The Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

[RussellBird]

The Legacy of Russell Bird



Play Mode: Simulation

Difficulty: All-Conference

Half Length: 14 Minutes

Sim Half Length: 20 Minutes

Sliders: mkharsh33 with slight adjustments
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Maine Hires Russell Bird as Head Coach

Orano, ME - In the early morning hours, students and fans of Maine awoke to shocking news. A man with the last name of Bird had been hired to coach their team. In their minds, there was only one bird. Larry Bird was believed to have been the man hired for the job. A quick glance at the newspaper once again made them sigh. It was not Larry Bird who had been hired, but a high school coach from Iowa with the name of Russell Bird. A relative unknown, not many people knew anything about Coach Bird. They were in Maine. How would they know anything about a man who has spent the entirety of his life in Iowa?

Russell Bird, a graduate of Drake University, was also shocked by the offer. In his first year of coaching high school basketball, the then 24 year old managed to lead his team to their first state championship. One year after that event, and he has suddenly been thrust into a head coaching job in Maine. At first, Bird believed the call to be a hoax. Especially since he had only briefly heard of the school. "It was about seven in the morning when I received the call. In my current state, my mind wasn't comprehending what the man on the other end was saying. I thought he was talking about selling some some time share in Maine."

Fortunately, Bird realized his mistake and quickly accepted the offer. "Who wouldn't want to coach college basketball? It was my life when I was much younger, though I was never good enough to truly be good. In high school, I learned that I had a decent ability to coach. An occasional game or two was won due to the coach listening to my plans. Never did I expect to be coaching in college. I'm still trying to get over that fact. Still trying to figure out why they were scouting out some high school coach in Iowa, honestly."

Bird answered a few question in a press conference. The most notable being his plans during his stay at Montana State. "I plan to take this team to the tournament. Win some conference titles. You know, everything that any typical coach would want. I believe this group of kids can do anything."

Russell Bird will be replacing 8th year coach Ted Woodward. Over his tenure at Maine, Coach Woodward has acquired an 81-125 record. His best season was in 2009 when he coached the Black Bears to a 19-10 season and a third place finish in the conference. Maine wishes all the best in Ted Woodward's future endeavors in the world of coaching.

[RussellBird]

Re: The Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

Season One

Spoiler

Russell Bird Coaching Record:
Overall Record: 2-1 (0-0)
Conference Championships:
NIT Tournament Appearances:
NCAA Tournament Appearances:
NCAA Tournament Record:
Final Four Appearances:
National Championships:
Season-by-Season Record
2012-2013 - Maine: 2-1 (0-0)

[RussellBird]

Re: The Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

Maine 2012-13 PREVIEW

Maine Black Bears 2012/13 Roster
#	NAME	POS	HT	WT	CLASS	HOMETOWN
12	Xavier Pollard (68)	PG	6'3	190	SO	Bronx, NY
14	Justin Edwards (76)	SG	6'2	185	SO	Toronto, CN
13	Leon Cooper, JR. (55)	SG	6'2	170	SO	Bahamas
5	Zarko Valjaervic (60)	SG	6'4	210	SO	Serbia
1	Jon McAllain (52)	SG	6'6	195	SR	Portland, ME
23	Killian Cato (59)	SF	6'7	225	SO	Finland
3	Jon Mesghna (62)	SF	6'6	205	JR	Germany
25	Till Gloger (58)	PF	6'8	220	FR	Germany
33	Ethan Mackey (58)	PF	6'7	220	FR	Vestal, NY
44	Mike Allison (65)	PF	6'9	215	SR	Ottawa, CN
15	Alasadir Fraser (77)	PF	6'7	235	JR	England

Bold denotes starters.

Starting Five
PG: Xavier Pollard
SG: Justin Edwards
SF: Jon Mesghna
PF: Alasadair Fraser
C: Mike Allison

First Five Games
11/5 - Richmond [2K Sports College Hoops Classic B]
11/17 - Saint Francis [NY]
11/20 - @ Quinnipiac
11/24 - Northeastern
11/27 - @ Providence
Italicized denotes neutral arena games

America East Preseason Conference Standings
1. Bostin University
2. Hartford
3. Maine
4. UMBC
5. New Hampshire
6. Stony Brook
7. Vermont
8. Albany
9. Binghamton

[RussellBird]

Re: The Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

After a team change, I'm finally ready to start this thing. Expect the first game put up today! Also, it seems like I'm going to need a translator. Just look at all those international players!

