13-3
16	13	Michigan State	9-5
17	22	Texas A&M	11-2
18	25	Saint Joseph's	14-2
19	23	Witchita State (#4 Mid-Major)	12-3
20	UR	California	13-4
21	UR	Clemson	15-3
22	UR	Kansas	11-5
23	24	Minnesota	11-5
24	14	Temple	10-3
25	17	Purdue	12-3

[VandyRedskins21]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

AROUND THE IVY LEAGUE

Ivy League Conference Standings - Updated: Jan 13, 2015
TEAM	REC	PCT	CONF	GB
Yale Bulldogs	9-5	.642	0-0
Brown Bears	10-7	.588	0-0
Columbia Lions	8-7	.533	0-0
Cornell Big Red	6-6	.500	0-0
Princeton Tigers	8-10	.444	2-0
Dartmouth Big Green	2-12	.142	0-0
Penn Quakers	1-11	.083	0-2
Harvard Crimson	0-14	.000	0-0

NCAA Basketball Leaders - Updated: Jan 15, 2013
Points Per Game	PPG	Rebounds Per Game	RPG
1. Bobby Garbade (Sr) - Princeton	22.1	1. Joey Wheless (So) - Brown	8.0
2. Deion Giddens (Sr) - Cornell	19.9	2. Tanoris Len Bullicer (So) - Columbia	6.5
3. Galal Cancar (Sr) - Cornell	16.3	3. A.C. Badu (Fr) - Brown	6.4
4. Tanoris Len Bullicer (So) - Columbia	14.0	4. Deion Giddens (Sr) - Cornell	6.4
5. Joey Wheless (So) - Brown	13.6	5. Izik Bozeman (So) - Brown	6.3
Assists Per Game	APG	Three Pointers Made (3pt %)	3pt (3pt%)
1. Daymond Ravello (Jr) - Brown	4.9	1. Bobby Garbade (Sr) - Princeton	41 (.366)
2. Devin Cherry (Sr) - Cornell	4.1	2. Galal Cancar (Sr) - Cornell	38 (.441)
3. Clay Wilson (Sr) - Princeton	4.1	3. Christian Gore (Sr) - Brown	36 (.371)
4. Dau Jok (Sr) - Penn	3.5	4. Taylor Wright (Sr) - Brown	35 (.454)
5. Armani Cotton (Sr) - Yale	3.5	5. Tyrone Johnson (Jr) - Princeton	27 (.457)

Coach Rogers take on the Ivy League: "It should be a competitive league. There are a few teams who we are excited to go up against but we are still the favorites. We upgraded our already championship team and we believe we have the tools necessary to run the table this season."

[VandyRedskins21]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

A LOOK AT THE BROWN BEARS

Brown Bears 2014-15 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Nov 3	at St. Bonaventure (82)	Lost, 87-52
Nov 8	vs North Carolina A&T (69)	Won, 84-55
Nov 9	vs Cleveland State (80)	Won, 88-69
Nov 13	at Drexel (82)	Won, 88-85
Nov 17	at Central Florida (82)	Won, 92-83
Nov 18	at Marquette (88)	Lost, 93-91
Nov 22	at Cincinnati (84)	Lost, 88-83
Nov 25	vs New Hampshire (75)	Won, 96-64
Nov 30	vs Monmonuth (76)	Lost, 77-68
Dec 4	at West Virginia (88)	Lost, 90-87
Dec 6	vs Wagner (72)	Won, 82-32
Dec 11	vs Morehead State (77)	Won, 82-63
Dec 16	at Northeastern (77)	Won, 85-70
Dec 21	at Wisconsin (87)	Lost, 78-76
Dec 30	at Vanderbilt (87)	Lost, 86-78
Jan 2	vs Bucknell (79)	Won, 82-68
Jan 5	vs Davidson (71)	Won, 71-45
Jan 15	at Columbia (73)
Jan 22	vs Columbia (73)
Jan 28	at Cornell (77)
Jan 29	at Harvard (67)
Feb 4	vs Yale (77)
Feb 5	vs Darthmouth (68)
Feb 11	at Penn (70)
Feb 12	at Princeton (72)
Feb 18	vs Harvard (67)
Feb 19	vs Cornell (77)
Feb 25	vs Princeton (72)
Feb 26	vs Penn (70)
Mar 4	at Darthmouth (68)
Mar 5	at Yale (77)

