Re: Career Coaching Legacy of Logan Martinez (CH2K8)
As soon as Logan Martinez saw "Xavier" flash across the screen on Selection Sunday in the 5-12 matchup with VCU Rams, he knew his team was in trouble.
The Muskeeteers would not have made the NCAA Tournament had they not gone on an outstanding run in the A-10 tournament, defeating four teams in four days, including two NCAA tournament teams in Charlotte and Saint Louis.
Xavier posseses one of the better offenses in the nation, led by SG Mark Lyons and excellent young talent in the frontcourt. In terms of sheer talent, this team was better than VCU. The only thing holding them back was a lack of experience and cohesion together as a unit. In the A-10 tournament, they seemed to find it.
VCU has been carried all season by their experience and balance, traits that helped them steamroll the CAA and finish with a 27-5 record.
In the first half of Friday's contest, VCU looked like the experienced team while Xavier seemed as if they were happy to be there. The Musketeers were content to let the Rams do whatever they wanted while VCU was on offense. It was a track meet all half, though the Rams were content with that play style as Martinez prefers his team to get up and down and score as much as possible as long as they get good shots. Against Xavier in the first half, every shot was a good shot.
The Rams took a 49-36 lead into halftime and were more than content to continue playing the same way going into the second. If Xavier wanted to quicken the pace and not play any defense, why would Martinez want to change anything?
Xavier, however, knew they had to go back to the drawing board. They still wanted to run; after all, that was how they won the A-10 tournament. Their offense thrives in transition, especially when Mark Lyons is on his game. But they started using more 1-3-1 zone as well as increasing pressure on the VCU ballhandlers in man-to-man.
The plan worked beautifully.
Suddenly, an offense that could do whatever it wanted whenever it wanted was seeing their jumpshots clank off the rim. They began turning the ball over at a rate that they hadn't done all season. The increased pressure in turn helped Xavier's offensive game, as they got out, ran, scored easy buckets and got back on defense to get back in the faces of the VCU guards.
VCU was able to maintian their lead, however, despite getting sloppy on offense. At the 4 minute mark and after PG Denver Thomasson hit a pair of free throws, VCU was still up 75-67.
That's when the madness takes over.
Xavier would score quickly on a (PG) Carl Stepp layup. Then, Mark Lyons made an outstanding play on the defensive end, snagging the ball away, and taking the ball to the rack and drawing a foul. In a flash, VCU's lead dwindled to 75-72.
VCU guard Rob Brandenburg was able to draw a foul and hit a free throw to stop the bleeding a bit. Xavier junior PF Griffin McKenzie was stuffed by C D.J. Haley, but scrapped for the ball and was able to get the put-back basket. After another defensive stop, freshman Maceo Cruz (SF), who was a menace all game long, nailed a huge mid-range jumpshot as the shot clock was winding down to tie the game at 76 with 1:40 to go.
Again, VCU was unable to answer on the other end of the floor. This time, Mark Lyons made the Rams pay after Pleiness and Brandenburg had a communication breakdown on the perimeter and they left him wide open behind the arc. Nothin' but net.
VCU was against the ropes. They had blown their halftime lead and they had no momentum going for them. How would they respond?
Ram SG Iker Pleiness had the ball at the top of the key, he was winding up for his patented pump fake from just outside the three-point arc and...the ball was stolen from him by Maceo Cruz and he was was going up for a breakaway dunk before Pleiness even whipped his head around. 81-76 Musketeers with 1:07 to go.
The crowd was going absolutely bonkers. The sixth man was on the side of Xavier. Fans at NCAA tournament games always root for the underdog, and though this win wouldn't have been a huge surprise, they wanted to see the upstart Rams crumble. And in the second half of this game, that is exactly what they were doing.
On their next possession, however, the Rams were finally able to do something right. On a possession where Xavier was in their 1-3-1, VCU was able to get an open look for Rob Brandenburg and he took advantage of the opportunity. 81-79 Xavier.