[RussellBird]

Re: The Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

Maine Starts Bird Era Off Right With Exciting Victory


@

Memphis, Tennessee - Despite eleven fouls, Maine managed to start the season off right with a victory over Richmond in the 2K Sports Classic 77-76. While the game was very close, Maine managed to lead 17-2 early on in the game. Obviously, that lead didn't steak as Richmond stormed back to nearly defeated the Black Bears. It was not a game that many predicted Maine to win, especially with first year coach Russell Bird. Earlier on in the week, Bird had some words on his philosophy. To him, defense wasn't a major part of the team. He was big on players who could shoot the ball. Anyone on the court should be able to make points under his philosophy.

And that coaching scheme seemingly paid off in Maine's victory. Nearly every player scored a point, and a shot was taken by each player. Richmond's defense did not know quite how to respond to the many different shooters on the team. There is a set back to having great shooters, and the defense will suffer because. From the amount of fouls the Black Bears accumulated, it can been seen that the team doesn't know how to correctly defend someone. A vast majority of Richmond's shots came from the charity stripe, and it wasn't due to poor officiating. While a few calls seemed bad, the Maine defenders were just too aggressive. Luckily, Maine was able to match every point Richmond made.

In the final two minutes, Maine managed to erase an eight point deficit. The defending and poor shot selection had led to a huge Richmond run. But with the help of Mesghna and Fraser, Maine was able to storm back. Fraser would be fouled with 35 seconds left in the game to give Maine their lead back. Richmond would take that lead back with a mere 3.1 seconds left to go in the game. Maine would very much need a miracle to win. Edwards would receive an inbound pass and quickly toss it to Pollard. Mike Allison was currently streaking down court against a full court press. Only a short point guard stood in his. With one full court throw, Allison would find the ball in his hands with barely a second to go. Just as the ball left his hands, the buzzer went off. The ball would find itself going through the basket for Maine first win of the season.

Maine Black Bears at Richmond Spiders
Nov 5, 2012	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Maine (0-0)	40	37	77
Richmond (0-0)	39	37	76

Maine Black Bears
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
X. Pollard	22	1-4	0-2	0-0	3	6	1	0	0	2
J. Edwards	20	4-6	2-3	0-0	1	0	1	0	1	10
J. Mesghna	21	7-16	2-6	0-0	2	2	0	0	0	16
A. Fraser	20	5-6	0-0	4-4	6	5	0	0	0	14
M. Allison	19	5-5	0-0	0-0	8	2	1	0	1	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Z. Valjarevic	14	5-13	4-8	3-3	0	0	0	0	1	17
T. Gloger	10	2-4	0-0	0-2	0	2	1	1	0	4
E. Mackey	7	1-1	0-0	0-2	3	1	0	0	0	2
K. Cato	5	1-3	0-0	0-0	1	1	0	0	2	2
S. Lawton	2	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		31/59 (53%)	8/19 (42%)	7/11 (64%)	25	19	4	1	5	77

Richmond Spiders
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
D. Brothers	16	3-5	0-2	0-0	1	2	0	0	0	1
K. Anthony	24	1-6	0-1	3-4	0	4	2	1	0	2
G. Robbins	21	0-4	0-2	4-4	7	2	1	0	2	4
L. Piotrowski	16	7-10	2-4	2-2	5	0	1	2	0	18
D. Williams	21	4-8	0-0	3-4	9	1	0	1	0	11
TEAM TOTALS		29/59 (51%)	3/12 (25%)	15/17 (89%)	27	12	4	3	6	76

Coach's Corner - I have every reason to be proud of this team. It was an amazing game from start to finish. Sure, a few of you fans who came out to see me may have noticed me screaming from time to time. Expect that a lot from me. I've always been a very vocal coach, and I have no intentions of changing that. To me, it seems to inspire those around me. People don't want to hear me ranting and raving, so they'll play better to stop me from doing so. That last minute was the most excited I've ever been coaching. Down by eight, then giving it all we've got. Though, I don't think I can handle having close games every week. I may be 25, but I'm not going to be surprised if I gave grey hairs before too long.

