Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

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Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

#4 Texas 64 #12 Texas Southern 59
1 2 T Final Texas Southern (25-7) 25 34 59 Texas (22-9) 32 32 64	March 22, 2009 Ford Field Detroit, Michigan

Clock Strikes Midnight for Cinderella Tigers

They certainly didn't make it easy for the Longhorns, but in the end, they just didn't have enough firepower. Not having their best scorer finally caught up to the Texas Southern Tigers Sunday afternoon against a team that had a plethora of NBA talent.

With Lawrence-Danner Johnson watching from the sidelines, the Tigers could not find their shooting stroke whatsoever after putting on a clinic against UCLA. Their defense, stout for the most part all season, played excellent in the latter stages of the second half, but it simply was not enough.

Micah Flowers, the starter who was slotted in the starting lineup after Danner-Johnson's injury, shot a putrid 1-15, including 1-6 from beyond the arc. After having the game of his life against UCLA, SF Aaron Clayborn was essentially a non-factor in this one, going 2-6 from the floor and 1-5 from the 3-point arc.

The Tigers actually held a 23-18 lead at one point in the latter stages of the first half, but the Longhorns would go on a 28-4 run near the end of the first half that lasted into the beginning of the second.

It was that decisive run that essentially ended the Tigers' season. They fought valiantly, however, as they have all season and got within 3 points at 60-57 before eventually burning out.

Thus, the best season in Tigers' program history ends with their best player watching from the sidelines. It certainly was a disappointing end to a great year for the Tigers, and now the focus will shift to head coach Logan Martinez and what his future plans are.

Quick Stats:

Texas Southern

FG: 21/57
3pt FG: 3/14
FT: 14/17
Rebounds: 36
Turnovers: 13

PF Keithtrick Denson - 11 pts, 4 rebs
C Laurence Garza - 13 points, 7 rebs

Texas

FG: 28/55
3pt FG: 5/13
FT: 3/3
Rebounds: 19
Turnovers: 8

PG J'Covan Brown - 13 pts, 11 asts
SF Jordan Hamilton - 10 pts
PF DeAndre Babcock - 10 pts, 4 rebs, 3 blks

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Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET - Second Round

East Region

#1 Duke 73 vs #8 Clemson 76

#4 Texas 64 vs #12 Texas Southern 59

#3 Kansas 78 vs #6 Minnesota 73

#2 Maryland 77 vs #7 West Virginia 74


South Region

#1 Baylor 63 vs #8 Arizona State 80

#4 South Carolina 71 #5 Georgia Tech 81

#6 Oregon 86 vs #14 Iona 64

#2 Tennessee 59 vs #7 Indiana 65


Midwest Region

#1 Marquette 95 vs #9 NC State 64

#4 Pittsburgh 65 vs #5 Washington State 72

#3 Florida State 57 vs #6 Villanova 82

#2 Xavier 64 vs #10 Utah 55


West Region

#1 Florida 74 vs #8 Kentucky 75

#4 Oklahoma State 64 vs #5 Oklahoma 84

#3 Notre Dame 81 vs#6 Memphis 77

#2 Louisville 76 vs #10 Penn State 61

Second Round Analysis - So much for this being an uninteresting tourament! 3 #1 seeds went down in the second round, none more shocking than defending National Champion Duke going down to a 18-12 Clemson squad that barely got into the tournament. Baylor lost to an Arizona State team that is much better than the #8 overall seed as they have Final Four experience from last year. Star Baylor PF Perry Jones III was held to 12 points on a dismal 4-20 shooting performance. Florida lost to a very talented Kentucky squard led by stud sophomore Terrence Jones, who will surely go pro after this season.

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Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET - Sweet Sixteen

East Region

#8 Clemson 82 vs #4 Texas 79

#2 Maryland 79 vs #3 Kansas 74


South Region

#5 Georgia Tech 48 vs #8 Arizona State 51

#6 Oregon 73 vs #7 Indiana 74


Midwest Region

#1 Marquette 72 #5 Washington State 76

#2 Xavier 70 vs #6 Villanova 79


West Region

#5 Oklahoma 102 vs #8 Kentucky 90

#2 Louisville 102 vs #3 Notre Dame 73

Sweet Sixteen Analysis - Clemson continues their stunning run as they squeaked out a close W over Texas. Arizona State absolutely shuts down star SG Iman Shumpert of Georgia Tech and wins the ugliest game of the tournament. The final #1 seed goes down as #5 Washington State holds on to win in overtime. Louisville looks like the team to beat in this tournament as they dismantle a very talented Notre Dame squad.