Brown Bears Stats - 2014-15
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG
(C) Joey Wheless (So)	14	22.3	13.6	8.0	1.8	0.9	1.0	1.3	1.4
(PF/C) A.C. Badu (Fr)	17	23.8	12.9	6.4	2.1	0.7	0.8	1.2	1.6
(SF) Taylor Wright (Sr)	17	24.8	12.2	3.6	2.2	1.1	0.2	0.9	1.9
(C) Izik Bozeman (So)	17	17.8	10.3	6.3	1.1	1.0	0.6	0.5	1.0
(SG) Christian Gore (Sr)	17	24.2	8.5	2.6	1.8	0.8	0.2	1.5	1.1
(PG) Daymond Ravello (Jr)	17	26.8	7.8	1.4	4.9	1.4	0.2	1.8	2.1
(PF) Robert Maia (Sr)	17	15.3	4.8	3.7	0.8	0.6	0.2	0.4	1.1
(SG) Andriel Carlisle (Fr)	17	11.5	4.3	1.4	0.3	0.4	0.0	0.4	0.3
(SF) Jermaine Maclies (So)	17	14.7	2.8	1.8	1.6	0.4	0.2	0.8	1.0
(PG) Joe Sharkey (Sr)	17	13.6	2.6	1.0	2.8	0.4	0.0	0.7	0.6
(PF) Jon Schmidt (Sr)	12	6.3	1.7	2.2	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.4
(SG) Gabe Riddle (So)	17	4.9	1.1	0.3	0.6	0.1	0.0	0.2	0.2
(SG) Diondre Richardson (Fr)	2	1.5	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0

*Miscellaneous Stats

Joey Wheless - FG%: .606
A.C. Badu - FG%: .604
Taylor Wright 3pt made: 35 (45%)
Andriel Carlisle 3pt made: 19 (42%)
Christian Gore 3pt made: 36 (37%)

[VandyRedskins21]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

@

BEARS OPEN CONFERENCE STRONG

New York, NY: Brown heard some feedback after their head coach claimed they could "run the table." They backed up those words beating a tough Columbia team in their house 70-61.

"For the first ten minutes, we really dominated. We were up by like 16 or something." said coach Rogers, "They really fought us tough and pushed us to the limit."

The Lions cut the lead all the way to 2 until senior guard Christian Gore hit a 3 with about 3 minutes left.

"That 3 Christian was the clincher I think. Columbia was never able to get it within one possession after that."

It was obvious that the Bears really missed their star big man Joey Wheless as they got out-rebounded 29-25.

"I can't wait for him to get back and I think everyone on our team is excited too. Right now it looks like he will be back around 3 weeks from now. Until then we are going to have fight hard and everyone will need to continue to step up while he is out."

Brown Bears at Columbia Lions
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Brown 11-7 (1-0)	36	34	70
Columbia 8-8 (0-1)	28	33	61

Brown Bears
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Daymond Ravello (Jr)	28	3-4	2-2	0-0	1	7	3	0	1	8
Christian Gore (Sr)	29	4-11	3-9	0-0	1	0	1	0	3	11
Taylor Wright (Sr)	28	5-11	4-8	1-2	1	5	1	2	0	15
A.C. Badu (Fr)	27	4-7	0-0	3-5	3	2	1	1	2	11
Izik Bozeman (So)	22	5-10	0-0	0-0	6	1	0	3	1	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
(F) Jermaine Maclies (So)	12	1-1	0-0	0-0	2	0	1	1	1	2
(G) Joe Sharkey (Sr)	12	1-2	1-2	0-0	0	3	0	0	0	3
(F) Jon Schmidt (Sr)	10	3-3	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	6
(G) Andriel Carlisle (Fr)	11	0-3	0-2	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	0
(F) Robert Maia (Sr)	21	2-3	0-0	0-0	7	0	0	0	0	4
(G) Gabe Riddle (So)	-- DID NOT PLAY --
(G) Diondre Richardson (Fr)	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		28-55	10-23	4-7	25	18	7	7	8	70