This is when the Rams needed a stop. All season, this is when they got that stop. Instead, after some very good passing, McKenzie found a hole in the VCU defense and threw down an absolute thunderous dunk on the head D.J. Haley to make it 83-79 with 35 seconds to go.
VCU tried to get the ball to Brandenburg again, but this time he wasn't able to come through as he missed a contested three. McKenzie grabbed the rebound and was fouled immediately. He stepped up in the moment, making both free throws and extending the lead to 85-79 with 24 seconds left.
Xavier continued to use their full court press that had worked so well for them all half and double-teamed VCU PG Denver Thomasson as soon as he caught the ball. Before they could tie him up, however, he was able to whip a pass to halfcourt, where Rob Brandenburg caught it and pulled up for 3. Swish. 85-82 Xavier with 17 seconds to go.
The Rams were forced to foul Xavier's Steep on the inbounds play and he nailed both free throws. 87-82 Musketeers. VCU ran down the court, called a quick play for Brandenburg to curl around a screen on the right wing and once again drilled an absolutely ridiculous contested three to make it 87-85.
The pressure was all on Xavier now. How would Steep respond? Swish. First free throw hits nothing but net. But could he do it again? CLANK. The Rams were alive!
PG Denver Thomasson raced down court as he looked up and saw 9 seconds and counting steadily down. He raced to the left wing, then handed it off to Rob Brandenburg for one last three-point attempt to tie the game. The Musketeers sent numerous players to jump and try to get a hand in his face. They knew what was coming. Brandenburg for the tie as the clock counted down…4…3…2…SWISH. You gotta be kidding me.
88-88 with a mere 2 seconds left. Xavier was shell-shocked. They didn’t even complete the in-bounds pass as they threw it to half court where Ram guard Iker Pleiness intercepted it but didn’t get a shot off in time.
Overtime. The Rams were dead and buried. The Musketeers had pulled off the 12 over 5 upset. But alas, Rob Brandenburg, who buried 4 threes in less than a minute, including 3 in the final 17 seconds, had other plans. It looked as if the Rams had all the momentum and would take this game easily with overtime looming. But Xavier did not go down. They converted an and-one on their first offensive possession after four offensive rebounds. VCU could not score, and Xavier capitalized again to quickly go up 93-88.
Yet again the Rams fought back. They eventually tied the game up once more, then would take the lead with 44 seconds left on a D.J. Haley layup. Xavier would respond as McKenzie made a preposterous hook shot over the long arms of the 7’2’’ Haley to tie the game with 35 seconds left. VCU’s ball, and the outcome of the game was in their control.
They milked they clock till it was under 10 seconds, then Thomasson bounced the ball to Brandenburg as he came off a screen on the left wing for a mid-range pull up. Clank! Xavier’s Mark Lyons rebounded the ball, raced to halfcourt, and chucked an improbable halfcourt shot reminiscent of the Gordan Hayward half court heave against Duke a few years ago in the title game. It bounced off the glass and rim, as the crowd let out an exasperated “oooooh.” Double Overtime.
Martinez gave his front court players a rest to begin the period, and the bench players responded in a huge way. PF Heath Houston made a sweet layup of a pick and roll play, and PF Russell Skivolocke nailed a cluth mid-range jumpshot from just inside the three-point arc. Mark Lyons wasn’t about to let his team go down without a fight, though. He made another clutch jumper with his foot on the three-point line to tie it at 108 with 1:46 to go.
VCU would get the ball to D.J. Haley in the post on their next possession and he would be fouled on a layup attempt. Not known as a very good free throw shooter, Haley showed his clutch gene and hit both.
Xavier failed to score on their next possession, and VCU got the ball back with a chance to kill the clock. They missed their initial shot, but they were able to come up with the offensive rebound and SG Iker Pleiness was inexplicably fouled with 9 seconds left on the shot clock after it had reset. 21 seconds were left on the game clock. All Xavier had to do was wait and play defense and see if they could get a stop, but they made a huge mistake by reaching in.