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Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET - Elite Eight

East Region

#2 Maryland 74 vs #8 Clemson 95


South Region

#7 Indiana 55 vs #8 Arizona State 64


Midwest Region

#5 Washington State 80 vs #6 Villanova 78


West Region

#2 Louisville 100 vs #5 Oklahoma 67

Elite Eight Analysis: #8 Clemson makes it to the Final Four! What a run; They defeated the #1, #2, and #4 seed on the way there. A deep bench, along with the scoring of SG Tanner Smith, carried them through some tough competition.

#8 Arizona State continues their defensive dominance as they hold Hoosiers' star SF Christian Watford to 6 points. They don't have any stars on this team (in fact, their two highest scorers come off the bench) but they clamp down on D like nobody else.

#5 Washington State advances to the Final Four to face Pac-10 foe Arizona State. They are a senior laden bunch that gets the job done and comes up big in the clutch, as evident in their close wins this tournament against teams that are more "talented."

#2 Louisville looks like the favorite to win it all as they blow out a good Oklahoma team. The Cardinal faithful desperately wanted to meet Kentucky in the Regional Final, but the Sooners dispatched of the Wildcats before Louisville could play them. The Cardinal look unstoppable as Peyton Siva, Chris Smith, and Terrance Jennings have led this through a dominant tournament run so far. Many argue they should've been a #1 seed, but their loss to Marquette in the Big East Championship prevented that from happening. Looks like that's all the motivation they needed.

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Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET - Final Four

#2 Louisville 68 vs #8 Clemson 65

#5 Washington State 73 vs #8 Arizona State 75

Final Four Analysis - Clemson doesn't go down until the bitter end, but Louisville holds on to the win. SG Chris Smith led the Cardinals in scoring with 21 points, while PG Peyton Siva tallied 14 points and dished out 5 assists. It was Louisville first close call of the tournament, and they managed to emerge victorious.

Arizona State's defense earned them yet another victory. They forced the Cougars into shooting 18-53 from the field; the only reason Washington State was in the game was because of they got the Sun Devils in foul trouble. They hit 31 of 44 free throws, but it wasn't enough to get by Arizona State.

National Championship

#2 Louisville 86 vs #8 Arizona State 70

National Championship Analysis: The Cardinals deadly and efficient offense was simply too much for Arizona State to overcome as Louisville wins the National Championship! Peyton Siva (12 pts, 6 rebs, 6 asts), Chris Smith (18 pts, 5 rebs), Terrance Jennings (16 pts, 6 rebs) and company would not be denied as they went into the half with a 14 point lead and never looked back. They did something no other team could do in this tournament against Arizona State: they shot over 50% from the floor (29-53, 9-18 from 3).

In a battle of contrasting styles, the Louisville Cardinals emerge as the 2009 National Champions!

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Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

Awards Round-Up

National Champions: Louisville Cardinals (31-7, 12-6)

Player of the Year: PG Kyrie Irving (Duke) - 26.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6.9 apg, 1.6 spg

Mid-Major Player of the Year: SF Mike Glover (Iona) - 23.5 ppg, 13.9 rpg, 1.1 spg, 1.6 bpg

Coach of the Year: Rick Pitino (Louisville)

Defensive Player of the Year: SF Trey Thompkins (Georgia) - 18.5 ppg, 12 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.6 spg, 1.6 bpg

Big Man of the Year: PF Mouphtaou Yarou (Villanova) - 23.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 3.3 bpg

Freshman of the Year: SG Ricardo Ledo (Providence) - 18.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.6 apg



First-Team All-American

PG Kyrie Irving (Duke) - 26.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6.9 apg, 1.6 spg

SG Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh) - 26.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.5 apg

SF Mike Glover (Iona) - 23.5 ppg, 13.9 rpg, 1.1 spg, 1.6 bpg

PF Mouphtaou Yarou (Villanova) - 23.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 3.3 bpg

