Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

[Deuce2223]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

COACH DEUCE GOES BIG IN RECRUITING!!

Going into the recruiting off-season, Coach Deuce and UNC had 2 scholarship's to hand out after the graduation of SR S. Causey, however backup JR PG Ontario Dunnington also left the program after starting all 31 games as a Soph, giving Coach Deuce a 3rd scholarship.

Coach Deuce "It's never a good feeling when a player wants to leave the program. I appreciate everything Ontario did for us especially stepping up big as a starter for us 2 years ago. Even though this gives us a 3rd scholarship I still only plan on using 2 and will save this scholarship for next season"

It didn't take long for the Bears to add a new player to the mix as the Bears signed 6’10 Jose Esternkamp a 3* out of Santa Anna CA. Esternkamp is a JC FR transfer who will have a chance to learn from Atkinson and Thompson as both Juniors will retain their starting jobs.

Well Esternkamp signed in Week 1, the Bears lost out on their other potential recruit at the same time as 4* PG DJ Wilkins a local kid out of Denver Colorado rated #43 Overall and the #13 PG signed with Kansas State leaving UNC finishing #2 at 92%

Had Wilkins signed, he would've been the highest ranked recruit to sign with UNC and would've easily cracked the starting lineup.

Coach Deuce-"Yeah it's disappointing we didn't land DJ but we have a great starting 5 returning despite not getting him, so in a way it's a win for us in terms of chemistry. I really thought we had a chance but when the Wildcats offered, I knew our chances were slim"


With Wilkins now a Wildcat, Coach Deuce and the coaching staff quickly located their next target, 6’10 Nate Forte out of Louisville Kentucky.

Rated a 3* he was ranked #271 Overall and the #18 C in the class. He had walkon offers from Tennessee and Louisville but in the end took the scholarship offer giving Coach Deuce another bigman to add to the bench.

Coach Deuce-"Land Forte is huge in more ways then just his size. Obviously our bench just got a huge boost. Last year our post backups were 6'7 and 6'8 . Now we have 2 guy's at 6'10. What I love about Forte though is he has the skills to possibly be a starter on this team next season. Alan Thompson will have to work his butt off in practice to hold onto his starting spot in the post. However either way I see both Forte and Thompson getting similar minutes (22-25) with the way we like to use our 10 man rotation"

[Deuce2223]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

So now that I have decided to stay at UNC, my plan is to actually start playing more games and doing more of a tradition style recap. I still might not do a game by game recap, but will at least post the scores and top players from each game in a writeup covering the non-conference games as well as go more in depth around the Big Sky, Top-25, ect..

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

Congrats on the tourney win and the good pair of recruits you signed as well.

[Deuce2223]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

Congrats on the tourney win and the good pair of recruits you signed as well.

Thanks. I am excited. Forte comes in as my 2nd highest rate player but I think I want to keep my starting lineup the same as last year and just bring him off the bench. He will still get to start 2 years unless Atkinson leaves after this season which I doubt because he is still rated in below 80.

[thesportsguru11]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

Wow, big win on and off the court for you here. Big expectations you've set for next year. Good luck!

[pfeifere1]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

Personally, I would have given a long, hard look into Miami of Ohio....but I'm glad you stayed put for now.

Great win in the tourney, I'm looking forward to seeing you build on back to back NCAA Tournament appearances!

[Deuce2223]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

YEAR 4 PREVIEW

Coming into his 4th season as the Head Coach at UNC, excitement is at a all-time high in Greeley. Despite back to back 20+win season, a Big Sky Championship and a NCAA Tournament win, Coach Dezaron "The Deuce" and his 60-33 record is back to coach a very talented squad who has 1 goal. A Sweet 16 birth.

This isn't Coach Dezaron's only goal this season. With 4 scholarships to offer he has hopes of landing a Top-20 class including Colorado's Mr BB 6'7 SF Hubert Schaffer. Landing Schaffer will be a challenge as UNC currently is #10 on his Top-10 list at 40% and with schools like Mizz,Arizona, BYU and Colorado all in his Top-5, the likely hood he ends up in Greeley will be a tough task.

