The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

[trekfan]

Re: November 23, 2019 Northern Colorado vs Duquesne [non-conference]

Ouch, tough loss -- kids came out flat or maybe a bit nervous with the way they were bricking everything. Oggy's got to instill some confidence in them, not sure screaming at them at halftime will do that, but we'll see how the team responds to their coach's plea long-term.

[studbucket]

Re: November 23, 2019 Northern Colorado vs Duquesne [non-conference]

Ouch, tough loss -- kids came out flat or maybe a bit nervous with the way they were bricking everything. Oggy's got to instill some confidence in them, not sure screaming at them at halftime will do that, but we'll see how the team responds to their coach's plea long-term.

Absolutely - a lot he still has to learn here. It was clear that he was out of ideas when they threw the 2-3 zone at home with 2 big guys down low.

[studbucket]

November 28, 2019 St. Francis vs Youngstown State [non-conference]

It had been an up and down start to the season for Dinko, but he was gearing up for an important stretch: a few winnable games, including a showdown with his brother and his brother’s alma mater (which also signaled the beginning of conference play). His team was 2-2, coming off back-to-back road losses to Boise State and La Salle, and was looking forward to a home game against Youngstown State. This was the last game before a few meaningful events happened: the early signing period and games against Pitt, his brother (Northern Colorado), and local NEC rival Robert Morris (also his brother’s alma mater). A split of the next 4 games would be acceptable, and he really hoped he wouldn’t lose out on his main focus in recruiting, 7’0” Chris Nabors. However, that was a concern for next week – he wanted to stay undefeated at home and he’d need to beat the Penguins to do that.

Dinko and the Red Flash were able to stay undefeated at home, in large parts thanks to the size advantage they had. Zygis Keita had his best game under coach Dragomirov with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. They didn’t need Keita much in the first half, as they got out to a 12-4 lead and didn’t look back. They were up 28-21 at half thanks to a well-rounded team performance.

However, Keita and friends caught fire in the second half, pulling away quickly. Junior PG Noah Almond scored the first 5 points of the half and was responsible for two more with a beautiful pass to start a fast break. His playmaking led the way to an 18 point lead at one point as the Red Flash ended up winning 63-46.

Dinko would be ecstatic if his team can shoot 44% from three and exceed his opponent’s points in the paint and rebounds by 50% each game; we’ll see if this is something they can keep up in conference play.

Around the NCAA

• Through the first month of the season, we have 20 undefeated teams remaining, including #2 Tennessee (7-0), #3 Marquette (6-0), and #8 Arizona (5-0). Among teams that are unbeaten but not in the top 25, Davidson is the most impressive. Though only 3-0, they have double-digit victories over North Carolina and Duke. Kansas State also deserves recognition at 5-0 with victories over #7 Oregon and a 5-2 South Carolina team.

[trekfan]

Re: November 28, 2019 St. Francis vs Youngstown State [non-conference]

Very nice win, those are some good numbers from the team -- doubt they can stay that hot, but it's reaffirming that they can put away a team in the second half like they did here.

[RMJH4]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

Very very interesting take on this! I do not own College Hoops but I really want to now! Interested to see where this goes down the line! Setting records for young coaches! Nice that you didnt go with top of the line colleges either. Work your way up the ranks.

[RolePlayer]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

Shaping up to be a very very interesting tale, so many possibilities with this series. Could we see the brothers meet up in the NBA Finals? The Final Four? or even team up at the next level as an impressive coaching tandem

[studbucket]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

Very very interesting take on this! I do not own College Hoops but I really want to now! Interested to see where this goes down the line! Setting records for young coaches! Nice that you didnt go with top of the line colleges either. Work your way up the ranks.

Ha, thanks. I wanted to make a story that would keep me hooked. The brotherly competition has been fun for me to track (their showdown has already happened but COVID has actually made me busier).

I want to power through the season when I get a chance, just because I want to see what job offers they get

Shaping up to be a very very interesting tale, so many possibilities with this series. Could we see the brothers meet up in the NBA Finals? The Final Four? or even team up at the next level as an impressive coaching tandem

I hadn't thought of teaming up - interesting, especially if one seems to get more success than the other.

I definitely hope we see them start to compete in conference tourneys, NCAA, etc. I've already decided they are going to do a home-and-hoe series against each other every year.

Appreciate both of you taking an interest in this.