Pleiness made the Musketeers pay by making both. Xavier responded quickly, however, and is able to score on an easy bucket in the paint. They then foul VCU’s Denver Thomasson, a 90% free throw shooter. Thomasson, who has been reliable in the clutch all season, clanks the first. With the pressure mounting and all eyes on him, he went up for his second attempt. Swoosh. 11.6 to go, VCU is up 113-110.
Xavier could either score quickly and play the foul game longer or go for the three and the tie. They went for the tie. The Musketeers put the ball in the hands of Mark Lyons (who else), to bail them out. He caught the ball and launched it with a silky smooth shooting stroke…2…1…CLANG.
VCU’s D.J. Haley came down with the rebound and was fouled with .7 seconds to go. He missed both free throws, but it didn’t matter as Xavier didn’t even have time to get a shot off. Game. Over. 113-110 final in double overtime. VCU advances to face the winner of the Saint Louis and UT-Martin matchup. Come tournament time, it truly is all about “survive and advance,” eh?
NCAA Tournament Round 1
Howard C. Gentry Complex
3/19/10
Howard C. Gentry Complex
3/19/10
The Muskeeteers would not have made the NCAA Tournament had they not gone on an outstanding run in the A-10 tournament, defeating four teams in four days, including two NCAA tournament teams in Charlotte and Saint Louis.
Xavier posseses one of the better offenses in the nation, led by SG Mark Lyons and excellent young talent in the frontcourt. In terms of sheer talent, this team was better than VCU. The only thing holding them back was a lack of experience and cohesion together as a unit. In the A-10 tournament, they seemed to find it.
VCU has been carried all season by their experience and balance, traits that helped them steamroll the CAA and finish with a 27-5 record.
In the first half of Friday's contest, VCU looked like the experienced team while Xavier seemed as if they were happy to be there. The Musketeers were content to let the Rams do whatever they wanted while VCU was on offense. It was a track meet all half, though the Rams were content with that play style as Martinez prefers his team to get up and down and score as much as possible as long as they get good shots. Against Xavier in the first half, every shot was a good shot.
The Rams took a 49-36 lead into halftime and were more than content to continue playing the same way going into the second. If Xavier wanted to quicken the pace and not play any defense, why would Martinez want to change anything?
Xavier, however, knew they had to go back to the drawing board. They still wanted to run; after all, that was how they won the A-10 tournament. Their offense thrives in transition, especially when Mark Lyons is on his game. But they started using more 1-3-1 zone as well as increasing pressure on the VCU ballhandlers in man-to-man.
The plan worked beautifully.
Suddenly, an offense that could do whatever it wanted whenever it wanted was seeing their jumpshots clank off the rim. They began turning the ball over at a rate that they hadn't done all season. The increased pressure in turn helped Xavier's offensive game, as they got out, ran, scored easy buckets and got back on defense to get back in the faces of the VCU guards.
VCU was able to maintian their lead, however, despite getting sloppy on offense. At the 4 minute mark and after PG Denver Thomasson hit a pair of free throws, VCU was still up 75-67.
That's when the madness takes over.
Xavier would score quickly on a (PG) Carl Stepp layup. Then, Mark Lyons made an outstanding play on the defensive end, snagging the ball away, and taking the ball to the rack and drawing a foul. In a flash, VCU's lead dwindled to 75-72.
VCU guard Rob Brandenburg was able to draw a foul and hit a free throw to stop the bleeding a bit. Xavier junior PF Griffin McKenzie was stuffed by C D.J. Haley, but scrapped for the ball and was able to get the put-back basket. After another defensive stop, freshman Maceo Cruz (SF), who was a menace all game long, nailed a huge mid-range jumpshot as the shot clock was winding down to tie the game at 76 with 1:40 to go.
