the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

[the red c]

Hello all and welcome to my take at a closed coaching legacy on College Hoops. I've always wanted to climb the ranks of the college basketball world and make it from the small leagues to the big leagues. A couple of things to note on this legacy:

- I'll be using rspence's sliders with 18 minute halves

- I play a "no-swith" rule on defense - control one player throughout the entire possession

- I plan on playing around half the games each season. This way I can move along at a decent pace and still feel involved with the direction of the team's success

- For games I play I plan on reporting them in a short and sweet format. Less is more for me

- On games I sim it'll just be some key stats

Hats off to the guys who can play every game of every season - I think that is an incredible feat. I sadly would not have the patience for that. Anyways, that's about it. Let's see what the young Phil Mariner can accomplish

[the red c]

Re: the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

reserved 1

[the red c]

Re: the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

reserved 2

[the red c]

Re: the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

reserved 3

[the red c]

Re: the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

Kennesaw State Owls Hire Twenty-Nine Year Old Phil Mariner As New Head Coach

Phil Mariner will get his first head coaching opportunity in Kennesaw, GA. Mariner coached in the high school ranks for four years in GA, leading his team to two state appearances and one state championship. After the state title it was a no-brainer to move up to the college game.

'07-'08 Kennesaw State Owls
SG #5 - 6'4" 185 lbs - 72 OVR - SR
PF #1 - 6'7" 220 lbs - 70 OVR - RS SR
SF #24 - 6'4" 205 lbs - 63 OVR - RS SO
PF #12 - 6'9" 240 lbs - 63 OVR - JR - Transfer - ineligible this season
SG #21 - 6'5" 185 lbs - 63 OVR - RS JR
SG #23 - 6'4" 190 lbs - 61 OVR - JR
PF #33 - 6'7" 220 lbs - 59 OVR - FR
PG #4 - 6'1" 170 lbs - 57 OVR - RS SO
PF 30 - 6'6" 230 lbs - 57 OVR - SO
SF #22 - 6'5" lbs - 54 OVR - SO
C #44 - 6'11" lbs - 51 OVR - SO
PF #41 - 6'7" 215 lbs - 51 OVR - SO
C #32 - 7'1" 220 lbs - 50 OVR - RS FR

Mariner elected to keep everyone who returned from last years team. He preached about everyone getting an opportunity to prove themselves to a new coaching staff. The five best will play, it's as simple as that.

Mariner also has 4 scholarships to use for this season. It appears his focus is on size, shooting, and defense. More on recruiting later.

'07-'08 Atlantic Sun Preseason Power Rankings
1. East Tennessee State Buccaneers - 74 OVR
2. Mercer Bears - 71 OVR
3. Florida Gulf Coast Eagles - 71 OVR
4. Campbell Fighting Camels - 71 OVR
5. Garner Webb Runnin' Bulldogs - 70 OVR
6. Jacksonville Dolphins - 70 OVR
7. Belmont Bruins - 69 OVR
8. Libscomb Bisons - 69 OVR
9. North Florida Ospreys - 69 OVR
10. Kennesaw State Owls - 69 OVR
11. South Carolina Upstate Spartans - 68 OVR
12. Stetson Hatters - 66 OVR

[the red c]

Re: the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

November 12, 2007 - Kennesaw State Owls 0-0 @ Austin Peay Governors 0-0

Kennesaw State 66, Austin Peay 52

Phil Mariner picks up his first win as a collegiate head coach against Austin Peay. The Owls jumped out to a 9-0 lead and never looked back. It was a solid win for Mariner and one he will look to build upon in his young career. SG #5 and C#32 led the Owls in scoring with double digits each. The Owls (1-0) will travel to Auburn (1-0) to take on the Tigers in their next game.