Each week, I plan on announcing a player of the game. This weeks player of the game is Alasadair Fraser for his effort on offensive and defense. It seemed like very play that he was giving it all, so he deserves the honor of being my first player of the game. I'm hoping that he continues to play like this all season. I'm going to work on our free throw shooting this week. No adjustments will be made to our defense, despite letting Richmond back in the game and all of those fouls.

Our next opponent in the College Hoops Classic was announced. We will be playing #7 Memphis. This will be a tough one, so, for all you fans in Memphis, try your hardest to out-cheer the Tigers' crowd. We will give it our all, and, hopefully, we'll come out with an upset!

Go Bears!

[RussellBird]

Re: The Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

Memphis Overwhelmed, Maine Scores Big in Huge Upset


@

Memphis, Tennessee - Can it really be called an upset if the favorite loses by 20? In a game that Memphis was favored in, they completely fell apart. Not a single fan in the crowd expected the Tigers to lose to Maine, especially by so much. Some Maine fans knew they had somewhat of a shot, though they had nearly been defeated a day ago by Richmond. Yet, it seemed as if Memphis had overlooked their opponents. Had not seen them as a good team, despite their past win over Richmond. It was the case of overconfidence causing a loss.

When looking at the stats, it's easy to see why Memphis was dominated. Outrebounded and turning the ball over more than ten times, they truly had no chance. They never looked quite right against Maine. While the Tigers are a much more athletic team, they certainly don't have a height advantage. In fact, Mike Allison is taller than the entirety of Memphis's starting five. In the end, it would be that dominating frontcourt of Mesghna, Fraser, and Allison would ultimately lead the Black Bears to one of the biggest wins in school history. Certainly, Memphis will look to stop the turnovers that plagued them during this game.

Maine, on the otherhand, is beginning to look like an excellent team. Despite Coach Bird's lack of love for the defensive side of the game, they actually stopped Memphis several times. Sure, they made shots, but Maine's defense managed to get turnovers. Instead of going back on the defensive after missing a shot, they are advised to go after offensive rebounds. Which is something Memphis neglected to do and was another reason why Maine came out with a huge loss. All in all, this game will prove that Coach Bird and Maine could do some excellent things this season. They'll just need to look like the team that beat Memphis and not the team that beat Richmond to continue their winning streak. Who knows? We could very well be seeing Maine in March for the first time ever.

Maine Black Bears at Memphis Tigers
Nov 6, 2012	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Maine (1-0)	43	38	81
#7 Memphis (1-0)	33	28	61

Maine Black Bears
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
X. Pollard	24	1-3	0-1	2-2	1	1	0	0	3	4
J. Edwards	22	6-10	2-3	1-2	1	2	1	0	2	15
J. Mesghna	19	6-11	2-4	5-5	4	3	4	0	1	19
A. Fraser	18	8-11	0-0	0-0	10	3	2	0	3	16
M. Allison	19	3-9	0-0	2-5	8	0	2	3	0	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T. Gloger	11	3-4	0-0	1-2	3	3	3	0	0	7
Z. Valjarevic	8	2-4	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	3
K. Cato	7	2-3	1-2	1-2	1	1	0	0	0	6
E. Mackey	7	1-3	0-1	0-2	0	0	1	0	0	2
S. Lawton	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		32/59 (54%)	5/12 (42%)	12/20 (60%)	28	13	13	3	9	81

Memphis Tigers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
J. Jackson	24	2-5	1-3	0-0	0	8	5	1	5	5
C. Crawford	22	6-15	3-7	0-0	0	2	0	1	1	15
D. Wilson	19	3-5	0-0	3-4	0	2	0	1	4	9
A. Thomas	23	4-6	0-0	0-0	5	2	0	0	2	8
T. Black	18	2-4	0-0	2-2	4	0	0	1	0	6
TEAM TOTALS		25/50 (50%)	4/11 (37%)	7/10 (70%)	18	19	8	5	15	61