Again, VCU was unable to answer on the other end of the floor. This time, Mark Lyons made the Rams pay after Pleiness and Brandenburg had a communication breakdown on the perimeter and they left him wide open behind the arc. Nothin' but net.
VCU was against the ropes. They had blown their halftime lead and they had no momentum going for them. How would they respond?
Ram SG Iker Pleiness had the ball at the top of the key, he was winding up for his patented pump fake from just outside the three-point arc and...the ball was stolen from him by Maceo Cruz and he was was going up for a breakaway dunk before Pleiness even whipped his head around. 81-76 Musketeers with 1:07 to go.
The crowd was going absolutely bonkers. The sixth man was on the side of Xavier. Fans at NCAA tournament games always root for the underdog, and though this win wouldn't have been a huge surprise, they wanted to see the upstart Rams crumble. And in the second half of this game, that is exactly what they were doing.
On their next possession, however, the Rams were finally able to do something right. On a possession where Xavier was in their 1-3-1, VCU was able to get an open look for Rob Brandenburg and he took advantage of the opportunity. 81-79 Xavier.
This is when the Rams needed a stop. All season, this is when they got that stop. Instead, after some very good passing, McKenzie found a hole in the VCU defense and threw down an absolute thunderous dunk on the head D.J. Haley to make it 83-79 with 35 seconds to go.
VCU tried to get the ball to Brandenburg again, but this time he wasn't able to come through as he missed a contested three. McKenzie grabbed the rebound and was fouled immediately. He stepped up in the moment, making both free throws and extending the lead to 85-79 with 24 seconds left.
Xavier continued to use their full court press that had worked so well for them all half and double-teamed VCU PG Denver Thomasson as soon as he caught the ball. Before they could tie him up, however, he was able to whip a pass to halfcourt, where Rob Brandenburg caught it and pulled up for 3. Swish. 85-82 Xavier with 17 seconds to go.
The Rams were forced to foul Xavier's Steep on the inbounds play and he nailed both free throws. 87-82 Musketeers. VCU ran down the court, called a quick play for Brandenburg to curl around a screen on the right wing and once again drilled an absolutely ridiculous contested three to make it 87-85.
The pressure was all on Xavier now. How would Steep respond? Swish. First free throw hits nothing but net. But could he do it again? CLANK. The Rams were alive!
PG Denver Thomasson raced down court as he looked up and saw 9 seconds and counting steadily down. He raced to the left wing, then handed it off to Rob Brandenburg for one last three-point attempt to tie the game. The Musketeers sent numerous players to jump and try to get a hand in his face. They knew what was coming. Brandenburg for the tie as the clock counted down…4…3…2…SWISH. You gotta be kidding me.
88-88 with a mere 2 seconds left. Xavier was shell-shocked. They didn’t even complete the in-bounds pass as they threw it to half court where Ram guard Iker Pleiness intercepted it but didn’t get a shot off in time.
Overtime. The Rams were dead and buried. The Musketeers had pulled off the 12 over 5 upset. But alas, Rob Brandenburg, who buried 4 threes in less than a minute, including 3 in the final 17 seconds, had other plans. It looked as if the Rams had all the momentum and would take this game easily with overtime looming. But Xavier did not go down. They converted an and-one on their first offensive possession after four offensive rebounds. VCU could not score, and Xavier capitalized again to quickly go up 93-88.
Yet again the Rams fought back. They eventually tied the game up once more, then would take the lead with 44 seconds left on a D.J. Haley layup. Xavier would respond as McKenzie made a preposterous hook shot over the long arms of the 7’2’’ Haley to tie the game with 35 seconds left. VCU’s ball, and the outcome of the game was in their control.
They milked they clock till it was under 10 seconds, then Thomasson bounced the ball to Brandenburg as he came off a screen on the left wing for a mid-range pull up. Clank! Xavier’s Mark Lyons rebounded the ball, raced to halfcourt, and chucked an improbable halfcourt shot reminiscent of the Gordan Hayward half court heave against Duke a few years ago in the title game. It bounced off the glass and rim, as the crowd let out an exasperated “oooooh.” Double Overtime.