[RMJH4]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

Ha, thanks. I wanted to make a story that would keep me hooked. The brotherly competition has been fun for me to track (their showdown has already happened but COVID has actually made me busier).

I want to power through the season when I get a chance, just because I want to see what job offers they get



I hadn't thought of teaming up - interesting, especially if one seems to get more success than the other.



I definitely hope we see them start to compete in conference tourneys, NCAA, etc. I've already decided they are going to do a home-and-hoe series against each other every year.

Appreciate both of you taking an interest in this.

Yeah its an option, I always wanted to see the Van Gundy brothers work together!! I'm pretty sure that in soccer Sweden mens national team had dual head coaches for years!

[studbucket]

Signing Week

The early signing period has opened and we’re starting to see some of the top prospects around the country sign with schools.

• UCLA has to be thrilled with landing the #1 recruit in the nation, as PG Malcolm Nahra will join them next year.
• Duke has their backcourt of the future locked up, with PG Mason Delgado and SG Sheldon Newman headed to Durham, NC next year.
• He may not be Klay Thompson, but Washington State has to be thrilled with stealing Randy Vignale away from the California schools.
• Boston College is making a strong push for ACC supremacy in coming years, grabbing 2 of the top 4 shooters in this class.
• Out of nowhere, Arizona State is looking like a more attractive destination that Arizona, as they have the inside track on the #3 and #20 recruits over their in-state rival.
• In the biggest shock of them all, the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette are the frontrunners for big man Marcello Barber.

	Prospect	Position	Hometown	School
1	Malcolm Nahra	PG	Los Angeles, CA	Signed with UCLA
2	Marcello Barber	PF	Houston, TX	Louisiana-Lafayette, Duke, Memphis
3	Roland Mayes	PG	San Diego, CA	Arizona State, Arizona, UCLA
4	Leighton Byerson	SG	Bronx, NY	Signed with Boston College
5	Sheldon Newman	SG	Cincinnati, OH	Signed with Duke
6	Curtis Bitee	SG	St. Paul, MN	Signed with Kansas State
7	Danko Matthews	PG	Sioux Falls, SD	Signed with Arkansas
8	Mason Delgado	PG	Cape Coral, FL	Signed with Duke
9	Keston Mendoza	PF	Mountain View, CA	Signed with Stanford
10	Gerard Engle	SG	Boston, MA	Signed with Boston College
11	V.J. Andres	SF	Albuquerque, NM	Colorado, Kansas, UCLA
12	Wilt McCully	SG	Houston, TX	Signed with Auburn
13	Duane Parker	SG	St. Louis, MO	Marquette, Memphis
14	Reid Ziri	C	Vancouver, Canada	Oregon, Washington, Gonzaga
15	Britton Wainright	SG	McAllen, TX	Mississippi State, Florida
16	Randy Vignale	SG	Clovis, CA	Signed with Washington State
17	Bobby Reed	SG	Flint, MI	Signed with Pittsburgh
18	Paul Clifton	SG	Huntington Beach, CA	California, Washington State, Arizona
19	Jonas Shavies	SG	Chicago, IL	Signed with Wisconsin
20	Dan Diaz	PG	Phoenix, AZ	Texas Tech, Arizona State, Arizona

The Brothers Dragomirov
How did things go for the brothers? Dinko bet it all on 7’0 3-star Christopher Nabors…and lost that bet with Nabors committing to Drake, choosing to spend his college years in Des Moines, IA instead of Western PA. It’s hard to blame him – it’s closer to home and a better program, but it was a bitter pill for Kostadin to swallow.

In addition to losing out on Nabors, he saw 5 of his top 6 targets sign with other schools (including James Madison and Bethune Cookman). So who is next for Dinko? He looked at the players he had been in contact with and looked at who didn’t have any scholarship offers yet – one player jumped out. Biloxi, Mississippi’s 2-star 7-footer: Ruandy Mencio. He has great size, which is obviously something the Red Flash need, but his ABL stats were certainly lacking: 4 points and 4 rebounds in 10 minutes per game.

Oggy was a bit more diversified in his recruiting because of his three scholarships, and was also fortunate not to lose any of his top recruits. He is still in a tough fight with Denver for C Garrett Guerrero and UTSA for SG Jim Flores.

[trekfan]

Re: Signing Week

Bummer on missing out on Dinko's top recruit, but Mencio is at least really tall -- can't teach size. He's gonna be a project player, but developing him will be a big testament to Dinko's coaching.