Coach's Corner - This win is exactly what I want to see every week. No stress, just complete and utter domination. Nothing better than an upset over top ten team. There wasn't a single media outlet predicting a win for our team. We're out to prove that the Black Bears have turned a new leaf. Gone our the days of us losing. Winning is the only thing I can see in our future. I have the upmost confidence in my team. They are an amazing group of kids, and this is the type of performance I expect every week. They know that, and they way they trained the morning before the game proved that. This will be the year of our first NCAA tournament appearance. And you can quote me on that.

Alasadair Fraser once again claims player of the game. This tall 6'7 kid out of England is a terrific player. Definitely underrated. If he constantly puts up performances like this, there's not a team we can beat. While he is a bit undersized, he certainly doesn't look like he is out on the court. He's usually the first one in there fighting for the rebound. He also has an excellent shot around the basket, and Memphis certainly found that out today. I have a feeling he'll be winning this accolade many teams throughout the year. Though, that's not saying we don't have plenty of talented athletes here. Anyone can win the award. They all have the skill to.

Since we are the first team to advance in the Sports Classic, we do not know our opponent as of now. All I can tell you is that we will be playing in Madison Square Garden on November 15. So, please, come out and show your Black Bears some love. Let's keep this streak going!

Go Bears!

[RussellBird]

Re: The Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

2K Sports College Hoops Classic

Group A

San Francisco 69 vs. Oklahoma 80
Grambling 76 vs. Denver 71

Group A Finals

Grambling 56 vs. Oklahoma 91

Group A Third Place

Denver 89 vs. San Francisco 77

Group B

Tennessee-Martin 77 vs. #7 Memphis 92
Maine 77 vs. Richmond 76

Group B Finals

Maine 81 vs. #7 Memphis 61

Group B Third Place

Richmond 88 vs. Tennessee Martin 64

Group C

Central Arkansas 57 vs. #11 Kentucky 76
Alabama A&M 72 vs. Gardner-Webb 59

Group C Finals

Alabama A&M 47 vs. #11 Kentucky 82

Group C Third Place

Gardner-Webb 68 vs. Central Arkansas 81

Group D

Morgan State 74 vs. Connecticut 75
Longwood 58 vs. Buffalo 60

Group D Finals

Buffalo 62 vs. Connecticut 65

Group D Third Place

Longwood 55 vs. Morgan State 76

College Hoops Classic Finals

Maine vs. Oklahoma
Connecticut vs. #11 Kentucky

[RussellBird]

Re: The Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

Poor Perimeter Shooting Leads to Maine Defeat


@

New York City, NY - Shooting a horrendous 14% from behind the line, Maine could not overcome the odds once again. Despite a late run, Oklahoma managed to hold off the Black Bears. Yet, despite the loss, Maine has a lot to be proud of. During the run, they managed to make it out of the group stages of the tournament. No one gave them a shot against Memphis. Playing in Madison Square Garden in your first year is a huge accomplishment, even if Maine doesn't exactly see it as one. Their 2K classic hopes may come to an end today, but it surely put a few people on notice. Maine is ready to hit the big time and can compete with the big boys.

Yet, Coach Bird and his players will likely have a sick feeling in their stomach for weeks to come. The game had been firmly in their grasp early, as they quickly went out to a near twenty point lead. Unfortunately, the offense and defense began to completely collapse. Oklahoma had stormed back to take the lead by halftime. That first half downfall seems to be a common occurrence. While it did not happen against Memphis, Richmond managed to capitalize on the overconfidence of the Black Bears and nearly defeat them. It had ended in victory for Maine due to an impressive game winning layup at the very end. Once again, Maine would have a chance to win it late.