Martinez gave his front court players a rest to begin the period, and the bench players responded in a huge way. PF Heath Houston made a sweet layup of a pick and roll play, and PF Russell Skivolocke nailed a cluth mid-range jumpshot from just inside the three-point arc. Mark Lyons wasn’t about to let his team go down without a fight, though. He made another clutch jumper with his foot on the three-point line to tie it at 108 with 1:46 to go.
VCU would get the ball to D.J. Haley in the post on their next possession and he would be fouled on a layup attempt. Not known as a very good free throw shooter, Haley showed his clutch gene and hit both.
Xavier failed to score on their next possession, and VCU got the ball back with a chance to kill the clock. They missed their initial shot, but they were able to come up with the offensive rebound and SG Iker Pleiness was inexplicably fouled with 9 seconds left on the shot clock after it had reset. 21 seconds were left on the game clock. All Xavier had to do was wait and play defense and see if they could get a stop, but they made a huge mistake by reaching in.
Pleiness made the Musketeers pay by making both. Xavier responded quickly, however, and is able to score on an easy bucket in the paint. They then foul VCU’s Denver Thomasson, a 90% free throw shooter. Thomasson, who has been reliable in the clutch all season, clanks the first. With the pressure mounting and all eyes on him, he went up for his second attempt. Swoosh. 11.6 to go, VCU is up 113-110.
Xavier could either score quickly and play the foul game longer or go for the three and the tie. They went for the tie. The Musketeers put the ball in the hands of Mark Lyons (who else), to bail them out. He caught the ball and launched it with a silky smooth shooting stroke…2…1…CLANG.
VCU’s D.J. Haley came down with the rebound and was fouled with .7 seconds to go. He missed both free throws, but it didn’t matter as Xavier didn’t even have time to get a shot off. Game. Over. 113-110 final in double overtime. VCU advances to face the winner of the Saint Louis and UT-Martin matchup. Come tournament time, it truly is all about “survive and advance,” eh?
| Xavier Musketeers at Virginia Commonwealth Rams | ||||
| Mar 19, 2010 | 1ST | 2ND | OT | SCORE |
| #12 Xavier (21-13) | 36 | 52 | 22 | 110 |
| #5 Virginia Commonwealth (28-5) | 49 | 39 | 25 | 113 |
| Xavier Musketeers | ||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
| C. Stepp | 32 | 3-7 | 1-2 | 3-4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| M. Lyons | 30 | 7-13 | 1-3 | 4-4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 19 |
| M. Cruz | 30 | 7-10 | 2-4 | 3-3 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 19 |
| G. McKenzie | 19 | 6-13 | 0-0 | 4-6 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
| D. Warner | 34 | 6-10 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
| T. Hobbs | 9 | 4-7 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| J. Canty | 10 | 2-8 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| J. Martin | 4 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| B. Redford | 7 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| T. Taylor | 16 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| J. Robinson | 10 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 43-81 | 8-17 | 16-23 | 33 | 26 | 12 | 3 | 16 | 110 | |
| Virginia Commonwealth Rams | ||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
| D. Thomasson | 32 | 3-5 | 1-1 | 3-4 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| R. Brandenburg | 30 | 10-17 | 8-14 | 1-2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 29 |
| I. Pleiness | 29 | 6-13 | 1-2 | 8-8 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 21 |
| J. Reddic | 29 | 6-9 | 0-0 | 7-7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 19 |
| D.J. Haley | 30 | 5-7 | 0-0 | 3-6 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
| J. Mascoll | 14 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| R. Skivolocke | 7 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| H. Houston | 15 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| D. Theus | 4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Daniels | 11 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| TEAM TOTALS | 39-70 | 11-19 | 24-29 | 28 | 30 | 15 | 5 | 13 | 113 | |
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