The Coaching Legacy of Milton Mackay (College Hoops 2K8)

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Re: The Coaching Legacy of Milton Mackay (College Hoops 2K8)

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Texas State balanced offense downs state rival UT Pan American, 70-60
It wasn’t exactly what Mackey had in mind, a relatively high scoring affair. But it was a victory, and that’s all that matters.

A 17-5 run to open the night for Texas State seemed to have them on the front foot against a weak opponent at home. Some things are too good to be true, though, and nothing comes easy when replacing 6 seniors. A 16-2 reply from the Broncos gave the underdog road team the lead. The normally solid Bobcats were unable to get stops, and trailed 27-25 at the half.

A 5-0 run to open the second half ballooned the lead to 7. At that point, Eddie Rios took over. The senior guard and team captain led his squad to a 10-0 run, with him scoring 8 of those points and assisting on the one bucket he didn’t score. This put Texas State briefly in the driver’s seat. His drives proved impossible for the slower UTPA guards to stay in front of.

In such a game, no one is ever truly in the driver’s seat. Pan-American proceeded to go on a 14-4 run with 5 minutes to play, as the lead changed hands again. UTPA seemed in control with a 5 point lead with 2 minutes to play.

Rios again lifted his team, hitting a huge 3 with 1:45 to play. A turnover gave the Bobcats the change to equalize, and another senior John Bowman took advantage with a post lay-up to tie the game. The last minute was a mess for both squads, as both turned the ball over and missed shots with games on the line. The game would require overtime.

The overtime was all Bobcats, as they got the final decisive run, an 8-0 to get a 10 point advantage in the overtime period and to come out on top 70-60. All five Bobcat starters scored in double figures, and freshman center Jay Modica nabbed 8 rebounds off the bench in a complete offensive effort. Ty Clark, who spurned the Bobcats for the Broncos during the summer recruiting period, scored 7 points on 1-5 shooting and 9 rebounds. It was a nice revenge for the coach to get a victory over the lost recruit, and a nice victory for a team still learning how to play together.

Texas State 70-UTPA 60
Key Bobcats
Rios 20 points
Brown 12 points
Bowman/Hinton 10 points (career highs for both)
Staff 10 points, 8 rebounds
Key Broncos
Provost 19 points
Urbanus 10 points, 5 turnovers

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Re: The Coaching Legacy of Milton Mackay (College Hoops 2K8)


Texas State All-Access: Year 2, Episode 2
It was homecoming time for Milton Mackey as he returned to where he served the first portion of his apprenticeship, at St. Louis. The Billikens were their usual solid defensive selves, holding the scores low and grinding teams into a bloody pulp. They were an A-10 favorite, and their program was (as a whole) what Mackey aspired his Texas State to be.

Mackey was slightly frustrated, the product of 41-39 loss on the road to Toledo. His team had played hard and overcome several big Toledo runs to be in the game late. They had tied the game with 3 minutes to play and then allowed Toledo to run out to a 6 point lead, largely off poor interior defense and a terrible Eddie Rios turnover. Basil Brown had drawn the game to 3 with a clutch 3 with 51 seconds left to play, and then had gotten a huge stop to give them a chance for overtime.

Rios, despite having an awful game, was the man with the ball in his hands. A high screen to him opened up a decent look, but Rios clanked it as he had clanked 6 of his 8 shots on the night. That loss brought the team to 2-2, probably reasonable given their schedule, but Mackey felt they could easily be 3-1 and have momentum.

St. Louis was not a game Mackey could realistically expect to win. His team could compete, and would because they could defend and St. Louis couldn’t score. But they were mirror images, except for St. Louis had better personal and better coaching.

Mackey received a warm reception prior to the game from some of the fans and exchanged words with several players he had coached and recruited. Majerus and him had a lengthy pre-game talk, filled with advice, warm words, and stories from their brief time apart. Majerus’ health was in rapid decline, and many wondered whether he would make it through another season. Mackey cherished the opportunity to coach against his mentor. Both returned to the bench after the talk and told their assistants, “I want to kick his butt,” in varying degrees of language.

The game was, as expected, a defensive affair. Neither team enjoyed allowing baskets and neither was good at scoring. Texas State led early 7-4, but the Billikens responded quickly to make it 10-7 SLU. That score held for much of the first half, with it being 12-12 with 4 minutes to play. St. Louis, spurred on by some Majerus yelling, would close the half on a 8-1 run, 6 of those points being scored in the final minute of the half.

“You cannot let up!!!” yelled Mackey at his team in the locker room. “We had the game tied, it was our pace, our style, and then we let them go up 7. That’s unacceptable. This is a great opponent, a great opponent. And we’re right there with them. And then we let it slip.”

Texas State got off to a fantastic start, taking a 6-0 run to make it a 1 point game early on. Majerus took timeout, lit into his team, and then watched as they went on a 9-0 run to make the game double digits. The big men, veteran Cody Ellis and freshman Jabahri Cowen and Bert Forth, were giving whoever Mackey trotted out their fits.

That 9-0 run largely ended the game and St. Louis had done what they would do for much of the season, grind their opponent into a bloody pulp. The final was 43-31, a reflection of the hard-nosed nature of both teams.

Majerus and Mackey shared a warm embrace after the game, Majerus telling his opposing number, “Your boys play great defense,” the ultimate compliment. 12 turnovers and 35% shooting doomed the Bobcats. Mackey consoled junior Cory Remekun, a player who he had been close with and who did not play, having fallen out of the rotation. He celebrated with Cody Ellis, who was enjoying a fantastic junior season. It was good to be back, even if it was for just a night.

Mackey couldn’t spend too much time in St. Louis, as his team returned to San Marcos to take on Maryland Eastern-Shore the very next night.

The Bobcats were lethargic, lazy, and tired, as they had expended a lot of energy the night before. The Hawks held a double digit lead much of the night, and when the Bobcats drew to 6 late off of Rios scoring 7 quick points, they simply held on and watched as the Bobcats ran out of gas. The final margin was 7, perhaps flattering for how the Bobcats had actually played.

Toledo 41- Texas State 38
Key Rockets
Pearson 11 points, 7-7 FT
Rickert 10 points, 6 rebounds
Buckley 9 points
Key Bobcats
Brown 7 points
Rios/Hinton/Staff Combined 4-19 shooting
St. Louis 43- Texas State 31
Key Billikens
Cowen 11 points
Ellis 10 points
Jett 8 points
Key Bobcats
Rios 8 points
UMES 55- Texas State 48
Key Hawks
Swift 13 points
Haley 13 points
Key Bobcats
Rios 18 points
Staff 10 points, 10 rebounds, 3-8 FG