[studbucket]

Re: Signing Week

Bummer on missing out on Dinko's top recruit, but Mencio is at least really tall -- can't teach size. He's gonna be a project player, but developing him will be a big testament to Dinko's coaching.

Absolutely, and Dinko is a big guy just like Mencio, and in college ball, especially with these mid-majors, size can be a huge differentiator. You don't need to be good to be effective like you do in the NBA.

[studbucket]

December 4, 2019 Northern Colorado vs Robert Morris [non-conference]

If the upcoming showdown with his brother was the main course and Duquesne was the pre-dinner drinks, then Robert Morris represented the type of appetizer that almost upstages the meal. Maybe some of that tender beef on skewers he got at steakhouses from time to time…but that’s getting beside the point, and is also a convenient analogy, because his 2 games at the Hawkeye challenge were squeezed in there as well and those were basically food poisoning. Despite beating Eastern Illinois by 18 points a few weeks prior, the Panthers destroyed the Bears 98-75 in Iowa City, followed by a 7-point loss to Louisiana-Monroe. The only positive? Donovin Mascoll’s continued good play, as he had 36 points and 11 rebounds in those 2 games.

Northern Colorado is sitting at a disappointing 3-4, but that’s much better than his struggling alma mater as the Colonials sit at 1-6. It was painful to see the team struggling so much but he had to admit it was comforting for him and boded well for his team’s chance to get to .500 with this game.

Before the game, Oggy spent time chatting with Andrew Toole, who has been Robert Morris’s head coach for 10 years, after starting at just 29 years old. He’s been a great mentor and helper for Oggy as the Bulgarian works through what it means to be an NCAA head coach, especially one in his 20s. It was great to catch up with him and give redshirt Senior PF Wil Frandsen a bit of a hard time. The Colonials’ team leader is averaging 13.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and was a 18 year old freshman during Oggy’s 5^th year on the team – the last link to Oggy’s playing career at RMU.

After catching up and reminiscing, Oggy reminded his team of all of RMU’s weaknesses, which he hoped to exploit all night long.

Oggy’s Senior leaders showed up right away as Jahnke and Mascoll scored the team’s first 10 points – though Robert Morris kept it close early on through some tough finishing. 5 minutes in, the score was all tied up at 12-12…and that was the last time Robert Morris would be in the game.

Delvon Jahnke had 3 three-pointers in the first half and he kick-started the run that had the Bears pull ahead for good. At half they were up 32-23 with Jahnke and Mascoll scoring 23 points combined.

Senior SG Delvon Jahnke made six 3-pointers

They were even better in the 2^nd half, with the 2 seniors combining for 25 second half points, which was also the margin of victory.

Looking at the box score after the game, Oggy was thrilled. His team shot 75% from the field with all 9 guys in the rotation getting between 2 and 4 assists. That 75% shooting was only possible because of the great passing and team play.

He can only hope that his team plays that well in 3 days as he heads back to Pennsylvania to take on “big” brother Dinko.

Around the NCAA

• Duke is a talented team, but Coach K is sitting at 4-3 and unranked after losing to three ranked teams: #3 Marquette, #11 Wisconsin, and #20 Davidson.
• The Big East looks really tough this year, with 6 teams still undefeated: St. John’s, Providence, Marquette, Louisville, Connecticut, and Cincinnati.

[trekfan]

Re: December 4, 2019 Northern Colorado vs Robert Morris [non-conference]

Nice win, lots of good passing and scoring there for Oggy's squad; looks like he has buy in from his senior leaders with the way they're playing, which bodes well for the more difficult stretches in the schedule ahead.

[RolePlayer]

Re: The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

Glad my coach isn't the only one struggling to land a recruit this season.

But for Dinko he has his squad rolling will be exciting to see how he and Oggy match up.

[studbucket]

Drago Derby Preview

It’s the eve of the big showdown between the two Dragomirov brothers, so let’s take a quick look at the two teams.

At a glance, the teams seem quite even when it comes to their skills, with St. Francis being a bit more well-rounded, although a bit smaller. However, when it comes to comparing their output so far, Northern Colorado clearly looks like the superior team. They are scoring 15 more points per game, shooting 8% better from the field and three, and turning it over 4.6 times less per game.

However, the Red Flash’s slower, more methodical game, better defense, and home court advantage may negate this perceived difference in performance.