However before we get to much into possible recruits for next season let's take a look at the returning 10-man squad.

The Starters

PG-SO 6'4 T. Sylia (73 OVR/81 3PT)
"Named Big Sky FOY averaging 9.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.0 APG, well hitting 50/150 3pt (40%)"

SG-SO 6'4 W.M. Brady (69 OVR/83 3PT)
"Started all 32 games as a freshman averaging 8.9 PPG 2.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.4 SPG well hitting 57/142 3pt (40%)

SF-SO 6'4 K. Conway (76 OVR/76 3PT)
"Started all 32 games as well averaging 7.2 PPG,5.0 RPG,2.8 APG, 1.0 SPG well hitting 28/69 3pt (40%)

PF-JR 6'7 C. Atkinson (78 OVR/90 Close/79 Mid)
"The reigning Big Sky POY averaged 18.3 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 2.0 BPG hitting over 50% FG. In 2 seasons he has started 63/63 games played.

C-JR 6'10 A. Thompson (68 OVR/91 Close)
"Started just 23 games of 25 last season due to injuries but still managed to average 13.1 PPG and 5.5 RPG.

The Bench

PG-SO 6'4 F. Perry (66 OVR/77 3PT)
Averaged 2.9 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 2.1 APG well hitting 11/36 3pt (30%) last year playing in all 32 games.

SG-SR 6'0 N. Boatner (60 OVR/75 3PT)
As a Freshman he was the teams 6th man averaging 9.4 PPG, then as a Soph he started all 31 games and raised his averaged to 12.8 PPG, but then as a Junior went back to the bench and averaged 7.1 PPG last season. He is a 36% career 3pt shooter (143/394).

SF/PF-JR 6'7 K. Crenshaw (67 OVR/80 OVR)
"Started 31 games as a true freshman averaging 6.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.1 SPG but moved to the bench last season where he averaged 7.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, starting 9 of 32 games.

PF/C-SO 6'10 J. Esterkamp (67 OVR/79 Close)
"A 3* JC Transfer"

C-FR 6'10 N. Forte (74 OVR/86 Close)
"A 3* Ranked #271 Overall/#18 C in his Class, he is expected to play a big role off the bench this season backing up Atkinson and Thompson, as he looks to make it 3 years in a row in which a UNC Bear has won Big Sky FOY"


Coach Deuce "I really like the roster alot. We have a great combination of size and 5 guy's who can flat out shoot the 3pt. This works great for our offense. I would love to see Atkinson average a double double this season with 20/10 and I think he has the skills to do it."

THE SCHEDULE

11/5-vs Air Force
11/12-"Polar Bear Tip-Off Classic at Eastern Washington"
Opening Round vs IUPUI.
11/20 @ Colorado
11/24 @ LMU
11/27 @ #8 Oklahoma State

12/5 @ Stanford
12/8 vs Denver
12/14 @ Washington State
12/24 vs Hawaii
12/18 Big Sky Opener @ Montana
12/30 Big Sky Home opener vs Weber State

1/1 vs EWU
1/6 @ Sacramento State
1/9 @ Montana State
1/15 vs NAU
1/27 vs Idaho State
1/29 vs Portland State

2/3 @ EWU
2/5 @ Weber State
2/10 vs Montana State
2/12 vs Sacramento State
2/16 @ NAU
2/24 @ Portland State
2/26 @ Idaho State
3/1 Senior Night vs Montana

Coach Deuce-"I like our chances to repeat with 20 wins despite our schedule. We have some tough games especially #8 OSU, 2 games vs Pac-10 teams, and 8 of our first 11 games our on the road, but this team has proven they can win tough games"

UNC PICKED TO REPEAT AS BIG SKY CHAMPS!!

UNC (79 OVR) is picked to repeat as the Big Sky Champs and make a 3rd straight trip to the NCAA tourney, but they will face some tough competition along the way.

Montana (77 OVR) is always a tough challenge and with 3 Seniors in the starting lineup including SF L.F. Dickerson (74) as well as talented FR PF D. Evenstar (71).