Columbia Lions
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Noah Springwater (Sr)	30	1-6	0-4	0-0	2	6	0	0	0	2
Darius Stevens (Sr)	29	6-15	2-6	0-0	5	1	1	0	1	14
Samer Ozier (Sr)	18	5-11	1-2	0-0	1	1	2	0	2	11
Tanoris Len Bullicer (So)	23	2-3	0-0	4-4	2	2	2	0	0	8
Cory Osetkowski (Sr)	28	3-10	0-1	0-0	4	1	0	1	0	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
(F) Travis Pippen (Jr)	17	2-4	0-0	2-2	5	1	0	1	1	6
(F) Alex Rosenberg (Sr)	12	4-5	0-0	2-2	4	0	0	1	1	10
TEAM TOTALS		24-63	4-22	9-10	29	16	6	3	7	61

[baccVols]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

Brown is playing well. keep it up!!!!!

[VandyRedskins21]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

Hey I'm just letting you guys know that I'm officially shutting down this dynasty thread. I just lost interest in doing the write-ups. I had a lot of fun over the last couple of years doing the write-ups and talking to y'all about my Bears!

I am still playing my legacy and finished this season that I was in the middle of. I ended up winning the conference again (I went 11-3 in conference, 22-10 overall) and got a 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament. We beat BYU by about 10 which was the not only an amazing upset, but it was the first win against a ranked opponent in this legacy! We ended up losing in the second round but had an amazing year.

In the offseason, there were teams that came calling and I decided to go to Ball State in the Mid-American Conference! We are currently 3-4 and will hopefully have a very good conference season.

Thanks everyone who took the time to read and comment! It's been a ton of fun. I'll hopefully start following all the other CHoops legacy threads on here again! Have a good new years everyone.

[superjames1992]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

Hey I'm just letting you guys know that I'm officially shutting down this dynasty thread. I just lost interest in doing the write-ups. I had a lot of fun over the last couple of years doing the write-ups and talking to y'all about my Bears!

I am still playing my legacy and finished this season that I was in the middle of. I ended up winning the conference again (I went 11-3 in conference, 22-10 overall) and got a 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament. We beat BYU by about 10 which was the not only an amazing upset, but it was the first win against a ranked opponent in this legacy! We ended up losing in the second round but had an amazing year.

In the offseason, there were teams that came calling and I decided to go to Ball State in the Mid-American Conference! We are currently 3-4 and will hopefully have a very good conference season.

Thanks everyone who took the time to read and comment! It's been a ton of fun. I'll hopefully start following all the other CHoops legacy threads on here again! Have a good new years everyone.

Just caught up with this and I'm sad to see it end.

It was fun, though.

[delija66]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

... You'll be back!

[VandyRedskins21]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

... You'll be back!

Yea I'm starting to think that I will get back into posting in the thread. I'm only a couple of seasons ahead of where I left off so it wouldn't be too big of a deal.

If I do start this back up, it will be in about a month when I come back home for the summer. So be on the lookout everyone

[msuspartan40]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

Man how does everyone make those fake espn things? Like the box scores, schedules, rankings, etc.

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

Man how does everyone make those fake espn things? Like the box scores, schedules, rankings, etc.

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...te-thread.html

[VandyRedskins21]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

I'm not resurrecting the thread but I do want to give an update on how my time at Ball State has been going.

2015-16: The first season at Ball State was a very frustrating one. I had a team with no real talent outside of a couple of freshman power forwards and wing players. I ended up the season finishing 9-19. But I had an outstanding recruiting class. If I remember right it was a top 15 class that included 3 4* guards and a 3* big man who by the end of his career started every game but one.