Unfortunately, luck was not on their side. Trailing by just three points for a majority of the second half, small forward Jon Mesghna would drain a three pointer with 26.8 seconds left to tie it up. On the ensuing possession, Oklahoma would dwindle the clock to just over 7 seconds. Maine guard Edwards would make a costly mistake, as his hand would come in contact with an Oklahoma ballhandler to give them two shots at the line. Oklahoma would hit both free throws to give Oklahoma the lead once again. Mesghna would go for a quick layup and get fouled. Once again, Maine had been given another shot to tie the game and force it into overtime. Mesghna, who had been dominate all game long, would miss both free throws thus ending Maine's chances at victory. Oklahoma would get fouled and make one free throw to secure the win. For the first time all year, Maine came up short in the final seconds of the game.

Maine Black Bears at Oklahoma Sooners
Nov 15, 2012	1ST	2ND	SCORE
Maine (2-0)	36	33	69
Oklahoma (3-0)	38	34	72

Maine Black Bears
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
X. Pollard	21	1-5	0-0	0-0	3	5	1	0	2	2
J. Edwards	20	3-9	0-4	4-4	1	2	0	0	1	10
J. Mesghna	18	10-15	2-4	3-5	1	0	3	0	0	25
A. Fraser	21	2-5	0-0	3-4	12	2	1	0	4	7
M. Allison	18	3-7	0-0	2-3	3	2	0	2	0	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
K. Cato	10	3-8	0-3	1-2	2	0	0	0	1	7
T. Gloger	9	2-2	0-0	0-0	5	2	0	0	0	4
Z. Valjarevic	8	1-3	0-2	0-0	2	1	0	0	0	2
E. Mackey	8	1-1	0-0	0-0	3	0	1	0	2	2
S. Lawton	8	1-1	0-0	0-1	0	4	1	0	0	2
L. Cooper, Jr.	2	0-1	0-1	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		27-57 (47%)	2-14 (14%)	13-19 (68%)	33	18	7	2	10	69

Oklahoma Sooners
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
S. Groomes	24	6-11	1-1	2-3	4	12	2	0	3	15
S. Pledger	21	5-13	0-3	0-0	4	2	1	0	1	10
A. M'Baye	22	4-6	0-0	2-2	7	0	0	1	2	10
R. Osby	19	3-10	0-2	2-4	7	0	1	0	0	8
A. Fitzgerald	19	8-11	0-0	2-4	11	2	3	0	1	18
TEAM TOTALS		31-66 (47%)	1-8 (13%)	9-17 (53%)	37	20	9	1	7	72

Coach's Corner - I'm sure most of you noticed my quick exit into the locker room after those Oklahoma free throws to seal the win. Honestly, I just couldn't watch them. We were so close to winning. I'm not even sure how Jon missed those free throws. In fact, he hadn't missed a single one all game. It's just not what I expected at the end. Believe me, I was ready for overtime once Jon was sent to the line. Nerves must have gotten to him, as he's a fairly good free throw shooter. Not taking anything away from Oklahoma, they have an amazing group of kids, but I think we should be the ones heading into that final game against Kentucky. This is the kind of game that makes you hate coaching. Seeing the look of disappointment on your players' faces. Not a thrilling sight.

Obviously, our player of the game has to be Jon Mesghna. While he missed those free throws at the end, he had a heck of game. I don't want that ending to ruin a perfectly good game. Anyone could have been on the line at that time. It just happened to be Jon, unfortunately. He took it hardest of all. That loss was not his fault. At all. Everyone gave it their all, but our luck had just run out. No one expected us to go this far, though. After dominating Memphis, we had our eyes on the prize. But fate just did not want us in that title game. I wish Oklahoma the best in their championship game against Kentucky. It should be an entertaining one.

Now, we turn to our next opponent, which happens to be a childhood favorite of mine. The Connecticut Huskies will meet us in Madison Square Garden for the third place game. It's going to be interesting coaching against the great Jim Calhoun's replacement. He was a coach that I looked up to when I was much younger. Though, I have full confidence in my team's chances against UConn. They're a great program, but I feel that our kids will be looking to prove themselves. I expect a great game. Not one that anyone should miss! So, as always, come out and cheer for your Black Bears!

Go Bears!

[RussellBird]

Re: The Legacy of Coach Bird [CH 2K8]

Apologies for the lack of updates recently. Class has been keeping me way too busy. Playing the UConn game right now. There'll be an update today!