Kennesaw State Owls
Starters
PG #4 - 2 pts, 2 ast, 1 stl
SG #21 - 5 pts, 2 ast
SG #5 - 17 pts, 5 reb
PF #30 - 4 reb
C #32 - 14 pts, 9 reb, 2 blk
Bench Players
PF #1 - 7 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast
SF #24 - 3 pts, 4 reb
SG #23 - 9 pts, 4 reb, 2 stl
PF #33 - 7 pts, 2 stl

Kennesaw State Owls - 1-0

[the red c]

Re: the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

11/12/07 - Kennesaw State Owls 1-0 @ Auburn Tigers 1-0

Kennesaw State 53, Auburn 58 - L

Tried to play this one but it was too laggy. Auburn jumped out to a quick 6-0 start. We managed to make it 13-10 despite Auburn making every shot they took in the beginning. After a few more minutes of choppy play due to the lag and Auburn's talent pulling ahead, I simmed at 24-12. So kudos to the guys for not getting blown out

11/16/07 - Jacksonville State Gamecocks 1-0 vs Kennesaw State Owls 1-1
- 100 Club Classic Tournament Game -

Jacksonville State 54, Kennesaw State 47 - L

Phil Mariner's bunch just had one of the worst offensive performances imaginable. The team had just three points in the first seven minutes of the game and managed only twenty at the half; however, Jacksonville State was equally terrible scoring only twenty-two at the break. The second half would produce much of the same and the Gamecocks pulled away around the five minute mark after the Owls went cold from the floor. Seeing as how Kennesaw State hosted the tournament on their home floor, it's a disappointing loss in for their first unofficial home game. The Owls will play Colgate for third place tomorrow.

Kennesaw State Owls
Starters
PG #4 - 2 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl
SG #21 - 6 pts, 1 reb, 1 st,
SG #5 - 9 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk
PF #30 - 3 reb, 1 blk
C #32 - 2 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast
Bench Players
PF #1 - 10 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 1st, 1 blk
SG #24 - 5 pts, 1 reb, 1 stl
SG #23 - 7 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl
PF #33 - 6 pts, 4 reb, 1 asat

I'm going to have to take note of some of these bench players going forward

Kennesaw State 1-2

[the red c]

Re: the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

11/17/07 - Colgate Raiders 1-1 vs Kennesaw State Ows 1-2 - Colgate 52, Kennesaw State 73 - W

- 100 Club Classic Third Place Game -

- Great bounce back game for the Owls on the offensive side side scoring seventy-three points. SG #5 led the team with 15 points. The Owls had four other players chip in with 7 points and PF #1 had 6 points along with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.

- The team played great on defense as well, as they have throughout the season. The Raiders only managed to score fifty-two total, 24 in the first half and 28 in the second. The Owls were able to sit in the 2-3 zone a majority of the second half and let Colgate shoot themselves out of the game. Colgate went 2-17 from behind the arc.

11/21/07 - Kennesaw State 2-2 56 - @ Florida Int'l 0-0 45 - W SIMMED

11/24/07 - Florida A&M Rattlers 0-3 @ Kennesaw State Owls 3-2 - Florida A&M 62, Kennesaw State 67 - W

- The Owls had to fight from behind to earn this one. Down 41-26 at the half, they'd go on to outscore the Rattlers 41-21 in the second half. Two things played a huge role in this outcome - 1) SF #24 caught fire and had a career high 23 points (5-7 from 3) and 2) the Owls won the rebounding the second half 22-10.

- Phil Mariner has the Owls headed into the right direction as November comes to a wind. The seasons a grind and we've had some long spurts of atrocious basketball, but Mariner's probably thinking he can work with this bunch. He's probably even starting to like em a little.

Kennesaw State Owls 4-2

[the red c]

Re: the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

12/17/07 - Kennesaw State Owls (4-2) 54, Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks (1-10) 71 - L - SIMMED

Kennesaw State Owls Recruiting Update

- The Owls were able to sign one recruit in the in-season period:

Tre Long - 3 star C - OVR:#438|POS:#48
SHOOTING - C
SKILLS - C+
DEFENSE - B-
ATHLETICISM - B+
INTELLIGENCE - B-
POTENTIAL - B
SIZE - A-
- Tre Long should come onto the team as an instant starter with his size and rebounding ability, although that's not saying a whole lot. He's an okay defender whose prone to make mistakes. The Owls won't be running a lot of offense through him, but he should put up some decent numbers from his rebounding and put backs. He's got some decent potential, and he should pan out to be a quality 3-4 year starter.