2016-17: This season we started to build some momentum in the program. We had an early exit in the conference tournament but went 19-9. Once again we had an amazing recruiting class bringing in 3 4*s and a 3*. It was clear that even though we did not make the tournament this season, the program was on a huge upswing.

2017-18: This season had a lot of parallels to the third season with Brown. At Brown in my third season, we brought enough talent in to compete with the top of the conference. Same thing happened here. For the first time since joining Ball State, I had a complete rotation filled with guys I was confident in. It immediately showed and we went 23-8 (14-2). Once again we got bounced early in the conference tournament but still made the NCAA tournament as an 8th seed. We destroyed Arkansas in the first round 93-67 but lost to the eventual champs (USC) in the next round. But it was an obvious step in the right direction. Once again we had a solid recruiting class (1 4*, 2 3*) and we only lost one player of significance.

2018-19: This was the season where we made a real statement. My first recruiting class were returning juniors and for the first time I really felt confident in the team that was built. We ended up 27-9 (14-2) but this time we walked right through the conference tournament winning 3 games by an average of 20 points. We made the tournament as a 9 seed and just like the season before, we won our first game, but then lost to the eventual champs (Duke this time). Duke was a 97 ovr and was honestly one of the best teams I have ever seen on this game. They were overwhelmingly good. But it was a very successful season and I felt like we proved that we were the cream of the crop in the MAC and that we were here to stay. Once again we recruited very well gaining another 4* and a couple of 3*s. We ended up redshirting both 3*s but the 4* turned out to be tied for the highest rated freshman the next season (84).

2019-20: That brings us to this season. This is the first season that I have had in this whole legacy that I have coached a team where all my players are guys that I have recruited. This is also the highest rated team that I have coached in this legacy (88). Across the board, we have players at every position who are good. We have very solid and consistent point guard play. We have about 4 or 5 very good wing players who can all put the ball in the basket. And at the post position, we are very deep and also very dominant. We have a lot of experience and fresh young talent. We start 3 seniors, a junior, and a freshman. Currently I am in the NCAA tournament. In conference play we went 15-1 and lost the only game to a shot in the final seconds. We won our other 15 games by a range of 8-46 points. In the conference championship we won by 59 points.

In the NCAA tournament, we grabbed a 5 seed! Unfortunately, the committee hates us and put DUKE as a 4 seed. They were ranked 7th in the country going into Selection Sunday. We beat #12 Colorado in the first round handily which put us against Duke again. Just like last season, they were an amazing team (96 ovr). The difference this season was that I felt that we had the advantage down low. Our backcourt was able to stay on par with the infamous Coach K backcourt and our post players were able to outplay their's. Somehow we pulled out the win 79-71 and we made it to our first ever Sweet 16!!!! We are now matched up against #1 seed Gonzaga in hopes for an Elite 8 bid. I'll keep y'all updated!

[baccVols]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

I'm not resurrecting the thread but I do want to give an update on how my time at Ball State has been going.

2015-16: The first season at Ball State was a very frustrating one. I had a team with no real talent outside of a couple of freshman power forwards and wing players. I ended up the season finishing 9-19. But I had an outstanding recruiting class. If I remember right it was a top 15 class that included 3 4* guards and a 3* big man who by the end of his career started every game but one.

2016-17: This season we started to build some momentum in the program. We had an early exit in the conference tournament but went 19-9. Once again we had an amazing recruiting class bringing in 3 4*s and a 3*. It was clear that even though we did not make the tournament this season, the program was on a huge upswing.

2017-18: This season had a lot of parallels to the third season with Brown. At Brown in my third season, we brought enough talent in to compete with the top of the conference. Same thing happened here. For the first time since joining Ball State, I had a complete rotation filled with guys I was confident in. It immediately showed and we went 23-8 (14-2). Once again we got bounced early in the conference tournament but still made the NCAA tournament as an 8th seed. We destroyed Arkansas in the first round 93-67 but lost to the eventual champs (USC) in the next round. But it was an obvious step in the right direction. Once again we had a solid recruiting class (1 4*, 2 3*) and we only lost one player of significance.