C Aaric Murray (La Salle) - 23.4 ppg, 10 rpg, 2.3 bpg


Second-Team All-American

PG Ben Hansbrough (Notre Dame) - 20.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.7 apg, 1.6 spg

SG Alec Burks (Colorado) - 26.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.5 spg

SF Trey Thompkins (Georgia) - 18.5 ppg, 12 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.6 spg, 1.6 bpg

PF Terrence Jones (Kentucky) - 23.9 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.3 spg, 1.5 bpg

C Kenny Frease (Xavier) - 19.7 ppg, 8.5 rpg


Freshman All-American

PG Brad Havens (Arizona) - 12.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 4 apg, 2 spg

SG Ricardo Ledo (Providence) - 18.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.6 apg

SF Fred Dumbliauskas (UNLV) - 14.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1 spg

PF Ryan Pawlak (UNLV) - 13.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.7 bpg

C Harold Riley (Ohio State) - 10.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.2 bpg

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Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

Texas Southern Tigers Season Recap 2008-2009

Overall Record: 25-8 (14-4)

PPG: 72
APG: 21.9
RPG: 32.4
FG%: 47.9
3PT%: 39.1
FT%: 72.8
SPG: 8.9
BPG: 3.2


Award Winners:

Conference Coach of the Year: Logan Martinez
Conference Player of the Year: SG Lawrence Danner-Johnson
Conference Freshman of the Year: C Laurence Garza

First-Team All-Conference:

SG Lawrence Danner-Johnson
PF Keithtrick Denson
C Laurence Garza

Freshman All-Conference:

PG Austen Mitchell
PF Damien Allen
C Laurence Garza

Texas Southern Stats - 2009
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG
Lawrence Danner-Johnson (Starter)	30	20.2	16.9	1.8	3	1.1		.6	.8
Laurence Garza (Starter)	33	18.2	10.2	9.2	1.8	.3	1.5	.9	1.8
Keithtrick Denson (Starter)	33	17.9	10.1	4.6	2.5	1.4		.8	1.1
Micah Flowers	33	16	9.5	3.1	1.6	.8	.2	.8	1
Aaron Clayborn (Starter)	33	17.1	7.8	3.2	.9	1.5	.4	.8	1
Damien Allen	33	15.7	7.4	4.7	1.8	1	.5	.8	1.3
Austen Mitchell (Starter)	33	19.4	4	1.7	6.6	1.3	.1	2.3	1.2
Nico Norris	32	11.5	3.8	1.5	1.3	.7		.5	.6
TeAllen Price	28	8.5	3.7	2.6	1	.5	.3	.5	.7
Justin Ray	33	9	.8	.5	1.8	.4		.8	.4
Mitchell Collum	4	6	1.5	1.5	1	.5	.5	.3	1

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Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

Speculation Abound as Schools Eye Texas Southern's Martinez

Soon after Texas Southern's defeat against the Texas Longhorns, coach Logan Martinez already had to field questions about whether or not he was returning to the program. After accumulating a 44-21 record in two years with the Tigers and leading the program to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, several programs , reportedly, have called Martinez to express their interest in him.

The wheels of the coaching carousel have already begun to churn as reports have indicated that Jim Calhoun will announce his retirement from the UConn program. Several sources have already noted that Gonzaga's Mark Few is UConn's top target, and it is likely they will will offer him the position once Calhoun steps down.

Several schools have already fired their coach, as Boston College's Steve Donahue, Virginia's Tony Bennett and Depaul's Oliver Purnell have already been let go, among others.

Martinez had this to say regarding his future, "Look guys, we just ended a great year here...Let's take a minute to celebrate the success this program has achieved this year and stop worrying about where I'm going and what I'll be doing next year. I'm only 27 years old, there are way more qualified coaches than myself out there that deserve the attention more than I do. Go talk to them."

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Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

Coach Martinez Press Conference

"Good afternoon, guys. As everyone knows, rumors have been running rampant as to where I will be coaching next year. As you guys have seen, it's been a tumultuous off-season for a lot of coaches.