- Played Texas State and won 62-61 to get to 5-3 on the year. We had a 38-29 lead at the half but let them get back in it. SG #3 (Brandon Rush) led all scorers with 18 points. SG #5 for our team wasn't far behind with 16 points on 3-4 from deep. Decided to sim the final four out of conference games (except Sacramento State a few weeks from now) to get to conference play. With March Madness around the corner I'm ready to start playing some big time games, albeit with Kennesaw State.

- The Owls sit at 6-6 entering Atlantic Sun play and the conference looks like it's up for grabs in the early going. Campbell (6-4) and Belmont (7-6) own the best records. North Florida (5-5) and Kennesaw State (6-6) come in next. SF #3 for Campbell leads all Atlantic Sun players in PPG (17.7) and RPG (12.2). Kennesaw State starts conference play at home against Mercer (4-8) on Jan. 5th, 2008.

Kennesaw State Owls 6-6

[the red c]

Re: the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

01/05/08 - Mercer 4-12 @ Kennesaw State Owls 6-6 - 50-60 W
01/10/08 - Jacksonville Dolphins 7-8 @ Kennesaw State Owls 7-6 - 59-77 W
01/12/08 - North Florida Ospreys 5-8 @ Kennesaw State Owls 8-6 - 79-68 L
01/17/08 - Kennesaw State Owls 8-7 @ Stetson Hatters 5-11 - 64-55 W

The Owls now sit at 9-7 (3-1) midway through January. They're 1/4th of the way through conference play and should have their sites set on finishing in the upper half of the conference. Ronell Wooten SR SG leads the team with 17.4 points per game and is second in the conference.

Atlantic Sun Standings / Jan. 19, 2008
1. Belmont Bruins 11-7 (4-1)
2. Kennesaw State Owls 9-7 (3-1)
3. Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 8-10 (3-1)
4. Campbell Fighting Camels 10-6 (3-2)
5. South Carolina Upstate Spartans 6-11 (3-2)
6. Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs 5-11 (3-2)
7. Jacksonville Dolphins 7-9 (2-3)
8. East Tennessee State Buccaneers 7-10 (2-3)
9. North Florida Ospreys 7-8 (2-3)
10. Mercer Bears 6-11 (2-3)
11. Stetson Hatters 5-12 (2-3)
12. Lipscomb Bisons 6-12 (0-5)

Kennesaw State 9-7 - GO OWLS

[the red c]

Re: the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

01/19/08 - Kennesaw State Owls @ Florida Gulf Coast - 79-85 L
01/24/08 - Belmont Bruins @ Kennesaw State Owls - 58-54 L
01/26/08 - Lipscomb Bison @ Kennesaw State Owls - 47-48 W
01/29/08 - Savannah State Tigers @ Kennesaw State Owls - 81-68 L
02/01/08 - Kennesaw State Owls @ SC Upstate Sparans - 65-51 W

Kennesaw State Owls 11-10 (5-3)

The Owls are halfway through conference play and sit at 4th in the conference. The Belmont Bruins 14-8 (7-2) come in at first place followed by Florida Gulf Coast 11-12 (6-3) and Campbell 13-7 (6-3). The Owls have already suffered losses against the Bruins and the Eagles thus far on the season; however, they have a chance to regain some momentum coming up as they face preseason favorite ETSU and Campbell in their next two games.

The Owls are led by senior SG Ronell Wooten - 72 OVR. Wooten is an excellent shooter averaging 16.3 PPG and 4.0 RPG. He's the team's go-to guy and he's going to be pretty hard to replace next year. He's a streaky shooter who manages to catch fire at at the right time

JR PF Shuan Stegall and SO SF Ryan Daughtery have been players behind Wooten. Daughtery is a guy who started the season slow but has since found his role within the team. He's a great shooter like Wooten but he's a tad better at finishing around the rim. Stegall is another guy who has rounded into form as the season has gone along. He's a sneaky threat as the roll guy in the pick-n-roll. He's averaging 10.3 PPG and 7.2 RPG and is the team's best big man.

The three above are what makes the Owls go. If they are on it and playing well generally the rest of the team falls in line. JR SG Nick Mattone is another great outside threat for the Owls. Combined with Wooten and Daughtery, Kennesaw State is a terror when it comes to shooting from behind the arc.