2018-19: This was the season where we made a real statement. My first recruiting class were returning juniors and for the first time I really felt confident in the team that was built. We ended up 27-9 (14-2) but this time we walked right through the conference tournament winning 3 games by an average of 20 points. We made the tournament as a 9 seed and just like the season before, we won our first game, but then lost to the eventual champs (Duke this time). Duke was a 97 ovr and was honestly one of the best teams I have ever seen on this game. They were overwhelmingly good. But it was a very successful season and I felt like we proved that we were the cream of the crop in the MAC and that we were here to stay. Once again we recruited very well gaining another 4* and a couple of 3*s. We ended up redshirting both 3*s but the 4* turned out to be tied for the highest rated freshman the next season (84).

2019-20: That brings us to this season. This is the first season that I have had in this whole legacy that I have coached a team where all my players are guys that I have recruited. This is also the highest rated team that I have coached in this legacy (88). Across the board, we have players at every position who are good. We have very solid and consistent point guard play. We have about 4 or 5 very good wing players who can all put the ball in the basket. And at the post position, we are very deep and also very dominant. We have a lot of experience and fresh young talent. We start 3 seniors, a junior, and a freshman. Currently I am in the NCAA tournament. In conference play we went 15-1 and lost the only game to a shot in the final seconds. We won our other 15 games by a range of 8-46 points. In the conference championship we won by 59 points.

In the NCAA tournament, we grabbed a 5 seed! Unfortunately, the committee hates us and put DUKE as a 4 seed. They were ranked 7th in the country going into Selection Sunday. We beat #12 Colorado in the first round handily which put us against Duke again. Just like last season, they were an amazing team (96 ovr). The difference this season was that I felt that we had the advantage down low. Our backcourt was able to stay on par with the infamous Coach K backcourt and our post players were able to outplay their's. Somehow we pulled out the win 79-71 and we made it to our first ever Sweet 16!!!! We are now matched up against #1 seed Gonzaga in hopes for an Elite 8 bid. I'll keep y'all updated!

wow, ive played at least 40 season on this game and never made it past sweet 16. im pulling her for Ball st

[VandyRedskins21]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

wow, ive played at least 40 season on this game and never made it past sweet 16. im pulling her for Ball st

Well we ended up losing a heart breaker to Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 94-83. Just couldn't get the stops necessary in the second half to win the game. The Zags went on to lose in the championship game by 1 to Kansas.

As for my Ball State Cardinals, we had our best recruiting year to date. It was my first ever top 10 recruiting class! We signed the first 5* player in this legacy. He is a PG. We also signed 3 4* players (2 SG, 1 PF)!

It is now the 2020-21 season and we have a very talented team (89 OVR rating). We are currently 11-4 (2-1). I honestly think we could make another run at the sweet 16. I'm thinking about starting the write-ups again. Even though it is the middle of the season, I think it would be fun to start doing these again.

[VandyRedskins21]

Re: What can Brown do for you? (CH2k8)

THE STAR PRESS

HOW COACH ROGERS GOT HERE

1/12/21 - Muncie, IA: It is 8:00 A.M. and it has only been 12 hours since Ball State's win against Western Michigan 84-75. Coach Rogers did not leave his office until 1:00 A.M. and here he is back in his office again.

"I don't sleep during the season. Especially during conference play," said Rogers, "I've been here since around 6 and I was running a little bit behind."

This is the kind of dedication that got Colby Rogers, 48, to this point in his career. He started his coaching career all the way back in college when he was a student manager on Vanderbilt's basketball team. Jan Van Breda Kolff was the head coach when a then young Colby was a senior. Breda Kolff kept Rogers on as a grad assistant.