The legendary Jim Calhoun has retired, and several big name coaches have been fired. With those firings, coaches from some of the mid-major schools have opted to move up in the ranks and take those big name jobs. Mark Few is now at UConn, Shaka Smart has taken the position at Boston College, Gregg Marshall is now at DePaul, and there are many more examples of that.

I, too, have been offered be the head coach at several top-notch programs. The headliners that have offered me are VCU and Gonzaga. Also, intriguing opportunities at UL-Lafayette, Central Michigan, Ball State, Murray State, and several others exist.

This has been a very difficult decision for me to make. The recruiting class that I have coming in this year is probably the best in Tigers' history, no offense to last year's class. The best of those recruits, Seamus Burns, looks like the next Carmelo Anthony. Even though he is only a recruit, the guy is going to be an absolute stud. I can't even imagine what him and Danner-Johnson will do next season. It's going to be fun to watch.

That's why it hurts me more than anything else I have done in my life to leave this great program. In two years, I have watched these young men grow up so fast. I set high expectations for these guys coming in, despite this school not being the most tradition rich program out there. They bought into anyway, ignoring the fact that I was some 25-year old wide eyed rookie coach from good ole' North Carolina who was just trying to fire the guys up and get them pumped to play for someone who was just as nervous as they were when I first accepted the job.

I couldn't have asked for a better bunch of guys. What they accomplished this year was truly amazing. We not only made the first NCAA Tournament in this program's history this year, we won a game against one of the most tradition-rich basketball schools in the country without our best player.

With that said, I do know where I will be coaching next season. This program is on the rise, making the NCAA Tournament last year, and is a place I know can compete with the elite schools in our nation in a few years time. I want to thank all of the Athletic Directors who have contacted me the last couple of days; I'm not a person who likes to say no at all, so to decline your offers was something that was very troubling for me.

For the foreseeable future, I will now be the head basketball coach at Virginia Commonwealth University! Go Rams!"

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

Wow, those are some big name offers right out the gate with VCU and Gonzaga! Good luck with the Rams!

[HarkTheSound]

Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

Wow, those are some big name offers right out the gate with VCU and Gonzaga! Good luck with the Rams!

Yeah, I definitely got lucky with some of these job offerings. There have been times in other legacies where I'd have to wait on a school like Gonzaga or VCU for 5, 6, or, 7 years.

When VCU opened up, there was simply no way I could pass that up, even though I loved my Texas Southern squad. The SWAC is a pretty horrible conference though and I really found playing in the Colonial to be much more appealing.

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Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

Virginia Commonwealth 2009-2010 Season Preview

Coming off two very successful seasons with the Texas Southern Tigers, expectations will be sky high for Coach Martinez and his two new assistant coaches entering this season.

VCU made the tournament last year as a #13 seed before losing to #4 seed South Carolina in the first round. Then head coach Shaka Smart has moved on to Boston College. Martinez will bring the same style with him that he instituted at Texas Southern: an efficient offensive attack that likes to play in transition but will work the shot clock in order to get off the most efficient shot possible.

Martinez was not able to hit the recruiting trail hard after he joined VCU as the Ram's two available scholarships were already used up by Coach Smart. They will see time in the rotation, but VCU returns a very experienced team. Most of the starters this year were starters last year or played significant minutes off the bench. Martinez will insert SG Rob Brandenburg in the starting lineup at the SF position because of his tree-point shooting (85). This will be VCU's biggest weakness this year as they do not have many good long distance shooters (Nobody else is above 73).

Martinez will inherit a good PG in Sophomore Denver Thomasson, who is terrific from mid-range (83) and can really pass the ball (90). Thomasson is a former *** recruit and should do well in Martinez's system. SG Iker Pleiness will man the two-guard this year after playing some at PG last year. He is the quickest player on the team. He needs to work on his jumper, but he has the speed and acceleration to get to the basket in a heartbeat.

The other component that has Martinez excited about this team is its inside game, as Juniors Javonte Reddic and DJ Haley give the Rams frontline size that is rarely seen in the mid-major ranks.

Overall, the Rams are in the top three or four in the CAA in terms of talent and will be expected to compete for a conference crown this season.