Sophomore walk on Zach Berry is the team's PG. He along with most of the other guys in the front court are the team's weak links and are area's Mariner would like to improve upon in the off season.

Atlantic Sun Standings | 02/02/08
1. Belmont 14-8 (7-2)
2. Florida Gulf Coast 11-12 (6-3)
3. Campbell 13-7 (6-3)
4. Kennesaw State 11-10 (5-3)
5. Mercer 9-11 (5-3)
6. North Florida 10-9 (5-4)
7. East Tennessee State 9-11 (4-4
8. Jacksonville 9-11 (4-5)
9. SC Upstate 6-14 (3-5)
10. Stetson 6-16 (3-6)
11. Gardner-Webb 5-15 (3-6)
12. Lipscomb 7-15 (1-8)

[Itsma806]

Re: the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

Good job so far. Looks like you may have used the auto name feature? I would hate playing with just numbers Haha. Anyway, good luck!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[the red c]

Re: the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

02/03/08 - Kennesaw State Owls 11-10 (5-3) @ E. Tennessee State Buccaneers 9-11 (4-4) - 87-89 OT L

Phil Mariner's Post Game Thoughts:
This is one we'd definitely like to have back. We were up 39-27 at the half, how'd we let this one slip away? This team is really struggling to close out games and it might end up costing us our season. We are basically a couple of sharp shooters and that's it. PF Stegall shows up every other game and PF Jacobs isn't consistent enough to garner much attention on offense.

We have to improve our rebounding and focus. Too often this year we've either started out games slow or let a huge lead, like the one we had tonight, get away from us. That'll kill us come March. At time's this team can play some really good stretches of basketball.

Ronell Wooten continues to be this team's star. He had 28 points tonight and was 6-11 from deep. I'm really gonna miss this guy next year.

Time to close out the year strong and gear up for the conference tournament. We have a huge game coming up against the Campbell Fighting Camels 13-7 (6-3) who sit at third place in the conference. Win this one and we are right back in the thick of things.

Kennesaw State Owls 11-11 (5-4)

[the red c]

Re: the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

Good job so far. Looks like you may have used the auto name feature? I would hate playing with just numbers Haha. Anyway, good luck!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Thanks for checking it out. The first year is always the hardest in closed legacies, IMO. The players aren't that good and you haven't really formed a connection with any of your players, so I'm trying to speed things up and get some of my guys in here.

And to kind of go off on the above, I actually just Googled Kennesaw State's 07-08 team and entered in some of the names of the real life players. I had to do something cause like you pointed out, playing with the numbers is so hard to do.

[the red c]

Re: the red c's Coaching Legacy of Phil Mariner (CH2K8)

02/07/08 - Kennesaw State 11-11 (5-4) @ Campbell 13-7 (6-3) - 80-64 W
02/09/08 - Gardner-Webb 5-16 (3-5) @ Kennesaw State 12-11 (6-4)

Phil Mariners Weekly Thoughts
Two solid wins on the week. Campbell was a key game for us and our boys took full advantage of the opportunity. Ronell Wooten continues to shine for us. He's really starting to emerge as the one of top players in the Atlantic Sun. It might not be a bad idea to see his shot attempts per game increase going forward. He's the type of player who can carry a team the distance in a small conference tournament.

We have five games left: home to Stetson, home to Florida Gulf Coast, at North Florida, at Jacksonville, and at Mercer, which could end up being a huge game for seeding purposes. It's all about finishing strong at this point. We are currently third in the conference. It'll be hard to crowned the regular season champs, Belmont sits atop the conference with a two game led, but I'd take a top three finish in my first year.

Kennesaw State Owls 13-11 (7-4)

Atlantic Sun Standings | 02/13/08
1. Belmont 17-8 (10-2)
2. Mercer 12-12 (8-4)
3. Kennesaw State 13-11 (7-4)
4. Campbell 15-8 (7-4)
5. Florida Gulf Coast 12-14 (7-5)
6. E. Tennessee State 11-13 (6-6)
7. Stetson 8-16 (5-6)
8. North Florida 11-11 (5-6)
9. Jacksonville 9-13 (4-7)
10. Lipscomb 10-15 (4-8)
11. Gardner-Webb 5-17 (3-8)
12. SC Upstate 6-18 (3-9)