"I started out as a video coordinator after I graduated at Vandy. It was a great experience and I learned a lot about the game just by watching so much film. I would spend a ton of times in a dark room that was probably more like the dungeons at Hogwarts than a room but it was great," reminisced Rogers, "I enjoyed every second of it. I eventually got more responsibilities under coach Bread Kolff and eventually became the director of video operations."

Then in 1999 Breda Kolff left to go out west to Pepperdine and coach Rogers followed him. Now in his mid-20s, Colby Rogers was living his dream.

"I loved that time out west. I was still director of video ops and I was loving it. I was still watching a ton of film and doing what I loved. We went to the tournament that first year there and it was amazing. I was young, doing what I loved, and traveling around the country. Also I was living on the beach. Not bad at all."

Then in 2001 Jim Baron, former coach at St. Francis and St. Bonaventure became the head coach for the Rhode Island Rams. Breda Kolff and Baron knew each other from way back and Breda Kolff strongly recommended Colby Rogers as an assistant.

"Colby was really interested in the job," said a now retired Breda Kolff, "It was a chance for him to become an assistant coach on a D-1 staff. We had a really solid staff at Pepperdine and we just didn't have a spot to promoted Colby at the time. But I tell you, the kid deserved to be an assistant already. He was very knowledgeable about the game of basketball and was a dedicated worker."

"It was easy to bring Colby onto the staff at Rhode Island," said Jim Baron, "It took all of one interview for me to realize that the kid had a lot of potential. We brought him on right away."

At this point, Colby Rogers was not much of a kid anymore. He was 28 years old and handling a lot of responsibility for Rhode Island.

"When I joined the staff at Rhode Island, I was given a lot of recruiting responsibility. It was my first taste of what it was like to recruit at that level. It helped prepare me for recruiting as a head coach today."

After 2 years as the assistant head coach at Rhode Island, coach Rogers made an interesting move. He decided to start coaching at the AAU level.

"I was at a point in my life where I wanted a little change in scenery," said Rogers, "I wanted to develop younger players. I've always had a passion with working with kids and it was the perfect opportunity."

He became the head coach of the 17U Rhode Island Hawks AAU team. This is where coach Rogers would consider home for the next 8 years. It was also what he considers the most stable time of his life.

"It was a time where I decided to get into teaching and coaching at a high school level. I decided to coach AAU instead of high school because of the hours it would consume to coach and teach. I had just started a family and did not want to travel as much during that time. This way I could still coach in the summer, develop players, and get to teach which is something I always wanted to do."

After 8 years coaching and developing players at the AAU level, Colby Rogers got a phone call.

"I remember it like it was yesterday. Michael Goldberger, then Athletic Director at Brown gave me a call. We had met while I was an assistant at Rhode Island and we had always had a relationship in the ten or so years that we lived in Rhode Island. He called to tell me that Jesse Agel, the head coach for Brown at the time had been fired and they were interested in me coming in and taking the job."

"It was an easy decision for me," said Goldberger, "I had always had a lot of respect for Colby and he was very good everywhere he went going all the way back to Vanderbilt. He came from a place where academics and athletics were equally important and understood what it would mean to coach at an IVY school. Even though it was at the AAU level, he was developing a lot of very good players, including a player who was on the team at the time. We interviewed quite a few people for the job but I don't think there was ever any doubt that we were going to take anyone else."

However, new head coach Colby Rogers did not find immediate success at Brown.

"The first couple of seasons were a struggle for sure. We inherited a struggling team and we had to work with what we had. To those kids credit, even though we were not winning for those first two years, they work their tails off. They showed the kids we were recruiting exactly what it meant to be on this team. They were great examples on and off the floor."

Then in the second season there was a little bit of controversy following Rogers. A story came out by Jay Bilas that essentially claimed Rogers was mistreating his players.

"That was just a situation where a small thing got out of hand real quick. Never did I say I wanted to leave the school and never said anything to the players that would be considered demeaning. Still there was a lesson to be learned. I learned that everything you would do as a coach would be scrutinized and that everyone was held to a higher level of accountability."