NAU (76 OVR). The Lumberjacks will rely on SR SG K. Jeinke (74) and JR PG P. Thompson (73) to carry the load but if they get decent production from their 2 FR starters SF L. Arnin (65) and PF S. Buckely (67) they could surprise.

Portland State (74), Sacramento State (74), Weber State (74) all have a chance to finish anywhere from #3-#6. Look for WSU's SR SG R. Harmon (81) to make a push at Big Sky POY he is considered the conference's Best Overall and Best Pro Prospect.

Montana State (73), Idaho State (71) and EWU (70) are the bottom feeders of the conference and will have to hope they can pull off some upsets to fnish better then #7-9.

[Deuce2223]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

#1 Duke (94)
#2 Florida (90)
#3 Maryland (88)
#4 Ohio State (88)
#5 Michigan State (91)
#6 Syracuse (88)
#7 Wisconsin (90)
#8 Oklahoma State (89)
#9 USC (89)
#10 Villanova (88)
#11 UCLA (92)
#12 Texas A&M (87)
#13 Purdue (85)
#14 Kansas (87)
#15 Kentucky (87)
#16 Oregon (87)
#17 Texas (89)
#18 Louisville (88)
#19 Cincinnati (86)
#20 Georgetown (87)
#21 Arizona (90)
#22 Tennessee (91)
#23 Seton Hall (86)
#24 Iowa State (85)
#25 Texas Tech (85)

Coach Deuce-"It's interesting to see that the ACC typically considered one of the strongest conferences in college basketball has just 2 teams in the Top-25, but Duke is by far the best team this year as they have 4 1st Team-All Americans in their starting lineup. 6 teams from the Big 12 and 4 from the Big Ten show they are ready to compete with the SEC (3) and Big East (6). I am surprised to see the defending champs at #22, the Vol's have a very good starting 5 including 2 Soph's that started for them all year last season. I expect them to finish as a Top-10 team"

[pfeifere1]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

#1 Duke (94)
4 1st Team-All Americans in their starting lineup.

THAT'S INSANE!!!!!!!

[Deuce2223]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

[/CENTER]


THAT'S INSANE!!!!!!!

Yeah and their 5th starter was named to the 2nd team. Guess this was a good year to not try and knock off the #1 team in the country.

[Deuce2223]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

BEARS START SEASON WITH A "W"!!!

The Bears opened the season hosting Air Force. Tied at the half 36-36, the Bears used a solid 2nd half effort on both sides of the ball to come away with the 83-69 victory.

JR Center A. Thompson led the team with 16 pts and grabbed 6 rebs, but it was C. Atkinson who was player of the game after posting a double double of 11 pts and 10 rebs well also blocking 3 shots.

W.M. Brady (3/6 3pt) and N. Forte also added 14 pts each. As a team UNC shot 9/17 from 3pt.

Deuce "I thought it was a good way to start off the year. Cam hustled and kept the ball alive for other guy's to get involved and I thought Forte did a great job coming off the bench and giving us solid production as well. It was also good to see Brady knocking down some big shots from beyond the arc."


UP NEXT UNC TRAVELS TO CHENEY WASHINGTON AND THE CAMPUS OF EWU TO PLAY IN THE POLAR BEAR TIP-OFF CLASSIC.

[Deuce2223]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

BEARS FALL TO COUG'S IN CHAMPIONSHIP



POLAR BEAR CLASSIC

UNC opened against IUPUI and cruised to a 1st round win (90-73) as Cam Atkinson once again was POG with 27 pts 7 reb and 2 blks well W.M. Brady (5/9 3pt) and A. Thompson each scored 21 pts each.

Conway and Sylia each had a solid day of dishing as both finished with 7 assists.

In Round 2, the Bears took on the Eastern Michigan Eagles where they pulled out the 4 point victory (81-77). UNC overcame overcame 38 pts from the Eagles post (PF T. Kelly-17 pts 10 reb and C S. Sorrentine had 21 pts) using a balance attack with 4 players in double digits (Atkinson-16 pts, Forte/Conway-11 each, Brady 10 pts). As a team UNC shot 10/27 from 3pt with Brady hitting 3/8 from downtown.