Starting Lineup:

PG Denver Thomasson, 6'0'' 165 lbs, SO (76 Overall)
SG Iker Pleiness, 6'4'' 215 lbs, JR (79 Overall)
SG Rob Brandenburg, 6'3'' 185 lbs, JR (67 Overall)
PF Javonte Reddic, 6'10'' 232 lbs, JR (70 Overall)
C DJ Haley, 7'2'' 266 lbs, JR (65 Overall)

Bench:

SF Jaason Mascoll, 6'5'' 207 lbs, JR (68 Overall)
PF Heath Houston, 6'9'' 255 lbs, JR (65 Overall)
PF Russell Skivolocke, 6'8'' 220 lbs, FR (65 Overall)
SG Darius Theus, 6'3'' 205 lbs, SR (63 Overall)
SG Troy Daniels, 6'4'' 207 lbs, SR (64 Overall)
SF Reco McCarter, 6'7'' 191 lbs, JR (62 Overall)
PF David Hinton, 6'9'' 247 lbs, SR (61 Overall)

Redshirts:

PG Shagari Penigar, 5'9'' 163 lbs, FR (64 Overall)
SG Lee Boylan, 6'4'' 218 lbs, FR (55 Overall) *


Bold Denotes Newcomers
* Denotes Walk-Ons

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Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

Colonial Athletic Association Season Preview

Old Dominion looks to be the class of the CAA has they have a trifecta of former Top 100 recuits on their rosters.

Hofstra won the regular season championship last season and would've made the tournament had they not lost to VCU in the CAA Championship game. They have three former Top 120 recruits as well.

Overall, this will be a difficult conference to win as all of the teams have their fair share of talent. The road back to the NCAAs will not be easy for Coach Martinez and his Rams.

Projected CAA Standings

1. Old Dominion (79)
2. Hofstra (78)
3. VCU (77)
4. Georgia State (75)
5. William & Mary (75)
6. UNC Wilmington (74)
7. George Mason (74)
8. Towson (74)
9. James Madison (72)
10. Northeastern (72)
11. Delaware (72)
12. Drexel (71)

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Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

2009-2010 Season Preview Show! Looks like you'll see an appearance from yours truly.

Pre-Season Top 25 Poll

1. UConn
2. Kansas
3. Duke
4. Texas
5. Louisville
6. West Virginia
7. UCLA
8. Arizona State
9. Pittsburgh
10. Villanova
11. Minnesota
12. Syracuse
13. Maryland
14. NC State
15. Georgia Tech
16. Michigan State
17. Florida
18. Iowa State
19. Marquette
20. Saint Louis
21. Tennessee
22. UNC
23. South Carolina
24. Memphis
25. Oklahoma State

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Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)

Harvard @ VCU
1 2 T Final Harvard (1-1) 19 21 40 VCU (0-0) 37 37 74	November 8, 2009 Siegel Center Richmond, Virgina

The Logan Martinez era at Virginia Commonwealth got off to a good start Sunday night as they easily defeated the Harvard Crimson 74-40.

The game was over before halftime and the Rams cruised in the second half to earn a victory in their first game of the season.

A trademark of Martinez offenses, the Rams were efficient with the basketball. They only turned the ball over 6 times, and shot 31/51 from the floor: a staggering 60.8%.

They also dominated on the boards, holding a 37 to 17 lead in the rebounding department. PF Javonte Reddic and C DJ Haley combined for 29 points (on 12-16 shooting) and 18 rebounds while Harvard's PF/C combo of Tom Hamel and Jamie Moore combined for a pultry 3 points (on 1-9 shooting) and 3 rebounds.

All in all, it was a great first appearance for the Martinez-led Rams and they will look to carry that momentum in the Paradise Jam Tournament next weekend.

Box Score:

VCU

FG: 31/51
3PT: 4/7
FT: 8/12

PG Denver Thomasson - 12 pts, 6 asts
SG Iker Pleiness - 16 pts
SG Rob Brandenburg - 10 pts, 4 rebs, 3 stls
C DJ Haley - 24 pts, 7 rebs

Harvard

FG: 15/51
3PT: 5/19
FT: 5/8

PG Brandan Curry - 8 pts
SG Chretian Webster - 8 pts
SG Laurent Rivard - 9 pts, 3 asts