At the end of the season there were rumblings that Colby Rogers was not going to be able to keep his job with the poor record and the rumors surrounding his program.

"I was assured by the new AD Jack Hayes that I was not going anywhere and that my job was safe. It meant a lot from someone who was new to the department had my back 100%."

Then things started to look up for coach Rogers. It was his first time to show that he was up to the task when it came to recruiting in the IVY League. The first season Brown only had one scholarship so nobody knew yet how talented of a recruiter Rogers was. Then the letters of intent came in. Even though they had a lackluster season resulting in just 7 wins, Rogers was able to snag what was considered at the time to be the best recruiting class in Brown basketball history.

"We were able to sign some really good players that year that I like to think helped turn the program around," smiled Rogers, "We signed Jermaine Maclies who was a 4* forward. We also got a behemoth down low in Joey Wheless. We were in desperate need for some solid post play and getting him helped a lot. We also found a diamond in the rough with Izik Bozeman. He was only a 2* big man but was very talented."

That year they won the conference and made their first ever NCAA tournament appearance. Then they went and signed another 4* recruit. A.C. Badu.

"Badu was a beast man. Just a straight beast. I don't care what school I'm coaching, I want that kid on my team. The same went for Wheless honestly. Those two down low were a force to be reckoned with especially in the IVY League. We surrounded those guys with some good shooting in the backcourt which made for an amazing season."

That next season, and eventually his last at Brown, proved to be very successful.

"We just had a really good team. The trio of big guys: Wheless, Badu and Bozeman were dominant down low. Then in the backcourt we had a lot of experience with upperclassmen like Ravello, Gore, Wright, and Sharkey. We just had a really solid core."

Brown not only won their second straight conference championship, they won their first tournament game against BYU.

"That upset win against a really good BYU team was an amazing feeling. It was a really good way to end an amazing time in Rhode Island, a place I called home for over a decade."

After losing their next game to Arkansas, Athletic Director for Brown Jack Hayes started getting some phone calls.

"We started getting some phone calls including some from a couple of mid-major schools," recalled Hayes, "I remember telling Colby that I fully supported whatever decision he decided to make."

"It was a really tough decision and I say that with complete honesty," said Rogers, "We had everything we wanted at Brown. We as a family liked where we were living. Brown was very good to us during our 4 years there and our kids loved their schools. Also we were going to have a really solid team returning and that meant a lot. Job security is really hard to come by in this business knowing you will have a good team is really important. But in the end, Ball State felt like a really good fit for our family and even though we knew that there were risks involved, we decided to take the offer."

Then coach Rogers came here to Muncie, Indiana. The first season proved troubling for Rogers. They stumbled there way into a 9-17 record. There were also rumors that there were some disgruntled players in the locker room.

"There were a couple of players who felt like they deserved more playing time then they were getting. They were promised more with the coach that signed them and when I came in, it kind of shook things up. At the end of the season those guys decided to transfer."

Those players, Lubor Dillard and Prosper Minoff did a lot more for coach Rogers and Ball State than they probably realized at the time. With transferring, it opened up a couple of scholarships for coach Rogers. With those scholarships, Rogers grabbed 3 4* recruits and 3* big man.

"Those guys we brought in were great all four years they were here. It also set the tone for the kind of guys we were expecting to bring in from there on out."

Over the next 4 years, Rogers continued to recruit at a high level and the team was performing at a high level on the court. Ball State won 2 conference championships, went to the tournament 3 times, and last season made a Sweet 16 appearance.

Now here we are. It is 8:00 A.M. the day after a tough conference win. Coach left the office only about 7 hours ago and he is has been back at it reviewing film of the game and for the next game for the past couple of hours. It is a testament of all the hard work he has been putting in since his time as a student manager at Vanderbilt. This Ball State team is as talented as we have seen here in Muncie, Indiana and the expectations are high. This could be the year where something magical could happen. And coach Rogers seems to be up for the task and prepared to make that magical run.