In the Championship the Bears took on BYU (2-0) and played strong in the 1st half taking a 1 point lead into the locker room (49-48) despite the Cougars getting 17 pts on 3/5 3pt shooting from SF B. Crosswhite.

BYU would open the 2nd half with a 12-0 run as the Bears ran into foul trouble as both Thompson and Brady picked up early 3rd fouls. BYU would keep it's double digit lead for most of the 2nd half but with less then 2 minutes to play UNC would make 3 straight 3's to take the lead down to just 4 points, but BYU answered back with a 3pt of their own before sealing the victory at the line.

FINAL SCORE BYU-110 UNC-100

BYU's B. Crosswhite was named POG as he finished with a season/game high 32 pts hitting 5/9 from 3pt.

PG M. Works adds 23 pts and 12 assists well SF T. Camper had 18 pts 10 reb and 4 stls.

For UNC -Brady, Atkinson, Thompson and Forte all finish with 15 pts, well Sylia adds 13 pts and Conway has 11 pts.

Thompson posted a double double with a team high 11 reb well Cam Atkinson had a team high 7 turnovers.

As a team the Bears shot 12/27 from 3pt. W.M. Brady finished 5/10 all in the 2nd half ,well T. Sylia was just 3/7.


The Bears are now 3-1 and will travel to Colorado to take on the Buff's in a growing instate rivalry.

[Deuce2223]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

BEARS JUST MISS THE CENTURY MARK!!

After scoring 100 points in the loss to BYU, the Bears high scoring offensive attack was back at it again as they pick up their 4th win of the season in a 97-66 victory over Colorado

Cam Atkinson lead the way with 24 pts hitting 7/11 FG and 9/9 FT as he takes home POG honors for the 4th time this season.

N. Forte posted his best game of the season off the bench with 21 pts well the backcourt of Sylia (10 pts) and Brady (13 pts 3/4 3pt) kept the defense on spread out.

Coach Deuce "Offensively I couldn't ask for better production. Brady has been lights out from downtown well the Atkinson/Thompson/Forte have been in beast mode in the post. We are 1 bad run away from being 5-0 right now so I like the way the season is starting. LMU and OSU are both good teams so we will need to keep up our scoring attack to have chance to keep putting "W's" in the standings"

Next up UNC travels to (3-3) Loyola Marymount before heading to Stillwater to face #20 (2-1) Oklahoma State.

[Deuce2223]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

AROUND THE NATION UPDATE

The first Mid-Major Poll of the Year was released and UNC finds itself at #21. The Bears current schedule and win loss record also has them boasting a RPI of #36 in the nation.

Alot has changed on the National scene. Duke is still #1 in both polls after a 4-0 start, but Michigan State has climbed to #2 after a 6-0 start. Florida has dropped to #6 despite a 4-0 start. Defending National Champs Tennessee is off to a 5-0 start and is now in the Top-10 at #9.

On the West Coast, the Pac-10 has the nation taking notice as ASU starts out 5-0 and is now #11 in the Poll’s well Washington is also playing well going 4-1 and is sitting at #13.

USC (3-1) is #14, Arizona (6-1) is #15, Oregon (5-1) is #18 and UCLA (3-1) is #19

CHRISTMAS IS COMING EARLY!!.

UNC will host Hawaii on Christmas Eve and if both teams continue to play like they have been playing then you don't want to miss this game.

Hawaii currently leads the nation in scoring at 99 points per game (3 games) led by JR PF Slater Glass (former 4* Rated #36 Overall) who is averaging 30.7 PPG.

Joining Glass in the 30 PPG per game club so far this season is 6’9 SR L. Carlisle (Maryland) who leads the nation in scoring at 32.5 PPG and B. Ainge (Miami) 30.1 PPG

[southernmetalhead]

Re: Following in the footsteps of a Legend (CH2k8)

I'll be following. Looks like your offense is pretty potent this season. I almost went the Big Sky route myself with Sacramento State before I decided to go with Kennesaw State.